There was a 1970s TV programme in the UK called Mr and Mrs, which was all about finding out how well you know your marriage partner. With divorce, co-habiting, same-sex and different-sex civil partnerships on the rise, you’d think that in the punk rock world, the traditional man-woman marriage thing would be very uncool.
But no! In many cases, guys and gals have been in punk bands together, got married and made not-so-sweet music forever after. Here’s an example:
Boston seems like a great place for all kinds of music. In 1977, Jeff and Jane Hudson were already a married couple when they set up a new art-punk band ‘The Rentals’ (not to be confused with the later Weezer outfit).
Relocating to New York in 1979, they signed a record deal in their dressing room after a performance at Max’s Kansas City. Two singles resulted, “Gertrude Stein,” about the American famed for her Left Bank art-world salons in Paris in the early decades of the 20th century, and “I Got A Crush On You.” The shared/alternating vocals between the two of them adds to the urgency and charm.
The Rentals’ later songs were heavily influenced by the sound of early punk band, Suicide; Jeff and Jane’s band were the opening act when The Clash played at Harvard Square Theatre. After The Rentals split up in 1980, there were loads of other musical, video and painting projects that continue to this day.
Their website http://officialjeffandjane.com/ shows the huge range of creative outpourings from them as a couple and as solo artists.