Comments on: Selections from The Punk Vault [Negative Element] http://www.punkvinyl.com/2005/05/25/selections-from-the-punk-vault-negative-element/ All things music related Sun, 05 Feb 2012 04:43:20 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: MIke Peterson (Barry & Chopper's Cuz) http://www.punkvinyl.com/2005/05/25/selections-from-the-punk-vault-negative-element/comment-page-1/#comment-7272 MIke Peterson (Barry & Chopper's Cuz) Mon, 24 Dec 2007 14:43:03 +0000 http://www.punkvinyl.com/?p=1026#comment-7272 Hello Cuzs. Thank you for the Flashbacks to my DJing job back in the 80s. I did Check out the Chicaco Video. You guys still Punk!!!! Keep in Touch and Rock ON!!!!!!! Hello Cuzs. Thank you for the Flashbacks to my DJing job back in the 80s. I did Check out the Chicaco Video. You guys still Punk!!!! Keep in Touch and Rock ON!!!!!!!

]]> By: Michael Beumer aka"Lil Guy" http://www.punkvinyl.com/2005/05/25/selections-from-the-punk-vault-negative-element/comment-page-1/#comment-7188 Michael Beumer aka"Lil Guy" Sun, 25 Nov 2007 19:11:40 +0000 http://www.punkvinyl.com/?p=1026#comment-7188 Hi Guys! It's Lil Guy. The original bass player for Negative Element. My Broher is Sparky(Scott Beumer). I'm now living in St.Louis,Missouri. Married now for 6years and two teenage kids. I'm a Perfusionist on a Cardiac Surgery team.Hey Steve,Barry Chopper get ahold of me! I would like to here from you. Just don't forget why I was kicked out of the band. For being a fan of The Jam.REMEMBER! Ha-Ha! They're still playing as From The Jam in Chicago on Feb 4th at Abbey Pub.Let me hear from you all.Heard the reunion show was a hit.Sorry I couldn't be there. Hi Guys! It’s Lil Guy. The original bass player for Negative Element. My Broher is Sparky(Scott Beumer). I’m now living in St.Louis,Missouri. Married now for 6years and two teenage kids. I’m a Perfusionist on a Cardiac Surgery team.Hey Steve,Barry Chopper get ahold of me! I would like to here from you. Just don’t forget why I was kicked out of the band. For being a fan of The Jam.REMEMBER! Ha-Ha! They’re still playing as From The Jam in Chicago on Feb 4th at Abbey Pub.Let me hear from you all.Heard the reunion show was a hit.Sorry I couldn’t be there.

]]> By: Juli http://www.punkvinyl.com/2005/05/25/selections-from-the-punk-vault-negative-element/comment-page-1/#comment-6055 Juli Wed, 23 Aug 2006 01:32:16 +0000 http://www.punkvinyl.com/?p=1026#comment-6055 Hey Chopper: Good lord, don't ask me how I stumbled across this site, but it's good to know you are alive. I haven't seen you since post-Killcity and some dark days in Chicago. Glad you are still making music, I'll see if I can track down some of the lastest tunes :) -the sassy redhead from Chicago (and Peoria, way back when) Hey Chopper: Good lord, don’t ask me how I stumbled across this site, but it’s good to know you are alive. I haven’t seen you since post-Killcity and some dark days in Chicago.

Glad you are still making music, I’ll see if I can track down some of the lastest tunes :)

-the sassy redhead from Chicago (and Peoria, way back when)

]]> By: timmy http://www.punkvinyl.com/2005/05/25/selections-from-the-punk-vault-negative-element/comment-page-1/#comment-3297 timmy Fri, 31 Mar 2006 17:03:33 +0000 http://www.punkvinyl.com/?p=1026#comment-3297 cool story. thanks. cool story. thanks.

]]> By: Tom Best http://www.punkvinyl.com/2005/05/25/selections-from-the-punk-vault-negative-element/comment-page-1/#comment-3295 Tom Best Fri, 31 Mar 2006 09:23:38 +0000 http://www.punkvinyl.com/?p=1026#comment-3295 I was one of those persons who was there from the beginning of Negative Element's budding claim-to-fame in the early 1980s Chicago punk movement. I took all the photos that appeared on their 7" EP, 'Yes, We Have No Bananas', both sleeve and insert,plus I wrote the lyrics to the song, "Dough Boy", which Barry and Chopper were nice enough to actually use on their recording of the 7" EP. I have to say that for me it was a sincere privilege being friends with all the Stepe boys, Steve, Barry and Chopper, and I have very fond memories of all of them. Kyle is the only one whom I never had the privilege of befriending. Now I know why I love 'MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE' so much. It's like a TV version of the Stepe boys. Steve is Francis, Barry is Reese, Chopper is the boy-genius Malcolm, and Kyle is Dewey. Right. A great story...When we were running around the suburb of Westmont taking photos that would wind up on the 7" as well as in my fanzine, Disorderly Conduct, or "Dis/Co" as Steve called it, we were in a KMart parking lot, so Tom and Keith jumped into shopping carts and Barry and Chopper started pushing them around in the lot. All these people were staring at us like we were escapees from the looney bin. I hope he won't "slug me one" for this but Chopper's real name is Todd Michael Stepe... If there is one Negative Element song that is a "must-listen-to" it has to be "National Socialism" from the old 'MEATHOUSE' compilation with Sparky on vocals. It made my hair stand up on end the first time I heard it. Although I am an old "geezer" who just turned fifty years old, it seems like just yesterday when I was going to the various clubs like Exit and Space Place to see Negative Element and a lot of other bands, taking photos of the bands, clacking away reviews on an old IBM typewriter, going to Wax Trax to check out the latest vinyl releases of punk and hardcore, publishing a fanzine, etc. Yet my fondest memories have to be those which involved some "kids" in a band called NEGATIVE ELEMENT, and now they're all grown up with wives and kids of their own. I checked out Chopper's website (cool) and Keith's website (unbelievable for a goofy-looking kid who used to wear a band from jockey shorts as his own headband and now he's married and has a daughter). Where the heck did all the years go??? So now I publish a fanzine again, only it's a fansite on the Internet and no, it's not about punk music or about musicians, but rather about the old silent film stars. When you stop and think about it, silent film was the original music video. A little inspiration from Adela Rogers St. Johns: God creates, memory re-creates. cut...print...I'm out...God bless Steve...Barry...Chopper...Kyle...I love you guys more than words could ever express.... Tom "almost the" Best Chicago IL Friday, 31 March 2006 I was one of those persons who was
there from the beginning of Negative
Element’s budding claim-to-fame in
the early 1980s Chicago punk movement.
I took all the photos that appeared
on their 7″ EP, ‘Yes, We Have No
Bananas’, both sleeve and insert,plus
I wrote the lyrics to the song, “Dough
Boy”, which Barry and Chopper were
nice enough to actually use on their
recording of the 7″ EP.
I have to say that for me it was a
sincere privilege being friends with
all the Stepe boys, Steve, Barry and
Chopper, and I have very fond memories
of all of them. Kyle is the only one
whom I never had the privilege of
befriending.
Now I know why I love ‘MALCOLM IN THE
MIDDLE’ so much. It’s like a TV version of the Stepe boys. Steve is
Francis, Barry is Reese, Chopper is
the boy-genius Malcolm, and Kyle is
Dewey. Right.
A great story…When we were running
around the suburb of Westmont taking
photos that would wind up on the 7″
as well as in my fanzine, Disorderly
Conduct, or “Dis/Co” as Steve called it, we were in a KMart parking lot, so
Tom and Keith jumped into shopping
carts and Barry and Chopper started
pushing them around in the lot. All
these people were staring at us like
we were escapees from the looney bin.
I hope he won’t “slug me one” for this
but Chopper’s real name is Todd Michael Stepe…
If there is one Negative Element song
that is a “must-listen-to” it has to
be “National Socialism” from the old
‘MEATHOUSE’ compilation with Sparky
on vocals. It made my hair stand up
on end the first time I heard it.
Although I am an old “geezer” who just
turned fifty years old, it seems like
just yesterday when I was going to the
various clubs like Exit and Space Place to see Negative Element and a
lot of other bands, taking photos of
the bands, clacking away reviews on an
old IBM typewriter, going to Wax Trax
to check out the latest vinyl releases
of punk and hardcore, publishing a
fanzine, etc. Yet my fondest memories
have to be those which involved some
“kids” in a band called NEGATIVE ELEMENT, and now they’re all grown up
with wives and kids of their own. I
checked out Chopper’s website (cool)
and Keith’s website (unbelievable for
a goofy-looking kid who used to wear
a band from jockey shorts as his own
headband and now he’s married and has
a daughter). Where the heck did all
the years go???
So now I publish a fanzine again, only
it’s a fansite on the Internet and no,
it’s not about punk music or about
musicians, but rather about the old
silent film stars. When you stop and
think about it, silent film was the
original music video.
A little inspiration from Adela Rogers
St. Johns: God creates, memory re-creates.
cut…print…I’m out…God bless
Steve…Barry…Chopper…Kyle…I love you guys more than words could
ever express….
Tom “almost the” Best
Chicago IL
Friday, 31 March 2006

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