Tag: the viper room
Allin Family Values: Murder Junkies at the Viper Room
Rob Shepyer
June 13, 2019
For as long as I’ve loved punk rock, I’ve loved the Jerry Springer show. For as long as I’ve loved Jerry Springer, I’ve loved GG Allin, where I first saw this punk rock saint preach his manifesto to his followers on national television. Then for as long as I’ve loved GG Allin, I’ve loved Todd Phillip’s first documentary, Hated. The story of GG Allin is that of a martyr, someone that lost their life, sacrificed it really, for art but more specifically, rock and roll. If you watch Hated, you would know that the Murder Junkies, GG’s final band, played just as pivotal of a role in his rise to iconic status. Merle Allin, GG’s older brother and the closest thing he had to a protector, and Dino, his eccentric drummer, have still been piloting the Murder Junkies since GG’s death and all this time, they’ve provided a kind of punk rock that is unique from all others. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UR2Y94gmgU&t=585s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMgDdYV74T0&t=818s Murder rock and the murder punks that follow it are a separate breed. Where as punks walk around Los Angeles with Discharge shirts and patches, these kids wear Manson patches, Ed Gein shirts, and maybe have a Night Stalker sticker
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Shred And Sensitivity: The Smoking Popes At The Viper Room
Rob Shepyer
May 2, 2018
The week leading up to The Smoking Popes‘ return to Los Angeles at the Viper Room was filled by my reacquainting myself with their music. I remember the first time I heard of the Popes, from a friend who described them as pop punk meets big band, which is a description I dispute after having seen them, but still it made me curious enough to investigate the band. I had been listening to their cover of Gene Wilder’s “Pure Imagination” nonstop and was willing to see them as many times as it would take to hear that cover live. The Smoking Popes had hung up their papal pipes for a few years but with the twenty year anniversary of their seminal album Destination Failure, the band decided to get back on the road to celebrate. The last time they were in Los Angeles was 2012, when they played the Knitting Room (RIP). related content: Heaven Or Coachella?: Django Django And Tank & The Bangas At The Fonda Entering the Viper Room, which was already filling up, I got to the front of the crowd to watch the opening band Bad Cop/Bad Cop, a band that I’ve been hearing and seeing
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