Waters, while also having a "commanding, drill-sergeant vocal delivery and surly attitude helped to build a new breed of bad-tempered hardcore" and "a vein-busting rage that lends [Ving] the air of a loco Marine on a rampage." 1981 marked an important year for Ving and Fear. The band was featured in the documentary The Decline of Western Civilization about Los Angeles's punk scene. Ving was initially approached by the film's director, Penelope Spheeris, while he was posting concert promo flyers to telephone poles in Los Angeles. Spheeris also introduced Fear to her husband Bob Biggs, the founder and then president of Slash Records, who signed the group to his label; Fear released their debut album The Record with the label in 1982. Fear also appeared on the 1981 Halloween episode of Saturday Night Live (SNL) at the suggestion of SNL writer Michael O'Donoghue and then ex-SNL cast-member John Belushi. Belushi became a fan of Fear after seeing them perform in 1980 on the L.A.-based music television show New Wave Theatre; O'Donoghue had seen the band in The Decline of Western Civilization. Belushi had initially commissioned the band to record a song for his film Neighbors, but the movie studio rejected the recording and it never made the soundtrack. As a favor to Fear, Belushi and O'Donoghue made a deal with then producer Dick Ebersol whereby Belushi would make a cameo appearance on the show upon condition that Fear be allowed to perform as the episode's musical guests. A large portion of the crowd were punk music fans and included members of the bands Minor Threat, Cro-Mags, The Meatmen and Negative Approach who rushed the stage and were moshing. One of the slam dancers yelled "Fuck New York!" which was broadcast live. Dick Ebersol, who was stage manager at the time, decided to cut to tape once the obscenities could be heard. Fear's performance was initially pulled from subsequent SNL reruns and recorded releases of the episode, but has subsequently been released in an edited form. The New York Post had initially reported that attendees of the performance caused $200,000 worth of damage, however both the Los Angeles Times and Billboard later reported that a program spokesperson confirmed the cost of damages was actually a $40 fine for "labor penalties." Both The Decline of Western Civilization and the Halloween SNL performance were an integral part of the history of hardcore punk,