Susan Beschta
American punk rocker, lawyer and judge
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Susan Marie Beschta (April 21, 1952 – May 2, 2019), who performed as Susan Springfield, was the founder and lead singer of Erasers, a band that headlined at CBGB in the 1970s.[1]
April 21, 1952
- Susan Springfield
- Susan Beschta-Springfield
- Artist
- singer
- lawyer
Susan Springfield | |
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Performing at CBGB in 1978 | |
| Born | Susan Marie Beschta April 21, 1952 Appleton, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Died | May 2, 2019 (aged 67) |
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| Musical career | |
| Genres | Punk rock |
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She became a solo artist in the 1980s and then trained as a lawyer to start a new career.[2] After graduating from the CUNY School of Law, she fought human rights cases for Catholic Charities.[2] She was sworn in as a federal judge in 2018.[3]
Early life and education
She was born Susan Marie Beschta on April 21, 1952, in Appleton, Wisconsin – one of five children of a Catholic couple, Gerald and Jean Beschta.[4] The culture was traditional and her father was keen on sports but, while she was fond of the place, she chose a different path.[4] After college at University of Wisconsin–Whitewater, she went to the hippy scene of California and then hitch-hiked across the country to study fine arts at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn where she hoped to become a painter.[4]
Art and music
Beschta was able to stay rent-free at the Fine Arts Building at 232 East 59th Street in return for looking after its photo gallery.[5] She shared a loft with Jane Fire and they formed Erasers, a punk-rock band, in 1974, with Fire on drums and Beschta as the singer/songwriter and guitarist.[5] Several musicians such as Richie Lure and Anton Fig tried out with the band and the most lasting were Jody Beach on bass guitar and David Ebony, a classically trained musician.[5] The band practised in the basement of a deli near the Fine Arts Building and they played some impromptu gigs in the street there.[5] They performed at venues including The Great Gildersleeve's and, most especially, CBGB, which was a famous proving ground for punk rock bands.[5] Their style was enthusiastic, feminist and non-commercial.[5] They attracted some favourable reviews but did not sign with a record label.[5]
Beschta was influential in the social scene of punk rock, entertaining stars like Johnny Rotten and Iggy Pop and dating Richard Hell.[2][6][7] In 1978, she starred with Debbie Harry in Amos Poe's movie The Foreigner.[6] After the Erasers, she performed in other bands and artistic projects including the Susan Springfield Band, Desire and Civilization and the Landscape of Discontent.[5][8]
Legal career
In the 1980s she trained as a lawyer to start a new career.[2] After graduating from the CUNY School of Law, she fought human rights cases for Catholic Charities.[2] In 2002, she joined the Department of Homeland Security to handle immigration cases in New York while still volunteering for causes including ACT UP and Code Pink.[2] In 2018, she was sworn in as an immigration judge.[3][4]
Death
Beschta died on May 2, 2019, at the age of 67 in hospice care in Manhattan, New York City, of brain cancer.[2]