Many moons ago, tQ heard Henry Rollins describing the time that he and Ian MacKaye had spent the afternoon listening to the 1977 debut album from New York duo Suicide, and were so disturbed by it – especially by the song ‘Frankie Teardrop’ – that they had no idea how to respond, other than to wander the street yelling. In this month’s Low Culture Podcast, Luke Turner and John Doran hope to be more articulate as they delve deep into one of the most thrilling and influential electronic records ever made. They discuss the duo’s roots in New York at the start of the 70s, the influence of both Martin Rev’s jazz training and Alan Vega’s obsession with Iggy Pop and Elvis on what started out as a project rooted in art galleries as much as gig venues, with Suicide promoting their gigs as being a “punk mass” as early as 1971. Yet Suicide had an awkward relationship with the New York art world as much as they did with the punk audiences, who in the late 70s would try and bottle them offstage. John details his thoughts of Suicide and ideas of the trickster archetype versus the radical, and they discuss how their hectic sound was eventually distilled onto record, years after they first formed, with just three channels on the desk, but with Craig Leon bringing the influence of dub to the sessions. Of course, a chat about this record wouldn’t be complete without discussing ‘Frankie Teardrop’, Vega’s horrific scream, and the society that spawned it. And finally, John and Luke talk about their memories of seeing Suicide live in Alan Vega’s twilight years, in which he had lost none of his power, and the duo refused to conform to nostalgic expectations. Thanks as ever to Alannah Chance for producing the podcast, and to you all for subscribing and keeping tQ alive. You can listen to the pod via your feed or using the link below:
Low Culture Podcast: Suicide’s Debut Album
In this month's pod, Luke Turner and John Doran explore the beauty and violence of this masterpiece from Alan Vega and Martin Rev
