Richard Hell
The snarling poet of punk who invented a look and attitude that defined a generation's rebellion.
Born 1949 (age 77)·American singer, songwriter, bass guitarist and writer·Birthday: October 2·Baby Boomers
Biography
Richard Hell didn't just play punk rock; he invented its aesthetic. Born Richard Meyers, he escaped a troubled childhood in Kentucky to dive into the New York poetry scene. With a safety-pinned wardrobe, self-cut hair, and a confrontational sneer, he crafted the 'blank generation' persona that Malcolm McLaren would later export to the Sex Pistols. His bands, Television, the Heartbreakers, and the Voidoids, were crucibles of the early CBGB scene. Though his recorded output was sparse, his songs like '(I Belong to the) Blank Generation' were manifestos, capturing the alienation and artistic ambition at punk's core. He later retreated from music to focus on writing, producing novels and essays that retained his sharp, dissident voice.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Richard was born in 1949, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Richard Was Born
The biggest hits of 1949
#1 Movie
Samson and Delilah
Best Picture
All the King's Men
#1 TV Show
Texaco Star Theatre
Richard's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1949Born
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1954Started school
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1962Became a teenager
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1965Could drive
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1967Could vote
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1970Turned 21
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1979Turned 30
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1989Turned 40
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1999Turned 50
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 60
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2019Turned 70
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
2026Age 77 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Co-founded the seminal punk band Television with Tom Verlaine in 1973.
- Released the landmark punk album 'Blank Generation' with his band The Voidoids in 1977.
- His ripped clothing and spiked hair style became the visual blueprint for the punk rock movement.
- Authored several novels, including 'Go Now' and 'Godlike', and collections of poetry and essays.
Did You Know?
He took his surname from a notebook titled 'The Journal of Richard Hell' that he found in a friend's apartment.
He was a close friend and collaborator of the poet and punk figure Patti Smith in his early New York days.
He gave the band name 'The Heartbreakers' to Johnny Thunders's group after leaving it himself.
He published an extensive literary journal called 'Cuz' in the 1990s.
““I wanted to be the first person to write a song that had the word 'void' in the title.””
