VOM (punk rock band)
Encyclopedia
VOM was conceived in 1976, a self-described beat combo featuring the renowned writer and critic Richard Meltzer
on vocals, with Gregg Turner on 2nd vocals and "Metal" Mike Saunders
on drums under the pseudonym "Ted Klusewski". The band also featured Dave Guzman on 'tuneless rhythm guitar', Lisa Brenneis ('Gurl') on bass guitar, and Phil Koehn on lead guitar. The name Vom is short for 'vomit', as their early live act is said by Meltzer and Turner to have included throwing various 'viscera', cow parts and food substances at the audience to provoke reaction.
Both Meltzer and Saunders had already contributed to music as a whole in very distinct conduits. Richard Meltzer had written The Aesthetics of Rock (written in '68 but published in '70) which was certainly the 'first serious' discussion of rock music in long format as an art form. Mike Saunders is credited for coining the term 'heavy metal
' as a sub-genre, while writing for Rolling Stone
. In 1970 he wrote: "Here[ Humble Pie
] were a noisy, unmelodic, heavy metal-leaden shit-rock band, with the loud and noisy parts beyond doubt," in a review of As Safe As Yesterday Is
. "This album," he continues, "more of the same 27th-rate heavy metal crap, is worse than the first two put together, though I know that sounds incredible." Though Saunders himself states that the title is "right there" in Steppenwolf
's "Born To Be Wild" ("heavy metal thunder...") and the term predates even this in William S. Burroughs
' novel The Wild Boys, Metal Mike was the first to lend it to the new hard rock of Led Zeppelin
, Blue Öyster Cult
and Black Sabbath
, of which Sabbath was being termed 'downer' rock.
Besides 'I'm In Love With Your Mom' and 'Too Animalistic', which were later incorporated into the Angry Samoans
catalog, Vom were notorious for a song called 'Electrocute Your Cock', which began with Saunders Ramones
-like tom tom beat and Meltzer's cries of "Electrocute your cock, electrocute your cock / Looking for a handjob? Stick It in a clock!". Despite its profane audacity it had the pop catchiness and wit to be somewhat of a hit for the band. Other songs included 'Broads Are Equal' and 'I Am (the Son of Sam)'.
Videos for 'I'm In Love With Your Mom' and 'Electrocute Your Cock' were produced, which has to be a very early example of the art form as a DIY method long before bands really became required to do this. Richard Casey
(who went on to direct videos for Blue Oyster Cult, Buck Dharma
and Romeo Void
) directed the two - 'I'm In Love' shot as the band performed on the beach, with Meltzer wearing briefs on his head. The more visually interesting video is certainly 'Electrocute', with some humorous moments, including a side-shot of Meltzer in a chair screaming the lyrics and sprawling comedically backwards, and Meltzer in a bathtub being electrocuted. Both videos can be found in the Angry Samoans
video entitled True Documentary, also featuring work by Richard Casey (including the Angry Samoans
video for the Chambers Brothers 'Time Has Come Today', which actually got late-night air-play on MTV). This video also features live footage, interviews with Meltzer, Saunders and Turner, and the Samoans classic Kenji Shibuya skits. Meltzer, according to Turner, "threw in the Vom towel" in 1977, which left Turner and Saunders to pave the way for the Angry Samoans
.
Richard Meltzer
Richard Meltzer was one of the earliest rock music critics. His first book, The Aesthetics of Rock, evolved out of his undergraduate studies in philosophy at the State University of New York at Stony Brook and graduate studies at Yale University...
on vocals, with Gregg Turner on 2nd vocals and "Metal" Mike Saunders
Mike Saunders
Mike Saunders , better known as "Metal Mike" Saunders, is a rock critic and the singer of the Californian punk band Angry Samoans...
on drums under the pseudonym "Ted Klusewski". The band also featured Dave Guzman on 'tuneless rhythm guitar', Lisa Brenneis ('Gurl') on bass guitar, and Phil Koehn on lead guitar. The name Vom is short for 'vomit', as their early live act is said by Meltzer and Turner to have included throwing various 'viscera', cow parts and food substances at the audience to provoke reaction.
Both Meltzer and Saunders had already contributed to music as a whole in very distinct conduits. Richard Meltzer had written The Aesthetics of Rock (written in '68 but published in '70) which was certainly the 'first serious' discussion of rock music in long format as an art form. Mike Saunders is credited for coining the term 'heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
' as a sub-genre, while writing for Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
. In 1970 he wrote: "Here
Humble Pie (band)
Humble Pie was a rock band from England, finding success both in the UK and the US. They are remembered for songs such as "Black Coffee" "30 Days in the Hole", "I Don't Need No Doctor", and "Natural Born Bugie"...
As Safe As Yesterday Is
As Safe As Yesterday Is is the debut album for rock band Humble Pie, released in the UK in August 1969. The album peaked at number 16 in the UK album chart.Featuring former frontmen Steve Marriott and Peter Frampton...
. "This album," he continues, "more of the same 27th-rate heavy metal crap, is worse than the first two put together, though I know that sounds incredible." Though Saunders himself states that the title is "right there" in Steppenwolf
Steppenwolf (band)
Steppenwolf are a Canadian-American rock group that was prominent in the late 1960s. The group was formed in 1967 in Los Angeles by vocalist John Kay, guitarist Michael Monarch, bassist Rushton Moreve, keyboardist Goldy McJohn and drummer Jerry Edmonton after the dissolution of Toronto group The...
's "Born To Be Wild" ("heavy metal thunder...") and the term predates even this in William S. Burroughs
William S. Burroughs
William Seward Burroughs II was an American novelist, poet, essayist and spoken word performer. A primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major postmodernist author, he is considered to be "one of the most politically trenchant, culturally influential, and innovative artists of the 20th...
' novel The Wild Boys, Metal Mike was the first to lend it to the new hard rock of Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
, Blue Öyster Cult
Blue Öyster Cult
Blue Öyster Cult, often abbreviated BÖC, is an American rock band, most of whose members first came together in Long Island, NY in 1967 as the band Soft White Underbelly...
and Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
, of which Sabbath was being termed 'downer' rock.
Besides 'I'm In Love With Your Mom' and 'Too Animalistic', which were later incorporated into the Angry Samoans
Angry Samoans
The Angry Samoans are an American punk rock band in the first wave of American punk. Formed in August 1978 in Los Angeles, California by early 1970s rock writer "Metal" Mike Saunders and his sibling lead guitarist bonze blayk, along with co-conspirator Gregg Turner and original recruits bassist...
catalog, Vom were notorious for a song called 'Electrocute Your Cock', which began with Saunders Ramones
Ramones
The Ramones were an American rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first punk rock group...
-like tom tom beat and Meltzer's cries of "Electrocute your cock, electrocute your cock / Looking for a handjob? Stick It in a clock!". Despite its profane audacity it had the pop catchiness and wit to be somewhat of a hit for the band. Other songs included 'Broads Are Equal' and 'I Am (the Son of Sam)'.
Videos for 'I'm In Love With Your Mom' and 'Electrocute Your Cock' were produced, which has to be a very early example of the art form as a DIY method long before bands really became required to do this. Richard Casey
Richard Casey
Richard Casey may refer to:*Richard Casey, Baron Casey , Australian politician and diplomat*Richard C. Casey , U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of New York...
(who went on to direct videos for Blue Oyster Cult, Buck Dharma
Buck Dharma
Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser is an American guitarist and songwriter, best known for being a member of Blue Öyster Cult since the group's formation in 1967...
and Romeo Void
Romeo Void
Romeo Void was an American rock band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1979. The band primarily consisted of saxophonist Benjamin Bossi, vocalist Debora Iyall, guitarist Peter Woods, and bassist Frank Zincavage. The band went through four drummers, starting with Jay Derrah and ending with...
) directed the two - 'I'm In Love' shot as the band performed on the beach, with Meltzer wearing briefs on his head. The more visually interesting video is certainly 'Electrocute', with some humorous moments, including a side-shot of Meltzer in a chair screaming the lyrics and sprawling comedically backwards, and Meltzer in a bathtub being electrocuted. Both videos can be found in the Angry Samoans
Angry Samoans
The Angry Samoans are an American punk rock band in the first wave of American punk. Formed in August 1978 in Los Angeles, California by early 1970s rock writer "Metal" Mike Saunders and his sibling lead guitarist bonze blayk, along with co-conspirator Gregg Turner and original recruits bassist...
video entitled True Documentary, also featuring work by Richard Casey (including the Angry Samoans
Angry Samoans
The Angry Samoans are an American punk rock band in the first wave of American punk. Formed in August 1978 in Los Angeles, California by early 1970s rock writer "Metal" Mike Saunders and his sibling lead guitarist bonze blayk, along with co-conspirator Gregg Turner and original recruits bassist...
video for the Chambers Brothers 'Time Has Come Today', which actually got late-night air-play on MTV). This video also features live footage, interviews with Meltzer, Saunders and Turner, and the Samoans classic Kenji Shibuya skits. Meltzer, according to Turner, "threw in the Vom towel" in 1977, which left Turner and Saunders to pave the way for the Angry Samoans
Angry Samoans
The Angry Samoans are an American punk rock band in the first wave of American punk. Formed in August 1978 in Los Angeles, California by early 1970s rock writer "Metal" Mike Saunders and his sibling lead guitarist bonze blayk, along with co-conspirator Gregg Turner and original recruits bassist...
.
Discography
- Live At Surf City-EP (1978) White Noise Records
- Live At The Mabuhay Gardens 4/24/1978 (Bootleg)