Richard Lester Meyers (born October 2, 1949), better known by his stage name Richard Hell, is an American singer, songwriter, bass guitarist and writer. Hell was in several important early punk rock bands, including

Neon Boys The Neon Boys were a short lived New York City proto-punk band, composed of Tom Verlaine, Richard Hell and Billy Ficca. The trio later went on to form the influential rock band Television in 1973; Richard Hell also went on to form the influenti ...

Television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

and

The Heartbreakers The Heartbreakers, sometimes referred to as Johnny Thunders' Heartbreakers, were an American punk rock band formed in New York City in 1975. The band spearheaded the first wave of punk rock. History Johnny Thunders (vocals/guitar) and Jerry ...

, after which he formed

Richard Hell & the Voidoids Richard Hell and the Voidoids were an American punk rock band, formed in New York City in 1976 and fronted by Richard Hell, a former member of the Neon Boys, Television and the Heartbreakers. History Kentucky-born Richard Meyers moved to Ne ...

. Their 1977 album '' Blank Generation'' influenced many other punk bands. Its

title track A title track is a song that has the same name as the album or film in which it appears. In the Korean music industry, the term is used to describe a promoted song on an album, akin to a single, regardless of the song's title. Title track may a ...

was named "One of the 500 Songs That Shaped Rock" by music writers in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame listing and is ranked as one of the all-time Top 10 punk songs by a 2006 poll of original British punk figures, as reported in the ''Rough Guide to Punk''. Since the late 1980s, Hell has devoted himself primarily to writing, publishing two novels and several other books. He was the film critic for ''

BlackBook ''BlackBook'' is an arts and culture magazine A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase ...

'' magazine from 2004 to 2006.

Biography

Early life and career

Richard Lester Meyers was born in Lexington, Kentucky in 1949. His father, a secular Jew, was an

experimental psychologist Experimental psychology refers to work done by those who apply experimental methods to psychological study and the underlying processes. Experimental psychologists employ human participants and animal subjects to study a great many topics, in ...

, researching

animal behavior Ethology is the scientific study of animal behaviour, usually with a focus on behaviour under natural conditions, and viewing behaviour as an evolutionarily adaptive trait. Behaviourism as a term also describes the scientific and objectiv ...

. He died when Hell was 7 years old. Hell was then raised by his mother, who came from Methodists of Welsh and English ancestry. After her husband's death, she returned to school and became a professor. Hell attended the

Sanford School The Sanford School is a private school for co-ed students in PreK through high school, located in Hockessin, Delaware. Originally known as "Sunny Hills School", it was founded on September 23, 1930, by Sanford and Ellen Sawin, in memory of their ...

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

for one year, where he became friends with Tom Miller, who later changed his name to

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 ...

. They ran away from school together and a short time later were arrested in Alabama for arson and vandalism. Hell never finished high school, instead moving to New York City to make his way as a poet. In New York he met fellow young poet David Giannini, and moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico for several months, where Giannini and Meyers co-founded ''Genesis:Grasp''. They used an AM VariTyper with changeable fonts to publish the magazine. They began publishing books and magazines, but decided to go their separate ways in 1971, after which Hell created and published Dot Books. Before he was 21, his own poems were published in numerous periodicals, ranging from ''Rolling Stone'' to the New Directions ''Annual''s. In 1971, along with Verlaine, Hell also published under the pseudonym Theresa Stern, a fictional poet whose photo was actually a combination of both his and Verlaine's faces in drag, superimposed over one another to create a new identity. A book of poems credited to "Stern", ''Wanna Go Out?'', was released by Dot in 1973.

The Neon Boys, Television and The Heartbreakers

In 1972, Verlaine joined Hell in New York and formed the Neon Boys. In 1974, the band added a second guitarist, Richard Lloyd, and changed their name to

. Television's performances at

CBGB CBGB was a New York City music club opened in 1973 by Hilly Kristal in Manhattan's East Village. The club was previously a biker bar and before that was a dive bar. The letters ''CBGB'' were for '' Country'', '' BlueGrass'', and '' Blues'', Kr ...

helped kick-start the first wave of punk bands, inspiring a number of different artists including

Patti Smith Patricia Lee Smith (born December 30, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, poet, painter and author who became an influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album ''Horses''. Called the "punk poet ...

, who wrote the first press review of Television for the ''

SoHo Weekly News The ''SoHo Weekly News'' (also called the ''SoHo News'') was a weekly alternative newspaper published in New York City from 1973 to 1982. The paper was founded in 1973 by Michael Goldstein (1938–2018). History The first issue was published on ...

'' in June 1974. She formed a highly successful band of her own, the Patti Smith Group. Television was one of the early bands to play at CBGB because their manager,

Terry Ork William Terry Ork (born William Terry Collins) was an American band manager and record producer for the new wave/ punk music scene in New York City in the mid 1970s. Ork is associated with the success of the club CBGB as manager for punk band Tele ...

, persuaded owner

Hilly Kristal Hillel Kristal (September 23, 1931August 28, 2007) was an American club owner, manager and musician who was the owner of the iconic New York City club CBGB, which opened in 1973 and closed in 2006 over a rent dispute. Early years Kristal was bo ...

to book them alongside the Ramones. They also built the club's first stage. Hell started playing his punk rock anthem "Blank Generation" during his time in Television. In early 1975, Hell parted ways with Television after a dispute over creative control. Hell claimed that he and Verlaine had originally divided the songwriting evenly, but that later Verlaine sometimes refused to play Hell's songs. Verlaine remained silent on the subject. Hell left Television the same week that

Jerry Nolan Gerard "Jerry" Nolan (May 7, 1946 – January 14, 1992) was an American rock drummer, best known for his work with the New York Dolls and The Heartbreakers. Career A native of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Nolan joined the New York Dolls in the aut ...

and Johnny Thunders quit the New York Dolls. In May 1975, the three of them formed

(not to be confused with

Tom Petty Thomas Earl Petty (October 20, 1950October 2, 2017) was an American musician who was the lead vocalist and guitarist of the rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, formed in 1976. He previously led the band Mudcrutch, was a member of the la ...

's band, which adopted the same name the following year). After one show,

Walter Lure Walter Lure (born Walter C. Luhr Jr., April 22, 1949 – August 21, 2020) was an American rock guitarist and singer. He was a member of the rock group The Heartbreakers. Biography Lure was born in Queens and raised in Floral Park, Long Island. H ...

joined the Heartbreakers as a second guitarist. Four Heartbreakers demo tracks, recorded while Hell was still in the band, were later released on that band's '' L.A.M.F. Definitive Edition'' reissue. A live album recorded with Hell in 1975 was released as ''What Goes Around...'' in 1991.

Richard Hell and the Voidoids

In early 1976, Hell quit the Heartbreakers and started Richard Hell and the Voidoids with Robert Quine,

Ivan Julian Ivan Julian (born June 26, 1955) is a guitarist, bassist and founding member of Richard Hell and the Voidoids and Lovelies. He has also performed with the Isley Brothers, The Clash, Matthew Sweet, The Bongos, Richard Barone, and Shriekback. ...

and Marc Bell. The band released two albums, though the second, '' Destiny Street'', retained only Quine from the original group, with Naux (Juan Maciel) on guitar and

Fred Maher Frederick J. Maher is an American drummer, music programmer and record producer. He was a member of the bands Massacre (1980–81), the Dance, Material, Scritti Politti, and has recorded and toured with Lou Reed. In 1984 he released ''Basic'', ...

on drums. Hell's best known songs with the Voidoids included "Blank Generation", "Love Comes in Spurts", "The Kid With the Replaceable Head" and "Time". In 2009, the guitar tracks on ''Destiny Street'' were re-recorded and released as ''Destiny Street Repaired'', with guitarists Julian,

Marc Ribot Marc Ribot (; born May 21, 1954) is an American guitarist and composer. His work has touched on many styles, including no wave, free jazz, rock, and Cuban music. Ribot is also known for collaborating with other musicians, most notably Tom Wai ...

and

Bill Frisell William Richard Frisell (born March 18, 1951) is an American jazz guitarist, composer and arranger. Frisell first came to prominence at ECM Records in the 1980s, as both a session player and a leader. He went on to work in a variety of contexts ...

playing to the original rhythm tracks. Also in 2009, Hell gave his blessing to the public access program

Pancake Mountain ''Pancake Mountain'' is a children's television show created by filmmaker Scott Stuckey (of the famous Stuckey's family). Described as an “alt-rock guerrilla kids' dance party, forged in the crucible of Washington, D.C. cable-access television ...

to create an animated music video for "The Kid with the Replaceable Head". It was the Voidoids' first and only official music video. The cut used for the animation appears on Hell's 2005 retrospective album, ''Spurts, The Richard Hell Story''.

Dim Stars and other collaborations

Hell's only other album release was as part of the band

Dim Stars Dim Stars was an alternative rock supergroup active briefly in the early 1990s. The group was composed of bassist Richard Hell of Richard Hell and the Voidoids, guitarist Thurston Moore and drummer Steve Shelley from Sonic Youth, guitarist Don ...

, for which he came out of retirement for a month in the early 1990s. Dim Stars featured guitarist

Thurston Moore Thurston Joseph Moore (born July 25, 1958) is an American musician best known as a member of Sonic Youth. He has also participated in many solo and group collaborations outside Sonic Youth, as well as running the Ecstatic Peace! record label. Mo ...

and drummer Steve Shelley from Sonic Youth, Gumball's guitarist Don Fleming, and Quine. They formed only to record a 1991 EP and a 1992 album, both titled ''Dim Stars'', and played one show in public, a

WFMU WFMU is a listener-supported, independent community radio station, licensed to East Orange, New Jersey. Since 1998 its studios and operating facilities have been headquartered in Jersey City, New Jersey. It broadcasts locally at 91.1 Mhz FM, i ...

benefit at The Ritz in Manhattan. Hell played bass, sang lead vocals and wrote the lyrics for the album. Hell also guested on the 1993 ''Roller Coaster'' album by Shotgun Rationale, and co-wrote and sang lead vocals on the song " Never Mind" by the Heads, a 1996 collaborative effort between three former members of

Talking Heads Talking Heads were an American rock band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991.Talki ...

Books

''The Voidoid'', a novella written in 1973, was finally published by CodeX in 1993. It was reissued in 2009 by 38th Street Publishers with illustrations by Kier Cooke Sandvik. His early poetry collections include ''I Was a Spiral on the Floor'' (1988) and ''Across the Years'' (1992), both published by Soyo Publications. ''Artifact: Notebooks from Hell 1974–1980'', a collection of his punk-era journals, was released in 1990 by Hanuman Books. In 1996, Scribner published Hell's first full-length novel, ''Go Now'', set in 1980 and drawn largely from his own experiences. Hell released a collection of short pieces (poems, essays and drawings) called ''Hot and Cold'' in 2001. His second novel, ''Godlike'', was published in 2005 by

Akashic Books Akashic Books is a Brooklyn-based independent publisher. Akashic Books' collection began with Arthur Nersesian's ''The Fuck Up'' in 1997, and has since expanded to include Dennis Cooper's "Little House on the Bowery" series, Chris Abani's Blac ...

as part of

Dennis Cooper Dennis Cooper (born January 10, 1953) is an American novelist, poet, critic, editor and performance artist. He is best known for the ''George Miles Cycle'', a series of five semi-autobiographical novels published between 1989 and 2000 and describe ...

's Little House on the Bowery Series. Also published in 2005 was ''Rabbit Duck'', a book of 13 poems written in collaboration with David Shapiro. More recent works include ''Psychopts'' (2008), a collaboration with artist Christopher Wool, as well as ''Disgusting'' (2010) and ''I Dreamed I Was a Very Clean Tramp'' (2013). Hell's nonfiction has been widely anthologized, including a number of appearances in "best music writing" collections. ''The Toilet Paper Columns'' (2007) compiled his columns for the Colorado alternative magazine ''Toilet Paper'', while ''Massive Pissed Love: Nonfiction 2001-2014'' was issued by

Soft Skull Press Counterpoint LLC was a publishing company distributed by Perseus Books Group launched in 2007. It was formed from the consolidation of three presses: Perseus' Counterpoint Press, Avalon Publishing Group's Shoemaker & Hoard and the independent S ...

in 2015. Hell's archive of his manuscripts, tapes, correspondence (written and email), journals and other documents of his life was purchased for $50,000 by

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...

Fales Library New York University's Fales Library and Special Collections is located on the third floor of the Elmer Holmes Bobst Library at 70 Washington Square South between LaGuardia Place and the Schwartz Plaza, in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhat ...

in 2003. A mural in Hell's hometown of Lexington, Kentucky, created by students from Lexington

Montessori The Montessori method of education involves children's natural interests and activities rather than formal teaching methods. A Montessori classroom places an emphasis on hands-on learning and developing real-world skills. It emphasizes indepen ...

High School, was completed in June 2019. The mural, located in the city's North Limestone neighborhood, has three parts: two profiles of Hell, and a quote from his autobiography, ''I Dreamed I Was a Very Clean Tramp''. "This was in Lexington, Ky. when everybody was a kid. I looked for caves and birds and ran away from home. My favorite thing to do was to run away. The words ‘let’s run away’ still sounds magical to me."

Films

Hell has appeared in several low-budget films, most notably Susan Seidelman's '' Smithereens''. Other acting appearances include

Ulli Lommel Ulli Lommel (21 December 1944 – 2 December 2017) was a German actor and director, noted for his many collaborations with Rainer Werner Fassbinder and his association with the New German Cinema movement. Lommel spent time at The Factory and ...

's '' Blank Generation'',

Nick Zedd Nick may refer to: * Nick (given name) * A cricket term for a slight deviation of the ball off the edge of the bat * British slang for being arrested * British slang for a police station * British slang for stealing * Short for nickname Place ...

's ''

Geek Maggot Bingo ''Geek Maggot Bingo'' (also known as ''Geek Maggot Bingo or The Freak from Suckweasel Mountain'') is a 1983 comedy horror film directed by Nick Zedd, who also scripted and shot the movie. The film was released in 1983 and a special screening wa ...

'', Rachel Amadeo's ''What About Me?'' and Rachid Kerdouche's ''Final Reward''. Hell had a non-speaking cameo role as Madonna's murdered boyfriend in Seidelman's 1985 ''

Desperately Seeking Susan ''Desperately Seeking Susan'' is a 1985 American comedy-drama film directed by Susan Seidelman and starring Rosanna Arquette, Aidan Quinn and Madonna. Set in New York City, the plot involves the interaction between two women – a bored housew ...

''.

Personal life

Hell was married to

Scandal A scandal can be broadly defined as the strong social reactions of outrage, anger, or surprise, when accusations or rumours circulate or appear for some reason, regarding a person or persons who are perceived to have transgressed in some way. Th ...

Patty Smyth Patricia Smyth (born June 26, 1957) is an American singer and songwriter. She first came into national attention with the rock band Scandal and went on to record and perform as a solo artist. Her distinctive voice and new wave image gained br ...

for two years during 1985–86, and they had a daughter, Ruby. Hell married Sheelagh Bevan in 2002; however the couple divorced in 2017. In January 2020, it was mentioned on Hell's website that he had begun a relationship with novelist Katherine Faw.

Discography

With The Heartbreakers

;Compilation albums *'' L.A.M.F. Definitive Edition'' (2012,

Jungle Records Jungle Records is a British independent record label formed in 1982, specialising in punk rock, post punk, gothic and alternative releases. From 1982 to 1986 they were also active as a record distributor and were associate members of the C ...

) ;Live albums *''What Goes Around...'' (1991, Bomp! Records) * ''Live at Mothers'' (1991) * ''Yonkers Demo 1976'' (2019)

With Richard Hell and the Voidoids

;Studio albums *'' Blank Generation'' (1977,

Sire Records Sire Records (formerly Sire Records Company) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group and distributed by Warner Records. History Beginnings The label was founded in 1966 as Sire Productions by Seymour Stein and Richard Gottehre ...

) *'' Destiny Street'' (1982, Red Star Records) ;Compilation albums *''Destiny Street Repaired'' (2009,

Insound Insound was a discounted, online music store. Insound carried CD, vinyl, hard to find items, music accessories and merchandise. The company was located in New York, New York. History Insound was founded in 1998 by Christian Anthony, Matt Wishn ...

) *''Destiny Street Remixed'' (2021,

Omnivore Records Omnivore Recordings is an independent record label founded in 2010. It specializes in historical releases, reissues and previously unissued vintage recordings, as well as select releases of new music, on CD, vinyl and digital formats. Omnivore Re ...

) ;Live albums *''Funhunt: Live at CBGB's and Max's 1978 and 1979'' (1990,

ROIR ROIR (pronounced "roar"), or Reachout International Records, is a New York City-based independent record label founded in 1979 by Neil Cooper. Background ROIR was founded the same year that the Sony Walkman launched, and initially, the label ex ...

) *''Gone to Hell'' (2008, Vinyl Japan)

As Richard Hell

;Compilation albums *'' R.I.P.'' (1984, ROIR) *''Across the Years'' box set (1991, Soyo Records) *''Time'' (2002,

Matador Records Matador Records is an independent record label, with a roster of mainly indie rock, but also punk rock, experimental rock, alternative rock, and electronic acts. History Matador was created in 1989 by Chris Lombardi in his New York City apar ...

) *''Spurts: The Richard Hell Story'' (2005, Sire Records/

Rhino Records A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species ...

) ;EPs *''Another World'' (1976,

Ork Ork or ORK may refer to: * Ork (folklore), a mountain demon of Tyrol folklore * ''Ork'' (video game), a 1991 game for the Amiga and Atari ST systems * Ork (''Warhammer 40,000''), a fictional species in the ''Warhammer 40,000'' universe * ''Ork!'' ...

/ Stiff Records) *''3 New Songs'' (1992, Overground Records) *''Go Now'' (1995, CodeX/Tim-Kerr Records)

With Dim Stars

;Studio albums *''Dim Stars'' (1992,

Caroline Records Caroline Records is a record label originally founded in 1973. Initially founded in the United Kingdom to showcase British progressive rock groups, the label ceased releasing titles in 1976, and then re-emerged in the United States in 1986. ...

) ;EPs *''Dim Stars'' (1991,

Ecstatic Peace! Ecstatic Peace! is a record label based in Easthampton, Massachusetts, founded in 1981 by American musician Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth. The label name is borrowed from a line in Tom Wolfe's 1968 nonfiction novel '' The Electric Kool-Aid Aci ...

)

Bibliography

*''Wanna Go Out?'' with

, as "Theresa Stern" (1973, Dot Books) *''I Was a Spiral on the Floor'' (1988, Soyo Publications) *''Artifact: Notebooks from Hell 1974–1980. No. 37'' (1990, Hanuman Books) *''Across the Years'' (1992, Soyo Publications) *''The Voidoid'' (1993, CodeX) *''Go Now'' (1996, Scribner) *''Weather'' (1998, CUZ Editions) *''Hot and Cold'' (2001,

powerHouse Books powerHouse Books is an independent publisher of art and photography books founded in 1995 by Daniel Power, based near the Brooklyn waterfront of DUMBO in The powerHouse Arena. The powerHouse Arena also serves as a gallery, bookstore, and event ...

) *''Rabbit Duck'' with David Shapiro (2005, Repair Books) *''Godlike'' (2005,

) *''The Toilet Paper Columns'' (2007, CUZ Editions) *''Psychopts'' with Christopher Wool (2008, JMc & GHB) *''Disgusting'' (2010, 38th Street Publishers) *''I Dreamed I Was a Very Clean Tramp'' (2013, Ecco) *''Massive Pissed Love: Nonfiction 2001-2014'' (2015,

)

Filmography

*''Final Reward'' (1978) *'' Blank Generation'' (1980) *'' Smithereens'' (1982) *''

'' (1983) *''

'' (1985) *'' No Picnic'' (1987) *'' What About Me (1993) *''Blind Light'' (1998)

References

External links

Richard Hell's official website

Richard Hell Papers
at Fales Library and Special Collections at New York University * Interview with Richard Hell about Wikipedia and "what is truth" (2008) {{DEFAULTSORT:Hell, Richard 1949 births American people of English descent American people of Jewish descent American people of Welsh descent American punk rock singers Male actors from Kentucky Musicians from Lexington, Kentucky Living people Protopunk musicians Punk poets Jewish singers Writers from Lexington, Kentucky Actors from Lexington, Kentucky 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists American male novelists 21st-century American poets American male poets 20th-century American male actors American male film actors Singers from Kentucky Songwriters from Kentucky Rock musicians from Kentucky Jews in punk rock The Heartbreakers (punk rock band) members Richard Hell and the Voidoids members Television (band) members Neon Boys members 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers Novelists from Kentucky 20th-century American bass guitarists Dim Stars members