The Hysteric Narcotics in 1987
Left to Right (Jerry Barterian, Mark Niemenski, Lawrence Ulrich, Mike Murphy, Keith Soucy standing)
The Hysteric Narcotics played a reunion show on Friday, February 29th, 2008 at the Bohemian National Home. Thanks to Terry Murphy - pictures of this momentous show can be found here.
The mid 1980s were a very strange time for those of us who enjoyed listening to rock & roll. Punk had come along in the late 1970s and had changed the course of rock & roll forever. By the middle of the 80s punk had split apart into a bunch of different genres and the airwaves were dominated by punk’s socially acceptable little brother: “New Wave”. Real punk rock had gone underground and turned into “hardcore”. As much as I loved hanging out on Cass and listening to all my favorite hardcore bands – it seemed that something was missing in our local Detroit scene. The Hysteric Narcotics added that something special to the music scene. It was called FUN!
The Hysteric Narcotics gave us the one essential
ingredient the everybody was looking for: they just played some great
uncomplicated rock & roll that just seemed to make everything feel great
once again. If the Hysterics were
around today, they would probably be regarded as a fantastic “garage rock” band and
would be probably be playing all over Europe and the USA just like the White
Stripes, Detroit Cobras, Von Bondies and other current Detroit bands are doing.
The Hysteric Narcotics were always a little ahead of their time, but that
just made them sound a little more unique.
Originally the Hysteric Narcotics came from Livonia,
a western suburb of Detroit that wasn’t known for much other than being the
home of the local horseracing track. Livonia
didn’t have the “coolness” associated with Royal Oak or Ferndale or the
grittiness of Hamtramck or Detroit, but it proved to be a fertile breeding place
for musicians like the Hysteric Narcotics and Bob Mulrooney (Ramrods, Bootsey
X). The lineup of the Hysteric
Narcotics in 1986 consisted of Mike Murphy (vocals), Charles "Chip" Frayne
(aka Sercombe) (drums),
Keith Soucy (bass), Dave Feeney (organ), Mark Niemenski (guitar).
Sean Curran was their original guitarist. According to Mike Murphy, the name “Hysteric Narcotics”
was put together by combining the names “the Hysterics” and “the
Narcotics” and held no special significance.
By this time Mike Murphy had played in a series of local bands that
spawned the original “punk rock” movement in Detroit: the Denizens, the
Rushlow-King Combo, Jerry Vile and the Boners.
I was lucky enough to see all of these bands in their heyday at Bookies
and the Red Carpet and was constantly amazed at the wide variety of music that
could be found around Detroit.
In an interview with Dennis Loren in 1986 for RPM
magazine, the music of the Hysteric Narcotics was described as combination of
“garage music” and the “psychedelic sound” of the 1960s.
Those influences are heard in their music, but the Hysteric Narcotics
sound took that music from the 60s and added their own brand of individuality
and some good old-time Detroit edge to it.
During this time the band released their debut single on Tremor Records
and followed it up with 2 more singles on Rafscallion Records.
This was followed by their only LP – “Batteries Not Included” from
1986 and also on Rafscallion Records. This
album is essential listening for anybody that loves “garage music” and
appreciates how good rock & roll music should sound.
The Hysteric Narcotics also appeared on several Detroit-area compilations
that were put out by Tremor Records and others.
They played frequently in such local clubs such as Paycheck’s, St.
Andrew’s, Lili’s, Traxx and the like. Several
lineup changes also occurred during their career.
Jerry Barterian came in to play drums and Larry Ulrich played keyboards.
The Hysterics toured around the country playing shows in places as
diverse as CBGB’s in New York City, Rochester, NY and San Francisco, CA.
They were working on their second album, which unfortunately was never
done because the band parted ways.
I last remember the Hysteric Narcotics playing a show
during the Christmas break at Lili’s. It
was probably the late 1980s or early 1990s.
I had just moved back to Detroit from California and was trying to
reestablish my connection with the music in the area.
I happened to see an ad for the show and spent a wonderful evening
listening to the band again. Since
that time, the members have gone on with their lives, but have remained close to
the Detroit music scene. Just
recently, I had the privilege of listening to a tape of a new band that Mark and
Chip are playing in and could only marvel and say: “Keep up the great work,
guys !!!” Hopefully I will get to see them on a stage somewhere soon.
The Hysteric Narcotics left us with one album, a few
singles and a lot of great memories. Their
music didn’t change the world and the guys didn’t become rock superstars.
The Hysteric Narcotics were just another group of people that followed
their dreams and made their imprint on the music scene.
They left behind a statement of their spirit and showed a whole bunch of
people that hard work and inspiration can create anything and made life just a
bit more enjoyable for the rest of us. Those
qualities definitely made the Hysteric Narcotics a band that shouldn’t be
forgotten.
Hysteric Narcotics flyers can be found here, Hysteric Narcotics music to listen to can be found here and a complete Hysteric Narcotics discography can be found here.
New: Video of the Hysteric Narcotics playing "Monkey Bars' can be found here.
