Angry Samoans

Along with X, Black Flag, Fear and the Circle Jerks, the savagely satirical Angry Samoans rode the first wave of Los Angeles punk. Formed in Van Nuys, California in the summer of 1978, the band was founded by singers and guitarists "Metal" Mike Saunders and Gregg Turner, a pair of erstwhile rock critics who previously teamed with fellow writer Richard Meltzer in the group Vom. After considering names like the Egyptians and the Eigen Vectors (a mathematical term -- Turner later became a math professor), they settled on the Angry Samoans, enlisted Saunders' brother Kevin on guitar, bassist Todd Homer and drummer Bill Vockeroth, and initially set out as a Dictators cover band. Soon, Saunders and Turner began writing original material, drawing influence from the Velvet Underground, the Sonics, the 13th Floor Elevators and garage rock. After honing their primitive and increasingly thrashy sound at a series of surreal gigs (including sets at the Camarillo State Mental Hospital and a lunchtime show at Santa Monica High School, where emcee Meltzer asked if any "heroin addicts" were in the audience), the Samoans -- substituting guitarist P.J. Galligan for Kevin Saunders -- debuted in 1980 with the EP Inside My Brain, highlighted by "Get Off the Air," their pointed swipe at KROQ deejay Rodney Bingenheimer and the L.A. musical community. Two years later, they resurfaced with Back from Samoa, featuring titles like "They Saved Hitler's Cock," "Tuna Taco" and "My Old Man's a Fatso." Soon, the band grew disenchanted with the entire punk culture, and they spent the next several years largely in a dormant state: guitarist Steve Drojensky replaced Kevin Saunders in 1984, Vockeroth went on hiatus, and Jeff Dahl temporarily stepped in for "Metal" Mike in 1985, but by and large the group...