Chris D. (born Chris Desjardins; January 15, 1953) is a

punk poet Punk literature (also called punk lit and, rarely, punklit) is literature related to the punk subculture. The attitude and ideologies of punk rock gave rise to distinctive characteristics in the writing it manifested. It has influenced the trans ...

, singer, writer,

rock critic Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...

, producer, actor, and filmmaker. He is best known as the lead singer and founder of the early and long-running

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 wor ...

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 ...

death rock Death rock (or deathrock) is a rock music subgenre incorporating horror elements and gothic theatrics. It emerged from punk rock on the West Coast of the United States in the early 1980s and overlaps with the gothic rock and horror punk genr ...

band

the Flesh Eaters The Flesh Eaters are an American punk rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California, United States, in 1977. They are the most prominent of the bands which have showcased the compositions and singing of their founder, punk poet Chris Desjardin ...

Music (as performer)

Flesh Eaters

Desjardins was a feature writer at ''

Slash Slash may refer to: * Slash (punctuation), the "/" character Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Slash (Marvel Comics) * Slash (''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'') Music * Harry Slash & The Slashtones, an American rock band * Nash th ...

'' magazine in 1977, when he formed the Flesh Eaters with several friends from the Los Angeles punk scene, including

Tito Larriva Humberto "Tito" Larriva (born 1953) is a Mexican/American songwriter, singer, musician, and actor. He came to prominence leading The Plugz, one of the earliest Los Angeles punk rock groups. Since the 1990s, his main musical outlet has been the ...

. Their second album, '' A Minute to Pray, a Second to Die'', recorded and released in 1981, featured

John Doe John Doe (male) and Jane Doe (female) are multiple-use placeholder names that are used when the true name of a person is unknown or is being intentionally concealed. In the context of law enforcement in the United States, such names are ofte ...

and DJ Bonebrake from X, as well as

Dave Alvin David Albert Alvin (born November 11, 1955) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer. He is a former and founding member of the roots rock band the Blasters. Alvin has recorded and performed as a solo artist since the late 1980s ...

, Bill Bateman, and

Steve Berlin Steven M. Berlin (born September 14, 1955, Philadelphia) is an American saxophonist, keyboardist and record producer, best known as a member of the rock group Los Lobos and, before that, Top Jimmy & the Rhythm Pigs, the Blasters, and the Fle ...

from

The Blasters The Blasters are an American rock band formed in 1979 in Downey, California, by brothers Phil Alvin (vocals and guitar) and Dave Alvin (guitar), with bass guitarist John Bazz and drummer Bill Bateman. Their self-described " American Music" ...

. The band recorded two further albums; ''Forever Came Today'' (1982) and ''A Hard Road to Follow'' (1983) with Don Kirk on guitar, Robyn Jameson on bass and Chris Wahl on drums, Chris D. on vocals and occasionally Jill Jordan on backing vocals. The Flesh Eaters were a staple of the L.A. punk scene in the 1980s. The band played alongside seminal bands like The Misfits and

The Meat Puppets ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...

. A number of original Flesh Eaters releases, like ''River of Fever'', were recorded through Shakeytown Music/BMI. Others were produced by Upsetter, Invasion/Bomp, Zippo/Demon or SST. From 1989 to 1993 and from 1997 to 2000, Desjardins performed live with varying line-ups of The Flesh Eaters. During the first of these periods, three more albums came out on SST Records: ''

Dragstrip Riot A dragstrip is a facility for conducting automobile and motorcycle acceleration events such as drag racing. Although a quarter mile (1320 feet, 402 m) is the best known measure for a drag track, many tracks are eighth mile (201& ...

'' (1991), ''Sex Diary of Mr. Vampire'' (1992), and ''Crucified Lovers in Woman Hell'' (EP - 1993).Two additional albums, ''Ashes of Time'' (1999) and ''Miss Muerte'' (2004), were released. In early 2006, to mark the 25th anniversary of ''A Minute to Pray, a Second to Die'', Desjardins performed three shows in California and one in London, with Doe, Bonebrake, Alvin, Bateman, and Berlin. This Flesh Eaters lineup had not performed together since 1981.They reunited briefly in 2015 for a five-show tour and again for an eight-show run in 2018. They issued a new album, ''

I Used to Be Pretty ''I Used to Be Pretty'' is a studio album by American band the Flesh Eaters. It was released on January 18, 2019, through Yep Roc Records. Track listing Personnel * Chris D. - lead vocals *Dave Alvin - guitar *John Doe - bass * Bill Bateman - ...

'', in 2019.

Divine Horsemen

Desjardins was the co-leader, with then-spouse

Julie Christensen Julie Christensen (born January 21, 1956) is an American singer and songwriter. Noted for its versatility, Christensen's music has been praised by critics. As a solo artist, Christensen has released five albums, and in January 2016 released the ...

, of the

Divine Horsemen The Divine Horsemen were an American punk/roots band founded in 1983 by Chris D. (Desjardins), formerly of L.A. punk rock band the Flesh Eaters. More than three decades later, Divine Horsemen reformed. A new album called ''Hot Rise of an Ice Cream Phoenix'' was released in 2021.

Solo and other works

Desjardins issued a solo semi-acoustic LP on America's

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/d ...

and the French

New Rose "New Rose" by The Damned was the first single by a British punk rock group, released on 22 October 1976 on Stiff Records, and in 1977 in the Netherlands, Germany and France. Written by guitarist Brian James, "New Rose" was also included on t ...

label, titled ''Time Stands Still'' by Chris D./Divine Horseman in 1984. The album was later released in Australia by

Dog Meat Records Dog Meat Records was a record label releasing music from bands in the Australian independent rock music scene in the 1990s. It released music from such artists as Hoss, The Philisteins, Powder Monkeys, Splatterheads and Blues Hangover, includin ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a me ...

. It features guest musicians John Doe,

Jeffrey Lee Pierce Jeffrey Lee Pierce (June 27, 1958 – March 31, 1996) was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and author. He was one of the founding members of the band The Gun Club, and released material as a solo artist. Biography Early life Pierce ...

, Linda "Texacala" Jones, and

. Desjardins issued a second solo album titled ''I Pass for Human'' as "Stone By Stone" following the end of his marriage to Julie Christensen. He released a further solo album ''Love Cannot Die'' through the Sympathy for the Record Industry label in 1995.

Music (as producer and in other roles)

Chris D. worked as an A&R and in-house producer for

and

Ruby Records Ruby Records is an American record label, founded predominantly as a rock music label subsidiary of Slash Records. The original version of the label released seven albums in 1981 and 1982. Ruby was distributed through the same independent distrib ...

from 1980 until early 1984. He produced all the Flesh Eaters' albums and co-produced

The Gun Club The Gun Club were an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, United States, which existed from 1979 to 1996. It was formed and led by singer-songwriter and guitarist Jeffrey Lee Pierce. History Early days (1979–1980) The Gun Club ...

's debut album, ''

Fire of Love ''Fire of Love'' is the debut album of the American rock band the Gun Club, released in 1981 on Ruby Records. Production The Flesh Eaters' singer Chris D. produced five tracks on the album ("Sex Beat", "Preaching the Blues", "Fire Spirit", "G ...

'', with

in 1982. Desjardins produced the debut albums of

The Dream Syndicate The Dream Syndicate is an American alternative rock band from Los Angeles, California, originally active from 1981 to 1989, and reunited since 2012. The band is associated with neo-psychedelia and the Paisley Underground music movement; of the ba ...

(''

The Days of Wine and Roses ''The Days of Wine and Roses'' is the second record and the debut full-length album by American alternative rock band the Dream Syndicate. Produced by Chris D. (of the Flesh Eaters/ Divine Horsemen), it was recorded in Los Angeles in September ...

''),

Green On Red Green on Red was an American rock band, formed in the Tucson, Arizona punk scene, but based for most of its career in Los Angeles, California, where it was loosely associated with the Paisley Underground. Earlier records have the wide-screen ps ...

('' Gravity Talks'') and The Lazy Cowgirls. He remixed The Misfits' LP ''

Walk Among Us ''Walk Among Us'' is the debut album by the American punk rock band Misfits, released in March 1982 by Ruby Records and its parent label Slash Records. It was the first full-length album to be released by the band, although it was the third t ...

'' with

Glenn Danzig Glenn Allen Anzalone (born June 23, 1955), better known by his stage name Glenn Danzig, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, film director, and record producer. He is the founder of the rock bands Misfits, Samhain, and Danzig. He owns ...

and the Germs' '' What We Do Is Secret (EP)'' with

Pat Smear Georg Albert Ruthenberg (born August 5, 1959), better known by his stage name Pat Smear, is an American musician. He is best known for being the lead guitarist and co-founder of Los Angeles-based punk band The Germs and for being a rhythm guit ...

Upsetter Records

Upsetter Records was a

, California-based

record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the prod ...

founded in 1978 by Chris D. and his then-girlfriend, the animation and graphic artist Judith Bell.Morris, Chris (October 16, 1999)
"Declarations of Independents: Flag waving"
''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' 111 (42): 73.Neff, Joseph (July 24, 2014)
"Graded on a Curve: The Flesh Eaters, ''A Minute to Pray, A Second to Die''"
''The Vinyl District''. Retrieved October 23, 2015. Mullen, Brendan. (2002). ''Lexicon Devil: The Fast Times and Short Life of Darby Crash and the Germs''.

Feral House Feral House is an American book publisher founded in 1989 by Adam Parfrey and based in Port Townsend, Washington. Early history The company's first book was ''The Satanic Witch'' (1989; originally published in 1971 by Dodd, Mead & Company) by ...

. . p. 269. Named in tribute to

Lee "Scratch" Perry Lee "Scratch" Perry (born Rainford Hugh Perry; 20 March 1936 – 29 August 2021) was a Jamaican record producer, composer and singer noted for his innovative studio techniques and production style. Perry was a pioneer in the 1970s development o ...

and the

dub reggae Dub is an electronic musical style that grew out of reggae in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It is commonly considered a subgenre of reggae, though it has developed to extend beyond that style.Dub: soundscapes and shattered songs in Jamaican re ...

, popular with the early punks,Hinman, Jay (January, 2001)
"The Flesh Eaters: Heavy Punk Thunder from the Lake of Burning Fire"
. '' Perfect Sound Forever''. Retrieved July 6, 2015. Upsetter was specifically created to release the early discography of the Flesh Eaters, The only exception in the label's catalog is the seminal '' Tooth and Nail'' compilation released in 1979, an album full of outstanding early Californian punk rock from

the Controllers The Controllers are a fictional extraterrestrial race existing in the DC Universe. They first appear in ''Adventure Comics'' #357 (June 1967), and were created by Jim Shooter, Mort Weisinger, and Curt Swan. Fictional character biography Pre-Cri ...

Middle Class The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. Co ...

, the Germs, U.X.A.,

Negative Trend Negative Trend was an American punk rock band, active between 1977 and 1979. Before they disbanded, the band released one self-titled EP in September 1978.Charles Strong, Martin''The Great Indie Discography'': Negative Trend Canongate Books Ltd. ...

, and the Flesh Eaters themselves. In parallel with their record label, Desjardins and Bell, in collaboration with

Exene Cervenka Exene Cervenka (born Christene Lee Cervenka; February 1, 1956) is an American singer, artist, and poet. She is best known for her work as a singer in the California punk rock band X. Music career The 21-year-old Cervenka met 23-year-old ...

, published the short-lived

punk zine A punk zine (or punkzine) is a zine related to the punk subculture and hardcore punk music genre. Often primitively or casually produced, they feature punk literature, such as social commentary, punk poetry, news, gossip, music reviews and arti ...

''The Upsetter''.''The Upsetter'', front covers
. ''Fanzine Faves''. Retrieved May 20, 2018.

Writer

Magazines, etc.

Desjardins wrote for ''

'', ''

Forced Exposure ''Forced Exposure'' was an independent music magazine founded by Jimmy Johnson and Katie The Kleening Lady (Goldman) (zine). It was published sporadically out of Boston from 1982 to 1993, edited by Jimmy Johnson and Byron Coley. It was printed on ...

'', ''Asian Trash Cinema'' and ''Cult Movies''. He also wrote

liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the record sleeve, sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes. Origin Liner n ...

and audio commentary tracks for

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...

s of a variety of classic Japanese genre films, Italian cult and arthouse films.

Non-fiction

In 2005, Desjardins' tribute to fringe directors of Japanese cult, action and exploitation cinema of the period 1950 to 1980, was published by I.B. Tauris, entitled ''Outlaw Masters of Japanese Film''. Desjardins spent almost 20 years researching and compiling an encyclopedia of Japanese

yakuza films is a popular film genre in Japanese cinema which focuses on the lives and dealings of ''yakuza'', Japanese organized crime syndicates. In the silent film era, depictions of ''bakuto'' (precursors to modern yakuza) as sympathetic Robin Hood-l ...

. Titled ''Gun and Sword: An Encyclopedia of Japanese Gangster Films 1955-1980'', research for the book was partly funded by the Japan Foundation Artist Fellowship. This work was published by Poison Fang Press in April 2013.

Fiction

* ''No Evil Star'' * ''Dragon Wheel Splendor & Other Love Stories of Violence and Dread'' * ''Shallow Water'' * ''Mother's Worry'' All were published in 2012.

Anthologies

Illiterati Press published ''Double Snake Bourbon'', a 139-page collection of Desjardins' poetry, lyrics, and prose. ''A Minute to Pray, A Second to Die'', a 500-page anthology of Chris D.'s written work, was published at the end of 2009. ''Writing for Slash: 1977-1981 - The Know-It-All Years'', a collection of reviews, was issued in 2022.

Film

Desjardins has acted in a number of films, both independent and big budget. In 1987, he had a small role in the Orion film '' No Way Out'' alongside

Kevin Costner Kevin Michael Costner (born January 18, 1955) is an American actor, producer, film director and musician. He has received various accolades, including two Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and two Screen Actors ...

and

Gene Hackman Eugene Allen Hackman (born January 30, 1930) is an American retired actor and former novelist. In a career that has spanned more than six decades, Hackman has won two Academy Awards, four Golden Globes, one Screen Actors Guild Award, two BAFTAs ...

as an assassin. The same year, Desjardins played a role in ''

Border Radio ''Border Radio'' is a 1987 independent film directed by Allison Anders, Dean Lent and Kurt Voss. Summary A document of the last days West Coast punk rock, the story follows two musicians and a roadie who haven't been paid rob money from a club ...

'', an independent film that was later released as part of the

Criterion Collection The Criterion Collection, Inc. (or simply Criterion) is an American home video, home-video distribution company that focuses on licensing, restoring and distributing "important classic and contemporary films." Criterion serves film and media scho ...

. In Border Radio, Desjardins plays a musician who struggles with the consequences of a robbery. In 2002, Desjardins wrote and directed his first feature film, '' I Pass For Human'', which was produced and edited by Lynne Margulies. It was released in theaters in March 2004 and on DVD in October 2006. Desjardins had been attempting to produce the film since the 1980s under the original title "Hell's Belle". He worked in the programming department of the American Cinematheque in Los Angeles from 1999, and was a programmer there from January 2006 until August 1, 2009. He teaches film studies in California and also provided DVD commentary for several films.

Personal life

Desjardins was married to Julie Christensen. The pair divorced in 1988. Following the divorce, Desjardins sought help for drug and alcohol problems in a 12-step program.

References

External links

* * *Galli, Stefano (January 9, 2015)
"The Flesh Eaters: Spit in the Face of Evil"
(interview with Chris D.). '' larecord.com''. {{DEFAULTSORT:Chris D. 1952 births Living people Singers from California American male singers Punk blues musicians American punk rock singers Film directors from California Writers from Riverside, California American music historians American male screenwriters 21st-century American poets 21st-century American novelists Record producers from California American male novelists American male poets 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers American male non-fiction writers Screenwriters from California 21st-century American screenwriters Historians from California