GG Allin

Kevin Michael "GG" Allin (August 29, 1956 June 28, 1993) was an American punk rock singer-songwriter who performed and recorded with many punk groups during his career. Allin is best remembered for his notorious live performances which typically featured wildly transgressive acts, such as Allin defecating and urinating onstage, rolling in feces and often consuming excrement, performing naked, committing self-injury, and attacking audience members. Although more notorious for his stage antics than for his music, he recorded prolifically, not only in the punk rock genre, but also in spoken word, country, and more traditional-style rock. His extremely politically incorrect lyrics, which often covered subjects such as misogyny, pedophilia and racism, created varied opinions of him within the highly politicized punk community. Though he had a devoted cult following, Allin's music was often poorly recorded and has received mostly negative reviews from critics.[1][2][3] However, his status as a cult figure is such that a number of bands have covered his songs. Among them, CKY has covered "Bite it you**",the 69 Eyes have covered "Gimme Some Head," Beck has covered "Tough **ing **", and The Lemonheads have covered "Layin' Up With Linda".
Contents
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* 1 Life
o 1.1 Childhood
o 1.2 Early music career
o 1.3 Mid era
o 1.4 1989 trial
o 1.5 Documentary
o 1.6 Death
* 2 Beliefs
* 3 Media
* 4 Discography
* 5 References
* 6 External links

[edit] Life
[edit] Childhood

GG Allin was born as Jesus Christ Allin at Weeks Memorial Hospital in Lancaster, New Hampshire. He was given this messianic name because his father, Merle Colby Allin Sr., then 33 years old, told his wife, Arleta Gunther, then 20 years old, that Jesus Christ himself had visited him and told him that his newborn son would be a great and all powerful man in the vein of the Messiah.[1][4]

His older brother Merle Colby Allin, Jr. was unable to pronounce "Jesus" properly and kept calling him "Jeje", which became "GG". The family lived in a log cabin with no water or electricity in northern New Hampshire. Allin's father, who forbade all conversation in the home after dark, was a religious fanatic and an antisocial man, and was physically abusive towards his wife and children, though GG himself never used this as an excuse for any of his personal troubles. At age 12, Allin contracted Lyme disease and claimed to have never fully recovered from the effects of having the disease at such a young age.

In 1961, Arleta filed for divorce from Merle Sr., as his mental instability was worsening. GG Allin and his brother were from that time raised by their mother and stepfather, and settled in East St. Johnsbury, Vermont in 1966.[1] Arleta changed her younger son's legal name to Kevin Michael Allin on March 2, 1962 during his first year of schooling. Arleta had allowed his birth name to stand until this point, but finally changed it in order to give her son a chance at a normal, mockery-free childhood.

Allin was a poor student at school, being placed in special education classes and having to repeat the third grade. He was regarded as a misfit by his peers and suffered intense bullying from classmates[citation needed]. In his sop**re year he began attending school in drag, which he said was inspired by the New York Dolls[citation needed]. When asked about his childhood, GG has been quoted as saying "Very chaotic. Full of chances and dangers. We sold drugs, stole, broke into houses, cars, etc. Did whatever we wanted to for the most part - including all the bands we played in. People even hated us back then."[5]
[edit] Early music career

Some of Allin's earliest recorded musical endeavors were as a drummer. During high school, he had a penchant for provocative theatrics early on. While performing with his first band at a high school prom, he pulled down the decorations provoking positive reactions from the crowd.

Allin graduated from Concord High School in nearby Concord, Vermont in 1975, and shortly after formed the band Malpractice with several high school friends and his older brother Merle. He was the drummer for Malpractice until the band separated in 1977. He later became the drummer for the band Stripsearch, and was able to write and perform two songs: "Galileo" and "Jesus in New York."

His first years as a frontman were with The Jabbers (1977 April 1984). The Jabbers recorded a number of tracks for which Allin played drums and performed vocals. In 1980 came Allin's debut release, Always Was, Is and Always Shall Be. At the time, Allin was a standard punk rock frontman in the vein of Iggy Pop and Stiv Bators and his music was a catchy, danceable mix of power pop and hardcore punk. He was managed at one point by industry veteran (and The Dead Boys producer) Genya Ravan. Tensions within The Jabbers began to mount as Allin became increasingly uncontrollable, vicious, and uncompromising. The Jabbers discontinued, and the members parted ways. Allin's drug use started during this period.

During the early to mid 1980s, Allin fronted many acts. These included early albums varying from The Cedar Street**s to The**fucs in 1982, and The Texas Nazis in 1985. However, Allin remained in the underground hardcore scene and was not yet a viable icon of the east coast hardcore scene. During these years, his performances in the clubs of Manchester, NH with the Cedar Street**s earned him the nickname of "the madman of Manchester."

Though still a marginal figure, Allin gained wider attention with the release by Reachout International Records (ROIR) of Hated in the Nation (1987), a cassette-only release at the time, which contained several tracks from Allin's then-out-of-print back catalogue with The Jabbers, The**fucs and Cedar Street**s. The tape also featured several new recordings, both in-studio and in-concert, with an all-star band assembled by producer, Maximum RocknRoll columnist, and early Allin patron Mykel Board. This band featured J Mascis of Dinosaur Jr. on lead guitar, and Bongwater record producer/musician Mark Kramer on bass.

Tracy Deneault was a teenage girl Allin began seeing when his wife, Sandra Farrow, divorced him. On March 13, 1986, a daughter was born to Allin and Deneault. Little is known about the child, Nicoann Deneault. It has been speculated that the small picture in GG's left hand at his funeral may have been of Nicoann, though it is most likely a picture depicting Allin himself at a younger age.[6] Allin and Tracey Deneault never married.
[edit] Mid era

By the mid to late 1980s, Allin was addicted to heroin and alcohol and generally abused any intoxicants provided to him, sometimes taking pills without even asking what they were. His hygiene was atrocious and he only rarely bathed. At this point, Allin also began eating laxatives before performances - as defecation was becoming a regular stage act. Allin described himself as "the last true rock and roller". By this, he meant that rock and roll music itself had started as an embodiment of danger, anti-authoritarianism, rebelliousness but had become largely taken over by corporations and business concerns. Allin's music and performances were thus meant to return rock and roll to what he saw as its roots, reclaiming it from the corporate system.

Allin idolized country music legend Hank Williams, Sr, and saw himself as a kindred spirit. Both were relative loners and outsiders, both were habitual users of intoxicants, both lived with few, if any, possessions and both traveled the country relentlessly. GG Allin's acoustic output, documented particularly on the EP The Troubled Troubador, was heavily influenced by Williams. He recorded his own rewrites of Hank Williams, Jr.'s "Family Tradition" and David Allan Coe's "Longhaired Redneck", calling his own versions **fuc Tradition" and "Outlaw**fuc" respectively. Later GG Allin also released another country album Carnival of Excess.
A typically bloodied GG Allin c. 1992

During this period, Allin collaborated with Bulge (also known as Psycho under a different name, on the album Freaks, **ots, Drunks and Junkies), The Aids Brigade (the 7" EP Expose Yourself To Kids) and The Holymen (You Give Love a Bad Name). Allin also began performing many spoken word pieces. Video footage of these are available but rare. Unwilling to seek steady employment, Allin supported himself by selling his own records. He also claimed to have committed criminal acts such as breaking and entering, robbery and mugging. Allin was also fascinated with serial killers. He wrote and visited John Wayne Gacy in prison a number of times and Gacy painted a portrait of Allin, which became the album cover to the soundtrack of the film, Hated: GG Allin And The Murder Junkies (see murderabilia). According to Gacy, Allin was "a good kid" but that he "smelled like the worst**-soaked wino".

By this point, Allin's performances, which often resulted in considerable damage to venues and sound equipment, were regularly stopped after only a few songs by police or venue owners. Allin was charged with assault and battery or indecent exposure a number of times. His constant touring was only stopped by jail time or by long hospital stays for broken bones, blood poisoning, and other physical trauma.

Another attraction to Allin performances was his continual threats of suicide. In 1988, Allin wrote to Maximum RocknRoll stating that he would commit suicide on stage on Halloween 1989. However, he was in jail when that day came. He continued his threat each following year but ended up imprisoned each following Halloween. When asked why he does not follow through with his threats, or sometimes his on-stage defecations, Allin stated, "With GG, you don't get what you expect