Crash and Burn

Twenty years ago this week, Darby Crash, lead singer of the Germs, killed himself in a premeditated, drug-facilitated suicide that many believed was meant to ensure his own legend at age 22. Had it been a different week, the media might have run with a myth-making "American Sid Vicious" story. As a punk PR event, however, Darby's exit was poorly timed. About 24 hours later, a disturbed young man murdered John Lennon.

To mark the anniversary of Crash's death, some friends--many of whom, as it happens, are writing books about the singer--recall the day in 1980 when they learned that both Crash and Lennon were gone.

*

Michelle Ghaffari met Darby, then known as Paul Beahm, at University High School in West L.A. They later appeared together in the documentary "The Decline of Western Civilization," and she is now working with director Rodger Grossman on a film about Crash:

Darby became my best friend, my mentor. I guess I was a good follower of his, too. But I felt like he treated me specially. I'm sure I was in love with him, but he did not have girlfriends.

*

Brendan Mullen owned the Masque, an early Hollywood punk club:

I didn't want to book the Germs at first.They can't play their instruments; they just throw food all over. They would do an excruciating version of "Sugar Sugar" by the Archies and pour sugar all over the audience. Darby cut himself sometimes, so there was blood, but you couldn't tell, it was such a mess. And Darby had his cult. To be in the cult, you had a Germs Burn administered, which was a cigarette put out on the inside of your wrist.

*

Exene Cervenka's band, X, shared a record label, Slash, with the Germs:

I have a Germs Burn. At first I thought Darby was really mean. He was very punk rock, and I was very small town. At the same time, he had the super- vulnerability of someone who's been wounded. The James Dean thing. Someone much too beautiful or much too scary or much too talented.

*

Don Bolles became the Germs' drummer in 1978:

The Germs' single was amorphous noise with a food fight going on over it. It was either the worst or the most incredible thing I'd ever heard. I called Pat [Smear, the Germs' guitarist] and said, "I just started playing drums a couple of weeks ago. I'm going to join your band."' And Pat said, "Oh, OK." I drove from Phoenix and auditioned in the Masque bathroom. I couldn't play at all. I guess they figured, "Well, this guy's got his drums set up in like three inches of beer and urine and water. . ." because they went out to deliberate and came back inside and said, "You're a Germ." People were attracted to Darby in droves. He was like an Oscar Wilde or an Iggy [Pop]. Really, he was shy and reserved. He couldn't go onstage without drugs.