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It’s often said that great artists are never recognized in their lifetimes.  It may have taken a while for Rocket from the Tombs to get the credit they deserve, but at least most of the band is still around to enjoy it.  Rocket and Dead Boys Guitarist Cheetah Chrome aka Gene O’Connor says, “I don’t know what to think about it.  Back then we weren’t thinking that we were trying to do anything.  We were just doing what we did and that was its own reward.  As far as Cleveland at that time, that was all you hoped to get.  You don’t get discovered in Cleveland, you’ve got to get in the car and go to New York.  Now it’s just so bizarre to see something that was such a footnote getting this attention.  I told people when I first got to New York and I was in the Dead Boys - Rocket from the Tombs was still pretty fresh in my memory – and nobody wanted to hear about it.  To me Rockets was always unfinished business.  I’d like to be able to have a chance to finish it.”   

Thanks to Smogveil Records release last year of ‘The Day the Earth Met the Rocket from the Tombs’, consisting of some rough rehearsal demos and live recordings culled from two concerts, Cheetah and his bandmates are getting that chance.  Along with Cheetah, this new model of Rocket from the Tombs includes founding members David Thomas (vocals), and Craig Bell (bass).   They’re joined by Television guitarist Richard Lloyd and Pere Ubu drummer Steve Mehlman.  Sadly guitarist Peter Laughner passed away in 1977 and as for original drummer Johnny Madansky aka Johnny Blitz and his replacement Wayne Strick, Cheetah says, “Johnny was approached about doing the liner notes for the album, contributing then, and expressed no interest.  Wayne Strick we couldn’t find.  We’ve since gotten in touch with him but now it’s like the line-up we’ve got is a good line-up, we’re gonna stick with it.  But God knows who’ll show up in Cleveland.”  

The band isn’t calling it a reunion but it’s as close as we’re likely to get.  Cheetah says once the tour is over the band’s future is uncertain so don’t miss your chance to see them.  “There’s no limits put on this.  This is just what we’re gonna’ do now.  The door is open, it’s not a set thing at all.  It’s not a reunion, but nobody said it’s only a one time thing either.  It’ll last as long as we want it to last, as long as we can get along.”  Although originally put together for a one off gig as part of Disatrodome, an avant garde music and arts fest held in Los Angeles this past February, Cheetah says, “The L.A. show went good and we all felt like we wanted to do something more, so we decided to.  When the band broke up it was a confusing time for everyone and nobody handled it well.  It ended up with all of us going off in our own directions and it took a long time for us to find ourselves back in the same place.  It’s nice now because Craig and me and David are all old Cleveland boys.  It turns out we sit down and have a beer now and it ain’t changed that much.  We have a lot more in common that we thought we did.” 

Rocket From the Tombs never released any official recordings during their original incarnation, but both Cheetah and Thomas’ subsequent bands (The Dead Boys and Pere Ubu respectively) each recorded versions of some of RFTT’s best material.  Especially enduring have been Ubu’s take on “Final Solution” and “Sonic Reducer” recorded by Cheetah’s outfit.  As often as Cheetah has played “Sonic Reducer” he says, “Playing it with Dave singing and Craig playing bass is way different.  I play rythym guitar and Richard plays lead.  It’s a whole different take on it for me.  Contrary to what it says on the Dead Boys record that was just me and Dave Thomas who wrote that song.  I didn’t think Peter Laughner’s name should have been on “Thirty Seconds”, that’s why everybody else’s’ name is on “Sonic”.  Everybody covers it.  I just played it with Pearl Jam last month and all the kids knew it.”  But Cheetah says his favorite Rocket From the Tombs song is, “Final Solution” because it was so damn heavy and it’s just a great song.  That one stands out.  Other than that “Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo”, that was a wonderful song.”  

As much of a punk anthem as “Sonic Reducer” has become, I asked Cheetah if anyone had ever approached him about using it for a commercial.  A few years ago that might have sounded ridiculous, but with everyone from The Stooges and The Ramones to Black Sabbath being used to push various products these days it’s not that unlikely.  “No, but that’s because we haven’t been actively pushing for that.  Now, one time I was watching ‘Wide World of Sports’ and I heard “Down in Flames” used for ski jumping.  Without my permission I might add.  But I was into it, I thought it was cool.  That’s not my job, though.  My job is to write the shit, my job is to play the shit.  Selling the shit is somebody else’s job.  But I own my own publishing company now so I’m looking into seeing if I can’t get “Sonic Reducer” and Cheerios together, (laughs)” says Cheetah. 

Although Cheetah lives in Nashville now (He says, “It’s a good place for a musician down here.  Everybody and his brother is a guitar player.  There’ s music stores, friendly people all over the place.  Good friends.”), he still has fond memories of his time in Cleveland’s early alternative music scene.  Cheetah says, “At the time I thought the Electric Eels were nuts, and I liked the Mirrors.  It was like coming from playing cover songs like Sabbath and Kiss to all of a sudden, wham!  The Electric Eels.  I was impressed.  It opened up possibilities for you.”  Cheetah also admits to having been affected by some of the town’s legendary television personalities from the time.  “Oh Ghoulardi of course.  Big Chuck and Hoolihan, Superhost. I always liked Superhost.  I always thought he was a pisser.  He would just stand there and ramble, he’d make no sense for the longest time.  It was great.  And Charlie Miller with the barrel.  C. Miller Chevrolet.  He used to come out, he was frickin’ eighty years old and he’d have a barrel on and say, “Giving deals like this put me in this barrel.”   

Whether the latest version of Rocket From the Tombs ultimately blasts forward into the future or simply fizzles out after their current tour ends, Cheetah has plenty to keep him busy.  He says, “I’m recording my solo album, ‘The Great Lost Record’, which keeps getting pushed back because of other projects.  Right now I’m pretty well in the middle of it, doing good.  I like playing live better than anything.  Recording is a process for me because I want it to be perfect.”  And there’s also the matter of setting the record straight on the history of Cleveland’s proto punk music scene of the mid seventies.  “I think the Charlotee Pressler stuff and the ‘Velvets to the Voidoids’ is kind of one sided,” says Cheetah.  “The writers were so involved in trying to promote themselves by writing about people that actually had talent.  I don’t think the Dead Boys side of it is accurately told at all.  We were a lot different than everybody thinks we were.  We’ve kept mum about it because we don’t give a shit.  We were always kind of, “fuck you it’s none of your business”.  Eventually I’ll write a book or something.   Truth will out.” 

Visit Cheetah Chrome's website.

Visit the Ubu Projex website for info on all Rocket/Pere Ubu/David Thomas related projects.