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CLEAVERS “THE PLAYBOY / COMMIE SYMP” 7″ (PORTLAND, OR- ROLLY, 1980)


This cover of course has Buddy Rose front and center- one of the women flanking him is apparently a band member’s wife.  I found this out from that Whiskey Rebel guy from Portland’s Rancid Vat- he talks about the Cleavers and Buddy Rose a bit on his site so go there for more.

12.11.2010 UPDATE
Former Cleavers member Chris Warner somehow found my posting and left a comment that cleared up a few things- my updated info is in red below.  Thanks Chris!

PUNK N’ ROLL SERIES, VOLUME 2
Here is the controversial Cleavers 7″ with its infamous “right wing” punk song on the B-side (or “conservative punk” or “reactionary” punk or whatever you want to call it).  Musically, “Commie Symp” (short for “sympathizer”, duh) is GREAT angry punk n’ roll with a nice, tough driving melody and some sharp, jagged guitar jabs.  Lyrically, it sounds pretty reactionary on the surface.  But, 30 years removed, the lyrics are very laughable to me- “love it or leave it”, they tell the commie symp about the United States.  And then, right at the end, “Get Out- Now!”.   It’s a simplistic, one-sided argument that yer typical blindly patriotic, flag-waving (and punk-hating) Americans have used over and over again throughout the years against lefties.  These types of Americans shake their finger at you and scream: “If you don’t like the way this country is, then get outta here ‘cuz we ain’t changin for you”.

And what exactly got the Cleavers all riled up?  Could it have been wanna-be Communists The Dils?  I posit this because I have an old cassette from my tape trading days on which The Dils play a live set on May 12, 1979 at the famous venue The Long Goodbye in Portland.  Perhaps some of the Cleavers were there; heard The Dils singing some Commie-tinged song like “Red Rockers” or “Class War”; saw them wearing one of their hammer and sickle T-shirts and then got so mad that they wrote and recorded “Commie Symp”.  I think the Cleavers 7″ came out in the early part of 1980 which wouldn’t have been too long after that Dils show in mid-1979.  It’s early in the morning and I didn’t sleep much last night as I type this so I’m probably out in left field with this one…

Former member Chris Warner pointed out that: “Commie Symp was done 100% to irritate the
humorlessly earnest knee-jerk leftists of the early punk scene. We were in
actuality no more right wing than we were the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, but it
was a lot more fun to go against the grain than join the chorus. Our goal was
to amuse and annoy–mission accomplished.”

Chris also said: “In the early days of the Cleavers, we didn’t
have a lead singer per se, we traded lead vocals on different songs, though I
eventually became the lead singer toward the end of our ‘legendary’
run.”

Now if I was in Portland in 1980 when the Cleavers single came out, then I’m sure I would’ve be baffled by the lyrics, like “What the fuck is up with these guys?”.  But, like I said earlier, it’s been 30 years since it came out so it comes across as pretty comedic this far removed ‘cuz they’re so serious about their stance, like “We mean it, MAN!!”.  The bafflement in 1980 was probably pretty interesting- I mean, Portland is like lefty heaven so I picture other local punk bands shunning the Cleavers for taking such a conservative stand.  I’m sure Greg Sage wasn’t amused either- the earlier Cleavers song “Bug” was on the 10-29-79 live comp LP on Mr. Sage’s Trap Records label.  But with such a conservative stand, I’m sure Greg would have refused to release this Cleavers 7″ on his label.

Chris Warner has confirmed that, yes, Greg Sage hated them.

Kind of like the remarkable Ice 9 EP– the legend goes that Mr. Sage would not release their record since they had a song in their live repertoire called “Nazi” (see KBD 14 from 1998 for that vintage unreleased track).  The song was definitely not pro-Nazi, so who was the reactionary I guess is the question begged.  Thankfully, Ice 9 released their EP on another label and the rest is history.

Anyway, back to the Cleavers- the A-side is another GREAT, tough guy punk n’ roll ditty, this time an homage to the local Portland wrestler Playboy Buddy Rose (nee Paul Perschmann, who actually died in April of 2009).  “The Playboy” also has some fun, amusing lyrics- dig the references to Andre The Giant and Roddy Piper, back when he wrestled in the Pacific Northwest, pre-Pipers Pit, pre-WWF fame.  The growling by the singer plays nicely against some nice, chunky driving guitar.  I think the song especially gels when he says “He’s the cripplerrrr- Playboy Buddy Rose!” and the punk n’ roll guitar kicks right in after that.  Both “The Playboy” and “Commie Symp” have great, sharp guitar solos too.  Um, one may argue that it should be no surprise that the Cleavers had a song like “Commie Symp” on the B-side since the A-side was wrestling worship for fucks sake.

The Playboy
Commie Symp

ENDNOTES
Another baffling thing about the Cleavers to me is how much interview time they got on 2006’s great Northwest Passage documentary about the early Portland scene.  The one old member (Larry Lee, the lead guitarist who also did lead vocals on “The Playboy”) was nearly waxing poetic about how the Cleavers were a groundbreaking, legendary band.  Huh?!  I mean, the single is good and their song on the 10-29-79 comp was cool but I’d consider them more of a minor Portland band and nowhere NEAR the stature (or output) of the almighty early Wipers or The Rats or friggin’ Poison Idea if you want to go into the hardcore years.  That aside, Northwest Passage is a really great doc that you should check out.  It was produced and directed by Mike Lastra of the noisy “experimental” band Smegma- read about their history here.  The movie has TONS of vintage footage, like The Bags visiting Portland and doing a mean version of the already-mean “Survive”, early Dead Kennedys footage, or unreleased video footage from concerts from which the 10-29-79 comp LP was derived.  VERY cool to me is seeing the Rubbers with Bob Glassley, before he played bass for the almighty Cheifs, doing the original version of “Riot Squad”. The Cheifs re-recorded this song in their trademark intense fashion two years later for 1981’s great Who Cares comp LP.  Among others, that comp also featured a band called Political Crap which featured skate punk legend Duane Peters on vocals who was at the height of his Santa Cruz-era skate punk powers.  And before he was in like 100 other bands.

I was a huge wrestling fan as a kid in the early 80’s (mainly Georgia Wrestling ‘cuz that’s what came on Channel 61 in Cleveland on Saturday mornings).  Before there was the slick Vince McMahon Jr. WWF takeover of wrestling in 1984, each part of the country had its own wrestling circuit (Mid-Atlantic, Southwest, Pacific Northwest, etc.).  The national wrestling mags back then (Pro Wrestling Illustrated, The Wrestler, Inside Wrestling, etc.) were printed on lovely newsprint and used to have ratings for each region, and I remember Buddy Rose ‘cuz he used to be in the Pacific Northwest ratings.  Just some trivia that I decided to cut and paste from the main part of this posting to the end here…

 

43 thoughts on “Cleavers”

  1. Hi, I haven’t checked since the glorious day I finally heard the Happy Refugees.
    Looks like you’ve been busy. I’ve got Neo Punkz; I remember walking into Discourage here in town and abe was playing their record LOUD and the chaotic punker spit make me laugh like nuts. Abe got ticked off cuz he thought I didn’t respect their genius enough. Also, there’s a band in Portland that does ALL DUTCH PUNK COVERS (I was on bass, what I usually do when I’m not singing or writing the song. I ending up doing lots of backing vocals, and was for one show reduced to that when for some reason they wanted keys). When I was in it we did all you’d expect (most of that Epitaph comp) – “If I Watch TV” was actually hardest to play. You really gotta be energized to dish it out NEO PUNKZ style. Most people like our triple-threat IVY GREEN sequence (usally at the top) – “…Make It”, “Subculture”, and my fave, “Why Not Tonight?”. “I Am A Computer” the most fun tho cuz I sang lead; the guy we had singing couldn’t stop laughing. Oh, and guess why I got kicked out (you know how musicians are, more like not called until you find out they’re doing a show) . . . it’s because (they said) I was doing nazi salutes during the S S S S part of “Do You Hate the Nazis?”. I was just pumping my fist a bit. Oh well, like most PDX musicians they were flakey and unambitious (musically) to the max.

    But I wish I videotaped one of those shows for posterity; that band just does soundalike originals now.

    But I’m making a good thing better by concocting three sets: one Australian (from Stevie Wright’s “Hard Road” thru “Savage” AND “Time Enough for Love”, the BPs long-in-the-can 77 MONSTER “Sex Crimes”, up to “Swampland” and Moodists “Six Dead Birds” and some Feedtime. If we get really tight, we’ll pull of some X and Birdman (my high school band did the Saints a lot so I’m skipping them this time out). First bassist I found LAUGHED at Feedtime – “Yeah, I THINK I can play ONE NOTE.” After an hour of him becoming totally frustrated, I said “Not as easy as they make it seem, huh?”
    Later he quit.

    We’re also doing a PORTLAND set. Reachin’ back in the 60s for New Tweedy’s “Her Darkness in December” and New Dawns “Working Man” and one more if we can hire an organ to temp . . . then “Commie Symp” (yeah, you betcha, except your rips were way better than what I had for a B, but I grew up with people around me playing it. Like ICE NINE, they were totally shut out of the “hip” Trap Label scene for having a sense of humor (ideologically suspicious.) “Out Out Out” was too hard to pull off so we’re doing “I’m a Mutant” and “Revolting Mess”. Our goal is to end with “Youth of America” but it’s gotta improve fer sure.

    I’m also doing 2gtr acoustic Flying Nun covers in the coffee shops. The Clean’s “Anything Can Happen” and the Builders “Alien” we’ll stretch to 10 minutes each. Never knew their early stuff xcept the Clean and the Chills CD I gave me hi skool GF. WOW I WAS MISSING SOME THICK DIY

  2. Hey, it’s Brian again, giving you props for this salute to my hometown. I met the Neo Boys at a KBOO interview and it took them 5 minutes to remember the Cleavers. Even here a funny/Dictators vs. serious/Television split was goin’ on. Or like how the Bromley contingent hated the Damned. They could make their punk sound hard rockish with licks and even that cool roll/bass growl at the end of side A. I know allot of people who’ve played it for me over the years but I used to think “Commie Symp” was horrible but it was just my bad rip from a beat KBD. A half-classic becomes a full classic, thank you sir, yr taste remains impreccable and NEEDED (most of your posts aren’t ANYWHERE else but they’re some of the best records! As for politics, from my experience 20 years later in PDX punk’n’roll, a song like that could result in blacklistings, beatings, attacks, but mostly a lotta crap-talk. Punk scenes are always competitive, and even when the music’s blazing some people can’t stand to be near “alien” social groups. I have one piece of evidence that fits my theory that, like the Damned, the Cleavers were pretty popular amongst yr unpretentious punk kids (kids like the Styphnoids – what’s really the diff between “Afraid of the Russians” and “Commie Symp”? I guess the ‘noids were safe in Greg Sage’s rockin’ UFO and the Cleavers were a dress-up party band with some irony but y’know a regular guy perspective. OH, MY ONE piece of evidence is, if you watch that DKs show in Portland around ’80 some kid(s) keep yellin’ “CLEAVERS”.
    …man my old Commie Symp has half the guitars sanded off! I wish I’d found one in town in the ’90s when some were still wild. Oh well, at least I have my bundle of 10 Neo Boys 12”s.
    Anyway as I mentioned I’m super into Flying Nun, I didn’t know their early stuff was so dark. When I work on my solo record on tape in my apt I think of the genius Builders. (I describe em as a cross between Desperate Bikes, the Wipers, and James Taylor with massive paranoia.)

    I put in a bunch of requests but as is my nature I must add more!! I think you should do The Ticks cuz that might bring them some interest and I’d love to drag them out of that Fotomat. For Aussies, I need the Skunks “Scratch’n’Sniff” (without smell please), any Clint Wall, both sides of the Proles, and that Henry Vynal 7″ with the News. Americans I’m fixated on are Labial Fricative, Robert English’s ’81 single, that Arizona Disease EP Subterranean did (w.Jr.Chemists), Urge “bit by bit”/”baby talk”, th’Cigaretz EP . . . man I do go on . . . but it’s a glorious obsession!
    And GUESS WHAT – I did find “Zeven Vijftig” comp on yr wants. If either you (or I’ll find somebody) shows me how to send it to you, that’s pay you back in part for the great stuff you sent yours truly (AND I know a guy who says he has Story of Failure. and I made sure he was talking about an EP.)

    Thank you sir and may the Punk Rock Bizzness continue to rise.

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    2.Guarantee best quanlity and exactly same as pics

    3.What you see will be what you get

    4.Shipping will be arranged once receive your pament.

    5.Normally dispatched by Express Mail Service (Fedex)

    6.Please check out whether the items and the quantity are exactly what you`ve order before sign for the goods. If you are not satisfied with it,please refuse to accept the goods. Otherwise We will consider that you agree with the items. Any question and demand,please don`t hesitate to let us know! Write your order details in the comments when you place orders! nike outlet nike outlet store cheap nike shoes chanel outlet chanel outlet store chanel outlet online coach outlet coach outlet store coach outlet store online jordans air jordans jordan shoes air max air max shoes nike air max nike dunks nike dunk nike basketball shoes basketball shoes air jordan 1 air jordan 6 jordan 6 rings air max 90 air max 95 Kobe Bryant Shoes Lebron James Shoes uk ugg boots ugg boots sale uk ugg boots sale

  5. hey great blog and article – i live in portland and love learning about it’s punk history. one correction is Mike Lastra was the guy behind Northwest Passage and Smegma (you list him as “Bob Lastra”)

    one band that was in Northwest Passage and I love the song is Staind (I think?) it’s very flipper like. love it. never found anything to download online.

  6. Thanks!  And thanks for correcting me about Mr. Lastra’s name- I have fixed the posting and given a link for some more info about Smegma.  I don’t remember the Staind in Northwest Passage, I’ll have to watch it again and look for em.

  8. Wow, pretty extensive commentary on our 45. I’m one of the original members of the Cleavers. Wanted to point out that “Commie Symp” was done 100% to irritate the humorlessly earnest knee-jerk leftists of the early punk scene. We were in actuality no more right wing than we were the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, but it was a lot more fun to go against the grain than join the chorus. Our goal was to amuse and annoy–mission accomplished. Sage hated us, obviously. Also, in the documentary, the Cleavers member speaking was Larry Lee, our lead guitarist, who also sang “The Playboy.” In the early days of the Cleavers, we didn’t have a lead singer per se, we traded lead vocals on different songs, though I eventually became the lead singer toward the end of our “legendary” run. Anyway, thanks for the coverage, and go to hell!

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  20. $2 for this 45? I hear it’s worth considerably more now. Great job on this blog concerning The Cleaver’s 45. I was not an original member, but joined them later on after the 45 was released. Was a huge wrestling fan myself and a wrestling photographer down in Portland during the early 70’s.

  35. I would like to thank you for the efforts you have made in writing this post. I am hoping the same best work from you in the future as well. In fact your creative writing abilities has inspired me to start my own blog now. soin.

  42. I was at Reed College when the 45 came out, and several of us would watch Portland wrestling on TV late at night. (I sadly did not go when a few of us went to a “loser leave town” match.) I vaguely remember the late Frank Bonnema, in his deadpan voice, referring to the fact that there was a 7″ single dedicated to Buddy Rose. He was a superb entertainer.

    And since Reed had a “Reds for Reagan” group, I didn’t get all worked up over the lyrics to the B-side…

  43. Thanks for sharing your memories- always great to hear from people who were there when it was all going on.

Comments are closed.