Todd Sampson (right) performing with M.I.A.
Photo: Joe Photo
In the spring of 1982, a curious crew invaded the halls of Bonanza High School. Billed as Anthony & The Crickets, the band wore cowboy hats as it kicked off its lunchtime set with the twangy "I Like Coors! (Don't Ask Me Why)." From there? "We tossed off those hats and started blazing through our thrashy songs," remembers Matty Dudenake, guitarist for hardcore outfit Self Abuse, the Crickets' true identity. "The hippies and jocks stood around looking so pissed off. And when we were done, [singer] Todd [Sampson] turned around and mooned the whole crowd." How's that for a lunchtime surprise?
Early Sunday morning, the Las Vegas punk community lost one of its original heroes when Sampson, 46, died after being helped offstage toward the end of an M.I.A. show at the Black Door. At press time, the cause was unknown. "Backstage afterwards, he was totally burning up, kinda going out of it," said musician and friend Rob Ruckus, who witnessed Sampson's final moments.
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