Biography
Richard Hell emerged as a central force in the New York punk rock explosion that began unfolding during the mid-1970s. Through early involvement with Television and the Heartbreakers, he helped turn CBGB into the primary hub for the style that would soon be labeled punk, while his stance of rebellious detachment and distinctive look—marked by deliberately shredded garments and slogan-bearing T-shirts—supplied a visual blueprint adopted by punk scenes worldwide. His recordings delivered abrupt, direct force alongside an intellectual edge that many later groups failed to match, and the articulate quality of his words, blending perceptive detail with adolescent defiance, distinguished him as one of punk’s most articulate early voices. Though his tenure as a working musician proved brief and yielded only two albums with the Voidoids, the 1977 release Blank Generation and the 1982 album Destiny Street stood among the era’s most singular and penetrating statements.
Born Richard Lester Meyers in Lexington, Kentucky, on October 2, 1949, he lost his father, an experimental psychologist, at age seven and grew up under the care of his mother, an educator. During adolescence he attended the Sanford School, a private institution in Hockessin, Delaware, where he formed a close bond with classmate Tom Miller. The pair fled the academy and traveled the country; after setting a field ablaze in Alabama they were detained and subsequently dismissed from the school. Meyers moved to New York City in pursuit of a poetic career, placing verse in various journals and issuing self-produced mimeographed chapbooks. In 1972 Miller relocated to New York as well; the two issued a joint poetry collection under the pseudonym Theresa Stern, and Miller, a skilled guitarist, suggested they start a band. He convinced Meyers to acquire and master a bass guitar, after which Miller took the stage name Tom Verlaine while Meyers became Richard Hell. With drummer Billy Ficca added, the trio operated as the Neon Boys. Receiving scant notice, the group expanded in 1974 when guitarist Richard Lloyd joined, becoming Television and securing a regular Sunday-night engagement at the newly opened Bowery venue CBGB.
Television generated growing interest once reports circulated about the fresh Bowery sound some observers termed punk rock, prompting Brian Eno to helm a demo session. Tensions nevertheless arose between Hell and Verlaine concerning band leadership and song allocation, leading Hell to exit Television in May 1975. Within days he accepted an invitation to join the Heartbreakers, newly assembled by former New York Dolls guitarist Johnny Thunders. The Heartbreakers swiftly established themselves as a favored club draw in New York, yet Hell again grew frustrated at limited opportunities to perform his own material. Early in 1976 he departed to launch his own group. Taking its name partly from a novella he had written titled “The Voidoid,” Richard Hell & the Voidoids included lead guitarist Robert Quine, a jazz enthusiast and former colleague at the bookshop Cinemabilia; rhythm guitarist Ivan Julian, previously of the R&B ensemble the Foundations; drummer Marc Bell, formerly of proto-metal band Dust; and Hell himself on vocals and bass. The unit rapidly became one of the most discussed acts on the developing punk scene, with Hell’s brooding presence prompting one publication to dub him punk’s counterpart to Mick Jagger. Sire Records offered a recording contract, resulting in the 1977 debut Blank Generation. Although critics responded enthusiastically, the music proved too demanding for broad audiences, and the Voidoids struggled to tour successfully in the United States, partly because few clubs would host visiting punk acts.
An English tour supporting the Clash encountered difficulties, as the band confronted hostile, spitting crowds and Hell endured repeated heroin-withdrawal episodes. The original Voidoids configuration dissolved after Bell departed in 1978 to join the Ramones (adopting the name Marky Ramone), Julian formed the Outsets, and Sire terminated the contract. Hell later portrayed a punk musician named Billy in the 1980 film Blank Generation directed by Ulli Lommel, also receiving co-screenwriting credit. In 1982 he again played a version of himself—the struggling rocker Eric—in Susan Seidelman’s independent feature Smithereens, later appearing in a minor role in her subsequent film Desperately Seeking Susan. By then Hell had assembled a new Voidoids lineup consisting of himself and Quine alongside guitarist Naux and drummer Fred Maher. The second album, Destiny Street, appeared on Red Star Records as Smithereens gained critical attention, yet despite favorable notices it achieved no commercial breakthrough and the group disbanded once more. In 1985 Hell mounted a final attempt to revive the Voidoids for touring, using a configuration of Hell on vocals, Jody Harris on guitar, Ted Horowitz on bass, and Anton Fier on drums; one track by this lineup surfaced on the 1990 live retrospective Funhunt, though the band dissolved before entering the studio.
After 1985 Hell recorded only occasionally and performed live even less frequently, turning instead to writing novels and essays. He emerged briefly from retirement to participate in the underground supergroup Dim Stars, supplying lead vocals and bass with Thurston Moore and Steve Shelley of Sonic Youth and Don Fleming of Gumball. Dim Stars released an album in 1992, and the same musicians supported Hell on the three-song EP Three New Songs issued under his own name that year. In 1995 he issued the EP Go Now, featuring readings from his debut novel of the same title accompanied by Robert Quine on guitar. In 1999 Hell reunited with the original Voidoids members—Robert Quine, Ivan Julian, and Marc Bell—to record the new track “Oh” for the compilation Beyond Cyberpunk, produced by Wayne Kramer; Quine’s death in 2004 ended prospects of further reunions. Matador Records issued the career retrospective Time in 2002, containing a complete unreleased 1977 concert, while Rhino compiled Spurts in 2005.
Hell periodically voiced dissatisfaction with the final mix of Destiny Street yet lacked access to the original multitrack tapes for a remix. Upon discovering a work tape containing only rhythm tracks without vocals or lead guitar, he produced Destiny Street Repaired, featuring new vocals from Hell and guitar contributions from Bill Frisell, Ivan Julian, and Marc Ribot; Insound released the variant edition in 2009. A decade later three of the four original multitrack masters were recovered, allowing Hell to collaborate with musician and engineer Nick Zinner on a new mix. Omnivore Records issued Destiny Street Complete in January 2021, encompassing remastered versions of the original mix and Destiny Street Repaired, a fresh Hell-approved mix, and twelve bonus demos and single sides.
Born Richard Lester Meyers in Lexington, Kentucky, on October 2, 1949, he lost his father, an experimental psychologist, at age seven and grew up under the care of his mother, an educator. During adolescence he attended the Sanford School, a private institution in Hockessin, Delaware, where he formed a close bond with classmate Tom Miller. The pair fled the academy and traveled the country; after setting a field ablaze in Alabama they were detained and subsequently dismissed from the school. Meyers moved to New York City in pursuit of a poetic career, placing verse in various journals and issuing self-produced mimeographed chapbooks. In 1972 Miller relocated to New York as well; the two issued a joint poetry collection under the pseudonym Theresa Stern, and Miller, a skilled guitarist, suggested they start a band. He convinced Meyers to acquire and master a bass guitar, after which Miller took the stage name Tom Verlaine while Meyers became Richard Hell. With drummer Billy Ficca added, the trio operated as the Neon Boys. Receiving scant notice, the group expanded in 1974 when guitarist Richard Lloyd joined, becoming Television and securing a regular Sunday-night engagement at the newly opened Bowery venue CBGB.
Television generated growing interest once reports circulated about the fresh Bowery sound some observers termed punk rock, prompting Brian Eno to helm a demo session. Tensions nevertheless arose between Hell and Verlaine concerning band leadership and song allocation, leading Hell to exit Television in May 1975. Within days he accepted an invitation to join the Heartbreakers, newly assembled by former New York Dolls guitarist Johnny Thunders. The Heartbreakers swiftly established themselves as a favored club draw in New York, yet Hell again grew frustrated at limited opportunities to perform his own material. Early in 1976 he departed to launch his own group. Taking its name partly from a novella he had written titled “The Voidoid,” Richard Hell & the Voidoids included lead guitarist Robert Quine, a jazz enthusiast and former colleague at the bookshop Cinemabilia; rhythm guitarist Ivan Julian, previously of the R&B ensemble the Foundations; drummer Marc Bell, formerly of proto-metal band Dust; and Hell himself on vocals and bass. The unit rapidly became one of the most discussed acts on the developing punk scene, with Hell’s brooding presence prompting one publication to dub him punk’s counterpart to Mick Jagger. Sire Records offered a recording contract, resulting in the 1977 debut Blank Generation. Although critics responded enthusiastically, the music proved too demanding for broad audiences, and the Voidoids struggled to tour successfully in the United States, partly because few clubs would host visiting punk acts.
An English tour supporting the Clash encountered difficulties, as the band confronted hostile, spitting crowds and Hell endured repeated heroin-withdrawal episodes. The original Voidoids configuration dissolved after Bell departed in 1978 to join the Ramones (adopting the name Marky Ramone), Julian formed the Outsets, and Sire terminated the contract. Hell later portrayed a punk musician named Billy in the 1980 film Blank Generation directed by Ulli Lommel, also receiving co-screenwriting credit. In 1982 he again played a version of himself—the struggling rocker Eric—in Susan Seidelman’s independent feature Smithereens, later appearing in a minor role in her subsequent film Desperately Seeking Susan. By then Hell had assembled a new Voidoids lineup consisting of himself and Quine alongside guitarist Naux and drummer Fred Maher. The second album, Destiny Street, appeared on Red Star Records as Smithereens gained critical attention, yet despite favorable notices it achieved no commercial breakthrough and the group disbanded once more. In 1985 Hell mounted a final attempt to revive the Voidoids for touring, using a configuration of Hell on vocals, Jody Harris on guitar, Ted Horowitz on bass, and Anton Fier on drums; one track by this lineup surfaced on the 1990 live retrospective Funhunt, though the band dissolved before entering the studio.
After 1985 Hell recorded only occasionally and performed live even less frequently, turning instead to writing novels and essays. He emerged briefly from retirement to participate in the underground supergroup Dim Stars, supplying lead vocals and bass with Thurston Moore and Steve Shelley of Sonic Youth and Don Fleming of Gumball. Dim Stars released an album in 1992, and the same musicians supported Hell on the three-song EP Three New Songs issued under his own name that year. In 1995 he issued the EP Go Now, featuring readings from his debut novel of the same title accompanied by Robert Quine on guitar. In 1999 Hell reunited with the original Voidoids members—Robert Quine, Ivan Julian, and Marc Bell—to record the new track “Oh” for the compilation Beyond Cyberpunk, produced by Wayne Kramer; Quine’s death in 2004 ended prospects of further reunions. Matador Records issued the career retrospective Time in 2002, containing a complete unreleased 1977 concert, while Rhino compiled Spurts in 2005.
Hell periodically voiced dissatisfaction with the final mix of Destiny Street yet lacked access to the original multitrack tapes for a remix. Upon discovering a work tape containing only rhythm tracks without vocals or lead guitar, he produced Destiny Street Repaired, featuring new vocals from Hell and guitar contributions from Bill Frisell, Ivan Julian, and Marc Ribot; Insound released the variant edition in 2009. A decade later three of the four original multitrack masters were recovered, allowing Hell to collaborate with musician and engineer Nick Zinner on a new mix. Omnivore Records issued Destiny Street Complete in January 2021, encompassing remastered versions of the original mix and Destiny Street Repaired, a fresh Hell-approved mix, and twelve bonus demos and single sides.
Albums
