And speaking of language, Ive tried to avoid it, but his last name even rhymes with fierce. Pierce returned to Los Angeles before relocating to Utah to stay with his father and write. among many others. Come back, Johnny Thunders. The Gun Club Documentary 'Elvis From Hell' Coming In 2020 - Stereogum And it was there that the next stage of The Gun Club began to take gestate. Emptiness and defiance. LIVE "Jeffrey Lee Pierce" (10/13/2010)", "OFF! Suddenly the songwriting just happened. Amy is currently creative director of an East Village rock & roll club, DJ, and contributor for PKM. His demise is another sad reminder that the rock 'n' roll life-style can also lead to oblivion. Which is why 13 years after his death, a loss I only discovered on an Internet forum somewhere around the turn of the millennium Jeffrey Lee Pierce deserves this long-overdue eulogy-apology for reminding me that, sometimes, for loves sake, in the face of the nights chilly indifference, the only thing left for us is to shriek and cavort and kick the campfire sparks and temporarily lose our minds in the music. In 2014, Sergio Rotman of the Argentinian band Los Fabulosos Cadillacs edited a special edition of 500CDs with versions of 14 Gun Club and Pierce songs. Its like we had this idea that the band would repeat Fire of Love ad infinitum and wed all go home happy, so when expectations were dashed, much of the critical world scowled petulantly and turned away, never to turn fully back. Jeffrey always used to say, Hey, lets think like jazz! We werent jazz players but we could make our own version of it.. Dax Riggs, former front man of Acid Bath, Agents of Oblivion, and Deadboy & The Elephantmen, frequently performs a cover of the Gun Club's "Mother of Earth" at his live shows, always crediting Pierce and expressing admiration for his song-writing. Long before anyone coined the term mosh pit, my enduring memory of that concert, aside from its sheer mesmeric ebullience, is of the ripe full-body bruising I got to gingerly explore at my hungover leisure the following day. [13] Pierce relocated to England with Mori and concentrated on his solo career. Jeffrey Lee Pierce (June 27, 1958 - March 31, 1996) was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and author. Digging into layers of hopeless desperate acts, excavating strata for singular sacred artifacts, aching to merge the atavistic with the advanced. Sex Beat, their introduction to the world, weve already discussed, but contrast it with the bands final song Anger Blues, and we can see the parabola of their musical journey, an ass-backwards shedding of raw punk attitude for well, the actual blues. Death Party - Wikipedia A call was made from Australia to Kid Congo Powers. The blues had provided the kindling, punk the flame. His last TV appearance was with the Bad Seeds on Later with Jools Holland, recorded on May 14, 1994.[21]. 1 reference. Garnering much critical acclaim, it would prove to be an influential album, not least on the UKs nascent psychobilly scene and the 80s garage band revivalists that followed. Hes also in the select group of music journalists to have actually got on with Lou Reed. Released in 1987 to much critical acclaim, Mother Juno and its subsequent tour became the most successful period of The Gun Club. All rights reserved. [7], The follow-up album, Miami, was produced by Stein,[8] and features renditions of "Devil in the Woods," "Sleeping in Blood City" and Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Run Through the Jungle." A diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder and clinical depression was still half a decade in my future, but the low-grade torment had already begun. English Wikipedia. Bluntly, they never quite got famous enough to sustain themselves in the down times, of which there were many. This was to be the last gasp of a career which had patently lost its direction. He died on 31 March 1996 in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. Springheel Jack. His interest in reggae overlapped with the emergence of punk rock and he became involved in the Hollywood scene as a contributor to Slash, writing on contemporary punk, 1930s blues, 1950s rockabilly, and on reggae under the name "Ranking Jeffrey Lea", including an interview with Bob Marley. England and Wales company registration number 2008885. Bath To understand Pierce's ambivalence toward Los Angeles requires looking further into the particular origins Jeffrey Lee Pierce. Fire Of Love: A Jeffrey Lee Pierce Retrospective - The Quietus But Jeffrey did make efforts to stay on top of all that sort of stuff. [43] The found recordings were too rough to release, and Glitterhouse Records, the label responsible for the project, used digital technology to allow artists to record their contributions from around the world. Menu. As the Deputy Online News Editor at Xfm he revealed exclusively that Nick Caves second novel was on the way. His obsessions crawled all over him. They were deadly serious, for one thing. [7], In March 2012, Nick Cave gave an interview to Gun Club biographer Gene Temesy, researching for a book on the history of the Gun Club, which was published on the Australian web-based magazine Mess and Noise, noting Pierce's obsessions with the Vietnam War, dinosaurs, and Japanese horror movies. Jeffrey Lee Pierce, singer, guitarist, composer: born Texas 27 June 1958; married Romi Mori;. And yet, subject matter aside, there is nothing nihilistic about the effect of their music. Its counterintuitive, and often, at its most abject, unforeseen beauty lurks. Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in, Please refresh your browser to be logged in, Extra 20% off selected fashion and sportswear at Very, Get up to 10% off using the Booking.com app, $6 off a $50+ order with this AliExpress discount code, 15% off orders over 15 using this eBay discount code, Compare broadband packages side by side to find the best deal for you, Compare cheap broadband deals from providers with fastest speed in your area, All you need to know about fibre broadband, Best Apple iPhone Deals in the UK April 2023, Compare iPhone contract deals and get the best offer this April, Compare the best mobile phone deals from the top networks and brands. He got back in touch with his initial blues roots, began dressing like a rambling cowboy, and finger-picked a resonator guitar. [16] A different line-up including Romi Mori, Dean Dennis and Nick Sanderson also recorded with Pierce, completing the six-track "Flamingo"[16] The EP featured a remix of Wildweed's opening track "Love and Desperation" and two cover tracks. Nick Cave based his whole universe on Jeffrey. "It was Jeff's musical misery tour.". Still, the momentum nevertheless enabled Pierce to sign his band to Animal Records, a label set up by the Blondie guitarist Chris Stein. He had the voice of sadness and when we played really large venues, his voice would go so wide, especially when we were playing sad, bluesy songs.. Arun Starkey. Perhaps, indeed, there are no right questions. Perhaps the severing of any ties to that troubled music was a gift from my subconscious. Everybody felt the same and we were there for the music. If he inspired Jack White musically (and he did), he more readily recalled Jack Black, physically while embodying, in his own agitated head at least, Jack on Fire. Pierce was also an ardent admirer of Debbie Harry of Blondie, and became president of the band's West Coast fan club. There was very little funny about The Gun Club, certainly not intentionally (Although Pierces bitter comment about Cave attending a better class of rehab than himself could be seen as humorous if you squint hard enough.). Dave Alvin also played lead guitar on two tracks. Every generation since the boomers onwards has had a gateway band into the blues, and for those taken by punks brief but seismic blast, that group was The Gun Club. Watch a tender documentary about Jeffrey Lee Pierce - Far Out Magazine The album also contains a version of Robert Johnson's "Preachin' Blues" and the love song "Promise Me". Jeffrey Lee Pierce Wikipedia DEATH PARTY - EP (13-Apr-83) 01.The House On Highland Ave 02.The Lie 03.The Light Of The World 04.Death Party 05.Come Back Jim Line-up: Jeffrey Lee Pierce (vocals)/ Jim Duckworth (guitar)/ Jimmy Joe Uliana (bass) and Dee Pop (drums). (Jeffrey Lee Pierce photo: via fanpop.com). Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Long-term alcohol abuse had left Pierce with cirrhosis of the liver and his enforced sobriety was having a detrimental personal and musical effect. His relationship to the blues, in particular, is complex. In the end, he took me to Amsterdam and when we got there he asked me to wait in McDonalds. She left him and began a relationship with her future husband, Nick Sanderson. Im glad that those records mean something to people and I hear that all the time, and Im really proud of that.. Get our latest storiesin the feed of your favorite networks. He touches on Nick Cave, The Cramps, and how R.E.M. Jeffrey Lee Pierce Biography, Songs, & Albums | AllMusic Born. But I think it was very difficult for him Jeffrey very often didnt make sense. We were not a band that was poker-faced; you could see what was going on. More images. . May 18, 1961 Jacqui Pierce, Jeffrey's . After six months in Japan, Pierce and Mori returned to London in August 1986, with Pierce intending to reform the Gun Club. Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Jeffrey Lee Pierce, Rock Musician, 37 New York Times", "Obituary: Jeffrey Lee Pierce People News", "in exile: the rootless cosmopolitanism of Jeffrey Lee Pierce and the Gun Club", "Preaching The Blues: Remembering The Gun Club's Jeffrey Lee Pierce", "Returning to the supposedly troublesome 'Miami', "Rockbrat Remembers: When Spencer Jones played with The Gun Club", "NEW YORK NIGHT TRAIN issue 1: Kid Congo Powers Oral History Pt. During his two-decade career, hes interviewed the likes of Keith Richards, Jimmy Page and Ozzy Osbourne, and has been ranted at by John Lydon. Biography [ edit] Early life [ edit] Pierce was born on June 27, 1958, in Montebello, California. The sessions were recorded with acoustic guitars in Grove's bedroom using a "boombox" device. I thought they were amazing with Ward Dotson playing, remembers Powers. Im an important man! Whether consciously or not, echoes of The Gun Club are keenly felt by contemporary practitioners of punk-rock blues such as Daddy Long Legs, Guadalupe Plata and The Bonnevilles as well as more established musicians such as Mark Lanegan, Nick Cave and The Black Keys. We had two channels on our TV and a wood stove for heat, the wood-splitting axe a necessary companion. But The Gun Club made things happen on their own terms. He was a one-man southern death cult, a bad Indian. Pierce's autobiography, Go Tell The Mountain, goes into detail about the personal turmoil he experienced during the late 1980s and early 1990s. With Pierces drinking escalating to the point of blackout, relations within the band rapidly deteriorated. Biography - Jeffrey Lee Pierce And I also think that the records speak for themselves and Im really proud to be on them. Its August bank holiday 2002, and The White Stripes, hot on the back of their third album, White Blood Cells, are introducing a whole new generation to the blues at the annual Reading Festival. [30], Pierce is honored by Thstrm in a 2005 song recording. The thing that I remember most about that show, and Ive never, ever forgotten it, is that they came on and its hard to overestimate the impact this has on you as a kid and this huge wall of feedback emanated from their instruments. He went and grabbed it; it didnt come to him. In December 1984 the Gun Club played two gigs in London, but by January 1985 had broken up, cancelling an upcoming Australian Tour. [6] Becoming disillusioned by the evolution of punk rock into what he saw as strict formality, and feeling that reggae was an import, Pierce developed a keen interest in and extensive knowledge of the Delta blues, taking influence and inspiration from his own culture's history. But it was too good to last. If he hadnt have been so tenacious then nothing wouldve happened for the band. At the center of this storm was Pierces voice. You didnt show up to do a gig to nameless and faceless people. Featuring five songs, the material on the EP sounded thicker and bolder than anything that had previously been released, with a far stronger emphasis on the songwriting. It was never a choreographed act., While Powers returned to America to clean himself up, Pierce slid into heroin addiction. Jeffrey Lee Pierce is best remembered as the hard-living guitarist/singer who fronted the Gun Club, a band that fused the fury of punk with the melodic structures and lyrical obsessions of the blues.Born on June 27, 1958, and raised in El Monte, California, Pierce discovered punk rock during his teenage years while working at Bomp Records, writing for such L.A.-based punk magazines as Slash . Whitechapel Jack. Come on! People want to see me! And he looked at us as if were supposed to leave our guitars. [49][bettersourceneeded] In the documentary, Voss interviews Pierce's former collaborators, Kid Congo Powers, Ward Dotson, Terry Graham, Jim Duckworth, and Dee Pop, in addition to his high school friend Steven Tash, former publisher of Pierce's work, Henry Rollins, and Lemmy, lead singer of Motrhead. About any of it. The singer lived for a time in London and gigged fitfully around Europe, doing strange versions of jazz standards (John Coltrane's "A Love Supreme", Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit") and releasing disappointing albums of past and recent concerts on many labels (Two Sides of the Beast on Dojo for instance). Still, the Gun Club was always Jeffrey Lee Pierce's band. cause of death. IMDb ID. We need you now. Titles like "Walking With the Beast", "Bad America" and "Wildweed" now seem sad portents of what was to come. Pierce fronted the Gun Club from 1979 through to his death in 1996 . We want to hear from you! Guitarist, bass player and photographer Romi Mori was Pierce's longest romantic partner and a member of the second incarnation of The Gun Club. [citation needed], Pierce's life is the subject of the documentary, Ghost on The Highway: A Portrait of Jeffrey Lee Pierce and The Gun Club, directed by Kurt Voss, and produced by Voss and editor/composer Andrew R. And while punk, on the surface, at least, eschewed and discarded what had come before it, The Gun Club tapped into a lineage that took them through the decades via punk, primal rocknroll and eventually the blues. Jeffrey Lee Pierce Death: and Cause of Death On March 31, 1996, Jeffrey Lee Pierce died of non-communicable disease. His obsessions crawled all over him. He went on to work in a Los Angeles record store and to write about music for punk-oriented newspapers like Slash. The propulsive downstruck open-E chords: F, A, E, G. The echo-twang of the rockabilly substratum, the trebly punk veneer, cockroach legs skittering on pockmarked concrete. Jeffreys idea was to be as antagonistic as possible. Sexual rage. Jeffrey Lee Pierce - Wildweed Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic As excellent as it is in isolation, its nonetheless a little sad in context. The other two just quit on the spot but I thought, I want to see Australia, so I went with him.. Hes never name-checked Jeffrey and I think thats a little rude., Rupert Orton is quick to acknowledge where he hears The Gun Club now: Guadalupe Plata are, I think, the people closest to re-inventing it in a way thats interesting. At the center of everything was Jeffrey Texas-born, Los Angeles raised a music fanzine writer, an obsessive Blondie stan (as a teenager, he was president of their fan club and was fairly regularly ousted from hotel rooms by members of the Blondie contingent for overstaying his welcome) with an unscratchable reggae itch and a compulsion for Delta blues as well as country murder ballads. The film will cover Jeffrey Lee Pierce's life and career through his death in 1996 at the age of 37, using original interviews and archive footage. The confluence of tragedy and a type of bleak, resigned comedy. home [jeffreyleepierce.com] If nothing else, the presence on Miami of the mutant-country Carry Home, a succinct storm-threat with swing, alone justifies its existence. Then wed get together with the rest and they picked things up quickly.. Despite a pick-up replacement, the magic was gone and the tour ended at Dingwalls in Camden Town, London. It was one of the best rocknroll experiences of my life and Ill never forget it.. Imagine hearing the opener for the first time Sex Beat, that post-traumatic explosion of damaged purity if indeed purity can emerge from such mongrel ferocity (which of course we all know now it cannot. All Rights Reserved. The Gun Club frontman Jeffrey Lee Pierce is the subject of a forthcoming documentary called Elvis From Hell, as Deadline reports. By the late 1970s, Pierce was also performing as a musician. The future was acknowledged, however grimly envisioned. The album is dedicated to Debbie Harry, "for her love, help, and encouragement".[12]. So that first Gun Club album, he was really into blues music, The Las Vegas Story he was into Television, Wildweed was Bob Dylan and Mother Juno was the Cocteau Twins., The new band gelled particularly well. When the singing is this ferally on, you can forgive the slight reduction of everything else in the mix.
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