Biography
In common with numerous American punk ensembles from the genre's formative period, the Flesh Eaters shared punk's fundamental mindset and methodology even as their sonic character stood apart from the brisk, abbreviated approach that later became prevalent. Fronted by vocalist and songwriter Chris D. (also known as Chris Desjardins), the group produced a raw, turbulent texture steeped in threat and mood, drawing equally from rockabilly, blues, and roots traditions alongside minimalist punk. Desjardins delivered his verbose, gothic storylines—shaped by his affinity for beat poetry and fringe cinema including film noir, Spaghetti westerns, and unconventional horror films—in a gravelly howl. Across most of their existence the Flesh Eaters functioned as much as an idea as a fixed unit, their roster shifting often while Chris D. remained the lone unchanging member.
The ominous yet vivid atmosphere of their initial releases, notably the 1980 album No Questions Asked, evolved into an intense, distinctive sonic onslaught on 1981's A Minute to Pray, A Second to Die, where Desjardins was joined by an all-star ensemble drawn from the Blasters and X. On 1982's Forever Came Today, Desjardins pursued greater stability in personnel and steered toward a harder, guitar-driven style that grew more direct and forceful. Their first era concluded with 1983's A Hard Road to Follow, yet the ever-active Chris D. revived the Flesh Eaters for 1991's Dragstrip Riot and later reassembled the A Minute to Pray, A Second to Die configuration for sporadic concerts beginning in 2006, which ultimately prompted a return to the studio for 2019's I Used to Be Pretty.
Chris Desjardins entered the world in Los Angeles, California in 1953 and, during adolescence, encountered proto-punk acts such as the Stooges and the MC5. A devoted reggae enthusiast, he briefly issued a fanzine titled The Upsetter, borrowing the name from one of Lee "Scratch" Perry's monikers. Once the Los Angeles punk community took shape, Desjardins—already a published poet—contributed to the influential punk publication Slash under the byline Chris D. and immersed himself in the city's underground scene. He soon moved from chronicling punk to assembling his own group under the Flesh Eaters banner. In 1978 he launched Upsetter Records to issue the band's debut EP, a four-song 7" featuring guitarist Jon Curry, bassist Scott Lasken, and drummer Dennis Walsh, all of whom also played in the Flyboys. Upsetter's next release, the 1979 compilation Tooth & Nail, contained three Flesh Eaters selections ("The World Goes Flesh," "Pony Dress," and "Version Nation," a reworking of "Disintegration Nation" from the prior EP) alongside contributions from the Controllers, the Germs, U.X.A., Middle Class, and Negative Trend. Those Flesh Eaters tracks involved Curry, Lasken, Walsh, plus John Doe and D.J. Bonebrake of X and Pat Garrett from Black Randy and the Metrosquad. Upsetter put out the full-length No Questions Asked in 1980, again with a rotating cast of Los Angeles punk musicians assisting Chris D. in the studio.
By 1981 Slash had transitioned into a record label with Chris D. on staff; he produced releases by the Gun Club, the Misfits, the Lazy Cowgirls, and Green on Red while running his own Ruby Records imprint. Though he possessed songs for a second Flesh Eaters album, he once more lacked a stable band and enlisted scene colleagues. He brought in bassist John Doe and percussionist D.J. Bonebrake from X (Bonebrake switching to marimba), along with guitarist Dave Alvin, drummer Bill Bateman, and saxophonist Steve Berlin from the Blasters. (Berlin would eventually join Los Lobos.) Given the rising stature of X and the Blasters, this incarnation attracted wider notice, and the resulting 1981 album A Minute to Pray, A Second to Die became the group's most celebrated work. Despite its reception, Desjardins sought a touring-ready lineup; for 1982's Forever Came Today he enlisted guitarist Don Kirk, bassist Robin Jameson, and drummer Chris Wahl, imparting a tougher, guitar-centric thrust that he characterized as progressing from "roots rock voodoo blues" to "speed metal esoterrorica." Ruby Records released Forever Came Today, yet the Flesh Eaters returned to Upsetter for their fourth album, A Hard Road to Follow, which retained the Kirk/Jameson/Wahl core with added backing vocalist Jill Jordan. After recording "Eyes Without a Face" (unrelated to the Billy Idol single) for the soundtrack of The Return of the Living Dead, the band dissolved.
Chris D. stayed busy, issuing solo work and forming Divine Horsemen with his then-wife, vocalist Julie Christensen. By 1988 both the group and the marriage had ended (Christensen later recorded and toured with Leonard Cohen), prompting Desjardins to enter a 12-step program addressing substance issues. He pursued acting roles in No Way Out and Border Radio, and in 1989 recorded the solo album I Pass for Human with the ensemble Stone by Stone. (He later reused that title for a 2004 independent film he wrote and directed.) In 1991 he reactivated the Flesh Eaters with guitarist Wayne James, bassist Glenn Hays, and drummer Ray Torres; the new configuration debuted on 1991's Dragstrip Riot for SST. Hays returned for 1992's Sex Diary of Mr. Vampire, now with guitarist Stuart Lederer and drummer Christian Free. After a hiatus Desjardins resurfaced with 1999's Ashes of Time on Upsetter, featuring bassist and guitarist Robin Jameson alongside guitarists Larry Schemel and Jeff Vengeance plus drummer Johnny Ray. Five years later came Miss Muerte, issued via Atavistic, which had already reissued earlier Flesh Eaters and Chris D. material.
Throughout the 1990s and 2000s Desjardins balanced music with writing, contributing to Forced Exposure, Cult Movies, and Asian Trash Cinema, releasing fiction and essay collections, and authoring two volumes on Japanese genre cinema—Outlaw Masters of Japanese Film and Gun and Sword: An Encyclopedia of Japanese Gangster Films 1955-1980. He programmed films for Los Angeles's American Cinematheque, taught film studies, and supplied commentaries for DVD editions. In 2006 the all-star A Minute to Pray, A Second to Die lineup reunited for several West Coast performances plus one at England's All Tomorrow's Parties festival; strong response led to further tours in 2015 and 2018. During the 2018 dates Desjardins proposed that the ensemble was ready to record, and his colleagues concurred. The resulting 2019 album I Used to Be Pretty—a vigorous set of originals, revisited Flesh Eaters songs, and three covers—appeared on Yep Roc Records.
The ominous yet vivid atmosphere of their initial releases, notably the 1980 album No Questions Asked, evolved into an intense, distinctive sonic onslaught on 1981's A Minute to Pray, A Second to Die, where Desjardins was joined by an all-star ensemble drawn from the Blasters and X. On 1982's Forever Came Today, Desjardins pursued greater stability in personnel and steered toward a harder, guitar-driven style that grew more direct and forceful. Their first era concluded with 1983's A Hard Road to Follow, yet the ever-active Chris D. revived the Flesh Eaters for 1991's Dragstrip Riot and later reassembled the A Minute to Pray, A Second to Die configuration for sporadic concerts beginning in 2006, which ultimately prompted a return to the studio for 2019's I Used to Be Pretty.
Chris Desjardins entered the world in Los Angeles, California in 1953 and, during adolescence, encountered proto-punk acts such as the Stooges and the MC5. A devoted reggae enthusiast, he briefly issued a fanzine titled The Upsetter, borrowing the name from one of Lee "Scratch" Perry's monikers. Once the Los Angeles punk community took shape, Desjardins—already a published poet—contributed to the influential punk publication Slash under the byline Chris D. and immersed himself in the city's underground scene. He soon moved from chronicling punk to assembling his own group under the Flesh Eaters banner. In 1978 he launched Upsetter Records to issue the band's debut EP, a four-song 7" featuring guitarist Jon Curry, bassist Scott Lasken, and drummer Dennis Walsh, all of whom also played in the Flyboys. Upsetter's next release, the 1979 compilation Tooth & Nail, contained three Flesh Eaters selections ("The World Goes Flesh," "Pony Dress," and "Version Nation," a reworking of "Disintegration Nation" from the prior EP) alongside contributions from the Controllers, the Germs, U.X.A., Middle Class, and Negative Trend. Those Flesh Eaters tracks involved Curry, Lasken, Walsh, plus John Doe and D.J. Bonebrake of X and Pat Garrett from Black Randy and the Metrosquad. Upsetter put out the full-length No Questions Asked in 1980, again with a rotating cast of Los Angeles punk musicians assisting Chris D. in the studio.
By 1981 Slash had transitioned into a record label with Chris D. on staff; he produced releases by the Gun Club, the Misfits, the Lazy Cowgirls, and Green on Red while running his own Ruby Records imprint. Though he possessed songs for a second Flesh Eaters album, he once more lacked a stable band and enlisted scene colleagues. He brought in bassist John Doe and percussionist D.J. Bonebrake from X (Bonebrake switching to marimba), along with guitarist Dave Alvin, drummer Bill Bateman, and saxophonist Steve Berlin from the Blasters. (Berlin would eventually join Los Lobos.) Given the rising stature of X and the Blasters, this incarnation attracted wider notice, and the resulting 1981 album A Minute to Pray, A Second to Die became the group's most celebrated work. Despite its reception, Desjardins sought a touring-ready lineup; for 1982's Forever Came Today he enlisted guitarist Don Kirk, bassist Robin Jameson, and drummer Chris Wahl, imparting a tougher, guitar-centric thrust that he characterized as progressing from "roots rock voodoo blues" to "speed metal esoterrorica." Ruby Records released Forever Came Today, yet the Flesh Eaters returned to Upsetter for their fourth album, A Hard Road to Follow, which retained the Kirk/Jameson/Wahl core with added backing vocalist Jill Jordan. After recording "Eyes Without a Face" (unrelated to the Billy Idol single) for the soundtrack of The Return of the Living Dead, the band dissolved.
Chris D. stayed busy, issuing solo work and forming Divine Horsemen with his then-wife, vocalist Julie Christensen. By 1988 both the group and the marriage had ended (Christensen later recorded and toured with Leonard Cohen), prompting Desjardins to enter a 12-step program addressing substance issues. He pursued acting roles in No Way Out and Border Radio, and in 1989 recorded the solo album I Pass for Human with the ensemble Stone by Stone. (He later reused that title for a 2004 independent film he wrote and directed.) In 1991 he reactivated the Flesh Eaters with guitarist Wayne James, bassist Glenn Hays, and drummer Ray Torres; the new configuration debuted on 1991's Dragstrip Riot for SST. Hays returned for 1992's Sex Diary of Mr. Vampire, now with guitarist Stuart Lederer and drummer Christian Free. After a hiatus Desjardins resurfaced with 1999's Ashes of Time on Upsetter, featuring bassist and guitarist Robin Jameson alongside guitarists Larry Schemel and Jeff Vengeance plus drummer Johnny Ray. Five years later came Miss Muerte, issued via Atavistic, which had already reissued earlier Flesh Eaters and Chris D. material.
Throughout the 1990s and 2000s Desjardins balanced music with writing, contributing to Forced Exposure, Cult Movies, and Asian Trash Cinema, releasing fiction and essay collections, and authoring two volumes on Japanese genre cinema—Outlaw Masters of Japanese Film and Gun and Sword: An Encyclopedia of Japanese Gangster Films 1955-1980. He programmed films for Los Angeles's American Cinematheque, taught film studies, and supplied commentaries for DVD editions. In 2006 the all-star A Minute to Pray, A Second to Die lineup reunited for several West Coast performances plus one at England's All Tomorrow's Parties festival; strong response led to further tours in 2015 and 2018. During the 2018 dates Desjardins proposed that the ensemble was ready to record, and his colleagues concurred. The resulting 2019 album I Used to Be Pretty—a vigorous set of originals, revisited Flesh Eaters songs, and three covers—appeared on Yep Roc Records.
Albums
Singles
