Punk Turns 30

Yeah yeah yeah... just like all of the LA punk rockers back in the day... I did see Devo on Halloween at the Starwood. It was THE show to see that night. Word of mouth about Devo after their previous Starwood stand that year (July 25 and 26, 1977) brought the art schoolers from Ohio bigger crowds with each gig. And Halloween is always a punk rocker's dream night to play! So, yeah, I was there. I even took a bunch of photos that night, but 100% of them were of the band that opened: Mumps. Lance Loud of Mumps, if you look closely, his shirt's got a jack-o-lantern design! If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know just how much I loved and continue to love Mumps music.. the punk the pop the glam the cleverness factor... All those factors were, whether or I knew it or not, the criteria I had for any band in any genre. One could argue that Devo had that criteria in spades but I didn't back then and still don't get it. Intellectually I do, but they never ever a...

Bob Dylan - popular music's most famous Jew. This year - 2007 is the year also known as 5767 - to those who observe the Jewish calendar. As I have a complete and utter disdain for dogma of any sort, I'm completely indifferent to religion to say the least. I try not to pay attention to any of it, lest I inadvertently start a Holy War. I do enough of that comparing and contrasting the Apple versus the PC. But today, someone asked me why in Hollywood last night, a party that is usually packed to the rafters was sparsely attended. Someone else told him, "Rosh Hashanah." Right! I forgot. So, I'm thinking about it and slapping my head over and over again, saying YES... Let us take a moment to celebrate Jew Punk! I say that because that's the web address for (and you'd already know that if you clicked it) Steven Lee Beeber's book, The Heebie Jeebies At CBGB's: A Secret History of Jewish Punk. Actually, this book has been in my consciousness for ...

Scott "Top Ten" Kempner and Ross the Boss in 2004 Yes, on this date in 1977, New York's Dictators were holding court at the Whisky A Go Go on a 4-day run that featured opening bands The Nuns from San Francisco, and LA's own punk rock It Girl, my constant partner in crime, Pleasant. Jennifer Miro and the Nuns Pleasant I didn't really get it back then. The Dictators seemed to be such dudes and on a completely different page than me, but I'm glad now that I did bother to see them back then. I've seen them a few dozen times in recent years, and its like time stood still for Handsome Dick Manitoba. The Most Handsome Man in Rock n Roll was complemented on the 1977 Whisky stage by the blonde and brunette beauties of California punk. There was indeed something to "Go Girl Crazy." Handsome Dick Manitoba, 2005 The Dictators "Go Girl Crazy" was released in 1975, just as punk was about to make itself known. The Dics, as they are affectio...