THE DICTATORS
1973-1979, 1983, 2000-present
“One of the key early-New York bands who filled in the gaps between the garage rock of the 1960s, Iggy and the Stooges, and early-to-mid-1970s punk, the Bronx-based Dictators started out as a straightforward melodic group led by bassist and multi-instrumentalist Adny (Andy) Shernoff. Later, “secret weapon” Handsome Dick Manitoba (who had previously sung the encores, usually “Wild Thing” by the Troggs) took center stage and became the de facto lead vocalist. In contrast to most 1970s punk bands, the Dictators blended super fast rock covers with originals that were a mix of beautiful ballads, or songs about cars and girls that were as gleefully D-U-M-B as anything put out by the Ramones (clearly influenced by the Dictators’ love of the MC5 and 1960s girl groups). Their first album, The Dictators Go Girl Crazy! from 1975, was not only out well before most of the early punks released anything on vinyl, but also helped inspire John Holmstrom and Legs McNeil to found Punk magazine--in part to meet and hang out with the Dictators.
The Dictators courted controversy in the mid-1970s when Handsome Dick Manitoba was hit on the shoulder with a microphone stand by Wayne/Jayne County after Manitoba had heckled her during the concert (see County’s entry for the aftermath). The band bounced back from igominy, however, signing to Elektra Records and putting out several more albums before finally calling it quits. Various members formed bands like the uber-metal Manowar, the Del-Lords, and Handsome Dick’s Wild Kingdom; bassist Mark “The Animal” Mendoza even played for a while in Twisted Sister. The Dictators re-formed in the 1990s, releasing several compelling comeback records and touring sporadically. Manitoba opened a bar called Manitoba’s on Avenue B in Manhattan, while Shernoff became a respected wine connoisseur. While the Ramones justly deserve the credit for starting the style and sound that defined punk, without the Dictators, there simply would have been no template, and no truly great New York band for everyone else to copy.”
- Brian Cogan, The Encyclopedia of Punk, (2006)
Essential Albums
The Dictators - Go Girl Crazy! (1975)