through the looking glass: 1975

original heartbreakers. left to right:
jerry nolan; richard hell; walter lure; johnny thunders.

Walter Lure:

"I never liked Richard Hell's versions of the songs we played, but Richard was in another world.

It's not hard to find people like that in the industry, but he considered himself to be the only thing that was like serious art. His attitude really kept you away from a lot of his stuff. Some of the songs were good, and the lyrics were great. He was a funny guy. I just never really wanted to follow him around because he was an obnoxious idiot."

Bob Gruen (Photographer for 'Rock Scene Magazine'):

"Richard Hell was a junkie who got out of bed with his hair messed up. He didn't notice, and everyone thought he looked good. He is credited with the idea of holding clothes together with safety-pins. The way I understand the story is that a girlfriend was angry with him and cut up all his clothes. He wanted to go out that night and he had nothing to wear, so he put his clothes together with safety-pins. Malcolm McLaren happened to be in the club that night and saw it and thought it was a fantastic style, 'a fascinating style' as Malcolm put it."

From 'Punk", 2001, Cassell & Co Publishing. Compiled by Stephen Colgrave and Chris Sullivan.

PREVIOUSLY: NEW YORK DOLL ; LOST VALLEY (OF THE DOLLS) ;
(I BELONG TO THE) BLANK GENERATION ; THE NEON BOYS