Lydia Lunch pays tribute to Stiv Bator(s)

On 2 June 1990, Stiv Bator of the Dead Boys, The Wanderers and Lords of the New Church unexpectedly died in Paris after being hit by a car. At the end of the month I held a benefit to raise money for his parents to help with the cost of their trip to France for the funeral, which was a great success. I did an interview with punk pioneer/poet/performance artist Lydia Lunch for VidMag-TV and asked her to give us a tribute to Stiv.

[@demcanulty]

This is very touching, and very beautiful, and it's nice to hear her deliver a eulogy for Stiv as a kind of impromptu performance, as though she wants to these feelings and memories last as meaningfully as possible for the recording. The iggy pop tribute is also just wonderful. Thank you for preserving and sharing these.

[@dirtypearl]

Lydia forever, RIP Stiv

[@VidMagTV]

Hister, Stiv and the Dead Boys were originals. The Ramones 'discovered' them and arranged for them to play CBGB, where they went on to become one of the more successful American punk bands. You may love them but you need to do more research before making comments. I was around them frequently from 1979 to 1981- including half a Dozen sold-out shows at the Whisky A-Go-Go in LA one weekend in January 1981 and I have to completely disagree having been there all along the way - through all their incarnations (and The Wanderers and the Lords, of course).

[@VidMagTV]

Well, that's as may be Steve, but given that she IS a poet and performance artist (I recorded this when she performed here - along with a full interview), it's not surprising she's rather verbose. But I can relate, too, because I can be too sometimes :D

[@edwardcarmody3336]

"I need Lunch".

[@TimBoykinGuitar]

❤

[@stoogefan138]

Super!!

[@Hister333]

@markwasthere Actually, the Dead Boys are one of my all-time favorite bands, and I own all the LOTN records, and his first solo album. I dunno why I said that, unless I was listening to a lot of Iggy...

[@markwasthere]

@Hister333 eh c'mon man, Stiv was great

[@VidMagTV]

Actually that was January 1980.

[@Shikta-poobah67]

Can’t make out a damn thing she said, except “St. Marks Place” and “Iggy & The Stooges tape”.

[@PAULLONDEN]

Mother Mary & Joseph, ....This could do with fucking subtitles , while miss Lunch could do with a pair of cheeck bones...

[@Hister333]

Love the Dead Boys, hate this woman. She not only innovated nothing, she contributed nothing. Same goes for Stiv, but at least he didn't lie to himself about it.

[@thiscorrosion900]

Well, that's total nonsense. I love The Dead Boys and even more so most of Stiv's solo music, The Wanderers, and much of the Lords stuff as well. To say he contributed nothing is pure ignorance.