MEET THE BEEF PEOPLE!
The Beef People was a hard core punk band in the early 80s. The band were seniors at an all-boys boarding school in Dyke (!), Virginia. Their guitar player (Rob Buckingham) got kicked out for having a girl in his room. (I felt a connection as I’d been kicked out of a different all-boys school four years earlier, for calling the headmaster a “fat, bald overtly Christian old fart.”) I took Rob’s place in the band, and drove 40 miles each way to Dyke every time we practised. The band played less than ten gigs, put out an E.P. and then broke up.
That was a pretty common career trajectory for a punk band back then. I kinda like it. No way that gives someone a chance to get stale. Not even close.
I ain’t seen any of them except singer Brian Clilders since they graduated. He was in my band, Bomb, for a minute. Ain’t seen him now in ten years. Beef people was Brian on vocals, me on guitar,Willie McLean on bass and Jack Massey on drums. I sang on one song, “Kicked Out”, the one about the former guitar player.
God bless punk. (This record even has the obligatory straight edge song, “Come Back”.)
I think this record–12 minutes (total) of punk fury sounds fresh, even now. I haven’t listened to this in 15 years. Still sounds good. Kinda like Minor Threat meets Yes.
The thing at the end was me wanking in the studio. We had 8 hours booked, only took 4 hours to record and mix so I used up ten minutes of what was left making the guitar/keyboard jam.
Recorded at Inner Ear Studio.
This E.P came on Catch Trout records, the label run by John Beers of the Landlords. (Catch Trout also put out the Landlords and Baby Opaque LPs, as well as the early Happy Flowers records.)
Site to download the whole record
(Photos live at “Trax” bar in Charlottesville, Virginia. April 2, 1985. Photos taken by Ch’ARCHIvilleIST extraordinaire, Michael Buck.)
(This one of Brian and me is printable poster sized)
September 2nd, 2007 at 8:57 am
Brian was in a band called Crawlpappy in NYC a decade or so ago. I’ve got the “Deluxe” CD and it’s really damn good. They released some other stuff, too, but I’m not sure of their complete discography. I think there was at least a 12″ EP and a 7″ single, in addition “Deluxe.”
Jack was in a band called The Storm Orphans in the 90s and a bit of searching just found him playing as “Jerry Jack Paycheck” with The Inlaws. http://www.myspace.com/inlawsband
Last I heard, Willie “I Fucking Hate Hippies” McLean had become a Deadhead.
November 21st, 2007 at 5:58 am
I got to know Brian Childers while he was living in Cleveland in the late 90’s. We hung out alot back then. A great fun guy. He was working on claymation and going through courses to become a fireman. He eventually moved down to Athens, Oh and I lost track of him. Sadly, I was just informed by a friend that Brian passed away from kidney failure sometime within the past couple of days. He had been living in Washington D.C. Rest in peace Brian.
November 21st, 2007 at 10:49 am
Holy shit….Dave….can you e-mail me please? (contact on upper right of main page on this blog.)
Sadly,
MWD
November 21st, 2007 at 11:29 pm
damn…
This is news to me.
I’ll be seeing Kurt Shute tomorrow [thanksgiving] and I’ll see if he knows anything. I have not seen Brian in over 10 years… make that 15 years!
I didn’t know he was in DC so I’ll check in with friends there and see if anyone knows anything….
December 7th, 2007 at 11:02 am
Michael….Jack just contacted me about this. Jeezus. Lemme know anything you can at the above address…Its been a while and I’d like to catch-up as well…..
December 7th, 2007 at 11:57 am
I had a dream last night that I was hanging out with Brian. It was really nice.
I guess that was my way of processing, of saying “goodbye, friend.”
MWD
December 8th, 2007 at 6:28 pm
Michael,
I’m sorry for your loss/glad for your dreams to cope. I’ve seen your work/high jinks/reminiscences via Googly eyes a couple of times since I last wrote you (and since we lived in Marty Romenak’s Mold Castle on Shamrock Road before that). I’m still haunting the U-District of Seattle. Been in the second-hand book racket for the past four years. Travel through Ireland is my goal for the new year. I think Todd Wilson is still in Milwaukee - at last report - I have a scree mail address for Todd. ~Q~
December 14th, 2007 at 1:30 pm
Willie Mclean the Blue Ridge School just sent out an email on his passing
please go to the schools web site if you want to follow up on it .
good luck to you
Wille Nelson
December 18th, 2007 at 9:46 am
Thanks for this guys. It really helped me get to know something about Brian as a teen. Thanks, Renee
December 27th, 2007 at 8:20 pm
Jack recently contacted me with this very sad news. I am deeply sorry for Brian’s family and his wife. My sympathies and prayers are for them. I have not seen Brian in years, but he touched my life and I touched his at a point in time. I am so glad we had our connection and he will forever be a part of who I am. I am on the Alumnae council at Chatham Hall today and as I have served on this Board for the last 7 years, I travel to Virginia a couple of times a year for my meetings and I have often thought about the fun we all had. Brian and I were a lot alike back then and I am glad to see the essence of who he was then, he continued to be in his daily contact with others. Brian was gifted at making paths in life, with people, with music, and with words. He deeply cared for his friends and family. This was evident when he “hung out” and listened to us or spoke to us with kind or encouraging words. I deeply loved this man, most of my life now, and he will be missed.
Michael, Willie and Jack, I love you guys too. Never as much as Brian, but you know why. Thank you for contacting me. Contact me anytime.
Renee, I think I would have really loved you too. If I had to guess, Brian loved your eyes. They are deep and kind. You are in my thoughts and prayers.
Dale, Carole, Graig, and Jenny, I am thinking of you all and send all of my love and prayers your way.
Kappy Gheesling- Lapides
December 28th, 2007 at 3:34 am
Thank you, Kappy.
E-mailing you now.
MWD
February 29th, 2008 at 11:25 am
Michael…thank you so much for writing the obituary for brian that appears in this month’s (march) MAXIMUM ROCK N ROLL, I got to know Brian here in athens and had the pleasure of working with him several times in different capacities. he had been working at one of our local tattoo parlors
before he left to go work for the red cross in new orleans after the katrina disaster.
it really brightened my and several others’ day when I cracked open MRR today. Athens says thank you.