Crime

Crime declared themselves "San Francisco's first and only rock & roll band" and emerged as an early force in the nation's independent punk story by issuing their debut single toward the close of 1976. Although they avoided the punk label, viewing it as an invention of the press, the group embodied the archetype through their insolent demeanor and a sound that fused garage rock with the Raw Power-era Stooges. In 1975 guitarists Johnny Strike and Frankie Fix started practicing and mastering their instruments with the goal of launching a glam rock outfit called the Space Invaders, performing locally in flamboyant attire. When veteran Ron "The Ripper" Greco, formerly of the Chosen Few that later became the Flamin' Groovies, came aboard, the glitter era had passed, prompting the band to adopt black leather outfits and rename themselves Crime. Drummer Ricky Tractor, now deceased, completed the original lineup.

Mid-1976 saw their first studio session produce the tracks for the "Hot Wire My Heart" b/w "Baby You're So Repulsive" single. Their initial concert occurred on Halloween 1976 at a gay political fundraiser, where the power was cut midway through the fifth number as audience members began leaving. Following the release of that 7" on their Crime Music imprint, the band became regulars at Mabuhay Gardens, the Filipino club that anchored San Francisco's punk community, though they remained outsiders among outsiders and quickly accumulated prominent adversaries. By 1977 they were appearing onstage and around the city in standard police uniforms, to the irritation of the local department. A follow-up single, "Frustration" b/w "Murder by Guitar," arrived in mid-1977 on Crime Music with Brittley Black on drums. Performances outside the city remained infrequent, yet they once played San Quentin Penitentiary dressed as officers. Further recordings met resistance from labels, partly because of the band's confrontational conduct; Fix rebuffed Seymour Stein of Sire Records by declaring that Stein was squandering time on the Ramones, whom he dismissed as "hippies who should get haircuts." Their third and last single, "Gangster Funk" b/w "Maserati," appeared on the independent Berkeley Squared label and featured synthesizer both in the studio and onstage. The group persisted briefly before dissolving quietly in 1982.

Art-punks Sonic Youth included a version of "Hot Wire My Heart" on their 1987 album Sister. A 1992 archival release, San Francisco's Doomed, compiled unreleased studio material from 1978 and 1979 recorded with Hank Rank on drums. That same year Spirit Records issued limited-edition re-pressings of the first two 45s. Hate Us or Love Us, We Don't Give a Fuck constitutes an authorized reissue, complete with four bonus tracks, of the Terminal Boredom bootleg. In 2002 guitarist Johnny Strike's project TVH issued its first album, Night Raid on Lisbon, which revived elements of Crime's drive and featured its own rendition of "Hot Wire My Heart." Strike passed away in September 2018 at age 70 following an extended struggle with cancer.