G.G. Allin

• Genre: Old School Punk
• Hometown: New York

About

A showman's showman to the very end, G.G. Allin proclaimed himself Jesus Christ and embarked on a journey to put rebellion back in rock 'n' roll. Allin's early work sounds similar to the Stooges, accented by Allin's high-pitched, quavering vocals. Although obscenity-laden and misogynistic, these early recordings are typical Punk fare and, musically, among Allin's strongest output. By the time Allin released You Give Love a Bad Name in 1997, he had seized the notion that obscenity, when pushed to its limits, was a viable form of art and the only way to make rock 'n' roll dangerous again. Obscene song titles and live shows (which often included defecating on stage, eating his own feces, slicing and dicing himself to bits, and attacking audience members) provide the most convincing evidence of Allin's commitment. Alcohol and drug abuse finally robbed Allin of any semblance of vocal competency, and he died of a drug overdose in 1993.

- Kali Holloway