Punk Turns 30

In 1977, The Dead Boys spent a couple of weeks in Los Angeles starting around Halloween and staying til mid-November. This flyer is from a show they did at the Starwood (and they did a couple shows there during October - November 1977) to bid "Bon Voyage" to LA for a short spell. As you can see, it was an all ages show and started at 6 PM! You can also see that bassist, Jeff Magnum's name was misspelled as "Jess." 1977 marked the opening of the floodgates for East Coast punk bands as well as UK punk bands coming to LA. The Ramones started the flood in August of 1976, although Patti Smith was performing at the Roxy on the Sunset Strip as early as January of that year. In 1977, however, we saw Blondie, Television, Mumps and Talking Heads from NYC and from the UK, The Damned, The Jam and Elvis Costello, and from Ohio, of course, The Dead Boys, Rubber City Rebels, and Devo. Not a bad showing, and there were probably a lot more - as this is just off t...

Plimsouls-beer , originally uploaded by Cool Auntie . When Johnny Ramone passed away, I read in quite a few of his obits, a reference to an interview he gave about the origins and influences of the Ramones music as being not at all influenced by or reflective of Black music - not a trace of R&B. Just dorky white guys doing power chords. And I love the Ramones. I love their music. I think Tommy Ramone was a genius producer. But, I do think they hearken back to the Phil Spector era a bit, and if you're gonna reference Phil Spector, you get Ronnie the combination. But I'm not here to pick a fight over the Ramones music and what informs it. (However, if you are scratching your head over the Phil Spector reference - he DID produce a Ramones album, and also - just listen to any number of early Ramones songs - "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" is just one example of Wall of Sound guitars. Pop melody...it's all there!) What I've always been attracted ...

This photo of The Last was taken in my studio - which was the spare bedroom in my apartment at 1140 North Clark Street (#306) in West Hollywood. I mention the address because those of you out there who watch my erstwhile employer, VH1 will recognize the address from an episode of "Behind the Music" about Motley Crue. They lived directly below me. I could tell you about the time they threw Lita Ford out their window, but this is about punk rock and not about the Crue. Actually, the "spare" bedroom was the master bedroom of this two-bedroom apartment. It had a southeast exposure - meaning sunlight and daylight all day long - perfect for photos. It also had its own bathroom where my photo subjects could get ready and do their hair and make-up. I photographed a lot of people in this room. I ripped up the ugly orange shag carpet (remember, this is the 70s!) and put up a seamless against one wall that continued on to the floor. Instead of clothes, my closet was ...

Recently, I was asked to comment upon some well-known punk's use of Nazi memorabilia. Of course, it begged the question, "were they racist?" Well, not that particular person, however, punks came from the general population and from everywhere. Of course, there were some people who were racist, just as there were others who were tolerant, conservative, liberal, down-right socialist, greedy, generous.... we were a normal sample of the general population - we just shared an aesthetic and a bond as some kind of "outsider." Frank Secich and Stiv Bators goofing on the goose-step in the studio. This image was brought up. Although Stiv and the Dead Boys grew up in the heavily Eastern European Catholic Northeastern Ohio, they were not anti-Semites or racists, but they did witness a lot of that sentiment amongst the immigrants. And they lampooned it in their actions and in their paraphernalia. Back in the 70s, it was shocking to see Nazi flags, Iron Crosses and o...

Julian Cope , originally uploaded by Theresa K . Julian Cope leading The Teardrop Explodes at their Whisky debut. It was one of those "you had to be there" events. Lydia Lunch was there and she spent an inordinate amount of time hanging out with Julian backstage and at the Tropicana. The Teardrop Explodes and Echo & the Bunnymen came over from England and debuted at the Whisky around the same general time in 1980. Punk had started to embrace the more complex psychedelic stylings the UK was sending over. LA had its own "Paisley Underground" that ventured into the trippy scene, mixing it up with real punk rock and pop and folk. What emerged from LA at the time were the Dream Syndicate whose dual duelling guitars rivaled Television's and groups like The Bangs who had to change their name to the Bangles and had a few hits. And then you had your Three O'Clock and The Last and Rain Parade and before you know it.... its the mid-80s and ...

group11A , originally uploaded by Cool Auntie . Last night, Dead Boy, Jimmy Zero looked at the photos from our March 10 reunion for the first time. When he arrived at the Beachland Tavern to join me for my birthday celebration and to hear a blistering set by my favorite current band, The Reigning Sound, we repaired to the Beachland kitchen, lit with too bright fluorescents and reviewed the photographic evidence of our graying hair and our happy reunion. Over our shoulders, Beachland co-owner, Cindy Barber asked, "are these the real Dead Boys?" And in unison, as if we rehearsed this, Jimmy and I broke into reciting one of the best rock n roll movies ever made, "This is Spinal Tap." "Welcome to the Dead Boys, Mach II. This is Frank Secich, he wrote this." And that my friends, is how it really was. One by one, the original Dead Boys quit or were fired. Jeff Magnum left, I think because he didn't like life on the road. Cheetah Chrome a...

Pelle & Greg , originally uploaded by Theresa K . Think what you want of Sweden's The Hives, those boys know their American rock n roll. And not just the regular stuff. They know it ALL. They know your vintage garage, which I call the antecedent to punk, they know your punk, your indie rock and your post punk. Most importantly, they are HUGE fans of the band that in the 90s helped to bring punk back to its roots. That band would be The Oblivians, a powerful punk trio that could unleash the fury as well as subtley wink an eye with Greg Oblivian's clever song-craft. These days, Greg Oblivian goes by his given name of Greg Cartwright and fronts The Reigning Sound. With them he is carrying the torch he himself lit, one of good songwriting, giving-it-all singing and playing and unforgettable live performances. In fact, I have the distinct pleasure tonight of seeing The Reigning Sound play at Cleveland's Beachland Tavern. Now, those Hives like Greg's ...

Me & Clem, 2004 , originally uploaded by Theresa K . Clem Burke and me, August 2004, backstage at the Underground Garage Festival, where he was playing in Nancy Sinatra's band. Creem Magazine's Bill Moriarty snapped this pic. Clem is one of punk's Most Valuable Players - he's still playing, recording and touring with Blondie. During Blondie's hiatus, Clem helped out, filled in and toured with a number of artists and bands includling Iggy Pop, The Ramones, Romantics, Dramarama, Eurhythmics, Chequered Past and The Plimsouls, pictured below. Clem is a stand-up guy and one of the best friends you could have. He loves music and is always checking out new bands, keeping up with the times and keeping in touch with old friends. I should know - I am proud to say that Clem and I have been pals for something like 28 years now, and even my Mom thought he was a stand up guy! Can you imagine being a young guy from New Jersey, digging the rock n roll, and one d...

Idol , originally uploaded by Theresa K . Set your Tivo's and your VCR's! Billy Idol is back with a new album - the first one in something like ten years. You can see him on Good Morning America tomorrow, April 15. It is on the ABC television network and the show starts at 7 AM - but I have no idea when Billy is on. Yes - this photo is a repeat, and I am sorry - however, Billy's website has more pictures and has audio samples of his rockin' new music! The album is called "Devil's Playground." Just the other day, I was sorting through all my files and my negatives and I learned that I photographed Billy way more than I remembered. Once I get into the darkroom, sometime next week, just watch out. This man is so handsome, I will not be able to resist printing each and every frame. Just for your viewing pleasure. Today's shameless plug is that it is my birthday. Other people born on this date include: Julie Christie, Richie Blackmore, Ant...

Beautiful Alice Bag in a Jenny Lens photo, captured at the Masque Benefit. I don't know if you know how much Alice Bag is doing to promote girl power and keep the story straight on LA Punk. For a good time, check out her website, its easy: Alice Bag Dot Com In addition to her comprehensive collection of original gig flyers and cool graphics, what I always enjoy on Alice's site is her growing archive of interviews with LA Punk Women. What you don't know about early LA punk and want to know, you can learn here. The most recent interview, with Pleasant, is a fantastic peek at the secret world of punk rock's perennial "It Girl." You probably think she had it easy, hanging out with rock stars, and all, like she is pictured here, with Joan Jett and Billy Idol - that's Pleasant Billy is talking to as Joan looks on. Well, read the whole story and find out. Pleasant has worked very hard; she just makes it look easy. That's a trait and a skill that ...

Devo Dan , originally uploaded by Theresa K . This is Dan Elektro, of the Woggles, a contemporary band from the South - mostly around Atlanta, though Dan is a catfish farmer in Alabama. They play a righteous kind of garage rock (a genre that is punk's antecedent and its successor - oh, how postmodern is that?!) that mixes R&B with rave-up rock. They inject a young, punk attitude in their cover of the Animals' hit, "It's My Life," a song that despite its "classic rock - oldies" bloodline, is a pretty damn punk rock message. The point? What is punk anyway? Well, since it is a firmly-ingrained way of doing music now, and has been for going on three decades, it is prime fodder to scholarly discussion, and you can study it at your finer Ivory Towers these days! Postmodernism - something few people can define well in a sentence - but that many invoke. Well, I think Dan's wearing of this aluminum mixing bowl as a hat, paying homage to De...

Rodney Bingenheimer, pictured here with our favorite grrl, Joan Jett, who as you can see, loves him, has done more for LA punk and punk rock in general than any other DJ. He debuted The Germs and every other LA punk band when they had records to be debuted, and often he was the only one spinning those records. KROQ management has moved Rodney's Sunday night show to the wee, wee hours when the maximum listenership is not tuned in. That's a shame for two reasons: 1) Rodney deserves to keep his old time slot because he did so much to put KROQ on the map at the time and historically, and 2) How are you gonna hear your favorite punk records and new releases? There is a petition online that you can sign addressing this. Get Rodney back to his original time slot! Check it out here: http://www.rodney.panopia.com and tell all your friends to sign it too! Very special thanks to my new friend and fellow Aries rock sister, Kayleen for reminding me of that petition, and thanks also...

The Pizazz , originally uploaded by Theresa K . These kids, The Pizazz from Detroit, are picking up where the Modern Lovers left off. Of course, members of the innovative and geeky Modern Lovers went on to do cool things. Jerry Harrison joined Talking Heads. David Robinson joined The Cars. That left Jonathan Richman to do his solo work, and he became increasingly and delightfully more idiosyncratic as time went on. When I saw the Pizazz in Detroit in January, 2005, they immediately reminded me of the precious Modern Lovers and early Talking Heads with their instrumentation, their lyrics, their song structure and their stage presence. They are quirky and arty and follow their own rules. It may be 30 years later, but they've got the punk!

Kid Congo Powers. I always knew him as Brian Tristan, but have become accustomed to calling him Kid. He's the one person from the 70s that I never lost touch with. We saw each other in London when I lived there and he was there variously with Jeffrey Lee Pierce, the Bad Seeds, the Cramps or any number of bands he has been involved with. We lived in NYC at the same time as well, and it was always a pleasure to run into him on the street. Currently, Kid fronts the Pink Monkey Birds, but has been an integral part of groups such as Knoxville Girls and Congo Norvell. This is not a photo I took - it is one that Kid sent to me recently. The one photo I have of Kid that I would like to share is a portrait of him and Pleasant backstage at a Blondie concert in San Diego, CA in 1978. I haven't printed a new copy of that yet, nor had it scanned - but I'll have it before the month is over. I cannot remember a punk rock moment that didn't involve Kid. He was a solid fan ...

Dave-David8 , originally uploaded by Cool Auntie . That's the question asked by these fine fellows, Dave Swanson of the Rainy Day Saints, and "Disconected" band drummer, David Steinberg, caught here like deer in headlights - the flash was bright & blinding. Gentlemen, I apologize for representing you this way! They are holding up the poster board with song lyrics and vocal designations. On March 10, these gentlemen and Dead Boys and Disconnected band members and friends, Jimmy Zero, George Cabaniss, Frank Secich, Billy Sullivan and members of Blue Ash got together to record the Paul Revere & the Raiders song, "Him or Me" for the Greg Shaw Tribute record to be released by the label Greg founded, Bomp! I can't wait for the record to be released. The track is just awesome. I will keep you posted as to the release date.

Plimsouls-jump , originally uploaded by Cool Auntie . In Culver City, around 1979. Peter Case is a bonafide solo artist - a singer/songwriter of some note - and someone who always has something good going on that you should hear. He's been doing his solo thing far longer than he was a punk rocker, as a Plimsoul or as a member of The Nerves. Please check out his website and follow what he's doing now. You won't regret it. In both the Nerves and the Plimsouls, Peter Case did rock the house down whenever he played. After the Nerves disbanded, Peter formed the Plimsouls with Eddie Munoz, Dave Pahoa, and Lou Ramirez. They put out a really cool indie EP called "The Zero Hour," and it had one of those riffs that would get appropriated later (first by the Knack in "My Sharona" sort of) and often. Peter has a knack for writing a song that can't leave your head. On the strength of the EP and their blistering live shows, the Plimsouls got a...

Lance Loud, lead Mump on Halloween, a show at the Starwood where our mighty Mumps opened for Devo. I'm sure you all know the story of Lance Loud, famous for being himself due to his family being featured on America's first reality show, "An American Family," which was seen on PBS in 1972 or thereabouts. This is how Lance and I are intertwined. We're both from Santa Barbara, and among a million things in common, his sisters and I attended the same ballet school where I did indeed see those cameras! Years later, I would work at the PBS station that presented that series, WNET-13, out of New York. The year I landed in WNET's legal department, the channel wanted to re-broadcast "An American Family," much to the dismay of Loud Family matriarch, Patricia Loud. It got on the air anyway, and Lance and I had many a hush-hush conversation about me providing him with broadcast quality copies of the series so that he could go on the talk and morning shows plug...

My good pal and life long friend, Jenny Lens just got herself a blog! She's telling the stories behind her pictures! If you want to check out her blog, you can find it here right on Blogger. Here's Jenny in living color: I was also quite enthused the past few days to hear from fabulous punk women from back in the day! Alice Bag left a nice note on this blog, and we exchanged some stories. I highly recommend checking out the Official Website of Alice Bag for some great memories. She has put up all sorts of gig flyers and posters from back in the day. She's also started an area on her website where she conducts interviews of other punk women - so far, you can check out interviews with Jenny Lens, Dinah Cancer, Philomena Bessy, Jade ZeBest, Ann Summa and Seal. The latest interview is with Pleasant Gehman of Lobotomy fanzine fame. Here's a direct link to the place on Alice's website to read these great interviews. While I was away for the weekend, Julie...