A Bite of Richard Hell 🍪
The punk poet whose words stick to my brain
Monday Bites are bite-sized musician spotlights & playlists by Grace Lilly.
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• 3 min read •
“Only time can write a song that’s really really real.”
I get this Richard Hell lyric stuck in my head constantly. Each time it pops in, I will it to stay. He writes in a way that is juicy at first bite. “Reader, darling, come closer,” he compels in his poem Dear Reader (II). Gladly.
Hell mixes words together and out comes something lifelike and true.
The thing about books
on their shelves is how
they look so uniformly
discreet while within is the
meat of all being
His dark sense of humor scratches an itch in that freaky-and-sweet part of my brain that few others can find.
a tendency to ego-disintegrate and passionately
identify with the cockroach one is compelled
to viciously crush on the kitchen floor
I could sit in his words for hours.
In addition to being a legendary punk musician, he’s also an accomplished writer and publisher. He’s been immersed in writing since he first moved to New York to become a poet. In fact, his band the Voidoids is partially named after a novella he wrote called The Voidoid.
With such a talent for words, it’s no wonder Richard Hell is so beloved. His lyrics fused with his spiky, vibrant music create a deliciously irresistible combination.
Richard Hell
The basics
🤝 American singer, songwriter, bass guitarist and writer
🤝 b. 1949 (Lexington, Kentucky)
🤝 Influential punk rock solo artist and early member of two seminal punk rock groups, Television and the Heartbreakers
Why you should know him: Pivotal figure on the nascent New York punk rock scene in the mid-1970s, helped establish CBGB as home for punk
If you like
✨ The Stooges
✨ The Ramones
✨ The Clash
✨ New York Dolls
Known for
🏆 Jagged music with eloquent, keen observations and youthful nihilism
🏆 His defiant, moody, cool charisma, called “punk’s answer to Mick Jagger”
🏆 Edgy fashion sense that became a template for the punk image around the world, pioneered creatively ripped clothing and T-shirts with challenging slogans
🏆 His punk rock anthem “(I Belong to the) Blank Generation” that became a rallying cry for CBGB-goers
🏆 Writing poetry, novels, and essays
Bite-sized facts
🍪 Born Richard Lester Meyers; went to school with Tom Miller (aka Tom Verlaine, frontman of Television), ran away from school together
🍪 Moved to New York City, published in magazines like Rolling Stone before he was 21, created publishing imprint Dot Books
🍪 Wrote a book of poems in 1972 with Tom Miller under the name Theresa Stern, Wanna Go Out?
The Neon Boys
🍪 After working together on Wanna Go Out?, Tom persuaded Richard to learn to play bass guitar so they could start a band
🍪 Tom took the stage name Tom Verlaine, and Richard became Richard Hell
🍪 Added drummer Billy Ficca and became the Neon Boys, but attracted little attention
Television & CBGB
🍪 The Neon Boys evolved into Television (one of the most innovative bands of New York's ‘70s punk scene) after adding guitarist Richard Lloyd
🍪 Got a Sunday night residency at newly-opened CBGB, built the club's first stage, booked alongside the Ramones
🍪 Hell started playing his song “Blank Generation” with Television, their performances at CBGB helped kick-start the first wave of punk bands
🍪 Patti Smith wrote the first press review of Television for the SoHo Weekly News in June 1974
🍪 Hell and Verlaine butted heads over control of the band, Hell quit Television in May of 1975
The Heartbreakers
🍪 A week after leaving Television, Hell formed this “raucous supergroup” with ex-New York Dolls guitarist Johnny Thunders and drummer Jerry Nolan
🍪 Not to be confused with Tom Petty's band (which took the name the following year)
🍪 Quickly became a popular New York club attraction, but Hell wanted to play more of his own songs so left in ‘76
Richard Hell & the Voidoids
🍪 Starts his own band, becomes one of the most talked-about acts on the budding punk rock scene
🍪 Made ads with his home phone number to promote his EP Blank Generation and actually answered the calls
🍪 Toured England opening for the Clash, released two records with two different lineups of the band (first included Marc Bell, aka Marky Ramone, who left to join the Ramones)
Dim Stars
🍪 After taking a break from music and focusing on writing, Hell joins this underground supergroup in the early ‘90s
🍪 Formed with Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore and Steve Shelley and Gumball’s Don Fleming
🍪 Released one self-titled album in 1992, regarded as showcase for Hell's songwriting abilities
Songs & dates
♫ 1974 Records demos of “Prove It,” “Friction,” “Venus,” and “Marquee Moon” with Television
♫ 1976 Writes “Chinese Rocks” with Dee Dee Ramone for the iconic (and only) Heartbreakers album, L.A.M.F. (Like A Mother Fucker)
♫ 1977 His debut album Blank Generation with the Voidoids gets rave reviews but doesn’t appeal to mainstream audiences
♫ 1982 His second Voidoids album Destiny Street is critical success but not a commercial one
♫ 1999 Releases “Oh” with the original Voidoids lineup for the compilation Beyond Cyberpunk
He said
⭐ “I don't think I still have any clothes from the seventies except for one thing: a white dress shirt which has stencilling and spray-paint on it and bits of metal sewn to it that was made for me by Lizzy Mercier.”
⭐ “I'm forever amazed at how much fun it is to leave. Just to leave. Arriving has its points, but leaving is inexhaustible.”
From I Dreamed I Was a Very Clean Tramp
⭐ “All the most serious art is not only sad but hilarious. What other intelligent way to live is there but to laugh about it?”
My Richard Hell Playlist
I gathered my fav Hell songs, from me to you with love. Like & save on Spotify and listen all week 💗
Where to start
Live at CBGB's
Watch Richard perform with his band The Voidoids in 1979
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His Poetry EP Go Now
Released in 1995, Hell read excerpts from his first novel of the same name, with original Voidoids member Robert Quine providing accompaniment on guitar
〰️
With the Heartbreakers
Hell performs with the Heartbreakers in 1975
〰️
Down the rabbit hole
If you wanna dive even deeper:
Blank Generation (1978)
Directed by Ulli Lommel
Not to be confused with the documentary The Blank Generation by Amos Poe, this narrative feature centers around a French journalist who enters into a volatile relationship with a rising punk rock star. Featuring live performances by Richard Hell and the Voidoids and an appearance by Andy Warhol. Hell has expressed distaste for the film but his music is prominent for anyone who’s curious. Watch on Youtube or Amazon.
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Explore
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One of my genuine heroes! "Blank Generation" is an all time classic. Even his movie rolls are great!