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 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 ...

bands, including Neon Boys,

Television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

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 Jer ...

, 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 An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-t ...

was named "One of the 500 Songs That Shaped Rock" by music writers in the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the ...

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 published bi-annually to print and online. Founded by Evanly Schindler in 1996 as a quarterly print publication, covering topics ranging from art, music, and literature to politics, popular culture ...

'' magazine from 2004 to 2006.

Biography

Richard Hell and the Voidoids 1977 press photo

Early life and career

Richard Lester Meyers was born in

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city coterminous with and the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census the city's population was 322,570, making it the List of ...

, in 1949. His father, a secular Jew, was an

experimental psychologist Experimental psychology is the work done by those who apply Experiment, experimental methods to psychological study and the underlying processes. Experimental psychologists employ Research participant, human participants and Animal testing, anim ...

, researching

animal behavior Ethology is a branch of zoology that studies the behaviour of non-human animals. It has its scientific roots in the work of Charles Darwin and of American and German ornithologists of the late 19th and early 20th century, including Charle ...

. He died when Hell was seven years old. Hell was then raised by his mother, Carolyn H. Rhodes, 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 Sanford School is a co-educational private school in Hockessin, Delaware for students from preschool to high school. The school was founded by Sanford and Ellen Sawin as the Sunny Hills School on September 23, 1930. The school's name w ...

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...

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

Tom Verlaine Thomas Joseph Miller (December 13, 1949 – January 28, 2023), known professionally as Tom Verlaine, was an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter, best known as the frontman of the New York City rock band Television. Biography Verlaine was ...

. 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 Santa Fe ( ; , literal translation, lit. "Holy Faith") is the capital city, capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Santa Fe County. With over 89,000 residents, Santa Fe is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, fourt ...

, 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 the East Village, Manhattan, East Village in Manhattan, New York City. The club was previously a biker bar and before that was a dive bar. The letters ''CBGB'' were for ''Cou ...

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, author, and photographer. Her 1975 debut album '' Horses'' made her an influential member of the New York City-based punk rock movement. Smith has fu ...

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

SoHo Weekly News The ''SoHo Weekly News'' (SWN) was a weekly alternative newspaper founded by music publicist Michael Goldstein and published in New York City from 1973 to 1982. Positioned as a competitor to ''The Village Voice'', it struggled financially. T ...

'' 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 Telev ...

, 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 New York City club CBGB, which opened in 1973 and closed in 2006 over a rent dispute. Early years Kristal was born in ...

to book them alongside the

Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band formed in the New York City neighborhood Forest Hills, Queens in 1974. Known for helping establish the punk movement in the United States and elsewhere, the Ramones are often recognized as one of th ...

. 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 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 autumn of ...

and

Johnny Thunders John Anthony Genzale (July 15, 1952 – April 23, 1991), known professionally as Johnny Thunders, was an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He came to prominence in the early 1970s as a member of New York Dolls. He later formed the He ...

quit the

New York Dolls New York Dolls were an American rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 1971. Along with the Velvet Underground, the MC5, and the Stooges, they were one of the first bands of the early punk rock scenes. Although the band never achieved ...

. 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 singer, songwriter, and musician. He was the leader and frontman of the Rock music, rock bands Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Mudcrutch and a member of the late 1980s sup ...

's band, which adopted the same name the following year). After one show, Walter Lure 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 Robert Wolfe Quine (December 30, 1942 – May 31, 2004) was an American guitarist. A native of Akron, Ohio, Quine worked with a wide range of musicians, though he himself remained relatively unknown. Critic Mark Deming wrote that "Quine's eclect ...

Ivan Julian Ivan Julian (born June 26, 1955) is a guitarist, singer-songwriter, 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 Shr ...

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 music, rock, and Cuban music. Ribot is also known for collaborating with other musicians, most notab ...

and

Bill Frisell William Richard Frisell (born March 18, 1951) is an American jazz guitarist. He 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, notably as a participant ...

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

, 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 guitarist, singer and songwriter best known as a member of the rock band Sonic Youth. He has also participated in many solo and group collaborations outside Sonic Youth, as well as running ...

and drummer

Steve Shelley Steven Jay Shelley (born June 23, 1962) is an American drummer. He is best known as the longtime drummer of the alternative rock band Sonic Youth, for whom he played from 1985 until their 2011 disbandment. Biography Shelley was born in Midland, ...

from

Sonic Youth Sonic Youth were an American rock band formed in New York City in 1981. Founding members Kim Gordon (bass, vocals, guitar), Thurston Moore (lead guitar, vocals) and Lee Ranaldo (rhythm guitar, vocals) remained together for the entire history of ...

, 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 (91.1 MHz) is a non-commercial educational station, non-commercial, listener-supported, independent radio, independent community radio station city of license, licensed to East Orange, New Jersey, with studios in Jersey City. It is owned by ...

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 music, rock band formed in New York City in 1975.Talking Heads

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, formed in 1997. It was started by Johnny Temple (bassist), Johnny Temple, bassist of Girls Against Boys and mid-'80s Dischord band Soulside, with the mission "to make literature more part ...

as part of Dennis Cooper'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 Christopher Wool (born 1955) is an American artist. Since the 1980s, Wool's art has incorporated issues surrounding post-conceptual ideas. Early life and career Wool was born in Chicago, Illinois to Glorye and Ira Wool, a molecular biologist and ...

, 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 that Perseus Books Group launched in 2007. It was formed from the consolidation of three presses: Perseus' Counterpoint Press, Shoemaker & Hoard, and Soft Skull Press. The company published books under b ...

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 university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

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 (off of Washington Square Park) between LaGuardia Place and the Schwartz Plaza, in the Greenwi ...

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

Montessori The Montessori method of education is a type of educational method that involves children's natural interests and activities rather than formal teaching methods. A Montessori classroom places an emphasis on hands-on learning and developing ...

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 Susan Seidelman (; born December 11, 1952) is an American film director, producer, and writer. She is known for mixing comedy with drama and blending genres in her feature-film work. She is also notable for her art direction and pop-cultural refe ...

's '' Smithereens''. Other acting appearances include

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

's '' Blank Generation'',

Nick Zedd Nick Zedd ( James Franklyn Harding III; January 25, 1956 – February 27, 2022) was an American filmmaker, author, and painter based in Mexico City. He coined the term Cinema of Transgression in 1985 to describe a loose-knit group of like-minde ...

's '' Geek Maggot Bingo'', Rachel Amadeo's ''What About Me?'' and Rachid Kerdouche's ''Final Reward''. Hell had a non-speaking cameo role as

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

'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

In 1976, Hell dated Nancy Spungen for a few months before she moved to England. 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 a ...

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 broa ...

for two years during 1985–86, and they had a daughter, Ruby. 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 established in 1982, specializing in punk rock, post punk, gothic, and alternative releases. From 1982 to 1986, they also operated as a record distributor and were associate members of t ...

)

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 Gotteh ...

) *'' Destiny Street'' (1982, Red Star Records)

Compilation albums

*''Destiny Street Repaired'' (2009,

Insound Insound was an 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 Wishnow and Ari ...

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

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 ap ...

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

Rhino Records A rhinoceros ( ; ; ; : rhinoceros or rhinoceroses), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant taxon, extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates (perissodactyls) in the family (biology), famil ...

)

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 Stiff Records is a British independent record label formed in London by Dave Robinson (music executive), Dave Robinson and Jake Riviera. Originally active from 1976 to 1986, the label was reactivated in 2007. Established at the outset of the p ...

) *''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 that was founded in 1973. 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. The label rel ...

)

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 Acid ...

)

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 (stylized as powerHouse Books) is an independent publisher of art and photography books founded in 1995 by Daniel Power, in Brooklyn, New York, Brooklyn, with its headquarters in Industry City, Brooklyn, Industry City. PowerHous ...

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

) *''The Toilet Paper Columns'' (2007, CUZ Editions) *''Psychopts'' with

(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) *'' Geek Maggot Bingo'' (1983) *''

'' (1985) *'' No Picnic'' (1987) *''

What About Me What About Me may refer to: * ''What About Me'' (film), a 1993 film featuring Richard Hell Albums * ''What About Me?'' (1 Giant Leap album), 2009 * ''What About Me'' (Anne Murray album), 1968 * ''What About Me?'' (Kenny Rogers album), 1984 * ''What ...

'' (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 Lexington, Kentucky Musicians from Lexington, Kentucky Living people American protopunk musicians Punk poets Jewish American singers Writers 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 21st-century American Jews

Biography

Early life and career

The Neon Boys, Television, and the Heartbreakers

Richard Hell and the Voidoids

Dim Stars and other collaborations

Books

Films

Personal life

Discography

With the Heartbreakers

Compilation albums

Live albums

With Richard Hell and the Voidoids

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Live albums

As Richard Hell

Compilation albums

EPs

With Dim Stars

Studio albums

EPs

Bibliography

Filmography

References

Further reading

External links