Punk Turns 30

Joey Ramone , originally uploaded by Theresa K . The late, great Joey Ramone, on stage at the Whisky A Go Go, February 1977. The first time I photographed them. When I was on the road with Stiv Bators and the Wanderers, we opened a couple shows for the Ramones in NYC and Joey was a friend ever since. Later, I moved to NYC and saw Joey almost daily at the counter having lunch or a late night snack at Veselka on 2nd Avenue. You better believe kids stopped him on the street for autographs and what not. How could you miss him, after all? He always complied. The nicest guy - sweet and sometimes shy but always up front with his thoughts. I remember when I had to tell him that Stiv died. Joey was angry! "Why didn't he go to the hospital? He knows better!" He was angry that Stiv couldn't save himself from an unnecessary death. Now, as it turns out, we punks face losing CBGB because of the twin causes of late rent and rampant condo development. Here...

The beloved Dee Dee Ramone and Stiv Bators. This was the first photo I posted here. If you're looking for some of the previous pictures or stories, you'll have to click on the ARCHIVES link on the right hand side of this page and choose one of the months and scroll through. It might be a tad time-consuming, but you will get to see all sorts of pictures again! If you use Blogger and can give me tips on customizing that Archive section so that people can pull up individual posts by name, email me and tell me what to do. Otherwise, if you're looking for a blast from the recent past, then click on the Archives. Thanks again for dropping by.

Jimmy-TK14 , originally uploaded by Cool Auntie . Jimmy Zero and me, on March 10 in Youngstown, OH at the scene of the big old reunion of the "Disconnected" players. Did you know what a great pop vocalist and songwriter Jimmy Zero is? I'd have to say that the deep dark secret of punk's earliest "young, loud and snotty" bunch was that in their hearts, they were Beatle-maniacs. I was just popping in this evening to show this picture of Jimmy Zero today and to wish Cheetah Chrome and his lovely wife Anna a big congratulations on the birth of their son, Rogan, last week in Nashville, TN. Little Rogan O'Connor looks just like his dad right now - not a hair on his head! I think Jimmy told Cheetah the obvious --- that he'd just set himself up for a lifetime of Rogaine jokes. Anyway - welcome the world's newest living dead boy, Rogan Kennedy O'Connor - hope you grow up with your dad's musical chops and your mom's good looks. Uncle...

Did you know that question is kinda like "fighting words" ? As a Los Angeleno attending school in London for most of 1976, I'd have to say that I became aware of this new cultural revolution sometime in March 1976. The Sex Pistols were playing around, and so were the Damned, and I believe the 101er's, who would morph into the Clash. I saw them all. They all kind of sucked. Really, I liked them (and I thought Mick Jones's flat-mate, Tony James was just the hottest and coolest thing I'd ever seen....) but I can readily admit they were all kind of .... green at their instruments. But, in a few months, some Americans would come over.... on the 4th of July, ironically, the Bicentennial of our independence from the British.... The Ramones played gigs in London and every important, up and coming punk rocker was there in the audience - from Johnny Rotten and members of the Clash on down to people who never made it past their local pub's make-shift stag...

backstage , originally uploaded by Cool Auntie . Just a pair of converse high tops and a guitar case in sight. This backstage looked so "calm before the storm" that I had to share it.

The Cramps , originally uploaded by Theresa K . The Cramps live at the Whisky A Go Go on their maiden voyage to Los Angeles.... This may have been the show where Jenny Lens convinced me that standing on the stairs at the Whisky was the photo vantage point for short people like us! I've cropped out a lot of the crowd, but trust me, they were daunting and really into the music... the punk voodoo rockabilly psycho garage thing known as Cramps music. You can see the original Cramps here -- Bryan Gregory, dearly departed - he played that mean Flying V and rolled a cigarette around in his mouth while playing - the hot cherry side of the cig inside his mouth... and all with a straight face. Loved his streak of blond hair, too. Drummer Nick Knox human metronome, but not long for the band. Lux and Ivy are still taking this show on the road today.

reunion , originally uploaded by Cool Auntie . Whether you refer to them as Dead Boys, Phase 2 or as the band on "Disconnected," Frank Secich, David Quinton (Steinberg), and George Cabaniss are fine musicians that played with all the punk fervor needed to churn out Dead Boys songs behind Stiv Bators as he soldiered on after his original band had either quit or had been fired. Of the original Dead Boys, only Jimmy Zero remained in the fold. Together, they were a loud and rowdy punk band, and also a band of fine pop tunesmiths and performers as well. "Disconnected" is a great pop album released by one of punk's nastiest purveyors, and yet it sounds like he means it. Because he did. On March 10 of this year, there was a reunion of this band when they converged on Stiv's hometown of Youngstown, Ohio to lay down the vocals on "Him or Me" for the Greg Shaw Tribute album. Just in case you wonder about their choice of song, it's one ...

I call this shot "Patti, Dark and Light." You don't get to make these kind of in-camera mistakes anymore, not with digital. This was taken with a Nikon FM way back in 1978. I still use that camera. It is the only camea I use, in fact. I think its flawless. Patti Smith has been referred to as the Punk Godmother or Punk High Priestess and those designations are not undeserved. She broke a lot of ground for women everywhere. She was a rock critic and journalist, always a poet, a brave explorer of music and style. She recorded groundbreaking albums like "Horses" and "Radio Ethiopia" with some of rock n roll's most respected producers, John Cale, and Jack Douglas respectively, and held her own, making those records sound like Patti Smith records. The mainstream didn't catch on to her until she released the song that's got a co-writing credit with Bruce Springsteen, "Because the Night." Still, it was her song. The kind of ...

Rodney Bingenheimer, Mayor of the Sunset Strip. I've not yet seen that movie. Don't think I ever will. I have my own memories and feelings about Rodney. And isn't it kind of weird to see a movie explaining to the general public someone you know? I can't remember who this young lady is, but the picture was taken in 1979, backstage at the Whisky A Go Go - that's what I wrote on the sleeve of the slide, and the time/date stamp from the processor confirms that. Rodney was always a supporter of LA's music scene. He ran Rodney's English Disco back in the 70s, and I remember seeing photos in his apartment of himself miming a song on some television show with The Faces, and he fit right in! Little guy with Brit rock hair! He was playing bass in that picture. Rodney has always been a friend to the cult, underground and fledgling musician or scenester. I can't tell you how many times Pleasant and I were up at KROQ during his show Rodney on the ROQ. H...

Iggy-Green , originally uploaded by Cool Auntie . Iggy Pop - not Stooge. Taken during his 1977 tour in support of his solo album produced by David Bowie - The Idiot. This shot was taken at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, in April. David Bowie was in the band! He was playing keyboards, off on the side of the stage, in the darkness. Soupy Sale's sons, Hunt and Tony were in the band as well. Blondie opened on this tour and Debbie and Chris had nothing but the nicest things to say about Bowie. What can one say about Iggy that hasn't already been said? Enjoy the photo!

Just a reminder that all the punk pix you see here can be yours! Archival art prints as well as regular old 8x10 glossies are available for purchase. Just drop me a line!

First of all, I had no idea that this photo was "all that." Twenty years after I took it, guys I know stop me and ask me all about the session. What do I remember about The Pandoras ? I remember Paula Pierce totally in and around the scene for a long time, supporting local bands at all the shows, forming her own bands and eventually, The Pandoras. She was also, as they say, "boy crazy." And the boys loved her too. LA certainly had its fair share of strong women in rock n roll. Starting with The Runaways and their two strong guitar players, LA and its environs also boasted The Bags, with Patricia and Alice Bag as strong women in key positions. The Alley Cats had the outstanding Diane Chai a punk Ronnie Spector look alike who rocked the bass; and there was Exene Cervenka of X and punk-inspired cross-over pop hitmakers, The Go Go's. The Castration Squad boasted a pre-solo Phranc. A band called Those Girls featured both Vickie and Debbie Peterso...

Jett Idol , originally uploaded by Theresa K . This photo got a lot of play in rock magazines around the world, thanks to Pleasant, who even back then, knew how to make a scene. Joan Jett let us all party in her apartment right off the Sunset Strip the week Billy Idol was in LA promoting the second Generation X album. Pleasant is the one who Billy is talking to in this pic! Next to Pleasant is Wendy Burns. Her big sister, Kathy, was my roommate. I was still going to UCLA when this pic was taken! Anyway - I call Joan Jett the Punk Ambassador because she did a lot to promote LA Punk music around the world. She is still one of the nicest people you could ever hope to meet. Nice and sweet despite her singing that she "don't give a damn about my bad reputation," or that jet-black hair (all shaved off now) and her kohl-lined eyes. Musicians and fans alike loved Joan. So, when the Runaways were on tour in all the far-flung places in the world, Joan was esta...

Lux Interior was quite simply the most riveting performer I had ever seen when I took this picture. I was convinced that The Cramps live show was going to change everything about live music. One day, out of the blue, Pleasant called to say that Lux had called her. He introduced himself and said that Kristian Hoffman of the Mumps had given him some phone numbers of "cool people in LA," and presto! We were hanging out with The Cramps. Most of them were from Ohio (in fact, I saw original drummer Nick Knox the other night at the Beachland Ballroom at the Alex Chilton show), but they had made a name for themselves after relocating to New York. We loved The Cramps. They had a B-movie aesthetic and played some mean punk rockabilly. They loved having their picture taken too. One night, I booked a photo session with the Cramps, taking a bunch of pix in their hotel rooms at the now long gone Tropicana. For a session out by the pool, which was painted black, Jenny Lens j...

Idol , originally uploaded by Theresa K . Billy Idol knew the value of a photo opportunity. On Melrose Avenue, after visiting the ultra cool record shop, Vinyl Fetish, he agreed to pose for this pic under the "$2.00 Haircuts" sign. I can't tell you how much fun this particular week was. Chrysalis Records had signed London's Generation X and they sent Billy Idol to the USA to do some publicity in conjunction with the release of their second album. It was no secret that Pleasant had a thing for Billy Idol. Part of it was based on the fact that he'd chosen the name "Idol." And of course, look at him! Eye candy. Then there was my crush on Gen-X's bass player, Tony James, so we were determined to get to know Billy Idol come hell or high water. Luckily for us, Rodney Bingenheimer, host of Rodney on the ROQ on radio station KROQ, was a big supporter of Pleasant and her Lobotomy fanzine, which was pretty awesome, if I do say so myself. ...

Posting young Jackson Smith's photo yesterday got me thinking about the guitar. Punk was known for its volume, its thrash, its brilliant sloppiness. Who's your punk guitar hero and why? I want to know! You can post your comment here by clicking on the the word "comment" below this post. Here are some choices - and I'm sure I've left out somebody's faves.... Steve Jones - Sex Pistols Mick Jones - The Clash Joe Strummer - The Clash Brian James - The Damned, Lords of the New Church Cheetah Chrome - The Dead Boys Jimmy Zero - The Dead Boys George Cabaniss - Dead Boys, version 2, Stiv Bator's Disconnected Band Richard Lloyd - Television Tom Verlaine - Television Ron Asheton - The Stooges Johnny Ramone - The Ramones Johnny Thunders - NY Dolls, Heartbreakers Sylvain Sylvain - NY Dolls Rob DuPrey - The Mumps Ivan Kral - Patti Smith Group Lenny Kaye - Patti Smith Group Charlotte Caffey - The Go-Go's Stan Lee - The Dickies Pat Smear - The Germs Chris Ste...

Jackson Smith , originally uploaded by Theresa K . This is Jackson Smith, the young guitar slinging son of Patti Smith and Fred Sonic Smith. I hope that he inherits all the glory that Patti and Fred paved the way for. Patti Smith was the very first woman in rock n roll to mean anything to me. She was clearly influenced by the very same French Imagist poetry that I was reading when I stumbled upon her first album "Horses" as a college freshman. During spring break, I stayed in the dorm and played her "Gloria" over and over until I am certain I drove a few people crazy. It was the perfect song to play on Easter (my birthday, by the way). Anyway, this all goes to say that I felt validated as a female and a Francophile and a poetry-lover by Patti Smith. I believe that Fred Smith invented what people now regard as "space rock," with his inventive guitar playing not just in the explosive and politically charged MC5, but more so in his own Sonic...

Joey1 , originally uploaded by Cool Auntie . I shot but one roll of film of the Ramones at their February 17, 1977 Whisky A Go Go show. This is the first shot on that roll of film, Joey. My friends and I were there to be fans: to pogo and scream. I understood Beatlemania when I stood there, smashed up against the stage, just inches away from Joey's spindly legs, from Johnny's power chords and scowl, from Dee Dee's high cheekbones and all punk cool. Tommy was behind this power trio in more ways than one. I'm ashamed to say that I have but one photo of Tommy. Its kind of dark, and maybe only I know its him. Anyway, the Ramones had already been to LA, back in August 1976. LA loved the Ramones, and I think the Ramones liked us back. As Jenny points out, Johnny and Dee Dee chose to live there, and are buried there. For years, the Ramones provided me with reliable punk rock entertainment. They never let me down. I cannot believe that Joey, Johnny and ...

tkDH3 , originally uploaded by Cool Auntie . The connection between New York and Los Angeles punk is clearly defined in a series of parties and shows (and corresponding photographs) that took place in February 1977. The second week of February 77 marked Blondie's LA debut and the triumphant return of the Ramones. Everyone turned out to see the Platinum Blonde bombshell in the flesh for the first time. There were indeed many people who referred to Debbie Harry herself as "Blondie," however, Blondie was most definitely a group. The group, in 1977, consisted of Chris Stein, Jimmy Destri, Clem Burke, and Gary Valentine. That's Gary in the background in this shot. While he would pen their minor hit, "I'm Always Touched By Your Presence, Dear" on their second album, Plastic Letters, by the time the record came out, Gary was out of the band and living in LA, fronting his own power pop trio, The Know. Did we know at the time that Blondie would go ...

I would like to thank the following Blogs and Bloggers for stopping by, looking around and linking to me: Eye of the Goof The Cartoonist Claude Pate PCL LinkDump TeledyN Vinyl Mine Control-O / Blog Bluno.org macbitch.de blog.de Your support is very much appreciated! I spent Thursday, March 10 in Youngstown, Ohio with Jimmy Zero, and the guys who backed Stiv Bators on his "Disconnected" album as they collaborated with fellow Ohio rockers Dave Swanson, Billy Sullivan, members of Blue Ash and The Infidels on a track for the upcoming Tribute to Greg Shaw record to be released by Bomp!. Yes, I took photos but more than that, I laughed a LOT. It was as though 25 years had not passed, and we just picked up the conversation where it left off. We spent a lot of time hanging out in the Belmont Street Denny's, which was Stiv and Frank Secich's childhood hangout -- the place where many Dead Boys future plans were made and then some! I am happy to report that Jimmy Zero,...

3 guys in a trailer park , originally uploaded by Theresa K . He's on the left, in his signature flannel, Mike Watt. I think Mike Watt is a man's man. He's the godfather of hardcore, which is a punk subculture and genre I never understood, and still kind of don't. I respect Watt's staying power and his integrity. I also like his website. You might too. Here, Mike Watt is surrounded by Evan Foster, of the Boss Martians, center, and Michael Kastelic, of The Cynics. They are backstage at the Underground Garage Festival, where all three bands played --- oh, did I mention that Mike Watt played bass for The Stooges ? Yeah. Watt with The Stooges. It was awesome. That's all I can say. Evan Foster is important in this picture to me for two reasons. Before punk rocked the world, in England, the first wave of "new" music was called "pub rock," and that's the genre that gave us Nick Lowe and Dave Edmunds, and Eddie & the H...

Cynthia Ross, here with Stiv Bators, was the bass player for Toronto's girl group, The B-Girls. Among other things, they made a cool and influential record called "Who Says Girls Can't Rock," and sang backing vocals for Blondie on "The Tide Is High" on the album, Autoamerican. Stiv brought Cynthia to the United States in 1978 for a vacation -- they were in LA part of that time, and Stiv introduced Cynthia, his fiancee at the time, to his regular whirlwind LA hot spots and brought me and my camera along as well. This visit is well documented in the photo column I used to have in Rock Scene (which I will have to scan and post soon). They posed for pictures with Rodney Bingenheimer in his Hollywood apartment; they took in some tourist sites and posed with them - did you know Stiv's feet fit perfectly into John Wayne's footprints in front of Grauman's (now Mann's) Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Blvd.? They went to KROQ and we took pictur...

Disconnected Session , originally uploaded by Theresa K . Last week, Dave Swanson a true gem from the local scene here - the greater North East Ohio area, which includes the rock n roll cities of Cleveland, Kent and Akron, told me about a recording session taking place next week for a tribute compilation in honor of the late Greg Shaw. Dave is involved in this recording and so are my old friends who backed Stiv Bators on "Disconnected," these boys here - Frank Secich, David Steinberg and George Cabaniss. The other day, a reader posted a comment to one of my entries with a link to a profile on myspace that used this photograph and a note saying she thought that photo was related to the "Disconnected" photo session. She was right! I guess the myspace person lifted this pic off the Bomp! Records website without crediting its creator who is duly credited on the Bomp site. ahem this sort of thing is the bane of a photographer's existence, but thankf...

Pleasant - Punk Rock's Perennial "It-Girl." Here she is in all her voluptuous glory on the cover of a 7" single by The Ventures. This artifact is rich in its layers of stories, history, resonance, relevance and etcetera etcetera. Where to start? Picture facts: Shot in my spare bedroom in my apartment on Clark Street. Clark Street is the same street as San Vicente, but it is called Clark Street above Sunset Blvd. It runs north, behind the Whisky A Go Go. A funny aside, the apartment directly below mine was inhabited by one very young Motley Crue. Yeah - VH1's Behind the Music mentioned it all over the place. And I worked at VH1 at the time - however, none of my co-workers believed me. I had to show them pictures of my apartment (I shot pictures of the Orchids in the stairwell. I shot pictures of The Last by the pool. You'll see those soon.) I have funny stories about the Crue, but unless you write me and specifically ask for them, I shall refrain from...

stiv-tk , originally uploaded by Cool Auntie . I know, I know, I keep coming back to Stiv Bators. But he really changed my life! This is a picture from the Stiv Tribute and Dead Boys Reunion concert that took place on September 18, 2004 in Cleveland at the Beachland Ballroom. All the living Dead Boys were there, and Stiv was represented on stage by three larger than life blow-ups of photos taken by me! Of this, I am more proud than I can describe. Jim Lanza took this photo. He also organized the event. Just about everyone who mattered in the sphere of the Dead Boys was invited and showed up. I was hoping to see the guys who backed Stiv on "Disconnected," as that record in its 25th Anniversary Re-issue edition was first made available at the show. Don't know why they weren't there... but the good news is that I'm seeing them all next week thanks to the off-the-cuff suggestion of Rainy Day Saints main man, Dave Swanson. Dave thought I might enjoy...

This is perhaps the most well-known of my photographs. The Germs rehearsing in Pat Smear's garage. It ended up as the cover of this seminal punk rock recording. I don't know how to express how astounded I am every single day that I had the great fortune to have been born when and where I was born and to have grown up in Southern California when I did. Yes, I knew we were in the middle of something historic. I was a super geeky student of art and culture (Comparative Literature major at UCLA) and because I actually paid attention in class, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that I was living in one of those times that would go down in history as a pivotal moment in popular culture. The Germs were again, simply people I knew from hanging out. Lorna Doom was Terry Ryan from Newbury Park, California - a nifty enclave of Thousand Oaks. After graduation, Lorna and Belinda Carlisle had been spending long weekends in Los Angeles, and finally bit the bullet and moved there. I ...

gtrBros14 , originally uploaded by Cool Auntie . I have to admit I never understood the Dictators until about 30 years after they got on the radar. I always thought it was a Dude Band - and I felt the same about hard-core, even though I totally respect Mike Watt. I'm not too cool however, not to give it up to the Dictators for being the first guys who played loud, fast, hard rock in homage to the MC5, Stooges, New York Dolls and the handful of other punk precursors and godfathers out there. They were the first band after the NY Dolls to get a major record deal with that loud nasty rock done in the punk-ass vein. Being Bronx Boys, they had a completely different attitude than the British punks, the LA punks and even their fellow 718 area code neighbors, those loveable boys from Queens, The Ramones. They are just as fun as a comic book but had a bit of tough guy stance that, for me, at least was more traditionally rock n roll than punk rock. But that was just me. E...