Punk Turns 30

Taken last year by Jim Lanza, who organized the Dead Boys Reunion, here's me and Stiv onstage at the Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland after the show. I can't tell you how PROUD I was that Stiv was represented onstage by three photos of him that I took. You know those photos - I reprise them here a lot. Get Hip Records founder and Cynics guitarist, Gregg Kostelich told me that he remembered those photos from his college days. You know, the whole time I was on the road with Stiv, I never realized the impact he and the Dead Boys had on the world. It was so different if you were on our side of the stage. We struggled to make $10 do the job of $50, and more often than not, there'd be six of us in a hotel room that should not have more than two people in it. Nevertheless, I wouldn't give up those experiences for anything! This year, the Dead Boys are doing another reunion show in Cleveland, again at the Beachland. Its being documented this time! I really do wish I could...

Yes, I'm taking the opportunity, since this Halloween falls on a Monday, to celebrate all weekend long! This photo of Mumps front man, Lance Loud was taken on Halloween 1977. They opened for Devo at the Starwood, a club in West Hollywood that long ago got turned into a strip mall. Three days later, Mumps opened for the Dead Boys at the Starwood. That gig was the Dead Boys Los Angeles debut. Yesterday, I spoke with Jimmy Zero to send my greetings - I was supposed to be at the Dead Boys reunion show on Halloween in Cleveland - but I can't make it because I'll be filming here in LA on Halloween. It's always great to talk with Jimmy. We always uncover something new in our ages-old story. Jimmy Zero & me What can I tell you? Its totally UNpunk, but Cheetah Chrome and Jimmy Zero are getting along like nice adult men. No more punk'd out fisticuffs....sure, onstage, there's fury, but its all in the music and the pose. Hey - we grew up. After all, its ...

Tonight in Los Angeles, there is a concert featuring Suicidal Tendencies, The Germs, Fear, Marky Ramone, Flipper & More It is an all ages show, and the first band, Flipper, goes on at 7 PM. Needless to say, since it is 7:16 PM, I am missing it. It is a little odd - one of those "what year is it?" moments. The ticket price for this gig is $26, and tickets are through Ticketmaster, meaning you're gonna end up paying over $30. Back in the 70s, when these bands played, you probably wouldn't have paid more than $7 to see several of them on one bill. Back in the day, even if you paid for every show you attended, you might not even spend $30 in one week! Of course, seeing Flipper and the Germs without Will Shatter and Darby Crash respectively would be just a little weird for me, since I saw them back in the day. In any event, it just goes to show the lasting impact punk rock made and continues to make. LA Punk rules! ps - don't forget that Daylight Savings ...

I'm giving you fair warning...A great photo exhibit in Cleveland opens on December 3. All the details are in the poster, above. I'm part of a group photo show featuring Cleveland bands....my contribution is largely Stiv/Dead Boys, but every Cleveland, Ohio band that matters is gonna be represented. I'm digging out my Chrissie Hynde pix for this, too. Jim Lanza, the man behind the Dead Boys reunion, wrangled this, so please a big round of applause for him! Haven't decided exactly what I'm including, but here's a tribute to the city on Lake Erie. Frozen Lake Erie

The movie, New York Doll, about the life of NY Doll, Arthur "Killer" Kane opens in New York and Los Angeles on Friday (today!) The movie has been getting great reviews. You will probably enjoy reading the review in Creem written by Bill Moriarty. That link includes an interview with NY Doll Sylvain Sylvain. Syl is pictured above and below. Alas... I have pictures of only Dolls David Jo, Johnny Thunders, and Syl, and none of Arthur or of Jerry Nolan. Anyway.... if you're an apple or an orange you can check this out. If you're in the rest of the USA, you'll have to wait another week for it to reach movie screens near you. If you're in LA, don't forget to check out The Scene in Glendale, where The Reatards, Angry Angles, Tokyo Electron and Guilty Hearts are playing. If you are in NYC, don't miss Wowsville a Go Go, where Rex Doane from WFMU's Fool's Paradise is comin' to Motorcity to share the decks with DJ Bazooka Joe for a...

Rodney Bingenheimer & Friend , originally uploaded by Theresa K . Well, here I am in the city of my birth - Los Angeles. One of the most influential things during my late teens and early 20's was Rodney on the ROQ, the KROQ radio show hosted by Rodney Bingenheimer on Sunday nights. Rodney did not have a big LA DJ personality. Instead, he was mild-mannered. The music did all the talking. Rodney played all the records by local bands before anyone else did - Bags, Eyes, Weirdos, X, Germs... you name it. AND of course, Rodney was big on the British bands. If not for Rodney, Pleasant and I would never had had the opportunity to spend so much time with Billy Idol. Of course, a huge part of hanging with Billy was because Brendan Bourke (of Chrysalis Records at the time) totally understood the value of getting his artist premier coverage in a fanzine. I'm proud of the legacy of Lobtomy, to be sure. So, today in 2005... KROQ has relegated Rodney to a late night broa...

Jett Idol , originally uploaded by Theresa K . This photo of Joan Jett and Billy Idol is the most-looked at photo in my collection on Flickr. The cool GaragePunk.com forum also has a collection on Flickr! I think you would enjoy seeing the collections of various photographers HERE. See my links for a permanent link to the GaragePunk.com forums and Flickr photogroup.

Johnny Ramone , originally uploaded by Theresa K . I was just looking through the most recent issue of Mojo, England's coolest periodical. Its got a great piece called "Remembering Johnny"... meaning the only Johnny that matters - Johnny Ramone. It also has a list of the 50 Greatest US Punk tracks, of course, according to Mojo. Look for it - The Ramones are on the cover. Its the November issue. Lists are the bane of everyone's existence and one man's Top Ten is another's bottom of the barrel. But without these pesky lists, where would magazines and VH1 get their fodder? Where would Nick Hornby have gotten a big break with his record geek character who is ALL OF US? HOWEVER, given that this is MY space, let me indulge myself by giving you two different top ten lists. First - my favorite back-in-the-day punk albums at this moment - just 10 of them: Ramones - eponymous/Rocket to Russia Sex Pistols - Never Mind the Bollocks Jam - This is the Modern ...

As we near All Saints Day and the Day of the Dead, as well as Halloween, we have a lot of people to remember. This week, we remember the birth of Stiv Bators, and the memory of Stiv is not complete without the memory of Greg Shaw. They're pictured here with Frank Secich, who is happily still with us and as productive as ever, and perpetuating their memories with music. This week we lost Spanish punk rock hero, Kike Turmix. If you click on the link to the title above - you will arrive at a page featuring a beautiful song by my fave Detroit rock n roll glam space garage bubblegum band, The Witches. I thought it was a beautiful and haunting way to remember things and people that have passed. And while I'm at this, writing from Nashville, I want you to remember just who helped give birth to country punk (with Jason & the Scorchers )...one of my life-long friends whose life was also cut short, Jack Emerson. Nashville is not the same without him, but his spirit and his m...

Stiv Bator was born on October 22, 1949. Yeah - its a day early, but I can't wait to celebrate. As you have read on this site many times before over the past several months, Stiv was a like a brother to me, and the Dead Boys were the band that really gave me my break in this rock n roll nonsense I can't seem to get away from. Its strange to think I've outlived Stiv. He was one of those guys who seemed impervious... that only getting hit by a bus.... NYC rock babe, Kitty Kowalski visited Stiv's grave and took this photo: My Tribute:

Today is 19th Century French Imagist poet, Arthur Rimbaud's birthday. If he were alive, he would be 151 years old. In actual fact, he died at age 37. He produced an amazing amount of poetry during his teenage years; he quit writing when he was about 19 and led a vagabond life of adventure. Patti Smith invokes Arthur Rimbaud in her own poetry and song lyrics ("Easter" references Arthur's sister, Isabella; "Land" name-checks Rimbaud straight up!) It is what attracted me to her in the first place! I was studying comparative literature and was thoroughly enchanted by 19th Century French poetry, including Rimbaud, Paul Verlaine, Charles Baudelaire, Gerard de Nerval, Stephane Mallarme, and Comte de Lautreamont. Not only was Patti Smith into this, but so were her NYC nascent punk compadres, Television, with Tom Miller who already changed his name to Verlaine fairly early on. Patti Smith never made is a secret that she was a fan of and hugely influence...

My friend and neighbor, Eric Davidson, whose name you may recognize as the singer of Columbus, Ohio punk band, New Bomb Turks posted this sad news: Very sad news today. I just heard from Barbara (Get Hip) that Kike Turmix has died. She said: "I just went to Kike's funeral this morning. He died Sunday after being diagnosed with massive liver cancer only 9 days ago while undergoing surgery for a hernia. I'm crushed." For those who might not know, Kike was the singer and mastermind behind the great Spanish punk band, the Pleasure Fuckers; ran the Safety Pin label; and he was also THE garage/punk/rock'n'roll booking agent of Spain for around 20 years. He booked New Bomb Turks a number of times, and we always had a totally hilarious time with him. He always kept up with the latest bands, and helped turn new bands onto cool old shit. After matching him in a race through 6 shots of espresso once, he declared that "You are a Man, man!" It was one of the pr...

Frank Secich, Stiv, Greg Shaw , originally uploaded by Theresa K . This is the first anniversary of the week that was. It was a horrible thing to have known - that my life-long friend, Greg Shaw had been admitted to a hospital and was doing rather badly. I could not talk to anyone about it. It was even sadder to know that he passed away (October 19, 2004) and still I could not talk with anyone about it. Greg had left behind not just a son, but a company, with bands that had just been signed, and a former wife or two - they all had to learn of his untimely passing before anyone could talk publicly about it. So, I mourned in silence, while spending time in Cleveland right after the Dead Boys reunion with the likes of Jimmy Zero and Bomp's latest signing at the time, The Dreadful Yawns . Greg Shaw and Bomp gave me a leg up on this photo thing. I photographed more than a few record covers and promo shots for them: But it was because of Stiv that Greg and I really bonde...

miriam linna , originally uploaded by Theresa K . For those of you NOT in the know, Miriam Linna was the original drummer for The Cramps. Lux Interior Of course, you are probably more familiar with Miriam's career as the A-Bones drummer and as a knowledgeable writer and half of the Norton Records power duo with Billy Miller. Well, today is the day all her pals are celebrating her birthday with a party that is probably rocking like crazy as I write this, so celebrate and be happy this lady was born. So much great music is around because of her!

The Jam - Soundcheck , originally uploaded by Theresa K . The Jam played in Los Angeles the second time around at the Starwood club on my birthday - April 14. Here's a shot from their sound check. The first time they played in LA, it was at the Whisky, and it happened to be my roommate's birthday (October 7) and a guy named Johnny Cougar opened. Six months later, The Jam had a little more say so... the Dickies and The Eyes opened. So much more appropriate, and quite exciting! The Jam were also treated to a big old press event where journalists (including the "staff" of Lobotomy, meaning Pleasant, Randy Detroit, Kid Congo, Anna Statman and me) were taken to a British pub in Santa Monica on a red double decker London bus. Once at the King's Head pub, we were treated to British food - fish n chips and mushy peas, and LOADS OF GIN. I guess there was Guinness, too - but I don't drink beer, so I wouldn't have noticed. Since it was my birthday...