In early 1978, guitarist and bassist Alec Murphy teamed up with singer-songwriter Robert Windfield to establish the foundation of the band Audio Vidiot. The duo crafted the song "Man From China," which featured a melodic, whistled hook that later inspired Peter Gabriel's "Games Without Frontiers." After recording some initial demos, they expanded their lineup to include Alec’s brother, guitarist David Murphy, Chas Grey (known for his work with Skulls and Wall of Voodoo) on bass, and Marina Del Rey (from Backstage Pass) on keyboards. Throughout much of 1978, the band honed a sound characterized by prominent keyboards.

By 1979, despite not having performed live yet, Audio Vidiot began to show signs of disbanding. Robert and David departed, taking the name "Audio Vidiot" with them as they sought a more foundational style. Drummer Chris Bailey joined the group, and bassist Todd Homer also came on board. The remaining members rebranded themselves as ‘Vivabeat.’

In the summer of 1979, Audio Vidiot played their inaugural show at the Hong Kong Cafe in Los Angeles' Chinatown, sharing the stage with bands like 'Red Cross' and 'Wall of Voodoo.' They continued their experimentation with 4-track demos recorded by Alec, who also played bass. Among these recordings were “I Don’t Care,” “God It's a Pity,” and “Disco Town,” created in a basement across from Hollywood High, where Chris, David, and future ‘Mötley Crüe’ member Nikki Sixx resided. However, after a series of early performances, Todd left to rejoin the ‘Angry Samoans.’

The band found their momentum in the fall of '79 when Mark (Spider) McCoy, formerly of the NYC band 'The Stilettos,' joined as bassist. They performed with notable acts such as ‘X,’ ‘Go-Go's,’ 'Plugz,' and 'Black Flag' within the Hollywood/Chinatown punk scene and recorded two tracks that encapsulated their energetic style: “I Get Around” and “Kickboy” (with Spider notably waking from a nap at the start of “I Get Around”). When Exene from 'X' heard their new material, she recommended a name change to 'Asphalt Angels,' but the band opted to simply drop the 'Audio' from their name.

Following Spider's departure to join the 'Mau-Maus,' Todd rejoined the band temporarily. Spider would occasionally return, and Alec consistently filled any gaps. In early 1980, Robert Bryan, who had previously played drums for 'The Silencers,' joined The Vidiots on bass. After extensive rehearsals, the band recorded basic tracks for an album at Byrdcliff Studio on the old MGM lot. This marked their first experience in a professional studio, although only two songs, “Live Again” and “Naming Names,” were completed from those sessions.

That summer, after voicing dissatisfaction with the band's increasingly laid-back direction, Robert Bryan departed. The Vidiots regrouped with bassist Bob Giddons and contributed a track to the 'Urinals' Happy Squid Sampler EP, returning to Byrdcliff to record the notable “Laurie's Lament.” This one minute and forty-one second piece featured a tempo change and a Rik L Rik lizard king chant. “Laurie's Lament” would later appear on various compilations, including the first ‘Rodney on the Roq’ compilation, the Bloodstains English bootleg compilation, and the documentary film ‘Stoked, the Rise and Fall of Gator,’ as well as the ‘Keats Rides a Harley’ compilation.

Following this period, the Vidiots performed sporadically at venues such as the Zebra Club in San Diego and the 7th Veil strip club on Sunset Blvd. They recorded two additional demos in late 1980, “Eyes of Fear” and “Hard to Buy,” which demonstrated their evolving style, though the core members were already beginning to drift apart. Chris went on to play with 'Phast Phreddie and Thee Precisions' and later 'The Little Kings,' while David performed with the 'Rik L Rik Band' and an early lineup of 'Concrete Blonde.' Alec and Robert, the founding members of Audio Vidiot, collaborated one last time, resulting in the song “Fat Haus,” with David contributing a background guitar track, bringing the band's journey full circle.

“Laurie's Lament” remained the only Vidiots song to see the light of day until now.