I was thinking about Type O Negative and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, two alternative unique bands and the most recent concerts I've seen. They are similar in many ways, with imposing leaders standing at the stage helm. Type O Negative, part Goth, part metal, part eerie coolness spawned in the dark alleys of New York. Yeah Yeah Yeahs, garage punk, hard rock power riffs, Siouxsie and the Banshees smitten, are also from the heathen underground of the Big Apple. Both bands play in their own profound way. The connection here I suppose, besides having seen these bands of late, is they are fronted by a unique, sexually charged leader.

So we ask, "Why mention the 'Cock is Rock' mantra?" I first heard this perversely poetic term in the pedestrian Oliver Stone film The Doors. Groupies and roadies (actually actors) often used the term during the endless biopic when referring to Jim Morrison, played of course by Mr. Bland himself Val Kilmer. Eventually Morrison grew weary of the "Cock is Rock" label, growing a shaggy beard and a lovely white-trash beer belly. According to Stone, he was rebelling against the entire sexual mystique that makes up the bizarre universe of rock stardom.

I thought of the "Cock is Rock" term when watching Type O Negative and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Type O Negative is led by gigantic front man Peter Steele. I don't know if I've ever seen a band leader Steele's size, towering over six feet with a voice that would crack a castle door. One of the greatest Goth bands in history, Type O pounded through one hit after another including "Black," "Everyone I Love is Dead," "Christian Woman," "Love You to Death" and of course, the David Leanian anthem, "Unsuccessfully Coping with the Natural Beauty of Infidelity." Their confident skill comes only from a band having toured for well over a decade.

All eyes, male and female, were on Steele. Call it mesmerizing intimidation. Put an ax in his hand and a helmet on his head and, by God, you have the mutant son of Thor and Satan. I suppose I have a peculiar fascination with this most unique band. Songs last 10 to 12 minutes. Choruses change in mid-verse, riffs slow down at unexpected moments. A silhouetted Steele tells stories into the insanely tall microphone. It's not easy to understand just what inspires this foursome to write such unusual songs played for us mere hobbits. Type O Negative is not really jamming during their endless numbers more than they just perform indefinable productions within their brooding heads. They are an acquired taste, requiring great concentration before finally reaching the foggy climatic plateau where Christopher Lee crouches and Alice Cooper hides. Once within their wax museum nightmare, welcome to a lost paradise.

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs don't waste much time when they hit the stage. They sort of grab you by the balls and squeeze for about two hours. Lead singer Karen O must rank as one of the sexiest rock front women to come down the pike since the glorious yesteryear of Chrissie Hynde and The Pretenders. You either want her to fuck you to death or kick your ass - and either one is just fine. Black hair, tight leather pants and a smiling sneer that purrs erotic tattle, she grabs the microphone with a sexy know-all. Once again, both men and women are staring at the dark beauty straight out of a Bosch painting. And when she wails "Pin," "No No No," "Date With the Night" and "Black Tongue," she is an erotic fantasy, our dreams uneasy because of it.