The original bassist for Los Angeles-based punk band Fear has died. Derf Scratch passed away on July 28, due to complications from an unspecified illness, according to The OC Weekly. At this time, no one knows how old Scratch was.
While Fear continues to operate under founding frontman Lee Ving, the punk band has undergone a ton of lineup changes over the decades. Scratch (born Frederick Milner) was part of the band during what most would consider its most famous years: 1977-82.
Part of Fear’s notoriety was aided by Scratch, who befriended Saturday Night Live comedy legend, and punk rock fan,
John Belushi. Because he liked the band so much, Belushi got Fear booked on SNL on its Halloween episode in 1981. Belushi, who had quit the show a few years before, returned to introduce the band and participate in the show.
The result would be one of the most famous musical performances in the history of SNL. During Fear’s two musical performances, Belushi, Ian MacKaye (of Fugazi) and others moshed and brawled in the NBC studio, doing more than $20,000 of damage in the process.
Scratch was fired by Ving shortly after Fear released their debut album, The Record, in 1982. In the decades that followed, he formed or participated in other bands, including Scratch, Derf Scratch and Friends and The Werewolfs.
Thanks for the report to Bryan Wawzenek, Gibson.com
