Eldon Hoke 338776 212200280 2008-05-13T21:02:42Z Astanhope 178145 rm lame '''''El Duce''' redirects here. The Italian dictator [[Benito Mussolini]] was known as "Il Duce."'' {{Infobox musical artist |Name = Eldon Hoke |Img = Hoke_interview_4.jpg‎ |Img_capt = |Background = solo_singer |Birth_name = Eldon Hoke |Alias = El Duce |Born = {{birth date|1958|3|23|mf=y}}<br>[[Seattle, Washington|Seattle]], [[Washington]], [[United States|U.S.]] |Died = {{death date and age|1997|4|19|1958|3|23|mf=y}}<br>[[Riverside, California|Riverside]], [[California]], [[United States|U.S.]] |Origin = |Instrument = [[Singer|Vocals]], [[Drummer]] |Genre = [[Heavy metal music|Heavy metal]] |Labels = Ever Rat Records, Mentor Records, [[Metal Blade Records]], [[Mystic Records]] |Associated_acts = [[The Mentors]], Gardy Loo!, Coven, [[The Screamers]], Chinas Comadas }} '''Eldon Hoke''' ([[March 23]], [[1958]]--[[April 19]], [[1997]]), was an American [[musician]]. Nicknamed '''El Duce''', he was best known as the [[drummer]] and [[lead singer]] of the self-described "rape rock" band [[The Mentors]]. ==History== Hoke and the Mentors worked to gain attention through farcical demonstrations of political incorrectness. Their guitarist renamed himself "Sickie Wifebeater," and the group often appeared in public wearing black executioner hoods.<ref>[http://unspeakablystupid.com/uss23.html Unspeakably Stupid Story #23<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> One reviewer suggested that "their lyrics, which consisted mostly of songs about hitting women, stealing from women, and having anal sex with women, made their anonymity necessary."<ref>[http://unspeakablystupid.com/uss23.html Unspeakably Stupid Story #23<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Hoke and the Mentors gained international notoriety in 1985 as a result of the [[U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation]]'s hearings led by the [[Parents Music Resource Center]]'s [[Tipper Gore]], the wife of then-Senator [[Al Gore|Albert Gore, Jr.]] ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]]-[[Tennessee]]) into the proliferation of "[[Obscenity|obscene]]" [[lyrics]] in popular music. During the hearings, the Rev. Jeff Ling recited the lyrics to the Mentors song, "Golden Shower" to musician [[Frank Zappa]], who opposed the hearings. The lyrics, which included the line, "Bend up and smell my anal vapor/Your face will be my toilet paper" elicited howls of laughter at the Congressional hearing and prompted Zappa and others to denounce the hearings as a farce. The hearings, however, ultimately led the music industry to adopt voluntary labeling of records containing objectionable lyrics - the widely recognized "Parental Advisory: Explicit Lyrics" label (jokingly referred to as a "[[Tipper sticker]]"). In addition to his musical career, Hoke also worked as an [[Extra (actor)|extra]] in many [[television]], [[film|movie]], and music video productions. Hoke even had a supporting role, credited as "El Duce," in the Science-fiction Musical ''[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091781/ | Population: 1].'' In the mid-nineties, after the death of [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]] frontman [[Kurt Cobain]], Hoke began making the claim that Cobain's wife, [[Courtney Love]], had offered to pay Hoke $50,000 to kill Cobain.[http://www.justiceforkurt.com/investigation/eldon_hoke.shtml] Hoke vigorously promoted his story in such media outlets as TV's ''[[Jerry Springer Show]]'', ''[[The National Enquirer]]'' weekly tabloid, and in [[Nick Broomfield]]'s [[documentary film]], ''[[Kurt & Courtney]]''. However, before Hoke had made this claim, he had already established a career of going on talk shows and saying ridiculous things. His most regular entertainment gig was on the proto-Jerry Springer talk show ''[[Hot Seat (talk show)|Hot Seat]]'', where he and his band called their music "rape rock," stated that he could tell women want to be raped "by the look in their eyes", and in general played a [[Heel (professional wrestling)|wrestling-style villain]] for the audience.<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xcZ5sGsINg&feature=related YouTube - MENTORS on HOT SEAT part 1<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Hoke's many appearances often culminated in being "forcibly" removed from host Wally George's soundstage by security personnel. <blockquote>WALLY GEORGE: How do you describe your music?<br> EL DUCE: Well, it's "rape rock".<br> WALLY GEORGE: Are you trying to tell me, you little pervert, that you go along with and encourage rape?<br> EL DUCE: Only peaceful rape.<br> WALLY GEORGE: What do you mean "peaceful rape"?<br> EL DUCE: Well, when she's passed out on drugs......<br> AUDIENCE MEMBER: I wanna know what you are trying to contribute to society.<br> EL DUCE: Well, I'll tell ya. A bunch of illiterate children. Children without a father.</blockquote><ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jswJ0r8BhBM&NR=1 YouTube - MENTORS on HOT SEAT part 2<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> In another interview, the journalist asks Hoke to "tell me about some chicks you fucked on the road." Hoke replies, "Well, we pick 'em up...and drop 'em off at [[Jack In The Box]]. Truck stops are the good... you get an airhead at a truck stop and you say 'bitch, you gotta get down on the dick! Cunt!'"<ref>[http://video.aol.com/video-detail/the-mentors-el-duce-interview-1990s/2498060461 The Mentors - El Duce Interview 1990s - AOL Video<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Hoke then puts his fingers in his ears and sticks out his tongue while making silly noises. ==Death== According to the book ''Who Killed Kurt Cobain?'' by [[Max Wallace]] and [[Ian Halperin]], El Duce showed up at his friend Drew Gallagher's home on April 17, 1997, asking where he could go to get a fake [[driver's license]]. Hoke was incredibly [[paranoia|paranoid]] and [[anxiety|nervous]] at this time. When Gallagher asked what he meant, Hoke responded, "People get buried in cornfields, people get lost in swamps", meaning he was in fear of his life. The author claims that Hoke secretly informed Gallagher of who he was told had "killed Kurt Cobain". Hoke's final musical performance was given on Friday, April 18, 1997 at Al's Bar in downtown [[Los Angeles]]. He died on [[April 19]], [[1997]] in [[Riverside, California]] after being hit by a train.[http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0239744/bio] ==References== <references /> ==External links== *{{imdb title|0091781|Population: 1}} * [http://www.churchofelduce.com Church of El Duce] * [http://www.metal-archives.com/band.php?id=15788 Mentors @ the Metal Archives] * [http://www.riaa.com/issues/parents/default.asp The Recording Industry Association of America's Parental Advisory page] {{DEFAULTSORT:Hoke, Eldon}} [[Category:1958 births]] [[Category:1997 deaths]] [[Category:American drummers]] [[Category:Heavy metal drummers]] [[Category:California musicians]] [[Category:Cause of death disputed]] [[fr:Eldon Hoke]] [[sv:Eldon Hoke]]