Cheetah Chrome's Bowery validity
"My brother, you were one of the best," was CJ's simple observance.
Cheetah had set stages on fire as recently as early this year, with a new Dead Boys line up. He will forever be renowned for membership in two elite groups: influential-beyond-their-circumstances '70s Punk guitarists (the Johnnys Thunder and Ramone also ranking), and battle-scarred survivors of that same no tomorrow, needle-jammin' era.
With 1970s/80s CBGB vulgarians the Dead Boys, and throughout subsequent solo and auxillary endeavors (including alongside Nico, Ronnie Spector, Joey Ramone, Jeff Dahl, Adny Shernoff, and Syl Sylvain), he loosed collision-chording, curb-jumping metallic-treble leads.
Introspective, pensive articulations he occasionally formulated showcased the spiky grafitti-guerilla's gentler artistic knack. The man could play -- and then some.
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Numerous other heartfelt testimonies flooded from admirers:
- Dictators singer Handsome Dick Manitoba: "It is with profound sadness that Cheetah Chrome -- a friend, a compadre, a Rock ‘n’ Roll brother of mine for 50 years -- has passed away. Never did we have beef. Never anything but respect and admiration for each other’s bands...I love you, my Rock'n'Roll brother."
- Guns and Roses guitarist Duff McKagen: "RIP dear Cheetah Chrome. Your guitar playing and attack taught me so much about ‘edge’ and precision in Punk and beyond. Getting to know you in later years was a complete honor. Forever Dead Boys. Forever Cheetah Chrome!!"
- Runaway Cherie Currie: "My cherished friend Cheetah Chrome passed suddenly today at 71. He just called me to sing with him at The Whisky. I sang on his new album that he will never see released. We never said goodbye without saying “I love you!” I am heartbroken. He was an exceptional man, musician, and friend. I love you Cheetah."
- Johnny Jetson: " My condolences to his family, friends, and fans. Cheetah will always be a high point of the 1970s. His style and attitude made the guitar a dangerous weapon and destroyed the hold of the English 'Intellectuals' He dragged it out of the conservatory and made it wild, dangerous, and fun again."
In Cheetah's hands, strings, frets, and electric voltage colluded to pose dangers. He was a reckless demolisher of traditions, true. But he was also emblematic of the age-old, vastly respectable, play-till-you-can't code embraced by generations of players genuinely devoted to their crafts.
Bands that stalked in his1970s-forward example have sought to capture similar swerve/edge/growl. Some have pulled it off quite handily.
But no less prominent in Cheetah's coarse diatribes was the joyfulness of the misfit; swinging, swiping kicks that matched fury -- stomp for stomp -- with lopsided snickering at pretty much everyone and everything.
Deep in the marrow of his blistering onslaught against all-that-snored, was happiness-for-the-hell-of-it. Grinning exuberance that exalted wiseass Rock'n'Roll to high status of self-signifier:
"I'm as valid as any a-you!"
Videos: "Sonic Reducer" (live at CBGB's) "StillWanna Die" The Batusis (live 4:29) Cheetah and Syl
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