HAPPY BIRTHDAY KID CONGO!!

Here they are, two of my oldest friends in the world... well, not oldest as in age - we're all about the same age, within a year or two... but Pleasant and birthday boy Kid Congo Powers are two people from my wild and misspent youth with whom I am still in touch on a regular basis, and are still the most dear of friends.

Before he was the might Kid Congo Powers, young Brian Tristan of Los Angeles, CA was a most avid music fan. You can spot him in the shot below (I've highlighted him - he's on the right side of the frame) from the Jam's Los Angeles debut at the Whisky A Go Go in October 1977.



I have so many fond memories of hanging with Kid and Pleasant. It seems we were always together...from the Easter visit to the Hollywood Cemetery in 1978 when we were chased by cholos with weapons through the park, to my car and across Melrose Ave., to the many parties held at the Famous Lobotomy Apartment... to shows, shows and more shows.

When I was living in London in the 80s, so was Kid! It was the most pleasant surprise to run into him at the Embassy Club, where he was hanging with Tony James, the Generation X bass player that I had a crush on for forever - that Kid, Pleasant and Billy Idol used to tease me about. Billy even once phoned Tony from the Famous Lobotomy Apartment to give him all the dish about his Generation X promo trip that he was in the middle of right here in LA and mentioned that "Pleasant's friend Hoity quite fancies you." Well, you had to be there to appreciate it. But anyway, at the Embassy Club, Kid invited me to hang with him and Tony. At the time, Tony was starting up Sigue Sigue Sputnik and was wearing crazy colored dreads piled high on his head and shiny vinyl pants.

Even though Tony's new look was a little odd to me, it was surely nothing to Kid's eyes... after all, he'd already done a stint with the Cramps.



This is Lux Interior the way he looked when Pleasant, Kid and I first met him. He knew way back then his way around a pair of shiny pants --



So...Happy Birthday Kid Congo. Have a fantastic celebration today - and thanks for 30 years of your brotherly friendship, good times and fantastic crazy music.xoxox