“Gary Gilmore’s Eyes” (1977) – The Adverts * Written by T.V. Smith * 45: “Gary Gilmore’s Eyes” / “Bored Teenagers” * Produced by the Adverts and Larry Wallis * Label: Anchor
Music journalist Mikal Gilmore is the younger brother of the infamous spree killer who demanded execution by firing squad, thereby reinstating the death penalty in 1977. In his memoir Shot to the Heart, Mikal writes of his own days immediately following the execution: “I …spent many nights lost in the dark glory of punk rock. I liked the way the music tried to make its listeners accommodate the reality of a merciless world. One of the best punk songs of the period was by a British band, the Adverts. It was called ‘Gary Gilmore’s Eyes.’ What would it be like, the song asked, to see the world through Gary Gilmore’s dead eyes? Would you see through the eyes of somebody who wanted to kill the world, and then kill himself?”