Rozz Williams

Rozz Williams (born Roger Alan Painter; November 6, 1963 – April 1, 1998) was an American singer and songwriter known for his work with the bands Christian Death, Shadow Project (with musician Eva O), and the industrial project Premature Ejaculation. Christian Death is cited by some as a pioneer of the American gothic rock scene as well as deathrock, and is considered to be one of the most influential figures of the scene. However, Williams disliked the "goth" label and actively worked to shed it during the 1980s and 1990s by focusing on punk rock, hard rock, cabaret, and spoken word music. Williams was also involved with his groups Daucus Karota, Heltir, EXP, Bloodflag, and his own version of Christian Death (Christian Death featuring Rozz Williams), along with recording a handful of solo albums. In addition to music, Williams was also an avid painter, poet, and collage artist.

Rozz Williams
Rozz Williams at Daucus Karota Concert
Background information
Birth nameRoger Alan Painter
Also known asRozz Williams
Born(1963-11-06)November 6, 1963
Pomona, California, U.S.
DiedApril 1, 1998(1998-04-01) (aged 34)
West Hollywood, California, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • poet
  • filmmaker
Years active1979–1998
LabelsCleopatra, Frontier, Triple X, Hollows Hill Sound
Formerly ofChristian Death, Shadow Project, Premature Ejaculation, Daucus Karota, Heltir, EXP, Gitane Demone
Websiterozznet.com

Williams committed suicide by hanging himself in his West Hollywood apartment on April 1, 1998. He was 34 years old.

Early life

Rozz Williams was born Roger Alan Painter on November 6, 1963, in Pomona, California, and was raised in a strict Southern Baptist family. His father Robert Norman Painter was an artist. Rozz had three older siblings (Janet, Bobby, and Larry).[1] After being expelled from his high school in Pomona for lack of attendance, he transferred to Claremont High School, where he was again expelled during his ninth grade.[2]

As a child, he was a fan of David Bowie, Lou Reed, Roxy Music, T. Rex, Alice Cooper, Iggy Pop and the New York Dolls.

Career

Early bands

At the age of fifteen, Painter formed his first band the A-Sexuals. In an interview with Nico B, Jill Emery stated of the A-Sexuals: "I thought it was funny because considering we were kind of coming out of the closet to a degree and we were, and in my mind later in life, like even last year, why can't the asexuals – and I don't mean the band; I mean in general — be in the gay parade too? Why can't they be in the back of it? Like, they are people too, and they have their preference, but it's just funny. We were just kids. We weren't that straight edge".[3] In addition to being the lead vocalist, he played the organ and guitar, with Jill Emery also contributing vocals as well as playing bass, and Steve Darrow on drums.[4] The A-Sexuals disbanded after a few months, with Emery and Darrow morphing the band into the Decadents at the end of 1978.[5]

Following this, Painter became friends with John "Jay" Albert, with whom he would attempt to form several bands with under names including No and the Crawlers. These groups never performed live and most rarely even rehearsed. In Mikey Bean's book Phantoms, Albert called them "nonexistent band[s]".[6] Around this time, Painter began an intimate relationship with Darby Crash, vocalist of the Germs, under whose influence he decided to take a stage name. There exists an urban myth that the name "Rozz Williams" was derived from a gravestone in Pemona, however in Phantoms, Albert, Darrow and George Belanger claim that this is untrue, with Belanger stating that the first name came as a suggestion from their friend Ann Miller.[7]

Christian Death
Williams (front) and Johnnie Sage performing with Christian Death in 1983

Albert and Williams formed Christian Death in October 1979 alongside bassist James McGearty and drummer George Belanger.[8][9] At this time, the band was a punk rock band musically indebted to the Germs. As the band progressed their music slowed and began to incorporate religious symbolism.[10] Their first live performance was an impromptu set at the Hong Kong Cafe in Los Angeles supporting Castration Squad, replacing Killer Pussy after they were booed off stage.[11]

After a physical altercation involving Belanger took place, he was left unable to play drums for their upcoming at on February 14, 1981. Williams asked Steve Darrow to fill in, however Belanger decided moments before their set to still try and play, leading to Belanger performing the first few songs then Darrow finishing the set. This incident angered Albert, who left the band permanently mid-set.[12] Subsequently, Christian Death was halted, with Albert and Williams forming noise band Daucus Karota with drummer Mary Torcivia.[13] Williams, McGearty and Belanger regrouped a few months later, now accompanied by guitarist Rikk Agnew, who had just left the Adolescents.[14] With this lineup, they made their first vinyl appearance with the song "Dogs" on the 1981 L.A. scene compilation album Hell Comes to Your House. The following year, they signed with Frontier Records and released their debut studio album, Only Theatre of Pain, on March 24.[15]

The following year Belanger left the band after becoming disheartened by the growing darkness of the band's image and increasing drug abuse.[16] Belanger's role was filled by Rod "China" Figueroa, whose first performance with the band was a record signing on April 10, 1982.[17] Later that year, while the band were getting ready for a domestic tour, Agnew, distressed by his own drug use and troubles in his relationship, began to experience panicked episodes where he would imagine Williams and his boyfriend Ron Athey being subject to homophobic attacks in Southern states and the band being arrested for drug possession. This culminated in him leaving the band as they were preparing to go on stage.[18] The band then hired Mikaleno Amundson to play guitar, who moved in with Figueroa. However, when Amundson and Figueroas' girlfriends fell out with each other, Amundson was forced to move out and leave the band after "about three to five shows." Because of this, Eva O briefly became the band's guitarist.[19] On October 30, 1982, this lineup opened for Angelic Upstarts at SIR Studios alongside Pompeii 99.[20] Following this, Michael Montano and Johnnie Sage both began playing guitar in the band, and they played again with Pompeii 99.[21] By the end of the year, McGearty had left the band. With Williams as the only founding member remaining, Christian Death disbanded.[22]

Around this point, Pompeii 99 too were going through a number of lineup changes. Subsequently, six months after Christian Death's disbandment, Williams joined Pompeii 99, which at that time consisted of only guitarist and vocalist Valor Kand and drummer David "Glass" Parkinson. Under Williams' suggestion, the band's session keyboard player and Kand's partner Gitane DeMone officially joined the band.[23] After Williams was approached by Yann Farcy of French record label L'Invitation au Suicide to record another Christian Death album and tour Europe, the band hired bassist Constance Smith (later Redgrave) and changed their name to Christian Death.[24] This culminated in Christian Death's second studio album Catastrophe Ballet (1984). Recorded at Rockfield studios in Monmouth, Wales, much of this album's instrumentals were written by Kand, with Williams contributing entirely to lyrics and partially to melody writing.[25] It was a departure the band's angry punk influenced style and was dedicated to surrealist André Breton.[26] While in France, Smith departed from the group due to a mental health struggle, being replaced by Dave Roberts of Sex Gang Children.[27]

In autumn 1984 the band returned to America and recorded Ashes, which was released the following year.[15] In mid-1985, Williams departed from the group, frustrated by Kand's increasing control of the band and perceived disregard for how touring affected the members' ventures outside of music. He originally planned to do this under the pretext that DeMone would also be leaving, however she soon decided not to, as that would also mean separating Kand from their child together.[28] Following Williams' departure, the remaining members made an effort to change the band's name to Sin and Sacrifice, transitioning to that name through booking their next tour as the Sin and Sacrifice of Christian Death. However, the promoters did not adhere to this change, instead having them booked as simply Christian Death. This issue then became exacerbated once they were offered a record deal which they could only accept if they continued on as Christian Death.[29]

Williams recorded for Cleopatra Records in 1992. Williams had been the only original member of Christian Death left when he departed the group in 1985, yet the remaining members continued to perform earlier Christian Death material and released several albums under the original group name.

Williams had already recorded two more songs, "Haloes" and "Spectre (Love Is Dead)", with Eric Westfall, but these were not officially released for five years. The songs appeared on the Heavens and Hells cassettes, which also included live performances Williams selected from his own tapes. A third, unfinished song from the session with Eric Westfall was called "This Mirage". This was only completed many years after, with assistance from Erik Christides, and released for the first time in 1998.

Premature Ejaculation, Shadow Project and Christian Death featuring Rozz Williams
Ron Athey, with whom Williams formed Premature Ejaculation in 1981

Williams formed Premature Ejaculation in 1981 with performance artist Ron Athey. After only a few live performances, including one which involved Athey eating a crucified road-kill cat, clubs began refusing to book them.

Williams formed Shadow Project with Eva O in 1987, The band lineup included Johann Schumann (bass) and also Barry Galvin and David Glass, both of whom also recorded with post Ashes-era Christian Death. The name "Shadow Project" was taken from the tests in Hiroshima following the nuclear bomb which left impressions or "shadows", but no bodies.

Later on, Williams reformed Shadow Project with Eva O, Jill Emery (bass), Tom Morgan (drums) and Paris Sadonis (keyboards). At the time, Rozz was increasingly falling under the influence of the philosophy of Charles Manson. Jill Emery left the band early in 1992 to concentrate her duties on Hole, who would become an internationally successful act, and Aaron Schwartz was brought in to record "Dead Babies/Killer" for the Welcome to Our Nightmare compilation CD consisting of cover versions of Alice Cooper songs. Chuck Collison also contributed samples to these tracks.

Williams, Eva, Listo (bass) and David Melford (drums) started recording new versions of Christian Death songs for The Iron Mask album in February 1992. The album was made, in part, to finance the Shadow Project European tour of February and March 1992, when they were supported by Mephisto Walz. Peter Tomlinson had replaced Tom Morgan on drums for this tour.

Williams also occasionally took part in Christian Death reunions during the late 1980s and early 1990s with Rikk Agnew, the guitarist on the band's first album.

In 1992, with the help of Eva O, Paris Sadonis, William Faith, Sevan Kand (son of Valor Kand), Scat Elis, Stevyn Grey, Kris Kohls, Brian Virtue, Wayne James, Armon Christoff and Aaron Schwartz, Rozz Williams recorded two new Christian Death studio albums entitled The Path of Sorrows and The Rage of Angels. Williams had been quoted as saying "The Path of Sorrows is probably my favorite Christian Death album".

For the last time in June 1993 at Los Angeles' Patriotic Hall, Christian Death regrouped for a one show, captured on the CD and live video Iconologia. Williams was joined by Rikk Agnew, George Belanger and Casey (bass). Following his brother's decision not to come back on stage to play the encores, Frank Agnew was credited as additional guitarist on the recordings. During some live performances, Williams could be seen wearing a T-shirt which sported the words "Never Trust a Valor".

At this time, there were effectively two bands recording and performing material under the name "Christian Death". This eventually precipitated a heated legal battle between Williams and Valor Kand which was never satisfactorily resolved.

In 1993, Shadow Project toured America. The band consisted of Williams, Eva, Paris Sadonis, Mark Barone (bass) and Christian Omar Madrigal Izzo (drums). After this American tour, Eva O and Paris left the band to work on the Eva O Halo Experience CD Demons Fall for an Angel's Kiss. Shadow Project had come to an end; however, a German tour for October had already been booked. Although all tickets, flyers and publicity for this tour were credited to Shadow Project, Williams had decided that the band name should change to Daucus Karota. He sang on the tour, Brian Butler was the guitarist, Mark Barone played bass and Christian Omar Madrigal Izzo was on drums. For one show, Demone drove from her home in Amsterdam to Germany to meet up with Williams backstage. The Shrine EP by Daucus Karota was recorded in January 1994 with Mark Barone (bass), Christian Omar Madrigal Izzo (drums) and Roxy (guitars). The EP was reviewed favourably by Trouser Press.[30] Daucus Karota returned to Europe for a month-long European tour in November 1994, with Demone filling the support slot. The tour had Todd Dixon on drums, Michael Saavedra on bass and Brian Hansen on guitar. Hansen had replaced Rolf Donath, who had been the guitarist for the band at shows in Los Angeles and Mexico during that summer.

Later career

Demone and Williams came together to release the album Dream Home Heartache in 1995. It was recorded by Williams and Demone in Gent, Belgium between March 28 and April 5, 1995, with help from Pieter Rekfelt. The producer was Ken Thomas who had previously worked with David Bowie on Hunky Dory. Williams and Gitane played a few shows together in April 1995 and again in December 1995. They toured the UK in April 1996.

In 1995, following his return from Europe, Williams joined up with Paris Sadonis and Ryan Wildstar to work on the spoken word album, The Whorse's Mouth. The lyrics, co-written with Ryan Wildstar, chronicle a period of heroin addiction from which the two eventually escaped. Shortly following the recording of The Whorse's Mouth, Williams began playing bass for EXP, the musical troupe created by Paris and Ryan Wildstar. He went on to play bass on their self-titled debut album with bandmates Paris (keyboards), Ryan Wildstar (vocals), Doriandra (vocals), Ace Farren Ford (horns/violin), Justin Bennett (drums) and Ignacio Segovia (percussion).

In 1997, Williams again paired up with Eva O to record the final Shadow Project album, From the Heart. He also recorded Wound of Exit, his last solo CD as Premature Ejaculation.

Other interests

In addition to his musical activities, Williams had a keen interest in painting, along with collaging, and several of his pieces have been exhibited at some dark art shows through Los Angeles and Atlanta through his friend Snow Elizabeth. He also co-directed and scored Pig, a 1998 experimental psychological horror silent short film with underground film maker Nico B. The film stars Rozz Williams and James Hollan and was produced and directed by Nico B. Pig was the last work Williams did.

Personal life

Williams did not like to discuss his sexual orientation publicly, however in a 1997 interview with John Sabien Ellenberger for Golgotha Magazine, he called himself gay. In the same interview with Ellenberger, while discussing The Whorse's Mouth he revealed how he was hesitant to have his family listen to the album, Williams stated, "There's certain things I don't feel like need to be shared with them. It was a really difficult thing for me to call, and just say like 'well guess what? I'm gay'. You know, my mom's response was 'Well son, I'm not stupid.'"[31] In the 1980s, he was in a long-term relationship with performance artist Ron Athey,[32] and together they would both enter an intimate relationship with Eva O.[33] After Athey and Williams split, Williams would continue his relationship with Eva O,[34] whom he married in 1987,[35] and then divorced in 1998.[36]

Williams regularly performed in drag, a trait that put him at an inverse to the prevailing hypermasculinity of the hardcore punk scene he was involved in.[37][38] He began doing this as an act of rebellion against the jock types who became involved in punk.[39] Music archivist Danny Fuentes compared his style of performance to political activism, stating: "The gender bending of his persona and the in-your-face delivery made it a form of queer activism... that is what was brave about him, he never felt the need to explain himself."[40] However, as time passed it became intrinsically linked to his identity; he began to explore the practice of "living in drag", where for stretches of time he would only ever be seen in women's clothes, an aspect that lessened later in life.[41] Musician Anohni cited this aspect of Williams as influential upon both her understanding of her own identity and the style of performance in her group Blacklips, saying in an interview with Artforum that she "think[s] of Rozz more and more as such a foundational presence in a certain line of underground queer dreaming. Rozz... definitely had a huge impact on me and Johanna, as did Diamanda Galás."[42] Andrew D'Angelo too cited Williams as influential upon his understanding of gender and sexuality.[43]

Williams was raised in a strict Southern Baptist family, but abandoned this as he formed Christian Death. As the years went on, as he stated in an interview with Ellenberger, he eventually became a Satanist and practiced magic in the privacy of his home. However, in 1996, he stated in another interview with Ellenberger that he had developed a "personal relationship with God."[44]

And What About the Bells?, a collection of Williams' poetry compiled and edited by Ryan Wildstar, was released posthumously in 2010.[45] An updated, hardcover edition, featuring scans of Williams' journals, a new foreword, and an in-depth interview with Ryan Wildstar was released on June 9, 2023.

Suicide

In the introduction for the book And What About the Bells?, Ryan Wildstar (born Ryan Gaumer), Williams' friend and roommate of eight years, stated that on March 31, the night before Williams took his own life, they watched the film Isadora (1968), about dancer Isadora Duncan, during which Wildstar retired to bed despite Williams' protest, who said, "You don't even know how it ends!" Wildstar replied that he knew Isadora hangs to death at the end after her scarf gets caught on the spokes of her car's wheel, and went to bed. Williams made final phone calls to friends and family in the early morning hours the next day. Wildstar said that if he had not been distraught over the death of his boyfriend Erik Christides, who died of a heroin overdose on November 27, 1997 (Thanksgiving Day), he would have seen the warning signs to Williams' suicide more clearly.

On April 1, 1998, Williams hanged himself in his West Hollywood apartment, at the age of 34. His body was discovered by Wildstar, who heard worried messages on the answering machine and broke down the door to Williams' bedroom when he returned home that afternoon. Williams had left a rose on the coffee table in the living room, along with several items, including The Hanged Man tarot card. He left no note.[46] A memorial was held at the El Rey Theatre shortly after his death, and a small gathering of family and friends scattered his ashes at Runyon Canyon Park in the Hollywood Hills.[47]

Theories have arisen regarding the reason for Williams's suicide, including failing health, depression, bipolar disorder, financial instability, and his fascination with the number 1334, which can be found in the liner notes of his albums, in his signature, and also on his urn. It is also unknown as to why Williams committed suicide on April Fools' Day.

The cabinet in which he hanged himself as well as a few pieces of original artwork are on display at the LA Museum of Death.[48]

Legacy

Williams' creativity had a profound effect on the Goth subculture and was also influential in poetry and collage artwork. Annually, fans pay tribute to his life and work. In 2010, Gothic Beauty Magazine[49] and a short film Necessary Discomforts an Artistic Tribute to Rozz Williams[50] featured one such event at the Hyaena Gallery curated by A Raven Above Press.[51]

The Mountain Goats' 2000 album, The Coroner's Gambit, was dedicated to Williams, and several songs refer to singer John Darnielle's reaction to Williams' death.[52]

On April 1, 2018, to commemorate twenty years since Williams's death, Cult Epics and Dark Vinyl Records released two albums: In the Heart, recorded during the "Dream Home Heartache Tour", and On the Altar, from Williams's last European tour.

In 2018, Cult Epics released a box set to commemorate the 20th anniversary of his film Pig, which starred Williams. Only twenty-five were made. Each included one of the few remaining VHS copies of the film (numbered up to 1334), an exclusive t-shirt, a postcard, lobby cards, a limited edition print of one of Williams' collages, a commemorative pin, and a portion of the original 8 mm film strip. Each box was signed and dated by Nico B., and each VHS tape was signed as well.

Cult Epics had released also the book "The Art of Rozz Williams: From Christian Death to Death" in a Hardcover re-issue in 2018 as well "Christian Death: OTOP Photography by Edward Colver", in Hardcover and Softcover editions in 2022.

Discography

Christian Death (1981–1985)

Christian Death featuring Rozz Williams
  • The Iron Mask (1992)
  • Skeleton Kiss EP (1992)
  • Stick a Finger Down Its Throat (1992)
  • The Path of Sorrows (1993)
  • Iconologia (1993)
  • Sleepless Nights: Live 1990 (1993)
  • Invocations: 1981–1989 (1993)
  • The Rage of Angels (1994)
  • Tales of Innocence: A Continued Anthology (1994)
  • Christian Death: Live (video; 1995)
  • Death in Detroit (1995)
  • Death Mix (1996)
  • The Best of Christian Death (Featuring: Rozz Williams) (1999)
  • Death Club (2005)
  • Six Six Sixth Communion (2007)
  • Death Box (box set; 2012)

Shadow Project (1987–1998)
  • Is Truth a Crime? (1989)
  • Shadow Project (1991)
  • Dreams for the Dying (1992)
  • Dead Babies/Killer (1992)
  • In Tuned Out – Live '93 (1994)
  • From the Heart (1998)
  • The Original Shadow Project (2005)

Premature Ejaculation (1981–1998)
  • PE – Pt.1 (1981)
  • PE – Pt.2 (1981)
  • A Little Hard to Swallow (1982)
  • Living Monstrocities/Descent (1985)
  • Death Cultures (1987)
  • Assertive Discipline (1988)
  • Death Cultures III (1988)
  • Blood Told in Spine (1991)
  • Death Cultures (1989)
  • Anesthesia (1992)
  • Necessary Discomforts (1993)
  • Estimating the Time of Death (1994)
  • Wound of Exit (1998)

Happiest Place on Earth (1986–1990)
  • Body of a Crow (1986)
  • PULSE (1989)
  • Environments: Birth, Death, Decay (1990)

Daucus Karota (1979, 1986, 1993–1994)
  • Shrine EP (1994)

Heltir (1987–1998)
  • Il banchetto dei cancri/VC-706 (1989)
  • 69 Rituals (1989)
  • Neue sachlichkeit (1994)

EXP
  • EXP (1996)

Rozz Williams and Gitane Demone

Rozz Williams (1992–1998)

Posthumous albums
  • Untitled (1999; available with "The Art of Rozz Williams")
  • Live in Berlin (2000)
  • Accept the Gift of Sin (2003)
  • Sleeping Dogs (2013)
  • In the Heart (2018)
  • On the Altar (2018)

Filmography
  • Is Truth a Crime??? (1989)
  • Pig (1998)
  • 1334 (2012; posthumous)

Bibliography
  • The Art of Rozz Williams: From Christian Death To Death (Softcover 1999) (Hardcover 2016, 2021)
  • Le théâtre des douleurs... and What About The Bells? (2010)
  • Christian Death - Only Theatre of Pain: Photography by Edward Colver (2022)

References
  1. "Rozz Williams Biography" Retrieved 22 May 2015
  2. Bean, Mikey (November 3, 2019). Phantoms: The Rise of Deathrock from the LA Punk Scene. p. 106. Steve Darrow: Roger got kicked out of his highschool in Pomona coz he never went to class and somehow got transferred to us at Claremont High, which was kind of the next school district away...
    Peter Andrus: I think Roger only lasted a year at Claremont High, at most, he had dropped out, got kicked out in ninth grade or so.
  3. B, Nico; Colver, Edward (January 17, 2022). Christian Death: Only Theatre of Pain: Photography by Edward Colver. Cult Epics. ISBN 0999862766. I thought it was funny because considering we were kind of coming out of the closet to a degree and we were, and in my mind later in life, like even last year, why can't the asexuals – and I don't mean the band; I mean in general — be in the gay parade too? Why can't they be in the back of it? Like, they are people too, and they have their preference, but it's just funny. We were just kids. We weren't that straight edge.
  4. Bean, Mikey (November 3, 2019). Phantoms: The Rise of Deathrock from the LA Punk Scene. pp. 105–106. [Jill Emery:] I guess Roger had a guitar or something and I think I had a bass, some guy had told me 'just get a bass...' and I said 'Ok' coz I was really into music. Mostly it seemed like he would come over to my house and then we could just jam in my room and make up stuff endlessly or talk on the phone...
    Steve Darrow: Roger was about 15, Jilly was about 16 and I was about 13 and we were all from that area...
    Jill Emery: I guess that was beginning of the A-Sexuals
  5. Bean, Mikey (November 3, 2019). Phantoms: The Rise of Deathrock from the LA Punk Scene. p. 113. Peter Andrus: So that was the A-Sexuals, just for a few months I think.
    John Albert: ...and they were just immediately a new band.
    Steve Darrow: Jill and I started the Decadents right after that.
    John Aldrus: The Decadents started end of 78.
  6. Bean, Mikey (November 3, 2019). Phantoms: The Rise of Deathrock from the LA Punk Scene. pp. 116–117. Peter Andrus: Around the same time that Jill, Steve and I had our band, Roger and Jay would become pretty good friends...
    John Albert: We had different names even though we didn't really have a real band, would talk about having a band and Roger would write flyers for this nonexistent band he had!...
    Steve Darrow: He did call one band called No! ...but it was never a real band... they might have decided to call it the Crawlers one day and then move to on to something else the next... As far as I know the A-Sexuals was the only 'semi real' band that actually gigged before Christian Death, and that's the reality of his pre-Christian Death bands, the stories that you hear on the internet are all a little bit wrong as '...he just had bands in high school, then he went and started Christian Death and then the rest is history...' it didn't go down like that at all. I think it's just badly translated hearsay.
  7. Bean, Mikey (November 3, 2019). Phantoms: The Rise of Deathrock from the LA Punk Scene. pp. 118–119. Ron Athey: Rozz didn't elaborate, I just knew he was part of that scene and he'd had a thing with Darby...
    John Albert: The name Rozz came at sort of the same time he was really into Darby... it was just brief but they were definitely having a romance...
    George Belanger: Ann Miller made a couple of suggestions and 'Rozz' was the one he chose...
    Michael Bell: I was introduced to him as Rozz and I would definitely guess it was part of Darby's reinventing him.
    John Albert: ...That's what I always though, because Darby changed his name too...
    Editor's note: Urban myth has also stated that the full name 'Rozz Williams' was taken from a Pemona gravestone...
    John Albert: That sort of whole semi-gothic thing wasn't really in the picture when he became 'Rozz', and if he went to a graveyard it was just because we were getting drunk and it was like a park... it wasn't reading gravestones.
    Steve Darrow: I never got the real story.
  8. "Christian Death" (Press release). Box 22, Sun Valley, California, 91352: Frontier Records. 1982. Retrieved June 9, 2013.{{cite press release}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  9. Bean, Mikey (November 3, 2019). Phantoms: The Rise of Deathrock from the LA Punk Scene. p. 119. George Belanger: James met Rozz hanging out outside a show. I believe it was at the Starwood... we agreed to meet at Rozz's house the following week; I met Jay there... we spoke about music and the fact that James and I had been jamming with each other... Rozz asked James and I what I thought about the name Christian Death 'sure... why not...'
    John Albert: I remember not liking 'Christian Death' but there was this other hanger-on who said 'no, that's a great name' 'ok, whatever...' it didn't strike me one way or the other but he wanted to go with that name.
  10. Bean, Mikey (November 3, 2019). Phantoms: The Rise of Deathrock from the LA Punk Scene. pp. 119–120. John Albert: At the time we became Christian Death there was hardly any religious symbolism at all, we were just playing wild, fast music... then gradually it became something else. Christian Death started as a Germs style punk band...
    Frank Agnew: ...their personality was nothing like the later image.
  11. Bean, Mikey (November 3, 2019). Phantoms: The Rise of Deathrock from the LA Punk Scene. pp. 125–126. Steve Darrow: Their first real gig was out here in LA, at the Hong Kong Cafe...
    John Albert: We opened for Castration Squad...
    George Belanger: Let's see, there was this opening band called the Killer Pussies...
    Editors note: Aka Killer Pussy.
    George Belanger: ...they came out and first song got booed off the stage... the crowd got hostile with them so they were done. Don came over and asked if we would play since the Squad wasn't ready to play yet.
  12. Bean, Mikey (November 3, 2019). Phantoms: The Rise of Deathrock from the LA Punk Scene. pp. 133–134. George Belanger: I got pissed at this fucking hippie, he was talking shit...
    Bill Sassenberger: Next thing I knew, George had put his fist through the glass door entrance to the store...
    Kurt M. Ross: The guy's lucky George hit the window and not his jaw...
    Peter Andrus: He was all stitched up and they said 'you can't play drums for three months'...
    Peter Andrus: Christian Death had another show booked at PAL Boxing Gym...
    Editor's note: Saturday February 14, 1981...
    Peter Andrus: So of course Rozz asked Steve to do it...
    John Albert: George decides all of a sudden that night he can play and he's gonna play...
    George Belanger: I got up on stage... Jay freaked out...
    Steve Darrow: I actually DID play this set, at least 2 or 3 songs. George may have played the first few songs...
    John Albert: I left in the middle of the whole thing... I literally just walked out the door, got in the car with a friend, went and got drugs, got loaded and never thought about it...
    Peter Andrus: That was the last time that Jay played with Christian Death.
  13. Bean, Mikey (November 3, 2019). Phantoms: The Rise of Deathrock from the LA Punk Scene. pp. 135–136. [John Albert:] It seemed for a while that Christian Death wasn't gonna exist; I remember Rozz was "...well, fuck those guys!" and we were gonna do this other band... Daucus Carota... I know that band existed at least for a while after I left Christian Death... Mary Torcivia was the drummer... Mary couldn't really play but she'd keep a simple beat; she was okay for a band like Daucus, which was more noise and seen as a sort of experimental side project.
  14. Bean, Mikey (November 3, 2019). Phantoms: The Rise of Deathrock from the LA Punk Scene. p. 138. George Belanger: James and I went to see the Adolescents at the Starwood and it was announced on stage that this was Rikk's last show... after the show Rikk comes over and asks me how things are going with Christian Death... I told Rikk about Jay and that we were trying to find a guitar player 'what about me?' 'Really that would be awesome...'
    Frank Agnew: Then Rikk joined Christian Death.
  15. Huey, Steve. "Christian Death – Music Biography, Credits and Discography". AllMusic. AllRovi. Retrieved June 26, 2013.
  16. Bean, Mikey (November 3, 2019). Phantoms: The Rise of Deathrock from the LA Punk Scene. p. 171. Dave Grave: There was already problems in the band when Christian Death were working on their album.
    George Belanger: Live shows were good, however drug abuse became a problem and things started to slide...
    Rikk Agnew: We wanted to get more and more darker, more and more serious about our presentation and stuff but he started going the opposite direction.
    George Belanger: I was losing interest and I felt like I was losing myself.
  17. Bean, Mikey (November 3, 2019). Phantoms: The Rise of Deathrock from the LA Punk Scene. p. 172. Joseph Brooks: We had them of course do their record signing...
    Editor's note: April 10, 1982...
    Steve Darrow: George was out of the band by the time the signing happened so China was playing drums.
    Rikk Agnew: That was China's first thing with us.
  18. Bean, Mikey (November 3, 2019). Phantoms: The Rise of Deathrock from the LA Punk Scene. p. 176. Rikk Agnew: It was a lot of things, I don't know... when I have those metal downs and things happen like that I just get in that mood where everything seems bad. At that point I was doing a lot of drugs and doing a lot of drinking, was really drunk, and we'd been doing acid a lot, 6 or 7 times a day. I was having a bad time with Linda too. For some reason something else that was bothering me was that we were getting ready to go on tour, and I'd never been on tour before in the US. Ron and Rozz were at their peak at that point... they were just very public and open in their action... making out in public, running around holding hands together and dressed like that Nothing against it, but just the one thing I kept picturing was in my head... I just pictured us in the south. That would've been ok but they were talking about bringing an ounce of heroin on tour with them and that just capped it... I pictured them acting like that at a truck-stop getting in a big old fight, Ron slices some guy open, cops come... they look at us... they find the heroin and they just throw away the key... so we're getting ready to go... all of a sudden I just snap... I got in the car and just told him [Frank Agnew] 'let's go, let's go...!' and that's when I left the band.}}
  19. Bean, Mikey (November 3, 2019). Phantoms: The Rise of Deathrock from the LA Punk Scene. p. 177. Mikaleno Amundson: I was Rikk Agnew's replacement after he went off the tracks
    Debora Ballabio: Mike was working at Wright Marine cleaning boats and him and I were pretty hot and heavy. Rod/China came up and told us this band he was in needed a guitar player...
    Mikaleno Amundson: I quit my job and moved to LA to join the band... about three to five shows. This is the sad part; Rod and I were living together with our girlfriends, the girls got into a huge fight so we moved across the street and had nothing to with them after that. I felt really sorry for Roz who didn't understand what was happening and why...
    Steve Darrow: Eva was a 'fill-in' at that point...
    Jaime Pina: Then they went through a million different lineups...
  20. Bean, Mikey (November 3, 2019). Phantoms: The Rise of Deathrock from the LA Punk Scene. p. 185. Gitane DeMone: Pompeii 99 were booked in to play a show with Angelic Upstarts...
    Steve Darrow: It was at SIR studios, which was this pro rehearsal place in town...
    Editor's note: Saturday October 30, 1982...
    Polly Klemmer: Christian Death were on that lineup too.
  21. Bean, Mikey (November 3, 2019). Phantoms: The Rise of Deathrock from the LA Punk Scene. p. 191. Steve Darrow: The Christian Death lineup with Eva, China, etc, was only for a brief minute; at one point they had this guy Michael playing guitar...
    Kevin Darrow: Michael Montano was from New Mexico.
    Eva O: Rozz found two guitar players and had them play.
    Steve Darrow: 'Let's try two guitar players...' so they got this other guy, Johnnie Sage, and for a while there it was basically them, with James still playing bass...
    Bruce Duff: That Christian Death line-up never recorded, but we (45 Grave) played with them and Pompeii 99...
    Gitane DeMone: Yeah... us, 45 Grave, Twisted Roots and Christian Death.
  22. Bean, Mikey (November 3, 2019). Phantoms: The Rise of Deathrock from the LA Punk Scene. p. 93. Steve Darrow: James quit, I don't know what happened exactly...
    Karin Darrow: The band wasn't really happening...
    James McGearty: Christian Death maybe had broke up a little bit.
  23. Bean, Mikey (November 3, 2019). Phantoms: The Rise of Deathrock from the LA Punk Scene. p. 197. Gitane DeMone: The next thing I heard was David and Valor were going to be playing with Rozz.
    Valor: Six months had gone by before we considered joining forces; I knew Rozz, he joined our band '...would you like to join this band'...
    David Parkinson: ...so we hooked up with Rozz...
    Gitane DeMone: Then I was told Rozz was interested in having me play keyboards, so I went to his birthday party and met him.
  24. Bean, Mikey (November 3, 2019). Phantoms: The Rise of Deathrock from the LA Punk Scene. pp. 197–198. Valor: All I know is Rozz said somebody called him, and that was Yann Farcy, 'I just got a phone call from this record company and I don't know how to deal with it. I told him that he should talk to you... he's gonna call tomorrow, will you speak to him?' So I spoke to Yann; Rozz never did any negotiations with Yann, to my knowledge.
    Gitane DeMone: The French company wanted an album.
    David Parkinson: We got this deal with Yann to do a record.
    Eva O: So record found a good way to go to Europe and do some shit...
    Gitane DeMone: So we learned some of the OToP material that Rozz wanted to do...
    Constance Redgrave: So at that point they needed a bass player ASAP.
    Voxx Voltaire: ... and Constance joined the band.
    Gitane DeMone: There was a tour coming up but it had to be 'Christian Death'...
    David Parkinson: To be honest, I was up for anything, whatever 'Let's do Christian Death...'
  25. Bean, Mikey (November 3, 2019). Phantoms: The Rise of Deathrock from the LA Punk Scene. p. 203. Gitane DeMone: We were swept away on tour and Valor was writing for the album in hotel rooms at all hours...
    Eric Westfall: We did the Catastrophe Ballet album at a farmhouse/studio in Monmouth, on the border of England and Wales...
    David Parkinson: Most of it was half written, the other stuff just kinda came into its own... we literally wrote probably a third or more of that record in the studio... or at least Valor was writing stuff... Rozz was working on things of course, sometimes wrote the melody and does all the lyrics.
  26. Leduc-Gugnalons, Tony (2017). Camion Blanc Afterpunk highlights L'ère de la glaciation sonore. Camion Blanc. p. 1975. Catastrophe Ballet, a calmer, more melodic album, which definitively buried the punk fury for a more subtle and more literary music. Rozz's plaintive voice gives way to more sedate parts that further highlight his qualities as a performer and lyricist. There is no doubt that the two new musicians, assisted by David Glass on drums and Constance Smith on bass, have been able to channel the expiatory rage of their singer to serve the cause. Explicitly dedicated to André Breton.
  27. Bean, Mikey (November 3, 2019). Phantoms: The Rise of Deathrock from the LA Punk Scene. pp. 205–206. Constance Redgrave: After a particularly difficult show I think I told her [DeMone's] mother I didn't know how much more I could handle, that I was feeling quite unstable... she told Gitane who told Valor, who replaced me...
    David Parkinson: ...we got Dave Roberts...
    Gitane DeMone: Dave Robert, yeah I don't know how it happened, it must've been a Valor connection as well.
  28. Bean, Mikey (November 3, 2019). Phantoms: The Rise of Deathrock from the LA Punk Scene. p. 218. Eric Westfall: As Valor became more dominant force within the band Rozz gradually became more frustrated and despondent...
    William Faith: Rozz's version was that he told Valor not to book any shows for six months, as he had some other things/projects/personal concerns he was involved in, and when Valor phoned with a full tour itinerary, Rozz said 'I told you not to do this... I'm not going'...
    Gitane DeMone: Well I was going to leave the band, there was no particular affinity going on.
    David Parkinson: ...and Rozz was 'go ahead and I'll stand by you and I'll leave too..."
    David Parkinson: At the end of the day she didn't leave Valor... at least then.
    Gitane DeMone: I got together with Eric and Rozz and told them why: I just didn't feel right about taking the away from the dad, didn't feel it was right
  29. Bean, Mikey (November 3, 2019). Phantoms: The Rise of Deathrock from the LA Punk Scene. p. 219. David Parkinson: This was the time we tried to change the name to 'Sin and Sacrifice'
    Valor: The tour was booked for 'Christian Death'...
    David Parkinson: So we did posters as 'Sin and Sacrifice of Christian Death'.
    Valor: We sent them the artwork in advanced saying we were going to be called that.
    Gitane DeMone: Tried to let the public know this was the 'Sin and Sacrifice...'.
    Valor: ...'We're gonna have to transition on this' and really that was our intention...
    Gitane DeMone: But when we got there it was still 'Christian Death'...
    Valor: Here were are in the north of Italy... a guy comes and offers is a record deal... I say 'ok, we're gonna call it Sin and Sacrifice'... he argued that we had to call it Christian Death.
  30. Robbins, Ira A.; Sprague, David (1997). The Trouser Press Guide to '90s Rock (Fifth ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 150–151. ISBN 978-0-684-81437-7. Retrieved November 26, 2014.
  31. Rozz Williams, John Sabien Ellenberger (2001). Interview with Rozz Williams (Compact disc). Golgotha Magazine. Event occurs at 19m30s. Retrieved May 29, 2023. There's certain things I don't feel like need to be shared with them [his parents]. It was a really difficult thing for me to call, and just say like 'well guess what? I'm gay'. You know, my mom's response was 'Well son, I'm not stupid.'
  32. Bean, Mikey (November 3, 2019). Phantoms: The Rise of Deathrock from the LA Punk Scene. p. 122. John Albert: That would've been Rozz's first boyfriend, first actual 'relationship' for sure.
    Kim ***: That was Ron's first committed relationship, I would say.
    Ron Athey: Rozz was my first love...
    Jill Emery: I remember it seemed like they were 'that was it'.
    Rikk Agnew: They were madly in love.
  33. Bean, Mikey (November 3, 2019). Phantoms: The Rise of Deathrock from the LA Punk Scene. p. 152. Eva O: Then I realised that Rozz and Ron were lovers... so we ended up a triage eventually...
    Clayton Cross: it was very open-ended! I think she was kind of with both of them...
    Eva O: ...it was all us really, we lived together, we slept in the same bed!
  34. Bean, Mikey (November 3, 2019). Phantoms: The Rise of Deathrock from the LA Punk Scene. p. 152. Rikk Agnew: ...and Rozz ended up with Eva.
    Eva O: ...that was the end of Ron and me, then it was me and Rozz!
  35. Starkey, Arun. "The story of Christian Death founder Rozz Williams". Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  36. Wildstar, Ryan. Rozz Williams: Le théâtre des douleurs and What About the Bells. Camion Blanc. In the summer of 1996, Rozz was eager to return to France to be with Didier for whom he was pining away. Unlike many of his previous affairs, this one seemed hold some promise. Although the young man was still clinging to his "heterosexuality," he and Rozz had spent over a month living together, professing their love and engaging in mutual sexual relations. Once back in the states they spoke regularly on the phone and it seemed as if there was at first a reciprocal romance developing... At the beginning of 1998 I decided I was going to try to return to University to get out of the house and perhaps take my mind off of Erik. I had also decided that perhaps Rozz and I should no longer live together. It was at this time we spoke most seriously about what I feel led to his decision to take his own life. At the same time that he was finalizing his divorce with Eva O, a process he found profoundly painful even though they had been separated romantically for many years, he also confessed his deep love for me and his desire that we attempt a romantic relationship.
  37. LECARO, LINA. "SASHAYING THROUGH L.A. DRAG NIGHTLIFE HERSTORY". LA Weekly. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  38. Jones, Janelle. "SPIRITUAL CRAMP: A ROZZ WILLIAMS STORY (CHRISTIAN DEATH)". New Noise Magazine. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  39. Bean, Mikey (November 3, 2019). Phantoms: The Rise of Deathrock from the LA Punk Scene. p. 141. Jaime Pina: The whole thing with Rozz dressing up as a woman, that was specifically to bum out the kind of guys who were football players when the Sex Pistols and the Ramones first came out
  40. Aubin, Dillon. "DANNY FUENTES Discusses CHRISTIAN DEATH Vocalist Rozz Williams, Sexuality, and Upcoming Documentary 'Spiritual Cramp'". Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  41. Bean, Mikey (November 3, 2019). Phantoms: The Rise of Deathrock from the LA Punk Scene. p. 141. Rob Athey: I think like a lot of people on a gender journey, the more Rozz did it the more he became fascinated with the idea of 'living in drag' and would go through periods where he never wore men's clothes. Later he kind of pulled back and a lot of people do that; you're kind of sniffing out if you're transexual or not and then to sort of imbed that in your public life is fantastic, there are a lot of layers and dynamics going on.
  42. Siemsen, Thora. "ANOHNI A shadow archive of New York's queer underground". Artforum. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  43. Sharma, Jeena. "Invade Area 51 With This Beauty Tutorial". Paper. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  44. Rozz Williams, John Sabien Ellenberger (1996). Interview with Rozz Williams (Compact disc). Golgotha Magazine. Event occurs at 31m. Retrieved May 29, 2023. I finally take the conclusion, well, you know, I do, I do, I do believe in God, and so I carry on a personal relationship with God and he helps me out and I try to help him out when I can.
  45. "Poetry | RYAN WILDSTAR". Archived from the original on June 5, 2016. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
  46. Layne, Anni (April 9, 1998). "Goth Pioneer Rozz Williams Hangs Himself". Rolling Stone.
  47. Athey, Ron (April 8, 1998). "Rozz Williams, 1963–1998 – – Music – LA Weekly". LA Weekly. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  48. Carmina, La (April 9, 2010). "Hollywood Museum of Death: Serial Killer Memorabilia, Morbid Murder Photos, Gruesome Exhibition in LA. | La Carmina. Japanese Street Fashion, Goth Style Blogger, Tokyo Japan Gothic Lolita, Travel TV Host". La Carmina. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  49. "necessary discomforts art show (an artisitc tribute to rozz williams)". WitchesBrewPress.org. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
  50. "Necessary Discomforts an Artistic Tribute to Rozz Williams". IMDb.com. November 14, 2010. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
  51. "Necessary Discomforts: Kunst von und uber Rozz Williams, pages 11-13 Dangereux". Issu.com. November 20, 2010. Retrieved May 11, 2016.
  52. "The Annotated Mountain Goats: The Coroner's Gambit". Kylebarbour.org. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
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