& The Legacy of Lizzie Grey
London | source
For every band that reaches global domination, there are at least ten more that slip through the cracks. Many of them are just as apt as music legends, only lacking in connections or, in truth, sheer luck, which might've afforded them global notoriety. Because these musicians aren’t household names, rolling in riches, does not mean they aren't talented, or even that they aren't successful. Most musicians, or even most artists, however, don't pursue the arts for money or fame. They do it because they love it, regardless of the risk it may bring. While success to one might be a six figure job and a lavish mansion, success to another might simply be the act of pursuing their passion.
London is a band that floats in the space between having slipped through the cracks and having left a lasting legacy. They aren’t quite forgotten, but they also never really made it past performing in clubs and bars - and they fascinate me to no end. My fascination, however, is mixed with melancholia, as I search for bits and pieces of a band whose legacy exists largely in memories. I’m forced to sit and peel back the layers, attempting to journey back in time to explore the story of this band that was never quite able to break out of the Sunset Strip. I collect the scraps and string them together in the hopes that I might understand their story, but when it comes to bands with legacies as forgotten as London’s, most of what they have left behind is tinted with sadness. My friend Abby of reallifelayla.com recently shared similar sentiments regarding her love of the MC5, perfectly capturing this feeling: “You get an unspoiled view of the band’s legacy, sad parts and all...but you get so little of it…When I compare this experience with being a new fan of The Who and The Stones, both of which have just so much stuff to dive into, my love for the MC5 feels lonely. The way I search for footage and photographs feels like hunting a mythical creature. I feel like the last of a lost civilization.”
The bits and pieces of London that have drifted into the 21st century, however, are endlessly intriguing. And unlike the elusive MC5 documentary, London was captured in broad daylight in Penelope Spheeris’ documentary The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years. I hope I can do London justice in telling their story.
In the Beginning (1976-1984)
Before there was London, there was Sister. Formed in 1976 in Los Angeles, Sister was only together for two short years. Considering its lineup of future stars Blackie Lawless (W.A.S.P.) and Nikki Sixx (Motley Crue), one might assert that their lack of success came only from being quite literally ahead of their time. 1976 was the era of ABBA and Elton John, Eagles and Boston. Sister, on the other hand, was grounded in heavy metal, drawing inspiration from Alice Cooper and Kiss and fusing it with occult symbology. Heavy metal was, by no means, popular or commercial in 1976. Within a few short years, however, that would change.
By 1978, Sister was composed of founder Blackie Lawless, bassist Nikki Sixx (then Frank Ferrana), guitarist Lizzie Grey, and drummer Dane Rage. When Sister inevitably crumbled, Sixx, Grey, and Rage picked up the pieces and formed London.
Lizzie Grey, Dane Rage, & Nikki Sixx | source
Over the next few years, London tried on various vocalists for size, never seeming to be able to keep one for very long. First was Michael White, a Robert Plant carbon copy. Everything from his sound to his hair was ripped right out of the Robert Plant Handbook (incidentally, Plant discovered White in 1986 and secured him a contract with Atlantic). White was swiftly replaced by Henri Valentine, and Valentine was replaced by Nigel Benjamin. Benjamin seemed to be the most promising, having spent two years as the lead vocalist for Mott the Hoople. To a group of gangly young music-lovers in Los Angeles, having an English lead singer from Mott the Hoople was just as good as having a Grammy.
With both an established singer and Sixx's familial connections at Capitol Records, success seemed guaranteed for London.
Nikki Sixx and Nigel Benjamin | source
From its inception, London had developed a reputation on the Sunset Strip, quickly rising through the ranks and garnering a following. They became regulars at the Starwood, one of the biggest venues on the Strip, having hosted acts like AC/DC and Cheap Trick. London was on the rise, seemingly walking the same path that bands like the Runaways and Van Halen had paved. That path, however, seemed to stretch infinitely for London.
London hit a plateau. They had fans and credibility, but no money and no record deal. Despite having connections with Capitol Records, the band still could not be signed. Record companies were hesitant to sign any bands with heavy, hard rock sounds. According to them, hard rock was on its way out. Stuck as a Sunset Strip band, each member was forced to make a choice.
After having received a letter from Brian Connolly of The Sweet, in which Connolly told him to “keep his day job,” Sixx departed London. Determined to prove Connolly wrong while also being highly aware that London was going nowhere, Sixx decided to clean the slate and start over, almost immediately forming Motley Crue.
Nigel Benjamin also departed London around the same time as Sixx, leaving Rage and Grey stranded. You can’t do much with half a band. Rage would depart soon after, leaving music and eventually establishing toy company Überstix LLC in 2005. Lizzie Grey, however, remained determined.
The Metal Years (1984-1990s)
With only Grey left to man the ship, London continued to cycle through various lineups, becoming what Grey described as a “training school for rock stars." Izzy Stradlin, Steven Adler, and Slash of Guns N’ Roses would all pass through London. Fred Coury of Cinderella and Bob Welch of Fleetwood Mac were also a part of the lineup at various points. London did, however, manage to nail down a vocalist: Nadir D’Priest.
With D’Priest under their belt, London finally snagged a record deal. They released their debut album, Non-Stop Rock, in 1985, followed by Don’t Cry Wolf in 1986 (produced by Kim Fowley). Then, London struck gold. They would be highlighted in a three-part Penelope Spheeris documentary entitled The Decline of Western Civilization. London, alongside many other Sunset Strip players, would star in part two, dubbed The Metal Years. Featuring both performance footage and interviews, this is perhaps the clearest picture we get of London in all their glam-metal glory.
Starring alongside Kiss, Ozzy Osbourne, Lemmy, Aerosmith, Alice Cooper, Poison, and Megadeth, London simultaneously stands out and blends right in. They have the same charm and star quality as the biggest names in hard rock, placing them on an even playing field. However, there is some other ineffable quality about London that allows them to shine, even amongst these brightly burning stars.
With their hair teased to the heavens, layers of leather, and a smoke-filled dressing room coated with a thick layer of glitter, they seem like they should be much more than a band holding on for dear life. They aren’t classy, but they are cool. “We are not role models for your life!” Lizzie jokes, pointing his finger at the camera. Then, they play.
Once you push past the Spinal Tap-esque tongue wagging, you notice there’s not much separating London from bands like Dio. If you strip both bands down to the basics, I'd wager that they sound very similar, at least on the vocals and guitar front. Nadir is a powerhouse vocalist, with a voice handcrafted for metal and a face that could’ve propelled London into stardom all by itself. His talent as a vocalist cannot be understated. Lizzie, on the other hand, is a highly proficient guitarist, with a sound that perfectly suited the era. So why did Dio make it while London was left in the dust?
Spheeris offers a momentary glimpse of London’s greatness before sending the viewer hurtling back down to earth by reminding us, at least those of us in the present day, that London, although filled with promise, never became much of anything. Although he hides behind jokes and pounds of makeup, it’s seems that Lizzie, at least, is quite aware of this, even at the time. He seems almost jaded, a twinge of sadness lurking behind his blue eyes. While his former best friend was touring the globe with Motley Crue, Grey was still performing on the Strip, hindered by who knows what because it absolutely was not a lack of talent. While I'm certain that Grey pursued music not because he was chasing fame but because it was his passion, I can also understand how exasperating it might be to work relentlessly for nearly a decade and have very little to show for it.
London seemed cursed. "It's like we get somebody in the band and as soon as they leave, they become rock stars," they joked, but hiding beneath their jests was a layer of truth. It was as if you had to leave London to become a star, and for some reason, Lizzie refused to. If he'd been in any other band, I genuinely believe that his name could've been up there with the likes of other glam-metal guitar legends like Warren DeMartini and CC DeVille.
Lizzie Grey, Brian West, Nadir D'Priest, & Bobby Marks | source
“When was the last time you had a job?” an interviewer asks.
“Well, this is my job.” Lizzie begins softly, “As far as I’m concerned, this is what I do. And I believe in it, you know, this is rock and roll. I do this. So I don’t consider that I’m like, lazy or something ‘cause I don’t do a job because I bust my fucking ass doing rock and roll.”
“Do you always have money?”
“We’re in debt for a hundred grand!” Lizzie laughs.
“How could you be in debt for a hundred grand?”
“Our last album we did was financed by this guy who was in jail, right?” He giggles as Nadir motions for him to stop. “He’s out now. And now he wants his money!”
“Where do you guys live?” She asks.
“Right now, I don’t have a steady home,” Lizzie says as footage of the band piling into a mobile home plays. “We’re kinda on the road.”
The same year The Decline of Western Civilization was released, 1988, Lizzie Grey, the last founding member, finally left London. After a decade, two albums, nearly twenty different members, and virtually no success, he decided it was finally time to walk away. Having become a sort of underground guitar legend, Grey went on to form a band called Spiders and Snakes.
London carried on, with Nadir as the member with the most seniority. They released Playa Del Rock in 1990, and then, after an extensive tour, fizzled out into nothingness by 1992. With over a decade of hard work, countless members, hundreds of performances, and a record deal, London never solidified outside of the Sunset Strip. They had the talent, the looks, and the charisma, and in seemingly any other timeline, they could’ve been up there with Cinderella or Dio.
Present Day
Recently, London has experienced a sort of revival. London returned in 2010 to playing clubs and intimate venues, and they’ve been playing ever since. As typical for London, however, their lineup is a little different. Nadir D’Priest is back on vocals, alongside the members that performed on Playa Del Rock in 1990. This includes guitarist Sean Lewis, bassist Brian West, and drummer Alan Krigger. "I've been clean for 19 years, and have done everything from construction to being a stylist, but haven't given up on London," D’Priest said.
As for Sunset Strip legend Lizzie Grey, he played with Spiders and Snakes until 2017. In 2019, after an eleven-year battle with Lewy Body Disease, Lizzie tragically passed away at the age of sixty, but not before reconnecting with his old friend Nikki Sixx.
"Before I saw him for the last time, we'd talked on the phone for the first time in years. He disclosed to me that he had Parkinson's, and we joked about all the things he couldn't do. He couldn't play guitar anymore and just sang. But sometimes, he said, he'd be singing, and he'd forget where he was standing. He wouldn't know where he was. Even though I had prepared myself before our meeting, I was shocked to see him, blown away by what the disease had done. Lizzie lived in Vegas - his wife drove him up with their daughters - and we met at a restaurant in Thousand Oaks. He couldn't have weighed more than 110 pounds... That was the last time I saw him." - Nikki Sixx, The First 21
In researching Lizzie, I stumbled across a Facebook page dedicated to him and London, aptly titled "Lizzie Grey's London." As I scrolled through, searching for photographs, I found a post in which the owner of the page wrote, "In early 2019 he said that he didn't think people remembered him or his music." Just like that, I felt my heart shatter into a million pieces. For Lizzie (or for anyone) to have left this world believing he had been forgotten, that his hard work had been for naught devastated me, because, at least by me, he is not forgotten. Lizzie lives on, in his music, and in the hearts of people like me, who were touched by his story of dedication and hard work, even when it seemed all the odds were stacked against him.
I couldn’t tell you what fascinates me so much about London. I can’t quite put my finger on it. They never made it out of the Sunset Strip, but they did become legends in their own right. Lauded by party-goers and hailed as gods of the Strip, London may not have had a platinum record, but they had fun, and they've created priceless memories for not only themselves, but thousands of others who saw them perform. From the little discourse I've been able to find about London, it seems to be a common consensus that while they weren't musical genii or Dylan-esque in their lyricism, they never truly got the recognition that they deserved.
Lizzie, in particular, is someone I find myself gravitating towards for reasons unknown - his silly sense of humor, his prowess as a guitarist, or the tragedy of his death, I’m not quite sure. What I do know is that his legacy may not be world-famous, but it is entirely honorable and deserving of the utmost respect.
Here’s to London, for they must’ve done something right if they managed to impact this 21st century teenage girl.
A Glimpse of London in their Glory
A live performance of "Russian Winter," and bits of an interview with Nadir and Lizzy.
References
The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years, Penelope Spheeris
The First 21, Nikki Sixx
https://second.wiki/wiki/london_band
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_(heavy_metal_band)
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/london-mn0001920531/biography
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