In the L.A. punk scene, Chris D. is basically a living legend.
The singer-songwriter and poet led not one but two legendary bands: The darkly powerful 1970s outfit The Flesh Eaters, whose lineup included members of X, The Blasters, Los Lobos and Tito & Tarantula; and the rootsier ’80s outfit Divine Horsemen, featuring his then-wife Julie Christensen. On top of that, he wrote for Slash magazine, produced iconic albums for The Gun Club, The Germs, The Dream Syndicate and others, ran his own Upsetter Records label and more. Bottom line: When it comes to that world, he’s been there and done that.
Now he’s doing it again. Several years ago, Chris D. — it stands for Desjardins — revived The Flesh Eaters for some gigs, a reunion that eventually led to the stellar 2019 comeback album I Used To Be Pretty. Around the same time, he and Christensen (who have remained friends) resurrected The Divine Horsemen, who released the outstanding comeback album Hot Rise Of An Ice Cream Phoenix a few weeks back.
Recently, Desjardins generously gave me more than an hour of his time to discuss his past, present and future plans for both bands, along with plenty more. Settle in and enjoy an in-depth conversation with one of the founding fathers of California punk. For more on The Flesh Eaters’ I Used To Be Pretty, go HERE. For more on Divine Horsemen’s Hot Rise Of An Ice Cream Phoenix, go HERE.
