Fine Guitar on ‘Joykiller’ Couldn’t Save Ron Emory’s Job

Set against the Joykiller’s story of high hopes amid the burgeoning new commercial possibilities for punk rock is a cautionary episode: Ron Emory, one of the most distinguished and influential guitarists in the history of Orange County punk, was cut loose after disputes with his former partners over his reliability and his use of heroin.

Emory, who first played with Joykiller singer Jack Grisham in T.S.O.L. in the early 1980s, last week acknowledged his drug problem in a phone interview from Long Beach, where he was visiting another T.S.O.L. alumnus, Mike Roche.

Emory said he was making progress toward ending his drug use, had accomplished almost everything that had been asked of him in the Joykiller and that he “absolutely” should have been given a chance to remain with the band. He was fired in late December, several weeks after finishing his part on “The Joykiller,” the group’s debut album.

Emory said he missed only two practices in six months as a member of the Joykiller. Given that record, he said, “to tell somebody they’re screwing up, not cutting it. . . . I don’t think so. They may not realize how much this means to me and how much of my heart and soul I gave in the studio and live shows. I’ve never played better, as far as I can tell.”

At the same time, Emory said, “I’m on good terms with Jack; he tried to help me out a lot when my life wasn’t doing too good. He tried to guide me in the right direction.”

Joykiller members Grisham and Billy Persons agreed that Emory had mustered a fine performance on the album, but they said his drug use had made him unreliable.

Grisham said he had tried to help Emory end his drug use, “but it just didn’t work. I want Ron to play music. He’s great and deserves to be recognized.” But Grisham said he doubted that Emory could have maintained the demanding tour schedule the Joykiller plans to pursue.