Romeo Void

Romeo Void was an American new wave and post-punk band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1979.<ref name = "Mason2011a"/> The band primarily consisted of saxophonist Benjamin Bossi, vocalist Debora Iyall, guitarist Peter Woods, and bassist Frank Zincavage. The band went through four drummers, starting with Jay Derrah and ending with Aaron Smith. The band released three albums, It's a Condition, Benefactor and Instincts, along with one EP. They are best known for the songs "Never Say Never" and "A Girl in Trouble (Is a Temporary Thing)"; the latter became a top 40 pop single.

The band was started at the San Francisco Art Institute by Iyall and Zincavage. They released a single on the recently formed 415 Records before recording their debut album, which has been deemed a "masterpiece of American post-punk".<ref name = "Mason2011a"/> The success of their second release, a four-song EP titled Never Say Never resulted in a distribution deal with Columbia Records. The band continued to release music and tour until they broke up in 1985. The members have reunited briefly over the years. Iyall has continued to pursue music as a side project. Iyall has garnered acclaim as a skilled lyricist who explores themes like sexuality and alienation from a female perspective with "searing imagery".<ref name = "Mason2011a"/>

History

1979: Formation

Romeo Void formed at the San Francisco Art Institute in February 1979. Vocalist Debora Iyall occasionally visited the Bay Area to see Patti Smith perform.<ref name = "Bielawski2003">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> She decided to pursue an art education after reading a fortune cookie. "It was in the late '70s at the Indochina Friendship Booth at the annual Fourth of July streetfair in Eureka, California," she said. "I got a fortune cookie that said 'Art is your fate, don't debate.' That next January, I was enrolled in an art school in San Francisco."<ref name = "Michaels2005">Template:Cite book</ref> She began frequenting the Mabuhay Gardens, a popular nightclub, to see local alternative rock groups like The Nuns, the Mutants, Crime, and the Avengers.<ref name = "Bielawski2003"/> She also formed the Mummers and Poppers, a punk parody band that covered 1960s tunes with guitarist Peter Woods, Charles Hagan and drummer Jay Derrah, .<ref name = "Mason2011a">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name = "Gimarc1997">Template:Cite book</ref> Iyall was originally hesitant to perform because she was overweight: "After seeing Patti Smith, I still had it in my mind that you had to be skinny to be up there [on stage], but after going to the Mabuhay [...] you just do whatever you want, be whoever you want, just make it happen."<ref name = "Bielawski2003"/>

Bassist Frank Zincavage met Iyall at the SF Art Institute; the two hit it off and discussed putting a band together. They formed one with Woods and Derrah a few weeks later,<ref name = "Gimarc1997"/> drawing inspiration from the "burgeoning local punk and post-punk scenes".<ref name = "Mason2011a"/> Iyall recruited Woods because she enjoyed playing with him in the Mommers and Poppers. "[It] seemed only natural that we invite Peter Woods to join us [... He] played clean and was a natural on rhythm guitar."<ref name = "Michaels2005"/> Romeo Void officially formed on Valentine's Day in 1979. According to Iyall, the name Romeo Void referred to "a lack of romance" and came to mind after they saw a local magazine with the headline "Why single women can't get laid in San Francisco."<ref name = "Mason2011a"/> The name "means there are not romantic notions here — and there shouldn't be," Iyall told an interviewer: "We are about reality, not the myths created by other artists."<ref name="Riegel">Template:Cite magazine</ref>

The band practiced in Iyall's flat in the Mission District.<ref name = "Michaels2005"/> It was decided that the group would embrace punk ideals despite the possibility that they become associated with the new wave movement. "Even though I was going to the [Mabuhay Gardens] so much, I also had criticisms: Everyone was leaning against the wall wearing black," Iyall said. "I guess we were considered new wave, but for me Romeo Void was a reaction against the regimentation of everyone having to be bleached blond and everything being about despair and no future, when I thought the do-it-yourself thing should encompass all the different kinds of emotions, and all the different colors. [...] I was proud of being American Indian, so I purposely never bleached my hair blond."<ref name = "Bielawski2003"/>

1980–1982: It's a Condition, Benefactor, and mainstream success

The band became busy playing shows at clubs and warehouses around San Francisco,<ref name = "Michaels2005"/> and quickly became popular.<ref name = "Bielawski2003"/> Saxophonist Benjamin Bossi was added to the lineup as an "accident" when Iyall met him while he worked in the New York City Deli on Market Street in San Francisco.<ref name = "Gimarc1997"/> The group released their first single, "White Sweater", which consisted of the title track and a cover of Jerry Lordan's popular instrumental composition "Apache", in February 1981 on a recently founded local label called 415 Records.<ref name = "Mason2011a"/> They worked on the recording of their debut album, It's a Condition, with producer David Kahne. Before recording began, Derrah left the band and was replaced by John "Stench" Hanes, who had previously played with Pearl Harbor and the Explosions.<ref name = "Mason2011a"/> Romeo Void's debut was critically acclaimed upon its release through 415 in July 1981,<ref name = "Mason2011a"/><ref name="Riegel"/> and introduced Romeo Void's "unique blend of jazz, funk, rock and confrontational poetry".<ref name = "Payes2011">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> AllMusic writer Stewart Mason later heralded it as one of the "masterpieces of American post-punk".<ref name = "Mason2011a"/> Indie labels were enthusiastic with promotions and the band embarked on several nationwide tours.<ref name = "Evans2010">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Eventually Hanes left the band, leaving Larry Carter to fill the drummer position.<ref name = "Strong2003">Template:Cite book</ref>

The sudden surge in popularity was disorienting to Iyall. "It was frightening: we played a college in Santa Barbara, and there were all these blond people crowding the stage, and I thought 'These are the people who hated me in high school!' When you grow up being 'outside' – because I wasn't white, and I was fat, and always a bit of a free thinker – it was strange. It was like, 'uh-oh, I must be doing something wrong – they like me!'"<ref name = "Bielawski2003"/> Highly successful mainstream artists like Ann Wilson and Ric Ocasek were eager to meet the band. Ocasek extended an invitation to collaborate at his Syncro Sound recording studio in Boston.<ref name = "Bielawski2003"/> The recording sessions in Boston resulted in the Never Say Never EP in January 1982. The title track became (arguably) their best-known song and has remained synonymous with the band ever since. The song was also featured in the 1984 romantic teen drama Reckless. Additionally, the success of the single directly led to 415 Records signing a deal with Columbia Records, which elevated the indie label's roster to major-label status.<ref name = "Mason2011a"/> Romeo Void released their second album, entitled Benefactor, in November 1982.<ref name = "Ruhlmann2011b">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The album appeared at No. 119 on the Billboard 200.<ref name = "AllmusicStaff2011">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Benefactor was noticeably more commercial sounding than previous endeavors; the music was made more danceable and swearing was removed on the song "Never Say Never".<ref name = "Ruhlmann2011b"/> The different approach in the sound resulted in comparisons to Blondie,<ref name = "Strong2003"/> which AllMusic writer William Ruhlmann suggested was a deliberate attempt by Columbia.<ref name = "Ruhlmann2011b"/> Iyall stated that there was more pressure to write sexually laced lyrics for Benefactor: "I do like to be provocative, and I definitely have access to my sexuality, and as a topic I find it ripe, but I wasn't ever going to be a sex-pot diva, so that was kind of odd." She also said there was pressure to produce more singles.<ref name = "Evans2010"/>

1983–present: Instincts, break-up, and post-band endeavors

A third and final album was again helmed by David Kahne, which AllMusic writer Stewart Mason speculated was a "reaction against the more commercial sound of Benefactor.<ref name = "Ruhlmann2011c">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> By this time, Carter had been replaced by veteran session drummer Aaron Smith.<ref name = "Strong2003"/> Instincts was released in October 1984, debuted at No. 68 on the Billboard 200,<ref name = "AllmusicStaff2011"/> and proved to be the band's best-selling album.<ref name = "Ruhlmann2011c"/> It also launched their most successful single, "A Girl in Trouble (Is a Temporary Thing)," which broke the Billboard Top 40 and peaked at No. 35.<ref name = "AllmusicStaff2011"/> Critical reactions were positive.<ref name = "Gillis1984">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Despite being the band's most successful effort to date, Columbia pulled the band's promotional support while on a nationwide tour. "The very next town we got to after they made that decision, there wasn't an A&R person there," said Iyall. "[There] was no local person there, there were no interviews and in-stores arranged as they had been. All that just ground to a halt." The band returned to San Francisco and soon broke up. Constant touring has been cited by Iyall as the primary reason for the break-up. "You get tired of each other, and you get intolerant of being uncomfortable and away from your family and your friends."<ref name = "Evans2010"/> According to a VH1 reunion episode, the issue of Iyall's weight was the reason for the label dropping them.<ref name = "Evans2010"/> In 2003, Iyall agreed with this claim: "Howie sold us from 415 to Columbia Records, and they were like 'Who's this fat chick?' They decided that was as far as it was going to get, and pulled their support."<ref name = "Bielawski2003"/> Crawdaddy! writer Denise Sullivan stated that the label spoke to Iyall about losing weight, but she subsequently refused.<ref name = "Sullivan2010">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2010, Iyall declined to discuss the issue, but added that she may not be taking full responsibility in the matter.<ref name = "Evans2010"/>

Iyall released a solo album entitled Strange Language with former band members Bossi and Smith in 1986.<ref name = "Mason2011b">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Afterward she pursued a career as an art teacher.<ref name = "Mason2011a"/> The band reunited briefly for a live performance in 1993.<ref name = "Strong2003"/> In 2004, Romeo Void was featured on an episode of VH1's Bands Reunited. Bossi had sustained too much hearing damage over the years and was unable to perform, although he did meet up with the band again and watched the reunion performance from an adjacent room.<ref name = "Bernstein2004">Template:Cite news</ref> Iyall has continued to dabble in music related projects and events. "I still like to sing and I still like to perform," she said.<ref name = "Evans2010"/> In 2003 she was involved in a musical project called Knife in Water.<ref name = "Bielawski2003"/> She began collaborating with Peter Dunne, who was known as Peter Template:Not a typo when he played guitar for Pearl Harbor and the Explosions. Iyall and Dunne performed at a support benefit for Crawdaddy! founder Paul Williams in June 2009,<ref name = "RollingStone2009">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and performed at a concert honoring 415 Records later that September.<ref name = "Selvin2009">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> They released an album entitled Stay Strong in 2010.<ref name = "Sullivan2010"/>

Drummer Larry Carter died in August of 2021, from what is thought to be heart complications.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Saxophonist Benjamin Bossi died of complications from Alzheimer's disease on December 13, 2022, at the age of 69.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Music

{{#invoke:Listen|main}} Romeo Void has generally been classified as a new wave<ref name = "Sullivan2010"/><ref name = "Hall1992">Template:Cite news</ref> or post-punk band.<ref name = "Mason2011a"/><ref name = "Gimarc1997"/><ref name = "Niester1982">Template:Cite news</ref> Some critics have noted dance elements in the music.<ref name = "Payes2011"/><ref name = "Sullivan2010"/><ref name = "Ruhlmann2011e">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> According to Stewart Mason, writing for AllMusic, "[The] band's muscular blend of Joy Division's atmospherics and the Gang of Four's rattling momentum, with Benjamin Bossi's splattering free jazz saxophone coloring everything, made Romeo Void one of the strongest of the American post-punk bands.<ref name = "Mason2011a"/> The St. Petersburg Times wrote that they "had no trouble creating a signature sound for [themselves with a] scratchy guitar, soulful sax, [and] tight, precise drums."<ref name = "Hall1992"/> The New York Times stated that they sounded like "an art-school band, with its textural complexity [and] touches of jazz and funk"<ref name = "Palmer1982">Template:Cite news</ref> Saxophone player Benjamin Bossi has been observed as the ingredient that "set the band apart" and showed a "talent for both improvisation and arrangement."<ref name = "Marriote1984">Template:Cite news</ref> Alan Niester, writing for The Globe and Mail, said that he weaved "in and out [...] like a snake charmer" and reminded him of Andy Mackay, a saxophonist who played with Roxy Music.<ref name = "Niester1982"/>

Liam Lacey, also writing for The Globe and Mail, described Iyall's voice as "sultry [and] sexy",<ref name = "Lacey1984">Template:Cite news</ref> while Mason called it "powerful".<ref name = "Mason2011a"/> Her style has sometimes been compared to Chrissie Hynde, vocalist for the Pretenders.<ref name = "Marriote1984"/><ref name = "Lacey1984"/> Richard Harrington of The Washington Post acknowledged the similarity, but also noted the influence of other singers in "Never Say Never" where Iyall mixed the "aggressive bitchiness of [Hynde], the coy confrontational tactics of Patty Donahue of the Waitresses and the slack sensuality of Debbie Harry of the earliest Blondie."<ref name = "Harrington1982">Template:Cite news</ref> Iyall used to find the comparison annoying, but eventually warmed to it: "When people said I sounded like her, I'd say, 'Oh yeah, thanks a lot.' But this year, I've fallen in love with Learning To Crawl so now I don't care if people want to make comparisons."<ref name = "Lacey1984"/> After a live show in 1982, Niester contended that she was the weakest part of the group and had the "vocal range of an automobile horn".<ref name = "Niester1982"/> Billboard writer Kathy Gillis wrote after a concert two years later that Iyall exhibited a "dramatic range that, while not extreme in either direction, was touching."<ref name = "Gillis1984"/>

Patti Smith had a great influence on Iyall.<ref name = "Harrington1982"/> "[She was] someone who was both a rock singer and a poet," she said. "She combined things I was interested in. Plus, she wasn't a trumped-up sex symbol. She was herself on stage. That appealed to me. It looked like something I could do. You didn't have to look like all the other singers."<ref name = "Gimarc1997"/> Iyall was highly critical of the music of the day and found inspiration in other mediums. "I hate rock and roll right now. It's turned into some new kind of stupid religion... I'd rather listen to Billie Holiday, maybe Tom Waits. Actually, I'll admit I like The Bangles – they have a great sound. But I'd just as soon read novels or paint pictures as listen to music. I love language – plain speech, used in an enigmatic, subliminal way; I'm not much tied to the literal."<ref name = "Lacey1984"/>

Lyrics

Iyall was observed by Mother Jones to be among a new group of female fronted rock bands that displayed a "tough, wry, street-wise, [and] cynical" attitude and sought to redefine the role of women in rock music.<ref name = "Talbot1981">Template:Cite journal</ref> She developed a sizable following for her writing that covered topics like "frustrated desire [and] sexually motivated rage" from a female perspective.<ref name = "Palmer1982"/> Critics praised her lyrics for their "searing imagery",<ref name = "Mason2011a"/> "seething poetics",<ref name = "Sullivan2010"/> and "darkly intelligent lyrics"<ref name = "Payes2011"/> "My approach was always that I had something to say, I had a point of view," Iyall said, commenting on her outspokeness. "I remember seeing Penelope from the Avengers at the Mabuhay Gardens and thinking, I can do that. I have something to say."<ref name = "Evans2010"/>

Romeo Void's best known song is "Never Say Never", which contains the famous line "I might like you better if we slept together."<ref name = "Evans2010"/> AllMusic writer Heather Phares has argued that Iyall's "teasing, existential musings [...] predated and predicted the aloof yet frank sexuality of early- and mid-'90s artists such as Elastica and Liz Phair". Phares concluded that the song was "a subversive, influential classic" and "one of new wave's most distinctive and innovative moments. "<ref name = "Phares2011">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The song has been covered by many artists,<ref name = "Sullivan2010"/> among them are Queens of the Stone Age, Amanda Blank and Xiu Xiu.<ref name = "Roth2000">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name = "Elan2009">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The song "A Girl in Trouble (Is a Temporary Thing)", their highest-charting single,<ref name = "AllmusicStaff2011"/> was reportedly written as a response to Michael Jackson's hit song "Billie Jean", but can also be seen as a tribute to women who have experienced traumatizing events.<ref name = "Horowitz2011">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Iyall also wrote songs that touched on themes like social alienation ("Undercover Kept") and generation gaps ("Chinatown").<ref name = "Harrington1982"/>

Band members

Classic line-up

• Debora Iyall – vocals (1979–1985, 1993, 2004)
• Peter Woods – guitar (1979–1985, 1993, 2004)
• Frank Zincavage – bass (1979–1985, 1993, 2004)
• Benjamin Bossi – saxophone (1980–1985, 1993; died 2022)
• Aaron Smith – drums, percussion (1984–1985, 1993, 2004)

Previous members

• Jay Derrah – drums, percussion (1979–1981)
• John "Stench" Hanes – drums, percussion (1981)
• Larry Carter – drums, percussion (1981–1984; died 2021)

Live musician

• Sheldon Brown – saxophone (2004)

Discography

Albums

Studio albums

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions
		US <ref name=":0">Template:Cite magazine</ref>	CAN <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	NZ <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
It's a Condition	Released: July 1981 Label: 415 Formats: LP, MC	—	—	46
Benefactor	Released: August 6, 1982 Label: Columbia/415 Formats: LP, MC	119	91	—
Instincts	Released: October 1, 1984 Label: Columbia/415 Formats: LP, MC	68	—	—
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

Compilation albums

Title	Album details
Warm, in Your Coat	Released: 5 May 1992 Label: Columbia/Legacy Formats: CD, MC
A Girl in Trouble (Is a Temporary Thing)	Released: 8 August 2006 Label: Collectables/Sony BMG Formats: CD
Never Say Never: Hits, Rarities & Gems	Released: 19 September 2006 Label: Sony BMG Formats: CD

EPs

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions
		US <ref name=":0" />	NZ <ref name=":1" />
Never Say Never	Released: December 1981 Label: Columbia/415 Formats: 12", MC	147	18
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

Singles

Title	Year	Peak chart positions						Album
		US <ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	US Dance <ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	US Main <ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	AUS <ref name="aus">Template:Cite book</ref>	CAN <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>		NZ <ref name=":1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
"White Sweater"	1981	—	31Template:Efn	—	—	—	—	It's a Condition
"Never Say Never"	1982	—	17	27	—	—	—	Benefactor
"A Girl in Trouble (Is a Temporary Thing)"	1984	35	11	17	74	76	27	Instincts
"Say No"		—	—	—	—	—	—
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

External links

• Template:Official website
• Template:Allmusic
• [https://www.imdb.com/{{#if: 2536051

 | name/{{#if:{{#invoke:ustring|match|1=2536051|2=^nm}}
   | Template:Trim/
   | nm2536051/
   }}
 | {{#if: {{#property:P345}}
   | name/Template:First word/
   | find?q=%7B%7B%23if%3A+Romeo+Void%0A++++++%7C+Romeo+Void%0A++++++%7C+%5B%5B%3ATemplate%3APAGENAMEBASE%5D%5D%0A++++++%7D%7D&s=nm
   }}
 }}{{#if:  2536051 {{#property:P345}} | {{#switch: 
 | award | awards = awards Awards for | biography | bio = bio Biography for
 }}}} {{#if: Romeo Void
 | Romeo Void
 | Template:PAGENAMEBASE
 }}] at IMDb{{#if: 2536051{{#property:P345}}
 | Template:EditAtWikidata
 | Template:Main other

}}{{#switch:{{#invoke:string2|matchAny|^nm.........|^nm.......|nm|.........|source=2536051|plain=false}}

 | 1 | 3 =  Template:Main otherTemplate:Preview warning
 | 4 = Template:Main otherTemplate:Preview warning

}}{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:IMDb name with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|showblankpositional=1| 1 | 2 | id | name | section }}