The Germs “Forming” b/w “The Germs Live” (which is really “Sex Boy” recorded live at the Roxy, the Germs’ second show, supposedly intended to appear in Cheech and Chong’s movie Up In Smoke. It didn’t make the cut.) originally released 1977 on What Records? and reissued in 2015 on Viaduct Records, green vinyl. Today, August 17th, is Belinda Carlisle’s birthday – yes, she is best known as the lead singer of the Go-Go’s but she was briefly the original drummer for The Germs, going by the name Dottie Danger. From an interview with Rolling Stone: I was the first drummer but we never played. I came down with mononucleosis and had to go back to my parents’ house and recuperate. But yeah, I’d met Lorna Doom before she was the bass player for the Germs. We used to go see the Babys and the Ramones the first time they came to L.A.We went to the Beverly Hilton to try to get Freddie Mercury’s autograph, and we met Darby Crash and Pat Smear, who were trying to do the exact same thing. They thought we were ridiculous-looking, and we thought they were ridiculous-looking, and then we thought, “Let’s form a band.” I’d seen a lot of the early punk bands and just got to be part of the scene. After I got mono, another friend of ours from art class, Donna Rhia – Becky was her real name – was the first drummer. When I got better, I was fine with her taking over the drums, because I didn’t like playing the drums. I became sort of a Germs prop person. I would hand Darby peanut butter and broken glass and salad dressing and whatever was around. When we formed the Go-Go’s, I had the choice of playing drums again or singing, and I decided to sing.

Donna Rhia (Becky Barton) is the drummer on this single; she was replaced first by David Winogrond, then Cliff Hanger, next was D. J. Bonebrake (best known for being in X), then Nicky Beat (L.A. Guns), Rob Henley and finally Don Bolles. Darby Crash (b. Jan Paul Beahm) still went by the moniker Bobby Pyn in ‘77 and both he and Pat Smear are credited for the writing of “Forming.” The photo below is supposedly of bassist Lorna Doom (Teresa Ryan) and Belinda Carlisle from around ‘77.