Peter Laughner (August 22, 1952 – June 22, 1977) was an American guitarist,

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music ge ...

and singer. A native of

Bay Village, Ohio Bay Village is a city in western Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, the city is a western suburb of Cleveland and a part of the Cleveland metropolitan area. The population was 16,163 at the 2020 ce ...

, Laughner was described by Richie Unterberger as "probably the single biggest catalyst in the birth of Cleveland's

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commercia ...

scene in the mid 1970s."

Music career

Laughner led a variety of groups. Among them were Mr. Charlie, Cinderella Backstreet, Peter & The Wolves, The Blue Drivers and Friction. However, his most enduring contributions were to

Rocket From The Tombs Rocket from the Tombs (or RFTT) is an American rock band originally active from mid-1974 to mid-1975 in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. The band was reconstituted several times with various line-ups starting in 2003. Heralded as an important pr ...

and the early work of Pere Ubu. In addition to all this, he wrote for

Creem ''Creem'' (often stylized in all caps) is a monthly American music magazine, based in Detroit, whose main print run lasted from 1969 to 1989. It was first published in March 1969 by Barry Kramer and founding editor Tony Reay. Influential criti ...

magazine. Laughner was a voracious rock fan and writer, and was heavily influenced by the writings of

Lester Bangs Leslie Conway "Lester" Bangs (December 14, 1948 – April 30, 1982) was an American music journalist, critic, author, and musician. He wrote for ''Creem'' and ''Rolling Stone'' magazines, and was known for his leading influence in rock music c ...

. Like Bangs, Laughner admired Lou Reed, but also drew inspiration from folk and blues figures such as

Robert Johnson Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911August 16, 1938) was an American blues musician and songwriter. His landmark recordings in 1936 and 1937 display a combination of singing, guitar skills, and songwriting talent that has influenced later generati ...

and

Woody Guthrie Woodrow Wilson Guthrie (; July 14, 1912 – October 3, 1967) was an American singer-songwriter, one of the most significant figures in American folk music. His work focused on themes of American Left, American socialism and anti-fascism. He ...

Tom Verlaine Tom Verlaine (born Thomas Miller, December 13, 1949) is an American singer, guitarist and songwriter, best known as the frontman of the New York City rock band Television. Biography Verlaine was born Thomas Miller in Denville, New Jersey and ...

was also one of Laughner's idols.''Peter Laughner is dead'', Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung: The Work of a Legendary Critic'', collected writings, Greil Marcus, ed. Anchor Press, 1988. () There have been suggestions that Laughner was briefly considered as a replacement for Richard Lloyd when he departed Television, a band he championed from their earliest days. However, Richard Lloyd disputes this.

Death

Laughner had severe drug and alcohol abuse problems that ultimately led to his death by

acute pancreatitis Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a sudden inflammation of the pancreas. Causes in order of frequency include: 1) a gallstone impacted in the common bile duct beyond the point where the pancreatic duct joins it; 2) heavy alcohol use; 3) systemic diseas ...

in 1977 at the age of 24. Lester Bangs wrote a eulogy for him, simply titled "Peter Laughner is Dead". Rumors to the effect that Laughner was despondent, even suicidal, at the time of his death have been contradicted by Laughner's last known message, written and mailed to Cleveland singer Ruby Port on the evening prior to his death. This letter revealed his intent to move to a retreat in the Ohio countryside, where he could write new music as well as rest and regain his health.

Recordings

Laughner's only known entrance into a recording studio was for the Pere Ubu single sessions, though he left behind countless

lo-fi Lo-fi (also typeset as lofi or low-fi; short for low fidelity) is a music or production quality in which elements usually regarded as imperfections in the context of a recording or performance are present, sometimes as a deliberate choice. The ...

live, rehearsal, and demo recordings. In 1994,

Tim/Kerr Tim/Kerr (also known as T/K) was an American independent record label in Portland, Oregon, United States, run by Thor Lindsay and Thomas "Tim" Kerr IV from 1985 until 1999. Between 1978 and 1984 Lindsay and Kerr were also co-owners of an independe ...

label released ''Take the Guitar Player for a Ride'', a 15-track LP drawn from these tapes, later re-released as a CD. This compilation sold poorly and has since gone out of print. Fans continue to circulate bootleg recordings and a Cleveland-based label
Handsome Productions
offers a comprehensive collection of his music on CD, officially endorsed by his estate. In June 2019, the

Smog Veil Smog, or smoke fog, is a type of intense air pollution. The word "smog" was coined in the early 20th century, and is a portmanteau of the words ''smoke'' and '' fog'' to refer to smoky fog due to its opacity, and odor. The word was then int ...

record label released a 5-disc Laughner box set (with tapes procured from Handsome Productions, Pere Ubu's David Thomas, Tim Wright, and others). In addition to solo recordings, Laughner's live guitar and vocal work is available in the posthumous

Rocket from the Tombs Rocket from the Tombs (or RFTT) is an American rock band originally active from mid-1974 to mid-1975 in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. The band was reconstituted several times with various line-ups starting in 2003. Heralded as an important pr ...

album ''The Day the Earth Met the Rocket from the Tombs.''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Laughner, Peter 1952 births 1977 deaths Musicians from Cleveland Deaths from pancreatitis American rock guitarists American male guitarists Songwriters from Ohio Protopunk musicians Pere Ubu members 20th-century American singers 20th-century American guitarists Guitarists from Ohio Rocket from the Tombs members 20th-century American male singers

Music career

Death

Recordings

Further reading

References