Archive Review: John Doe's Meet John Doe (1990)

As bass player for X, the now infamous early ‘80s Los Angeles punk band, John Doe was something of a trendsetter. With a fast ‘n’ furious guitar-oriented rock style and decadence-tinged lyrics courtesy of Mr. Doe and X vocalist and then Mrs. Doe, Exene Cervenka, X was a stylistic precursor not only for many of the hardcore bands that would follow, but for many of today’s college market “alternative” bands as well.

An unusual dichotomy existed, though. Doe and X, for all their lyrical erudition and undeniable punk attitude and fury, drew not only on influences as obvious as the Doors, Lou Reed, and the Velvet Underground but upon other, less ‘hip’ artists as the Bobby Fuller Four, Chuck Berry, and Gene Vincent, as well as elements of country and folk music. Although derivative musically, the fresh twist which X put on an old sound – as well as their intelligent lyrics, often inspired or affected by the tension in the Doe/Cervenka relationship – won the band a growing audience and critical acclaim, if not wide-spread acceptance, until their self-destruction.

Which brings us to Meet John Doe, Doe’s pseudonymous solo debut; the results are pleasantly unexpected. Drawing upon an obvious wealth of knowledge of American musical styles, Doe has assembled a top-notch collection of songs which incorporate decades of progress in rock ‘n’ roll, blues, county, and even folk music. It’s a delicate balancing act, though Doe pulls it off, rocking furiously on one tune, waxing poetic on the next.

Lyrically, Doe ranges from merely competent to sporadic brilliance, his vocals matching the material well, the backing instrumentation tight and professional (featuring talents like Little Feat keyboardist Bill Payne, slide guitarist Greg Leisz, and Television guitarist Richard Lloyd). Meet John Doe offers a pleasant mixed-bag of musical styles and inspirations; it’s a strong debut that will appeal to fans of X, Dave Alvin, the Blasters, and anyone who loves roots-flavored American music. (Geffen Records, released May 29, 1990)

Buy the CD from Amazon.com: John Doe’s Meet John Doe

Review originally published by Play Magazine, July 1990

Return of Chris D and the Flesh Eaters!

The Flesh Eaters were one of the fiercest and most sophisticated of the 1980s-era punk-rock outfits. Formed in Los Angeles, California in 1977 and featuring the poetic songwriting of band frontman Chris Desjardins (i.e. ‘Chris D’), the Flesh Eaters line-up was a revolving door of talented musicians from better-known L.A. bands like X, the Blasters, and Los Lobos. During the four decades since their founding, the Flesh Eaters have released roughly a dozen studio and live albums, from 1980’s bona fide classic No Questions Asked to their most recent effort, 2004’s Miss Muerte, recording for a slate of indie labels including SST Records, Enigma Records, and Desjardin’s own Upsetter Records imprint.

Fifteen years after the release of the band’s last album, the Flesh Eaters are back, baby! On January 18th, 2019 Yep Roc Records will release an all-new collection of songs titled I Used To Be Pretty. Chris D. is backed on the new album by what many consider to be the “classic” Flesh Eaters line-up that recorded 1981’s A Minute To Pray, A Second to Die – guitarist Dave Alvin and drummer Bill Bateman of the Blasters, bassist John Doe and percussionist D.J. Bonebrake of X, and saxophonist Steve Berlin of Los Lobos (and punk legends the Plugz).

The Flesh Eaters’ I Used To Be Pretty was produced collectively by the band members and also features singer Julie Christensen, from Desjardin’s other legendary band, Divine Horseman, on five of the album’s eleven songs. Six tracks on I Used To Be Pretty are reinterpretations of previously-released Flesh Eaters songs, including “Pony Dress” from the 1970 compilation Tooth and Nail; “My Life to Live” and “The Wedding Dice” from 1982’s Forever Came Today; “Youngest Profession” from 1991’s Dragstrip Riot; “House Amid the Thickets” from 1999’s Ashes of Time, and the title track from Miss Muerte. 

The album also features three inspired covers including a psych-drenched reading of the Peter Green-led Fleetwood Mac’s “The Green Manalishi,” a raucous take on “Cinderella,” originally by garage-rock legends the Sonics, and a cover of the Gun Club’s “She’s Like Heroin to Me,” taken from that band’s Desjardins-produced album Fire of Love. In a press release for the new album, Chris D. says “some of Jeffrey’s songs could have been Flesh Eaters songs so easily. Some of his phrasing and his lyric images I really feel a kinship with.”
  
I Used To Be Pretty will be released on CD and as a double-LP vinyl version, and the band will launch a short tour to bring their music to fans outside of the West Coast (tour dates listed below). Quoted in the aforementioned press release for the new album, band member Dave Alvin states “it’s six old friends who rarely get to see each other or play music together and decided to make an album while we’re all still alive.”   

Buy the CD from Amazon.com: The Flesh Eaters’ I Used To Be Pretty

The Flesh Eaters 2019 Tour
January 16 @ Crescent Ballroom, Phoenix AZ
January 17 @ 191 Toole, Tucson AZ
January 18 @ Pappy & Harriet's Place, Pioneetown CA *
January 19 @ Echoplex, Los Angeles CA *
January 20 @ Independent, San Francisco CA
January 22 @ The Star Theater, Portland OR
January 23 @ The Crocodile, Seattle WA
February 21 @ The Continental Club, Houston TX
February 22 @ The Continental Club, Austin TX
February 23 @ The Continental Club, Austin TX
February 24 @ Club Dada, Dallas TX
March 9 @ Turf Club, Saint Paul MN
March 10 @ Lincoln Hall, Chicago IL
March 11 @ The Pyramid Scheem, Grand Rapids MI
March 12 @ El Club, Detroit MI0
March 14 @ City Winery, Boston MA
March 15 @ Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia PA
March 16 @ Union Stage, Washington DC
March 17 @ Bowery Ballroom, New York NY

* with special guests Mudhoney