X 'Degenerate Boy' (1985)

the music video for 'Degenerate Boy' by the Australian band X.

[@skramamme685]

This song basically sums up my entire 20's- listening to bands like this, roaming St Kilda up to no good...always broke, always bent... good times ;)

[@maltasarpeder332]

Oh when the Saints go marching in... ;)

[@tuliptubbs]

My life was the same version in Sydney.....GREAT TIMES...agreed!

[@skramamme685]

@@tuliptubbs no way..League of Gentlemen avatar? Are you local? great taste indeed

[@bjscorpio4041]

One of the best gigs I ever saw was X playing in front of 20 people.

[@stevelucas3756]

For so.e reason we tended to do our best when it was a quiet night

[@tuliptubbs]

Me too (at the Kardomah Cafe)....my first date with my 30+ year partner. A better memory than some schmaltzy wedding!

[@HonourtheFire]

R.I.P Ian Rilen. Last of the great Rockers. I have fond memories of X live shows in Melbourne in the 80's. I loved the chaos of their gigs. They used to play a lot & pulled large audiences. One X live show I will never forget. I think it was at Melb Uni with Ed Kuepper on the same bill. The sound was thunderous. X were going for it at full throttle when the E string broke on Ian Rilen's bass. The band kept playing. Ian Rilen grabbed an E string from somewhere, re-strung his bass in under a minute & then joined back in with the rest of X before the song finished. He didn't have time to tune it so he joined back in with the bass out of tune & just went for it. Full on.

[@johnfraser4284]

HonourtheFire i remember him breaking two strings in one night at the Kardomah Cafe, Kings Cross in the late 80s or early 90s. He took to his bass with a brick at the end of the night.

[@heatherdaydream]

classic Ian

[@satansalley6526]

Quality.

[@JCSAXON]

I fucking live this song and play it live in Kentucky, U.S. with my drummer at least once a month when local bookers can't find/agree on which local sleazebags should open for some cunts. BEST VIDEO EVER. Kids go apeshit crazy when when we bust this one out and dance like maniacs. We play under the name of "NO COPS" and keep it that way. CHEERS

[@residentenigma7141]

Have you listened to the Mark of Cain version ?

[@JCSAXON]

@@residentenigma7141Not that I recall. I’ll check that out, thanks

[@residentenigma7141]

@@JCSAXON No worries. It's only a nod to the original, but it's ok.

[@stevelucas3756]

Cheers

[@tuliptubbs]

THAT is awesome!

[@namronette]

With respect, X would never have called themselves a punk band. They are a rock n' roll band who were around at the time of the punk explosion and certainly played loud and fast ("Ooh stick it up your revolution, so you think your time is near. Rock n' Roll may be no solution, but that's what I want to hear."). Their roots run deeper than punk and they are more eternal in their appeal.

[@avryptickle]

With respect, the same could be said for half of the punk bands in the world. Remember, that early cbgb scene included talking heads, blondie, television, bands like that. Might not be the first bands you think of when you think of punk. They weren’t all the ramones.

[@eachday9538]

Pre Nirvana grunge

[@residentenigma7141]

@@avryptickle More a contrarian sentiment than a sound, I've always thought.

[@professornuke7562]

Bollocks. Steve Lucas has told me otherwise himself.

[@stevelucas3756]

We were a pub rock band, a rock and roll band, and I suppose in a league of our own, classifiable as punk. We didn't like being called Punk, because we didn't like the association with a lot of other allegedly punk bands.

[@dmg7111]

Hahahahaha... My Ol Dad was a Bouncer there ( Sydney ) Trade Union Club back then .... Aww the stories he's told us... hahahahaha

[@andyq9669]

the bugger probably wouldn't let me in. They used to stomp on my boots to make sure they weren't steel caps...

[@theuptaker]

cathy green is a legend

[@tuliptubbs]

I agree, theuptaker!

[@blodeuedd777]

I wondered where this had gone. It was filmed at the Piccadilly Hotel in Kings Cross and the first time we'd heard Cathy Green play this song since Steve Cafiero died - such a nice bloke.

[@dermotquinn651]

Rage on light the spirits 80's pumping hard testosterone drug cocktails sonic beats n' riff & fuck you attitude IOU. MN

[@stevelucas3756]

Steve Cafiero was a lovely guy. I still miss him incredibly

[@gostrum1]

I was at the Piccadilly. Unforgettable band

[@tuliptubbs]

Sorry to hear that. Cathy Green did an awesome job as their drummer for years, however (still does?!). She's one of my favourite of all time drummers...solid, basic rock beat (never 'showing off' with rolls and 'tricks') and always keeping good time. I modelled my own style on hers.

[@thecanticleofcrom4787]

Kept the Tshirt that came with vinyl and paper bag. Wear it on my birthdays.

[@geoffholmes8152]

Geof Holmes The opening riff on the A chord was written by Geof Holmes and Ian Robert Krahe wrote the counterpoint riff on the D chord that follows it in 1975. First heard in a band called Evil Roomers when they were recorded in 1977. Krahe later used the riffs in X which added the lyrics and chorus when they wrote Degenerate Boy.

[@someroob7915]

A truly beautiful song!

[@JCSAXON]

I used to cover the Easybeats "Sorry" way back and it's the same blues guitar breakup! Surely influenced. I love that

[@tengallonz]

Memories. Went to see them as often as I could when they came down to Melb. PoW, Seaview Ballarrom, the Espy. Them & the Psycho's, outstanding. Great to see & hear these guys again.

[@tengallonz]

Got a copy of that album laying around somewhere as well. Go X!

[@tuliptubbs]

@@tengallonz Yes, we do too...both record and CD (love the old formats- F.O. "Spotify"!!!?....ew!) who do NOT have the full repertoire from X (pretty sure there's no "Dipstick" or punk songs from 70's).

[@henryhawk2904]

Classic Oz rock. Call it what you want but its ours!

[@MrProzacmilkshake]

melbourne baby

[@samdutton]

Remember seeing them at ?Alpha House in Newtown in ?1984. Violent gig, but a great band.

[@Antipodean33]

up my arm it went

[@Catweazel1976]

Of the two punk bands, I'm gonna go with the Aussie band!!! Don't get me wrong, the American X are a great punk too🤘I was lucky enough to see X(the Aussie punk band) at the Espy last month! Needless to say they blew the roof off!!!! And yes, of course they played Degenerate Boy! X f**king rock! 🤘

[@tuliptubbs]

So, so happy to hear they are still playing....must see them!

[@dyr234]

so many good aussie bands

[@tuliptubbs]

Yes, so true and tragically many have only been enjoyed by a handful of people. They only seem to become appreciated through social media decades after they disbanded (or died, unfortunately). It's the Van Gogh story. Fame after decades or demise.

[@teamwobblehead1]

memories...thanks.

[@satansalley6526]

Hell yeah.

[@surface362]

SOO GREAT!

[@licentia1963]

Fun song with video to match!

[@ShlomirBareket]

who made the video, it's a classic, should be in the Australian screen archives!

[@helpstreettrussed11]

A company called Axolotl that did a lot in the 80's made the video.

[@shelleyeburn2614]

+Yuval Legendtofski Axolotl, John Wilkinson and Martin Stauce :) Also did heaps for Mental as Anything, Warumpi Band, MANY MORE. won awards etc.

[@GranthamStreet]

That explains why an axolotl appears at the end of the video. I wondered about that.

[@rhomboidimason7738]

Bang on Yuval. Great name too.

[@onlydogknees]

fuck yeah.

[@kevdev123]

Sometimes, late at night, I can smell my intestines..

[@andrewdalzell99]

Love it 😂

[@ivanvolaric4812]

...last weeks dole check up my arm it went, he he

[@DMSProduktions]

PITY Ian Krahe never lived to see this. X never recovered from his death!

[@stevelucas3756]

It was a tragedy, losing Ian Krahe so young.

[@DMSProduktions]

@@stevelucas3756 Yep! Asthma attack wasn't it?

[@johnbeers5527]

❤

[@BradHabits]

Aztec music has reissued their first 2 albums in the past couple years, shouldn't be too hard to find. check JB hifi or local music stores

[@tuliptubbs]

WOW! Thanks for the information!

[@TheeMikeForce]

This is my Conway Twitty, mom.

[@Nick-hz7vq]

Australian punk band X

[@andyq9669]

The first band I saw when I moved from Perth to Sydney. They set the bar too high for the many bands that followed.

[@tuliptubbs]

I am so surprised how many fans this band has (by reading the comments). I thought I was in a small community of people who love their raw garage-style punk/pub rock. Just listen to their albums and see them live. Brilliant! They are also constantly being covered by newer bands because the songs are so iconic. Every song has an individualistic/eccentric/'warped in a good way' tune that is 'hummable' and lyrics that are simple but clever (irony in abundance). Every song could have been an independent single. Lot's of good bands struggle to have every song being "great". Cheers to all the inner city bands who have used their genius to bring a community together in decades past... (like The Beatles, Easybeats, David Bowie, Lou Reed, The Clash, The Sex Pistols, The Damned, The Cure, Split Enz, The Muttonbirds, Devo, TISM, Paul Kelly, The Models, etc...- an eclectic mix of iconic bands with consistently great songs). Although they never 'made it big', they are 'huge' in our memories. To show this, our modern times of social media has brought endless new fans so that they are 'making it big' across a global community, generation after generation. It shows that our appreciation was warranted! Thank you to all the people who made live music possible from the past.

[@ShlomirBareket]

this video is awesome! It's like if Andy Warhol and Stan Brakhage decided to make a music video! It's better than the video Warhol made for the Cars!

[@catinthehat8412]

did Mark of chain do this song

[@badmuddy]

that's my old girlfriend at the bar (dressed in black), & the singer's ex-wife...

[@grubbanax]

What's the drummer's name?

[@dmg7111]

Steve Cafiero

[@grubbanax]

@@dmg7111 FINALLY! An answer.

[@dmg7111]

@@grubbanax , No sweat Cobber, 8 YEARS ..... 😳, The rest of ya's should be ashamed!!! hahaha

[@rosslynnegibbons]

In this clip Cathy Green, Ian Rilen (RIP) Bass and Steve Lucas guitar vocals

[@dmg7111]

@@rosslynnegibbons Whoops..... I stuffed up & didnt look hard enough..... If your reading this Grubby Grub, checkout this awesome clip, Family From Cuba - Ian Rilen & The Love Addicts, with Green on Bass. kzbin.info/www/bejne/aojYp6CIf7-CnKc

[@leticianischang]

@grubbanax cathy green.

[@mickmangles8000]

they had a residency at the TOTE what year ???

[@stevendugandzic4347]

I meant Potts Point,bloody auto-correct sux!!

[@Spectrescup]

This is everything the left-wing should still be like.Brilliant, socially 'irresponsible', inclusive, not worried about micro-aggressions, artistic, DIY, sexy, and effortlessly superior.

[@dougwhiley4028]

Mark Of Cain do a much better version, with a great video from an Aussie movie.