Lee Ving

Lee James Jude Capallero[1] (born April 10, 1950[2][3]), known professionally as Lee Ving, is an American musician and actor.

Lee Ving
Ving performing with Fear on the 2010 Warped Tour
Background information
Birth nameLee James Jude Capallero
Born (1950-04-10) April 10, 1950
OriginPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
GenresHardcore punk, blues, country
Occupation(s)Musician, actor
InstrumentsVocals, guitar, harmonica, bass guitar
Years active1968–present
LabelsSlash, Fear, Sector 2
Associated actsFear, MD.45, Teenage Time Killers
Websitefearleeving.com

As a musician he is best known as the frontman of the Los Angeles-based hardcore punk band Fear. As an actor, Ving is best known for his roles as topless club owner Johnny C. in Flashdance (1983), motorcycle gang leader Greer in Streets of Fire (1984) and murder victim Mr. Boddy in the murder mystery film Clue (1985).[4][5][6]

Early life

Ving was born Lee James Jude Capallero in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and grew up in the city's Kensington neighborhood.[1][7] The Capallero family later moved to the suburbs and Ving attended St. Luke's Elementary School in Glenside as well as St. John of the Cross in Roslyn, before graduating from Abington Senior High School.[1]

Ving's mother taught him to play the mandolin at 4 years of age.[1] He began studying guitar at age 11 and later studied with musicians Jim Hall, John Abercrombie.[1] He also studied with Ted Greene after moving to Los Angeles.[1] As a teen he listened to blues records and particularly enjoyed their striking guitar sounds.[7] He was also interested in Jimi Hendrix, the Rolling Stones, as well as the experimental New York rock group The Fugs.[7] He joined his first band while still in high school.[7]

In 1966 Ving enlisted in the army and served stateside during the Vietnam War.[1]

Music career

After leaving the army, Ving became involved in Philadelphia's folk, blues and R&B music scenes while studying Sociology at Villanova University.[1] He joined the electric blues band Sweet Stavin Chain (SSC) as a vocalist and harmonica player.[1] SSC frequently collaborated with jazz saxophonist Michael Brecker.[1] The band also opened for The Who at the Electric Factory in 1968 and also opened for Cream at the Spectrum during Cream's farewell tour later that same year.[1][8] After leaving SSC, Ving moved to New York and studied voice and guitar,[1] then in the mid-1970s he moved to Los Angeles, playing briefly with heavy metal bands before forming the hardcore punk band Fear.[7] The band's first concert was in 1978.[7]

Ving is Fear's lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist and harmonica player and is the only member to have remained with the band since its inception.[5][9] During Fear's performances at the L.A. punk scene, Ving was known for baiting his audience with insults, earning him the nickname "the Don Rickles of rock."[7][6][10] Ving's vocals have been described as "bluesy",[11] evoking Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters,[6][5] while also having a "commanding, drill-sergeant vocal delivery and surly attitude helped to build a new breed of bad-tempered hardcore"[12] and "a vein-busting rage that lends [Ving] the air of a loco Marine on a rampage."[13]

1981 marked an important year for Ving and Fear. The band was featured in the documentary The Decline of Western Civilization about Los Angeles's punk scene.[1][14] Ving was initially approached by the film's director, Penelope Spheeris, while he was posting concert promo flyers to telephone poles in Los Angeles.[15] Spheeris also introduced Fear to her husband Bob Biggs, the founder and then president of Slash Records, who signed the group to his label;[15][16] Fear released their debut album The Record with the label in 1982.[14]

Fear also appeared on the 1981 Halloween episode of Saturday Night Live (SNL) at the suggestion of SNL writer Michael O'Donoghue and then ex-SNL cast-member John Belushi.[16] Belushi became a fan of Fear after seeing them perform in 1980 on the L.A.-based music television show New Wave Theatre and O'Donoghue had seen the band in The Decline of Western Civilization.[16][17] Belushi had initially commissioned the band to record a song for his film Neighbors, but the movie studio rejected the recording and it never made the soundtrack.[1][18] As a favor to Fear, Belushi and O'Donoghue made a deal with then producer Dick Ebersol whereby Belushi would make a cameo appearance on the show upon condition that Fear be allowed to perform as the episode's musical guests.[16][18] A large portion of the crowd were punk music fans and included members of the bands Minor Threat, Cro-mags, The Meatmen and Negative Approach who rushed the stage and were moshing.[1] One of the slam dancers yelled "Fuck New York!" which was broadcast live.[17] Dick Ebersol, who was stage manager at the time, decided to cut to tape once the obscenities could be heard.[16]

Fear's performance was initially pulled from subsequent SNL reruns and recorded releases of the episode, but has subsequently been released in an edited form.[17] The New York Post had initially reported that attendees of the performance caused $200,000 worth of damage,[1] however both the Los Angeles Times and Billboard later reported that a program spokesperson confirmed the cost of damages was actually a $40 fine for "labor penalties."[7][16] Both The Decline of Western Civilization and the Halloween SNL performance were an integral part of the history of hardcore punk, having exposed the music genre to a much wider audience.[19]

Ving's vocals and harmonica playing were featured on the track "Got to Get Out of New York" from saxophonist Tom Scott's 1983 album Target.[14] Fear found it difficult to find clubs willing to let them perform after their SNL performance and the band stopped playing in 1987.[5][6] That same year Ving formed a country band called Range War that toured California and Texas.[5] Two years later Ving moved with his wife and son to Austin.[5]

Fear re-formed briefly under the band's original lineup in 1993.[6] A couple of years later, Ving fronted an Austin-based band called Lee Ving's Army that later toured under the name Fear and included former Frank Zappa bassist Scott Thunes, drummer Andrew Jaimez and guitarist Sean Cruse.[5][6]

Ving was also the vocalist for the band MD.45, which also featured Dave Mustaine of Megadeth.[6] The band released their only album The Craving in 1996, however in 2004 the album was remastered and re-released with Mustaine's vocals replacing those of Ving.[20]

Ving appeared in Dave Grohl's 2013 documentary Sound City and is a member of the supergroup Teenage Time Killers that came about due to the film.[9][21] In 2015 Fear's recordings from the Belushi film Neighbors were recovered by Belushi's widow and Fear's music was re-mastered and re-mixed by Ving at Dave Grohl’s 606 studios in Los Angeles.[1][17] Ving released the music digitally that same year.[1][17] In an interview with Rolling Stone about Sound City, Grohl stated that Fear's performance in The Decline of Western Civilization inspired him to become a musician and that performing with Ving 30 years later was a "profound, life-altering moment."[22]

Acting career

Ving (credited as Lee James Jude) and the other members of Fear appeared in the 1981 rotoscope animated film American Pop, directed by Ralph Bakshi.[23]

In 1983 Ving played a murderer in the horror anthology film Nightmares[24] starring Emilio Estevez, he appeared in Flashdance as the owner of a topless club who tries to convince Jennifer Beals' character to work for him,[10] and he played the over-the-top punk singer named 'Piggy' in the rock-and-roll comedy Get Crazy.[10]

A year later, Ving played Greer, the henchman of Willem Dafoe's character in the neo-noir rock musical film Streets of Fire[10][25] and also appeared as a criminal in a police lineup in an episode of the short-lived Three's Company spin-off Three's a Crowd.[26]

In 1987 Ving appeared in the Who's the Boss episode titled "Walk on the Mild Side".[27] Ving played Jake McGuire, a motorcyclist bad boy who Angela dates while fulfilling a list of wild things she wanted to do while in high school.[27] Ving's county band Range War also performed two songs during the episode.[28]

Ving reunited with director Penelope Spheeris for her 1987 film Dudes.[6] Ving was cast as the main antagonist, a gang leader who murders one of the protagonists.[29] The plot revolves around the murder victim's friends looking to bring the Ving's character to justice.[29]

Ving appeared in a cameo role in the 2009 National Lampoon comedy Endless Bummer.[30] He was also cast in Death Rider in the House of Vampires, a spaghetti western horror film directed by Glenn Danzig that is set for release in 2020.[31]

Discography

Fear

Guitar and vocals on all.

Range War
  • Home on the Range (recorded 1985, released 2017) - vocals, guitar

MD.45

With Sound City Players

Filmography
Year Title Role Notes
1981 American Pop Punk Rocker (voice) Credited as Lee James Jude
1983 Flashdance Johnny C.
Get Crazy Piggy
Nightmares William Henry Glazier Credited as Lee James Jude
1984 The Wild Life Installer
Streets of Fire Greer
The Ratings Game AKA The Mogul Dawn Patrol TV movie
1985 Clue Mr. Boddy
1986 Black Moon Rising Marvin Ringer
Oceans of Fire Pembroke TV movie
1987 Scenes from the Goldmine Ian Weymouth
Dudes Missoula
1989 Grave Secrets AKA Silent Screams Zack
1990 Masters of Menace Roy Boy
1991 The Taking of Beverly Hills Varney Credited as Lee Ving James
2001 Fast Sofa Leather Jacket
2009 Endless Bummer Hot Rod Guy
2009 I'm Calling Frank Frank

Television appearances
Year Title Role Notes
1984 Legmen Cole Episode: "Take the Credit and Run"
Fame Fred Episode: "The Monster That Devoured Las Vegas"
1985 Streethawk Virgil Powell Episode: "Dog Eat Dog"
The New Alfred Hitchcock Presents Curt Venner Episode: "Pilot"; segment: "Incident in a Small Jail"
1986 Fast Times Intimidating Guy Episode: "The Last Laugh"
1987 Crime Story Sam Taylor Episode: "The Battle of Las Vegas"
Who's the Boss? Jake Maguire Episode: "Walk on the Mild Side"
Fame Fred Episode: "That Was the Weekend That Was"

Documentaries
Year Title Role Notes
1981 The Decline of Western Civilization Himself Documentary about the Los Angeles hardcore punk scene; Ving performs with Fear.
1982 The Slog Movie Himself Documentary about the Los Angeles hardcore punk scene; Ving performs with Fear.
2001 25 Years of Punk Himself TV documentary; Ving is interviewed about the Los Angeles hardcore punk scene.
2013 Sound City Himself Documentary about Sound City Studios; Ving is interviewed about recording The Record at Sound City.
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References
  1. McCloskey, Tim (October 30, 2015). "The Life and Times of Philly Hardcore Pioneer Lee Ving". Philadelphia. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States: Metrocorp. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  2. Fields, Connor (December 13, 2018). "Last Night: Lee Ving and Fear Uphold Their Legendary Reputation". Houston Press. Houston, Texas, United States. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  3. Norton, Justin M. (September 13, 2015). "Punk-Metal Supergroup Teenage Time Killers Tear Through Raucous Debut". Rolling Stone. New York City, New York, United States: Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  4. Loud, Lance (March 1986). "Nothing to Fear - The granddaddies of punk satire yearn for the good old days". SPIN. Vol. 1 no. 11. New York City, New York, United States. p. 63. ISSN 0886-3032. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  5. Stegall, Tim (November 17, 1995). "Confessions and Misinformation". The Austin Chronicle. Austin, Texas, United States. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  6. Coker, Matt (October 7, 1999). "The Punkiest Man in Punk". OC Weekly. Fountain Valley, California, United States. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  7. Hilburn, Robert (June 13, 1982). "Fear - 'It's a Universal Word,' Says Punk's Lee Ving". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California, United States. p. 68. Retrieved May 20, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. Vettese, John (November 1, 2016). "Check out photos of Cream rocking The Spectrum, November 1, 1968". The Key. WXPN. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  9. Nowlin, Sanford (October 31, 2018). "Punk Legends Fear Will Rip into San Antonio as Part of 40-Year Anniversary Tour". San Antonio Current. San Antonio, Texas, United States. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  10. Sylva, Bob (September 9, 1983). "Lee Ving - The Sleaze Of 'Flashdance' Proves Punks Can Act". The Sacramento Bee. Sacramento, California, United States. p. G1. Retrieved May 20, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. Weingarten, Christopher R. (March 9, 2017). "'Saturday Night Live' Rocks: 25 Greatest Musical Performances". Rolling Stone. New York City, New York, United States: Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  12. Lees, Jaime (April 1, 2009). "No Fear of Music: Fear's multi-talented founder, Lee Ving, is more than just a punk icon". Riverfront Times. St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  13. McKenna, Kristine (August 25, 1979). "Rock 'n' Roil From L.A.'s Fear". Part II. Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California, United States. p. 7. Retrieved May 20, 2020 – via Newspapers.com. Together just a year, Fear has hit its stride surprisingly quickly and functions as a well-oiled aural killing machine. Lead vocalist Lee Ving (ya' gotta' love 'im) is the heart of the band and sings with a vein-busting rage that lends him the air of a loco Marine on a rampage.
  14. Coker, Matt (November 21, 2019). "Recalling Uncomfortable Silence with Lee Ving of Garden Amp-Bound Fear". OC Weekly. Fountain Valley, California, United States. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  15. Thomas-Mason, Lee (May 6, 2020). "When John Belushi booked Fear for SNL and they were permanently banned from the show". Far Out Magazine. London, United Kingdom. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  16. Kozak, Roman (November 14, 1981). "'Saturday Night' Fights?; Siouxie Battles Symbols". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. p. 15. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  17. Grow, Kry (September 10, 2015). "Inside John Belushi's Long Lost Punk Song With Fear". Rolling Stone. New York City, New York, United States: Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  18. Swanson, Dave (March 16, 2014). "35 Years Ago: Fear Cause a Halloween Riot on 'SNL'". Diffuser.fm. Townsquare Media. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  19. Blush, Steven; Petros, George (2010). American Hardcore (Second Edition): A Tribal History. Feral House. pp. 331–332. ISBN 9781932595987. Fear's Saturday Night Live appearance on Halloween 1981 played a major role in Hardcore's rise. The show made headlines after a horde of kids invited by John Belushi trashed the studio (for years that was the only SNL episode NBC never re-aired)...A few films dealt with Hardcore, foremost Penelope Spheeris' 1980 documentary The Decline Of Western Civilization. The film explains, through interviews and performances by Black FLag, Circle Jerks, Fear and others, the collapse of the American Dream and the alienated kids left strewn in its path. Anyone into HC saw the film, and anyone associated with it attained elite status within the movement.
  20. Ferguson, Jason (August 5, 2004). "Legacy of Brutality". Orlando Weekly. Orlando, Florida, United States. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  21. Fadroski, Kelli Skye (September 4, 2015). "Teenage Time Killers take over the Fonda for one night only". Orange County Register. Anaheim, California, United States. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  22. Van Syckle, Katie (January 25, 2013). "Q&A: Dave Grohl on His 'Sound City' Doc and Taking Risks in Music". Rolling Stone. New York City, New York, United States: Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved May 20, 2020. To be onstage with Lee Ving from Fear – I swear to God, The Decline of Western Civilization, the Penelope Spheeris movie, I got the record when I was like 12, and that really inspired me to become a musician and start a band and play punk rock music. So to stand next to Lee Ving and play "Beef Bologna," it doesn’t sound like it would be this profound, life-altering moment, but it really was. It was 30 years ago that I discovered this guy, and now I’m onstage playing the songs that inspired me to become a musician. That's fuckin' nuts.
  23. Jackson, Matthew (April 4, 2019). "What the cast of Clue looks like today". Looper.com. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  24. Palopoli, Steve (July 26, 2006). "Battlin' the Bishop: 'Nightmares' is a cult classic from the post-'Creepshow' heyday of '80s horror anthologies". Metroactive. San Jose, California, United States. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  25. Marcus, Greil (March 15, 2019). "Real Life Rock Top 10: Mekons, Jewel, Russian Dada". Rolling Stone. New York City, New York, United States: Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  26. "Nashville Jug Band Benefit for Steve Runkle. Sunday, 8/19". Nashville Scene. Nashville, Tennessee, United States. August 16, 2001. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  27. "Who's the boss? Season 3, Episode 21: Walk on the Mild Side". TV Guide. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  28. Hochman, Steve (July 11, 1987). "Ving: Fearless Leader of Range War". Calendar - Part VI. Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California, United States. p. 3. Retrieved May 20, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  29. Maslin, Jane (November 6, 1988). "Dudes". Arizona Republic. Phoenix, Arizona, United States. New York Times. p. S19. Retrieved May 20, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  30. "Board to be wild". VC Reporter. Ventura, California, United States. June 18, 2009. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  31. Wiederhorn, Jon (May 5, 2020). "Glenn Danzig Gives the King a Dark Revamp on 'Danzig Sings Elvis'". Billboard. New York City, New York, United States. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
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