Fronting

This is a list I made, in response to a survey question back in 2002. The question: All time favorite Front man/woman of a rock band? My replies.

Joey Ramone (Ramones), Johnny Rotten/Lydon (Sex Pistols/PIL), Patti Smith (Patti Smith Group), Mark Smith (The Fall), Michael Stipe (REM), Ian Curtis (Joy Division), Ray Davies (Kinks), Gibby Haynes (the Butthole Surfers), Howard Devoto(Buzzcocks/Magazine), Joe Strummer (Clash), David Thomas (Pere Ubu), Iggy Pop (Stooges), Jad Fair (Half Japanese), Katrina Mitchell (The Pastels), Stiv Bators (Dead Boys), Jim Morrison (Doors), Paul Westerberg (Replacements), Ian McKaye (Minor
Threat/Fugazi), Jeffrey Lee Pierce (The Gun Club), Robert Pollard (Guided By Voices, Henry Rollins (Black Flag/Rollins Band), Alison Stratton (Young Marble Giants), Exene Cervenka & John Doe (X) Ian Hunter (Mott the Hoople), David Johansen (NY Dolls), Marc Bolan (T Rex), George Clinton (Parliament), Kurt Cobain (Nirvana), Thom Yorke (Radiohead), Chris Bailey (The Saints), Chris Cornell (Soundgarden), David Byrne (Talking Heads), Elizabeth Fraser (Cocteau Twins), Michael Rose (Black Uhuru), Lydia Lunch (Teenage Jesus and the Jerks/8 Eyed Spy), Vic Godard (The Subway Sect) Feargal Sharkey (The Undertones), Colin Newman (Wire)

And speaking of Joey Ramone, here he is with the band, shaping the future of Britpunk in 1977. What a great clip this is.



And, as an example of something that perhaps only Mark E. Smith could ever hope to pull off, here is the audio track of the song Birtwistle's) Girl In Shop. Like a lot of Fall songs, it is not altogether clear what he is singing/ranting about. He also sounds very intoxicated on this. Nonetheless, it's a great recording, and I've been listening to it a lot in the past month or so.