Strange Notes from the LA Punk Underground: The Durability of Darby Crash and the Germs

Abstract

This essay examines the durability of Darby Crash, lead singer of the Germs, one of Los Angeles's earliest punk bands. Crash committed suicide in 1980, but he and the Germs continue to fascinate those familiar with their music and story. This ongoing interest is the result of numerous factors, including the Germs' music, Crash's disturbing worldview and charisma, and our more general obsession with celebrity and death. After offering a brief account of Crash's life and his involvement with the Germs, I discuss his largely closeted queerness, one of the apparent reasons behind his suicide; I consider the idea of authenticity and its importance in the ideology of rock and punk. Then, I contextualize Crash in the culture of the United States and Los Angeles in the late 1970s. Show more