Warm-up Show for Carnivore
(playing under the name "Bensonhurst Lesbian Choir")
It you got a chance to see Carnivore at L'Amour, you knew how Pete started every show. With the curtains down, he played the theme music to 2001 Space Odyssey as loud as possible. This would sometimes lead into Jimi Hendrix' Star Spangled Banner, which would get the audience prepared for Carnivore's arrival.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWnmCu3U09w
So, if you think Pete, Keith (or Marc) and Louie had the biggest balls to spend 5 -10 minutes with a record cranked up high while their fans went NUTS screaming and cursing at them to "get on the stage already." With the crowd getting crazier, you can imagine what it was like when the curtain finally went up and 3 jerks from Brooklyn started playing "World War III & IV."
I love this pic,
but I don't have
a good quality version of it.
As a young girl in the audience, I can tell you that it was thrilling to watch and listen to hundreds of fans singing all the lyrics together with the band. During "Male Supremacy," the ladies would go nuts over Pete singing the slow part. What was even more exciting to me was to watch the slam dancing, stage diving, and eventual fighting that would take place on the dance floor during the show. Pete would "bless" the crowd with water (later he used wine) or cut the tops of this shoulder with razor blades so that blood would flow down them during the show. Whether they were dressed in their "warrior fur" outfits or their normal rocker look, women pushed their way to the front of the dance floor to offer themselves to the guys. I've witnessed many a cat fight as these heeled women would pull each other's hair to prevent anyone else from getting close to Peter.
Here is an audio from L'Amour 1985 with an overlay of photos of the Carnivore guys:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLEmjhhbT5Y
Here seems to be a video from the same year - I think it's supposed to be the same show. Sorry, the quality is not the best:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CPPabbVfIQ
I FOUND THE WOMEN PULLING HAIR AND HAVING CAT FIGHTS TO BE FUNNY AS HADES!! HA HA HA HA HA HA. THAT IS WHAT I WOULD BE WATCHING ALSO. PEOPLE CAN MAKE SUCH JACKASSES OF THEMSELVES. I LOVE TO PEOPLE WATCH. I WOULD HAVE HAD AN ISSUE WITH THE FUR THING THO. BUT WHATEVER WORKED FOR THE BAND, YA KNOW? I WOULD HAVE LOVED TO SEE ONE OF THE NEWER CARNIVORE SHOWS WITH STEVE TOBIN, PAUL BENTO AND PETE. *HEAVY SIGH*
ReplyDeleteGREAT STORY.
I was watching a Carnivore show from 86, and it looks like Peter was wearing a wedding ring. I've read somewhere that he was divorced- I wonder what was she like and what happened. Thanks again for your blog!!!
ReplyDeleteGreat story & I love this pic too - have not seen it yet - thanx for the post. Chicken run ;-) comes into my mind when you describe the scenes with girls pulling each other's hair - I am sure it was great fun to watch ;-)
ReplyDeleteTake care & thx for sharing
-Sabine-
I very fondly remember slam dancing and stage diving in the 80's, it was so much fun.I dont know whats it like in other parts of the world but you can't do that anymore where I am. The bouncers will drag you outside and beat the crap out of you. Maybe really big shows get away with it because there is too many people for them to control. Thank god we have some footage of Carnivore to watch. Everyone out there who took video of them..A big thank you. Their music certainly has the ability to get a crowd going and I would love to be there yelling out along with the songs. What did the Bensonhurst Lesbian Choir sound like? I have also read that Peter was married, would like to know more about that also, if its true.
ReplyDeleteThat would have been awesome to see in person! I would have found it amusing just to sit back and watch everyone.... like i normally do. Thank you for sharing :)
ReplyDeletebefore I view the footage here I wanted to say two things. First I had a dream that Peter was sleeping in this huge bed and when he woke up he walked to a big pool he had, the fancy kind not the above ground one the family had when they were kids, he dove into the big pool and turned into a bird. A wounded bird and a little girl picked him out of the pool and nursed him back to health. He flew away into the heavens. He was safe again. Secondly, I believe there is a heaven and I know Peter is there. He saw the light, he went towards that light into a beautiful place. There is no pain. People who have experienced heaven by dying and then coming back to life talk about that light, that tunnel and that spirtual heaven. I see you up there Peter. Peaceful, smiling. Together again with your dad, mom, uncle Lou and other close relatives you cherished as they cherished you. I too would have loved to see Peter in person. Now I'm going to view this video and thank you again for bringing Peter's life alive for us.
ReplyDeleteIt's not a whole lot better, but here's a larger version of the image.
ReplyDeletehttp://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mao46tG9GG1r35ss8o1_400.jpg