Punk Turns 30

Forty years ago today, Elvis Costello & the Attractions were in the middle of their first tour of the USA.  It began in San Francisco on November 15, 1977 and on the 18 and 19th landed at the Whisky A GoGo. On the 20th, the lads were guests on KROQ's Rodney on the ROQ with Mayor of the Sunset Strip, DJ Rodney Bingenheimer. I've been taking a long, long time to read Elvis's memoir, and I highly recommend it.  He writes thoroughly about his songwriting and band-crafting, as well as his experiences in the studio and on the road.  I don't want the story to end, so I read a couple pages a day. My roommate, the famous Joanna Spock Dean was in a band called Backstage Pass back then.  They opened for Elvis at The Whisky.  She has kept in touch with the whole Attractions crew over the years, and we still have the great good fortune to see Elvis play whenever he tours the US and has a Nashville date.  A couple years ago, Elvis & the Imposters opened for...

It has been 30 years since the release of this album, TALK TALK TALK. It was released in June, 1981 - the sophomore effort by England's Psychedelic Furs , whose eponymous debut was nothing short of breath-taking. For those of us who were already won over by the Furs debut, TALK TALK TALK heralded the big time. With its "Sweet Jane" like opening riff filtered through a dirty amp, the runaway hit song (for which there was a nifty music video invoking an almost "Through the Looking Glass" vibe, postmodern though it may be) "Pretty in Pink" was a valentine to all the misunderstood (punk rock) girls of any era (it always made me think of Marie Antoinette, who was sold out by everyone who denied doing so. But history knows better). The song meant so much in terms of relevance and resonance that the late director John Hughes, whose trademark was movies that understood teenagers and their angst, immediately created a(nother) Molly Ringwald vehicle called....

That photo above was taken a year ago today on my roommate's birthday... that woman standing next to Alejandro Escovedo is my roommate - Joanna Spock Dean, known to those of us in the music biz, and the LA punk rock scene simply as Spock. So, that makes today her birthday again, and here's a shout out to a person who had more to do with furthering the efforts of so many punk rock bands, indie bands and worthy artists in general than anyone I know or know of. The funny thing is, Spock doesn't remember all that she's done... she's done so much and takes it all in stride just like taking a breath. Some highlights -- together with her all girl glam band from the 70s, Backstage Pass, Spock facilitated the Stiff Records crew in establishing a foothold in LA and became one of the go-to people for the likes of Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe back in those days. In fact, Backstage Pass opened for Elvis Costello at the Whisky a Go Go on his first ever US tour. Then th...

Joanna Spock Dean and Alejandro Escovedo Nashville, TN, 2008 Yesterday was my roommate's birthday. Spock is my roommate. That's her in the photo above with Alejandro Escovedo. Both of them, in their own way, are an essential part of the glue that held together punk rock back in the mid 70s. Spock was a member of the all-girl punk rock / glam group Backstage Pass. They had a short-lived career but their highlights were amazing... they opened for Elvis Costello at the Whisky A Go Go, which was his Los Angeles debut... and they were the people behind the scenes that enabled Brendan Mullen to open the Masque. When The Damned were unceremoniously kicked off Television 's tour in April 1977, Backstage Pass got them a gig, but even more helpful, lodged them all across the couches, floors and spare rooms of the girls in the band and their friends. If Almost Famous called such die-hard and helpful girl fans "Band Aids," then the ladies of Backstage Pass wrote...