A lot of Hollywood actors moonlight in vanity bands, but none of them have a gig like Shane West. The former “ER” and “A Walk to Remember” star has spent the last four years as the unlikely lead singer of Los Angeles punk legends the Germs, who perform tonight at Harpers Ferry in Allston.
“There’s no comparison to the thrill of performing with this band,” said West by phone while standing outside his tour bus in Chicago. “You know when you’re doing a good job or a bad job immediately. You hear it from the fans.”
The Germs disbanded in 1980 after singer Darby Crash fulfilled a suicide pact and overdosed on heroin. It was the final act in one of the most notorious and messy careers in rock history. The Germs were the epitome of the L.A. hardcore scene – populated by such bands as Black Flag and X – and regularly took the stage in an incoherent, intoxicated state.
The Germs seemed relegated to the dustbin of punk history until 2005, when West was cast as Crash in a Germs biopic, “What We Do Is Secret.” The surviving Germs were impressed enough by his performance to re-form the band and invite West to take over Crash’s role for real.The news sparked intense reactions from the Germs’ cult fan base.
“On our first tour, 80 percent of the crowd every night was negative about me filling in,” West said. “Now it’s down to about one hater per night.”
They did one show three years ago with fellow reunited punk grandpas the Dead Kennedys (also touring with a new singer after a falling out with founder Jello Biafra).
“I was really comfortable at that show,” West said. “The hatred everyone had toward them and their new singer was a lot more than what they had toward me. I loved it.”
To call the new version of the Germs a sellout is easy. The real question is whether or not they’re actually good. Of course it’s not hard to improve on the original shows, where equipment often didn’t work and the band was still learning how to play. The reunited Germs is made up of all the remaining original members including one-time Nirvana guitarist Pat Smear.
“It’s getting better with every show,” West said. “I started out doing my Darby Crash role from the movie, but I’m starting to make it my own thing now.”
But is the fire still there? Crash’s antics ruined shows and got them banned from clubs, but they also made the band unforgettable.
“We don’t do shows with the interest of getting in trouble,” West said. “But it’s still a fact that at every show, no one knows what’s going to happen. (It’s) the way it always was.”
The Germs, with Krum Bums and Kill Andrade, at Harpers Ferry, Allston, tonight. . Tickets: $17; 617-254-9743.
