Biography
The savagely satirical Angry Samoans joined X, Black Flag, Fear, and the Circle Jerks in cresting the opening surge of Los Angeles punk. Singers and guitarists "Metal" Mike Saunders and Gregg Turner launched the band in Van Nuys, California, during summer 1978 after the pair, both former rock critics, had already collaborated with writer Richard Meltzer in VOM. With Saunders’ brother Kevin added on guitar, the musicians weighed names such as the Egyptians and the Eigenvectors before adopting the Angry Samoans, recruited bassist Todd Homer and drummer Bill Vockeroth, and began life as a Dictators cover band.
Original songs soon emerged, shaped by the Velvet Underground, the Sonics, the 13th Floor Elevators, and garage rock. After testing their raw, increasingly thrash-oriented approach at offbeat shows—including performances at Camarillo State Mental Hospital and a Santa Monica High School lunchtime set where MC Meltzer inquired whether any “heroin addicts” were present—the Samoans, now with P.J. Galligan in place of Kevin Saunders, issued their 1980 debut EP Inside My Brain, anchored by the barbed “Get Off the Air,” a direct jab at KROQ DJ Rodney Bingenheimer and the surrounding L.A. scene.
They returned two years later with Back from Samoa, whose track list included “They Saved Hitler’s Cock,” “Tuna Taco,” and “My Old Man’s a Fatso.” Growing disillusioned with punk culture, the members entered an extended period of inactivity. Guitarist Steve Drojensky replaced Kevin Saunders in 1984, Vockeroth stepped away temporarily, and Jeff Dahl filled in for “Metal” Mike during 1985; the group remained largely dormant until Yesterday Started Tomorrow appeared in 1987. Label disputes and internal tensions prompted the Angry Samoans to dissolve after completing 1988’s STP Not LSD.
“Metal” Mike released the solo EP Plays the Hits of the ’90s in 1991, while Turner issued his own album Santa Fe in 1994 and later led Gregg Turner & the Blood-Drained Cows. Homer resurfaced with the neo-psychedelic Mooseheart Faith Stellar Groove Band. By the mid-’90s “Metal” Mike had assembled a fresh Samoans lineup that retained longtime member Vockeroth alongside guitarists Alison Wonderslam and Mark Byrne plus bassist Adrienne Harmon. Saunders and Vockeroth remained the core as further personnel shifts occurred; Matt “Malice” Vicknair joined on bass in 2009. The band’s sporadic 2000s appearances, typically monthly in California with occasional short European runs, continue to connect audiences with punk’s origins.
Original songs soon emerged, shaped by the Velvet Underground, the Sonics, the 13th Floor Elevators, and garage rock. After testing their raw, increasingly thrash-oriented approach at offbeat shows—including performances at Camarillo State Mental Hospital and a Santa Monica High School lunchtime set where MC Meltzer inquired whether any “heroin addicts” were present—the Samoans, now with P.J. Galligan in place of Kevin Saunders, issued their 1980 debut EP Inside My Brain, anchored by the barbed “Get Off the Air,” a direct jab at KROQ DJ Rodney Bingenheimer and the surrounding L.A. scene.
They returned two years later with Back from Samoa, whose track list included “They Saved Hitler’s Cock,” “Tuna Taco,” and “My Old Man’s a Fatso.” Growing disillusioned with punk culture, the members entered an extended period of inactivity. Guitarist Steve Drojensky replaced Kevin Saunders in 1984, Vockeroth stepped away temporarily, and Jeff Dahl filled in for “Metal” Mike during 1985; the group remained largely dormant until Yesterday Started Tomorrow appeared in 1987. Label disputes and internal tensions prompted the Angry Samoans to dissolve after completing 1988’s STP Not LSD.
“Metal” Mike released the solo EP Plays the Hits of the ’90s in 1991, while Turner issued his own album Santa Fe in 1994 and later led Gregg Turner & the Blood-Drained Cows. Homer resurfaced with the neo-psychedelic Mooseheart Faith Stellar Groove Band. By the mid-’90s “Metal” Mike had assembled a fresh Samoans lineup that retained longtime member Vockeroth alongside guitarists Alison Wonderslam and Mark Byrne plus bassist Adrienne Harmon. Saunders and Vockeroth remained the core as further personnel shifts occurred; Matt “Malice” Vicknair joined on bass in 2009. The band’s sporadic 2000s appearances, typically monthly in California with occasional short European runs, continue to connect audiences with punk’s origins.
Albums
Singles
