Once upon a time there was a thing they called punk and plugging into an amp was all u needed to know, still is. Wasnt all about that fashion binge either, just a “fuck u i’ll do it myself” thing still going on out there today in all sorts of things and music.. And one of the greatest “fuck you” bands that’s ever existed spurred out of Cleveland back in the 70’s until re-stationing themselves in NY at the highth of the whole CBGB era, that band was The Dead Boys. First DB song anyone ever played me was Sonic Reducer saying he wanted us to cover it, i was 17 and hooked, even now i think All this and More is still one of the best trax ive ever heard.
We got in touch with surviving member and guitarist Cheetah Chrome upon discovering an autobiography he published in 2010 entitled Cheetah Chrome: A Dead Boy’s Tale – From the Front Lines of Punk Rock and asked if he wanted to shoot the shit. Of course Cheetah’s musical contributions exceed that of just The Dead Boys, take The Stilettos for instance, or Cheetah Chrome and the Casualties and Rocket From The Tombs. He’s collaborated with so many people throughout the years it’d be impossible to mention them all but some of those include Ronnie Spector, Joey Ramone and Sylvain Sylvain. What follows is the conversation i had in december with Cheetah, a genuinely sweet guy, proud parent and as involved in music as ever. Go find that book!
thinkbabymusic.com | 2013
Hey C, first of all how the hell are you?
Just fine, thanks! Survived the election, and I’m making music, so……
What kind of music?
Well, mostly the production side of things this year. I’m now Creative Director of Plowboy Records, a new Indy label in Nashville. The label is owned by the grandson of Eddy Arnold, and one of our first projects is a tribute album. I’m in charge of doing A&R and production on the album. Over the past year I’ve worked with some of the best musicians in Nashville, in some of the most historic studios like RCA Studio B and the Quonset Hut. It’s been a real honor me for to do this and I’ve loved every minute of it. Plus it gives me the chance to corrupt Country Music from within!
Upon stumbling unto your (great) book “A Dead Boy’s Tale” i couldnt help but wonder, when did you decide you needed to write this book and how did it feel looking back at everything like that?
I never decided I needed to write a book, I got cajoled into it. A friend, Michelle Lanci, was working at the publishing company. She and her boyfriend came to visit, and while we were out over dinner telling war stories, she said I should write a book. She kept bringing it up every time we spoke after that, so I wrote a sample chapter figuring that would be the end of it. Well, it wasn’t , and I found myself sitting at a desk for the next year and a half writing a book. It’s very strange to look back and remember all of the things that have happened, but it was very helpful as well. Once it’s out there, it’s out there, it’s sort of a fresh start!
