Richard Hell and the Voidoids (A.K.A. The Voidoids) were an American punk band from the first wave of punk rock, fronted by Richard Hell (born Richard Meyers), a former member of The Neon Boys, Television and The Heartbreakers. Formed in New York City, at various times the band included influential guitarist Robert Quine, Ivan Julian, Naux Maciel, former Contortions and The Raybeats guitarist Jody Harris, Golden Palominos leader Anton Fier, and future Ramones member Marc Bell (Marky Ramone). The group is best known for Hell’s nihilistic worldview, reflected in songs like “Who Says?”. Their song “Blank Generation” served as an anthem for the punk movement in New York.

The Voidoids were started in 1976 when Richard Hell left The Heartbreakers. The first lineup consisted of Hell, Quine, Julian and Bell. The band released what has been considered their best album, Blank Generation, in 1977. This lineup dissolved around 1979.

A new lineup in 1982, this time with Hell, Quine and new members Naux (Juan Maciel) on guitar and Fred Maher on drums, was featured on The Voidoids second album Destiny Street. According to Hell, Destiny Street suffered due to Hell’s being distracted during the recording process, especially by the use of narcotics. This second lineup dissolved around 1985.

1990 saw the release of the live album Funhunt (Live at the CBGB’s & Max’s), which was compiled from a series of audience tapes recorded between 1978 and 1985. 1990 also featured a reformation for a Japanese tour.

In 2009 Destiny Street Repaired, a remake and “repair” of Destiny Street, was released. Destiny Street Repaired featured guitarists Marc Ribot, Bill Frisell and Ivan Julian playing along to the original rhythm tracks.

Their best known songs were “Blank Generation”, “Love Comes in Spurts”, “The Kid With the Replaceable Head” and “Time”. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.