Robert Henry “Fast Floyd” McKenzie (1950–1993): San Francisco Punk Rock Legend

Fast Floyd and a concert poster for his band

Robert Henry “Fast Floyd” McKenzie was an American guitarist and bandleader best known for his role in the early punk and R&B scenes of New York and San Francisco. A founding member of Mink DeVille, he played guitar alongside his childhood friend Willy DeVille (born William Borsey) during the band’s formative years in San Francisco. When DeVille relocated to New York, McKenzie—known professionally as Fast Floyd—remained in California due to unresolved legal matters and went on to establish a distinctive musical identity on the West Coast.

After leaving Mink DeVille, McKenzie immersed himself in the burgeoning San Francisco punk scene centered around the famed Mabuhay Gardens club. Though he played primarily R&B, Fast Floyd became a fixture in the inclusive and experimental punk milieu of the late 1970s, sharing bills with acts such as DNA, MX-80, The Offs, The Mutants, and The Controllers. He later formed his own group, Fast Floyd and the Famous Firebirds, who gradually refined a hard-edged R&B sound that resonated with a loyal audience independent of the punk movement.

Archival images of Fast Floyd and the Famous Firebirds

By the early 1980s, the Firebirds had become known for their provocative stage shows, especially after the addition of Floyd’s girlfriend “Silke” as a vocalist. Her performances—often in negligees and marked by uninhibited theatrics—earned the group a reputation as “San Francisco’s raunchiest band” and made them perennial favorites at the city’s Exotic Erotic Ball.

In 1983, the group released their sole LP, Devil’s Daughter. The album’s cover featured an uncredited photo of famed exotic dancer Candy Barr (Juanita Dale Slusher), who was widely known for her connections to Jack Ruby and Mickey Cohen, her conviction in a notable marijuana case, and a brief prison sentence for shooting a husband. Barr, having since become a Christian, objected to her image being associated with the album’s title. A copy of her letter to the band survives in the archival record, in which she disputed the photo’s authenticity but nevertheless requested a financial gift should the album turn a profit.

A comprehensive archive of Fast Floyd’s career—containing original lyrics, over 60 promotional flyers, photographs, contact sheets, handwritten setlists, and fan correspondence—provides rich documentation of both his artistic output and the DIY mechanics of life in an independent band during the late 20th century.

The band's only LP release "Devil's Daughter"

McKenzie was also a member of a lesser-known band called The Spiders and maintained a lifelong passion for history, ancient weaponry, and vinyl records. He died by suicide in May 1993. Despite his relatively brief career, Fast Floyd remains a cult figure in the annals of West Coast punk and R&B history.

Sources: Find A Grave, Between the Covers Rare Books archives, Discogs, YouTube, eBay, the Max’s Kansas City 1976 & Beyond album booklet, and the blog Too Short a Life.