Mark Sheehan was the original bassist and eventual lead singer for Boston area hardcore band, Out Cold. Formed in 1989, the band built a sizable regional fan base while releasing numerous albums and singles. A multi-instrumentalist and occasional producer, Sheehan also collaborated with several other artists over the years, most notably CJ Ramone and the late G.G. Allin. Mark Sheehan was 41 when he died unexpectedly on October 1, 2010. Cause of death was not immediately released.
Kevin “G.G.” Allin
August 29, 1956 – June 28, 1993
G.G. Allin was plain and simple, the most shocking and to many people, the most disgusting performer rock music has ever known. Recording mostly in the punk idiom, Allin was also known to leave his mark on country, spoken word and blues-influenced rock. His violent shows generally involved him rolling around in, and eventually ingesting his own feces and urine. Usually ending up naked, gouging and cutting himself on stage until he became a bloody mess. And if that weren’t sexy enough, he oftentimes coaxed audience members to perform oral sex on him. These antics obviously overshadowed his music which tended to be as raw as the sewage he left in his wake. This ultimate rock ‘n’ roll rebellion endeared him to his cult following, but also enraged local critics and police, landing him in jail no fewer than 50 times. Although barely on punk’s fringe, Allin managed to count Dee Dee Ramone, Wayne Kramer and Thurston Moore as fans. Many suspected that Allin suffered from severe mental disorders made worse by his massive consumption of drugs and alcohol. And as shocking as his on stage personality was, by all appearances, his personal life was just as noteworthy. In 1989 he was arrested for rape and torture of a woman in Michigan. Allin denied all charges, insisting that the burning, cutting and drinking of blood were mutual and consensual, and to some degree, the judge agreed, reducing the charges to felony assault for which he served about a year and a half in prison. Allin went out in as memorable a fashion as he lived. On the night of June 27, 1993, he took the stage at a club in New York City. Just two songs into the set, the club’s power went out sending Allin into the crowd where he proceeded to tear up anything in the club that he could get his hands on. As the crowd spilled out into the streets, so did Allin, only he was naked, and though covered in blood and feces, he attempted to embrace his fans who were reveling in the street. Allin ended up at a friend’s apartment where he died of a heroin overdose in the early hours of June 28. And though dead and gone, the partying friends of his buddy continued to pose for pictures with him until someone realized something was wrong and called the paramedics who pronounced him dead at the scene. He was 36.
Eldon “El Duce” Hoke
March 23, 1958 – April 19, 1997
Eldon Hoke was the drummer and lead singer of subversive band, the Mentors, a band that inhabited rock’s underworld alongside the Dwarves, G.G. Allin, and the Plasmatics. Some called it “shock rock,” others called , “rape rock.” Generally trying to shock their audiences, the Mentors sang of topics that were considered obscene by many while usually wearing executioners’ hoods. The Mentors’ “popularity” peaked in 1985 when during Tipper Gore’s PMRC hearings, the band’s “Golden Showers” was singled out, it’s lyrics read aloud. All that did was cause an outburst of laughter, prompting many to agree that the hearings were a joke. Following Kurt Cobain’s death on April 5, 1994, Hoke went on Jerry Springer’s show as well as to the National Enquirer claiming that Courtney Love offered him $50,000 to kill Cobain, a claim that was never proven. It has been reported that on April 17, 1997, Hoke went to a friend asking where to get a fake driver’s license. He allegedly told this friend that he was told who “killed Kurt Cobain” and was afraid for his life. Two days later, he was found dead after having been hit by a train.