The Weirdos are an American punk rock band from Los Angeles, California. They formed in 1975, split-up in 1981, re-grouped in 1986 and have remained semi-active ever since. Critic Mark Deming calls them "quite simply, one of the best and brightest American bands of punk's first wave."
The band was formed in 1975 by singer John Denney and his guitarist brother Dix (sons of Hollywood actress Nora Denney), initially using the band names the Barbies and the Luxurious Adults. The Weirdos were originally a 1950s-inspired hard rock and roll band that, like the Ramones in New York City, predated the UK punk scene. While initially trying to distance themselves from the genre name "punk" that was created in New York, ultimately the band, in the words of John Denney, "just kinda became more like this punk ROCK N ROLL type thing and we kinda went with it because the fans wanted it. They wore us down and we just said 'OK, fine! We're punk rock, similar to the Ramones. Whatever you say.'"
Links to Peel[]
Peel played some tracks from the group on his radio shows between the 70's and 90's, but didn't seem to play much of their material compared to other American punk bands around that time.
Shows Played[]
- 08 January 1979: 'We Got the Neutron Bomb (7")' (Dangerhouse)
- 1985
- 05 May 1985 (BFBS): 'We Got the Neutron Bomb (7")' (Dangerhouse)
- 1991
- 20 July 1991: Messages From The Underworld (7") Insipid Vinyl