They Swaggered: Matty Luv "I never minded being in his shadow because even his shadow
was rife with
integrity, sheer independence, and a cutting sense of black humor, the
kind I live for. Matty was revolution, personified and realized, an
autonomous instrument against the status quo. No fake, no act, he lived
every day with a vigor unmatched. He was my older brother, my hero,
my
mentor and my best friend. No other person holds so much as to the man
I
am today, or so much space in my heart." The 20-month period between April 2001 and December 2002 was a sad time in music history, as it marked the deaths of a veritable holy trinity of punk rock legends: Joey and Dee Ramone and Joe Strummer. Though not nearly as well known as these three - household names even to those unfamiliar with the art and aesthetics of punk rock - another tragic death struck many closer to home. Matty Luv, writer, activist and frontman/ founder of two of the greatest bands too few people have heard of,The Fuckboyz and Hickey, died of a heroin overdose on Oct. 5, 2002. The Fuckboyz formed in 1987 in Hollywood, Fla., with Luv originally just serving guitar duties. Luv and company - drummer Aesop Dekker, bassist (and Luv's brother) Scooter and singer Seaweed - soon garnered a reputation as an unruly live act and were promptly banned from every local venue. Seeking greener pastures, they relocated to San Francisco in 1989. The music of the Fuckboyz embodies all the best virtues of punk rock - anger, frustration, integrity and anarchic delivery coupled with a fine sense of irony and humor. Friends and witnesses attest to the fact they lived the music they created, for better or worse. The Fuckboyz hit full stride when Seaweed missed a gig and Luv, always the unofficial leader, rightfully assumed his position at the helm. In 1994, the Fuckboyz officially disbanded - or, more correctly, morphed into Hickey, with a guy named Chubby assuming bass duties. In Luv's memorial 'zine, Dekker explains the drive to change: "We would take the Fuckboyz and make it weirder, meaner, more dissonant, more heart-wrenching, deeper and more cerebral, darker, heavier and a true testimony to the beauty and the ugliness of the life we'd made for ourselves." Hickey's body of work stands as proof they accomplished their mission. The band never lost the humor and ridiculousness embraced by the Fuckboyz, but took it to a whole new level. Luv became obsessed with revolutionary ethos and infused these ideals into the music. Also more evident were Luv's personal demons, his deep depression and an unquestionable sense of alienation. After Hickey broke up in 1997, Luv's depression worsened, and his drug use compounded accordingly. Still, he managed to be productive and focus his inherent positive energy. With his then-girlfriend Ro Giuliano, he started the San Francisco Needle Exchange Program. Started - in his own words, " illegally from scratch" - the organization grew into a successful program funded by private and government grants and touted by the likes of the Beastie Boys. It now serves as a model for similar programs nationwide. Luv also stayed active musically, playing with Yogurt (an experimental project Luv said predated Hickey), joke-rap band Dr. Dre Del, Miami and Unit Breed. Perhaps his most interesting side project is Off Da Pigz - a serious and surprisingly unembarassing rap act consisting of two real Mission punks and two real Mission gangsters. Luv - the man who wrote "Make Sure There Aren't Any Squares At My Funeral" - was memorialized much as one would imagine he wanted to be. A few weeks after his death, more than 200 friends and admirers gathered in San Francisco's Delores Park to remember him. A Website dedicated to Luv has been established at www.mattyluv.com. It includes Hickey and Fuckboyz mp3s, comics and writings by Luv himself, the entire 44-page 'zine distributed at his memorial and much more. The best part is personal stories (posted in the site's guestbook) from friends and people who were lucky enough to see him play live. Swagger's own Josh Mosh is one such lucky bastard. When he saw Hickey live in Tijuana a few years ago, terrified club owners pulled the plug on the band. A blissfully unaware and completely satisfied Luv beemed down at the crowd, smirked and said, matter-of-factly, "Shit, we blew the power right out of this Motherfucker." Rest in peace, Matty. Go to www.mattyluv.com and learn about the man and the music. To really get a feel of what The Fuckboyz and Hickey were all about, download the " Live at Hap's" shows and listen to them in their entirety. If you have any Fuckboyz 7"s, send them to us immediately. Please. |