Cheetah Chrome

Book excerpt: The autobiography of Cheetah Chrome, lead guitarist of the Dead Boys, tells a tale of success—and excess: great music, drugs (he overdosed and was pronounced dead three times), and resurrection. The Dead Boys, with roots in the band Rocket from the Tombs, came out of Cleveland to dominate the NYC punk scene in the mid-1970s. Their hit “Sonic Reducer” soon became a punk anthem. Here, Cheetah dishes on the people he’s known onstage and off, including the Dead Boys’ legendary singer Stiv Bators, Johnny Thunders of the New York Dolls, the Ramones, the Clash, Pere Ubu, and the Ghetto Dogs, as well as life at CBGB’s, a year with Nico, and more. Cheetah gives a no-holds-barred account of those notorious times: Taking the stage at CBGB’s Recording at Electric Lady Studios Fist-fighting with Iggy Pop Roller skating with the Rolling Stones Partying with John Belushi Playing with Nico And tearing it up with Stiv Bators and the Dead Boys as they traveled to clubs and dives everywhere, spreading the gospel of punk rock Straight from the man, these are the backstage stories that every punk fan will want to hear. Never mind the Sex Pistols, here’s Cheetah Chrome!