Happy Fucking New Year!
1983 was supposed to be our year.
“Happy fucking New Year! I hope you all get cancer!”1
When we got the news from Nihilistics lead singer Ron–Mimi2 booked us on a big New Year’s Eve show at Irving Plaza!–we were thrilled. What a way to close out an ascendant 1982, the year the Nihilistics broke through. With the help of Jack Rabid and Tim Sommer we’d gotten airplay on WNYU’s Noise The Show and used the exposure to book our earliest gigs, put out an EP and worm our way onto the seminal New York Thrash cassette. Even though, as the local act, we’d be opening, this would be our crowning celebration and THE show to close the year: D.O.A. were coming down from Vancouver; Big Boys would drive up from Austin: and Channel 3 (from Cerritos, CA) were hastily added to the bill, perhaps to counter the growing backlash over the then unheard-of twelve dollar (fifteen at the door) ticket price.3 There were other reasons our “must-see” show was soon counter-programmed by New York Thrash colleagues False Prophets4: being from Long Island meant we must be “wealthy” suburbanite interlopers and Ron and Mike (Nicolosi, on bass) preferred to foster competition, not cooperation with other local bands. What was dubbed “The Opposition Party” was set for New Year’s Eve at the Plugg Club (AKA Giorgio Gomelsky’s 24th Street loft). Bands we’d played with regularly–Heart Attack (appearing with others as “English Cunts” or “English Cuntz”), Reagan Youth and The Misguided–were yours for only five bucks. Flyers were soon distributed far and wide and by the time Dec. 31 rolled around more bands had been added, along with “Special Surprises!” (this was the legendary first show for the soon-to-be massive Murphy’s Law):
When word got out about the “other show” ours was royally fucked. Advance sales of Irving Plaza tickets slowed to a trickle and the other bands on our bill got nervous they’d be at the “wrong” venue. Mimi and Ron went at it about the slow-rolling disaster our “triumphant” night was becoming and I nearly lost it when my guitar amp5 died during soundcheck (somehow, I persuaded Joey Shithead–DOA’s guitarist–to let me use one of his Marshall heads6 through my cabinet). By the time the doors opened it was apparent everyone was going to the $5 West 24th Street show. Paul Bearer7 (who was at our event but left to go to Plugg) says Big Boys and D.O.A. soundchecked but never played due to the show being “yanked”8 after Channel 3.9 Memories differ: Ron says both bands performed but he tends to “embellish” Nihilistics history10 (one of the reasons I’ve undertaken this project). Ron adds it was the first time Mike or I ever tried cocaine, which I DO remember because I discovered it was not my drug by a long shot (I don’t need help being talkative). By the time we hit the stage11 maybe two dozen people were in attendance and the Nihilistics were all in a foul mood. I couldn’t get over how our “friends” in all those other NYHC bands fucked us over and part of me wished we’d never been lured in by Mimi’s promises of “prestige” and a decent payday. When the balloons dropped at Midnight a few people desultorily stomped them flat, which I should’ve interpreted as a sign for how 1983 would go down for the Nihilistics, despite the release of our LP. When the house lights went up I thought about joining the “opposition” at the Plugg show but I’d driven into Manhattan and there was no way I’d leave my gear locked up in my trunk.
After the New Year’s Eve debacle things were never quite the same between us and the other bands (my friendship with Misguided guitarist Alex Torino suffered, too). A line had been drawn and even forty years on I distinctly remember feeling increasingly isolated on “the scene,” thinking “So much for fucking solidarity.”
According to Ron, all shows at Irving Plaza were routinely videotaped but–like any other footage of the band–the proof is lost to time. All that remains are the flyers and a few Vicki Torch photos from that sad, sad night…
Here’s hoping your 2023 was better than our 1983! Look forward to more NIHILISTIC installments in 2024 and I also plan to start doing live Aerial View shows once again. You can hear me Friday nights, 6 PM ET, on thehoundnyc.com.
Happy Fucking New Year!
Ron, Nihilistics lead singer, from the stage.
According to Ron, Mimi managed Kraut but was looking to jump ship with us: this show was to be her convincer.
Entry to most hardcore shows was then five dollars or less.
Other “sources” online attribute the Plugg show to Jesse Malin, though every flyer I’ve found say “False Prophets + Giorgio Gomelsky”.
Either my solid-state Gallien-Krueger 212C combo or that short-lived Fender Twin.
He later chewed me out for “Changing my settings!”
Paul leads NYHC legends Sheer Terror and also recalls “Me and Doug Holland (KRAUT) almost fighting. Glen E. Friedman was there, too. I remember one of the guys from AOD ripping down the HAPPY NEW YEAR decoration/letters from behind you guys whilst you played.”
I’m not positive but quite sure the show was “yanked” due to lack of attendance and the fact Mimi subsequently couldn’t pay the bands, venue and personnel what’d been promised.
Ron remembers them playing but all I recall is a Big Boys soundcheck because I was impressed their guitarist Tim Kerr used a Wollensak tape recorder-my first guitar “amp”–as a preamp.
Ron also swears we played with Black Flag (Henry Rollins era) at My Father’s Place in Roslyn but just because a flyer exists doesn’t make it true. I’d also remember that shit, like our supposed show with The Misfits, which also never happened.
There’s also disagreement as to whether or not it was us or Channel 3 on at Midnight.