Logo #213: Ill Will

Sheldon Parker from Ill Will: "In 1980, three surfers from El Segundo went to see a movie called "Rock 'n' Roll High School." After seeing the movie and watching The Ramones, we decided that we could do that just for fun. The Ramones inspired us to start jamming just because it looked like a fun thing to do. We started a band called The Haters. We called ourselves that because we hated just about everything that was popular at the time; we hated disco, condominiums, glam, and especially non-local surfers. We played Ramones songs and a few originals. The originals were mostly about surfing and girlfriends. We started playing house parties and people started thinking that maybe we were a band called "The Heaters" and also "The Gidget Haters." I knew we needed a new name, so I looked in a thesaurus I used for songwriting and under the word "hate" I found "ill will" - ding ding ding, we have a winner. We all liked the name, and I thought about the street signs that had the "do not do" red circle deal and decided the words ILL WILL should be covering the red, instead of the red covering what not to do - meaning Ill Will does not obey things that should not be done. We are currently jamming again with Derek Van Metere on drums and Lance Peterson (guitar), Brian Ramsay (bass) and myself. We will start gigging again at the end of spring."

Logo #212: Frankenstein

Bart Sinister of Los Angeles-area goth band Frankenstein reveals, "The Frankenstein fist logo was designed by Dave Grave, vocalist from Frankenstein. It was first published in 1988 in an apocalypso manifesto called "Das Kannibal"."

The green fist was one of the first rock band logos which I consciously became aware was a rock band logo. It was stuck (and possibly still is) on a water fountain on the campus of Ventura College - or, as most community colleges are known, the 13th grade. The day-glo green, the lineage of the raised fist of rebellion, the sense of humor (it's hard to make tendons required to make a fist work properly when one's hand is barely sewn to one's wrist) - all aspects conspired to catch a lazy eye in the comatose warmth of a summer's day. In this way the band logo, when experienced early enough, always holds a position of fondness for the fan - a muscle memory of emotions whose grasp, like that of a clenched fist, is not so easy to pry open.

Logo #211: Lords of the New Church

The Lords were: Brian James (of The Damned), Dave Tregunna (of Sham 69), Nicky Turner (The Barracudas), Stiv Bators (born Steven John Bator, of The Dead Boys; October 22, 1949 - June 2, 1990). Brian James: "The dagger was designed by Graham Humphreys for the cover of the first Lords of the New Church album in 1982, and became our emblem." The "supergroup" concept was popular throughout the '80s, including Power Station, and about five years after the first Lords LP, The Traveling Wilburys. James and Tregunna reformed the band about five years ago and they continue to work their old magic hither and yon. Forget what I just said about not casting your logo into a physical implement of death and near-death - this clip for "Dance With Me" (hosted by two skinheads!) features the actual dagger being twirled about occasionally. But does the knife cry when it enters the skin?

Logo #210: Inner City Unit

Judge Trev Thoms of Inner City Unit: "I designed the original logo, which was intended to be easily painted/sprayed onto walls, etc. It was the I, C, and U, hand-drawn in the same manner as the logo on our site. It also resembled a trident - a weapon, which was relevant to our political stance at the time. The actual logo you have seen is a new variation, designed by our architect bass player Nazer Ali Khan. Unfortunately, the present logo is not easily readable as ICU and cannot be daubed on walls, so it has lost much of its functionality, but is rather "clever" and "artistic." My original design appeared in 1980; the present variation appeared in 2006."

The concept of the logo-as-weapon is an implicit, possible result of knowledge-as-power. Likely there aren't many bands (apart from Crash Worship ADRV, perhaps) that would fashion their icons into physical tools by which they might crush their enemies, see them driven before them, and to hear the lamentation of the women - but it's the thought that counts, really. Multimedia? Interactivity? Yes. Yes, it is.

Interstitial #5: Clint Boon

Clint Boon of Inspiral Carpets checks in: "I designed the cow logo. It started as a series of photographs which I took of cows in the mid-1980s. I used to project the photos behind the band at gigs. People started mooing at gigs. I made the first cow logo t-shirt around 1986/1987. It was a really poor-lookin' thing but I've still got a photo of it and it's quite historical really (in Inspiral terms). I'm guessing that I designed the definitive cow logo around the same time. Later on I adapted the logo into the famous "cool as fuck" cow logo with the cow sporting shades and a spliff." Naturally, the thought of the crowd lowing at the musicians is almost endlessly beautiful in its absurdity. More mooing!

Suitably, the Song of the Moment is "This Is How it Feels."

Logo #209: The KLF

Designer: KLF Communications, 1987. Three eternal truths: twenty-somethings always have delusions of grandeur, for every drop-dead gorgeous woman there's a guy somewhere who's tired of putting up with her crap, and KLF is (in fact) gonna rock you.

Logo #208: The Desperate Bicycles

Designed by Ingram Pinn for the 1977 "The Medium Was Tedium" 7". Their rallying cry "It was easy, it was cheap, go and do it" is the coda by which countless punk singles are pressed and careers are launched. That the Desperate Bicycles back catalog remains out-of-print is rather mystifying. Here's an essay explaining why they're as influential as the Sex Pistols. This is what was on the back of the record's sleeve: "The Desperate Bicycles were formed in March 1977 specifically for the purpose of recording and releasing a single on their own label. They booked a studio in Dalston for three hours and with a lot of courage and a little rehearsal they recorded "Smokescreen" and "Handlebars." It subsequently leapt at the throat. Three months later and The Desperate Bicycles were back in a studio to record their second single and this is the result. "No more time for spectating" they sing and who knows? They may be right. They'd really like to know why you haven't made your single yet. "It was easy, it was cheap, go and do it" (the complete cost of "Smokescreen" was £153). The medium may very well have been tedium but it's changing fast. So if you can understand, go and join a band. Now it's your turn..." Clumsy yet endearing, the Desperate Bicycles broke up in 1981 and have kept utterly silent since. Here is their recorded history as it stands now. It's still your turn. What are you doing sitting around reading this dopey blahg?