Gene October
Gene October is an English musician, best known as the singer for the punk rock band, Chelsea. His real name is John O'Hara and he is thought to originate from the Solihull area of Birmingham.
He was in the original line-up of Chelsea with Billy Idol and Tony James (guitar) but they split after a few weeks and Idol/James formed the band Generation X. They had originally supported Throbbing Gristle at the ICA in London and were known as 'LSD', their set consisted of Beatles and Rolling Stones cover versions.
October was instrumental in the creation of the punk venue The Roxy, persuading the manager of gay London nightclub, 'Shageramas', to convert the club to cater for a punk clientele.[1] He briefly managed a club called Revolution No.9 and for many years worked as an A&R man for Miles Copeland III's IRS label. He currently works for Brighton & Hove Council in the recycling department.
Appearances in other media
October appeared in Henry Rollins tour memoir book and spoken word CD, Get In The Van. In the book, Rollins encountered October twice. The first time on an early Black Flag tour of the UK, when October badmouthed Black Flag onstage and then kept kicking Rollins whilst he was sleeping. The second encounter occurred during a later Black Flag tour, which ended with October being humiliated by Henry.
October also appeared in two films by Derek Jarman. In Jubilee he played the character Happy Days, and in Caravaggio he appeared as a fruit-eating model.
Discography
1994 - Life and struggle (Receiver Records RRCD 196)
References
External links
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