Crime Stories: Remembering San Francisco's First & Only Rock 'n' Roll Band

Billed as “San Francisco’s first & only rock ‘n’ roll band,” CRIME also has the distinction of self-releasing the West Coast’s first punk single—the “Hot Wire My Heart”/“Baby, You’re So Repulsive” 45 in 1976. Johnny Strike (Gary Bassett) and Frankie Fix (Marc D’Agostino) began hanging out together after moving separately to San Francisco from Harrisburg, PA. They hung out listening to records, namely early British invasion and American garage bands like the SONICS and the COUNT FIVE. Johnny & Frankie soon picked up guitars of their own and began playing together under various monikers from the GUITAR ARMY to the BLOODY CHILDREN and SPACE INVADERS. None of these attempts at glitter rock panned out beyond the duo jamming in their apartments, although they did briefly befriend the NEW YORK DOLLS during this time. Johnny & Frankie also made the front page of the newspaper when they and their wives attended a David Bowie concert at the Cow Palace in full Ziggy Stardust drag.

“We see a rock ‘n’ roll band as a gang.”

—Johnny Strike

Johnny Strike was working as a waiter at a disco, which afforded him opportunities to strike up conversations about music with anyone who looked interesting enough. He met Ron Greco that way, having no idea that he had played at San Francisco’s Cow Palace a decade prior with the CHOSEN FEW, the band that evolved into the FLAMIN’ GROOVIES. Johnny would nickname him Ron “Ripper” Greco for his Gibson Ripper bass. SPACE INVADERS soon changed their name to CRIME and began adopting the gay leather biker look as a band uniform. CRIME auditioned a series of drummers and nearly abandoned the idea altogether until Ricky Williams showed up at their practice space one night, fresh from a stay in a mental institution. They began putting together a set and quickly recorded their debut single. “Hot Wire My Heart” gets off to a rocky start, as Williams badly flubs the beginning of the song. “Baby, You’re So Repulsive” is no “Silly Love Songs;” it is a nasty, amphetamine-driven number that must have sounded quite raw and primitive in 1976.

Slash magazine’s Kickboy Face wrote of CRIME’s first single in their June 1977 issue:

“Where do they come from anyway? Where have they been hiding? They look like neo-Nazi perverts, and they sound like your average terminal speed-freak nightmare. Truly dangerous anti-music. This must be the trend that is scaring everyone right now…If these creatures keep it up they’re gonna start banning rock music all over again, which means they must be doing something right.”

CRIME’s first show took place at San Francisco’s Old Waldorf on Halloween of 1976, a political fundraiser for a nameless queer candidate. Audience members were expecting something akin to David Bowie upon seeing their leather daddy look, but became upset at the band’s overly loud and abrasive rock ‘n’ roll. People headed for the exits and the club owner pulled the plug after five songs. They booked their next show to take place at the Stud, the famed gay leather bar in the South of Market district. However, their choice of flyer art would get them in hot water with the local music scene—a picture of Adolf Hitler’s face. CRIME wanted to do a series of posters featuring famous criminals, starting with the biggest one of them all. Record stores refused to display the poster, with Aquarius opting to cease stocking the “Hot Wire My Heart” single. CRIME became the most notorious band in town after the Stud canceled the show. Bill Graham and local music critic (and future Reprise Records president) Howie Klein began a campaign to have CRIME banned in San Francisco. However, the band soon discovered the Mabuhay Gardens and convinced owner Ness Aquino to let them play in January of 1977.

They would also soon part ways with Ricky Williams. Ricky’s pill popping had always affected his drumming, but it had become more than the rest of the band could take. One show saw CRIME opening for BLONDIE at the Mabuhay, in which Williams went missing until mere minutes before the band was to begin their set. Clem Burke of BLONDIE was onstage preparing to fill in for him when Ricky finally showed up. He would then proceed to leave the stage in mid-song, returning more than a few minutes later after an apparent drug-induced run to the bathroom. Ricky’s replacement Brittley Black would say of his performance, “He was a mess…he was drooling on himself while playing off/against beats; anything you could do to rape music, he was doing it” that evening. Williams began missing rehearsals, finally leading to his dismissal. He would go on to front the SLEEPERS.

Brittley Black would take CRIME to another level as their drummer—he was the son of former Blue Note Jazz Club house drummer Dave Black, who had also played with Duke Ellington in the mid-1950s. CRIME sounds much more confident and together on their next record, the “Frustration”/“Murder by Guitar” 45. Both songs are stellar, with “Murder by Guitar” gaining a slight edge thanks to its opening dirge.

“Their approach to music might be best described as the raw barrage sound—a self-consciously outrageous assault on the senses. Their second 45 has met with widely mixed reactions. A KSAN DJ who inadvertently put it on a turntable called it ‘the worst record in the world.’”

—BAM Magazine, January 1978

CRIME was now enjoying playing out regularly, opening for the DAMNED and the RAMONES and seeing “Hot Wire My Heart” chart in the New Musical Express. Their live sets usually began with a blaring police siren as the band took the stage clad either in actual police uniforms or dressed as slick gangsters out of an old Dashiell Hammett pulp novel. San Francisco Chronicle columnist Herb Caen reported that the SFPD requested that the band refrain from wearing the cop outfits, as it could legally constitute impersonating an officer. CRIME laughed off the demand, continuing to wear the costumes with no legal ramifications. However, they were about to be on the search for a new drummer yet again. Howie Klein, now running his label 415 Records, had recruited Brittley Black to play for his prefabricated band literally named the READYMADES. Although Mabuhay rockers held the READYMADES in low regard, their connections got them paying gigs like opening for Sammy Hagar and Rick Derringer at the Cow Palace one New Year’s Eve.

Henry Rosenthal was attending the Mabuhay for the first time in mid-1977 to see his friends in NOVAK play when he saw a new band that he claimed changed his entire life. He had seen the STOOGES and the MC5 numerous times, as well as the ALICE COOPER BAND’s first tour in small venues; this band CRIME brought each of them to mind as he thought, “it was one of the greatest shows I’d ever seen.” Henry campaigned hard to win the new drummer slot, thinking that drummers the world over were also vying for the position. He was wrong—his elaborately designed presentation was the only response the band had received. Despite lacking experience, Rosenthal became Hank Rank and learned both his instrument and the band’s set in two weeks before their next show.

Crime and the Nuns argued fervently over
who would headline this show, eventually
reaching a compromise by allowing both
bands' names to be printed in the same size on
the flyer.

Hank being the only respondent to CRIME’s drummer search may very well have been due to the sense of alienation fostered by the band themselves. Although the Mabuhay’s new music scene was vibrant with bands like the NUNS, the AVENGERS, the MUTANTS, and the OFFS, CRIME did not view themselves as part of any punk community in San Francisco. They were above all of that, demanding to headline each show and refusing to open for other hometown bands. CRIME was there first, after all. This ultimately cost them an opportunity to play the SEX PISTOLS’ infamous and ill-fated Winterland Ballroom show, as CRIME steadfastly declined to appear onstage before the AVENGERS. Bill Graham offered the opening to the NUNS instead, who happily accepted. CRIME then turned down a benefit for striking coal miners organized by Howie Klein—the only punk band in San Francisco to do so—and found themselves further on the outs with the local scene.

However, their most notorious show took place during this time—CRIME appearing in police uniforms at San Quentin State Prison. CRIME played outside in San Quentin’s exercise yard with no security—if the prisoners had decided to take the band hostage, the guards would not bargain to save their lives. Robert Kennedy’s assassin Sirhan Sirhan was in San Quentin at the time, apparently in solitary confinement directly above the festivities. Hank Rank later remarked that he hoped that listening to CRIME was the worst day of Sirhan Sirhan’s life.

“It was blazing heat, and they had a little speaker for a PA. And imagine, you’re looking out there at a mass of 500 people and all I could see were crimes written on their faces: rape, murder, mutilation. All the disgusting side of humanity was sitting there looking at us.”

—Hank Rank on playing at San Quentin

Another show that took place later in 1978 would be notorious for other reasons, namely it being a complete disaster. CRIME had been at odds with the Mabuhay’s bookers for some time and decided to respond with a show at Bimbo’s, a nearby bar in North Beach, on Halloween. Naturally, they would headline, booking the WEIRDOS to open. Bimbo’s being a fancier, more expensive establishment entailed a higher door price, higher than anyone had previously charged for a local punk show—a whopping $7.50. Advance ticket sales were terrible; walk-up business the night of the show did not improve the situation very much. CRIME lost their shirts on the show, crawling back to the Mabuhay with egg on their faces.

CRIME recorded a series of demos throughout 1978 and ’79 hoping to release an LP. Unfortunately, their difficult reputation preceded them by now and likely prevented any small local labels from having any interest. Big labels were not interested in an edgy primitive rock ‘n’ roll band either; a meeting with Seymour Stein of Sire Records ended badly when Frankie Fix openly insulted the RAMONES, Stein’s pride and joy. These demos would not see the light of day for over ten years. Ron “Ripper” Greco left the band after a chaotic weekend in LA dubbed the “Fun Bus Tour” better remembered among the members for quality methamphetamine consumed on the way home than it was for the shows they played. CRIME soundman Joey D’Kaye (aka Joey Swails) took over for the Ripper, but nothing seemed to work in the band’s favor anymore. Frankie Fix decided to become the lead vocalist, affecting CRIME’s twin guitar attack. Rehearsals were not going well, prompting Hank Rank to quit.

Ripper returned to the fold, allowing Joey D’Kaye to begin playing the synthesizer. Brittley Black came back with him, taking part in CRIME’s third and final release as an active band. 1980’s “Gangster Funk”/“Maserati” single is the only one of CRIME’s original 45s that is not self-released; the Berkeley Squared label took care of it for them. “Gangster Funk” utilizes a generic funk riff to make its point; it is amusing, but not one of CRIME’s best moments. “Maserati” is much better—a rockin’ boogie that almost evokes an image of looking cool in an Italian sports car.

1982 saw CRIME come trudging to a halt with a lack of direction and ideas. Johnny Strike attempted to shake his fellow band members out of their drug-induced ennui to no avail and quit, ending a six-year run as San

Francisco’s first punk band. He would briefly play with Joey Swails in VECTOR COMMAND, a post-punk/darkwave project whose 1983-84 demo recordings became available on vinyl in 2018. CRIME bootlegs began popping up with the release of 1988’s First Blood EP, sourced from demos recorded in 1978. This easily would have been CRIME’s best release had it come out in their day as an active band. Ron the Ripper’s bass never sounded as dense or as tough as it does here. “If Looks Could Kill” is a fantastic punk/rockabilly jammer, while the crosstops kick in for the revved-up “Rockin’ Weird.” CRIME slows it down considerably for the moody “Lost Souls,” reminding one of a less abrasive FLIPPER. More songs like “Lost Souls” should have existed in the CRIME catalog. 1990’s Terminal Boredom bootlegs a live set from the Mabuhay in 1977; its official 1994 repress as Hate Us or Love Us, We Don’t Give a Fuck adds bonus tracks culled from radio appearances and their second gig.

San Francisco’s Doomed compiles two of the demos recorded from 1978-79. Both sessions provide enough quality material for a pair of top-notch 12-inches. Side A’s session took place at His Master’s Wheels Recordings in March of 1978 and features a number of amped-up WHO-style rockers that hit the spot nicely. Joey D’Kaye is in the band for side B’s 1979 recording at Time & Space. This session features more of CRIME’s rockabilly stylings, devastating punk sludge like “Emergency Music Ward,” and an early version of “Gangster Funk” titled “Monkey on Your Back.” Would we speak somewhat differently of CRIME and the early San Francisco punk scene had a label taken interest in either of these recordings back then? 2004’s San Francisco’s Still Doomed repress adds alternate versions of both songs from the first single. Cadillac Faggot is a band-sanctioned CD-R release from 2004 documenting two live sets from the Mabuhay one weekend in December of 1978—limited to only 100 copies.

Ricky Williams died in 1992 under “mysterious circumstances,” although some have speculated that a heroin overdose brought about his demise. Ricky sang for the SLEEPERS and the TOILING MIDGETS after his life of CRIME; he also named FLIPPER and was one of their founding members. Frankie Fix reunited with Ron the Ripper and Brittley Black for a brief series of shows in the ‘90s that reportedly did not go well. Fashion was apparently more important than music on their debut night. Frankie apparently frequently exited the stage to change his outfit, causing the band to lose steam with each break. Unfortunately, one of those trips backstage saw him accidentally lock himself in the dressing room! Frankie had no choice but to pound on the door for help while his guitarist opted to sing in his place. Frankie eventually wound up on the streets, living in a homeless shelter. He died during surgery in 1996, his body wrought with years of abuse. Brittley Black succumbed to diabetes in 2004.

Johnny Strike and Hank Rank reunited CRIME with new members Mickey Tractor (Michael Lewis) and ex-NUN Pat Ryan to play Italy’s Road to Ruins punk festival in 2005. This reunion led to two new recordings, the self-released Exalted Masters LP in 2007 and a 2010 split 7-inch collaboration with GNAWA EXPRESS from Morocco. Count Fink (aka Brett Stillo from SF garage rockers the FLAKES) would take over for Pat Ryan before these recordings took place.

Murder by Guitar 1976-1980 (The Complete Studio Recordings) compiles all of the studio sessions that produced the original three CRIME 45s, including the extra tracks that did not make the cut. However, Munster Records takes it a step further, expanding Murder by Guitar into a

lavishly packaged boxed set reissuing all three singles plus four more documenting everything on the cutting-room floor. Either version is essential for fans that would prefer not to pay up to $200 for the original pressings.

Cancer claimed Johnny Strike’s life in 2018 at the age of 70. He became a writer later in life, publishing his first novel titled Ports of Hell in 2004. Johnny would pen four more crime novels—A Loud Humming Sound Came from Above, Name of the Stranger, Murder in the Medina, and 2018’s The Exploding Memoir, published before his death. Plans were to release Society of Ghosts posthumously in 2019, but no word has surfaced regarding a new publishing date. Johnny also played with Hank Rank and Joey D’Kaye in the experimental oddity NAKED BEAST, who would have been right at home at the Mabuhay circa 1977 as their 2017 LP on Guitars & Bongos Records shows.

Hank Rank has been hard at work preserving CRIME’s legacy; he most recently produced the 35-minute film San Francisco’s First & Only Rock ‘n’ Roll Movie documenting a live set from the Mabuhay. Shot professionally on 16mm film with a soundboard recording, this is by far the finest quality video footage of any band that appeared on the Mab’s famed stage. Hank has actually been in film production for decades under his real name—Henry S. Rosenthal—beginning with Blood Orgy of the Leather Girls in 1988 (he also produced Marilyn Manson’s “Antichrist Superstar” video) and most recently as an executive producer on Bill Nye: Science Guy.

SEE ALSO: The Flakes, Flipper, Naked Beast, The Next, The Readymades, The Sleepers, Toiling Midgets.