Just a quick blurby update for what's in the works

Psycho Nurse the docudrama is in the works! Preproduction has started and all sorts of hijinx abound as the Nurses prepare for the bands life history. A slice of what was and will be is coming to the screen. And if that isn't enough, the world had better prepare itself for the Psychonurse reunion tour which is also in the works! So grab your corsets and pushup bras, your birdcage earrings and jumper cables. Get your nursing hats out of storage and prepare to take your temperature, because it is going to get hot in here pretty damn soon!

More details as they become available!

Harrisburg New Music Festival (and bar tour)

So here it was, either springtime or summer, although I think it was spring. In a van full of lunatics, Deborah Geary is driving. And what a ride it was.

To pass the boredom we decided to play a road game.

Dead Animal.

To some this may be cruel and uncaring. But in a hot van full of Psychonurses it is run of the mill.

The object of the game is whoever sees a dead animal first yells out....of course.....DEAD ANIMAL. And scores a point.

Whoever correctly identifies what sort of animal or being it may have been scores another point.

There is a mild discrepancy about whether we will actually pull over and check the identities to resolve disputes.

One wondered if Debby was going to try and throw the game by creating her own dead animals, or whether she was just a poor and distracted driver.

So we get to the venue, a lovely outdoor park. An amphitheater. It look s very nice. It looks very large. It looks very comfortable. It looks all the more shiney and new because of the torrential rain falling on it.

And also because of this rain, it looks deserted.

That is because it is.

In the age before cell phones, no one could call you to say "Stay Home! We're Cancelled due to weather."

Which would not have mattered to Psychonurse. Had the electricity been turned on the show would have been turned on as well. More than likely electricuting many of the members and fans and making a nightmare for the special effects people that would have wanted to duplicate the meelee for the next venue.

The rain did not stop Tony Clark from performing random acts of ballet movement amid the raindrops, twirling and pliet-ing (spelling?) around the stage.

The rest of the band is semi sulky but optimistic that in oh, say 40 days from the looks of things, the show will go on.

We sit there all afternoon.

It doesn't.

That night we go to some club. I don't remember the name of it off hand. I can think it up if I concentrate. I know I can.

The guitar player for this occasion's little brother is with us. He is fifteen.

Tonite he is 21.

The bouncer takes a lot of convincing that the older brother's picture on the ID is him. Finally he relents and lets our whole party in. On the way through the door, he asks the guy what his horoscope sign is instead of his birthdate. He gets it right. That maybe because the bartender doesn't know horoscope sign dates.

At this point the trip gets forgetable. That maybe because I got inebriated. Like that was a rarity back then.

All in all, even though the band did not play it was a memorable trip full of bonding, commaraderie and eye opening new experiences for the young and innocent.

I don't remeber who won Dead Animal. But, the name of the club was the Metron. Wonder if it still exists.

Psycho Nurse - Holiday Events

As much as the now poplular "Red States" would like to believe,
Psycho Nurse was not a Heartless, Child Hating, Liberal, Pagen Left Wing Operation.

They all really had a Big Hearts, espically when it came to helping and being nice to people.After all they were Nurses.

We set up a Hoilday Gig, just about every year. We would spend all day, from early morning to mid evening on Christmas Eve, visiting all the Area Hospitals and Childrens homes. The group include Guitar players and a varrity of other instruments like flute, violin and harmonica players .We would have some classical ballet dancers from the Nutcracker with us to perform.

We would rent costumes, Santa Suites, Elves wear, and other Holiday garb. We brought sacks of presents, like coloring books, dolls and plush toys, these are gifts that Roxie would personally buy. The group distributed them to the kids and sick people. We would get other bands in town to participate with us.

One year we even sang for the Govenor of PA (Casey) who was sick in the hospital.
One year we were even caught in a Hospital fire.

The event was always Media Popluar. It was followed through out the day by all the TV and Radio Stations and Print. We would be on the TV news morning noon and evening. We did live cut a ways for radio all day long. Everyone interviewed the Hospital Staff. It was very well recived all the time.

Roxie started doing this effort in 1983 with Debbie,Michele Tony Alison and a few other musicians from a Original band called "Rudi and the Living Dolls". From 1986 to 1991 it became a Psycho Nurse Staple Event.

What I alwasy though was intresting is. At the end of the day, a whole bunch of rock n roll musicans, some with the persona of being pretty hard core, would be at the St. Jospehs Hospital and they all would be crying. It was alwasy a very touching personal event.

I think, we brought some smiles to people and helped them feel a little better each holiday.

Psycho Nurse and friends were also responsible for several successful benefits that went on in the area. They always organized and participated in Civic events, sometimes performinga PG up version of their material.

Psycho Nurse- The Final Days

This is Final incarnation of the band.

There is not a lot of press or photos on this Phase.
These are NOT my favorite Psycho Nurse Memories.

Not to take anything away from the people in the group, but they were very far removed from the original concept, they were much to young to undertand what Psycho Nurse was all about.

The band looked and sounded great. But for me, It did not have the same feel, when I was working with the original people and we were creating the material and the show.

I guess the point is. The Original group just clicked. Debbie, Julia, Candy, Brian, Dave C, Mike Draper, Tony O, Barb Mark Montella, even, Fred and Robbie mixed together and we were creative and worked together as artists. The show was alwasy growing, cuz we were alwasy Growing and Creating.

During this Last Phase, Psycho Nurse became a Cover band of itself.

This proved to me, one thing.

The material and the show were very strong. It worked regardelss of who was in it. We created somthing that could be reproduced over and over again with the same impact.


But, for me it was not about that! It was about the Creation and the Moving foward.

I alwasy said,For me "When it was no longer fun. It did not need to exist in my life"

In Jan 1992, After several New Years type shows at local venues, I came to the conclusion. It was not right for me anymore. Dispite the shows that were booked. I was finished now.

I left my cigeretts on the desk of my office in Wilkes Barre.
I walked out. and never went back.
Yet , Things continued. Psycho Nurse has a life of its own, You just can't stop it.

Their were even performance under "Psycho and The Nurses featuring former members of Psycho Nurse,with Apperances by Julia and Tony O
(with out Roxanne)
I Never saw those shows. I now would love to see those tapes also.

I am not sure how long that went on for.
I can reflect more on all of this now. It needed to be.

FOUND- A photo of ALISON

Finally, I found a Photo of Alison when she in the band.
Alison was the keyboard player and back up Nurse/Singer.
We have very few photos of her. This one appeared in Print Oct 1990 in "Circuit Magazine" feature article.

I also have not found, photos of any of the other musicians that played back ups. Like the Violin Player, Flute Player, other keyboard players we used.

Circuit Magazine Story

This is intresting. Can any one remember a Movie we did with Jason Miller? I remember Jason coming to our shows and hanging out with us. I remember Jason laying on the Table of the Tony Award Show yelling EMC.
But, a Movie with Gary Burghoff? Did we do it?
I think we did so much stuff, that I don't remember.

I remember some of us working with Richard Harris. I remember working on the Bob and Harvey Weinstein Films . But this Movie I don't remember. Anyone?

Ramones Show Advance Press Blurb

Ramones Show Advance Press Blurb

Feature Story - Times Leader March 1991

Times Leader Feature Lifestyle Section Front Page
with Bobby France.

I Really Like that Photo a lot!

One of the many Jerry Kishbaugh Press Stories

One of the many Jerry Kishbaugh articles

This one is from:

Friday March 29, 1991

Citizens Voice

I am sorry these are not in any order, I am finding all of this very slowly.

In very strange places.

Ramones Allentown Show

Tear Sheet for The Ramones Allentown show. April 1991
Allentown Morning Call
News Paper

Press Shot 1990-1991

Psycho Nurse Press Shot
by Photographer
Dave Stabinski 1990-1991

Welcome Jim O

Jim O- Performing his weekly show at the Friers Club in LA.

Jim was the Band Manager and a key figure in the promotions of the many events.
Jim also performed as the opeing act for the band.


Jim has continued to work "The Business", he has a successful career woking in LA.

I recived this e-mail from Jim O :
I am posting his thoughts untill he is logged on to the BLOG
He has some gret things to say and some Ideas.
Roxie

Below are Jim O thoughts and additions to our faded memories:

"Steve Maruzzelli played Guirtar and Chris Maruzzelli played drums for a CBGBs gig in hmmm...I know I can find the date, but don't remember it now. I think it was Halloween- I think 1989. I had to be on the air at Rock 107, so I couldn't go. But I remember the rehearsal and Brian teaching the songs to Chris and Steve."

"I have pretty good info from the time when I was around, but I will have to reconstruct dates from a box of stuff. NO VIDEO TAPES, though! I still have jumper cables used at several shows in the trunk of my car. "

"I want to say that I was the sometimes opening act, and write things like this:"Sometmes I still blame myself for not doing more to help Roxanne hold the band together. I was afraid that my then new girlfriend would think I was insane when she met the everybody. Ironically, it turned out that she already knew you guys! But by that time I had to start working more hours at the radio station and drinking full time. Radio, drinking, and my relationship with my future wife consumed all my time."Let me know how I can post if you'd like me to! "

"I'll put a link from jimo.tv, which is actually the first place Psycho Nurse existed on the internet in the form of a gig photo on my celebrity photos page."

"I have always wanted to do a documentary on the band. I have it all planned out in my head and I am fully equipped to do it. And soon, I should have the time. The biggest challenge we would face would be locating original footage. "

"If you can do that, I will help you make a documentary! I will edit everything. You can be the director. Like Ed Wood! Let me know about it."
-JimO'


Posted by Roxie

Outdoor Shows

One of the rare
day light performances of
Psycho Nurse.



I remember playing this in Harisburgh it was a very hot day, and we decided not to use all the costumes.

Other outdoor events, I can remember right now included opeining for Foghat at a festival in Hazelton and opeing for Styx at the Allentown Fair. A gig on Three Mile Island Park and some deal on a Big Mountian near Allentown. We did some college show in Philadelphia in the day light and an Aids Benefit also.

Original Psycho Nurse - FMJ 1988

Photo By: David Rodgers 1988



This is a photo of one of the few original performances of FMJ at CBGB's.
This Number was not performed a lot.
Note: Deb wearing the "Crown- O-Thorns". Unfortunally Mickey Mouse can not be seen tied to the cross in this shot.

The number was dark, but funny. Most people did not know how to take the song or its performance. It was droped from the list, after 3 or 4 performances, and replaced with the jumper cable routine.

Psycho Nurse Reflection

Psycho Nurse -The Band

It has been about 20 odd years since a small group of friends from the Northeast gave birth to a band called Psycho Nurse?
How nice it is that time slides by so quickly and so painfully slow, all at the same time.
How nice it is to rememeber a lot, yet remember so little.

It seems like I am remembering the good times Psycho Nurse brought to myself and my friends, right now.
Because,for many years I dwelled on how this project was a failure. We did not get the Big Recording Contract. We did not fill arena's on our own bill. We did not win any thing . Those were the important things, RIGHT?
Perhpaps Not!

We did have accomplishments. We accomplished putting together our collective thoughts, in the medium of Words, Music and Performance Art. That even 20 years later still make us laugh and feel warm and cuddly inside.

If your wondering how people can feel warm and fuzzy about a song, call "My Baby's Some Kind of a Pig", or "Suzi Got an Uzi". You just have to really get to know us to understand our sence of hummor and how we express things. It is our way. Most people don't get it. If you get it. Well, then your like us.

It is strange, how time passes, yet our youthful creatitivy stays the same.

The creation of Psycho Nurse and its Run in with the world, is still is remembered by people of our age group, and known to some of the youth.

This band, never should have seen the light of day. Yet it went out and performed.

Hind sight being 20/20. I am thinking right now. How ahead of our time this Psycho Nurse Creation was.

Perhaps it is still relevent? Perhaps not to anyone else but us, Maybe, Maybe NOT!

The lyrics and music, and performance's were all written long before everyone in the USA had a computer. Psycho Nurse-The Band has not existed, on the internet untill today. We did not have a Psycho Nurse Website or a BLOG.

There was no video or audio streaming. The medium was the just the
Stage, Word of Mouth, Print, Radio and TV.
We had no cell phones. Our Tour manager had a BAG Phone that was as big as a Shoe Box, that he took to some gigs. We had no recording studio on our computers. We had to go to write a song, and remember it. Go to a Studio and Record it. Recording cost a lot of money to do then. CD,s were just comming into fashion. The 1980's now seem like humble times and we were just humble people.

Ahhhh ! It was Psycho Nurse. One of the best and worse things you could ever see or be involved with, The good the bad the ugly. The funny and the scarey, all rolled up into one. It was somthing that, included eveyone and excluded no one. Who evey wanted to be a part of it could go along for the Ride. It was fantasty, but reality, It slapped you face all the time. I know it made us laugh and cry a lot! We made it all real . Long before Reality TV there was Psycho Nurse.Maybe you can see the vision, maybe NOT!

Perhaps this will inspire. Perhpas someday somthing you create will be real to more than just yourself. Maybe, maybe Not!

Village Voice Tear Sheet Oct 1989

Village Voice /CBGB Tear Sheet

Halloween Tuesday Oct 31, 1989

the Original Lyrics to Christopher Street

Back in a time when many gays still hid from the limelight, it was okay to be out on Christopher Street, and Christopher Street was a place over the rainbow to those closeted men in areas other than New York. Christopher Street represented freedom and acceptance even though that actual freedom and acceptance really needed to come from within. With this in mind, the perception of gays was begining a rapid change. The limp wristed, lisping faggot down the street was now starting to become the gym bunny of the 90's, chiseled and cut. Ripped and coiffed, they are now the metrosexuals on steroids of todays society.

CHRISTOPHER STREET

There's such a shortage of real men in jeans.
Big gorgeous baskets turn out to be queens.
With their cock sucker puckers
and dick licker snickers,
They don't want to sleep with women no more.

When did all the hero's die? Who deflowered virgins when they did lie
in the back seats of cars,
after they met in bars
And sprayed thier loads over the upholstry.

What happened to hot jocks
with big stiff fat cocks
and sports most important of all?
What happened to men
tall lean and thin
They sure don't smell like they did back then.

Where is the man
to open his arms
and touch my tonsils with his tongue?
And rock me safe and secure?
They've all turned into queens.
They've all moved away to Christopher Street.


When Debbie Geary sang this song, it was with lament in her voice that she couldn't find a 'regular joe' anymore, a 'real man'. And I guess it all comes down to perspective doesn't it?

Psychic Vampires

"Psychic Vampires - They Must Die"

Written by Tony O. R. Pauline and B Anderson.

This Photo is in the 1990's at CBGB's

This song was very popular with the Gothic crowd.
It was also a very personal song for just about everyone in the Group.

The performance involved lots of props, a Cross, Garlic, a Vampire with Cape, a Stake and blood. It also had a lot of big flowing costumes for the gals. It was a very BIG number. Very Dark, Very True.

Psycho Nurse met a lot of real Vampires along the way.. I mean real ones.( Not just the lawyers and managers)

Poster for Revival Club Show

Copy of Revival in Philly Show Poster 1988
Courtesy of Jack Mitchell

Back Stage CBGB's 1988 - The Hair

Back Stage at CBGB's 1988

Roxie and Julia

HAIR:

There were so many shows at CBGB's that it is now hard to remember what show was what.

Some times the hair style can be a clue. The band had many hair styles. Joe Just, Larry and Tony all did hair. The hair dressers some times traveled with the show , or the girls tied up their shops all day, if the show was close to home. Any way you looked at it Psycho Nurse Hair was a big deal ( it was the 80's). It was alwasy different, and alwasy out there.

The costumes seem to all stay the same through the years.

With The Ramones

This is an East Coast Rocker Ad from the first Psycho Nurse with Ramones Show

It was performed with Roxie Candy and Julia

Brian Anderson had left the band at that point.

Roxie, Julia and Candy - Opening for The Ramones

Opening for The Ramones at Allentown Music Hall.

Roxie, Julia and Candy performing "Psycho Nurse".

This was the Phase II of the band. The band that more press was done on.

The concept remained the same. What Debbie had added to the show, her speches, style and movements, left an impression.Most of what she originally contributed stayed with the show. It was never changed ! It was the TRUE Psycho Nurse.

Candy and Julia brought their own unique style to the show. Their flavor would also never leave the show, even in the last phase of this band.

Original Psycho Nurse Rehursals

Rehursal in the 1980's

Rox and Debbie Rehursed in their swank second floor apartment in Taylor.

The cops were called a lot on us. Not for Loud music, for Vulgar Content.

I am pretty sure that you could not make out what we were singing 2 blocks away, but people would call the cops on us just cuz they heard about the show!
We tryed to go to those place where the local bands rehursed, you know, wearehouses,Storage Bins,Garages, but we got kicked out of every place we tried to rehursed in. Just for being a VULGAR ROCK BAND... can you believe it! It was the 1980's what can I say.

Now some real Intresting Vulgar Rap is played on Kiddie stations Everwhere in theUSA.

The full band rehursed only when they had a show, even tho Debbie, Rox and Tony O would bring lyrics to Brian and they would write songs just about every week or so. When we booked a show.. then we rehursed.

We also did not want to do the local band thing, and play out at the pub every friday nite.. so we book good, or better gigs, and made the show an event instead of another bad band at another bar.

I am sure you know how the first songs were wirtten... RIGHT!
NO.. well That is another post! and A well Pressed Story!


Most of the songs were written just, for gigs we booked and unfortunally most never stayed on the list. The band had fresh material ever time they played out.

There is not any real record of any of the songs that did not make it to the show list ( We did not know we were perparing a show list at the time, we were just trying out material)

The material evolved with each memeber that came and went. Everyone added somthing to the show and the music.

We never had a regular drummer... Everyone played drums with this band. It never seemed to matter. Brian was a great band leader. He could make any one regardless of how young they were work out.!

We never had a stedy drummer, and never ever got one. ( ala Spinal Tap)
We changed musician a lot. We would rehurse people in the car on the way to a gig! It was fun... it kept the energy up!

We really never thought any of this would last as long as it did.. so every gig was like our last. The next gig was not somthing to worrie about. We took it all seriously enough to write, book, and play. But a future?... IT was JUST FUN! It was not designed to last long!


Boy! did all that change later on, when we had more lawyers and managers than band members. ( another story)

CBGB's Flyers

These are the only ones I can find right now!
They are flyers from CBGB's

Don't really know the dates of these shows.

There were a lot of Real Good Posters and Flyers that went with each show.

The band had great Promo Materials for the Time. There are still Tee- shirts from the Reunion show hanging around my house.


A lot of it has been lost thru the years. We gave the last drummer Robbie, all the Video tapes, for safe keeping. He now says he has no memory of where they are.

I do have the CDs. I will try to Audio Stream them. They are really polished for this band. The real sound was raw and gritty, yet Pop.

So anyone with any of this clasic material in there attic. Please let us know. We just need a copy of it.

Caution.. The Song List - Oct 1988

Caution - The Psycho Nurse Song List Can Offend You!

A very Popular songs that is not on this 1988 list is:
"Christopher Street"- written by J. Mitchell

That song was part of the original show since 1985 and remained one of the more popular numbers the band performed.
It sadly was never recorded.


"FMJ" was dropped after the crufixton of Mickey Mouse on Stage at CBGB's, Prompted Skin Heads, to think the group was outrageous.

"Crib Death" was also dropped from the show, even though the Smashing of a Crib, on stage, did seem to entertain the crowd.
Parts of the Crib were autographed for fans after the show.
Autographed parts of the Crib were once auction off at a local music fund raising auction in the Harrisburg area.

Promoters ask "if the band could not perform FMJ or Crib death anymore". The songs seem to offended everyone.

However, the famed tune "Eat My Cunt" or "EMC" as it was known, remained a staple of the show through out the bands run into the 1990's and in their Reunion Show .

"Electric Fuck" replaced FMJ on the song list, around this time.

Jumper cables were attached to the girls Nipples as part of the performance.

It became the popular final number of the show, with the audience screaming "Jumper Cables, Jumper Cables, Jumper Cables".Some audience members even brought their own jumper cables to the show, to make sure the prongs were REAL and it was not a rigged cable that was being placed on the girls breasts. The girls used the audience cables when ever they offer them.

No promoter seemed to mind the" EF" number, and IMHO, it was by far more radical that FMJ or Crib Death.


These songs and performances should not have offend people, because it was all done in" Toung and Cheek Humor" that reflected the artist's opinion on popular and social issues of that time .

Who knew, that the Rap songs to come along in the late 1990's/2000's would be 1000 times more graphic and commercialy accepted by teenagers all over America.

Review Philadelphia Show 1988

Review from Philadelphia City Paper

Club Revival July 15-22, 1988

Tear Sheet 1988 Psycho Nurse

Tear Sheet of Psycho Nurse 1988


Vocals - Debbie & Roxie & Tony O

The Band around this time included:

Guitar- Brian Anderson
Bass- Barb McClintock
Drums- Tony Lessing
Lead Guitar- Mike Draper
Keyboards By Varrious Musicians

Original Psycho Nurse with Full Band

Second Gig: CBGB NYC 1985

Debbie & Roxie

The Band:

Brian Anderson - Guitar

Barb McClintock- Bass

Stork- Lead Guitar

Mark Montella- Drums

Mike Draper - Guitar/ Bass

Additional musicians: Added for varrious gigs thru 85/86/87/88

Violin & Flute- Randy

Male Lead Vocal- Jim

Vocals & Performance Art- Tony O

Mutent and Performance Art and Vocals - Mike Draper

Original Psycho Nurse 1985/86

Original Psycho Nurse

Debbie & Roxie

The band was:

Brian Anderson- Guitar

Dave S. ( Can't Remember His Name) - Bass

Mark Montella- Drums

First Gig : West Side Theatre- Opening for De Spys 1985

This Blog is dedicated to Psycho Nurse- The Band. The group was formed in the mid-1980's and played CBGB's in NYC on a regular basis, as well as opening for The Ramones on tour in 1991. The group performed mostly in North East USA. The material was very "In Your Face" but often with a sence of humor. Their work offended as well as amuse audiences. The lyrics and burlesques performances, from the 3 Front Women singers, was very controversial for its time. The lyrics, music and band memeber information, as well as Photos and Press Clippings will be put on this blog for comment and exploration of the groups work.