The Devil's Music 53: Jeff Smith

Cynthia Ross is a musician, writer, poet and spoken word performer. Better known as her stage name Cynthia B-Girl, she’s a punk rock pioneer and one of the earliest of proponents of the underground scene in Toronto, Canada. In 1977, Cynthia and B-Girls singer Lucasta met at post-concert afterparty, and soon after formed The B-Girls. Like several bands in those days, The B-Girls basically learned to play onstage. Soon they were traveling back and forth to New York City, for monthly shows atCBGB; They opened for Blondie, toured with The Clash and were huge in Japan. In this episode, Cynthia and hostess Pleasant Gehman discuss New York’s Lower East Side punk scene, women in punk, the B-Girls’ career, and Cynthia tells wild stores about Stiv Bators, Johnny Thunders, The Ramones and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joe Pompeo is a senior correspondent at Vanity Fair and an author. His first book “Blood And Ink: The Scandalous Jazz Age Double Murder That Hooked America on True Crime” was a New York Times Book Review Best True Crime pick of 2022. He’s also written for The New Yorker, New York Magazine, and many other publications. He's also a longtime super-fan and admirer of the early L.A. punk scene. In this episode, Joe and hostess Pleasant Gehman discuss the murder of Jane King, an aspiring actress who fell prey to The Hillside Stranglers. Because Jane was dating Rick Wilder of The Berlin Brats and Mau Maus, she frequented The Masque, Hollywood’s infamous underground punk club. Like the Black Dahlia, who became more famous after death than in life, Jane’s tragic death is also the subject of an article Joe wrote for the 30th Vanity Fair Hollywood Issue titled “Death And The Masque”. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Coyote Shivers is a musician, songwriter and actor. As a rock’n’roll obsessed teenager in Canada, his career was launched when he co-produced the first single for the band Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet. The B-side, Having an Average Weekend, became the theme song for the television show “Kids In The Hall”. Soon he started working in studio for iconic producer Daniel Lanois. After moving to Manhattan in the 90’s, Coyote was cast as Berko in the cult classic Empire Records. The film ends with his song Sugar High, in a duet with Renee Zellweiger. In this episode, hostess Pleasant Gehman and Coyote talk about the shenanigans that went on behind the scenes of the set of Empire Records, stories of opening for Kiss, touring in the UK, and of course, the Ramones Ducks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The extraordinary Melissa St. Hilaire, better known on the internet as American Witch 13 is a witch, psychic medium, Paranormal investigator, writer, cat rescuer and straight up lifelong rock’n’roll chick. She’s also the creator and director of “Secrets Of the Craft” a docuseries on witches which premiered on Dead Air Full Spectrum on Oct. 4, 2023. In this Episode, hostess Pleasant Gehman caught up with Melissa just in time for Samhain- or as non-witches call it, Halloween. In this episode they talk about their shared interests: all things weird and witchy, from astral projection to ghost hunts, from spellcasting and speaking with the dead. They also get into rock’n’roll in a big way. Melissa is absolutely wild about U2 and has even wilder stories about meeting and interacting with Bono and the band over the years. Instagram, Tiktok, X & Facebook: @americanwitch13 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Elisa Jordan is an author, a self-described history geek and the owner/ operator of LA Woman Tours. Born and raised in Los Angeles, as a child she was obsessed with Hollywood, and as an adult, she turned that intense fascination into her livelihood. Her latest book, ”Hello Norma Jean: The Marilyn Monroe You Didn’t Know” will be published November 15, 2023.  In this episode, Elisa and hostess Pleasant Gehman dive into everything from The Doors to 70’s and 80’s punk, the unique relationship between Jayne Mansfield and Church of Satan founder Anton La Vey, and of course, Marilyn Monroe. They explore the darker side of old Hollywood scandals and murders from the silent film era to the Black Dahlia in the 1940s and the 1958 death of Johnny Stompanato, Lana Turner’s mobster boyfriend. www.facebook.comlawomantours Instagram @la_womantours Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Multi-talented Sterling Moon is tarot reader, psychic medium, folk magician, animal communicator, published author and podcaster. Her recent book “Talking Spirits: A Modern Medium’s Practical Advice for Spirit Communication” was published by Llewelyn Books. She also runs The Sterling Moon Divination Academy, teaching classes on the mystical and strange. In this episode, Sterling and hostess Pleasant Gehman discuss everything from her new book, Ouija boards to pet communication, wild things that happened in mediumship sessions, and what it’s like to chat with a spirit who has a crazy sense of humor. Sterling also conducts an actual mini séance on the air. Website: https://www.sterlingmoontarot.com @the_sterling_moon https://www.sterlingmoontarot.com/book-online Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Guitarist Wes Beech was the guitarist for the groundbreaking and totally outrageous Plasmatics and along with singer Wendy O.Williams,was the only permanent band member. He also played in her solo project WOW, as well as with The Accidents, Country Bob & The Bloodfarmers and Shock Therapy. In this episode, Wes and hostess Pleasant Gehman discuss New York’s Lower East Side scene in the late 1970’s in depth. His anecdotes include stories that are like a Who’s Who of NYC punk, including everyone from Patti Smith and Tom Verlaine to The Dictators and Dead Boys. Also: synchronicity, David Lee Roth and “The Wendy Perverts” and insane Plasmatic tour stories.  Website: www.Plasmatics.com Twitter: @WesleyBeech Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Multi-faceted Ashley M. Ryan, known on social media as Pythian Priestess, is an award-winning screenwriter, a tarot reader and a practicing witch. She’s the founder of the Pythian Mystery School as well as creator of the popular podcast “The Occult Unveiled”. In this episode, Ashley and hostess Pleasant Gehman talk about their similar esoteric interests, spiritual practices and dark pop culture. They discuss how discovering Edgar Allan Poe at a young age changed their lives and compare notes on a shared obsession: the unlikely relationship between 1950’s sex symbol Jayne Mansfield and Church Of Satan founder Anton La Vey, chilling paranormal experiences and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joseph Brooks was instrumental in shaping the entire Los Angeles music and club scene for decades. His impeccable musical taste became his job and nowadays, he’d be called an influencer. In 1981, with partner Henry Peck, he opened the groundbreaking alternative record store Vinyl Fetish, known as much for their sarcastic clerks as for the import records they stocked. In store appearances by artists befriended in the UK before they became famous, like Siouxsie And The Banshees, Duran Duran and Depeche Mode put the store on the map. Soon, Joseph and Henry started their first club The Veil, devoted to death rock, which later became known as goth. From there, Joseph either conceived of and/or spun discs at the hottest clubs in town: Fetish, Glam Slam, Sin-A-Matic, English Acid, Cherry and more. In this episode, Joseph and hostess Pleasant Gehman compare notes from the Hollywood underground during the 80’s and 90’s and into the early two thousands. They reminisce about Dee Dee Ramone’s last performance ever at Club Makeup, talk about Hollywood’s early 80’s punk and goth scenes and much more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeff Smith is the founder and singer of the legendary Texas cow punk band The Hickoids. Beloved cult favorites with a rabid following, The Hickoids have been around for almost four decades, playing their singular blend of hallucinogenic-soaked western style insanity and releasing countless records on various labels. Now that things have opened up, The Hickoids are touring again. In this episode hostess Pleasant Gehman and Jeff talk about wild shenanigans in the 1980’s Texas punk scene; rowdy Everclear soaked parties, and drag racing-which is not what the listener might think. Jeff also tells anecdotes about opening for The Butthole Surfers, a police raid at Tex And The Horseheads’ Hollywood band house, and  that time the band thoroughly embarrassed Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth...not to mention the trend of men faking orgasms. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices