After watching the video for the song “Darkness City”, I blasted the tune again and it amped me up while driving, and I missed my turn. I was curious about this song, but the lyrics were far out, kind of a pre- Kobain writing style giving only a few clues about what life was like for Farrah Fire in the rock scene of the last century. Like the video, the lyrics hint that this broad liked to go out at night and get trashed, but the band line-up and style in the recording show some chops though.
Farrah says the structure and melody were the same as the original version, although this recording of “Darkness City” was slightly edgier and was played with more technical precision, and then properly produced. I asked about the writing process. She said the original guitarist was sweating and frustrated while she demanded he play some riffs she’d picked from their jam. So he played them over and over for her to structure the arrangement while she built a melody on top of it inspired by his rhythm guitar playing with the lyrics she’d already written. The song evolved from a chant into a kind of primal thing.
Farrah wanted to do more music and make records. Original guitarist Steve W. was not interested in going the extra mile he, needed immediate success to make it worth his while, so he played more as a hobby. The drummer, Kid Lynch 666, was disturbed by the semi hollow body electric guitar from Sears & Roebuck which Steve W. played along with his nonchalant attitude, a giveaway he wasn’t serious about the band. “Darkness City” was recorded years later after a band line-up had morphed. Finally, a few bands later Farrah, who had been working with long time bassist Bill Arbizo (originally introduced to her years back thru Kid Lynch 666), rejoined forces with Kid Lynch 666 and his roommate guitarist Eric Britto. This was the lineup that recorded “Darkness City” in 1993. Farrah’s voice on this recording sounds like a crazed cat in heat getting put thru a meat grinder while a Jedi Knight chops up the pieces with a light-saber as they come out. It threw me off hearing singing like that coming out of such a hot looking blonde.
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