When a Guitar is just a Guitar

Stiv Bators was surely a punk pioneer, but do not make the mistake that he was a total misfit and outsider. Stiv was highly regarded and loved by many...of course, the Dead Boys weren't always among his admirers. But they were like brothers. The love/hate thing is a tough one.

The Dead Boys were a rock band with punk flair, punk attitude and mainstream desires. Like any other skinny, pimply guys, they wanted a sure fire way to attract girls, easy money, acceptance and drugs. Rock n roll gave it all to them. They took their duty as "entertainers" seriously. No one took up that cause more seriously than Stiv.

My dear friend, Jimmy Zero will back me up on this. Stiv's performances were based on audience response. If he did something crazy but the audience didn't respond, that crazy act would never see the stage again. On the other hand, if Stiv did something to piss people off, you can be sure he would do it over and over and over again. Like goose-stepping, spitting and a variety of other stupid pranks. But mostly, Stiv liked to please and entertain.

Jimmy Zero and me


The centerpiece photo of Stiv playing guitar at the Whisky A Go Go while he was fronting the "Disconnected" band is a nod to all those guitar slingers who'd not-so-subtly brandish the guitar in an overtly sexual manner. Well, Stiv was no stranger to dropping his pants and showing off anyway, so what's a guitar? Sometimes, a guitar is just a guitar.