Appearing in early 70s New York City as primal prototype street punks, Suicide a
re now hailed as one of the most important and influential groups of the 20th ce
ntury, inspiring that decade's major musical movements but too feared and shunne
d to be awarded their rightful acclaim at the time. Confronting shocked audience
s with their electronic "New York blues", singer Alan Vega and instrumentalist M
artin Rev fearlessly mirrored the city's sleazy underbelly and decay on blood-fr
eezing gutter-scapes such as 'Ghost Rider' and 'Frankie Teardrop' while invoking
doo-wop purity on timeless love songs like 'Cheree' and 'Dream Baby Dream'.The
book charts Suicide's uncompromising roller coaster from formative days in perfo
rmance art and avant garde experimentation to chaotic early shows at drug-infest
ed downtown hotbed the Project of Living Artists.Along with detailed accounts of
Suicide's influences, contemporaries and environment which spawned them, the bo
ok will position the duo as one of New York's most pivotal but derided outfits a
s the story moves through their pioneering first album, 1978's shockingly violen
t UK tour supporting The Clash and subsequent recordings, live sorties and respe
ctive parallel solo careers, going up to the present day. The author's eye witne
ss accounts and extensive first-hand interviews with Alan Vega and Martin Rev ar
e joined by conversations with producers Craig Leon, Marty Thau and Bob Blank, c
ontemporaries including Blondie, Jayne County and the New York Dolls and fans su
ch as Nick Cave, Bobby Gillespie and The Clash; adding to a definitive account o
f this most unique group.
