Credit: Scene file photo
Formerly of classic Cleveland punk bands such as the Dead Boys and Rocket from the Tombs, guitarist Cheetah Chrome has lived such a colorful life that he even wrote a book about it back in 2010. While the Dead Boys have dissolved and Chrome no longer tours with Rocket from the Tombs, he still records and tours as a solo artist. And whether he’s releasing albums, playing live shows or writing books, he does so as Cheetah Chrome. That, apparently, doesn’t sit so well with Facebook, which has reportedly made Cheetah Chrome use his Christian name, Eugene Richard O’Connor.

“I had an email exchange with them, and was told I had to show an ID and use my real name,” Chrome tells the L.A. Weekly. “So, figuring I could sort it later, I sent them a pic of my license and got back on. Since then I have had several email exchanges with Facebook, which have gone full circle. It was so ridiculous. I emailed back with links to my Wiki page, my Amazon page, my record label page — then never heard back.”

So for the time being, if you want to keep up with Chrome on Facebook, you gotta befriend Eugene Richard O’Connor. Facebook’s rules and regulations notwithstanding, we will always know him as Cheetah Chrome.

This article appears in Nov 25 – Dec 1, 2015.

Jeff has been covering the Cleveland music scene for more than 25 years now. On a regular basis, he tries to talk to whatever big acts are coming through town. And if you're in a local band that he needs to hear, email him at jniesel@clevescene.com.

2 replies on “Former Dead Boys/Rocket from the Tombs Guitarist Fights for His Right to be on Facebook”

  1. Did the “Long-Standing Cleveland Construction Barrel” have to show his picture id to facebook?

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