Darby Crash
Birth name	Jan Paul Beahm
Also known as	Bobby Pyn, Darby Crash
Born	September 26, 1958(1958-09-26)
Died	December 7, 1980 (aged 22)
Genres	Punk rock
Occupations	Singer
Instruments	Vocals
Associated acts	The Germs, Darby Crash Band

Darby Crash (born Jan Paul Beahm) (September 26, 1958 – December 7, 1980) was an American punk musician who, along with long time friend Pat Smear (born Georg Ruthenberg), co-founded The Germs.

Contents 1 Early life 2 Later life and suicide 3 What We Do Is Secret 4 Lexicon Devil: The Fast Times and Short Life of Darby Crash and the Germs 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Early life

Crash had a troubled childhood: The man he grew up believing was his biological father left the family and his older brother died of a drug overdose. When in his teens, his sister revealed in an argument that his biological father was really a Swedish sailor named William Björklund. Crash attended IPS (Innovative Program School), a school within University High School in Los Angeles. The IPS program was a notoriously free-form academic program that combined elements of est and Scientology.^[1]

Before the Germs, Beahm and Pat Smear called themselves "Sophistifuck and the Revlon Spam Queens", but had to shorten this name because they didn't have enough money to put the full name on a t-shirt. For a short period up until their acclaimed gig at the Whiskey A Go Go, Belinda Carlisle was a member of the band. She appears on the first track of the live CD, where she introduces the band as "sluts".^[2] After a short stint under the name Bobby Pyn, Beahm changed his name to Darby Crash. The Germs became an important Los Angeles-area punk band, known for their chaotic live shows. The Germs soon dominated the L.A. punk scene. They can be seen in the 1981 film The Decline of Western Civilization, directed by Penelope Spheeris. Crash discussed taking drugs onstage to avoid feeling injuries from fan violence and "creeps out there with grudges".

[edit] Later life and suicide

Shortly after the Germs split, Darby went on to form the short-lived Darby Crash Band. Circle Jerks drummer Lucky Lehrer joined the band on the eve of their first (sold-out) live performance, when during soundcheck, Darby kicked out the drummer they'd rehearsed with and convinced Pat Smear to help out on guitar. The band, described by Smear as "like the Germs, but with worse players", played only a few gigs to lukewarm reaction before splitting up.

Shortly after that, Crash contacted Smear about a Germs "reunion" show, claiming it was necessary to "put punk into perspective" for the punks on the scene. However, Smear later claimed that Crash secretly wanted to earn money for enough heroin to fatally overdose. Since Darby had described this scenario many times in the past, Pat did not take him seriously.

On December 3, 1980, an over-sold Starwood hosted a final live show of the reunited band, including drummer Don Bolles. At one point, Crash told the audience, "We did this show so you new people could see what it was like when we were around. You're not going to see it again".

Crash committed suicide on December 7, 1980, at age 22. Unreported at the time, Crash had overdosed on heroin in a suicide pact with close friend Casey Cola, who ended up surviving. She insists that he did not intend for her to live, nor did he change his mind at the last minute and intend for himself to live. As he lay dying, he attempted to write "Here lies Darby Crash" on the wall, but did not finish. Outside the world of Germs' fans, news of Darby's death was largely overshadowed by the murder of John Lennon the next day. A local news station mistakenly reported that Crash had died from an overdose of sleeping pills.

[edit] What We Do Is Secret

Crash and The Germs are the subject of the 2007 biopic film What We Do Is Secret which stars Shane West as Crash, Bijou Phillips as Lorna Doom, Rick Gonzalez as Pat Smear, and Noah Segan as Don. The theatrical release was dated for August 8, 2008. There is also a book by the same name, by Kief Hilsbury, a novelization of a young contemporary of Darby Crash who is consumed by his memories of the singer.

[edit] Lexicon Devil: The Fast Times and Short Life of Darby Crash and the Germs

In 2002, Brendan Mullen, a fixture of the L.A. punk scene, coauthored a biography of Crash along with Germs drummer Don Bolles and Adam Parfrey. A collection of quotes and interviews of more than 100 of Darby's friends, associates and contemporaries, the book includes many photos and flyers from the time.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Darby Crash's Gravesite