Lydia Lunch
Encyclopedia
Lydia Lunch is an American
singer, poet
, writer
, and actress whose career was spawned by the New York No Wave
scene. The Boston Phoenix
named Lunch "one of the 10 most influential performers of the 1990s."
Her work typically features provocative and confrontational delivery and has maintained an anti-commercial ethic, operating independently of major labels and distributors.
from Rochester at the age of 13 in 1973 with what she described having nothing but "a small red suitcase, a winter coat, and a big fucking attitude." Lunch moved into a communal household of artists and musicians in NYC, including Kitty Bruce, daughter of Lenny Bruce
. She soon earned the surname
"Lunch" by stealing lunches for her often starving artist friends. After befriending Alan Vega
and Martin Rev
at Max's Kansas City
, she founded the short-lived but influential No Wave
band Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, with James Chance
. Both Teenage Jesus and the Jerks and The Contortions, Chance's subsequent band, played on the seminal No Wave compilation No New York
, produced by Brian Eno
. Lunch later appeared on two songs on James White and the Blacks album, Off-White.
She appeared in two films by directors Scott B and Beth B. In the Black Box (1978) she played a dominatrix, and in Vortex (1983) she played a private detective named Angel Powers. During this time, she also appeared in a number of films by Vivienne Dick
, including She Had Her Gun All Ready (1978) and Beauty Becomes The Beast (1979), co-starring with Pat Place.
In the mid-'80s she formed her own recording and publishing company called "Widowspeak" on which she continues to release her own material, from music to spoken word
.
Lunch's solo career featured collaborations with musicians such as J. G. Thirlwell
, Kim Gordon
, Thurston Moore
, Nick Cave
, Marc Almond
, Billy Ver Plank, Steven Severin
, Robert Quine
, Sadie Mae, Rowland S. Howard
, Michael Gira
, The Birthday Party
, Einstürzende Neubauten
, Sonic Youth
, Oxbow
, Die Haut
, Omar Rodriguez-Lopez
, Black Sun Productions
, and French band Sibyl Vane, who put one of her poems to music. She also wrote, directed and acted in underground film
s, sometimes collaborating with underground filmmaker and photographer Richard Kern
and more recently has recorded and performed as a spoken word artist, again collaborating with such artists as Exene Cervenka
, Henry Rollins
, Juan Azulay, Don Bajema, Hubert Selby Jr., and Emilio Cubeiro, as well as hosting spoken-word performance night The Unhappy Hour at the Parlour Club
. Additionally, she has authored both traditional books and comix (with award-winning graphic novel artist Ted McKeever
).
Lunch released her studio album Smoke in the Shadows in November 2004 through Atavistic Records
and Breakin Beats after a six-year break from music. Nels Cline
, the lead guitarist of alternative rock band Wilco
, was featured on the album. Smoke in the Shadows was met with positive reviews by Allmusic, PopMatters
, and Tiny Mix Tapes
.
Lunch formed the band Big Sexy Noise in 2009 with James Johnston and Terry Edwards
(both members of the band Gallon Drunk
). A six-track eponymous EP was released on June 1, 2009 through Sartorial Records. The EP included a cover of Lou Reed
's song "Kill Your Sons" and "The Gospel Singer," a song co-written with Kim Gordon
.
and mental health problems. Time Out New York gave it a favorable review, while Bookslut ambiguously concluded "It’s to the reader to determine whether Lunch’s study goes deeper than that, or if instead, it’s a kind of literary and philosophical repetition compulsion, a reprisal of greatest hits from male nihilists, sexual adventurers and chroniclers of deviance." PopMatters
called it a "brutal but boring and predictable circus, about which Lunch shows no emotions. Only fatigue seems to have given her pause." Other reviewers praised Lunch's candor while expressing reservations about her prose.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer, poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, and actress whose career was spawned by the New York No Wave
No Wave
No Wave was a short-lived but influential underground music, film, performance art, video, and contemporary art scene that had its beginnings during the mid-1970s in New York City. The term No Wave is in part satirical word play rejecting the commercial elements of the then-popular New Wave genre...
scene. The Boston Phoenix
The Phoenix (newspaper)
The Phoenix is the name of several alternative weekly newspapers published in the United States by Phoenix Media/Communications Group of Boston, Massachusetts including the Boston Phoenix, the Providence Phoenix, the Portland Phoenix and the now-defunct Worcester Phoenix...
named Lunch "one of the 10 most influential performers of the 1990s."
Her work typically features provocative and confrontational delivery and has maintained an anti-commercial ethic, operating independently of major labels and distributors.
Biography
Lydia Lunch moved to New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
from Rochester at the age of 13 in 1973 with what she described having nothing but "a small red suitcase, a winter coat, and a big fucking attitude." Lunch moved into a communal household of artists and musicians in NYC, including Kitty Bruce, daughter of Lenny Bruce
Lenny Bruce
Leonard Alfred Schneider , better known by the stage name Lenny Bruce, was a Jewish-American comedian, social critic and satirist...
. She soon earned the surname
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
"Lunch" by stealing lunches for her often starving artist friends. After befriending Alan Vega
Alan Vega
Alan Vega For several years other sources stated that he was born in 1948 – see 'Myth' section is an American vocalist, primarily known for his work with electronic protopunk duo, Suicide...
and Martin Rev
Martin Rev
Martin Rev is an American musician and the instrumentalist in the electronic proto-punk band, Suicide. He also has a solo career and has released several solo albums for a number of labels, including ROIR and Puu...
at Max's Kansas City
Max's Kansas City
Max's Kansas City was a nightclub and restaurant at 213 Park Avenue South, in New York City, which was a gathering spot for musicians, poets, artists and politicians in the 1960s and 1970s.-Origin of name:...
, she founded the short-lived but influential No Wave
No Wave
No Wave was a short-lived but influential underground music, film, performance art, video, and contemporary art scene that had its beginnings during the mid-1970s in New York City. The term No Wave is in part satirical word play rejecting the commercial elements of the then-popular New Wave genre...
band Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, with James Chance
James Chance
James Chance, also known as James White , is an American saxophonist, songwriter and singer....
. Both Teenage Jesus and the Jerks and The Contortions, Chance's subsequent band, played on the seminal No Wave compilation No New York
No New York
No New York is a compilation album released in 1978 by Antilles Records under the curation of producer Brian Eno. Although it only contained songs by four different artists, it is considered by many to be the definitive single album documenting New York City's late-1970s No Wave...
, produced by Brian Eno
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
. Lunch later appeared on two songs on James White and the Blacks album, Off-White.
She appeared in two films by directors Scott B and Beth B. In the Black Box (1978) she played a dominatrix, and in Vortex (1983) she played a private detective named Angel Powers. During this time, she also appeared in a number of films by Vivienne Dick
Vivienne Dick
Vivienne Dick is an Irish experimental and documentary filmmaker.She was born in Dublin but moved to the United States in the 1970s. In the U.S., Dick became active in No Wave film culture and produced a series of Super8 short films. Many of her films were staged around well-known New York City...
, including She Had Her Gun All Ready (1978) and Beauty Becomes The Beast (1979), co-starring with Pat Place.
In the mid-'80s she formed her own recording and publishing company called "Widowspeak" on which she continues to release her own material, from music to spoken word
Spoken word
Spoken word is a form of poetry that often uses alliterated prose or verse and occasionally uses metered verse to express social commentary. Traditionally it is in the first person, is from the poet’s point of view and is themed in current events....
.
Lunch's solo career featured collaborations with musicians such as J. G. Thirlwell
J. G. Thirlwell
James George Thirlwell , aka Clint Ruin, aka Frank Want, aka Foetus, is an Australian vocalist, composer and record producer...
, Kim Gordon
Kim Gordon
Kim Althea Gordon is an American musician, vocalist, artist, record producer, video director and actress. She has sung and played bass and guitar in the alternative rock band Sonic Youth, and in Free Kitten with Julia Cafritz...
, Thurston Moore
Thurston Moore
Thurston Joseph Moore is an American musician best known as a singer, songwriter and guitarist of Sonic Youth. He has also participated in many solo and group collaborations outside of Sonic Youth, as well as running the Ecstatic Peace! record label...
, Nick Cave
Nick Cave
Nicholas Edward "Nick" Cave is an Australian musician, songwriter, author, screenwriter, and occasional film actor.He is best known for his work as a frontman of the critically acclaimed rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, established in 1984, a group known for its eclectic influences and...
, Marc Almond
Marc Almond
Marc Almond is an English singer-songwriter and musician, who originally found fame as half of the seminal synthpop/New Wave duo Soft Cell...
, Billy Ver Plank, Steven Severin
Steven Severin
Steven Severin , is an English musician, composer, bassist and co-founding member of Siouxsie and the Banshees....
, Robert Quine
Robert Quine
Robert Wolfe Quine was an American guitarist, known for his innovative guitar solos.A native of Akron, Ohio, Quine worked with a wide range of musicians, though he himself remained relatively unknown in comparison...
, Sadie Mae, Rowland S. Howard
Rowland S. Howard
Rowland Stuart Howard was an Australian rock musician, guitarist and songwriter, he played electric guitar in the post-punk group The Birthday Party. Howard died of liver cancer in December 2009, aged 50 years....
, Michael Gira
Michael Gira
Michael Rolfe Gira is an American musician, author, and artist. He is the main force behind the recently reformed New York City musical group Swans and fronts the Angels of Light...
, The Birthday Party
The Birthday Party (band)
The Birthday Party were an Australian rock band, active from 1973 to 1983.Despite being championed by John Peel, The Birthday Party found little commercial success during their career...
, Einstürzende Neubauten
Einstürzende Neubauten
Einstürzende Neubauten is a German post-industrial band, originally from West Berlin, formed in 1980. The group currently comprises Blixa Bargeld , Alexander Hacke , N.U...
, Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
, Oxbow
Oxbow (band)
Oxbow is a long-lived Avant-Garde band out of San Francisco, California notable for a unique sound. Oxbow plays a blend of Noise rock, Avant-garde jazz, Musique concrète , and Blues, creating soundscapes caustic, or plangent, with overtones of paranoia, revulsion, exaltation.-Current line-up:*Dan...
, Die Haut
Die haut
Die Haut were an experimental German post-punk post-rock band, who enjoyed some local success in the Berlin of the 1980s and 1990s, with one record where Nick Cave was involved in the mixdown, Burnin' The Ice...
, Omar Rodriguez-Lopez
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez
Omar Alfredo Rodríguez-López is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer, writer, actor and film director who was born in Bayamón, Puerto Rico...
, Black Sun Productions
Black Sun Productions
Black Sun Productions is the project of sound, visual and performance artists & activists Massimo & Pierce.-Biography:Black Sun Productions is the project of sound, visual and performance "artivists" Massimo & Pierce, also known as the Anarcocks....
, and French band Sibyl Vane, who put one of her poems to music. She also wrote, directed and acted in underground film
Underground film
An underground film is a film that is out of the mainstream either in its style, genre, or financing.-Definition and history:The first use of the term "underground film" occurs in a 1957 essay by American film critic Manny Farber, "Underground Films." Farber uses it to refer to the work of...
s, sometimes collaborating with underground filmmaker and photographer Richard Kern
Richard Kern
Richard Kern is a New York underground filmmaker, writer and photographer. He first came to underground prominence as part of the underground cultural explosion in the East Village of New York City in the 1980s, with erotic and experimental films featuring underground personalities of the time...
and more recently has recorded and performed as a spoken word artist, again collaborating with such artists as Exene Cervenka
Exene Cervenka
Exene Cervenka is an American writer, musician and artist, most famous as the co-lead vocalist of the Los Angeles punk rock band X.-Career:...
, Henry Rollins
Henry Rollins
Henry Rollins is an American singer-songwriter, spoken word artist, writer, comedian, publisher, actor, and radio DJ....
, Juan Azulay, Don Bajema, Hubert Selby Jr., and Emilio Cubeiro, as well as hosting spoken-word performance night The Unhappy Hour at the Parlour Club
Parlour Club
The Parlour Club was a venue located on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood, California and managed by Andrew Gould. Among its notable events included the speakeasy-themed night Bricktops, series of spoken-word sessions The Unhappy Hour , and performance art night Touché .- Notable...
. Additionally, she has authored both traditional books and comix (with award-winning graphic novel artist Ted McKeever
Ted McKeever
-Career:McKeever first professional work appeared in 1987, when he published the first five parts of his unfinished series Transit , establishing his trademark style. This was followed in 1987-1988 by his 12-part series Eddy Current. This "12-hour book" centers on an escapee from an asylum...
).
Lunch released her studio album Smoke in the Shadows in November 2004 through Atavistic Records
Atavistic Records
Atavistic Records is an American rock and jazz record label based in Chicago, Illinois, known particularly for its No Wave and free jazz recordings. It has released albums by Glenn Branca, Nels Cline, Lydia Lunch, Peter Brötzmann, various Ken Vandermark projects, Pinetop Seven, Swans, Elliott...
and Breakin Beats after a six-year break from music. Nels Cline
Nels Cline
Nels Cline is an American guitarist and composer, currently the lead guitarist of alternative rock band Wilco. David Carr of the New York Times describes Cline as "one of the best guitarists in any genre."-Career:...
, the lead guitarist of alternative rock band Wilco
Wilco
Wilco is an American alternative rock band based in Chicago, Illinois. The band was formed in 1994 by the remaining members of alternative country group Uncle Tupelo following singer Jay Farrar's departure. Wilco's lineup has changed frequently, with only singer Jeff Tweedy and bassist John...
, was featured on the album. Smoke in the Shadows was met with positive reviews by Allmusic, PopMatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
, and Tiny Mix Tapes
Tiny Mix Tapes
Tiny Mix Tapes is an online music and film webzine that focuses primarily on new music and related news. In addition to its reviews, it is noted for its subversive, political, and sometimes surreal news, as well as its mix tapes generator.-History:Originally called Tiny Mixtapes Gone to Heaven and...
.
Lunch formed the band Big Sexy Noise in 2009 with James Johnston and Terry Edwards
Terry Edwards
Terry Edwards is an English musician.Edwards gained a degree in music from the University of East Anglia in 1982, where he was also a founding member of The Higsons. He produced and played on the debut album by Yeah Jazz "Six Lane Ends"...
(both members of the band Gallon Drunk
Gallon Drunk
Gallon Drunk are an English band formed in London in 1988. Their swamp rock sound contains a variety of influences, from punk to jazz and the novels of Derek Raymond , and is noted for its dark subject matter.-Biography:...
). A six-track eponymous EP was released on June 1, 2009 through Sartorial Records. The EP included a cover of Lou Reed
Lou Reed
Lewis Allan "Lou" Reed is an American rock musician, songwriter, and photographer. He is best known as guitarist, vocalist, and principal songwriter of The Velvet Underground, and for his successful solo career, which has spanned several decades...
's song "Kill Your Sons" and "The Gospel Singer," a song co-written with Kim Gordon
Kim Gordon
Kim Althea Gordon is an American musician, vocalist, artist, record producer, video director and actress. She has sung and played bass and guitar in the alternative rock band Sonic Youth, and in Free Kitten with Julia Cafritz...
.
Literature
In 1997 Lunch released Paradoxia, a loose autobiography, in which she documented her early life, sexual history, substance abuseSubstance abuse
A substance-related disorder is an umbrella term used to describe several different conditions associated with several different substances .A substance related disorder is a condition in which an individual uses or abuses a...
and mental health problems. Time Out New York gave it a favorable review, while Bookslut ambiguously concluded "It’s to the reader to determine whether Lunch’s study goes deeper than that, or if instead, it’s a kind of literary and philosophical repetition compulsion, a reprisal of greatest hits from male nihilists, sexual adventurers and chroniclers of deviance." PopMatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
called it a "brutal but boring and predictable circus, about which Lunch shows no emotions. Only fatigue seems to have given her pause." Other reviewers praised Lunch's candor while expressing reservations about her prose.
Music
- No New YorkNo New YorkNo New York is a compilation album released in 1978 by Antilles Records under the curation of producer Brian Eno. Although it only contained songs by four different artists, it is considered by many to be the definitive single album documenting New York City's late-1970s No Wave...
, Teenage Jesus and the Jerks (compilation Antilles 1978) - Babydoll b/w Freud In Flop, Teenage Jesus and the Jerks (7" / Lust/Unlust, 1979)
- Try Me b/w Staircase, Beirut Slump (7" / Lust/Unlust, 1979)
- Orphans b/w Less of Me, Teenage Jesus and the Jerks (7" / Migraine, 1979)
- Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, Teenage Jesus and the Jerks (LP / Migraine, 1979) originally released on pink vinyl
- Pink, Teenage Jesus and the Jerks (12" / Lust/Unlust, 1979)
- Pre-Teenage Jesus, Teenage Jesus and the Jerks (12" / ZE, 1979)
- Off WhiteOff WhiteOff White is a 1979 No Wave album by James White, also known as James Chance.-Side one:# "Contort Yourself" – 6:15 # "Stained Sheets" – 5:51# " Heat Wave" – 3:55...
, James White and the Blacks (LP / ZE, 1979; also credited as Stella Rico) - Queen of Siam, solo (LP / ZE, 1979)
- Diddy Wah DiddyDiddy Wah Diddy"Diddy Wah Diddy" is a song written by Willie Dixon and Ellas McDaniel—known as Bo Diddley—and recorded by the latter in 1956. Over the years, the song has been covered by many bands and artists, including The Astronauts, Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band, The Remains, The Twilights, Taj Mahal,...
b/w Dead Me You B-Side, 8-Eyed Spy8-Eyed Spy8-Eyed Spy was a late 1970s No Wave/Post-punk band featuring Lydia Lunch, Jim Sclavunos, Pat Irwin, Michael Paumgardhen and George Scott III. They covered the Swamp rock classic "Run Through the Jungle" by Creedence Clearwater Revival and Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit"...
(7" / Fetish, 1980) - 8-Eyed Spy, 8-Eyed Spy8-Eyed Spy8-Eyed Spy was a late 1970s No Wave/Post-punk band featuring Lydia Lunch, Jim Sclavunos, Pat Irwin, Michael Paumgardhen and George Scott III. They covered the Swamp rock classic "Run Through the Jungle" by Creedence Clearwater Revival and Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit"...
(LP / Fetish, 1981) - Live, 8-Eyed Spy8-Eyed Spy8-Eyed Spy was a late 1970s No Wave/Post-punk band featuring Lydia Lunch, Jim Sclavunos, Pat Irwin, Michael Paumgardhen and George Scott III. They covered the Swamp rock classic "Run Through the Jungle" by Creedence Clearwater Revival and Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit"...
(cassette / ROIRROIRROIR , or Reach Out International Records, is a New York City-based record label founded in 1979 by Neil Cooper.ROIR was founded the same year that the Sony Walkman launched, and initially, the label exclusively distributed its releases in cassette format...
, 1981) - Devil Dogs (live in Italy / unreleased, 1981)
- 13.13, solo (LP / Ruby RecordsRuby RecordsRuby Records was a record label subsidiary of Slash Records, started in 1981.Ruby was distributed through the same independent distributors that handled its corporate parent, Slash. When Warner Bros...
, 1981) - The Agony is the Ectasy, solo (split 12" EP w. The Birthday PartyThe Birthday Party (band)The Birthday Party were an Australian rock band, active from 1973 to 1983.Despite being championed by John Peel, The Birthday Party found little commercial success during their career...
/ 4AD, 1982) - Some Velvet MorningSome Velvet Morning"Some Velvet Morning" is a psychedelic pop song written by Lee Hazlewood and originally recorded by Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra in late 1967. It first appeared on Sinatra's album Movin' with Nancy, the soundtrack to her 1967 television special of the same name. The song has been covered many times...
, w. Rowland S. HowardRowland S. HowardRowland Stuart Howard was an Australian rock musician, guitarist and songwriter, he played electric guitar in the post-punk group The Birthday Party. Howard died of liver cancer in December 2009, aged 50 years....
(12" EP / 4AD, 1982) - Der Karibische Western, Die HautDie hautDie Haut were an experimental German post-punk post-rock band, who enjoyed some local success in the Berlin of the 1980s and 1990s, with one record where Nick Cave was involved in the mixdown, Burnin' The Ice...
(12" EP, 1982) - Thirsty Animal, Einstürzende NeubautenEinstürzende NeubautenEinstürzende Neubauten is a German post-industrial band, originally from West Berlin, formed in 1980. The group currently comprises Blixa Bargeld , Alexander Hacke , N.U...
(12" EP, 1982) - Boy-Girl, Sort SolSort SolSort Sol is a pioneer rock band from Copenhagen, Denmark. The band was formed in 1977 as a punk rock outfit, originally under the name Sods. Despite drastic changes in the group's line-up, their current name, which translates to English as black sun, has remained with them since the early 1980s...
(7", 1983) - Dagger & Guitar, sort SolSort SolSort Sol is a pioneer rock band from Copenhagen, Denmark. The band was formed in 1977 as a punk rock outfit, originally under the name Sods. Despite drastic changes in the group's line-up, their current name, which translates to English as black sun, has remained with them since the early 1980s...
(LP, 1983) - In Limbo, w. Thurston MooreThurston MooreThurston Joseph Moore is an American musician best known as a singer, songwriter and guitarist of Sonic Youth. He has also participated in many solo and group collaborations outside of Sonic Youth, as well as running the Ecstatic Peace! record label...
(12" EP / Widowspeak, 1984) - Death Valley '69Death Valley '69"Death Valley '69" is a song by the American alternative rock band Sonic Youth and is the eighth and final track on their 1985 album Bad Moon Rising. The song was written and sung by Thurston Moore and fellow New York musician Lydia Lunch, and recorded and produced by Wharton Tiers in July 1984...
, w. Sonic YouthSonic YouthSonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
(7", 1984) - The Drowning of Lucy Hamilton, w. Lucy HamiltonLucy HamiltonLucy Hamilton was a member of the No Wave band Mars. She also played piano and bass clarinet on the Lydia Lunch album The Drowning of Lucy Hamilton.-References:...
aka China Berg of MARSMars (band)Mars was a New York City No Wave band formed by vocalist Sumner Crane in 1975. He was joined by China Burg , Mark Cunningham , and artist Nancy Arlen , and briefly by guitarist Rudolph Grey. The band played one live gig under the name China before changing it to Mars...
(12" EP / Widowspeak, 1985) - A Dozen Dead Roses, No Trend (LP, 1985)
- Heart of Darkness, w. No Trend (10" EP / Widowspeak, 1985)
- Death Valley '69, w. Sonic YouthSonic YouthSonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
(12", 1986) - Hysterie, compilation of recordings 1976-1986 (LP, 1986 / Widowspeak Records)
- The Crumb, w. Thurston MooreThurston MooreThurston Joseph Moore is an American musician best known as a singer, songwriter and guitarist of Sonic Youth. He has also participated in many solo and group collaborations outside of Sonic Youth, as well as running the Ecstatic Peace! record label...
(12" EP / Widowspeak, 1987) - Honeymoon In RedHoneymoon In RedHoneymoon In Red is a concept album released in 1987 as a Lydia Lunch album. Honeymoon In Red is sometimes referred to as a band or alternately as a collaboration between Lydia Lunch and The Birthday Party.-Music:...
, w. members of The Birthday PartyThe Birthday Party (band)The Birthday Party were an Australian rock band, active from 1973 to 1983.Despite being championed by John Peel, The Birthday Party found little commercial success during their career...
(LP, 1987) - StinkfistStinkfist (EP)Stinkfist is a collaborative EP from Clint Ruin and Lydia Lunch. This outing from the ex-Immaculate Consumptive bandmates was originally released as a 12" in 1987 on Lunch's Widowspeak label...
, w. Clint RuinJ. G. ThirlwellJames George Thirlwell , aka Clint Ruin, aka Frank Want, aka Foetus, is an Australian vocalist, composer and record producer...
(12" EP, 1987) - Naked In Garden Hills, Harry CrewsHarry Crews (band)Harry Crews was a short-lived hardcore / Thrash / No Wave band made up of Lydia Lunch , Kim Gordon and Sadie Mae . Their one album, Naked in Garden Hills, released in 1989, was a compilation of live recordings at clubs in London, UK and Austria...
(1987) - Don't Fear the ReaperDon't Fear the Reaper (EP)Don't Fear the Reaper, the second EP from the duo of Clint Ruin and Lydia Lunch, finds the pair taking on classic covers and new songs in equal measure...
, w. Clint RuinJ. G. ThirlwellJames George Thirlwell , aka Clint Ruin, aka Frank Want, aka Foetus, is an Australian vocalist, composer and record producer...
(12" EP, 1991) - Shotgun Wedding, w. Rowland S. HowardRowland S. HowardRowland Stuart Howard was an Australian rock musician, guitarist and songwriter, he played electric guitar in the post-punk group The Birthday Party. Howard died of liver cancer in December 2009, aged 50 years....
(CD, 1991) - King of the Jews, w. OxbowOxbow (band)Oxbow is a long-lived Avant-Garde band out of San Francisco, California notable for a unique sound. Oxbow plays a blend of Noise rock, Avant-garde jazz, Musique concrète , and Blues, creating soundscapes caustic, or plangent, with overtones of paranoia, revulsion, exaltation.-Current line-up:*Dan...
(LP/CD, 1991) - A Girl Doesn't Get Killed by a Make Believe Lover...'cuz its Hot!, w. My Life With the Thrill Kill KultMy Life With the Thrill Kill KultMy Life with the Thrill Kill Kult is an American electronic industrial rock band originally based out of Chicago, Illinois.-History:...
(CDS, 1991) - Head On, Die HautDie hautDie Haut were an experimental German post-punk post-rock band, who enjoyed some local success in the Berlin of the 1980s and 1990s, with one record where Nick Cave was involved in the mixdown, Burnin' The Ice...
(CD / Triple X, 1992) - Sweat, Die HautDie hautDie Haut were an experimental German post-punk post-rock band, who enjoyed some local success in the Berlin of the 1980s and 1990s, with one record where Nick Cave was involved in the mixdown, Burnin' The Ice...
(CD / Triple X, 1992) - Twisted, solo (7", 1992)
- Unearthly Delights, solo (7", 1992)
- Transmutation + Shotgun Wedding Live in Siberia, w. Rowland S. HowardRowland S. HowardRowland Stuart Howard was an Australian rock musician, guitarist and songwriter, he played electric guitar in the post-punk group The Birthday Party. Howard died of liver cancer in December 2009, aged 50 years....
(CD, 1994) - Everything, Teenage Jesus and the Jerks (CD re-issue/ Atavistic, 1995)
- Luncheone, 8-Eyed Spy8-Eyed Spy8-Eyed Spy was a late 1970s No Wave/Post-punk band featuring Lydia Lunch, Jim Sclavunos, Pat Irwin, Michael Paumgardhen and George Scott III. They covered the Swamp rock classic "Run Through the Jungle" by Creedence Clearwater Revival and Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit"...
(CD re-issue/ Atavistic, 1995) - No Excuse b/w A Short History of Decay, w. Lee RanaldoLee RanaldoLee M. Ranaldo is an American singer, guitarist, writer, record producer, and visual artist, best known as a co-founder of the alternative rock band Sonic Youth...
) (7" / Figurehead, 1997) - The Desperate Ones, w. Glyn StylerGlyn StylerGlyn Styler is a New Orleans-based vocalist in the tradition of Scott Walker, Leonard Cohen, Iggy Pop, and Laura Nyro.Glyn Styler is a character created by Brent Newman, a reclusive, middle-aged mattress salesman who lives an alter ego in New Orleans nightclubs where he can become suspended in time...
) (CD EP / Atavistic, 1997) - York (First Exit To Brooklyn), w. The Foetus Symphony Orchestra (CD, 1997)
- Matrikamantra, solo (CD, 1997)
- Widowspeak: The Original Soundtrack, solo best-of compilation (2CD / NMC, 1998)
- Smoke In The Shadows, solo (CD / Atavistic, 2004)
- Omar Rodriguez-Lopez & Lydia LunchOmar Rodriguez-Lopez & Lydia LunchOmar Rodriguez Lopez & Lydia Lunch is a collaboration between Omar Rodriguez Lopez Group and spoken word artist Lydia Lunch. The EP was released on October 8, 2007 in Europe....
, w. Omar Rodriguez-LopezOmar Rodriguez-LopezOmar Alfredo Rodríguez-López is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer, writer, actor and film director who was born in Bayamón, Puerto Rico...
(EP / Willie Anderson Recordings 2007) - Big Sexy Noise, w. James JohnstonJames JohnstonJames Johnston may refer to:*James Johnston , Scottish Secretary of State*James William Johnston , Canadian politician and judge*James Finlay Weir Johnston , chemist...
, Terry EdwardsTerry EdwardsTerry Edwards is an English musician.Edwards gained a degree in music from the University of East Anglia in 1982, where he was also a founding member of The Higsons. He produced and played on the debut album by Yeah Jazz "Six Lane Ends"...
, Ian WhiteIan WhiteIan White may refer to:* Ian H. White, first Van Eck Professor of Engineering* Ian White , BBC presenter* Ian White , English darts player* Ian White , Canadian ice hockey player...
(CD / Sartorial Records, 2009) - Bowery Bass, w. Leklo (White Label, 2010)
- Trust The Witch,w Big Sexy Noise (CD / Le Son Du Maquis, 2011)
- Lydia Lunch & Philippe Petit – In Comfort, 2011, Vinyl, 12", Picture Disc, cz007 Comfortzone
Spoken word
- Better An Old Demon Than A New God, Giorno Poetry Systems comp. f/ William S. BurroughsWilliam S. BurroughsWilliam Seward Burroughs II was an American novelist, poet, essayist and spoken word performer. A primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major postmodernist author, he is considered to be "one of the most politically trenchant, culturally influential, and innovative artists of the 20th...
, Psychic TVPsychic TVPsychic TV or PTV, is a video art and music group that primarily performs psychedelic, punk, electronic and experimental music...
, Richard HellRichard HellRichard Hell is a singer, songwriter, bass guitarist, and writer.Richard Hell was an innovator of punk music and fashion. He was one of the first to spike his hair and wear torn, cut and drawn-on shirts, often held together with safety pins...
and others (1984) - The Uncensored, solo (1984)
- Hard Rock, solo (split cassette w. Michael GiraMichael GiraMichael Rolfe Gira is an American musician, author, and artist. He is the main force behind the recently reformed New York City musical group Swans and fronts the Angels of Light...
/ Ecstatic Peace, 1984) - Oral Fixation, solo (12", 1988)
- Our Fathers who Aren't in Heaven, w. Henry RollinsHenry RollinsHenry Rollins is an American singer-songwriter, spoken word artist, writer, comedian, publisher, actor, and radio DJ....
, Hubert Selby Jr. and Don Bajema (1990) - Conspiracy of Women, solo (1990)
- South of Your Border, w. Emilio Cubeiro (1991)
- POW, solo (1992)
- Crimes Against Nature, solo spoken-word anthology (Tripple X/Atavistic, 1994)
- Rude Hieroglyphics, w. Exene CervenkaExene CervenkaExene Cervenka is an American writer, musician and artist, most famous as the co-lead vocalist of the Los Angeles punk rock band X.-Career:...
(Rykodisc, 1995) - Universal Infiltrators, (Atavistic, 1996)
- The Devil's Racetrack (2000)
- Flood Stains, w. Juan Azulay (2010)
Actress
- She Had Her Gun All Ready, directed by Vivienne DickVivienne DickVivienne Dick is an Irish experimental and documentary filmmaker.She was born in Dublin but moved to the United States in the 1970s. In the U.S., Dick became active in No Wave film culture and produced a series of Super8 short films. Many of her films were staged around well-known New York City...
(1978) - Guerillere Talks, directed by Vivienne Dick (1978)
- Rome '78, directed by James Nares (1978)
- Black Box, directed by Scott and Beth B (1979)
- Beauty Becomes the Beast, directed by Vivienne Dick (1979)
- The Offenders (1979–1980)
- Liberty's Booty (1980)
- Subway Riders, directed by Amos PoeAmos PoeAmos Poe is a New York City director and screenwriter, described by The New York Times as a "pioneering indie filmmaker."-Career:Amos Poe is one of the first punk filmmakers and his film The Blank Generation —co-directed with Ivan Kral— is one of the earliest punk films...
(1981) - The Wild World of Lydia Lunch, directed by Nick ZeddNick ZeddNick Zedd is an American filmmaker and author based in New York City. He coined the term Cinema of Transgression in 1985 to describe a loose-knit group of like-minded filmmakers and artists using shock value and black humor in their work...
(1983) - Like Dawn to Dust, directed by Vivienne Dick (1983)
- Vortex, directed by Scott and Beth B (1983)
- Submit to Me, directed by Richard KernRichard KernRichard Kern is a New York underground filmmaker, writer and photographer. He first came to underground prominence as part of the underground cultural explosion in the East Village of New York City in the 1980s, with erotic and experimental films featuring underground personalities of the time...
(1985) - The Right Side of My Brain, directed by Richard Kern (1985)
- Fingered, directed by Richard Kern (1986)
- Submit to Me Now, directed by Richard Kern (1987)
- Mondo New YorkMondo New YorkMondo New York is a 1988 Mondo film directed by Harvey Nikolai Keith.-Overview:Mondo New York examines the lives and activities of Manhattan performance artists, and features Joey Arias and Rick Aviles. A number of New York City denizens appear in various sketches, each linked by a young woman's...
(1987) - Penn & Teller's Invisible Thread (1987)
- Penn & Teller's BBQ Death Squad (198?)
- Penn & Teller's Cruel Tricks for Dear Friends (1990)
- Kiss Napoleon Goodbye, directed by Babeth vanLoo (1990)
- The Road to God Knows Where (1990)
- Thanatopsis, directed by Beth B (1991)
- Visiting Desire (1996)
- Power of the Word (1996)
- The Heart Is Deceitful Above All ThingsThe Heart Is Deceitful Above All ThingsThe Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things is a 2004 film directed by and starring Asia Argento. It is based on JT LeRoy's novel of the same name...
(2004) - Kill Your Idols (2004)
- Psychomentsrum (unreleased)
- Godkiller: Walk Among Us (2010) (Voice Role)
Composer
- The Offenders (1980)
- Vortex (1983) (W/John Lurie, Adele Bertei, Pat Place, Beth B and Scott B)
- The Right Side of My Brain (1985)
- Goodbye 42nd Street (1986)
- Fingered (1986)
- I Pass for Human (2004)
- Flood stains (2010)
Subject
- The Wild World of Lydia Lunch (1983)
- Penn & Teller's Cruel Tricks for Dear Friends (1987)
- Put More Blood into the Music (1987)
- The Gun is Loaded (1988–1989)
- The Road to God Knows Where (1990)
- Malicious Intent (1990)
- The Thunder (1992)
- Totem of the Depraved (1996)
- Paradoxia (1998)
- Lady Lazarus: Confronting Lydia Lunch (2000)
- Kiss My Grits: The Herstory of Women in Punk and Hard Rock (2001)
- DIY or Die: How to Survive as an Independent Artist (2002)
- Kill Your Idols (2004)
Narrator
- American Fame Part 1: Drowning River Phoenix, dir. Cam Archer (2004)
- American Fame Part 2: Forgetting Jonathan Brandis, dir. Cam Archer (2004)
- Wild Tigers I Have KnownWild Tigers I Have KnownWild Tigers I Have Known is a 2006 film written and directed by Cam Archer. The film premeried at the Sundance Film Festival. The film tells the story of a thirteen-year boy, Logan, played by Malcolm Stumpf, who enters into a relationship with an older boy, Rodeo. Logan's friend, Joey, was played...
, dir. Cam Archer (2005)
Plays
(both written, acted, directed and produced with Emilio Cubeiro)- South of Your Border (1988)
- Smell of Guilt (1990)
Books
- AS-FIX-E-8 (1990 with Mike MatthewsMike MatthewsMichael Scott Matthews is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who pitched from to . Matthews graduated from Woodbridge Senior High School in Woodbridge, Virginia....
) - Bloodsucker (1992 with Bob Fingerman)
- Incriminating Evidence. Last GaspLast GaspLast Gasp is a book and underground comix publisher and distributor based in San Francisco, California.- History :Founded in 1970 by Ron Turner to publish the ecologically-themed comics magazine Slow Death Funnies, followed by the all-female anthology It Ain't Me Babe, Last Gasp soon became a major...
, 1992 - Adulterers Anonymous. Last GaspLast GaspLast Gasp is a book and underground comix publisher and distributor based in San Francisco, California.- History :Founded in 1970 by Ron Turner to publish the ecologically-themed comics magazine Slow Death Funnies, followed by the all-female anthology It Ain't Me Babe, Last Gasp soon became a major...
, 1996 - Toxic Gumbo (1998 with Ted McKeeverTed McKeever-Career:McKeever first professional work appeared in 1987, when he published the first five parts of his unfinished series Transit , establishing his trademark style. This was followed in 1987-1988 by his 12-part series Eddy Current. This "12-hour book" centers on an escapee from an asylum...
) - Paradoxia: A Predator's Diary. Creation BooksCreation BooksCreation Books is a British publishing house specializing in experimental literature, surrealism, erotic and decadent literature. Creation also publish non-fiction, with books on magic, subcultures, and taboo topics such as suicide and serial killers. They are best known for publishing a number of...
, 1999 - The Gun is Loaded. Black Dog PublishingBlack Dog PublishingBlack Dog Publishing is a British publishing company specialising in illustrated non-fiction books on contemporary culture. Topics covered by Black Dog include architecture, art, craft, design, environment, fashion, film, music and photography....
London UK, 2007 - Will Work for Drugs. AkashicAkashic BooksAkashic Books is a Brooklyn-based independent publisher. Akashic Books' collection began with Arthur Nersesian's THE FUCK UP in 1996, and has since expanded to include Dennis Cooper's "Little House on the Bowery" series , Chris Abani's Black Goat poetry series, and the internationally successful...
, 2009