bloggedy blog: the personal weblog of a music lover and aging punk wannabe

:: Wednesday, August 17, 2005 ::

Musical chairs, my turn: Billy Zoom
Updated: 6:30 a.m. CDT Thursday, Aug. 16, 2006

In We Got the Neutron Bomb: the Untold Story of L.A. Punk, the story is told of how Billy Zoom first encountered punk rock. He joined a punk singer named Top Jimmy to see the Ramones and Van Halen together in concert one night in 1977. "The Ramones show inspired Billy," Top Jimmy said. "Got him all excited. ... He said, 'Punk is really cool. You could be real good and nobody would notice.'"

Billy Zoom was really good at guitar. And as the lead guitarist for one of L.A.'s greatest early punk bands, X, it was hard for people to not notice.

Billy Zoom brought a roots-rock sensibility to X (which he'd formed with John Doe about a week after that Ramones concert). He'd cut his teeth on rockabilly, and had performed for a while with Mr. Be Bop a Lula himself, Gene Vincent. And with his blond pompadour, icy stage presence, leather pants and jacket, and Chuck Berry-style chops, Billy added to the band's stage presence. But Billy never strayed too far from the background. He knew that the star of the X show was the exotic, wavering, cross-faded vocals of Exene Cervenka and John Doe, and that he and drummer D.J. Bonebrake were supporting actors.

Maybe, maybe not. To me, the power of X was that every member contributed something vital. Billy Zoom's guitar played a big part in X's success. His rockabilly style flowed with John Doe's and Exene's country crooning roots, giving birth to a fresh (at the time, anyway) "cowpunk" style. He understood and appreciated the roots of rock'n'roll, and fused it with the punk style embraced by Exene and John Doe to create one of the most unusual sounds of the early L.A. punk movement. From the A flat-to-A slide opening riff of "Your Phone's Off the Hook But You're Not," the opening song of their well-received first album, Los Angeles (click-and-scroll for sound samples or listen to the tunes posted below), to the choppy, off-kilter opening of the title track, to every other song on that album and many others, Billy Zoom made his presence known. He fired off riffs in rapid succession, but coolly, almost nonchalantly. It sounded effortless, so natural -- even when it sounded disconcerting and off-kilter (as in songs like "Los Angeles" and "Nausea").

Billy Zoom's style gave rise to the rockabilly revival of the late '70s and early '80s. Another L.A. band, the Blasters, defused the Billy Zoom style into a purer form, and I'm convinced Billy Zoom was the model for Brian Setzer and the Stray Cats.

Yes, Billy Zoom, punk rock allowed lots of us who were no good to pick up an instrument and try to play. But you were good. And lots of people noticed.

***

Courtney says:
There are two Billy Zoom-era songs that immediately come to mind when I think of X: "I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts," and "Johnny Hit and Run Paulene," opposite sides of the same coin. "Johnny Hit and Run Paulene" features a guitar sound that recalls a 50s-era rhythm and blues rocker, like Chuck Berry, but hopped up on amphetamines. But that jangly strumming essence remains. Psychobilly, but not completely. I think the Cramps fed off of that guitar sound and ran with it.

"I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts" is a quieter, sinister version of that same essence. It worms into your head (much as it did mine) and you find yourself humming, "I must not think bad thoughts..." Some twisted campfire spiritual, but you really don’t want to know what’s beyond the safety of the fire circle.

X was one of those bands that I liked as a fledgling punk teen, but never bought. At the time, I was collecting other artists I was hearing on the local “indie-rock” station. I guess I should have paid more attention.
But she'd rather be talking about Johnny Ramone.

Tesco chimes in:
I always loved Billy Zoom and also always felt he was a bit out of place with X. You're right, you can't help but hear his talent when listening to X... I think its what really set X apart from thier peers.

This is a very imformative post. Nice job bro.
But he'd rather be talking about Adam Jones of Tool.

MP3s (courtesy of Billy Zoom's website):

Billy Zoom Band - Bad Boy (1975)
Billy Zoom Band - Crazy Lovin' (1975)

X MP3s (all from Los Angeles):

Your Phone's Off the Hook But You're Not
Los Angeles
Johnny Hit and Run Paulene

music, rock and roll, punk rock

:: Andrew 11:39 + ::
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