Punk Turns 30

Tweet Its not Dostoevsky (Notes From the Underground), its better! Because its live, its now, its history YOU remember! Taking nothing away from the Russian great, but at the same time putting Pleasant Gehman and Iris Berry into a pantheon of memoirists... I urge any and all of my Los Angeles area readers to check out this most fabulous punk rock literary event on Saturday, September 17 at Stories Books & Cafe, 1716 Sunset Blvd., Echo Park; 7:30-10:30 p.m.; its free. (213) 413-3733. Its the memories of living at Disgraceland, THEE ultimate punk rock crash pad. In retrospect, it seems like the petri dish that changed pop culture, but back then, it was just friends relying on each other for camaraderie, crash pads, rides, meals, and creating bands, art and that which now looks like what it was (but we didn't call it that) - the infrastructure of an amazing counter-culture. There are so many pictures of Pleasant and Kid and Pleasant and Belinda together because they personify ex...

Camero Werewolf of Live Fast Die, Williamsburg, Brooklyn - NY - 2007 You absolutely have to click the link that is the title of this post! New York Magazine's Summer Guide 2008 - The Summer Issue... "Punk Like Them" is the name of the article. Thirty plus years after NYC homeboys The Ramones revitalized a bloated music scene with their short, fast, furious and fun songs, kids are still seeking the Holy Grail of Punk Rock - NYC's St Marks Place. Man oh man, do I feel old. Not aged, mind you... but old like "old fogey." After reading about the protagonist of the "Punk Like Them" piece, I just had to roll my eyes (you might too). Punk rock may be a statement or response against the mainstream... but back in the day (and here's where I sound like an old fogey)... we earned everything we achieved (and in so doing, made the world safe for future punk rockers and punk rocker wannabe's). Dee Dee Ramone on stage with Stiv Bators & Jimmy Ze...