Gay for Johnny Depp

Formed in 2004, Gay for Johnny Depp are a New York-based hardcore/metal band that not only took the famous actor as muse for a name but for lyrical and promotional inspiration. Formed by members of bands such as Garrison and Instruction -- Sig Jagger (guitar and vocals), Marty Leopard (vocals), Chelsea Piers (bass), and JJ Samanen (drums) -- Gay for Johnny Depp released their first EP, Erotically Charged Dance Songs for the Desperate, in the summer of 2004. A second EP followed -- Blood: The Natural Lubricant (An Apocalyptic Adventure Beyond Sodom and Gomorrah) -- in the autumn of 2005. Scoring big with the U.K. music press, the band appeared at the 2006 Download Festival at Donington Park. Released in 2007, the band's first full-length effort -- The Politics of Cruelty -- included a press release that resembled a made-up pornographic fan letter to Johnny Depp as opposed to band information, which of course worked like a charm, scoring the group just a little bit of extra press. The following year -- at least the early part -- was to be spent touring the U.K., where the band had built up quite a following. ~ Chris True