Another Che Underground archivist joins the ranks, as dancing fool-turned-Spain-based sail stitcher Tom Goddard weighs in with a disc of fabulous flyers and photos from the Tell-Tale Hearts, the Morlocks and more.
Today’s installment marks the first flyers in our collection from the Gravedigger V, the short-lived but hugely influential group who tore it up in 1984, recorded one great album and presaged the Morlocks. (I like the flyer dedicated to Tom’s sister Suzie by GDV drummer Dave “Peter Criss” Anderson, who also created both flyers.)
“Love the Web site,” Tom writes. “It brings back memories that I had totally forgotten and fills in gaps in memories that I only knew half of. People, places, it’s like a kaleidoscope, a mosaic, a time machine of, ‘Yeah, I remember that’ or ‘Why wasn’t I there that night? What was I doing instead?’
“I guess everybody has a piece of the picture, we just have to put it all together. Well, here’s my piece.”
I’m still stunned at how short the Gravedigger V’s career was … It makes me feel very old to realize the whole thing lasted less than a year.
I know I saw them more often than this, but the two shows I remember are a very early house party I attended with Sergio and Wendell — I’ll wager fall 1983 — and a show at the Syndicate. (The GDV at Bodie’s Dive Bar sounds like a crazy hoot, both because of that absurd little stage and the fact that all the members were 17 or younger and the city insisted all performers in bars be 18 or older. How’d you guys manage that?)
I’ve been looking at a lot of old flyers in the course of this project, and I’m pretty sure these are the only two I’ve encountered that represent the Gravedigger V.
Do any of our GDV veterans have a firmer performance chronology?
Gavedigger V…. I guess you could say this band changed my life. I never got to see them, tried but missed them. Reading Crickets post makes me feel real sad I did.
I first heard the record at a North Park party in 84, right after the release and breakup.
As soon as I heard the first notes I was hooked.
This was the sound I had always wanted to hear, what true punk should be. That snarl and reverb……Man-o-man!
I was 13 and not hip to comps like “Back from the Grave” so when I heard the song “HATE” I flipped. I have heard other bands play this song much to my dismay, nobody somes close to getting the sound right as does The V. This song belongs to The V and The Stoics!
My brother bought me a copie of the record a week after hearing it at this party(thanks Sam).
I used to sit in my room for hours singing along perfecting my own sssssnnnnaaaarl.
This band made want to start my own band, and I did.
I had one Gravedigger V Flyer, which was given to me in front of Gelato Vero by Jon or Ted. It was a flyer for the record release. A very pro looking photo copie job, two colors black and red, with cool photo from the back of album on it.
I held on to this flyer for years. It hung on my bedroom wall as a kid. It came up missing years ago. This still bums me out.
I was best Buds with David Anderson (who I cannot pay to get to come to this site, I haven’t figured that out yet) during high school. We had our band I spy with Steve Medico, met Dave F at Shari Gross’ graduation party and played together in the Answers. He became the go to/fill in/ drummer for alot of bands from 1984--1986. I remember a Syndicate show where Dave drummed for the GD5, AND Manual Scan as Brad was a no show, AND had managed to do three flyers and print them in the graphic arts room at Madison High School.
i have more stories and will chime in.
I’m trying to remember where I saw the GDV. Was it somewhere in Point Loma?…was it at John Hanrattie’s house?… I do remember Tom’s ultracool stance and the emergence of the unstoppable force that is Leighton.
And, yes, Dave Anderson deserves unlimited shout outs for general awesomeness, even without the Peter Criss make up.
i was at sheri’s party as well. how funy i havent thought of her in years. a little house in hillcreast. gdv were one of my favorite bands of all time and i cant tell the joy i felt when i first playd the album for my wife and saw her eyes light with maddness. we went record shopping at once to gather all the pebbles and texas punk in the mid 60’s ect. still way up there on my i pod choices. thanks or that magic moment in time guys. and i had forgotten about i spy ! thanks for the reminder.
leighton’s comments before tracks on the gravedigger album are tasty little nuggets in time…
“let’s get rolling you queebs”
totally snotty and obnoxious --
-- that album is still solid in my ipod. gdv had a tight sound-- even by garage standards. I love love love ted’s guitar style and dave a.’s drums kick ass -- shake it til you break it -- those shows were superduper fun. Like Master Cricket, I got into the texas punk comps that were coming out like hotcakes at the time: acid visions with the stoics and the pandas -oh! yeah!
GDv is my all time favorite from that scene cuz that music has withstood the test of time.
thanks for sharing Tom G.! I remember you and your sister well and was impressed back then that you had other records BESIDES 60’s stuff.
One of the only albums I still possess is my Gravedigger V. It is signed: “Cyndie, you are an ugly, obnoxious bong fart. Love, XXX” I can’t tell if it’s signed by Ted or Leighton, but my money is on Leighton. Tom also signed it, “More insanity as we listen to the Zakery Thaks, August 15, 1985.” Not as poetic, but v. nice.
Cricket/everyone else: My wife and I started hang’n out because of our love of Texas garage, Dutch Beat, ect. All this music I learned about because I was into Gravedigger V, Morlock and The Tell -Tale Hearts.
It’s strange to think that I would not have my wife and son if it were not for these bands.
Music also keeps us together. Kinda cool.
>>It’s strange to think that I would not have my wife and son if it were not for these bands.
Dylan, I believe Leighton put it best: “I coulda been your daddy, but my dog beat me over the fence!” LOL
Seriously … That’s pretty damn cool!
PS: Paul Kaufman, I believe you saw the Gravediggers with me at the Syndicate.
MAtt Rott: POOPSNACK!
Dylan: Did you see the discussion of the time Oscar-winning deaf actress Marlee Matlin signed Leighton’s lyrics at a Morlocks concert? That still makes me laugh hysterically.
Matt: No…? Gotta go to the park will check it out later.
Matthew, you know, if you wanted to badly you could add that bit about Matlin to the actress’s wikipedia page. On second thought, maybe leave out the punch line. Just add the concert as an entry within her chronology. I mean, she was present. It happened. I wonder how this blog itself plays as a cited source? Wikipedia wants its editors to provide citations….
Incidentally, editor, there is an example (above) of a sticky copyeditor issue, perhaps. “Actress’s” vs. “actresses,” n’est-ce pas? They sound the same.