DESCRIPTION:
A radical artist who had studied at Brooklyn College, in 1970 Alan Vega formed the band Suicide with Marty Rev. The first band to advertise their shows as 'Punk Music', the duo made their name at the legendary Mercer Arts Centre playing alongside The New York Dolls. Fusing electronics with confrontational stage performances, Suicide were a one-off, musically unlike anything that was emerging from the Lower East Side. Snubbed initially by the young punks at CBGB, they instead became a headliner at Max's Kansas City, and eventually issued their debut LP in 1977.

In this interview Vega discusses the birth of Suicide, the band's sound and notorious stage shows, the New York scene, pre-punk pioneers The Velvet Underground, Mercers Art Centre, CBGB, Max's Kansas City and the band's debut album.