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The man known as Cheetah Chrome is arguably the best guitarist that the NYC Punk scene had to offer in the mid to late 70s. From Rocket from the Tombs to Pere Ubu to the awesome Dead Boys, Cheetah created some of the best guitar noise ever heard, and I am not alone in this opinion. One only has to listen to the wailing, mournful sound he creates on songs such as "Not Anymore" to fully understand what I'm getting at here. Now Fate has brought Cheetah and I together once again... but first let me explain how we first met. It was early 1986, I believe, and the original line up of the Dead Boys had regrouped to do a tour of I think the East Coast. I was living, at that time, of all places, in South Beach, Miami. Their show was held at the Cameo Theater right near the beach. Stiv, Cheetah, Jeff, Johnny, and Jimmy performed magnificently, as if they'd just formed the week before and were hungry for the screaming crowd's acceptance. Well, they got it that night, I was there and can attest to it. Strangely enough, I was living blocks away from the Cameo and with some moronic skinheads (not my choice, of course) and later, after the show, to my great surprise, in walked the bald Cheetah Chrome with said skinheads, in his hands a case of beer. It seems those skinheads had seen Cheetah on the street, and mistaking him for one of their own, approached with good will. Now Cheetah is and was always known as the most polite of the punks from the 77 NYC scene and had no problem with those guys. If I described them more, you would understand what I mean (their names were "Oklahoma Joe" and "Sink Head") as they lacked the brains necessary for basic survival. They did, however, partake in the brew, like us all, and we all who were present had a good time. At around 5 am, Cheetah got hungry and decided to take the entire bunch of us (three punks, Cheetah Chrome, and two skins) to Denny's for breakfast. The restaurant was on Miami Beach and we all watched the sun rise during breakfast, all paid for by Cheetah. What a guy! |
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There's so much more history to this story concerning Cheetah and I, but that will wait until I speak with him. We've talked lately and with the very astute production capabilties of Ena Paul Kostabi, there is something in the works for The NY Kretins. This is another tale to be told. Soon there will be more info and new pages about Johnny Thunders, Jerry Nolan, Stiv Bators, and the inimitable Sid Vicious (!)... so stay in tune here for more punk tales, all of them absolutely true, from either the source or those directly involved with the events described. Adios! |
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