R.I.P. Pete Shelley of the Buzzcocks
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Serious Bummer. The lead singers of my two favorite British first wave punk are gone. Poly Styrene of X-Ray-Spex left us in 2011.
Pete Shelley, lead singer of punk band Buzzcocks, dies at 63
“It’s with great sadness that we confirm the death of Pete Shelley, one of the UK’s most influential and prolific songwriters and co-founder of the seminal original punk band Buzzcocks,” the band said on Thursday evening.
The songwriter died of a suspected heart attack on Thursday in Estonia, where he was living, the BBC quoted the band’s management as saying.
Shelley was born in Leigh, near Wigan, in 1955 and began the process of forming Buzzcocks in Bolton in 1975 with Howard Devoto, later of Magazine.
The band became part of the UK’s punk scene and have been closely associated with it ever since.
Speaking in 2006 about his views on music, Shelley told the Guardian: “I’m not interested in being able to play. A musician is like another brand of entertainer.
“There are plenty of musicians that I enjoy watching that are entertainers. But I wouldn’t want to be that, because the thing with an entertainer is that there is always that dishonesty, which is what punk tried to get rid of.
“It was like, you’re not pretending to be something you are not. You are just what you are. Punk is an art of action. It’s about deciding to do something and then going out and doing it.”
Buzzcocks were there as the movement began to take off. Weeks after forming the band, Shelley and Devoto travelled nearly 200 miles in a borrowed car to see the Sex Pistols play and eventually convinced the latter band’s manager, Malcolm McLaren, to let them play on the same bill in return for organising a gig for the Sex Pistols in Manchester.
They were also there to help launch the career of another band that went on to great success. Joy Division opened for Buzzcocks for their first gig. Peter Hook, the bassist in the former band and, later, in New Order, said Shelley was a “true gent” after the news of his death broke on Thursday.
He tweeted: “He helped us so much at the start of our career out of a sheer love for all things punk. Without Pete and the Buzzcocks, I would probably still be working at the Docks.”
Other musicians also paid tribute to Shelley. Tim Burgess, the lead singer of the Charlatans, praised Shelley’s skill at crafting songs.
My favorite of theirs
Shelley went on have a bit of a solo career
This song was very out(pun intended) there for 1981
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DSM 5: Autism Spectrum Disorder, DSM IV: Aspergers Moderate Severity
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They are all great.
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Professionally Identified and joined WP August 26, 2013
DSM 5: Autism Spectrum Disorder, DSM IV: Aspergers Moderate Severity
“My autism is not a superpower. It also isn’t some kind of god-forsaken, endless fountain of suffering inflicted on my family. It’s just part of who I am as a person”. - Sara Luterman
Speaking of "British first wave punk," have you ever read either of John Lydon's autobiographies? I find him to be a very interesting, intelligent, and compassionate chap. Not what you would expect if you look at the music of the Sex Pistols, and all the media hype and disinformation surrounding it.
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Oscar Meyer Lansky
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I read the first one and agree with your assesment of Lydon.
Back to Shelley. Any Shelley thread is incomplete without this song.
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Professionally Identified and joined WP August 26, 2013
DSM 5: Autism Spectrum Disorder, DSM IV: Aspergers Moderate Severity
“My autism is not a superpower. It also isn’t some kind of god-forsaken, endless fountain of suffering inflicted on my family. It’s just part of who I am as a person”. - Sara Luterman