ROZZ WILLIAMS BIOGRAPHY

‍ ‍was born to Bob and Gladys Painter on November 6, 1963 in Glendora, which rests in the San Gabriel Valley of Southern California. His parents chose his middle name after American actor, Alan Ladd, as the Painters admired him for his acting ability. Ladd had a fairly successful career in Westerns and in film noirs but is probably best known for his starring role in The Great Gatsby in 1949.

Bob and Gladys were devout Southern Baptists, so Roger together with his two older brothers, Bobby and Larry, and elder sister, Janet, were raised within a strict religious household. His parents were both talented artists, though Bob spent most of his time trapping animals so he could sell the meat or pelts. During Roger’s early childhood in Glendora he became friends with Sindie Ardia. She was a couple of years his junior, but they lost contact when the Painter Family relocated to north Pomona. Though not far away in reality, the distance was too far for them to stay in touch with each other. The city is situated in Pomona Valley, between Inland Empire and the San Gabriel Valley. 

Roger first began to take a keen interest in music at around the age of nine, listening to the recordings of David Bowie, Roxy Music, T-Rex, Alice Cooper, Iggy Pop, New York Dolls and many others. He knew even then that he wanted to be a musician. Those 70's glam rock icons would remain a strong influence to him throughout his life. Always a keen reader and writer, Roger, at age twelve, made his first real attempts at poetry. In 1976, Roger was always found carrying a notebook he filled with ideas and drawings. The lyrics to "Desperate Hell" were started in 1976 and those for "Romeo's Distress" were first put to paper in 1977, though both would be revised and improved upon numerous times over next few years. Roger attended Pomona High School, whose students were predominantly African-American and Hispanic. It was there, at around the age of thirteen or fourteen, that Roger and Jill Emery became friends, discovering in each other, a similar interest in music and an attraction to wearing second-hand and homemade clothing. Roger already owned a guitar by this time, a gift from his parents, and Jill bought a bass guitar. Together, they would jam for hours in her room or chat constantly on the phone. In the summer of 1978 they decided that they wanted to start making music rather than just listening to it. Roger placed an ad on the notice board of Rhino Records in neighboring Claremont, which simply said 'drummer wanted for local punk rock band'. This was read with interest by Steve Darrow, the thirteen year old son of lauded multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter Chris Darrow. Steve, in the last year, had developed a passion for playing drums, practicing every spare moment in his parent's garage. Steve called the number on the card and spoke to Roger to express his interest and arranged to meet up at the Darrow’s garage. Meeting for the first time about a week later, Roger and Jill were startled to find that Steve had long hair rather than the punk rock image they were expecting and he was also a couple of years younger than them. Despite the shock, they still plugged their guitars into an amp and proceeded to jam. This was the birth of a band that would later become the A-Sexuals.  

Due to a poor attendance record at Pomona High School, Roger was expelled and was transferred to Claremont High School. He quickly became part of a small gang of people including Steve Darrow, John Albert (“Jay”), and Peter Andrus who were all into the same kind of music. They would frequently skip classes and hang out together, normally at the family home of one of Roger's friends, Sylvia. Her place was empty during the daytime, so they could listen to records, drink alcohol and smoke marijuana. They would make up stage names such as Xerox Clone and later Steve Tragic (both Roger), Jill Jagged (Jill), Carmine Dioxide (Steve) and Art Damage (Jay). Augmented occasionally by Sylvia, the A-Sexuals were formed and would rehearse in either Steve or Jill's garage with Roger singing, playing guitar and organ, Jill on bass and backing vocals and Steve behind the drum kit. Influenced by a mix of the 70's glam rock music from their youth and the punk rock sounds of the Germs, The Damned, Adam and the Ants, Siouxsie and the Banshees and P.I.L.. The A-Sexuals wrote a few of their own songs such as "Mannequin Depression", "Sexless", "Society", "I Don't Want to be a Copy of  You" and "You're So Plastic", and would do covers of  "Belson Was a Gas" by the Sex Pistols and a few Germs songs such as "Forming". They performed in front of an audience only once, at a party in the Hispanic neighborhood of Westmont. Deciding by the end of 1978 that the A-Sexuals had reached an end, Roger informed Jill that he was quitting; leaving them to form a new band called The Decadents with Peter Andrus as their guitarist. Roger and Jay designed flyers for their first concert held on May 5, 1979 in Claremont and "You're So Plastic" was a regular song in their setlist for the next couple of years. Steve was introduced to another Claremont inhabitant, Mary Torciva, who enjoyed watching The Decadents perform and who expressed a keen interest in learning how to play the drums. Soon, with Steve's encouragement, Mary had her own kit. 

Meanwhile Roger and John would often talk about forming their own band together. John had a cheap guitar and Roger now owned a bass and occasionally Sylvia would join them for jams on her acoustic guitar. They came up with the band names such as The Upsetters and No!, but never performed for an audience. During this period Roger would frequently catch a ride into Hollywood or Downtown Los Angeles to see the Germs and other punk shows, very often with Victoria Gray, who was a few years older than him and a mutual friend of Sylvia's. Inspired by the punk ethos, they also discussed forming a band together, tentatively called The Crawlers, but since Victoria did not own any instruments it really was just wishful thinking.  Jay wrote an account of going to see one of these gigs with Roger. The concert was Black Flag and Red Cross at the Hong Kong Cafe in Chinatown on September 2, 1979. Roger and Jay were joined by Peter Andrus and their friend Dwight Neils (“Dee”), an African-American punk rocker who had started attending Claremont High School in 1979 and was part of the same circle of friends. Their driver for the evening was Carol, who worked at a local record store and was one of the few people they knew with a driver's license. The story was printed in the book The Show I'll Never Forget: 50 Writers Relive Their Most Memorable Concertgoing Experiences published by Da Capo Press in 2007.

Roger got to know Germs singer Darby Crash pretty well from attending many of their shows and hanging around with him outside the venues. Roger regarded him as a friend and would have lengthy phone conversations with him. Roger would copy the way that Darby dressed or styled his hair, and the friendship became more than being purely platonic. Darby had used the pseudonym, Bobby Pyn rather than his birth name, Jan Paul Beahm, when the Germs first formed, but soon changed it to Darby Crash. This was the inspiration for Roger deciding that he would be called 'Rozz', which became his identity for the rest of his life. 'Williams' was added a short time later, possibly as an homage to one of his favorite writers, William S. Burroughs.

It was outside of a show at the Starwood, on Santa Monica Boulevard, that Rozz first met James McGearty and started discussing music with him. James stated that he played bass and jammed with his childhood friend George Belanger, who had been drumming since he was six years old.  Both were well-known characters from the skate park in Upland, which borders Claremont. They shared a love for punk rock and had sometimes acted as roadies for the Claremont band, Stepmothers, as well as for 45 Grave. James introduced Rozz to George after the show ended and all agreed to meet the following week at the Painter's house in Pomona, with Jay also in attendance. An agreement was made to jam at Jay's garage in Claremont, located almost opposite from where The Decadents rehearsed. Rozz provided some lyrics and songs he had been working on; influenced by a mix of British punk rock and Alice Cooper and Black Sabbath. Rozz suggested Christian Death as the band's name, an obvious response to the emotional issues he was experiencing from being raised in such a stern religious environment. Christian Death was officially formed in October 1979 with Rozz only just nearing his sixteenth birthday. Some of the earliest songs from this period were "'Dogs", "Deathwish" and "Marie", which was retitled "Burnt Offerings". "Desperate Hell" and "Religious Disease", which was renamed "Spiritual Cramp", soon followed.

Rozz had reconnected with Sindie by this time and became close friends with Mary Torciva and also with Ron Athey, who had started to attend Claremont High School but who would often skip class to hang out with Steve Darrow and Jay. Rozz had lasted less than a year at the school and so had not met Ron until the afternoon he came to watch Christian Death rehearse in John's garage. Two years his senior, Ron had experienced an even more severe religious upbringing than Rozz. Ron Athey was born into a devout and dysfunctional Pentecostal family, who moved to the Inland Empire when Ron was just a small child. His aunt was a self-proclaimed prophet, and raised Ron to be a Pentecostal minister, a chosen one. Ron was subjected to, and immersed in, "automatic writing, glossolalia, xenolalia, prophecy, communion with the spirits of the dead...faith healing, and...rituals like baptism, foot washing, anointing in different oils, singing, shaking, and spirit dancing" (a tribal style that swells into ecstatic dancing and screaming).  Having been prescribed Valium since he was nine, Ron was addicted when the prescription was stopped six years later. At fifteen and realizing that everything he had been brought up to believe was a lie, he took an overdose - the first of many suicide attempts; and ran away from home. Rozz and Ron shared a love for writers such as Burroughs, Jean Genet, and Aleister Crowley and had developed an instant bond that would soon become inseparable as they experienced life to the fullest. This was the first serious relationship for both of them, and Rozz finally felt safe to come out to his friends and the rest of the band. Ron recounts that they “became involved in a love affair that lasted three years. Ours was a volatile relationship that revolved around music, art and monstrous public personas. We were true punk romantics - he pierced my nipple, I tattooed his name on my wrist."

During the summer of 1980, Pomona resident, Bill Sassenberger, opened up a small punk rock record store on Holt Avenue called Toxic Shock selling not only American punk records but also UK imports, posters, pins, leather wristbands and other such merchandise. Bill lived in the back of the store, so there was no set business hours and the tiny shop would often be open until late at night, attracting punk rockers in the area who really had nowhere else to hang out. Bill and Ron Athey found they shared a love for Throbbing Gristle, and soon Ron was a regular there and would often spend his days in the store listening to the latest releases by Throbbing Gristle, NON and Patti Smith and reading the great French writers - Andre Gide, Charles Baudelaire and Jean Genet. By that autumn, Bill had even started to host local bands to perform small sets from inside the store. The Decadents were one such band to play, as did Christian Death for what would have been their first public performance, albeit in an informal setting. It did lead however to a booking at the nearby Arts Building, which was opened in February 1979 by Art DeLeon to help promote the live art scene in Pomona. The small space was an art gallery and concert venue and was the focal point for bands in the area.

The entire Los Angeles punk rock community were stunned by the devastating news of Darby Crash’s death on December 7, 1980, in the guest house at 137 North Fuller Avenue, Hollywood. He had been out to the Hong Kong Cafe earlier that evening with Casey "Cola" Hopkins and at some point scored raw China White heroin, using all of the proceeds he had earned from the Germs reunion show at the Starwood four days earlier. Aged just twenty-two, his death was ruled as a suicide due to the extremely high amount of the drug he had in his system. Darby had administered a lesser dose to Casey, and whether by accident or by intent, she survived. Rozz never talked publicly about Darby's death but it likely had a profound effect on him. He would always cite the Germs as one of his main musical influences. Eight years later, he would actually sing a whole set of Germs songs at a performance that served as a prematrimonial celebration between himself and Eva Ortiz.

All four members of Christian Death were in attendance at the Hong Kong Cafe on Saturday, December 13, 1980 to see Castration Squad as James and George were good friends with the band. The support act that evening were Phoenix group, Killer Pussy, who received a hostile reception from the audience and only managed to last a few songs before they walked off stage. As not all the members of Castration Squad had arrived at the venue yet, Don Bolles - the 45 Grave and ex-Germs drummer- asked whether Christian Death could perform a short set using Castration Squad's instruments in the interim. The crowd loved them and they were even mentioned in the review of the show by Dave Damage in the influential Flipside fanzine. This led to an interview conducted by Dave and Al Flipside in Ontario, California on December 27, together with a photoshoot in a nearby graveyard. The article was published in the January/February 1981 issue.

Christian Death performed a second show at the Arts Building on January 4, 1981 supporting 45 Grave, who included Dinah Cancer from Castration Squad. Art recalls the band bringing coffins into the venue to enhance the stage set and candles being lit to affect the lighting. The set comprised of songs that would later be included on the Deathwish EP and Only Theatre of Pain album. A review of the show was again featured in Flipside. A further performance was given at the Arts Building on January 18, but this time under the guise of Acid Flag. This consisted of Rozz, James, George and Mary Torciva all playing each other's instruments and improvising vocals while tripping on LSD. The idea of a gig of this nature may have come from their playing about hitting pots and pans and pretty much whatever item they could find during downtime in rehearsals. A recording of one of these free jam sessions was included as bonus CD on the release of Premature Ejaculation - (Part 1) by Malaise Music in 2010. It gives us a unique opportunity to hear them during this very early period.

Inspired by the success of the Arts Building, Bill Sassenberger decided to rent the P.A.L. Boxing Gym to host larger concerts. Despite its location in a rather rundown part of Pomona, the P.A.L. quickly established itself, and within the first month of opening had Subhumans (from Vancouver), Red Rockers (from New Orleans), China White (from Huntington Beach), Adolescents and Social Distortion (both from Fullerton) all on the same bill on Tuesday 20th January, with Christian Death being given the task of opening the proceedings. Rikk Agnew, the Adolescents' lead guitarist, and known as "General Hospital" at the time, remembers being intrigued by the band's name when he first saw it on the flyer for the show. Born on December 9, 1958 into a family with a rich musical pedigree, Rikk first started gaining an interest in music in high school and had already been performing on stage for three or fours years with bands such as Naughty Women, the Detours and Social Distortion before joining the Adolescents in the summer of 1980. Rikk started as the band’s drummer and then became the guitarist because he would too often break the drum kit at shows. The small stage at the P.A.L. Boxing Gym had already been decorated earlier in the day with wreaths and flowers taken from a local cemetery, and a bunch of Christian Death fans came dressed in black suits and dresses with mourning veils, and stood at the front with heads bowed as if in prayer as the music started. Rikk encountered a guy in the toilets, making last minute fixes to his hair and makeup, and instantly knew that this must be the singer of the band. Even at this early stage, and in a matter of weeks, Rozz had begun to jettison his punk rock image in favor of something darker and moodier. Rozz’s look was likely a mix of Shannon Wilhelm (Castration Squad’s vocalist) and the influence of Ron, who was the more flamboyant and fashion-conscious one in their relationship. Christian Death's short set that night received a rousing reception from the crowd and Rikk sought out James and George afterwards to tell them how impressed he was by their performance, a conversation which even got round to the possibility of Rikk producing their first record. Dave Damage described them as being 'fantastic' and even comparing them to Siouxsie and the Banshees in his review of the gig in Flipside.

Not long after this joyous occasion the band and their friends were hanging out at Toxic Shock when George became involved in an altercation with an old hippie called "Crazy Ray" who was making a nuisance of himself. At one point George chased him out of the store, but could not stop in time from crashing into the glass door which had closed quickly behind the fleeing Ray. Sustaining deep cuts to his left wrist, George had to be taken to an emergency room so the wound could be stitched up and the doctor informed him that he should refrain from drumming for a few months so that it could heal properly. With another gig already booked at the P.A.L. Boxing Gym on February 14, and now being elevated up the order to being the third band on out of five, they decided to ask Steve Darrow to cover for George rather than cancel their performance. Steve rehearsed with the band and under George's guidance quickly learnt their set, including a couple of brand new songs. Rozz notably designed the flyer, his last one for the band, in which he entitled the show as 'The Valentine's Day Mass with Christian Death'. Being held on a Saturday evening, and with The Cheifs and The Gears co-headlining, expectations were high and Jill Emery and Peter Andrus were in attendance to watch their bandmate fill in for George. Events began to unravel when George presented himself on the drum kit and announced that he had made a full recovery from his injury and was ready to play. Jay was particularly perturbed by this act, due to his long-standing friendship with Steve Darrow. There was certainly tension in the air as Rozz, Jay and James joined George on stage for a couple of songs before Steve was finally given his opportunity. Things went from bad to worse however when Steve knocked a cymbal stand over mid-song which prompted Jay to not want to continue and so he unhooked his guitar and walked off the stage and out of the venue, leaving the rest of them in bewilderment. The rest of the set was cancelled though Jill and Peter were willing to hastily take to the stage to perform a short Decadents set with Steve to fill in the time before the next band were ready to play. Jay duly announced his decision to leave Christian Death.  He had been practicing less, partying more and realized that his heart was no longer in it, but he was also all too aware of his own limitations as a guitarist and felt that he was not able to progress his skills as the music had evolved. Christian Death dissolved before they could even play their first gigs outside of Pomona - performances with the Adolescents at The Vex club in East Los Angeles and with 45 Grave at The Lions Club in San Diego had been booked but now went ahead without them. Bill Sassenberger was also banned from booking the P.A.L. Boxing Gym as the fourth concert there resulted in the toilets being badly damaged by riotous fans, and to some people it may have seemed like an end to an era.

Despite the dissolution of the band, Rozz and Jay remained friends and continued to hang out together. They discussed the possibility of forming another band, rather more ramshackle this time, and one that Jay wouldn't feel out of place in. Daucus-Carota consisted of Rozz providing vocals and guitar plus occasional violin, autoharp and xylophone, Jay on guitar and percussion, Mary Torciva playing not only the drums and percussion but also swapping to the bass when required if Dee was not present, which was often the case. The name, Daucus-Carota, was one that Rozz would return to the following decade and was taken from the name of the 'mandrake man' character in Theophile Gautier's short story, "Le Club des Haschischins", which was published in an anthology called The Drug Experience: First Person Account of Addicts, Writers, Scientists, and Others which was a book that Rozz knew very well. Having little or no musical ability was no hindrance to Rozz inviting Dee to be part of the group, although he could also be relied upon to always bring a supply of drugs with him to keep everyone happy. Daucus-Carota was in reality little more than a noise art project. Whilst they never performed outside of Jay's garage, the sounds they made together were fused with strange jazz notes and instilled in Rozz a passion for freeform experimental music that would last for the rest of his life. As for John Albert (Jay), he would go on to drum for Bad Religion in 1984 and then pursue a successful career in sport and music journalism for publications such as L.A. Weekly and Hustler , also penning his own book, Wrecking Crew, which was published by Scribner in 2005.

At the same time that Daucus-Carota were kicking about in the garage, James and George had rather more serious musical intentions. They had begun to jam with Alicia Armendariz and Tracy Marshak, better known by their professional names of Alice Bag and Tracy Lea. Alice had been the vocalist in the Bags, whose members included Patricia Morrison, and had most recently been the bass player in Castration Squad while Tracy was Castration Squad's guitarist. The four of them had been friends for some time and decided on a name for the band, XNTY. The plans for the Christian Death/Castration Squad mash-up did not come to fruition and Alice was allowed to keep the few tunes that had been written duing the sessions.

The Adolescents had recorded their eponymous debut album, dubbed The Blue Album because of its cover, in March 1981. Produced by Mike Patton and engineered and mixed by Thom Wilson, it was released to much acclaim the following month and they performed a show at the Starwood to promote it. In the audience were James and George and they managed to catch up with Rikk afterward. Inquiring about the future of Christian Death, George advised him that they were currently on the lookout for a new guitarist and Rikk immediately volunteered his services should he become available. Tension had been high within the Adolescents for a while and although he had contributed massively to the making of the record; writing or co-writing almost half of the songs; Rikk knew that his days in the band were numbered. James and George were actively auditioning guitarists but were not finding one who would fit. Just two weeks later Rikk did find himself replaced by former Germs guitarist Pat Smear. He called George to give him the news and they agreed to meet up with James for a jam session where they went over the songs already established in the Christian Death set and also a few new songs that Rikk had been working on himself. As a very talented guitarist Rikk was able to flesh out the sound, providing melodies and also adding effects through his new Mini-chorus pedal and he played a Gibson Les Paul Custom. They instantly found working together exciting but at this stage had not thought about who would sing, as they had not spoken to Rozz since that ill-fated night in February and assumed he no longer wanted to be involved with them.

Meanwhile Bill Sassenberger had spotted an opportunity in the summer of 1981 to move Toxic Shock Records to larger premises a short distance along Holt Avenue, this time with more living space at the back. After living off and on at Rozz's family home, Ron proposed the idea to Bill that he move in with Rozz in one of the small, windowless rooms for which he would pay rent and help out serving customers in the shop. It was a decision that Bill would come to regret. Rozz and Ron were increasingly using heroin now in addition to LSD, which had been their drug of choice up to that point. The two of them would spend the majority of their time in that back room either high on drugs or sleeping, contributing neither money nor labor for staying there. Bill recalled that "drugs and decadence would regularly occupy Ron and Rozz's room."  They would often have an adolescent boy from nearby Ontario around and they would hang him from a rope while "they took turns whipping him between heating their spoons with candles." With Rozz and Ron spending all their time together, they formulated plans for a performance art project which they named Premature Ejaculation. According to Rozz they were talking about P.E., Physical Education class, and started thinking what else P.E. could stand for. Premature Ejaculation came to mind, and they thought "oh, let's use that as a name." Ron recalls, "We started a performance collaboration called Premature Ejaculation made up of noise soundtracks and recited text we wrote together; I developed a knack for self-mutilating onstage. We took acid, speed and heroin, and read and wrote together." This was Ron's very first performance art project, and would set him on a career that continues to this day and which has brought him many accolades as well as a great amount of notoriety. Ron reveals some of the influences that inspired them at the time. "First and foremost we were influenced by Johanna Went, who performed locally in Los Angeles at night clubs, opening for bands like Black Flag, as well as...Theoretical's High Performance magazine (which) covered a lot of physical performance, so we were definitely influenced by photos of the Viennese Actionists, and COUM Transmissions (both COUM and Herrman Nietsch performed in LA before and during this time). Sound wise, we were influenced by the industrial scene (Throbbing Gristle, SPK, Cabaret Voltaire, Non/Boyd Rice,Monte Cazzaza)...and shows which were produced by Stuart Sweezey, who founded Amok Books. Possibly more than that —those bands were slick and high-tech — we were influenced by William Burroughs/Brion Gysin's cut-up writings/recordings. Our approach was naïve in some ways, but it resonated with the era." With these influences in mind, Ron says that "I just had to know that there were misfits throughout time who were articulate and brought their vision into something solid. I suddenly realized there was this form where you didn't have to learn to play an instrument to do it but you could take the insane visions in your head and interpret them into a visual reality. You could do a performance vomiting and it would express what you couldn't actually say." One recording probably dates from this period. Entitled Premature Ejaculation - (Part 1) the cassette consists of seven primitive and raw untitled tracks, which is hardly surprising taking into account Rozz and Ron's relative inexperience and their lack of proper recording equipment, or indeed, even instrumentation. It is almost impossible to listen to it without making instant comparisons with Boyd Rice's debut offering, commonly known as The Black Album. Like many of Rozz’s home made recordings of this era, it remained unheard until Malaise Music gave it an official release in 2010.

Then totally out of the blue came the phone call from George to announce that he, James and Rikk had been jamming together and that they were looking for a singer and would Rozz be interested in hooking up with them. As a firm admirer of Rikk's musicianship, Rozz jumped at the opportunity to attend rehearsals and listen to them play. Normally at these practice sessions Rozz would just sit quietly, smoke a cigarette and read a book or write in his journal rather than being an active participant. The journal Rozz kept at the time reveals that he constantly wrote and rewrote, often just taking one line from a set of lyrics and using it again to create something new. Song titles would also constantly change until he was happy with them, for example; "Stacking Bodies Vertically" became "Dream for Mother" and "Cavity" was originally called "Blood on Your Hands". "Figurative Theatre", "Spiritual Cramp" and "Cavity" were written in 1981, while "Desperate Hell" been completed in 1980 and "Romeo's Distress" finished in 1981. Ann Miller, another of Rozz's friends from this time, has co-writer credits for "Cavity" and "Desperate Hell" in the journal. Everyone seemed happy with the results of the playthroughs and thoughts soon went into performing on stage again. There is evidence to suggest that Christian Death supported Social Distortion and China White at the Cathay de Grande in Hollywood on July 21, 1981 and another show at Costa Mesa's Cuckoo's Nest on August 15 where they were bottom of the bill to Minutemen, 100 Flowers and Middle Class.

Ron had found a cat by the roadside that had been killed from an impact by a vehicle and stored it in Toxic Shock's freezer for two weeks, with the intention of using it for a performance at the Arts Building on August 16, 1981. The flyer for this show is highly provocative, featuring an image of a kneeling man wearing stockings and suspenders and a gimp mask, a phallus, as well other pictures depicting sex. However, this first Premature Ejaculation show was about the physical abuse of animals. Rozz and Ron had bought meat from a market, including a pig's head, and let it rot. They had wanted to be able to lock the doors of the club so that no one would be able to leave though Art had to inform them that this was illegal. The small audience, which consisted mainly of their friends, were confronted with Rozz improvising vocals and Mary Torciva on percussion. Rozz said, "It was not singing, or lyrics...just more of a Yoko Ono-type thing." They used a lot of effected noises and tapes and a "great deal of performance...things weren't very pretty." Part of the performance involved having a lad called Bobby Valentine tied up and bullwhipped on the floor of the stage, but Ron then took the defrosted cat out from the bag, crucified it and then tore the carcass apart using his hands and teeth before eating the insides. The smell in the room with the rotting meat was unbearable, especially since Rozz and Ron would occasionally throw some of it into the crowd. This, along with the grating and irritating sounds, the poor tortured boy, and the sight of Ron eating the dead cat, led to most of the audience running out of the doors in terror leaving just one or two people watching the performance. Some people were vomiting when they managed to get outside the club. A lot of people were very upset at what they had witnessed. Rozz later countered this by saying that he felt it was important they visually presented animal abuse and that people should "look beyond what they're doing because the same people who come up and complain... about using animals in a performance...they're out at restaurants and having steak that same night." It is fortunate that Edward Colver was at the show with his camera, and a complete set of photographs were included in the book Pleading in the Blood: The Art and Performances of Ron Athey, which was published by Intellect in 2013.

Two days after the Premature Ejaculation performance came Christian Death's first big show, supporting 45 Grave and Social Distortion at the Whisky A-Go-Go. Their friendship with Don Bolles, Dinah Cancer and the other members of 45 Grave helped Christian Death obtain many support slots with them over the next few crucial months. Rozz wore a black dress, long, black gloves, black stockings and black high heeled shoes. He had black lipstick and came onto the stage wearing a white wedding veil. Many people in the audience actually thought that he was a woman and would not believe it when told otherwise. An audio recording is known to exist and the setlist confirms that eight out of the nine songs played would all soon become deathrock classics, with the remaining song - "Skeleton Kiss" - having to wait until 1992 until it was recorded and released. After the show George was approached by Dennis Danell, the guitarist for Social Distortion, who informed him that his band had just recorded songs for the newly formed Bemisbrain Records, who were in the process of putting together a compilation album featuring up and coming bands and he thought Christian Death would be perfect for it. Edward Colver was again in attendance and had arranged a photoshoot afterwards at Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery and the adjoining Pomona Cemetery, both located in Pomona. Unfortunately Rikk was unable to tag along but the spontaneous images taken that night have since become the stuff of legend, with many in the new collection of photography, Christian Death: Only Theatre of Pain being published by Cult Epics for the very first time. It was Colver who actually had the idea for Rozz to sit atop Mary and Martin Fackler's gravestone, with Rozz being positioned so that his legs covered up the letters 'a' and 'l' in the surname.

Not having paid any rent for the room or assisted with the payment of utility bills at the record store, and following the incident with the dead cat in the freezer, Bill Sassenberger had become increasingly exacerbated by his tenants' unruly behavior. Not only that, but money would go missing from the till whenever either of them did take a turn to work in the store. The final straw came when Bill discovered most of his own private record collection in their room while they were out scoring drugs. He took "all of their possessions out of their room and put them outside the rear entrance and locked the door." Rozz took out his vengeance a few nights later when he and Mary were spotted jumping out of a car, smashing the storefront windows and then dashing back into the car and driving away. Despite boarding the damage up the store soon had to close due to the phone and electricity both being disconnected, a direct result of Rozz and Ron's hedonism. Toxic Shock Records became a mail-order business for a year until Bill was able to reopen at a new location in Pomona's Antique Mall. Bill got his revenge by writing and singing a parody song entitled "Horror Snores" with a band he created especially for the recording which he named Moslem Birth, which morphed into Peace Corpse. The track was released in 1983 as one of four tracks on a 7" compilation called Noise From Nowhere on Toxic Shock's own record label. Running with the theme, the cover of the record even states 'Surprise! No photos by Edward Colver'. Over a moribund melody, the lyrics mock Rozz's daily routine and habit of stealing from graves and mimics Rozz 'I'm so tired' vocals from "Romeo's Distress".

Returning to live in the Painter family home, Rozz eventually managed to persuade his parents to allow Ron to stay too. It was here in their bedroom that they put on a special performance for  Karen Filter to photograph. In the printed piece Rozz and Ron wrote that "Premature Ejaculation involves the usage of fantasies and dreams, from actual reinaction to symbolism, costuming and film. There is no limit, no rule, no sanity, exhibit person-object human-open-sore sexuality. The reality of death before birth, the conscious dream, the violence, beauty and result of that dream. The realization that not only is 'performance' a sequence of dreams, but that life after death is also this sequence, this is the final test of mind, through this performance we are set free. Freedom being the capability to use all of one's mind, the reality of subconscious, the most premature of all ejaculations. Tear the cage from your skull. Take aim and fire!" There is also a short poem called "Wedlock", which Ron later revisited to recite on the outstanding track "Premature Ejaculation Life Cycle", included on the self-released Witness CD in 2019, which was a collaboration between Ron and David Harrow. The feature itself was published as a two page spread the following year in the ninth issue of Bruce Kalberg's No Mag underground publication, and the set of photographs are also included in Pleading in the Blood.

Ron Goudie and Steve Sinclair, both of Long Beach punk band Modern Warfare, were overseeing Bemisbrain's project and contacted George to make arrangements, the first of which was to agree that Mike Patton would produce the tracks because of the excellent work he did with the Adolescents' album earlier in the year. Mike agreed to come and see them perform and in the meantime the band started to rehearse with intent. Convening at Casbah Recording Studio in Fullerton, Orange County, Mike recorded "Deathwish" on an 8-track for what was Christian Death's first ever demo. 

Rikk had visited his friend Keith Walsh, who had been fronting Der Stab since its inception in 1978, and enjoyed watching him play the keyboards and suggested that he could help add to Christian Death's sound. The rest of the group were willing to try it out and by the time of their next performance at the Little Theatre in Upland on September 8, a fifth member had been added to the line-up. This was actually the first time that Christian Death had been headliners, and among the support acts that night were The Decadents. The Flipside review of the gig was very positive, mentioning that Rikk's notes and sounds had brought something new and different to the songs, but also pointing out that the synthesizer had helped too.  Rozz had decided to wear a full bridal dress including the veil. In fact all the members of the band had dressed up for the occasion; the theatrical aspect becoming a very important element to their stage show for the next six months. Although there were no reports of any rioting, the local police turned up and closed the show down. Edward Colver took a set of photographs, from both inside and outside the venue, and the best of these are published in his new book.

Recording for the Bemisbrain compilation commenced in earnest at Orange County Recorders in La Habra, as this was where Randy Burns would engineer and mix every song for the yet untitled album. They recorded "Dogs" and also "Romeo's Distress", for which Rikk had provided the music to Rozz's lyrics . The session lasted for around a week and Randy recognized how well prepared and organized they were but remembered Rozz to be shy and nervous and the overall atmosphere very dark. George was insistent that they would only contribute one track to the album because he felt that compilations were just tools to promote the bands featured on it and that they should keep people wanting more and wait for a record of their own to be released. "Dogs" was eventually selected for the record so Rikk went back into the studio to redo some parts and then Randy mixed it and added overdubs. The flyer for a show at Bard's Apollo on September 19 where they again played with 45 Grave even announced that a single would be out soon.

The Arts Building hosted Premature Ejaculation again on October 18, 1981 in a performance billed as 'Better than None at All'. Ron had bleached his hair and this time their friends brought their friends along and all were interested to see whether it would be a repeat of the first show. Among the audience this night were members of T.S.O.L. and Eva Ortiz, singer of the recently formed Super Heroines and who were also contributing to the, now titled, Bemisbrain Records compilation, Hell Comes to Your House. The flyer for this Premature Ejaculation performance was even more extreme than the first and was inspired in part, no doubt, by the no-holds-barred images published in No Mag. It featured diseased and deformed penises and personal contact ads from a gay magazine. Many who had been at the previous performance, or who had been told about it, came prepared with all sorts of homemade shields to duck behind in case more disgusting things were thrown at the audience. Hardcore pornography hung on the walls and the ceiling and Rozz and Ron had made a curtain out of pages from porn magazines. When they emerged, they started slashing their way through the curtain with knives. Rozz said that they "didn't know how close anyone in the audience was going to be from the curtain, and so didn't know if anyone was going to get hurt." Although there were no reports of any physical casualties, the mental scars from watching, hearing, smelling and feeling everything that was going on would take a long time to be erased. While Rozz made weird vocalizations into a microphone, Ron tore apart another cat's carcass and then simulated sex with it. By some accounts, it was rather more than simulation. He then smothered the entrails all over his body and soon pieces of meat and guts and body parts started to get thrown into the crowd. The stench and acts of barbarism made people retch and vomit all over the place.

Speaking of the performances, Ron says he "took everything that turned me on or that I wanted to do and crunched and plowed through it.... It was all about the mess, and the idea of pushing yourself to the edge. A lot of the elements I worked with later were in there, but they were just done in a very messy, explosive way. Which I think that time period was about. And it also gave me this huge adrenaline pump, just the idea of having ideas in your head that you want to make come to life... Some things come out better than you can imagine and some things fail - the kind of stakes that are in play with a live performance."  Although the depravity of Premature Ejaculation's two performances had created media interest, the audience reaction was not positive and clubs were unwilling to book them. Rozz said, "We did a couple of shows that weren't very well accepted, and it became very difficult for us to find any more gigs after that. We went on experimenting as far as making tapes ourselves, and doing things like that, but that was essentially the end."  Premature Ejaculation (Part 2) is a more interesting and better put-together recording than Part 1. Although far from perfect, it is clear that Rozz was learning his art and developing techniques that he would continue to use throughout the rest of his career. It consists of a long sequence of untitled tracks. Rozz intended for the music to be enjoyed as a continuous listening experience rather than for each piece to be listened to in isolation. This would not be the last time that Rozz used such tactics. Premature Ejaculation - (Part 2) also incorporates the use of samples and there is some vocalization and spoken word sequences. It was also released for the first time in 2010 by Malaise Music.

Christian Death's first of many gigs at Al's Bar - the venue located in the basement of the newly renovated American Hotel in Downtown L..A. -took place on October 30, 1981. They were again supporting 45 Grave, and this would mark the final appearance of Keith Walsh as the chemistry wasn't quite right between him and the other band members. However Rikk and Rikk's younger brother Frank both kept in touch with Keith and played on Der Stab's only studio recordings at Casbah Studios in 1982. Produced by Mike Patton and the studio's founder John St. James, the two songs were finally given an official release in 2016 on the Tracers/ It's Grey 7" by Elective Affinities Corp. label.

Hell Comes To Your House was released on Halloween 1981 to much fanfare, its name suggested by Don Bolles. Originally envisioned as a showcase for up and coming talent from the Long Beach area, the idea developed to include Orange County and L.A.-based bands as well. Recordings took place between July and September 1981 and featured Social Distortion, Legal Weapon, Red Cross (AKA Red Kross), Modern Warfare, Secret Hate, Conservatives, 45 Grave, 100 Flowers, Rhino 39, Super Heroines in addition to Christian Death. The UK version, released in 1982 by Riot State Records, had a track by Outer Circle in place of Red Cross and a different offering by Modern Warfare. The famous ghoul group photograph on the back cover was taken by Peggy Morison at a party to celebrate the end of the recording sessions for the album. No members of Christian Death were in the shot as none of them bothered turning up to the event. A tie-in concert featuring 45 Grave, Christian Death, Super Heroines and Modern Warfare had been planned for 23 October at the Atlantic Theatre in Long Beach but had to be cancelled at short notice when the venue was closed down by the city due to noise violations and lack of adequate parking spaces.

45 Grave and Christian Death played together on consecutive evenings at the Whisky A-Go-Go, with Meat Puppets being the opening act on both nights. The stage was adorned with flowers and wreaths for the first of these concerts, taking place on Friday, November 13, 1981, with Rozz performing in a beautiful white wedding dress. Rikk plays his Les Paul Custom on a Marshall amp with echo, delay and his mini-Chorus pedal and James has a Fender Precision fretless bass which he plays without amps, just a line in and without any effects. A total of five out of the twelve songs from the set have been officially released on various compilation albums, these being An 'Anthology' of Live Bootlegs, Invocations, and the American Gothic CD. The Saturday show had Rozz wearing a black dress. The full set from November 14, 1981 has been officially released as The Doll's Theatre CD by Cleopatra Records in 1994, where the date was erroneously stated as Halloween, October 31, 1981. In fact it was The Plimsouls supported by The Fleshtones who played at the Whisky that night, evidenced by flyers and their Live! Beg, Borrow& Steal: October 31, 1981 Whisky A Go Go album. 

Although Rozz and Eva Ortiz had known of each other for almost a year, both had been too shy to strike up a conversation with the other apart from the normal pleasantries. This was the moment that everything changed for the both of them. Eva had been born in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1961 and had learned to play the guitar by the time she was fourteen. She moved to Los Angeles in 1979 with the hope of fulfilling her two aspirations of meeting her idol Joan Jett and to be a successful musician in an all-female band. To that end, she immediately started hanging out at the Hong Kong Cafe and she helped form The Anemics in early 1980, performing as their guitarist and backing vocalist. A change of lead singer also led to a change of the band’s name, becoming the Speed Queens, the name taken from an American washing machine manufacturer. The band comprised of Eva, Sandra Ross on bass, Deborah "Killer" Melford on drums and their new vocalist Crystal Cross. They were based in Long Beach but by the end of the year were making regular appearances in L.A., at the Hong Kong Café. They were soon being asked to perform at venues such as the Starwood, Whisky A-Go-Go, Cathey de Grande and Brave Dog. When they performed at The Vex club on May 6, 1981, with 45 Grave also on the bill, Crystal Cross emerged singing from inside a wooden coffin that had been positioned on the stage. Eva believes that Rozz and Mary Torciva were at their first appearance at the Hong Kong Cafe, which if true would have seen them supporting the Adolescents on September 1, 1980. James McGearty was good friends with Sandra Ross and so it is possible that he invited Rozz and Mary along for the first of many occasions that they would go and see them play. Speed Queens split up that summer, with Crystal Cross and Killer starting their own group Strong Silent Types (S.S.T.) and Eva and Sandra forming Super Heroines with Del Mar Richardson as their drummer. They recorded the tracks for the Hell Comes to Your House album just a month or so after forming the new band, and Keith Walsh was present at the sessions. James invited Sandra and Eva to San Diego to see Christian Death supporting The Cramps at the Fairmount Hall on November 20, 1981. Although not listed on the flyers, it is possible that they were a late addition to the bill and indeed Christian Death cancelled their appearance at Riverside Ritz the same evening. Eva and Ron hit it off straight away, as unlike Rozz he was outgoing and personable. In fact it was Ron who first moved in with Eva at her Long Beach apartment. It was only once Rozz had moved in as well,  a few weeks later, that she realized that he and Ron were in a relationship, which developed into a ménage a trois.

Keen to release an album by Christian Death, Bemisbrain Records arranged for the group to return to Orange County Recorders for a second session during which they recorded "Cavity", "Spiritual Cramp" and "Desperate Hell". Although no contracts had yet been signed, an official promo advert by the label lists the six song E.P. as a forthcoming release and included one of Edward's photographs from the Al's Bar show on October 30. The accompanying blurb states 'Masters of Metal delerious with sepulcher/hallucinations. Poet Rozz Williams brutal lullabys are draped over Rick Agnew's guitar sculpturings to create dark and mythical musical landscapes' (sic). Discussions stalled however as George suggested waiting to see if any interest came in from more established labels and so the tracks remained as demos and were never mixed. Rikk thought there would be no harm introducing the band to Lisa Fancher, owner of Frontier Records, as he was very impressed by the way the label had dealt with the Adolescents record. Frontier, which was based in Sun Valley, had been formed by Lisa in 1980 and had followed up The Blue Album by releasing T.S.O.L.'s debut album, Dance With Me, in June 1981 and China White's only recording from that period, the Danger Zone E.P. Thom Wilson had produced and engineered Dance With Me, which many consider to be the first gothic punk album, so perhaps Christian Death would not be so out of place at Frontier, and in fact, be a great addition to the punk label's growing roster of artists. Lisa had not actually seen Christian Death perform but she trusted Rikk's judgment on the matter and arranged for Rozz and James to meet up with her in her Burbank apartment to discuss terms, though Rozz didn't speak and left it to James to do all the negotiating. Contracts were signed for a two-record deal, and the band were to enter the recording studio in the middle of January 1982.      

Now without the constraints of living with a landlord or parents, the goings-on while they resided at the record store in Pomona proved to be just a precursor to the wild times they had living with Eva, some of which are recounted in Mikey Bean's Phantoms: The Rise of Deathrock from the LA Punk Scene, which was published in 2019. One benefit that Rozz soon took advantage of was being able to borrow Eva's dresses and other pieces of clothing, sometimes for parties, other times for shows, or just a night out. Notable concerts before the end of the year included their one and only appearance at Clare Glidden's very influential Brave Dog club, in Downtown L.A. on December 11. A private member's club, Brave Dog regularly hosted bands in the small main hall and was considered by many to be the coolest place to hang out and be seen during its brief existence. Rozz and Ron were regulars at the club. There was also a return to Al's Bar, supporting The Flesh Eaters on December 26, where Rozz held a deer's hoof during the set; a souvenir brought back after a recent trip home to Pomona; a gift from his father. Edward Colver's images from both of these performances are included in the new book collection, with his photograph of Rozz at Al's Bar being selected for the insert on Only Theatre of Pain.

Mary Torciva moved into Eva's apartment towards the end of the year bringing the Premature Ejaculation trio back together for a few weeks and she started dating Killer for a while. She would team up with Jill Emery in her off-shoot band Disfigured Faces in 1982.  Possibly because it was getting a bit too crowded but more probably because of a new love interest, Eva left the apartment in Long Beach to stay with Ace Farren Ford at his house on Coringa Drive, in Highland Park. The Super Heroines played at a Halloween party there a few months earlier, hosted by the Highland Park Free Music Ensemble. Born in 1957, Ace began writing poetry and making music when he was ten years of age and had formed his own band, Ace & Duce, in 1971 and from there had never stopped creating music. As a disciple and friend of Don Van Vliet, better known as Captain Beefheart, Ace took that influence and turned it into experimental noise group, Smegma. In 1974, Ace Farren Ford helped set up the vastly influential Los Angeles Free Music Society (LAFMS) before becoming a member of notorious punk rock band The Child Molesters in 1977, where he went by the name of "Farren Foreceps". Ace kept an open house and there was always an array of people dropping by to hang out and pick up an instrument or two. It is therefore not surprising that upon accepting Eva's invitation for a visit, Rozz and Ron felt right at home and soon were staying there too, sleeping on a sofa bed in the living room. Occasionally James would visit to discuss forthcoming shows and go through the songs that they planned to record for the album.

As Thom Wilson had produced the previous five records for Frontier (three albums, an EP and a single), Lisa had no hesitation in assigning him this role for Christian Death's debut, Only Theatre of Pain. Thom had only produced three records prior to first working with Frontier on The Blue Album and it was a combination of needing work and his wife suggesting that he try punk rock labels that led him to walk into Lisa's office offering his services. The sessions were to be recorded at City Recorders, a small short-lived studio located in Sunset Gower Studios at Sunset and Gower in Hollywood, less than half a mile from Hollywood Memorial Park (since renamed as Hollywood Forever Cemetery). It had only been made into a recording studio in 1980 and closed down before the end of 1982. One of the music engineers working there was Eric Westfall, who would later have involvement with Christian Death, but he was not involved with Only Theatre of Pain, as the task had been given to Randy Burns. The recordings took place between 9 P.M. and 7 A.M. each day for about a week, as this was when the rates were the cheapest. Apart from the four members, Eva and Ron also attended the sessions each night. Occasionally,  Edward Colver and assorted members of 45 Grave, Adolescents and Voodoo Church would also drop in. They almost managed to persuade Edward Colver to join in with the backing vocals. Watching everything with a keen eye was Lisa Fancher, making sure that the band had all the instruments they needed as well as ensuring the party atmosphere did not waste precious studio time. Mary Torciva also joined Eva and Ron to provide backing vocals and Rikk played a Moog synthesizer and other assorted instruments like tubular bells. The majority of the songs recorded had been regulars in their live set for a while. Of the new tracks "Mysterium Iniquitatis" was based on a riff that Rikk had written when he first started making music in the 70's and "The Lord's Prayer" was George's suggestion, recited by Rozz and Ron and then backmasked by Thom. "Skeleton Kiss", "Dogs", "Deathwish", "Desperate Hell" and a song called "Bridal Cake" had all been penciled in for inclusion on the album, but ultimately were not recorded. "Stairs -Uncertain Journey" was a new song written entirely in the studio by George and James, with the lyrics like those for "Mysterium Iniquitatis", being hastily written in the journal and both involved another form of backmasking where words are sung in reverse. They may have taken inspiration from Aleister Crowley's Magick (Book Four) which recommends those interested in black magic to 'learn how to think and speak backwards'. The meaning behind the line 'ahis zyxur li peru resh' has always confused listeners and most likely always will. What we do know is that Rozz was a numerologist and the Simon Necronomican is one of the books that he owned and he would also have known the Magical Books of Solomon from his interest in Crowley's work. Some people suggest that peru resh may be a Latin phrase while the general consensus is that Rozz chose the line because it just sounded good in context of the song. In any case it was a spontaneous decision by Rozz and Ron to write in reverse and they had fun coming up with the lyrics as a way of both ridiculing the faiths in which they had been raised but also to poke fun at and attempt to get a rise out of the fundamentalist Christian groups who had been demanding government censorship in music for what they believed was hidden subliminal messages inserted by bands in their records to promote Satanism. Some pastors were even known at this time to hold record-smashing events, either in their church or on Christian television programs. In truth the backmasking controversy had been going on since the 60’s with The Beatles and gained popularity with Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin in the 70's, before reaching optimum worldwide exposure with the Judas Priest court case in 1990. With the music all recorded it was time now for Rozz to add his vocals to the tracks. The booth was in darkness except for the flame of a single candle as Rozz went through a few songs and Rikk recalls how impressed he was with his singing voice as he had seldom heard it during rehearsals. However on playing the tapes back, Thom discovered that the vocals were missing and had not recorded. He tested the microphone and checked all the equipment but could not find any faults. The process was repeated, the dials were registering that a recording was taking place but again on playback, they found that no vocals had been captured. Thom was unable to provide an explanation for this, as everything was set up correctly. They all returned to the studio the following night for another attempt, and much to Rikk's chagrin, this time Rozz started to sing in that other-worldly style that would distinguish the album from any other, although it is believed the vocals were treated in the mix to have greater effect. Thom Wilson would have a long career, retiring from music shortly after the turn of the century, and found commercial success producing The Offspring's first three albums as well as Iggy Pop's Naughty Little Doggie album in 1996. He died on 8 February 2015 of undisclosed causes and it should be his work on the countless 80's punk rock records that he be remembered for most.

Christian Death performed a concert at Cathey de Grande on February 19, 1982 while they were still recording the album, as the venue was located just a couple of blocks from the studio and they were able to walk there. Rozz wore a red cape and had bought along a Bible. At some point during the set he began tearing pages from it and threw them into the crowd. The shot by Edward of Rozz brandishing his home-made rose-stemmed cross became an iconic image when it was published on the back cover of the French release of the album, issued by L'Invitation Au Suicide in 1983, and can be seen again in the new collection along with others from this show.

The cover artwork for the album was designed by Rozz himself. Rozz was constantly doing line drawings and the Prince Hamlet figure holding Yorick's skull was the one that he decided upon and presented it to Frontier. We can only speculate whether Rozz's depiction of Prince Hamlet, William Shakespeare's greatest and most complicated character, was inspired by "Mysterium Iniquitatis", which roughly translates as the mystery of evil. Additionally, Rozz handwrote all of the lyrics and credits for inclusion on the insert but Lisa spotted several spelling mistakes and asked Diane Zincavage to redo it, being as respectful as possible to the original. Diane was employed by several small independent labels such as Posh Boy, BOMP! and Enigma to design and provide artwork for their releases and in fact had worked on every one of Frontier's previous records. Apart from correcting the spelling mistakes Diane also redrew the cover, again being faithful as she could to Rozz's design. The major alteration was the change in the album's title to the English spelling of 'Theatre'. There is nothing to suggest that Rozz opposed any of the changes made by Frontier. Years later Lisa would discover Rozz's original documents boxed away in her garage and decided to use them in 2011 on the remastered, 30th Anniversary, reissue.  Since 'Only Theatre of Pain' are lyrics from "Mysterium Iniquitatis"; a song written while in the studio; we could assume that it was only chosen to be the name of the record during or after the recording. However it is a phase that Rozz took from a line in John Rechy's novel Rushes, which was published by Grove Press in 1979. Rushes is the name of a 'leather and western bar' in a barren area of a large American city, Rechy provides us with graphic accounts of numerous sexual acts in every form imaginable until closing time when the protagonist attends a sadomasochistic orgy room which culminates in a ritual sacrifice. The lyrics for "Burnt Offerings" are directly inspired by events in the story and there is an undeniable connection between the book and album, especially since each chapter is preceded by a Biblical text.

The next task was to shoot promotional images of each member of the band for inclusion on the back cover of the record. Of course, Edward Colver was the natural choice for photographer, the band themselves dubbing him their 'fifth member', and the venue chosen was Rozz's own bedroom in the Painter Family house, located at 939 North Gordon Street, Pomona. This single story house has two bedrooms and a large area at the rear with few outbuildings that his father used. Rozz's room looked out to the front, and despite his frequent periods living away from home, it was always maintained the way he kept it, awaiting his next return. Christian images adorned the small room, and religious artifacts filled every nook and cranny. Rozz is pictured next to a large urn, no doubt appropriated from a local cemetery, and there are several snaps of him lying on his bed which reveals a shrine behind it. James is holding a candle while George grasps a crystal ball in their individual shots. Meanwhile Rikk had spotted a petrified cat and when it was his turn to pose in front of the camera he didn't hesitate to pick it up. It has become one of Edward Colver's most well-known photographs and Rikk would call the cat Henry, although, being another gift from his father, Rozz had already named it Pam.

An apartment at The American Hotel became available and Rozz and Ron took up residency and had moved in by February 1982. They made the most of having a place of their own for the first time and they covered the bedroom walls entirely with pages from the Bible and hosted many parties for their friends, including one for Ann Miller who had flown in from the East Coast where she now lived. This was certainly a fulfilling time in Rozz's life with the record soon to be released and friends all around him. Christian Death performed at Godzilla's in Sun Valley on February 12, a show which was headlined by Bad Religion. Ron had just been released from jail following an altercation with an undercover police officer that resulted in Ron pulling out a knife. Edward Colver was on hand and this time elected to take some color images - something which he very rarely did as he always preferred the look of black and white photography. The group really made an effort to dress up for this concert; Rozz actually wore a coyote's skull in his hair, perhaps another gift from his father? George was finding the imagery difficult as the physical exertions of playing the drums made the makeup run and was constantly getting in his eyes, so he told them that he would no longer wear any. Additionally he chose to wear a bowling shirt and it was becoming obvious that he was starting to distance himself from the rest of the band.

The Whisky A-Go-Go hosted the long awaited return of Castration Squad on February 18, 1982, with Voodoo Church as their support act. Fronted by Dave Grave and Tina Winter, Voodoo Church had been around since the previous summer and had already recorded a demo tape, a copy of which Dave had given to Rozz, and appeared on Night Flight's New Wave Theatre. It was this performance on the USA Network's music program that bought Voodoo Church to the attention of Rick Van Santen, who booked artists for the Whisky at that time. They were starting to make a name for themselves, and whether or not they considered themselves as competition for Christian Death's crown, they certainly upped the ante that Thursday evening. Six pallbearers carried a coffin from the back of the venue to the stage, which had been decorated with wreaths, flowers and a large cross - all taken from Hollywood Memorial Park. Emerging from the coffin, and wrapped head to toe in a shroud, Dave was then positioned by the microphone and had the sheet removed before he began to sing. Out from his mouth fell live earthworms onto the people standing at the front of the audience, among them being Rozz and Ron, who were not pleased by the practical joke, as they felt it was aimed at them. This is mentioned because exactly one week later, on  February 25, 1982, Frontier Records held a showpiece at the Whisky for their two most recent signings - Choir Invisible and Christian Death - and it was a performance that shocked and thrilled in equal measure. Choir Invisible had been formed after the break-up of The Flyboys, who had been Frontier's very first signing and record release in May 1980. Their long association with the label, together with the fact that their eponymous debut album had already been released the previous November, meant that they were chosen to be the headliners. It was the Whisky's policy back then to have the bands play two short sets each, one starting at 9 P.M. and the other at midnight. Tommy Lee and Nikki Six of Motley Crue were among the audience. Wishing to surpass the previous week's Voodoo Church spectacle, Ron had been given the task to design the set, which he remembers to be "the most elaborate Christian Death show that I worked on, a sort of gothic ritual." To this end, the stage was decked out in a sea of flowers, taken from a number of cemeteries in the days preceding the show, and James and George made a large wooden cross. The band looked stunning, although for reasons of comfort, George elected for the same attire as the previous show at Godzilla's. Rikk now has his stunning Kramer Gene Simmons Axe for the first time. Both Ron and Eva are part of the performance: Ron recites poetry and speaks in tongues before the band starts and Eva provides backing vocals. The set finishes with "Resurrection - Sixth Communion", during which Rozz leaves the stage and goes upstairs to the balcony where he undresses and covers himself in a shroud, during which, the wooden cross is moved to the center of the stage. As the sound of ‘Prayer’ is played on the P.A.system, Ron carries Rozz down the flight of stairs, then through the audience to the stage, where Eva has been serving Communion to audience members. Ron binds Rozz to the cross with cords and cloth and then takes out a straight razor and makes deep cuts in both palms to replicate stigmata. Many people watching these events were appalled including the owner of the Whisky, Mario Maglier - the "King of the Sunset Strip" - who vowed never to book them again. On the stage Rozz has now been placed into a dress and an oversized, grotesque clown head that belonged to Eva while Ron anointed worshippers with Rozz's blood. The members of Voodoo Church immediately took umbrage at what they perceived as Rozz and Ron stealing their stage show, though perhaps they were more annoyed that Christian Death had pushed the boundaries further than they ever dared to. Although relationships between the two bands were never quite as strained as they made out, it was all good for publicity and indeed the rivalry was commented upon in the L.A. Dee Da gossip column.

Super Heroines recorded their debut album, Cry for Help, in March at Fiddler's Recording Studio in Hollywood for Bemisbrain Records. One of the songs, "Convicts", was about Eva's relationship with Rozz, the lyrics including the line "Let's spend the rest of time as if we were in a womb and you're my flesh, you're my twin."

George had become frustrated at the spiraling drug-use of the band; an ever-increasing number of sycophants and groupies affecting the group’s dynamics; and was also concerned about the even darker direction that Rozz wanted to take the music. Posh Boy label owner, Robbie Fields' invited George to become Black Flag's new drummer, to replace Robo, who had been detained in the U.K. following issues with his visa, however this offer was declined as he wanted to stay loyal to his bandmates. However, George was soon asked by the others to leave Christian Death, to which he now reflects on that decision to not accept the Black Flag position as "the biggest mistake of my life" and his "one true regret". A vacancy did shortly arise for the job behind the drum kit for Voodoo Church, but despite informal discussions on the matter and even an announcement in L.A. Dee Da that George had indeed joined "the competition", nothing came of it. George has maintained a strong interest in playing music, most notably as a member of Motorpsycho and is now a retired Sergeant for the Camden County, Missouri, Sheriff's Office, where he was awarded a life-saving medal in 2017 for discovering, rescuing and saving the life of an elderly man.

Only Theatre of Pain was released on March 27, 1982 to much anticipation. Local record stores sold out of their allocation within days, so Lisa had to press more to meet the demand. The press release by Frontier pointed out that Christian Death had formed prior to the emergence of 'gloom boom' bands such as 45 Grave, Bauhaus and Misfits and refers to the events of the recent Whisky A Go-Go performance, before describing the experience of listening to the album as a "visit to the psychosexual underworld you may never want to escape". Reviewers were mostly kind, if not sometimes a little confused. Ralph Traitor in the April 17, 1982 issue of the U.K. weekly music magazine, Sounds, provides a good example, commenting that, "the music scurries and writhers like a mangled ant, cold, remote and consistently repressive, a veritable hammered house of horror full of jerking drums, distortion-embalmed spirals of cutting guitar and the charming swansong of singer Rozz, who must rinse daily with bleach, she sings like her tonsils are facing a death sentence, a soulless groan that is wrenching enough to unhinge doors." Other reviews, like that in Calendar on  April 25, 1982. Although complimentary to the music, describing it as compelling and inventive', was less impressed with Rozz's lyrics and vocal style by often reducing the album to being a "baroque camp joke". It wasn't just the deathrock community buying the album though, as the record had come to the attention of the Southern Baptist community and soon televangelists such as Jerry Falwell Sr. were denouncing it as the work of the Devil; smashing and burning copies all over the country. Naturally this only served to make Only Theatre of Pain even more popular. Rozz said that the album 'was basically a reaction to what I was hearing from my parents, and exorcising that'. Christian Death were the 'in' band in Los Angeles at this very brief moment in time, with Rozz now a star, which would have been uncomfortable for this shy, socially awkward young man.

Rod "China" Figueroa had recently moved from Ventura to Los Angeles with his partner Karin. Having played drums in a band called Hidden Agenda, which had featured Mikaleno Amundson on guitar, China was now on the lookout for an opening and started bumping into Steve Darrow at Mystic Sound Studio on Selma Avenue, where The Decadents - now known simply as The Decadent to avoid confusion with another Californian band of the same name -.were recording a demo. So China contacted Rozz and James and was promptly installed as Christian Death's new drummer even before any rehearsals had taken place.   

Cult record store Vinyl Fetish, located along the very popular Melrose Avenue in Hollywood, was host to the record release party on Saturday, April 10, 1982, this being the Great Sabbath as Easter fell the following day. Lisa had once worked at the store so was able to use that connection. Diane Zincavage designed the flyer for the event, calling it Resurrection Saturday, which would include the obligatory record signing and the band 'dispensing cheery Easter thoughts' and it also served as China's introduction to the fans, who were queueing all around the block to get in. Rozz arrived a few hours late and headed straight to the restroom and bolted the door. When eventually coaxed out by the record store's co-owner Joseph Brooks, Rozz had sprayed blood all over the wall. There was tension in the air as George had turned up to the shop, rightfully saying that he should be there rather than China since it was actually him playing on the album. To add to this ill-feeling was Dave Grave seeking some retribution for what he saw as Rozz's refusal to speak with or to even acknowledge him since the Whisky A Go-Go shows in February, with Rozz dismissing any notion of rivalry between their two respective bands because Voodoo Church "were no competition (for them)”. Dave had intended to place a dead Rottweiler on Rozz but was thwarted by the store's security personnel and had to resort to leaving it on the car that Rozz had arrived in. As the store was beginning to close up, Rozz was pre-occupied browsing through records, when Dave rushed in and cut off a lock of Rozz's hair with a razor. His intention was to use it in some voodoo of his own. Both Rozz and Dave agreed there and then to end the feud and start to act civil to each other. Steve drove Rozz and Ron away to a private party at Casey Cola's apartment in Downtown L.A.

With rehearsals now successfully taking place, the new Christian Death played two shows a week apart. The first of these was at San Diego Adams Avenue Theatre on April 23 supporting The Cramps, where they received quite a volatile reception from the mainly punk crowd. A review of the concert describes how fights broke out during the set between the band and some members of the audience. James performs with his new Kramer Vanguard Flying V bass for the first time. The band traveled north to San Francisco for the other gig on April 29, the band's first performance in the city. This time they were supporting Dead Kennedys at On Broadway. In an interview with the Exploit fanzine conducted that evening, Rikk says there are plans to go on a full U.S. tour in July and August with the Adolescents.

Sometime in early summer the band went into Crimson Sound studios in Santa Monica, which had formerly been called Brother Studios and had been established by Brian, Carl, and Dennis Wilson of The Beach Boys. The intention was to record demos for the second album that was due to Frontier as part of the original contract. Rozz wanted to make the sound even darker than the debut. Rikk had suggested naming the next record The Second Coming. However, only two songs would come out from the time spent in the studio, the original version of "Sleepwalk" and an experimental noise piece called "Art", later entitled "Invocation III". Certainly had recordings progressed the second album would likely to have included "Working on Beyond", "Trials" and "Into the Light" (then known as "Ghosts in the City of Glass"), all of which had been included in setlists at that time. "Skeleton Kiss" had fallen out of favor by now and was no longer part of the band's repertoire.

Christian Death performed at Al's Bar on May 21, 1982 with Super Heroines as their support. Rozz wore his hair as liberty spikes for the final time, after starting to do so at the April gigs.

New Wave Theatre had invited Christian Death to appear on their program and plans were under way to go on a national tour to promote the album. Rikk was concerned by Rozz and Ron's excessive heroin use and feared that they would get busted while on the road and the whole band thrown into jail. Frustrated that recording for the second album had not continued, everything came to a head. Although the rehearsal for their performance went without problem, Rikk had a meltdown just prior to the actual filming itself in Florentine Gardens on Hollywood Boulevard and stormed out of the building, hiding behind a trash can in the parking lot. His brother, Frank, found him and together they drove home without speaking to the rest of the band. Rikk would quickly pick himself up and head back in to the studio, recording a solo album in which he wrote, sang, and played all the instruments on all but one of the songs; a track co-written with Frank. Rikk had already written the majority of the tracks for the Adolescents' second album before he was asked to leave the band. The album, titled, All by Myself, was produced and mixed by Thom Wilson, the cover was shot by Edward Colver and was released by Frontier to wide acclaim in October 1982.

Their television appearance canceled due to Rikk's departure, Christian Death were now on the search for a replacement guitarist and Rozz asked China whether he knew anyone who was available. China had a recording of a jam session that he and Mikaleno had done back in Ventura and played it for Rozz, who was suitably impressed. Following a few practice sessions with Mikaleno, he was invited to become a member of the band. He quit his job and moved with his partner to Los Angeles where they stayed with China and Karin in the same apartment block that Eva was then living. "Cabin Chair" was the only new song that emerged from the rehearsals and was incorporated into the live set. Mikaleno's tenure as Christian Death's guitarist was a brief one however, lasting only a couple of months due to a falling out between his partner and Karin, and it was considered best that he move on. He played in World Zero for a spell and has been in and out of bands ever since but now works repairing guitars at his shop in Silver Lake, Los Angeles.

Eva was also having band issues around the time of the release of Cry for Help, and there was growing tension between all three members; exacerbated by the fact that Eva and Del Mar had developed a relationship. Super Heroines and The Decadent played a show together on  July 13, 1982 at The Grandia Room on Melrose Avenue. Eva was taken aback by Jill Emery's energetic performance because she would often roll around on the floor when playing her bass. When Sandra quit the group a short time later, Eva had no hesitation contacting Jill to ask her to join, which Jill was willing to do on the provison that Steve be their drummer. This actually wasn't a problem for Eva since Del Mar wanted to move on to pursue other interests and Steve was a more experienced and natural drummer. Unfortunately, it meant that The Decadent had to stop. The music became a lot heavier, influenced by early Black Sabbath. Eva and Jill formed a relationship and lived together at The American Hotel.

A Little Hard to Swallow ends Rozz's initial foray into experimental music.  Made in 1982, Rozz returned to some of the sounds and live recordings included in the two earlier Premature Ejaculation works and edited them in with many new recordings and samples. He had become more confident in his abilities, and as a result A Little Hard to Swallow is much more structured than its predecessors and can be considered the first truly classic Premature Ejaculation recording. It consists of a long sequence of untitled tracks spread over two sides of a cassette. Rozz had obviously intended for the music to be enjoyed as a continuous listening experience rather than for each piece to be listened to in isolation. It also incorporates the use of samples and there are some vocalization and spoken word sequences as well as live jams. It was eventually released by Malaise Music in 2010.

China married Karin that summer and Rozz was their maid of honor, however there was trouble now in Rozz and Ron's own relationship. After a couple of painful break-ups and reconciliations, they had to accept that their great love affair had run its course and that a final separation was the only option. Ron reveals that he attempted suicide again a number of times during that period, culminating in him slitting his wrist in the bathtub. Fortunately Rozz and their roommate Stephanie Pulford discovered him in the nick of time and managed to save his life. They would go their separate ways after this and Ron would pursue his interest in performance art and is now widely regarded as one of the most important, influential and without doubt, controversial performance artists of our time.

It was during this period that Rozz first met Valor Kand, who struck him to be a most interesting individual. Valor fronted Pompeii 99 and Rozz expressed an appreciation for their debut album, Look at Yourself, which had recently been released on the band's own Nostradamus label and distributed by Greenworld - the forerunner to Enigma Records. Valor invited Rozz along to the record release party which was being held in Santa Monica. Described as a 'surrealist party', Rozz and Valor discussed musical, religious and philosophical ideas. Valor had started working for Goldenvoice Productions and was charged with booking shows and they agreed on the idea for Pompeii 99 and Christian Death to perform together and even the possibility of touring Europe and Japan together. The first of these shows was an event called The Great Sabbat on October 30, 1982. Christian Death were now without a guitarist for the second time in a few months so Eva agreed to step into the role on a temporary basis. Held at Studio Instrument Rentals (SIR), located along Sunset Boulevard, the venue was within a large music complex that also included rehearsal rooms and recording studios. Valor knew the owner of SIR and booked the show himself. English punk band Angelic Upstarts were the headliners, and Pompeii 99, Christian Death and Battalion of Saints the supporting acts. Since Valor had made the booking, he ensured that Pompeii 99 went on after Christian Death. The photographs taken by Linda Aronow show Rozz with a startling new look which was given to him by his friend Seal Sanchez as part of her cosmetology class. They decided to cut the sides of his hair into a blonde flattop and leave the center as a long mowhawk. It took Seal most of the day to remove all of the black from the short side sections.

Rozz returned to live with his parents and enrolled at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, which is six miles west of Pomona. He attended writing and poetry classes there and once read out the lyrics to one of the songs on Only Theatre of Pain. It wasn't too well received by his fellow students leading to their lecturer asking that they not be too critical of his work. In response to a fan letter posted November 8, 1982 Rozz mentions Ron as his ex-boyfriend and that there were still plans at this late stage to tour the country. He describes himself as nineteen years of age, 5' 6" tall, 115 lbs in weight, he drank champagne and vodka while heroin and morphine were his drugs of choice and among the list of his favorite bands the lesser known ones were Seal of Severence, Mau-Maus, NON and S.P.K.

Christian Death and Super Heroines played together for the final time at the Anti-Club on Melrose Avenue on November 13, with Eva again providing her guitar services to Rozz. The setlist saw the inclusion of an early version of "Face" (the lyrics are similar to the recorded version but the music is different) and a song that remained unrecorded called "Snakepit". It would appear to be about a female murderer, with Rozz singing, "You left me twisted on your mother's sheets. I knew when I met you that you hated men."  Five songs from this performance have been officially released on the Invocations CD and Eva's Past Time compilation. Not only would Rozz rub shoulders with Jill and Steve again that evening at the Anti-Club, but Rozz also dedicates a song to Mary Torciva who is there celebrating her birthday. Also in attendance was George Belanger, his first time seeing Christian Death perform since his departure earlier in the year, and this time the mood was cordial. Rozz had also personally requested that Seal of Severence be the support act. With Del Mar now their drummer, this was only their second concert and also proved to be their last despite a positive reaction from the crowd. Rozz would remain good friends with the band's founder, Chris Parker, for the rest of their lives.

James McGearty had moved in with China and Karin by this point, and they persuaded Rozz to recruit not just one but two guitarists. The new members were Michael Montano, who was from New Mexico and was another one of China's friends, and Johnnie Sage Ammentorp, who played a 1979 Gibson Les Paul Custom. Johnnie was born in 1961 in Chicago and had been playing around Los Angeles with the Mau-Maus since 1980.  This new line-up is only known to have performed together once, in Hermosa Beach on December 3, 1982 at The Cove Theatre; originally the Bijou Cinema, which had first opened its doors in 1923. Valor had booked the venue on behalf of local college radio station KXLU because it had two theaters and therefore was capable of hosting two shows simultaneously. 45 Grave and Christian Death would play on one stage while Twisted Roots and Pompeii 99 had the other. A single ticket allowed access to both theaters. Although no recording of Christian Death's set is known to exist we do have Linda Aronow's photographs which show Rozz wearing grey slacks and platform shoes and people who attended confirm that they sounded less deathrock and more guitar rock, but fell short of the glam rock that Rozz still loved. Although Johnnie recalls going into the studio with James, no tapes have survived.

Pompeii 99 were themselves invited to appear on New Wave Theatre and they recorded their performance at Florentine Gardens on December 14, 1982 although no footage survives of this appearance.

Rozz was feeling disillusioned by the rock 'n' roll direction the band were heading in; with any plans for a second album and a U.S. tour now abandoned, Christian Death broke up in early 1983. James formed heavy metal band Dark Age, where he went by the moniker of Jimmy Thaiger. They released their self-titled mini-LP in 1984 on Gnarly Records and it was distributed by Greenworld and is the only record that the label put out. It was recorded by Randy Burns and Steve Sinclair was the executive producer. Given that Bemisbrain ceased operations around this time it can be assumed that Gnarly Records was set up specifically for Dark Age. The group would continue until 1986 until disbanding and James would then step away from playing music. Meanwhile Johnnie, Michael and China formed Noise God and recorded a few songs at Mystic Sound Studio in Hollywood, with one song "She Had No Shadow" being released in 1984 on Mystic Records Sampler #1. They then formed Slaughterhouse 5 and recorded again at Mystic's studios, with the song "Second Generation" being released on the Mystic Sampler It Came From Slimy Valley in 1984. Johnnie was then offered the position of lead guitarist with trash rockers The Joneses before retiring from music altogether in 1986. Michael Montano would join Bruce Duff's Jesters of Destiny in 1986 before leaving the following year.

TO BE CONTINUED…