1: X (America)
X w… Read Full Bio ↴There are at least 8 artists called "X".
1: X (America)
X were far from the first punk rock band in Los Angeles, and they weren't the first to achieve some level of nationwide recognition, but in a very real way, they were the ones who put the L.A. punk scene on the map. X were the first L.A. punk band to be taken seriously by the rock press on both coasts, and at a time when many wondered how punk could thrive in the land of all that was mellow, X played music that was as raw, passionate, and powerful as anything coming out of New York, London, or any other major city. X's melding of punk's speed and ferocity with the sounds of rockabilly, blues, country, and other roots music styles would prove to be wildly influential in the years that followed, as were the off-kilter harmonies of John Doe and Exene Cervenka. And while they never enjoyed the commercial breakthrough that many believed was their due, X were massively popular in their home town and could successfully headline large outdoor venues like the Greek Theater, proving there was an audience for punk in the City of the Angels. Their first two independently released albums -- 1980's Los Angeles and 1981's Wild Gift -- were critical favorites and sold remarkably well by small-label standards, helping establish Slash Records as a major independent label as well as defining the group's unique approach. The band moved up to a major label, Elektra Records, with their unique sound and integrity intact on 1982's superb Under the Big Black Sun. After Zoom left the band, they soldiered on with new guitarist Tony Gilkyson on 1987's underrated See How We Are, but most of their fans remained loyal to the original lineup, and they remained a popular live attraction after reuniting with Zoom in 1998. Those fans would have to wait until 2020 for a new studio album from X, when Alphabetland was released to immediate and widespread acclaim.
X was formed by bassist, vocalist, and songwriter John Doe (born John Nommensen Duchac), who moved to Los Angeles in 1976. Born and raised in Baltimore, where he'd played in a number of forgotten bar bands, Doe had discovered punk rock after hearing Patti Smith's Horses and was eager to form a band in his new home town. Through a newspaper ad, Doe met Billy Zoom (born Ty Kindell), a gifted guitarist originally from Savannah, Illinois who had been playing rockabilly, blues, and R&B in L.A. for years, and had backed Gene Vincent during the rockabilly icon's last shows. Like Doe, Zoom had discovered the Ramones and wanted to play music that was fast, loud, and honest, and they began jamming together. Shortly before meeting Zoom, Doe had met Exene Cervenka (aka Christine Cervenkova) who, like Doe, had recently arrived in Los Angeles (in her case from Tampa, Florida) and was interested in poetry. Doe and Cervenka were attending the same poetry workshop, and bonded over their shared tastes in literature. Doe and Cervenka started dating, and when he read one of her pieces and thought it had the makings of a good song, he asked her permission to sing it in the band he was forming with Zoom. Cervenka said she'd prefer to sing it herself, and before long, she was rehearsing with Doe and Zoom, with her enthusiasm compensating for her lack of musical experience. Naming themselves X, the new band went through a handful of drummers after making their debut at a house party in 1977; their original drummer was a guy named Mick Basher, and reportedly, K.K. Barrett of the Screamers and Nicky Beat of the Weirdos sat in with them on occasion, but when Doe saw the Eyes performing at The Masque, L.A.'s first punk club, he saw their drummer was just what he and Zoom had been looking for: someone whose style was smart but simple, and who hit a big snare drum really hard. That drummer was D.J. Bonebrake, and he played his first gig with X in February 1978.
It didn't take long for X to make a name for themselves on the L.A. punk scene, and later the same year, the group recorded their first single, "Adult Books" b/w "We're Desperate," released by the seminal West Coast punk label Dangerhouse Records. The single sold well, and X's song "Los Angeles" appeared on the label's sampler LP Yes L.A., but the band was unhappy with Dangerhouse's business practices, and opted to record their first full-length album for Slash Records, an offshoot of the key L.A. punk 'zine. X had also won a valuable ally in Ray Manzarek, former keyboard player with the Doors; Manzarek was impressed with X's bold music and literate songs, as well as their open admiration of his former group (they had taken to covering "Soul Kitchen" on-stage). Manzarek played keys at a few X gigs and offered to produce their first album. Recorded on a slim budget of $10,000, Los Angeles was released in April 1980, and immediately received rave reviews from punk fanzines and the big-league music press; it was an immediate success in the band's home town, and as word spread nationwide, the album sold over 50,000 copies, an impressive sum for an independent punk album. Along with steady touring, fans outside of California were seeing X thanks to the documentary The Decline of Western Civilization, which focused on the L.A. punk community and gave the group a healthy amount of admiring screen time. 1980 also marked the year Doe and Cervenka became man and wife, with their relationship informing the lyrics to many of their songs.
X's second album, Wild Gift, appeared in May 1981, a few months after the release of their single "White Girl." Also produced by Ray Manzarek, the critical reception for Wild Gift was just as enthusiastic as it was for Los Angeles; sales also matched those of the debut, and before long, X were not just L.A.'s most popular punk band, but one of the town's biggest bands period, and became the first unsigned rock band to headline L.A.'s Greek Theater. Major labels finally came calling, and X signed a deal with Elektra Records, which released Under the Big Black Sun in July 1982. Manzarek once again produced, and while the bigger recording budget resulted in a fuller sound, the group's approach was essentially the same, and while critics and fans were once again impressed with X's passionate music and street-level lyrics, radio still wasn't ready for them, and the album failed to sell significantly better than Los Angeles or Wild Gift, despite plenty of touring and occasional television appearances. The same fate befell 1983's More Fun in the New World, as the band continued to sit at the top of the heap in L.A. without making significant headway elsewhere.
In 1984, Doe, Cervenka, and Bonebrake released an album by their acoustic side project the Knitters, while X recorded a bombastic cover of the Troggs' "Wild Thing" which appeared on the soundtrack of the film Major League. The "Wild Thing" single was produced by Michael Wagener, who had worked with heavy metal bands such as Mötley Crüe and Dokken; Wagener returned to produce X's next album, 1984's Ain't Love Grand, and while one tune from the album, "Burning House of Love," earned steady MTV airplay, the album's more polished sound didn't favor the band, and both critics and fans were disappointed while radio programmers and mainstream audiences paid little attention. Disappointed with the band's failure to break through to a mass audience, Billy Zoom left X in 1985, and the divorce of Doe and Cervenka, who had wed in 1980, didn't help relations in the group. Dave Alvin, guitarist with the Blasters and a collaborator in the Knitters, was recruited to join the band, and while he was an ideal fit for X, by the time they completed the recording of 1987's See How We Are, he was offered a record deal as a solo act and opted to leave. Tony Gilkyson, formerly with Lone Justice, took part in the recording of See How We Are and became X's lead guitarist after the album was released. While the album was a strong piece of work, sales were disappointing, and after releasing Live at the Whisky A Go-Go in 1988, X quietly broke up.
After the band's breakup, Doe launched a solo career with the album Meet John Doe in 1990, and also pursued a career as an actor, appearing in a number of notable film and television projects. Exene Cervenka released her first solo LP, Old Wives' Tales, in 1989, and recorded both acoustic and rock music as a solo artist and with the bands the Original Sinners and Auntie Christ; Cervenka also wrote and published poetry, created visual art, and acted in the film Salvation, where she met actor Viggo Mortensen, whom she married in 1987 and divorced in 1997. Billy Zoom stayed out of the public eye, primarily working in his own shop fixing and modifying guitar amplifiers, while D.J. Bonebrake stayed busy working with a wide variety of musicians and playing with a pair of jazz combos, the Bonebrake Syncopators and Orchestra Superstring. In 1993, after the success of Nirvana's Nevermind had opened up radio to more adventurous sounds, X reunited with Tony Gilkyson on guitar and recorded the album Hey Zeus! Reaction to the album was polite but not enthusiastic, and after the release of 1995's Unclogged, a live album drawn from a series of acoustic shows, the group once again retired.
In 1998, to the surprise of many, the classic X lineup of Doe, Cervenka, Zoom, and Bonebrake reunited for a handful of shows in Los Angeles. The reunion shows were rapturously received by both fans and critics, and the band has staged periodic reunion tours ever since. A late-2004 stand at the Los Angeles House of Blues resulted in the live CD and DVD Live in Los Angeles, and X continue to perform despite Cervenka's announcement in 2009 that she had been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.
In January 2019, X announced that the original lineup had gone into the recording studio for the first time since they cut 1985's Ain't Love Grand. The band recorded five songs with producer Rob Schnapf, and the following October, the first track was released online. "Delta 88 Nightmare" was a new version of a song X had performed and demo'ed in the '80s but had never recorded in its final form. The song was also made available on a 7" vinyl single in November 2019, with "Cyrano de Berger’s Back," a tune Doe had written and recorded with the Flesh Eaters, appearing on the flipside. The group returned to the studio to cut more songs, including a handful of new compositions, and in April 2020, after X were forced to cancel touring plans due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they offered their fans a consolation prize in the form of Alphabetland, a ten-song album that recaptured the sound and spirit of their celebrated early recordings.
Biography by Mark Deming
There are other artists with the same name:
2: X (Australia)
The Australian band called X, formed in 1977 by Rose Tattoo bassist Ian Rilen and Steve Lucas. They initially called themselves Evil Rumours. Their debut LP Aspirations (recorded by the equally great Lobby Loyde) is a punk classic (and was later reissued in the US by the revered Amphetamine Reptile label). Search for it you will be glad you did. A couple of members passed away early in their career. Cathy Green became a permanent fixture on drums. They were being groomed for bigger things and their LP ...And More was to get a big push from the label (White) but there was "an incident" involving the label and although the album was released it was no longer a priority. Probably because of this the band has long periods of inactivity, but continue to play nearly 30 years later including May / June 2009 with legendary San Francisco punks Flipper. They have released many albums and have a great reputation for their live-shows! Sadly Ian Rilen passed away in late 2006 from cancer, but Kim Volkman has stepped up to the plate. Their 2nd LP At Home With You has been reissued on Aztec Music with a bonus live album. Their music has been covered by the New Bomb Turks and feedtime amongst others. The classic debut Aspirations has just been reissued by Aztec Music.
3: X (Japan)
Metal band from Japan, founded in 1982, X changed their name to X JAPAN in 1992-08, when HEATH joined the band. Releases until Jealousy / Say anything belong to X. Later releases belong to X JAPAN.
4. Czech punk band formed in 2003.
5. Bulgarian metal band
6. An alias of Australian DJ Deepforces
7. An alias of Terekke
8. X is Javon Johnson, an American hip-hop lyricist from Houston, TX.
Sex And Dying In High Society
X Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You'd do anything to stay
And keep your money boys
Made of silver and gold
And keep your pekinese,
Turkish cigarettes
And your lighter that looks like a gun
With a different name
That's sex and dying in high society
Sex and dying in high society
Sex and dying in high society
Sex and dying in high society
That pretty man of yours
The one hiding inside the director's clothes
The one who calls you dear
After banging away at you in the night
That one's just got to go
Every time you look at him
You could almost fall asleep
And there's a masturbating
Getting underneath your belt
That's sex and dying in high society
Sex and dying in high society
Sex and dying in high society
Sex and dying in high society
And now you tell the maid
To burn you on your virgin back
With a curling iron
Hotter than hot
You say it's good enough
You say it's good enough
You say it's good enough
You say your pain is better
Than any kind of love
That's sex and dying in high society
Sex and dying in high society
Sex and dying in high society
Sex and dying in high society
In "Sex and Dying in High Society," X explores the dark and twisted world of high society, and the lengths some people will go to maintain the illusion of their glamorous lifestyles. The lyrics paint a picture of a woman who will do anything to stay in the upper echelons of society, even marry her own father with a different name, just to keep her money boys made of silver and gold, pekinese, Turkish cigarettes, and a lighter that looks like a gun. The song then delves deeper into the woman's personal life, describing how she has a lover hiding inside the director's clothes, who she calls dear, but who she knows must go, as he makes her feel tired and uninterested.
X then takes the listener down an even darker path, describing how the woman tells her maid to burn her virgin back with a curling iron hotter than hot as she believes the pain is better than any kind of love. The repeated chorus emphasizes the theme of the song, with the line "sex and dying in high society" being repeated like a mantra, highlighting the desperation and emptiness that the lifestyle can bring.
Overall, "Sex and Dying in High Society" is a commentary on the superficiality and materialism that can come with wealth and status, and the sacrifices some people are willing to make to obtain and maintain it.
Line by Line Meaning
You started out that way
You began your life in high society with a certain personality and lifestyle.
You'd do anything to stay
You're willing to do anything and everything to remain in high society.
And keep your money boys
You want to keep your wealthy men around you for their financial benefits.
Made of silver and gold
These men are wealthy and powerful, and you desire to keep them close for their financial and societal status.
And keep your pekinese,
You have a pet dog that goes with your high society image.
Turkish cigarettes
You smoke a certain type of foreign cigarettes to convey sophistication and worldliness.
And your lighter that looks like a gun
Your lighter resembles a gun to give off an air of toughness and power.
So you marry your daddy
You marry an older man of high society, similar in stature to your father.
With a different name
Your new husband goes by a different name than your father to avoid any unwanted connections or rumors.
That's sex and dying in high society
The lavish, superficial lifestyle of high society can lead to tragic ends.
That pretty man of yours
You have a beautiful male partner who dresses like a movie director.
The one hiding inside the director's clothes
Your partner wants to portray a certain image of power and success by dressing like a movie director.
The one who calls you dear
This beautiful man is affectionate towards you and claims to care for you deeply.
After banging away at you in the night
He uses you for sex, but doesn't truly care for you or your well-being.
That one's just got to go
You've had enough of this beautiful man and want to end the relationship.
Every time you look at him
You've grown tired of his gaze and presence.
You could almost fall asleep
His presence has become boring and uninteresting to you.
And there's a masturbating
You're engaging in compulsive self-pleasure as a result of your boredom and dissatisfaction.
Getting underneath your belt
Masturbating has become a part of your daily routine, almost like a habit.
That's sex and dying in high society
The unfulfilling lifestyle of high society often leads to self-destructive behavior as a means of coping.
And now you tell the maid
You command your servant to perform an act on you.
To burn you on your virgin back
You request that your maid burn your back with a hot object, potentially as a form of self-punishment or release.
With a curling iron
The hot object you request to be burned with is a curling iron, a painful and damaging instrument.
Hotter than hot
You request a dangerously high temperature.
You say it's good enough
You believe the pain you're inflicting on yourself is enough to replace any feelings of love or fulfillment.
You say your pain is better
The physical pain you choose to experience is more welcome and fulfilling than any emotional pain you may feel.
Than any kind of love
You've come to believe that your current lifestyle and choices leave no room for true love or emotional fulfillment.
That's sex and dying in high society
The artificial, unfulfilling nature of high society and its social pressures can lead to self-destructive and harmful behavior.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Peermusic Publishing, Reservoir Media Management, Inc.
Written by: Christine Lee Cervenka, John Nommensen
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind