The Flesheaters

When we talk about LA punk scene, there are severl names that no one should forget. One of them is certainly Chris D, founder of Fleasheaters and Divine Horsemen, a poet with sharp mind and sharp tongue. As numeruos punk bands from Los Angeles, Flesheaters started in 1977, when Chris D. was working as an English teacher in Los Angeles. While playing in Flesheaters, Chris D. was a singer with demonic voice and strong and uncompromising messages packed in music that was as close to traditional rock as it was far away from it.

Chris D, always a respectable character in Los Angeles. Not only that many famous people played in Flesheaters, like John Doe, DJ Bonebreake and Dave Alvin, he also produced such important albums as Fire of Love (Gun Club), Days of Wine And Roses (Dream Syndicate) and Gravity Talks (Green On Red). On each project Chris D involved himself, he was leaving a strong and original trace.

Like many other early LA punk bands, Fleshearters had to wait for a long time until they published their first album. No Questions Asked came out in 1980 and still stands for the rawest of all Flesheaters albums. The next one, A Minute To Pray, A Sedond To Die included lenghtier songs of wich Doe's Cyrano de Berger's Back, and D's closing song Divine Horseman became classics. During this album, group was consisted of members of many important goups like X, The Blasters and Los Lobos.

After two more albums, Chris D started his friendship with wonderful singer Julie Christensen, and Flesheaters became Divine Horsemen. This was an awsome band. Chris and Julie mada a great duet, and the sound was much less wilder than the one of The Flesheaters.

At the same time, my generation became ready for Chris' music and one of the things that made it possible for a wider audience to hear what Chris D Had to say was ceirtainly the fact that the new albums were published by legendary SST label.

After Divine Horsemen were disbanded, Chris D continuted the life of Flesheaters and greatest hit album Destroyed by Fire (1986 SST) became an underground hit and a must have in any punk collection. Moreover, Flesheaters published three more albums on SST and one more compilation.

SST days are long gone, and I'm not quite sure if this able is activa at all, so Chris D returned to his own label Upsetter and recently published a new Flesheaters album Ashes of Time.

Chris D is also a film expert. He worked on encyclopedia of Japanese film, and also acted in legendary underground movie Border Radio.

flesheaters.com
Clips from Border Radio