Darby Crash
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Darby Crash | ||
|---|---|---|
| Background information | ||
| Birth name | Jan Paul Beahm | |
| Born | September 26, 1958 | |
| Died | December 7, 1980 | |
| Genre(s) | Punk | |
| Occupation(s) | Frontman | |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals | |
| Associated acts |
The Germs | |
Darby Crash (born Jan Paul Beahm) (A.K.A. Bobby Pyn) (September 26, 1958 – December 7, 1980) [1] [2] was a punk musician who cofounded (with long time friend, Pat Smear) The Germs.
Crash had a troubled childhood: His biological father left the family and his older brother was murdered.[citation needed]He attended IPS, a school within University High School in Los Angeles, California. The IPS program was a notoriously free form academic program which combined elements of EST and Scientology.[citation needed]
Before the Germs, he and Pat Smear formed bands called Sophistifuck and the Revlon Spam Queens. After a short stint under the name Bobby Pyn, he changed his name to Darby Crash. The Germs became an important Los Angeles-area punk band, known for their chaotic live shows. Along with a band of misfit followers the Germs dominated the L.A. punk scene. They can be seen in the 1981 film The Decline of Western Civilization, directed by Penelope Spheeris.
After Darby broke up the Germs he moved to England briefly and upon his return formed the short-lived Darby Crash Band. Shortly after a celebrated live reunion with his Germs, Crash allegedly committed suicide with an intentional heroin overdose on December 7, 1980, the day before John Lennon was killed. His legacy has carried on past the release of The Germs (MIA): The Complete Anthology in 1993, thought to be a prototype for hardcore punk. Darby Crash is interred in the Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California.
A biography of Darby Crash, called "Lexicon Devil" after one of the Germs' songs, was published by Feral House and was written by Brendan Mullen, a club booker/ promoter during the early years of punk rock in Los Angeles (ISBN 0-922915-70-9). The book plays a cameo of sorts in the Red Hot Chili Peppers' videos "By the Way" and "Universally Speaking." Anthony Kiedis is seen holding, and later losing, a copy of the book in "By the Way," and an attempt is made to return the book to him in "Universally Speaking." Kiedis has stated he and the Peppers are fans of The Germs and Crash.
A movie based on his life is set to be released in 2007. Named after one of the Germs' songs, What We Do Is Secret stars Shane West.
In 2006, Matmos dedicated a song to Darby on their album The Rose Has Teeth in the Mouth of a Beast which features samples of screams from Drew Daniel as Don Bolles is extinguishing a cigarette on the inner side of Drew's left wrist. This mark is said to be a "Germs burn" if done by a member of the Germs band, such as Don Bolles, or from someone that has been previously burned by the same, such as Drew Daniel.[3]
[edit] References
- ^ State of California. California Birth Index, 1905-1995. Sacramento, CA, USA: State of California Department of Health Services, Center for Health Statistics.
- ^ State of California. California Death Index, 1940-1997. Sacramento, CA, USA: State of California Department of Health Services, Center for Health Statistics.
- ^ [1] Track notes for "The Rose Has Teeth In the Mouth of a Beast"
