Black Randy and the Metrosquad
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Black Randy and the Metrosquad were a punk/New wave act from the late 1970s and early '80s who were deemed to stand out from other bands of the Los Angeles punk scene. They gained notoriety not only for their surreal and smutty sense of humour, but also for their amalgamation of proto-punk, '70s soul, pop, and avant-garde music. The band formed in Los Angeles in 1977 with Black Randy as front man and David Brown as musical director, playing keyboards and the guitar. However, the band had a rotating and fluid line up, which even included back-up singers such as Alice Bag and Belinda Carlisle.
Black Randy's lyrics gave him a reputation for being as witty as he was offensive with songs about gay prostitution,Marlon Brando, and Idi Amin. Their first single, "Trouble at the Cup," even advocated fighting the police, though this (like all their material) was as tongue in cheek as his cover of James Brown's classic "Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud." Some saw this cover as an offensive reinterpretation of the song as a mocking attack on black pride (considering that Black Randy was white), others saw it as irreverent, ironic, and humorous. The band also covered the theme from the cult Blaxploitation film Shaft, by Isaac Hayes, in the same irreverent manner.
These songs were compiled onto their only album, Pass the Dust, I Think I'm Bowie, which had sophisticated and even innovative musical arrangements that had more in common with post-punk than hardcore bands like Black Flag. This album, along with a brief appearance in Lou Adler's 1981 satirical punk rock film Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains, led to the band being the most represented act on Dangerhouse Records, the label they helped establish. It should be noted that this was the label's only album release, though this was not due to nepotism, but rather to bands with major-label aspirations worrying that being associated with Black Randy's offensive songs could jeopardize their chances of being signed. When Dangerhouse Records folded, their releases were later re-issued by Sympathy for the Record Industry but were unceremoniously dropped in the early 21st century.
The band imploded early in 1980 when their frontman succumbed to drug and alcohol problems, which were evident in chaotic live shows where songs were hardly sung and Brown tried, to no avail, to salvage the show. Tragically, Black Randy died of AIDS in 1988, brought about by his drug problems.
