Drink No Water: A Tribute to Gary Reck

Through the lenses of a mop boy for the mafia, a wandering punk in 1980s Europe, and a squatter-turned-drummer in New York’s musical underbelly, Paris Welch exposes the raw humanity of punk rock in the pre-digital era. Welch’s absurd quest to create the most outrageous punk band of all time speaks to universal struggles: the search for identity, the complexities of toxic friendship, and the selfish betrayal of addiction. Drink No Water's heart is the explosive, chaotic relationship between Welch and bass player/singer/songwriter Gary Reck. Their shared brilliance, resilience, and self-destruction give birth to Cracksex, a fringe New York City punk performance band of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Pig blood, live crickets, blinding lights, and crayfish bathed in flaming urns of Kool Aid were some of the gimmicks that brought unpredictable anarchy to every show in Cracksex’s short life. Fresh from a chaotic, drug-fueled youth in England, Gary is hell-bent on creating insanity on stage, but every success spurs another spiral of self-sabotage. Welch’s story begins in Queens, working as a mop boy for mafia boss Joseph “Big Joey” Massino after his father's death. Seeking escape and meaning, he escapes to punk squats in Brixton and West Berlin, where he becomes an indispensable plumber, carpenter, and electrician, immersing himself in a rebellious world that shapes his identity and artistry. But it is back in New York, in the squats, lofts, and bars of the Lower East Side and Brooklyn, that Paris and Gary collide, fueled by raw energy and a dream as ridiculous as their band. Cracksex embodied their world—grim, self-destructive, intelligent, hilarious. Welch's voice is uniquely positioned to weave humor, pathos, and irreverence into a story that is both deeply personal and emblematic of broader sociopolitical issues—AIDS, drugs, Reagan, authenticity. His ability to find humor in tragedy and light in dark corners of humanity ensures this memoir is as inspiring as it is unflinching. He is a New York native, punk musician, artist, and survivor of a life spent on the edges of society. He has been a newspaper delivery boy, a mop boy for the mob, a squatter, and a punk band drummer and frontman. His unflinching honesty and dark humor bring his extraordinary journey to life. John Veit is a veteran journalist and former Cracksex bass player who helped bring Welch’s voice to the page. Read more