| 32nd | Top hardcore punk bands |
| 45th | Top musicians in the first wave of punk rock |
| Fear | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Genres | Hardcore punk[1] |
| Years active | 1977-present |
| Labels | Slash Records Fear Records Sector 2 Records |
| Associated acts | MD.45, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Breeders |
| Website | www.fearband.com |
| Members | |
| Lee Ving Richard Presley Sam Bolle Andrew Jamiez |
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Fear is an American punk band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1977, and is still active today. Credited for helping to shape the sound and style of American hardcore punk,[1] the band started out as part of the early California punk rock scene, and gained national prominence after an infamous 1981 performance on Saturday Night Live.
Frontman Lee Ving has been the band's only constant member. Since their formation, the band went through various lineup changes and at one point featured Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers on bass.
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Fear was formed in 1977 by vocalist/guitarist Lee Ving and bassist Derf Scratch. They recruited guitarist Burt Good, and drummer Johnny Backbeat to fill out the original lineup. In 1977, Fear released the single "I Love Living in the City". Shortly after this Good and Backbeat left the band and were replaced by Philo Cramer and Spit Stix.
Film director Penelope Spheeris met Lee Ving and Spit Stix while they were hanging handbills on telephone poles in Los Angeles on Laurel Canyon. After talking with the two, she abruptly asked if they wanted to be in a documentary she was working on about the Los Angeles punk scene.[2] The film, The Decline of Western Civilization, was released in 1981. It showed Fear performing a set in which they baited members of the audience with personal attacks and offbeat humor, inspiring some audience members to come on stage and try to fight them. Spheeris was then married to Slash Records president Bob Biggs, who later that year, signed a recording deal with Fear.
The movie brought the band to the attention of actor John Belushi, who lobbied successfully to get the band a spot as a musical guest on the 1981 Halloween episode of his former show Saturday Night Live. The band's appearance included a group of moshers, among them Belushi, Ian MacKaye of Minor Threat (and later Fugazi), Tesco Vee of The Meatmen (and later Tesco Vee's Hate Police), Harley Flanagan and John Joseph of The Cro-mags, and John Brannon of Negative Approach. The show's director originally wanted to prevent the dancers from participating, so Belushi offered to be in the episode if the dancers were allowed to stay.[2] The end result was the shortening of Fear's appearance on TV. The band first performed "I Don't Care About You." They started their second performance by saying, "It's great to be in New Jersey," drawing boos from SNL's New York live audience. Accompanied by gory footage of blood-filled pumpkins being carved into Jack O'Lanterns, Fear then played "Beef Bologna," "New York's Alright If You Like Saxophones," and started to play "Let's Have a War" when the audio and video of the telecast faded into commercial. During the performance the slamdancers left ripe pumpkin remains on the set and stage speakers. Belushi also offered Fear the soundtrack for his major motion picture Neighbors. The movie studio eventually forced Fear off the project after Belushi's death. Shortly after the 1981 Halloween SNL appearance, which resulted in $20,000 in damages, some clubs chose not to hire the band.
A New York Post article later reported the figure to be $500,000. This is believed to have originated from a phone call from the New York Post to Ving, in which Ving responded to the claim of causing $20,000 worth of damage by saying "Hold it, hold it! No way, pal. That’s a bald-faced lie! We caused $500,000 worth of damage, a cool half a million dollars worth of damage, ‘cause we’re professionals, and I counted the damage myself."[3]
In 1982, Fear released their debut album The Record. After the touring Ving fired Derf Scratch. In the summer of 1983 through early 1984, while Stix toured in Europe with Nina Hagen, Chuck Biscuits had agreed to replace him, but Stix was persuaded to return to the band and Biscuits never played a show.[4] Eric Feldman of PJ Harvey, Captain Beefheart, and Frank Black, briefly filled in, before he was replaced with Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Flea left the band and was replaced by Lorenzo Buhne. In 1986, the band recorded, with Ving producing, their follow up album More Beer in just two days.
In 1991, an album capturing a 1985 performance was released as Live...For the Record, and shortly afterwards bassist Will "Sluggo" MacGregor was hired. Following the 1991 through 1993 Fear North American touring the original Fear disbanded. Philo Cramer and Spit Stix left Fear citing disputes with Ving over finances, his right wing beliefs, and his lack of empathy. For the next two years Ving reformed in Austin, Texas as Lee Ving's Army. This eventually became the new Fear line-up including Ving backed by Lee Ving's Army members, guitarist Sean Cruse, bassist Scott Thunes, and drummer Andrew Jamiez. Of these new members Jamiez was the only one currently playing in the band. In 1995, an album was released Have Another Beer With FEAR. In 2000, Fear released the album American Beer, which featured Ving and Jamiez, along with new members Richard Presley and Mando Lopez. The album included new recordings of several previously unreleased older Fear songs, as well as some new compositions. Not long after Presley and Lopez began playing with Kim Deal and Kelley Deal in The Breeders.
Fear continues to perform, with Ving being the only original member. In 2008, they played on the Vans Warped Tour.
In a 2004 interview with former drummer Spit Stix it was mentioned he would participate in a Fear reunion tour if Philo was part of it. He noted, "Well, Philo and I together can overpower Lee, you know? We can be enough.... Because it used to be Philo, me and Derf too in the beginning." Stix further stated that Philo, who has a degree in physics, is politically far left and balances out Ving's far right philosophy. Without this balance Ving is too overwhelming to deal with on the road for a reunion tour.[2]
Fear has influenced a number of bands who have paid tribute to them by covering their songs.
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   | Interview with Fear drummer Spit Stix - Spit Stix interview |
| | Interview with Fear bassist Derf Scratch - Derf Scratch interview |
| | Spit Stix chronicles his time with Fear - SPIT STIX, a punk chronicle |
| | Fear on SNL - YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. |
| | The infamous SNL clip - YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. |
| | Fear tabs at Tablature Wiki - Not a valid Wikia - Wikis from Wikia - Join the best wiki communities |
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