THE AVENGERS
By Jim Slimedog
I am the one who shows you the future
I am the one who buries the past
a new species rise up from the ruins
I am the one that was made to last
we are not Jesus Christ
we are not fascist pigs
we are not capitalist industrialists
we are not communists
we are the one
So, in the early days of Punk, New Wave in 77, 78 there was not too much in the way of mass communication. I used to read about West Coast punk bands from the “fanzines” scattered on the floor of the entrance to nightclubs and record stores. (You’re reading one now except it’s scattered on your database floor).
The point is- unless a band had a vinyl record (rare at the time), or had enough money or stupidity to load into a van and travel across the land to play for the twelve people in Boston who wanted to see the band- you never got to the chance to see them. The fact is The Avengers established themselves in San Francisco enough to be able to open up for The Sex Pistols on the last gig of their American tour ( that was the Pistols very last gig, at least, until several decades later). And I was lucky enough to hear their three song release on college radio at the time. I remembered how great it was and was fortunate to snag a cassette in a used record store in the mid eighties that was a compilation of songs they recorded, mostly unreleased. I, instantly, became a big fan and along with Richard Hell & The Voidoids, I consider them my favorite bands of the era. This is one of the songs from their first release, “We Are The One.”
Here’s a live version from The Masque, the big punk club in L.A. At the time, that’s Penelope Houston on vocals.
Another song from the first release is “The American In Me.” I don’t know if younger people will pick up the references in this song. When she sings, “It’s the American me that makes me watch blood, running out of the bullet hole in his head,” she’s probably referring to the John F. Kennedy assassination and our fascination with blood and gore. But I’m sure she’s referring to a famous quote by Kennedy, “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what can you do for your country,” when she sings, “Ask not what you can do for your country, ask what your country’s been doing to you.” And what’s interesting is this song was written less than ten years after the Vietnam war but it’s anti-war sentiments could refer to the Iraq/ Afghanistan war, “It’s the American in me says it’s an honor to die, in a war that’s just a politicians lie.”
Last song on the release is “Car Crash” another goodie.
The following song is not the hit of last year, “Fuck You,” by Cee Lo Green. This song is from ’78 and unlike the song from last year was not, surprisingly, nominated for Song Of The Year. I believe there’s been a few songs with this title over the years,(Seven Year Plan has a pretty good one, now, and I like Cee Lo’s one as well), but this one is my favorite. This song was flowing in M.I.A.’s brain at the Superbowl whether she realizes this or not.
This one is a little bit more poppy than some of their songs, a little fancier. Still, it’s one of my favorites by them. All I know is it seems to be about religion and Corpus Christi is a town in Texas.
People have heard me rave about The Spoilers over the years, what people might not know is what first interested me in them was that they reminded me of The Avengers. They had never heard The Avengers when they formed so it was strictly coincidence. When I had a going away party a few years ago The Spoilers surprised me with an Avengers cover and this is the song they did. And they did it well.
The Avengers were only around for two or three years before they split up. Penelope Houston went on to have a solo career which she still does in a style that is more mellow than her early music. But about ten years ago she started doing occasional gigs with the original guitarist, Greg Ingraham and Joel Reader on bass with Luis Illades on drums. When I first saw them play at T.T. The Bears about 2005 or so I had to approach Penelope and tell her I was waiting 25 years for this. I’ve seen them a couple of times after that including a show at Gilman Street in California. They put on great show and here they are live from CBGB’s in 2006.
“I Believe” is a song with a set chorus but improvised verse every time they play it. I guess some people might call this song arrogant but I see it as proclaiming self-reliance, self-proficiency by a woman, not only in a male dominated music industry, but also, in a music industry that wanted nothing to do with punk. This might be my favorite song by them.
I BELIEVE
(a poem by Jim Slimedog)
I don’t believe in
governments, society
Religions, God
nationalism, patriotism
I don’t believe in
any philosophy
culture, political system
lifestyle, bargain
or trust
I believe in me
but, more importantly
I believe in you
or the capability
(especially the young ones)
have
The capacity
for good or bad
the human has
is almost inconceivable
I don’t believe
in reality
Only because the “reality’
the “real’ people have shown me
is a facade, a charade
I don’t believe in in
I believe in out
I believe in those
who are out
not in
I believe that those said wise
are those unwisest
Those who portray themselves as “moral”
are the vilest scum
I believe the experts and the best
are often those who know the least
and are the worst
I believe the leaders
are those who leads us astray
I believe
you already know this poem
it’s in your heart
And if you do
then that’s what
I believe
