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The Bhopal Stiffs was an American
hardcore punk Hardcore punk (commonly abbreviated to hardcore or hXc) is a punk rock music genre#subtypes, subgenre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots ...
band formed in Chicago in 1985 by singers/guitarists Larry Damore and Vince Marine, bassist Steve Saylors, and drummer Dave Schleitwiler. The band name is a reference to an ecological disaster which took place in
Bhopal Bhopal (; ISO 15919, ISO: Bhōpāl, ) is the capital (political), capital city of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and the administrative headquarters of both Bhopal district and Bhopal division. It is known as the ''City of Lakes,'' due to ...
,
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
in 1984. Honing a melodic, mid-tempo approach very much in tune with the prevailing Windy City
punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...
sound of the period, the group gigged steadily, in time becoming the de facto house band at the
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
bar Exit. In 1987, the Bhopal Stiffs recorded a ten-song demo tape, with the single "Not Just My Head" following on the Dazit label later that year and played gigs in Indiana, Wisconsin, St Louis and many shows in Chicago. Marine exited the lineup in early 1988, with guitarist Ron Lowe stepping in and Larry Damore assuming sole vocal duties; the reconfigured group recorded the six-song ''E.P.A.'' record, issued on the Roadkill label. After contributing "Too Much Pain" to the There's a Fungus Among Us compilation, the Bhopal Stiffs disbanded in 1989; Larry Damore and Steve Saylors later formed
Pegboy Pegboy is an American punk band from Chicago, Illinois with a relatively large cult following. They were founded in 1990 by John Haggerty (ex-guitarist for Naked Raygun), along with his brother Joe Haggerty (drums, formerly of The Effigies), ...
with former
Naked Raygun Naked Raygun is an American punk rock band that formed in Chicago in 1980. The band was active from 1980 to 1992, along with reunion shows in 1997, and since 2006. Naked Raygun have cited various bands as influences, including Buzzcocks, Wire, ...
guitarist
John Haggerty John Haggerty (born October 17, 1960, Chicago) is an influential Chicago guitarist. Haggerty was a member of Naked Raygun from 1983 to 1989. Upon leaving Naked Raygun, He formed the band Pegboy with brother Joe Haggerty, Steve Saylors, and Larr ...
, while Dave Schleitwiler went on to play drums for local groups Buzzmuscle and The Indicators, amongst others, and Ron Lowe became a recording engineer at the Chicago Recording Company. Harmless Records later compiled the Stiffs' complete recorded output on the CD ''1985-1989''. The band played reunion shows in 2001 and 2010.


History & Breakup

All four original of the Bhopal Stiffs lived in the general Brookfield/Riverside/LaGrange area growing up. Vince and Larry, despite being on the wrestling team together in high school, weren't close friends until they both met by chance at Illinois State University. There Vince & Larry would jam and after Larry dropped out of ISU they met up with Dave (who went to grade school with Vince) to get a band started. In the process of trying to find a bassist, one of the women who tried out suggested Steve to the group. The four of them began as a cover band called Blue Youth - doing covers of bands like The Cure. After decided they wanted to play their own music they briefly entertained the name The Shuttle Stiffs before deciding to go with Bhopal. For a while the band was practicing 5 days a week yet never playing out. They finally played their first show was at Exit, where the band members were regulars and friends of the staff. After a while the Bhopal Stiff became an Exit house band, playing shows frequently and filling in time slots when needed. Joe Patelco (spelling), a manager at Exit, offered and eventually financed the making of the 7-inch. The band went into Chicago Recording Company with Iain Burgess in 1987 to record a ten-song demo, two songs of which ended up on their 7-inch. Tensions and bickering came to a head when guitarist and co-songwriter Vince Marine was kicked out of the band and replaced by Ron Lowe in 1988. They went back to CRC with Iain to record the EPA EP. After Vince left the spark and dedication for the band waned rapidly and the band was going through the motions, eventually breaking up in 1989. Larry, Steve and Dave started jamming with John Haggerty, who had just left Naked Raygun and joined a few of the Stiffs practice sessions. When things fizzled with the Stiffs the earliest incarnation of Pegboy was formed. It was not to be for Dave however, as John wanted to play with his brother Joe Haggerty, who became the drummer for the band.


Reunion Shows

In 2001, all the members of the Bhopal Stiffs (including Vince & Ron) did reunion show at the Fireside Bowl. In 2010 they played a show at Subterranean as part of Riot Fest.


Members

* Larry Damore - Vocals/Guitar (1985–1989) * Vince Marine - Vocals/Guitar (1985–1988) * Ron Lowe - Guitar (1988–1989) * Steve Saylors - Bass (1985–1989) * Dave Schleitwiler - Drums (1985–1989)


Discography


Studio releases

* "Not Just My Head" b/w "One Track Head" 7" single (Dazit) (1987) * ''E.P.A.'' 12" EP (Roadkill) (1988) * ''1985-1989'' CD (Harmless) (2001) - Complete recorded output plus live material


Compilation appearances

* ''Redline Distribution Volume 1'' CD (Redline) (2001) - "Too Many Things" * ''Consumer Blackmail 2'' cassette (Straight Time) (1988) - "I Want Off", "No Future" * ''Greenearth Vol. 3'' cassette (Greenearth) (1988) - "Born Again", "Fun At The Beach" * ''Just A Big Healthy Girl'' cassette (Flush) (1988) - "Born Again", "No Future" * ''There's A Fungus Amongus'' 7" EP (What The Fuck) (1989) - "Too Much Pain" * ''Cream Of The Crap'' cassette (Flush) (1989) - "No Future" * ''Don't Ask and You Won't Have to Be Told'' cassette (Bay of Piglets) (1990) - "Not Just My Head" * ''No Respect 'Til Vinyl'' cassette (Flush) (n/a) - "Drunken Stupor", "Fun At The Beach" * ''Destroy All Masters'' cassette (Fuckface Tapes) (n/a) - "I Came For You", "Drunken Stupor", "Fun At The Beach", "Capetown Youth", "Pay To Play"


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bhopal Stiffs Hardcore punk groups from Illinois