Fear, stylized as FEAR, is an American punk rock band from

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, formed in 1977. The band is credited for helping to shape the sound and style of Californian

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier p ...

. The group gained national prominence after an infamous 1981 performance on ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves ...

''. Frontman Lee Ving has been the band's only constant member. Since its formation, the band has gone through various lineup changes, and at one point featured

Flea Flea, the common name for the order Siphonaptera, includes 2,500 species of small flightless insects that live as external parasites of mammals and birds. Fleas live by ingesting the blood of their hosts. Adult fleas grow to about long, ...

, later a member of the

Red Hot Chili Peppers Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983, comprising vocalist Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea, drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist John Frusciante. Their music incorporates elements of alternative rock, funk ...

, on bass. The classic FEAR lineup existed from 1978 to 1982, and was composed of Ving, guitarist

Philo Cramer Philo Cramer is an American musician best known as the lead guitarist for the Los Angeles punk band FEAR (Slash Records), from 1978 to 1993. He was a member of the band's classic lineup along with Spit Stix, Derf Scratch and frontman Lee Ving. ...

, bassist

Derf Scratch Frederick Charles Milner III (October 30, 1951– July 28, 2010), better known by his stage name Derf Scratch, was an American musician, best known as a former member of the punk rock band Fear and its original bass guitarist. Career Scratch pl ...

and drummer

Spit Stix Tim Leitch (a.k.a. Spit Stix, born December 29, 1955) is a Los Angeles-born drummer, producer and songwriter. He gained prominence as drummer for American punk rock band Fear and producer of the first Red Hot Chili Peppers demo tape. Early l ...

History

1970s

Fear was formed in 1977 by singer/guitarist Lee Ving and bassist

, who recruited guitarist Burt Good and drummer Johnny Backbeat. In 1978, Fear released the single "

I Love Livin' in the City "I Love Livin' in the City" is the first single by the punk rock band Fear. It was originally released in 1978 on the Los Angeles-based Criminal Records. Background "I Love Livin' in the City" was re-recorded twice: once during the group's unre ...

". Shortly after this, Good and Backbeat left the band and were replaced by

and

1980s

Film director

Penelope Spheeris Penelope Spheeris (born December 2, 1945 or 1946; sources differ) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. She has directed both documentary and scripted films. Her best-known works include the trilogy titled '' The Decline of ...

met Ving and Stix while they were hanging

handbills A flyer (or flier) is a form of paper advertisement intended for wide distribution and typically posted or distributed in a public place, handed out to individuals or sent through the mail. In the 2010s, flyers range from inexpensively photocopi ...

on telephone poles in Los Angeles on Laurel Canyon Boulevard. After a brief discussion, she asked if they wanted to be in a documentary about the Los Angeles punk scene, ''

The Decline of Western Civilization ''The Decline of Western Civilization'' is a 1981 American documentary filmed through 1979 and 1980. The movie is about the Los Angeles punk rock scene and was directed by Penelope Spheeris. In 1981, the LAPD Chief of Police Daryl Gates wrote a ...

'' (1981). In the film, Fear performed a set in which they baited members of the audience with personal attacks, sexist and homophobic slurs, and offbeat humor, inspiring some audience members to come on stage to fight them. At the time, Spheeris was married to

Slash Records Slash Records was an American record label originally specializing in local punk rock bands, active from 1978 to 2000. It was notable as one of the first and most successful independent record labels in alternative music, before its eventual ac ...

president Bob Biggs who, later that year, signed a recording deal with Fear. Spheeris's documentary brought the band to the attention of

John Belushi John Adam Belushi (January 24, 1949 – March 5, 1982) was an American comedian, actor, and musician, best known for being one of the seven original cast members of the NBC sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL''). Throughout his c ...

, who lobbied successfully to get the band a spot as a musical guest on the 1981 Halloween episode of his former show ''

''. Belushi had originally offered Fear the soundtrack for his major motion picture '' Neighbors''. The film's producers eventually forced Fear off the project, and Belushi got them the infamous ''SNL'' gig as compensation. The band's appearance included a group of slamdancers, among them Belushi,

Ian MacKaye Ian Thomas Garner MacKaye (; born April 16, 1962) is an American musician. Active since 1979, he is best known as the co-founder and owner of Dischord Records, a Washington, D.C.-based independent record label and the frontman of hardcore punk ...

Minor Threat Minor Threat was an American hardcore punk band, formed in 1980 in Washington, D.C. by vocalist Ian MacKaye and drummer Jeff Nelson (musician), Jeff Nelson. MacKaye and Nelson had played in several other bands together, and recruited bassist Br ...

and

Fugazi Fugazi (; ) is an American post-hardcore band that formed in Washington, D.C., in 1986. The band consists of guitarists and vocalists Ian MacKaye and Guy Picciotto, bassist Joe Lally, and drummer Brendan Canty. They are noted for their sty ...

Tesco Vee Tesco Vee (born Robert Vermeulen; August 26, 1955) is an American, Michigan-based punk rock musician, and co-founder of Touch and Go Records zine. Born in Kalamazoo, Michigan, he is a former elementary school teacher and the founding member, an ...

of the Meatmen,

Harley Flanagan Harley Francis Flanagan (born March 8, 1967) is an American musician. He is the founder of New York hardcore band Cro-Mags. At age 12, Flanagan was the drummer for New York punk band the Stimulators. When he was nine years old, Flanagan publish ...

and John Joseph of the

Cro-Mags Cro-Mags are an American hardcore punk band from New York City. The band, which has a strong cult following, has released six studio albums, with the first two considered the most influential. With a Hare Krishna background, they were among th ...

, and John Brannon of

Negative Approach Negative Approach is an American hardcore punk band, formed in Detroit, Michigan in 1981. The band is considered among the pioneers of hardcore punk, particularly in the Midwest region. Like most hardcore bands, Negative Approach was little known ...

. The show's director originally wanted to prevent the dancers from participating, so Belushi offered to be in the episode if the dancers were allowed to stay. The end result was the shortening of Fear's appearance on TV. They started their second song by saying, "It's great to be in

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...

", drawing boos from ''SNLs New York live audience. Fear played "I Don't Care About You", "Beef Bologna", "New York's Alright If You Like Saxophones", and started to play "Let's Have a War" when the telecast faded into commercial. The slamdancers left ripe pumpkin remains on the set. Cameras, a piano and other property were damaged. After their ''SNL'' appearance, which resulted in $20,000 in damage, some clubs chose not to hire the band. Fear also appeared in the 1981 rotoscope

animated Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most ani ...

film ''

American Pop ''American Pop'' is a 1981 American adult animated jukebox musical drama film starring Ron Thompson and produced and directed by Ralph Bakshi. It was the fourth animated feature film to be presented in Dolby sound. The film tells the story of f ...

'', directed by

Ralph Bakshi Ralph Bakshi (born October 29, 1938) is an American animator and filmmaker. In the 1970s, he established an alternative to mainstream animation through independent and adult-oriented productions. Between 1972 and 1992, he directed nine theatric ...

. Ving performed under the name Lee James Jude. Additionally that year,

Josie Cotton Josie Cotton (born 1956) is an American singer and songwriter, best known for " Johnny Are You Queer?" and "He Could Be the One" from 1982. "Johnny Are You Queer?" was used on the soundtracks to ''Jackass Number Two'' and ''Valley Girl''. "He Co ...

released the hit song " Johnny Are You Queer?". The song was based on Fear's song "Fetch Me One More Beer", written by Philo Cramer and John Clancy. Bobby and Larson Paine, who were managing

the Go-Go's The Go-Go's are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1978. Except for short periods when other musicians joined briefly, the band has had a relatively stable lineup consisting of Charlotte Caffey on lead guitar and keyboar ...

, re-worked the song with new lyrics and gave it to them, but after a falling out forbid the band from playing it and gave it to Cotton. In several interviews Cotton has suggested that the song's title was lifted from lyrics in the Fear song, though she has also stated that Fear's version of it went "You're a fuckin' queer", which is consistent with Fear's demo of the song. When Fear found out a variation of their song had become popular, a meeting regarding the publishing rights of the song was arranged between them and the Paines. The two sides decided the winner of a

coin toss A coin is a small, flat (usually depending on the country or value), round piece of metal or plastic used primarily as a medium of exchange or legal tender. They are standardized in weight, and produced in large quantities at a mint in order to ...

would get the publishing rights to the song, which the Paines won. In 1982, Fear released their debut album ''

The Record The Record may refer to: Music * ''The Record'' (album), a 1982 studio album by the hardcore-punk band Fear * The Records, an English power pop band * '' Their Greatest Hits: The Record'', a 2001 greatest-hits album by the pop-music group Bee G ...

''. After touring in support of the album, Ving fired Scratch. Eric Feldman (of

Captain Beefheart Don Van Vliet (; born Don Glen Vliet; January 15, 1941 – December 17, 2010) was an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and visual artist best known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. Conducting a rotating ensemble known as Th ...

Pere Ubu Pere Ubu is an American rock group formed in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1975. The band had a variety of long-term and recurring band members, with singer David Thomas being the only member staying throughout the band's lifetime. They released their ...

, and later

PJ Harvey Polly Jean Harvey (born 9 October 1969) is an English singer, songwriter, and musician. Primarily known as a vocalist and guitarist, she is also proficient with a wide range of instruments. Harvey began her career in 1988 when she joined loca ...

and

Frank Black Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV (born April 6, 1965) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is best known as the frontman of the alternative rock band Pixies, with whom he performs under the stage name Black Francis. F ...

) briefly filled in on bass before he was replaced by

. Flea left the band and was replaced by Lorenzo Buhne. On July 3, 1983, Fear performed at the "Rock Against Reagan" protest concert at the

Lincoln Memorial The Lincoln Memorial is a U.S. national memorial built to honor the 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. It is on the western end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., across from the Washington Monument, and is in ...

in Washington, D.C. along with the

Dead Kennedys Dead Kennedys are an American punk rock band that formed in San Francisco, California, in 1978. The band was one of the defining punk bands during its initial eight-year run. Dead Kennedys' lyrics were usually political in nature, satirizing ...

, MDC,

Toxic Reasons Toxic Reasons were an American punk rock band, formed in 1979. The band released nine full-length studio albums between 1982 and 1995. History Toxic Reasons formed in Dayton, Ohio, in 1979. The founding members were Bruce Stuckey (bass guitar ...

the Crucifucks The Crucifucks were an American punk band formed in 1981 in Lansing, Michigan. They were noted for their political agitation, provocative lyrics, and unusually shrill vocals by band leader Doc Corbin Dart. Dead Kennedys vocalist Jello Biafra sig ...

and others. In the summer of 1983 through early 1984, while Stix was touring Europe with

Nina Hagen Catharina "Nina" Hagen (; born 11 March 1955) is a German singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her theatrical vocals and rose to prominence during the punk and new wave movements in the late 1970s and early 1980s. She is known as ...

Chuck Biscuits Chuck Biscuits (born Charles Montgomery on April 17, 1965) is a Canadian drummer best known for his work in several punk rock bands. Biscuits was a member of D.O.A. from 1978 to 1982, playing on the band's first two albums before briefly join ...

was supposed to replace him, but Stix returned and Biscuits never played any shows with Fear. With Ving producing, the band recorded their second album ''

More Beer ''More Beer'' is the second studio album by Fear, released in 1985 (see 1985 in music). Frontman Lee Ving spent over a year producing the album. Critical reception ''The Encyclopedia of Popular Music'' wrote that ''More Beer'' "repeated the deb ...

'' in 1985 in just two days, supposedly. However, according to a representative from

Enigma Records Enigma Records (also known as Enigma Entertainment Corporation) was a popular rock and alternative American record label in the 1980s. History Enigma Records launched as a division of Greenworld Distribution, an independent music importer/ ...

, it took a full year, as quoted in a March 1986 issue of ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally ...

''.

1990s

'' Live...For the Record'', a live album of a 1985 performance, was released in 1991. Shortly afterwards, bassist Will "Sluggo" MacGregor was hired. After 1991–93 North American tours, Fear disbanded. Cramer and Stix left the band, citing disputes with Ving over finances, his

right wing Right-wing politics describes the range of Ideology#Political ideologies, political ideologies that view certain social orders and Social stratification, hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this pos ...

beliefs, and his lack of empathy. For the next two years, Ving performed in

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

as Lee Ving's Army. This eventually became the new Fear lineup, including Ving backed by LVA members Sean Cruse (guitar), Scott Thunes (bass) and Andrew Jaimez (drums). In 1995, Fear released the '' Have Another Beer with Fear'' album, followed by ''American Beer'' (2000), which featured Ving and Jaimez along with new members Richard Presley and Mando Lopez. The album included new recordings of several previously unreleased older Fear songs, as well as some new compositions. Presley and Lopez then began playing with Kim Deal and

Kelley Deal Kelley Deal (born June 10, 1961) is an American musician and singer. She has been lead guitarist and co-vocalist of the alternative rock band The Breeders since 1992, and has formed her own side-projects with bands such as R. Ring and The Kelle ...

the Breeders The Breeders are an American alternative rock band based in Dayton, Ohio, consisting of members Kim Deal (rhythm guitar, lead vocals), her twin sister Kelley Deal (lead guitar, vocals), Josephine Wiggs (bass guitar, vocals) and Jim Macpherso ...

2000–present

Fear (with Ving as the only original member) performed in the annual

Warped Tour The Warped Tour was a traveling rock tour that toured the United States plus three or four stops in Canada annually each summer from 1995 until 2019. It was the largest traveling music festival in the United States and the longest-running touri ...

in 2008, and at

South by Southwest South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, ...

in 2012. A re-recording of 1982's ''The Record'' was released in late 2012. In 2018, the band reunited with Cramer and Stix, and added former

AFI AFI may refer to: * ''Address-family identifier'', a 16 bit field of the Routing Information Protocol * Ashton Fletcher Irwin, an Australian drummer * AFI (band), an American rock band ** ''AFI'' (2004 album), a retrospective album by AFI rele ...

bassist

Geoff Kresge Geoff Kresge is a songwriter, guitarist, bassist, and record producer. He played with the punk rock/ horror punk band AFI for most of their early career, from 1992 through 1997, and co-wrote the majority of their early material alongside fron ...

and former

Viva Hate ''Viva Hate'' is the debut solo studio album by English singer Morrissey. It was released on 14 March 1988 by HMV, six months after the final studio album by the Smiths, '' Strangeways, Here We Come'' (1987). Vini Reilly, the leader of the E ...

guitarist Eric Razo. In the spring of 2022, Fear announced that they had regained the master rights of ''The Record'' from Warner Music and announced a 40th Anniversary deluxe edition of the album would be released that fall.

Band members

Current * Lee Ving – lead vocals, rhythm guitar (1977–present) *

– lead guitar (1978–1993, 2018–present) *

– drums (1978–1993, 2018–present) *

– bass (2018–present) * Eric Razo – third guitar (2018–present) Former Drums * Johnny Backbeat – drums (1977) * Andrew Jaimez – drums (1993–2018) Bass *

– bass (1977–1982; died 2010) * Eric Feldman – bass (1982) *

– bass (1982–1984) * Lorenzo Buhne – bass (1984–1988) * Will MacGregor – bass (1988–1993) *

Scott Thunes Scott Thunes (pronounced "TOO-nis") (born January 20, 1960) is a bass player, formerly with Frank Zappa, Wayne Kramer, Steve Vai, Andy Prieboy, Mike Keneally, Fear, The Waterboys, Big Bang Beat, and others. Thunes was raised in San Anselmo, ...

– bass (1993–1995) * Kelly LeMieux – bass (1995–1997) * Mando Lopez – bass (1997–2008) * Jeffery "Beldo" Beller – bass (2008) * Sam Bolle – bass (2008–2009) * Paul Lerma – bass, backing vocals (2010–2018) Lead guitar * Burt Good – lead guitar (1977–1978) * Sean Cruse – lead guitar (1993–1999) * Richard Presley – lead guitar (1999–2005) * Derol Caraco – lead guitar (2005–2009) * Lawrence Arrieta – lead guitar (2010) * Dave Stark – lead guitar, backing vocals (2011–2018)

Timeline

ImageSize = width:1000 height:auto barincrement:20 PlotArea = left:100 bottom:60 top:0 right:20 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1977 till:01/01/2022 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Colors = id:vocals value:red legend:Vocals,_rhythm_guitar id:guitars value:green legend:Lead_guitar id:bass value:blue legend:Bass id:drums value:orange legend:Drums id:lines1 value:black legend:Studio_albums Legend = orientation:horizontal position:bottom ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:1977 ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1978 LineData = at:05/16/1982 color:black layer:back at:01/01/1985 color:black layer:back at:10/17/1995 color:black layer:back at:09/05/2000 color:black layer:back at:11/06/2012 color:black layer:back BarData = bar:Ving text:"Lee Ving" bar:Good text:"Burt Good" bar:Cramer text:"Philo Cramer" bar:Cruse text:"Sean Cruse" bar:Presely text:"Richard Presley" bar:Caraco text:"Derol Caraco" bar:Arrieta text:"Lawrence Arrieta" bar:Stark text:"Dave Stark" bar:Razo text:"Eric Razo" bar:Scratch text:"Derf Scratch" bar:Flea text:"Flea" bar:Buhne text:"Lorenzo Buhne" bar:MacGregor text:"Will MacGregor" bar:Thunes text:"Scott Thunes" bar:LeMieux text:"Kelly LeMieux" bar:Lopez text:"Mando Lopez" bar:Bolle text:"Sam Bolle" bar:Lerma text:"Paul Lerma" bar:Kresge text:"Geoff Kresge" bar:Backbeat text:"Johnny Backbeat" bar:Stix text:"Spit Stix" bar:Jaimez text:"Andrew Jaimez" PlotData= width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4) bar:Ving from:start till:end color:vocals bar:Scratch from:01/01/1977 till:01/01/1983 color:bass bar:Flea from:01/01/1983 till:01/01/1984 color:bass bar:Buhne from:01/01/1984 till:01/01/1988 color:bass bar:MacGregor from:01/01/1988 till:01/01/1993 color:bass bar:Thunes from:01/01/1993 till:01/01/1995 color:bass bar:LeMieux from:01/01/1995 till:01/01/1997 color:bass bar:Lopez from:01/01/1997 till:01/01/2008 color:bass bar:Bolle from:01/01/2008 till:01/01/2009 color:bass bar:Lerma from:01/01/2010 till:01/01/2018 color:bass bar:Kresge from:01/01/2018 till:end color:bass bar:Good from:01/01/1977 till:01/01/1978 color:guitars bar:Cramer from:01/01/1978 till:01/01/1993 color:guitars bar:Cramer from:01/01/2018 till:end color:guitars bar:Cruse from:01/01/1993 till:01/01/1999 color:guitars bar:Presely from:01/01/1999 till:01/01/2005 color:guitars bar:Caraco from:01/01/2005 till:01/01/2009 color:guitars bar:Arrieta from:01/01/2010 till:01/01/2011 color:guitars bar:Stark from:01/01/2011 till:01/01/2018 color:guitars bar:Razo from:01/01/2018 till:end color:guitars bar:Backbeat from:01/01/1977 till:01/01/1978 color:drums bar:Stix from:01/01/1978 till:01/01/1993 color:drums bar:Stix from:01/01/2018 till:end color:drums bar:Jaimez from:01/01/1993 till:01/01/2018 color:drums

Discography

Studio albums * ''

'' (1982,

) * ''

'' (1985,

Restless Records Restless Records is a record label that was started in El Segundo, California in 1986 by Enigma Records and primarily released alternative, metal, and punk records. Restless also licensed and released records from Bar/None Records, Metal Blade R ...

) * '' Have Another Beer with Fear'' (1995, Sector 2 Records) * ''

American Beer Beer in the United States is manufactured by more than 7,000 breweries, which range in size from industry giants to brew pubs and microbreweries. The United States produced 196 million barrels () of beer in 2012, and consumes roughly of beer ...

'' (2000, Hall of Records) * ''

The Fear Record ''The Record'' is the debut studio album by the American hardcore punk band Fear, released May 16, 1982, by Slash Records. It was produced by Gary Lubow. The album was reissued on CD in 1991 with the single "Fuck Christmas" as a bonus track. The ...

'' (2012, The End Records) (rerecorded version of ''The Record'') Singles and EPs * "

" 7" single (1978, Criminal Records) * ''Fuck Christmas'' 7 single (1982, Slash Records): It was recorded during the sessions that produced their debut ''The Record'', but was not released until months later. The single's A-side was later added as a bonus track to the CD reissue of ''The Record''. It is also present on cassette copies of the album. "(Beep) Christmas" is identical to "Fuck Christmas" but with censored profanity, done as a way to promote the single on radio. Punk band

Bad Religion Bad Religion is an American punk rock band that formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1980. The band's lyrics cover topics related to religion, politics, society, the media and science. Musically, they are noted for their melodic sensibilitie ...

covered the song at KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas in 1993 and 1994 * "

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" is a song written in 1943 by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane and introduced by Judy Garland in the 1944 MGM musical ''Meet Me in St. Louis''. Frank Sinatra later recorded a version with modified lyrics. I ...

" 7" single (2011, The End Records) * ''Paradise Studios Sessions Vol. 1'' 7" EP (2014, Fear Records) * ''Paradise Studios Sessions Vol. 2'' 7" EP (2015, Fear Records) * "Neighbors" 7" single with

(2016, Fear Records) Live albums * '' Live...for the Record'' (1991, Restless Records) Soundtrack compilation appearances * ''

'' (1980, Slash Records) * '' Get Crazy (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)'' (1983, Morocco Records) * '' Repo Man (Music from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)'' (1984, San Andreas Records) * '' SLC Punk – Original Soundtrack'' (1999,

Hollywood Records Hollywood Records is an American record label of the Disney Music Group. The label focuses in pop, rock, alternative, hip hop, and country genres, as well as specializing in mature recordings not suitable for the flagship Walt Disney Records ...

)

Influence

Fear has influenced a number of bands who have paid tribute to the band by covering its songs. *

A Perfect Circle A Perfect Circle is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1999 by guitarist Billy Howerdel and Tool vocalist Maynard James Keenan. A Perfect Circle has released four studio albums, the first three during the early 2000s ...

covered "Let's Have a War" on their album '' eMOTIVe''. *

covered "

Fuck Christmas Fear, stylized as FEAR, is an American punk rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1977. The band is credited for helping to shape the sound and style of Californian hardcore punk. The group gained national prominence after an infamo ...

", though it was not released. The band also covered "I Don't Care About You" during its May 18, 1998, performance at the TLA in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. * Blatz covered "I Don't Care About You" on ''Shit Split''. * Course of Empire covered "Let's Have a War" as a B-side on their 1993 single "Infested!" *

Rob Crow Robertdale Rulon Crow Jr. (born February 21, 1971) is an American singer and musician from San Diego, California, known for his involvement with the bands Pinback, Heavy Vegetable, Physics, Optiganally Yours and Thingy. He has also led the band ...

covered "I Am A Doctor" on his ''Not Making Any Friends Here... Vol. 1'' tour EP. * Dark Angel covered "I Don't Care About You" on their ''Live Scars'' album. *

Demoniac Demoniac were a heavy metal band from New Zealand formed in Wellington in 1993 by singer and bass player Lindsay Dawson, guitarist Sam Totman and Drummer Steve Francis. They later moved to London, UK. Three of the members went on to for ...

quoted the lyric "Hatred is purity, weakness is disease" from Fear's "Foreign Policy" in the song "Hatred Is Purity". * Dog Eat Dog covered "More Beer" on their EP ''If These Are the Good Times''. *

From Autumn to Ashes From Autumn to Ashes is a post-hardcore band based in Long Island, New York. The group formed in 2000 under the name Who's to Blame. While the band had gone through many line-up changes, the members include Francis Mark (lead vocals, drums), S ...

covered "Let's Have a War" for the ''

Tony Hawk's American Wasteland ''Tony Hawk's American Wasteland'' is a skateboarding video game developed by Neversoft and published by Activision. It is the seventh entry in the ''Tony Hawk's'' series and was released initially for the GameCube, PlayStation 2 and Xbox in ...

'' soundtrack released by

Vagrant Records Vagrant Records is an American record label based in California. It was founded in 1995 by Rich Egan and Jon Cohen. The label focuses on rock, but features artists in a variety of other genres including folk, soul, electronic, and pop. It is h ...

. *

Guns N' Roses Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1985. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band comprised vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff ...

covered "I Don't Care About You", released on their 1993 ''

"The Spaghetti Incident?" ''"The Spaghetti Incident?"'' is the fifth studio album by the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses. The album is composed of covers of older punk rock, hard rock, and other songs. ''"The Spaghetti Incident?"'' is the only studio album to ...

'' punk covers album. *

Harvey Milk Harvey Bernard Milk (May 22, 1930 – November 27, 1978) was an American politician and the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California, as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Milk was born and raised in ...

covered "We Destroy the Family" on their 2008 album '' Life... The Best Game in Town''. * Indecision covered "I Don't Care About You" and "New York's Alright If You Like Saxophones" on ''Punk Rock Jukebox Volume 2''. *

Megadeth Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist/guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal along wit ...

covered "Foreign Policy" on their ''

Dystopia A dystopia (from Ancient Greek δυσ- "bad, hard" and τόπος "place"; alternatively cacotopiaCacotopia (from κακός ''kakos'' "bad") was the term used by Jeremy Bentham in his 1818 Plan of Parliamentary Reform (Works, vol. 3, p. 493). ...

'' album. *

Method of Destruction M.O.D. (abbreviation for Method of Destruction) is an American crossover thrash band from New York City, fronted by Stormtroopers of Death vocalist Billy Milano. The band has been around for years (minus one hiatus from 1997 to 2001), and rele ...

(M.O.D.) covered "I Love Livin' in the City" on their '' Gross Misconduct'' album. *

Poster Children Poster Children is an American indie rock band formed at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana in 1987.On the Offensive ''On the Offensive'' is an EP released by Poster Children in 2004. It is composed of politically themed cover songs. Track listing # "Clampdown" – 3:17 (originally by the Clash) # "(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang" – 3:16 (original ...

'' CD EP. *

Sacred Reich Sacred Reich is an American thrash metal band based in Phoenix, Arizona, that was formed in 1985. The band split in 2000, but reunited in 2006. Sacred Reich has been credited, along with Testament, Destruction, Death Angel and Dark Angel, for ...

covered "Let's Have a War" on their ''A Question'' EP and "Beef Bologna" on the Japanese version of their album ''Heal''. * Soundgarden covered "I Don't Care About You", appearing as a B-side on several of their singles. *

Stormtroopers of Death Stormtroopers of Death (abbreviated to S.O.D.) was an American crossover thrash band formed in New York City in 1985. They are credited as being among the first bands to fuse hardcore punk with thrash metal into a style sometimes referred to as ...

(S.O.D.) covered "I Love Livin' in the City" on their '' Live at Budokan'' album. *

The Reatards The Reatards were an American garage punk band formed in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1995. Originally a one-man project by guitarist Jay Reatard, the group's sound was marked by raw, stripped-down instrumentals and lo-fi recording quality. After distr ...

covered "

" on their album ''

Teenage Hate ''Teenage Hate'' is the debut studio album by the American garage punk band, The Reatards. It was released in 1998 via Goner Records. Goner Records reissued the album on May 17, 2011, one year after Jay Reatard's death. The posthumous release inc ...

''. *

Turbonegro Turbonegro (Turboneger in Norway) is a Norwegian rock band, active from 1989 to 1998 and from 2002 to the present. The band combines glam rock, punk rock, and hard rock into a self-described "deathpunk" musical style. History Early years ...

covered "I Don't Care About You" on their ''

Small Feces ''Small Feces'' is a two-part compilation album by the Norwegian rock band Turbonegro, released in 2005 on Bitzcore Records. It features 42 songs and documents the first steps from the beginning in 1989 until the '' Ass Cobra'' times ca. 1997. It ...

'' box set.

In popular culture

Fear's music has also been featured in several video game soundtracks. "I Love Livin' in the City" appeared in '' The Warriors'' "

SLC Punk ''SLCPunk!'' is a 1998 American comedy-drama film written and directed by James Merendino. The film centers around Steven "Stevo" Levy, a college graduate and punk living in Salt Lake City during the mid-1980s. ''SLCPunk!'' was chosen as the ope ...

" and ''

Tony Hawk's Underground 2 ''Tony Hawk's Underground 2'' is a skateboarding video game, the sixth entry in the ''Tony Hawk's'' series after '' Tony Hawk's Underground''. It was developed by Neversoft and published by Activision on October 4, 2004 in the U.S. for the Pla ...

'', and "The Mouth Don't Stop (The Trouble with Women Is)" appeared in ''

Grand Theft Auto V ''Grand Theft Auto V'' is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the seventh main entry in the ''Grand Theft Auto'' series, following 2008's ''Grand Theft Auto IV'', and the fifteenth in ...

'', on the fictional punk rock radio station,

Channel X Channel X Productions is a UK comedy and entertainment company with a 22–year history of producing programmes for all of the major broadcasters. The company specialises in scripted broken and narrative comedy, comedy-entertainment formats and g ...

. The band, specifically Spit, are mentioned in the

Brett Easton Ellis Bret Easton Ellis (born March 7, 1964) is an American author, screenwriter, short-story writer, and director. Ellis was first regarded as one of the so-called literary Brat Pack and is a self-proclaimed satirist whose trademark technique, as a ...

novel '' Less than Zero''. One of the main characters in the film, '' Relaxer'', wears a "Fear" t-shirt. In the 1987 film ''

Summer Camp Nightmare ''Summer Camp Nightmare'' is an American 1987 thriller film directed by Bert L. Dragin and starring Chuck Connors and Charlie Stratton. The film is based on the novel '' The Butterfly Revolution'' by William Butler. Plot Donald Poultry is a yo ...

'', the inter-camp talent show includes a performance of "Beef Bologna" which upsets

Chuck Connors Kevin Joseph Aloysius "Chuck" Connors (April 10, 1921 – November 10, 1992) was an American actor, writer, and professional basketball and baseball player. He is one of only 13 athletes in the history of American professional sports to have p ...

' straitlaced camp director.

References

External links

Spit Stix chronicles his time with Fear
From Spit Stix's personal page.
FEAR The Band Facebook Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fear Hardcore punk groups from California Musical groups from Los Angeles Musical quartets Musical groups established in 1977