Jack Grisham
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Jack Grisham (born July 22, 1961) is an American rock singer from
Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...
. He is the vocalist for the
punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...
band T.S.O.L. (True Sounds of Liberty), which emerged from the late 1970s Los Angeles hardcore punk rock scene, along with Black Flag,
Circle Jerks Circle Jerks (stylized as Ciʀcle JƎʀᴋs) are an American hardcore punk band, formed in 1979 in Los Angeles, California. The group was founded by former Black Flag (band), Black Flag vocalist Keith Morris and Redd Kross guitarist Greg Hetso ...
and
Bad Religion Bad Religion is an American punk rock band, 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 sensibilities and ...
. Grisham has also fronted the bands Vicious Circle, the Joykiller, Tender Fury and Cathedral of Tears. He records with T.S.O.L., the Joykiller and the Manic Low.


Biography


Early life

Jack Grisham was born in Long Beach, California. Grisham's father, a career military man with 30 years in the Navy and Coast Guard, died in 1984. Grisham's mother was a military housewife. Grisham was one of five children and has an older sister, two older brothers, and a younger sister. Grisham's older sister was part of the
hippie A hippie, also spelled hippy, especially in British English, is someone associated with the counterculture of the 1960s, counterculture of the mid-1960s to early 1970s, originally a youth movement that began in the United States and spread to dif ...
subculture (or as he calls it, "Late 60's protest crap"). As a result, by the time he was six years old, Grisham was reading publications like '' Fritz the Cat'' and ''
Zap Comix ''Zap Comix'' is an underground comix series which was originally part of the Counterculture of the 1960s, counterculture of the late 1960s. While a few small-circulation self-published satirical comic books had been printed prior to this, ''Zap' ...
'', and listening to albums by
Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American guitarist, composer, and bandleader. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa composed Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, jazz fusion, orchestra ...
and
the Mothers of Invention The Mothers of Invention (also known as the Mothers) were an American rock music, rock band from California. Formed in 1964, their work is marked by the use of sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Originally an ...
,
the Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and their f ...
,
the Ventures The Ventures are an American instrumental rock band formed in Tacoma, Washington, in 1958, by Don Wilson (musician), Don Wilson and Bob Bogle. The band, which was a quartet for most of its existence, helped to popularize the electric guitar acro ...
, etc. Grisham cites the albums '' We're Only in it for the Money'' and '' Let it Bleed'' as two of his musical influences. In his early life, Grisham's family moved back to
Long Beach, California Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...
. Growing up, he was a rebellious youth heavily into surfing, skateboarding, and in his words "causing trouble." While in high school, he met future T.S.O.L. drummer Todd Barnes through a girlfriend. Grisham and Barnes became friends, and took off with the girlfriend's guitar and amplifier and began playing around with sounds. In the beginning, Grisham claims, "All we did was make a bunch of noise and yell, ‘Fuck the neighbors’ all day."


Adult life

While in his teens, Grisham started experimenting with mood altering substances. Soon he became addicted to drugs and alcohol. He recalled, "I was a nut. I used to think I didn't have a problem because I didn't shoot up and I didn't take acid." After several minor tangles with the law stemming from his drug and alcohol abuse, Grisham married a 16-year-old girl in Mexico, which he claims got him on the road to sobriety. When asked how he got sober in a 2008 interview, Grisham said, "Actually, I married an underage girl. I wanted her to get clean. I said I would support her. I was like, "Hey, I'll support you so you can get help. I'll go to the meetings too. Then she ended up leaving and I ended up staying." Grisham has been sober since January 1989. He has two daughters, Anastasia and Georgia, and resides in
Huntington Beach, California Huntington Beach is a seaside city in Orange County, California, United States. The city was originally called Pacific City, but it was changed in 1903 to be named after American businessman Henry E. Huntington. The population was 198,711 as of ...
.


Vicious Circle

In 1978, Grisham began rehearsing as lead vocalist with future Joneses/The Klan/A.K.A. guitarist Steve Houston (a.k.a. Steve Dead) to form Vicious Circle with bassist Laddy Tirrell and future T.S.O.L. drummer Todd Barnes. Vicious Circle quickly got a following within the beach cities and
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
punk rock scene. Vicious Circle was notorious for Ultra-violence at shows in the early days of punk rock. Grisham is later quoted as saying "Whatever the logic, the Vicious Circle was a maniac attractor." *A recording of Vicious Circle was made in 1978 consisting of 2 separate practice tapes and ultimately released in 2013 by TKO Records as an E.P. record of (200) copies on white vinyl with blue spatter.


True Sounds of Liberty (T.S.O.L.)

Childhood friends Grisham and Barnes were joined by Ron Emory and Mike Roche to form T.S.O.L. The original line-up of the band was Grisham on vocals, Ron Emory on guitars, Mike Roche on bass, and Todd Barnes on drums. T.S.O.L.'s initial line-up gained fans from the
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 ...
, art punk, death punk, deathrock, horror punk, and goth genres. During his time with T.S.O.L., the band was notorious for their controversial, transgressive, and political lyrics. Jack Grisham brought a darker fashion and sound deathrock to the highly political
punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...
scene in Southern California, in particular,
Long Beach, California Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...
painting his face white, dressing in all-black goth clothes and doing photo-shoots in cemetery locations in the dead of night. The True Sounds Of Liberty were among the first waves of Southern California bands which embarked upon Nationwide tours performing "
punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...
" and " death rock" music in 1982 and also 1983 along with contemporaries such as Black Flag and the
Circle Jerks Circle Jerks (stylized as Ciʀcle JƎʀᴋs) are an American hardcore punk band, formed in 1979 in Los Angeles, California. The group was founded by former Black Flag (band), Black Flag vocalist Keith Morris and Redd Kross guitarist Greg Hetso ...
which embraced D.I.Y. ethos of the early punk rock scene self-financing their concert tours with little to no outside assistance from the record industry. The original T.S.O.L. broke up on January 9, 1983, following the infamous S.I.R. Studios "Sunset Strip" Riot at a headlining T.S.O.L. show featuring Redd Kross,
Social Distortion Social Distortion is an American punk rock band formed in 1978 in Fullerton, California. It consists of Mike Ness (vocals, guitar), Jonny Wickersham (guitar), Brent Harding (bass), David Hidalgo Jr. (drums), and David Kalish (keyboards). Emerg ...
, Los Olvidados. The space was filled to capacity with fans and punks alike outside the venue when violence ensued. Grisham walked away from the band and violence, which was reaching unprecedented levels . Ron Emory and Mike Roche enlisted vocalist Joe Wood, Grisham's brother-in-law at the time to fill the void left by his absence and drummer Mitch Dean for departing drummer Todd Barnes. They played music that started as punk rock, but, with each new album changed to blues-inspired ( hair metal). They spent several years touring and recording under the name T.S.O.L. After leaving TSOL, Grisham's interests included the use of synthesizers, declaring in a 1984 interview that synthesizers were "a meaningful addition to any group," but "They're just too new. Synthesizers are like punck rock. Everyone hated punck rock when it first came out. No one wants change." The original T.S.O.L. reformed in 1989, but Todd Barnes died of a brain aneurysm in 1999. T.S.O.L. has been touring and recording steadily since 1999.


The Joykiller

Grisham and Ron Emory formed The Joykiller in 1995 along with Billy Persons ( The Weirdos/ Gun Club) on bass, Ronnie King on keyboards, and Chris Lagerborg on drums. The Joykiller released three albums on Epitaph records prior to disbanding in 1998 and had a minor radio hit in the Netherlands with the song "Go-Bang." They later released their ''Greatest Non-Hits'' in 2003.


The Manic Low

In the fall of 2011, Grisham launched into another musical endeavor with his band "the Manic Low". Their debut album, ''Songs For An Up Day'', was released on Moonlight Graham Records in June 2012.


Film

Grisham appeared as himself in the movies '' American Hardcore'' and the
Geza X Geza Gedeon (born September 28, 1952), professionally known as Geza X, is an American producer. He was a personality in the Los Angeles punk scene in the late 1970s. He is now a producer. Early life and career Gedeon was born in Indiana and mov ...
film ''Rage: 20 Years of Punk Rock West Coast Style (2001)''(he also wrote the title track "Spit Up the Rage"). In the 1984 Penelope Spheeris film '' Suburbia'', he appeared with T.S.O.L. performing "Wash Away" and "Darker My Love." In (2020) Grisham wrote and directed the short film "288," and in (2021) directed the feature-length documentary "Ignore Heroes."


Politics

In the early years of T.S.O.L., Grisham was an outspoken
anarchist Anarchism is a political philosophy and Political movement, movement that seeks to abolish all institutions that perpetuate authority, coercion, or Social hierarchy, hierarchy, primarily targeting the state (polity), state and capitalism. A ...
, and his lyrics were often highly critical of the government. Songs such as "Abolish Government/Silent Majority," "Peace Thru Power," and "Property Is Theft" were standard in T.S.O.L.'s song sets. Grisham later changed his anti-government stance, stating, "What I realized about anarchy is that we are not responsible enough to be anarchist. There's no way possible. We're not responsible enough to be that. That's a heavy concept." Grisham was one of 135 candidates who ran for governor in the 2003 California gubernatorial recall election, receiving 2,200 votes. He ran on a
social democratic Social democracy is a Social philosophy, social, Economic ideology, economic, and political philosophy within socialism that supports Democracy, political and economic democracy and a gradualist, reformist, and democratic approach toward achi ...
platform as incumbent Democratic governor Gray Davis was recalled. During his campaign, he stressed health care and education, and supported the teaching in school of religious tolerance. A historic concert event featuring The Adolescents, T.S.O.L., Youth Brigade and more was cast in an effort to raise awareness to the campaign on Sunday, October 5, 2003 at the Henry Fonda theater in
Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...


Writing

In 2011, Grisham released his first novel '' An American Demon: A Memoir''. In August 2015 Grisham released ''A Principle of Recovery: An Unconventional Journey Through the Twelve Steps'', a book that walks you through the twelve steps of recovery from Grisham's perspective as a long time person in recovery. In late 2021, Grisham released a noir novel. It is about a character named Arthur which is based on Jack himself, including many characteristics of Jack when he was on his road to sobriety. The back cover blurb of the book states: “When the ghosts of dreams bleed into real life, hard charging Arthur Chance must leave behind his isolation and step into the world of murder, extortion, and double-crossing lovers. Violence and retribution stand heavy in the wings, but will Arthur become lion or lamb?”


Bibliography

;Novels * '' An American Demon: A Memoir'' (2011) * Code Blue: A Love Story (2014) * A Principle of Recovery: An Unconventional Journey Through the Twelve Steps (2015) * ''I Wish There Were Monsters'' (2015) * ''The Pulse Of The World'' (2022) * ''True Stories'' (2023) * ''The Coffee Maker'' (2024) * ''Transmission'' (2025)


Discography


Vicious Circle

*''Vicious Circle'' EP (TKO) #192. RELEASE: 2013, Originally recorded in 1978. ;Vinyl, 12", EP, White Vinyl With Blue Splatter


T.S.O.L.


LPs

* '' Dance with Me'' – (1981) * '' Beneath the Shadows'' – (1983) * '' Disappear'' – (2001) * '' Divided We Stand'' – (2003) * ''Who's Screwin' Who?'' – (2005) * '' Live from Long Beach'' – (2007) * '' Life, Liberty & the Pursuit of Free Downloads'' – (2009) * ''The Trigger Complex'' – (2017)


EPs

* '' T.S.O.L.'' EP – (1981) * '' Weathered Statues'' – (1982)


Singles

* "Anticop" – (2001)


Compilations

* '' Thoughts of Yesterday: 1981–1982'' – (1988) * '' Weathered Statues'' – (1997)


Bootlegs

* 1980 Demo – (1980)


Movie soundtracks

* ''Suburbia'' (1984) Soundtrack * ''American Hardcore: The History Of American Punk Rock 1980–1986'' * ''Rage: 20 Years of Punk Rock West Coast Style'' (2001)


Filmography

* ''Suburbia'' (1984) / a Penelope Spheeris film * ''American Hardcore: The History Of American Punk Rock 1980–1986'' * ''Rage: 20 Years of Punk Rock West Coast Style'' (2001) * ''Punks not Dead'' * ''Let it Rock'' * ''Live In Hawaii'' (DVD) – (2004) * ''Live In OC'' (DVD) – (2001) * ''The Early Years'' / ''T.S.O.L. Live'' MVD release


The Joykiller

* ''The Joykiller'' (1995) on Epitaph Records * ''Static'' (1996) on Epitaph Records * ''Three'' (1997) on Epitaph Records * ''Ready Sexed Go!'' (2003) on Epitaph Records * ''Music for Break-Ups'' (2015)


Tender Fury

* ''Tender Fury'' (Posh Boy) 1988 * ''Garden of Evil'' (Triple X) 1990 * ''If Anger Were Soul, I'd Be James Brown'' (Triple X) 1991


Cathedral of Tears

* ''Cathedral of Tears'' (Enigma) 1984


Jack Grisham/Mike Roche/Ron Emory/Todd Barnes

* ''Live 1991'' (Triple X) 1991


T.S.O.L./Slayer

* ''Abolish Government'' EP7 (Sub Pop) 1996 Rob Dukes, lead singer for the metal band Exodus, did background vocals on the Joykiller albums ''Static'' and ''Three''.


The Manic Low

Grisham released, with his group the Manic Low, a 17-song album entitled ''Songs for an Up Day''. The record was released on Moonlight Graham Records in June 2012. The album features Grisham's Joykiller partner, Sean Greaves, on guitar and bass, Rob MiLucky from the Devil's Brigade on guitar and Paul Roessler on keyboards.


References


External links


Grisham's personal siteComedian Neil Hamburger's extensive interview with Grisham on Tom Green's website
* The Orange County Register
article on Grisham's recall race Trouser Press synopsis of TSOL personnel transitions
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grisham, Jack Anarcho-punk musicians American male singers American punk rock singers American political music artists 1961 births Living people Death rock musicians Dark cabaret musicians American gothic rock musicians Horror punk musicians Musicians from Long Beach, California Songwriters from California T.S.O.L. members American social democrats Millikan High School alumni People from Hayward, California