MICKEY LEIGH
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| BIRDLAND: Matty Quick, Mickey Leigh, David Merril (front) Lester Bangs (Photo by Roberta Bayley) |
It was at New York's "CBGB's" that guitarist Mickey Leigh and Lester Bangs formed BIRDLAND. Birdland played over 100 shows over the next few years with various musicians backing them before adding David Merrill on bass and Matty Quick on drums. It was this quartet that recorded Birdland's one and only album. Bassist David Merrill was working on the renovation of New York's ELECTRIC LADY studios and had the keys to the building. BIRDLAND was able to sneak into the studio on April Fools Day, 1979 for a somewhat illegal recording session. Internal conflict within the band forced Birdland to break up two months after that session. The master tapes were misplaced and found years later. Mickey came up with enough money to release the album by selling ads on the back of the album cover. It was finally released in 1985 as a tribute to one of the pioneers of rock and roll "gonzo" journalism.
* LESTER BANGS wrote for Rolling Stone, Village Voice and Cream magazines, He was the subject of the biography called "Let It Blurt - The Life and Times of America's Greatest Rock Critic" by Jim DeRogatis and is portrayed in the movie "Almost Famous" by Phillip Seymour Hoffman
After Birdland's demise, Mickey Leigh took over the lead vocal spot. and he, Matty Quick and David Merril reformed as THE RATTLERS, adding Billy Baillie on keyboards and vocals. Dave U. Hall eventually replaced David Merril on bass. The Rattlers had instant critical acclaim. Bridging the musical gap between The Who and The Sex Pistols, The Rattlers often would outshine the bands they opened up for which Included The Clash, The B52s, The Stranglers. The Buzzcocks and Joan Jett & the Blackhearts.
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| The RATTLERS: Mickey Leigh, Billy Baillie, Dave U. Hall, Matty Quick |
The Rattlers eventually went their separate ways and Mickey then formed his next band, CROWN THE GOOD with himself on guitar and backing vocal, Steven Sane on bass and lead vocals and Whitey Benezra on drums.
"I was at some "Rock against something or another" benefit at CBGB.s in December of 1990. At the time, I was the booking agent and promoter of BLACK CAT, one of NYC's top rock clubs and I had to attend the show. After several hours of really bad music and self serving speeches by the endless parade of guest hosts I was on my way out the door when it hit me. A wall of sound like none I'd heard before. It was Crown The Good. I turned around expecting to see a six piece band and three were missing! A power trio? How could this be? Crown the Good put forth Rock rhythms that could make Pete Townsend blush with envy. With an anger and energy that other bands would kill to have. They brought the entire club to whispered hush when they played their haunting "With Our Blood" and then made them get up and dance to "Don't Be So Strange". I stayed for their entire set but couldn't stay to meet them, I had another "Let's do a benefit so we can feel self-important" event I had to go to. I left CBGBs with one thing on my mind, Crown The Good!" - Harry Slash:
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| Steven Sane, Whitey Benezra, Mickey Leigh |
A few months later, Harry Slash "took over' the booking of talent at the New York City Rock Club "the space at chase" and Crown The Good became a staple in the club's band rotation. A great admirer of Mickey Leigh's guitar playing, Harry Slash gave Crown The Good the preverbal "Keys To The Stage". They could come in and play anytime they wanted. Crown The Good performed throughout the US and Canada 'till Whitey Benezra quit the band in December of '92.
In January of 1993 Mickey Leigh teamed up with ex-Dictators frontman "Handsome" Dick Manitoba to form THE PLUG UGLIES. It was on that fateful night of March 27th, 1993, the night that Harry & The SLASHTONES were to make their first and last appearance that the Pug Ugglies made their first and last appearance. The Slashtones would continue on as a band, evolving into a satirical "comic-rock & pop-culture mash-up band".
On March 30th of 1994 Mickey played with The Slashtones at New York City's 'Rock Ridge Saloon' during the final night of the bands' "JazzTones". The Slashtones performed Mickey Leigh's song "Dont Be So Strange" with Mickey on lead guitar, rather fitting considering the Slashtones' bizzare nature. Harry Slash then invited Mickey Leigh to join The Slashtones full time as the bands fourth guitar player for their upcoming 'Slashtones Orchestra'. At the time, Mickey had reformed and retooled Crown The Good as STOP with Steven Sane on bass and Pat Carpenter on drums. Mickey rehearsed with The 12 member 'Slashtones Orchestra' but conflicting performance schedules forced Mickey to step down from playing with The Slashtones to concentrate on STOP.
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| Steven Sane, Mickey Leigh, Pat Carpenter |
STOP performed throughout the U.S. and England and released one CD on SMUT Peddlerz Records in 1998.
Mickey Leigh had briefly passed through the doors of "Slashland' once again in 1996, this time joining in on vocals during a live performance of The Slashtones' "Rockin' Gorilla", but Mickey finally joined the band as a full member and lead guitarist in 1999. "Harry Slash & The Slashtones" had undergone a radical change in it's direction from it's comic-rock roots in 1997, The band was now a diverse, studio based beat-driven techno-industrial-metal band with elements of Middle Eastern and Japanese music infused together. Beginning in 1997, their work was heavily featured on the National and Syndicated television show, "ECW EXtreme Championship Wrestling." (The comic rock version only did two more very low key acoustic shows in NY in '97 and '98 before Harry Slash retired the concept.) By 1999, Slash was growing tired of the minimalist studio band that relied heavily on multi-tracked keyboards and guitars. Harry Slash then retooled The Slashtones, bringing in Mickey Leigh to replace Roderick Kohn as his co-writer and lead guitarist. They, along with fellow band members Arno Hecht and Steve "Budgie" Werner (and rotating studio guests Steve Bondy, Even Steven Levee, Ritchie Scarlet and Frank Sannutto) produced a very cool cross between the sound of "Los Lobos" and "Temple Of The Dog" with a heavy Punk and Surf influence as well. Several of those songs ended up on ECW television shows and PPVs, including "El Guerrero Nomad" ("The Wandering Warrior:). the theme music for Mexican wrestling sensation SUPERCRAZY. (During this time, Mickey Leigh also recorded a series of TV promos for Nickelodeon's "Angry Beavers" and "Hey Arnold" programs.)
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This version of The Slashtones would only perform live once in January of 2001 at CBGBs in NYC, co-headlinging with "The Dictators" and "Thor" for Punk Magazine's 25th Aniversery celebration. The live band consisted of Harry Slash on voacls, Mickey Leigh on guitar, Arno Hecht on saxophone and Steve "Budgie" Werner on drums with guitarist Roderick Kohn (who had since been brought back to the band) and newcomer Rawn Randell on bass. The set consisted primarily of their ECW music including the songs "This Is Extreme!", "Huka Blues" and "El Guerrero Nomad", but included a new untitled song, a cover of Patty Smiths "Babelogue" and "My Hillbillies" (The Who's "My Generation" meets "The Beverly Hillbillies") from The Slashtones comedy period. This was not intended to be a one time performance but ECW went under and ceased operations a short time later and Harry Slash put The Slashtones on hiatus
On April 15, 2001, Mickey Leigh's brother Joey Ramone passed away after losing a fight to Lymphoma. Mickey's time then became consumed with running The Joey Ramone Lymphoma Fund charities and benefits.
(Harry Slash revived the comedic band as "The ("New Original") Slashtones" (Harry Slash, Arno Hecht, Roderick Kohn, Tony Moore & Steve "Budgie "Werner) to perform live at the "Joey Ramone Birthday Bash/Lymphoma Fund Benefit" in 2004 and 2005 and as "The Slashtones (13)" (Harry Slash, Roderick Kohn, Tony Moore, Steve "Budgie "Werner & Felix Hanemann) for 2006.)
Mickey Leigh would make a brief return to The Slashtones in late 2007, joining in on guitar on The Slashtones' version of the classic KISS.song "Detroit Rock City", released on the Kiss Tribute CD "Lick It Up" in 2008.
Band Members: Harry Slash - Arno Hecht - Steve "Budgie" Werner - Felix Hanemann - Mark Hitt
Auxiliary Squad: Gregg Gerson ~ Taso Karras ~ Mickey Leigh ~ Even Steven Levee ~ Tony Moore - Joe Lynn Turner