Crucifix: Logo #335

Designed by anarcho-punk band Crucifix (detourned from Gerald Holtom's original 1958 symbol of the British nuclear disarmament movement) for their 1983 album "Dehumanization," issued by the Corpus Christi label, the sub-label owned by Crass.  The mushroom cloud is here used as a wise and incisive presentation of the modern cross on which we were all hellbent on crucifying ourselves back in 1983.  Here's Crucifix live in concert before they broke up in 1984.  If I'd had to perform in front of a lethally bored audience like that one, I'd want to hang it up, too.  Here's a faintly illuminating interview with Sothira Pheng, Crucifix's fiery Cambodian lead singer; it apparently dates to just before "Dehumanization" was issued.  Pheng has some entertaining things to say about the episode of "Quincy" in which the punk rock menace was "revealed."  I wonder if any other punk bands were interviewed about that particular network television event at the time.  Here's another clip, riddled with clichés as it is, with traditional heavy William Forsythe playing the lead singer of Pain on the "CHiPs" punk rock episode.  Another ridiculous scare attempted by squares.  Time passages.

Poison Girls: Logo #266

Poison Girls designed their raven in 1979. Lead singer Vi Subversa is one of the unsung stars of punk rock and a Poison Girls revival has been due every year ever since they disbanded.

Logo #117: Amebix

This stylized version of an Austin Osman Spare painting was appropriated by Amebix founder Rob "The Baron" Baron in 1983. Noted Osman Spare expert Robert Ansell: "The title of the picture is "The Vampires are Coming" and it was most probably item no.152 in Spare's exhibition at the White Bear Tavern in 1953. That show was not successful and the picture reappeared as item 132 in his final exhibition at the Archer Gallery in 1955. Spare usually worked through the summer for a winter show, so yes, I would suggest 1953 is the likely date it was produced. It is currently in the private collection of Kenneth and Steffi Grant."

Logo #101: Anti-Flag

Designed by John Yates in 2002.

Logo #53: Discharge

Actually the face of Discharge drummer Terry "Tezz" Roberts, this image appeared in 1977, during the first incarnation of the band, when Tezz was the vocalist. Word from Discharge Central is that, due to "family commitments," Tezz is no longer playing drums, so Dave Bridgewood from Broken Bones (whose logo we will cover a bit later and whose guitarist, Tony "Bones" Roberts, co-founded Discharge) takes over the drumstool. Inspiring scores of punk bands with names beginning with "Dis-" (much as the band members on the SST label in Southern California nicknamed themselves by adding "-o" the ends of their first names), the band also furthered the rhythmic and aesthetic conceit known as "D-Beat," which deals with apocalyptic nuclear visions and a driving beat used as a blueprint by later hardcore bands around the world. As punk band logos go, it's unparalleled in its ability to inspire curiosity - slathered on a thousand crusty denim back-patches, just who is "Anarchy Face," and was he mercilessly teased throughout the playground with taunts of "Anarchy Face! Anarchy Face!"? Well, now you know - and that's one to grow on!

Logo #46: Icons of Filth

Led by founder Andrew "Stiggy Smeg" Sewell (August 22, 1962 - October 23, 2004), Icons of Filth were a deeply, righteously angry "anarcho-punk" group of political activists that began life in 1979 as Mock Death. Real death came for Sewell in the form of a heart attack during the early hours of Saturday October 23 after an Icons of Filth action in Hackney, London. It effectively ended the band, but not before two benefit concerts for Sewell's family in London and Los Angeles (where was I!). At least he didn't go out like Alan "Nidge" Miller (January 23, 1958 - February 10, 2007), the lead singer of Blitz - run over by a car as he crossed a road in Texas, MySpace page forever frozen in time. Icons of Filth's logo hints at a biting disdain for the symbols that fueled punk rock in those days when everyone was trying to get a handle on how to exploit the form. The star, the anarchy symbol, and peace sign - all of which offered no substantive, concrete solutions but were merely fetishized as commodities (the belt buckle, the T-shirt, the badge) and remain so today. And the recursive perfidy of leftism is that, were this logo changed to contain the "filthy icons" of Judaism or Islam or Christianity, the band would be pilloried for "intolerance" instead of their apparent desire to escape the symbol as an unthinking magog ruling over countless lives ignorant of their myriad meanings. Designed by the shadowy Squeal in 1983, the logo originally had a... longer arm of the law with... the truncheon... oppressing... what the State perceives as... filthy icons. Okay, never mind - it's a comment on the Good Guys vs. The Man. Peace signs and anarchy symbols for everyone!