In this video we explore the music, story and discography of The Germs, as well as, the life of their lead singer Darby Crash. Thank you so much for watching! Music: Ofshane - Tea Time Jobii - Holstein
Thanks to everyone that pointed out to me in the comments that in 02:50 it's not Pat Smear, but in fact Bubba Dupree from Void. This is kind of a big blunder on my part and I again thank you all for pointing it out. I'll be more carefull about the editing portion of my videos in the future. Also after rewatching a video I agree that this particular background music was unnecessary. I'll also make more of an effort in picking songs that suit the theme of the videos soon. This video is really blowing. 20k in 10 days is surreal... Thank you so much for watching it trully does mean a lot!
yeah I was going to comment about the background music too. I know other channels like trash theory, punk historian ( I think) use short clips of the songs they are talking about. I'm pretty sure if the clip is short enough, it doesn't violate copyright laws. still loved the video, plz do more punk
I grew up in the early LA Punk scene and saw the Germs abunch of times....going to a Germs gig wasn't a musical event it was more like going to a riot set to music...when the album came out we were all blown away by Darby's lyrics and the power of the songs....the only time that they sounded tight and actually played the songs completely was their final gig at the Starwood....Darby killed himself a few days later...
@@Hard2Subdoo732 Hey u Little Simp u were still swimmin in ur daddy's nut sack when this all went down.....so keep ur trap shut...n go sit in the corner!
What's really funny is, TWO ex-members of The Germs are now in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Pat Smear via The Foo Fighters, and Belinda Carlisle via The Go-Go's.
@@mournblade1066 from what I heard she never played out with them or anything. So if that’s true and she wasn’t on a recording than she technically wasn’t a drummer for them
Finally a video on The Germs. Everyone talks about Black Flag or the Bad Brains when discussing who the ''fathers'' or ''godfathers'' of Hardcore are, when The Germs and The Middle Class literally exist. You gained a new sub!
To be fair, Middle Class was not really known outside of their own town. Black Flag and Bad Brains were waaaaay more influential, not only cause Nervous Breakdown came out first but their touring regimes were unrivalled. The Germs do get left out of that discussion a lot though for no good reason.
@@feathersmcgraw4090 no. Middle Class were local, true. But the Circle Jerks copped their influence, made it into The Decline, & the rest is history. "Love us just a tool" set it off.
@@securityscorpion8687 If the Circle Jerks copped their style and spread it that still puts them after Black Flag no? BF formed 1976, Circle Jerks 79. I think I'm wrong about Nervous Breakdown being first but I still think I'm right about its impact unless there's something I'm unaware of.
Darby was gay and closeted and had a lot of issues with his sexuality versus his outward lifestyle and that's why he drank and drugged himself to death
@@drunvert what I don't understand about him being gay is that he was an open fascist I heard and cited Adolf Hitler and Charles Manson as lyrical influences, and any human being with morals would know those two people are fucked in the head regardless if you're into punk music or not. Correct me if I'm wrong though. Just judging based off what I've been reading up.
@@YegorLetov69it's mentioned in the book Lexicon Devil, Darby wrote his lyrics to Bowie a few times and Bowie replied saying he liked them. Darby was probably the most talented lyricist in the early hardcore scene.
@@seamusmcinnes2678 Yup. Just L.A. Punk Rock. Some glorious years. You know, the Circle Jerks still play secret gigs under the name Zander Schloss All Stars.
Darby's background is so sad. His life was so traumatic and vulnerable, family instability, drug use, his death overshadowed by John Lennon. A tormented soul, much like Joy Division's Ian Curtis, who also took his life on the verge of their American tour. The heights that were to come would have been limitless. So many parallels of genius in this time of music, but so young and full of pain these people had to endure. I'm glad to know of their music, it's energy and the musicians that spawned out from the depths of their music will always be integral in punk and rock in general. They are cemented in time for their bravery in this music.
I'm not a huge punk rock fan outside of a few bands. I do like The Germs though. It's just so odd that a band that sounded like that was out in the 70's. Odd in a good way.
Attended a spoken word arrangement with Henry Rollins last month here in Denmark. Felt the punk vibe resurge for a couple of hours in a live setting again, and I miss those days..
You’re getting a disneyfied punk from Hank Rollins, but take it, you probably won’t find better. I don’t hate Henry, I just note that he slid right into a showbiz career. Good on him.
Your mom gets a Disneyfied punk from “Hank” (call him that to his face mister big shot) Rollins, every Thursday night. That’s the only reason you are commenting
Thank you so much for talking about these musical things! It means so much have newer fans checking out the bands. My dad lived in California during this time, and he has introduced me to amazing music. He also has hundreds of off-the-wall stories from the punk shows. Overall punk rock has taught me so much and continues to be a helpful outlet for anyone who has something to say. I am 15, but have liked the Germs for a couple years. I think it’s devastating how Darby had a difficult life, and it’s one of the many reasons you shouldn’t bully or make fun of others. Simply put, you can’t understand what someone else is going through. I know that friends of the band miss him every day (and Lorna too, as she has also passed.) The music world will never be the same. I just hope that people (even non-punks) will check the Germs out because there is a lot of wisdom in the lyrics. And punk will always exist because a punk is simply someone who wants something to change, and then there’s the incredible jams. Another meaningful thing about punk is each band’s background and creativity, for instance, they all sound very different. Keep up the amazing work and hope your channel gets more recognition.
I named my cat Darby Crash, it took about a month before my partner at the time and I could figure out a good name l. We were watching Decline for a laugh and the kitty went full zoomy mode for The Germs portion endingnin her falling in a pot of chili, making all her elite hair parts red and then pink for about a year. The name was pretty easily inspired at that moment.
Thanx 4 a great vid-doco.! I'm in South Australia & can only lookout to the world. In the early 2000's I saw Flipper, MDC, Marky Ramone. Then discovered "The Germs" back catalogue. I've sorted out West Coast hardcore punk. I've seen the reformed-off-shoot of MC5 in July 2004. My journey continues... Keep up the good work.
i'm italian 65 old man...i bought this essential punk album at the time of release (american import copy)...much time is passed, too much...thanks for the video...
This is a really good video! Now I have a new punk band to discover. One thing I would recommend is to actually play their music in the video, like little bits or parts where you read the lyrics. Overall a good video, good job! Subscribed!
Germs were cool, but Cleveland’s Electric Eels were way more nihilistic both on and off stage (they’d get into drunken brawls with law enforcement) and did it years earlier
I think, and correct me if I'm wrong, that one of the pictures you have of Pat Smear (at about 2:50) is actually a picture of Bubba Dupree from the awesome hardcore band The Void originally from DC (Columbia ,Maryland etc...). Great guitarist.
That's correct. I was just gonna comment on that but I see you did. Good catch. Void are one of my all time favorites. Totally intense. Their unreleased 2nd album, "Potion for Bad Dreams" is interesting also and worth a listen. A little more metal and weird. It's on YT if you haven't heard it.
The Germs also recorded tracks for the film 'Cruising' staring Robert De Niro which added all together created the 'MIA' Discography. EDIT: Actually, the first real L.A hardcore 7"/45/EP came out in 1978 with the band Middle Class and their 7"/45 called "Out of Vogue" But this does not take away the impact the Germs had on the chaos and unfortunate violence that would be a staple of the LA hardcore/punk scene that was to blow up a year or two later. Especially around the time the Cuckoo's nest venue(76-81') in Costa Mesa, California was in full swing as an all ages hardcore venue which was next to a cowboy bar called Zubies. The fights that would come out of that situation which would later became immortalized by the song 'Urban Struggle' by the Vandals' would be violence turned up to 11. Just think about that for a second. Full grown men at a bar in their late 20s to early 40's trying to fight young teens at an all ages venue, but having these said teens who grew up in gang infested "suburbs" of LA which in turn, saw a growth in violent punk/hardcore gangs that would clash with each other AND the cowboys next door. Extreme violence was not unheard of and they where able to hold their own, which if the old cowboys where able to just be bullies, the fighting would not be as bad, but since revenge and fighting "cliques" is a never ending circular cluster f*k, the punks would end up outnumbering the cowboy almost every time to the point both scenes would be armed. It has been stated many, many times, even by the police who mostly hated the punks would even agree that the people from the bar would most of the time be the aggressors and would make mistakes by thinking there would only be about 30-50 kids at the show like most of the time, not knowing there would be a headliner from out of the area that would pack the place.
“Unfortunate violence” that violence was what gate kept posers and corporate squares out of the underground and needs to seriously be brought back. Bash a scene boy today.
You overlooked a compilation album that the Gerrms appeared on (not to mention lots of other early LA/SF punk bands). It's called "Tooth and Nail." Although the Germs songs on it also appear on GI, the versions on "Tooth and Nail" are different. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tooth_and_Nail_%28various_artists_album%29?wprov=sfla1
That GI LP and the 12" EP are mandatory for any serious punk collection. Just wonderful!!! When that 3 song EP, Lexicon Devil, came out it blew our minds. What an AMAZING progression from their previous stuff which was nothing to write home about to tell the truth.
I'm old enough to remember the effect of first hearing the Sex Pistols back in '77; I was totally sold then, and picked up on whatever was available of the British punk scene after that. It wasn't until later that I became aware of the SoCal punk scene, yet try as I might...I couldn't find any aspect of it redeeming. This 'doc' didn't do much to change my mind...
There is a video on here that a guy made with a drone showing the shed Darby killed himself in. It's titled "The Death of Darby Crash. Death House Visit 2020. 40 Year Anniversary. 85 Grave Show Episode #9" if you want to watch it.
With band names like, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, I am surprised no one has come up with a band name like, Darby Crash is Dead...or something of that sort.
I really appreciate the researched historical information in this video and the extended context that includes later artists. I'm disappointed that the discussion of said "unhinged" punk band doesn't mention that Crash was gay and dealing with that. While the 70's punk scene was inclusive and mostly ignored folks' ethnicity and sexuality, the fact that some of the 70's most "unhinged" singers were LGBTQ seems relevant. The fact that the punk scene ignored identity issues also is relevant for a slew of artists. See: Darby Crash, Don Vinil of The Offs, Wilma as a band, and Alice Bag of The Bags who kinda created hardcore,. There was a lot more to revolt against and respond to than just suburban society for some of these band members.
This video is OK, great subject. I have to say, though, the background music is some of the most inappropriate for the subject i've ever heard. Why not just play bluegrass behind it, too? It's irritating and highly distracting, those fake horn stabs interfering with the narration. Consider re-shooting this without the lame music.
I liked Land Of Treason, and the slow version of Lexicon Devil, but the rest I can't really stand to listen to at this point in time, even if the lyrics and subject matter are just what I've been looking for. His singing style has always been bordering on unintelligible for me, however his snarls are unforgettable. A band quite extreme that comes to mind is GG Allin And The Jabbers, maybe not in terms of sound, but lyricism. If you liked The Germs and Black Flag, check out The Circle Jerks - Group Sex, Da! - Dark Rooms, and Discharge - Protest And Survive
Always loved the germs and think darby was a lyrical genius idk why this band is so underrated/overlooked or people only know lexicon devil from gta5 . Rip Darby Crash
The anthology. You can hear them going from barely being able to play to becoming excellent tight & lightning fast. Darby wrote amazing lyrics. Also germicide. It's a very short live recording. With cool songs like suicide machine that aren't on the anthology
I'm sorry, but just exactly what behaviour can we expect from someone "high on heroin"? See, this is the thing, people forget that H is actually just a analgesic medication. I could very well be asking: "what behaviour can we expect from someone who was in pain and went to the hospital for a shot of morphine?". Should that convalescent be coming out of the hospital screaming, kicking everything in sight and calling people names? Is that what the medication does? Of course not. Wich is why it's stupid to blame their atitude on the substance. They behaved that way on stage because of the exitement of the moment, the fact they were punks, a pre-disposition to disorder and most certainly booze (the *real* destructive drug, which society keeps as legal).
I was never really into them. They weren't doing anything that every other hardcore band was doing. Not that there's anything wrong with that. They just didn't stand out.
When I was growing up, my friends and I did Darby Crash imitations like most people do Mick Jagger imitations. This was after 2000, I mean I wasn't there.
