Monthly Archives: February 2010

Controversial from their outset, Suicidal Tendencies formed in Venice, CA, during the early ’80s. Vocalist Mike Muir led the group in a vicious hardcore frenzy and they built up a huge following among skateboarders and those who were involved with the burgeoning hardcore scene of the time. The underground buzz regarding Suicidal Tendencies was intense and labels took note. The band signed with indie label Frontier, issuing Suicidal Tendencies’ classic self-titled debut in 1983. The album quickly became the best-selling hardcore album up to that point. Lead track and bonafide teen angst classic ‘Institutionalized’ was one of the first hardcore punk videos to be played a lot on MTV. 1987 saw the release of Suicidal’s sophomore release, ‘Join the Army’, and more and more metal heads began to be spotted in Suicidal’s audience. Suicidal made it to the ‘bigtime’ with a major-label contract through Epic and 1988’s ‘How Will I Laugh Tomorrow When I Can’t Even Smile Today’ demonstrated a full transformation from hardcore to heavy metal. Suicidal’s first release of the new decade, 1990’s ‘Lights, Camera, Revolution,’ was another success and the group broadened their audience even further by opening a string of arena shows for prog-metallists Queensrÿche in 1991. Never ones to get stuck in a rut, 1992’s ‘The Art of Rebellion,’ proved to be one of Suicidal’s most musically experimental albums. After giving it a break for a few years, Muir formed a new version of Suicidal Tendencies in the late ’90s (with Clark being the only other familiar face), resulting in such further studio releases as 1999’s ‘Freedumb’ and 2000’s ‘Free Your Soul and Save My Mind’.

2010’s DVD release ‘Live at the Olympic Auditorium’, Suicidal Tendencies’ first-ever DVD, is 80 minutes of video footage featuring 16 tracks including ST classics ‘Institutionalized’, ‘War Inside My Head’ and ‘Possessed To Skate’ and captures the band in their most natural environment; onstage, uncensored and ready to tear you to shreds. “The band started getting emails from some crazy guy that always said, ‘I know you’ll probably think that I’m crazy but I wanna book ST for a show and I got this idea…’,” explains frontman Mike Muir.  “Well, one by one we shot down the unique ideas until one time he emailed and said the Olympic Auditorium was being bought by a Korean Church, shouldn’t it be sent off with a special last gig? The band agreed and then the work began. The promoter – Evel Dick Donato who went on to win Big Brother – tells a bit about the show, making of etc on the intro. Lots of drama, none more than the day before the show when I woke up and couldn’t walk. But the show must go on and the back surgery would have to wait until afterwards! Suicidal performed live at the Olympic Auditorium in front of 4,000 Cycos…but now you can enjoy it in the safety of your living room.” 2010 also marks a new Suicidal Tendencies studio album…