Hollywood High

The Pagans were one of the toughest and harshest bands on the early Cleveland punk rock scene, setting a standard for middle-finger attitude and guitar-fueled fury with early singles like "Not Now, No Way," "Street Where Nobody Lives," and "What's This S**t Called Love?" While the Pagans didn't make much of an impression outside of the Midwest during their 1977-1979 lifespan, their body of work has been enthusiastically embraced by punk historians and record collectors, and lead singer Mike Hudson (who went into journalism after the band broke up) went on to publish two books about his life in music, Diary of a Punk: Life and Death in the Pagans, and Fame Whore. To celebrate the publication of Fame Whore, Hudson assembled a new Pagans lineup and recorded the album Hollywood High, a song cycle about his tempestuous relationship in the '70s with a woman named Evita Corby. Informed as much by Hudson's hard-bitten literary style as the Pagans' classic singles, Hollywood High is a punk noir tale of life and love, both experienced dangerously on the edge.