Artist's Rendering: DP and the VD

Since their humble beginnings in neighboring towns of Blackburn, Lancashire and Chicago, Illinois, Pennypacker and Venom each knew from the youngest of ages that they were destined for greatness. "My pap always wanted me to be famous. He had a tatoo put on me bum of a snake, squirting venom from them fangs. Underneath the snake, it said 'Fame'. I was three years old, and, well, I knew that that was where I was headed. When I met Kit, the coincedences sealed the deal." When they met in an abandoned warehouse Laughlin, Nevada in 1967, sparks flew and they soon soared even higher. Their debut album, "Aeronautical Art", opened up at #3 on the charts, and, though their next few followups were comparably weak in the standings, they soon grew a massive, cult-like underground fan club. These fanatics, famously titled "The Penny Pack" in the 1971 issue of Rolling Stone Magazine by staff writer Cameron Crowe, were not fooled by harsh critical reviews or the speculated problems within the band. They knew what they loved, and they loved DP and the VD. "We would love to have the following that Eugene and Kit have. I mean, no offense to our fans, how can you complain, but you get the feeling that most of them are members of The Pack, too." -Max Weinberg, drummer of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.

Initially 100% clean (a rarity in the world of Rock 'n Roll), Dr. Eugene Pennypacker, a graduate of the Music Institute of Oxford led an anti-drug campaign through 1976, reportedly spending over $3.2 million out-of pocket. That was, of course, until that cold October night in the same year, coincedentally, that the ad campaign came to a halt. Backstage at a Velvet Underground concert, Dr. Pennypacker was first introduced to EnergeX Packets and Honey Sticks by none other that Rolling Stones' bassist, Bill Wyman. From there on, everything was downhill for the Doctor. Pennypacker soon spiraled into a extended fit of depression, locked in a sweet little honey jail of addiction. Says Pennypacker, "I was totally hooked. I mean, sometimes you don't know what you're doing, where you are, it's that horrid... my life is one that I don't wish on anyone. I want to send my deepest apologies to Mr. Dylan and his family. 'twas was the powder, not me." The apology, of course, is directed to folk legend Robert Zimmerman, AKA Bob Dylan, in regards to the highly publicized outburst "Dylan is a fake!" during the 1979 Grammy Awards (Dylan took home the statuette for his vocal performance of "Gotta Serve Somebody", beating out the nominated Pennypacker single, "Lakeside Gummy Bears"). Pennypacker was escorted out of the building and spent the night in jail, but Kit posted bail for him, and checked Eugene into the Betty Ford clinic an hour later. Two months and a short-lived marriage to TV's Bea Arthur later, the only lingering effects of the addiction were the lifelong quarrels with Dylan and the alimony suit from Arthur. Aside from that, Pennypacker looked great, felt great, and the power duo was rolling along stronger than ever.

After a huge comeback in 1985, including the release of their tenth album, an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and an especially glorious evening at Buckingham where Pennypacker was knighted, the group broke up again in 1992, citing "emotional differences", as each member found themselves traveling in different directions. Sir Dr. Eugene Pennypacker attempted a solo career which soon proved to be most embarassing, as he failed to release one album. Meanwhile, Kit Venom decided his try his hand at producing. He reinvented Spector's "Wall of Sound" in the 1995 Radiohead effort "The Bends". Retitled "The Veil of Sound", Venom's method influenced a generation of music, and will forever leave a indelible mark on what listeners hear today and in the future. "It's sort of a subtle insanity," he claims, "it's taking elements of Sabbath and Cat Stevens and Cher and blending them together. I'm most certainly proud." This technique earned him much respect throughout the industry, where many people came to forget his musical prowess and innovation that warped the face of music his first time around. Always the best of friends, Kit Venom and Sir Dr. Eugene Pennypacker remained close, despite the hiatus, and in late 2000, agreed to perform live again, this time in a surprise, rooftop performance, alike in many ways to the fabled concert that The Beatles performed above their Apple Records building, some 30 years ago. "It felt good to let my vocal chords let loose again," said Sir Pennypacker after the concert commenced, "when I looked to my right and saw that guy and his red and white miracle machine, I felt a sense of nostalgia rush all over my body. I miss that." Apparently, Venom felt very similar, and in August of 2001, they released their fifteenth album, entitled "We're Gonna Try Another Comeback Album". It scored both critical and commercial success, and skyrocketed the pair to heights they hadn't reached in over 25 years. Says Venom, "It's a thrill, it really is. We're both so grateful to The Penny Pack and everyone else who helped us get here again. Who would have thought this, anyway? We're a couple of wrinkled old rockers who simply love what they do. I don't think that'll ever change." ~John Merrythorpe, RealMusic Reader