Viet Vet
1981 · Island ILPS9692 · New York
- Artist
- Alan Vega
- Title
- Viet Vet
- Release
- Collision Drive
- Year
- 1981
- Label
- Island # ILPS9692
- Format
- LP · Album
- Language
- English
- Country
- New York, USA
- Genre
- Punk · Post-Punk
- Primary theme
- Post-War
Annotation
Post-Punk artist Alan Vega, born 23 June 1938 in Brooklyn, New York, USA, died 16 July 2016 in New York, USA, known for being one of the members of influential Synth Punk group Suicide. He released the song "Viet Vet" (Island Records # ILPS9692), about the mistreatment of a Vietnam veteran: "he rides the subway, he's all alone". His father and mother have died, his sweetheart had left him: "where are you ma...pa, they're gone, and his girl...Dear John". The song noted that he had won the Purple Heart - medal awarded by the US president to those wounded or killed in action (K.I.A.). An estimated 351,794 were awarded during the Vietnam War. The song was covered by Australian post-punk group The Mark of Cain on the 1994 single Tell Me, discussed below.
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
About the artist
American vocalist (Suicide), born 23 June 1938 in Brooklyn, New York; died 16 July 2016 in New York City. [Source: Wikipedia]