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So here’s the theory: The punk rock essentially started in New York with The Ramones, whom then took it over to the UK to spawn the Pistols, Clash, The Damned and eventually all of the Northern bands, then The Damned took it to the U.S. West coast after that. Of course, there were myriad other bands thrown into the mix in the meantime (Devo appeared to be quite influential around ‘76-’77), but the above statement works fine into the “Why did they all dress differently from New York to London to LA?” question.
L.A.’s The Weirdos were among the first of the West coast punk bands, along with The Germs, The Zeros and The Dils. While none of those bands shared the exact same style of music or fashion sense (look at any picture of The Briefs or Epoxies. That look was standard-issue Weirdos, circa ‘78), they were usually seen on the same bills, either opening for bigger acts or lumped into the same night. At first notable by their non-utilization of a drummer, they soon recruited the dashing Nickey Beat to provide a basis for their growling fast and driving rock n’ roll.
Back together in 2003 for a tour and to promote their newest compilation (Weird World Vol. 2), we took a few seconds from the busy day of original guitarist Cliff Roman to answer a handful of questions about the past, present and future.
 

ChinMusic!: Who is in the band now? If not John, Dix, Dave, Cliff and Nickey, why couldn’t they all make it?
Cliff Roman: Current band members are myself, John Denney, and Dix Denney. We are being joined by Sean Antillion on drums and Zander Schloss on bass. Nickey was not available and Dave Trout is MIA.
CM: One of your most beloved songs live was “Do The Dance.” Were there no recorded versions available? Why isn’t it on either “Weird World” compilation?
CR: Unfortunately “Do the Dance” was never recorded in the studio, as well as many other early Weirdos gems. There are some live versions and they may show up on our next compilation. We may even record a new version of it.
CM: What have you and Dix been doing since the dissolution in the 80s. I remember Dix was in Twisted Roots for a spell, but what about you?
CR: We have all been involved in other music projects. Dix was also in Lydia Lunch’s 1313, Thelonius Monster, and other groups. John and Zander Schloss have a project titled Contraption, which could see the light of day sometime. I was in the band Martini Ranch which I started with Billy Bones of the Skulls.
CM: How big was the influence of the Damned on the L.A. scene back in the day, as they were the first of the UK bands to make it out there?
CR: The Damned were a big influence in that their first LP was one of our first punk albums as well as our first taste of the British brand of punk. They were present at one of our earliest gigs, the night we played at the Orpheum theater with The Zeros and The Germs. Captain Sensible did an encore with us to The Seeds’ classic “Pushin’ to Hard.” A few days later we saw there first LA gig at the Starwood. What really influenced us was there stage show, they moved around a lot and were one wild act back then.
CM: Are you guys going to continue on as The Weirdos, or is there something else on the horizon?
CR: We’re playing dates on the West Coast in a few weeks in support of our new release on Frontier Records, We Got the Neutron Bomb - Weird World Volume Two. We are also looking into playing shows on the East Coast, Europe, and Japan. We may even go in the studio and record a new album.
CM: Is it true Dix and John are the sons of Martin Denny? Heard that as a rumor many years ago.
CR: John and Dix are the sons of....Alan Denney!


(editor’s note: Their mother, Nora Denney, portrayed Mrs. Teevee in the great Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory. She has since gone on to roles on screen and tv such as Ride With The Devil, Splash, and American Hot Wax, among others)

 
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