Christmas In Arizona Travelogue

It's been a crazy year for me. My family moved from the Eastside of L.A. to the Westside, which is a bit of a culture shock in itself. Then, just as we were starting to get settled in Culver City, my husband got a great job offer which would require him to relocate to Arizona.

So I'm writing from Arizona this Christmas. For the first time in my life, I'm planning on moving away from Southern California. We had contemplated this move to the desert once before, several years ago, but decided that the culture of Scottsdale at that time was too homogenous for us to comfortably fit in. "Fitting in" has never been one of my strengths and I think my daughter has inherited that trait. Well, either Scottsdale/Phoenix has changed over the past few years or my own lifestyle has changed to the point where my needs are now closer to what this area provides. Perhaps it's a bit of both. Still, there are some things which will require getting used to.

Earlier in the week, my husband found a scorpion in his jacket. Luckily he saw it right before he put it on and was able to shake it out onto the yard. The same evening we had a large coyote (not like the skinny ones you see in the canyons in L.A.) cross in front of our car as we were driving down one of these dark streets. It seems many people out here consider street lights to be "light pollution" because they ruin your ability to see the stars. I am an avid stargazer, but there's something about street lighting that just makes me feel safe.

My husband, daughter and I drove up to spend part of the long weekend in Sedona. We drove in, awestruck by the red rock formations, but when we got to the town, we couldn't wait to leave. As soon as we parked the car, we were accosted by a timeshare salesman who promised to set us up with a free hotel room for the night. Fortunately for us, his phone seemed to be having problems and he couldn't get through to the hotel office. He began cursing his bad luck and slamming the phone on the counter. We walked out the door as he hurled the phone against the wall. The rest of the uptown area was not much better, just crowded with tourist shops and overpriced food choices. It's a shame, because the natural setting is just amazing.

After heading out of Sedona, we decided to spend the night in the quaint town of Jerome instead.

Jerome is a great place to visit if you:
A) Are not afraid of heights
B) Like to drink in bars
C) Are not afraid of ghosts


The town is famous for having ghosts and we ate dinner at a little place called the Haunted Hamburger, where the power went out about 15 minutes after we sat down, plunging the entire place into darkness and candlelight. Later, my husband dragged me up to the old Jerome Grand Hotel for a nightcap. This hotel was converted from an old mining hospital and it just feels creepy from the moment you walk up to it. The proprietors proudly display various photographs of unsuspecting visitors accompanied by unexplained "spirit orbs". Sleep that night was difficult. I kept hearing noises. I haven't been that eager to get up early on a Saturday in a long time.

We had breakfast in one of Arizona's oldest restaurants, The English Kitchen, which once housed an opium den in the basement and has a colorful history of its own. A few blocks away, the remnants of the old redlight district are still visible, including the famously haunted House Of Joy.

On our way back out of Jerome we stopped for lunch in Prescott at an old fashioned saloon called The Palace. The Palace had quite a colorful history too, having hosted the likes of Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday. In the ladies restroom was a picture of Little Egypt, one of the more interesting entertainers who had performed at The Palace. Legend has it that during a big fire which wiped out most of the town, the local saloon patrons lifted the ornately carved wooden bar out of the burning building. Once they'd saved the bar, they continued drinking at it while the rest of the businesses burned. I like a town that has its priorities straight. Speaking of priorities, one of mine is to never skip a meal, and I just noticed that all of my "travel activities" seem to center around meals. My husband says that I plan my itinerary around my meals and that seems to be true! But he plans his itinerary around where to find cocktails, so we make a good traveling team.

Now we're back in Scottsdale. The beautiful resort where my husband works has been and will continue to be our temporary home for the next month or until we find a permanent residence.

L.A. and all my friends and family out there will always be in my heart. I will miss that city, but after all, it's only a 6 hour drive. It's time for a little change. May all of you enjoy a wonderful holiday season surrounded by people you love.

Germs 2005

I’ve been getting alot of inquiries lately about the Germs. People are interested not only in stories about Darby, but in hearing my opinion about the movie, What We Do Is Secret, that is being made about the band. They are also interested in the subsequent formation of the New Germs, as the band fronted by actor Shane West has been called on the internet.

I’ve had a hard time answering some of the questions. I know that the three remaining principle members of the band have been involved with and/or consulted about the movie, so I expect that most of it will be accurate and portray the band in the way they wish to be portrayed.

I also think it speaks very highly of Shane West that the remaining members of the band would want to reunite and play as the Germs with him as lead singer. I haven't had a chance to catch them yet. I don’t think there is any doubt that the band will be well-rehearsed, sound good and do a great show. But I suspect that is not what people want to know. There is a question that I feel many of you are trying to ask but have not done so far. The question is, can a band that stood for something at a certain point in time have the same relevance today?

That question goes further than asking about the Germs. There are many people performing today who were around when punk in Los Angeles was in its infancy. My favorite band, The Weirdos, still plays. They are still wonderful. I go see them every chance I get, but do their performances mean the same thing that they did 30 years ago? No. Not only is the band line-up different today, but the music is older. We’re all much older, and punk itself is nearly 30 years old.

The first time you step onto an airplane may be a new and exciting experience for you, but it’s not the same as the first time someone climbed into an airplane in the early 1900s. Air travel is part of our culture; there is little mystery and magic left of what once must have seemed an incredible experience. Even if you’ve never been on a plane yourself, you’ve seen planes flying overhead and you know people who have been on them, they are part of everyday life. Punk rock as a cultural movement has come to that point. It is part of everyday life. Some of you have grown up with a punk rock soundtrack because your parents or older siblings were listening to it. Punk music and ideology is in a different stage of its life. Which is not to say that punk isn’t relevant or valuable, just that it isn’t what it was. It has been changed, perfected, expanded upon and reinvented by some, and of course commercialized and exploited by others.

I’m sorry to say this, but if you didn’t see the Germs, or Weirdos, or Screamers, or Bags in the late ‘70s, you will never be able to have that experience. You may see reunions of some of those bands, and they may sound great, and you may even think to yourself, “this is what it was like”, but don’t fool yourself. If you want that experience, you would do better to go see a new band, one that is creating something all their own, one that can’t trace its roots back 30 years, one which is true to the spirit in which punk was born.

Women In L.A. Punk - Part XVII - Gaby Berlin

Gaby Berlin's interview came about completely by word of mouth, which is very cool. Rover mentioned Gaby in her interview, Jenny remembered Gaby, Gaby somehow checked out the website and got in touch with me and I asked her to answer my questionnaire. She was kind enough to oblige. I like the way this series of interviews has turned into a kind of oral history of the early L.A. punk scene, told from the unique perspective of the women who were actually there. Gaby also photographed the early days of the L.A. punk scene. I've seen a couple of her photos and I'm hoping she gets around to sharing more of them with us.

Click on the thumbnail below to read Gaby's interview!



P.S. Thanks for giving Maddog some well deserved recognition, Gaby.

Give Me Waffles Or Give Me Death

One of the unexpected pluses of relocating to the westside of L.A. has to be my proximity to a gem of a fifties diner called Pann's. My discovery of this restaurant coincided with my family's marathon viewing of the first season of "Dead Like Me" on DVD. One of the recurring settings on this series is a fictional restaurant called "Der Waffle Haus," which kindled our desire to search for a similar all-hours eating establishment in L.A.

Sadly, nothing quite as cool as Der Waffle Haus could be found, but Pann's is a close second.

Scary Teachers

Punkoustica is playing a Pre-Halloween show with Third Grade Teacher and some special friends next Saturday night. Click on the flyer to check it out. I hope you can make it, this should be a GREAT show!

Let Them Drink Limonada!

I'll be performing live this Friday with Punkoustica, in an effort to slake the thirst of "criminals who cross the border illegally to take American jobs." Actually, it's a benefit concert for www.desertwater.org at The Blvd. Cafe and Bar, in the heart of East Los.

This place is so underground, it's not even listed! Tickets are $5.00 at the door and all ages are welcome. Come be a part of the conspiracy to aid and abet illegal immigration this Friday night. Me, I'm all for subverting the system, one way or another!

The photo above was taken at an art show/fundraiser last weekend. Susan Weber took this shot of me, mugging for the camera in front of an original artwork by Lorraine Scognomillo. If there are any interested collectors, drop a line to alice@alicebag.com and I'll put you in touch with the artist.

Women On Top

TG's comments on my last blog entry got me thinking about what it was like sharing an apartment at the Canterbury with Shannon Wilhelm, who formed and led Castration Squad. Shannon and I were also members of the Piranhas, a kind of feminist punk girls' gang. Shannon had a great sense of humor and was so much fun to hang out with back in the early days. Anyway, I recall one time when Shannon and I had lured Terry into our apartment for a little Fun With Ropes. I'm sure that we tempted him with the idea that we were both planning to have our way with him. We tied him to the bed and teased him a bit, then we both left to go shopping for several hours, leaving him trussed up to the bedposts. When we got back, he was FURIOUS and wouldn't even speak to us. Another traumatized victim of the Pyranhas : )

On another note, I'd like to direct you all to check out Jenny Lens' online store, where she is selling prints of her amazing photos. Yes, there are a couple of yours truly mixed in along with so many other great photos that you just have to see for yourself. Buy a print and help Jenny keep her invaluable archive up and running.

Lastly, I came across this very rough MP3 of a song I wrote and performed with Stay At Home Bomb, entitled "Women On Top." It just seemed like the right opportunity to post this song because it shows how my feminist ideology has evolved (devolved?) since my Pyranha and Castration Squad days. That's Lysa Flores on the catchy ba da ba ba's.

I hope you enjoy it!

Women In L.A. Punk, Part XVI - Jane Wiedlin

Here's another proof sheet picture from the same night as the Rik L. Rik shot below. I am molesting Jane Wiedlin's shoe in the parking lot of Bergamot Station in L.A.

Jane's used to being molested by me, as you will learn when you read her interview in the Women In L.A. Punk section of my website. Click on the thumbnail below to go there now!

Rik L. Rik

I just came across a proof sheet from a roll of photos taken a few years ago at a punk reunion in L.A. and I thought I'd share this one with you. Rik L. Rik, for those of you who don't know, was one of those kids who was around in the earliest days of the L.A. punk scene with his band F-Word, who played at the Masque on a regular basis. I'm sure that members of F-Word were in the audience at the "Trashing of the Troubadour" Bags show and someone told me that they were literally hanging from the rafters of the balcony. F-Word was one of the more aggressive punk bands and they got along well with the Bags. I had some rare video footage of them at the Masque in my archives, but had to take it down because the copyright owners did not want it posted. Too bad.

He later sang with other bands, including Negative Trend and recorded under his own name for Posh Boy Records. He was one of the most charismatic lead singers and there's little doubt that, given the right circumstances, he had the talent, looks and ability to become a big star.

Unfortunately, Rik passed away in 2000, less than a year after this photo was taken. He had not yet turned 40. Another friend who left us too soon.

"I Remember The Women Being The Strong Ones"

From time to time, I get emails giving me feedback on my website, www.alicebag.com. One of the best things about doing my website has been establishing connections with old friends, not just for myself, but between people who haven't seen each other in years. I'd like to take this opportunity to once again thank Ms. Jenny Lens, whose energy, passion and incredible memory have made many of these online and in-person reunions possible.

I have to share an excerpt from a recent email I received from Gaby Gomez, who was around in the early days of L.A. punk but who I didn't know very well at the time. She writes:

"Hi Alice, I just got in touch with Rover again thru a “happy accident” and she directed me to your website... I wanted to thank you for publicizing all the very strong women who made up the scene back then. I feel it was very much a scene of women, at least I remember the women as being the strong ones.

I remember one time when Rover and I lived at the masque, and Lee Ving was spray painting on the wall out in the alley. I think someone came down the stairs and said something, because Ro and I went running up the stairs to see. Well, there he was. And Rover just called up that big loud mean voice of hers and said (Something like) “What the hell do you think you are doing?” And Lee Ving turned around, looked around at us, And Ran Away! We just laughed and laughed. That was one of my favorite remembrances of Rover, this little tiny sprite, chasing away the big bad punk rocker. It still makes me laugh every time."

Thanks for allowing me to share this memory, Gaby! And thanks also to those of you who take the time to write to me. I can't always respond to your comments and/or inquiries in a timely manner, but I read all of your comments and emails and appreciate the feedback. Someone asked about adding a bulletin board or a forum to the website. I'll consider it. Monitoring comments for accuracy and subject matter is time consuming and I don't know that I have the time for it. For now you'll have to continue to comment on the blog if you want others to respond or write directly to me at alice@alicebag.com.

Punk's Not Dead

Susan Dynner and her punk conspirators have been working on what has got to be a true labor of love for the past few years, a film entitled Punk's Not Dead.

I have no idea what this movie is going to be like, but Susan seems to be genuinely interested in presenting the complete picture of punk rock, then and now. Now you have a chance to speak your mind about what punk rock means to you. This is from the Punk's Not Dead website:

"Love it or hate it, if you’ve got something to say about the state of punk today, we want to hear it.

Loads of documentaries about punk focus on the same handful of bands, repeating the same old story over and over again. For once, we’re going to invite the fans of the music into discussion.

Punk’s Not Dead tells a different story, looking at punk through the many perspectives of those directly involved today. We want to expand our story to document punk communities all over the world, in places like Osaka, Mexico City, Prague and all over the US. However, our budget prevents us from traveling there ourselves.

That’s where you come in!"

In a clever bit of DIY filmmaking, Susan is soliciting video contributions from punk bands, punk fans and anyone who has a strong opinion about the state of punk today. You only have until October 15 to get your contribution to them, so speak now or forever hold your peace!

Click on the photo below to find out how you can have your voice heard.

Punk Rock, High Tech Yard Sale

We're selling off some of our collection of records, flyers and other stuff this week and next week on Ebay. We'll keep adding things as the week goes by. Some of the items are quite rare and others are things we just need to part with, trying to reduce the clutter in our home and our lives. Check it out, you might see something you'd like! Alice and Greg's Punk Rock Yard Sale!

Women In L.A. Punk - Part XV - Lisa Fancher

I know, I know, I'm late on updating my website and I got behind on keeping up my series of interviews with women in the early L.A. punk scene. But we're finally getting our lives back to "normal" after our move and now we can get back to the fun stuff!

I am happy to announce that we have a new interview posted today with Lisa Fancher. For those of you who don't know, Lisa was one of the first females involved on the business side of the indie record business. She got her start at Bomp, which was one of the first stores to carry punk music. Through her label, Frontier Records, Lisa was responsible for helping establish and distribute globally what became the blueprint for the So-Cal Hardcore sound. It would be hard to overestimate her importance to the modern punk scene.

Click on the Women In Punk thumbnail to read her interview.

While I Was Looking The Other Way

During the past few weeks I’ve spent so much time focusing on my band projects and my family's needs, (back-to-school for my daughters, job interviews for my husband) that I've largely ignored what's been going on in the news. My attention was grabbed by the recent, devastating hurricane and the horrifying aftermath. I was so upset by what I saw as the grossly inadequate response by the federal government to this major disaster that I felt compelled to act.

There's no question in my mind that the way President Bush reacted (or didn't react, until after the bad press started to take its toll on his public approval rating) is a direct reflection of his administration's complete disregard for the disenfranchised Americans: people of color, the poor...and add women to that list.

It took several days for the President to marshal the resources so desperately needed to save lives in Louisiana and Mississippi, but it took him only a few hours to nominate the conservative John Roberts to succeed William Rehnquist as the Chief Justice of the U.S. Again, Bush's actions are a direct reflection of his priorities: he is determined to overturn Roe v. Wade before the end of his term.

Why is it murder when a woman decides to terminate an unwanted pregnancy? And if the President knowingly refuses to spend the money on upgrading the New Orleans levees - which all reports indicated would be necessary to save lives in the event of a category 4 hurricane - and thousands of people die as a result, is that not murder?

The latest outrage: this morning, CNN reported that Kellogg, Brown and Root (a subsidiary of Halliburton) has been awarded the contract to rebuild the military facilities in the hurricane devastated areas. Again, no time is wasted where corporate greed and religious ideology are involved. But when it comes to saving the lives of what are largely poor, black Americans, I have to agree with Kanye West who had the guts to say on live t.v. what so many of us feel in our hearts: "President Bush doesn't care about black people."

It's so easy to get distracted by what's going on in our everyday lives, by our own worries and concerns, that we lose sight of the big picture, and that's what the powers that be count on. While we are all focused on the hurricane rescue efforts, the Senate Republicans and the Bush administration are seizing the opportunity to push through a massive break for the wealthiest, the repeal of the estate tax. While CNN runs tributes to the late Justice Rehnquist, no one is paying attention to the larger implications of a President who openly opposes a woman's right to choose stacking the Supreme Court with his appointees. While Fox News runs human interest stories about daring rescues in New Orleans, the Pentagon awards another multi-billion dollar contract to Dick Cheney's cronies. It's important to stay informed and the mass media often delivers kernels of truth within larger stories, but mass media more often serves to distract us rather than keep us informed. It's also natural to want to shut down when we're seeing unpleasant images or facing difficult choices. It's so much easier to focus on my daily life and let others worry about the big picture.

I've always believed that truth is compelling. The question is, how much more do we need to see before we decide to act? Let's get that greedy, murderous S.O.B. out of office now! Let's hope there's still someone down in New Orleans who can speed his retirement.

Thank You - A Night To Remember

Castration Squad reunited for the first time in 25 years last night and it was quite an evening. Thank you to Lisafer for sitting in on drums. Thanks also to Tracy, Tiffany and of course, Dinah for making it happen. Major thanks go out to Joseph Brooks, who organized and promoted the show and gave us the push we needed. Last but not least, thanks to Billy at Sound Arena rehearsal studios in Hollywood for being so flexible with us. He worked around our schedules, which, unlike most rock bands, include full-time jobs, child care and spouses to consider. He made it easy for us to squeeze in the few rehearsals we actually managed to have before the show! Just like the old Castration Squad, we did it on a wing and a prayer.



Tracy and Mary Bat-Thing. Photo by Greg & Kim McWhorter.

And thanks to all of the punk fans who bought merch at our table before and after the show, we were able to raise hundreds of dollars for the American Red Cross Hurricane Relief Fund.

I'd been putting off a visit to the dentist up until this show, knowing what was in store for me. The pain in my mouth had gone from annoying to excruciating and finally became unbearable. I had a fractured molar, all the way down to the root! Oh, and a little abscess too. I got it all cut out this afternoon and now I have a nice, bloody gap when I smile real wide...just in time for the "old-timers" photo shoot tomorrow.

Don't Forget To Bring Your Death Certificate...

I've been spreading the word about the upcoming Castration Squad reunion show, taking place this coming Friday, September 2nd in Hollywood. Click on the Date With Jack flyer above for more details. That's Tiffany in the limo with her favorite dead boyfriend.

I was reminded by Dinah Cancer at our last rehearsal that Shannon used to get angry with the rest of us girls if we broke character onstage and laughed or smiled. Shannon took Castration Squad very seriously and so we were not allowed to smile or laugh in publicity photos or onstage. This became even more difficult when Shannon decided to add a cover version of "Cruella DeVille" to our live set. During rehearsal, when she got to the line "at first you think Cruella is a devil..." we made little devil horns over our head with our fingers, which elicited some snickering behind Shannon's back. Shannon was not amused and lectured us about remaining serious onstage. But she usually ended up laughing with the rest of us as soon as we got offstage.

Dinah recalls that the reason we formed the Cambridge Apostles was in direct response to Shannon's refusal to allow us to play music with a more upbeat, pop feel. Tiffany and I switched instruments when we formed the Cambridge Apostles and she took over on bass guitar.

If you ever wanted to see Castration Squad live, this may very well be your one and only opportunity. The lineup will feature Dinah on vocals, Tiffany Kennedy on bass, Tracy Lea on guitar, Lisafer on drums and me on keyboards. We are keeping our fingers crossed for some special guests who we can't announce ahead of time. We're opening the show at 9pm, so don't be late and don't forget to bring your death certificate!

"No Good - Always Trouble"

That's what Esther "Madame" Wong once famously said about female-fronted bands. Madame Wong passed away this week at the age of 88 and the L.A. Times, in their obituary, dubbed her the "Godmother of Punk." Madame Wong may have been the Godmother of Power Pop or the Nanny of New Wave, but she was no friend to punk rock.

From the L.A. Times article: "Besides Oingo Boingo (that famous punk band), her stages presented the Police, X, the Motels, 20/20, the Knack, the Know, the Textones, the Go-Gos, the Plimsouls, the Nu-Kats, the Bus Boys, Plane English, the Naughty Sweeties and others." Contrast this with some of the bands who played her rival down the street, the Hong Kong Cafe: The Dils, Alleycats, Middle Class, Black Flag, Germs, The Consumers and acts like Johanna Went, who defied labels. It was clear which club supported punk. Truthfully, I did go to Madame Wong's on occasion; usually to throw ice at the bands onstage. You can't take me out anywhere!

In fact, it was when the Bags played a show at Madame Wong's where the audience got out of control (read about it on Michele Flipside's website) which caused her to decide that bands with girls in them were trouble and for awhile, the club refused to book groups with females, with the exception of Martha Davis and the Motels, who drew a somewhat milder audience than we did.



It's a safe bet that one band which would never have been allowed to play at Madame Wong's was Castration Squad. Greg Holcomb just sent me this photo of Shannon and Tiffany in C-Squad uniform. Tracy Lea also sent me a review of Castration Squad at Circus Disco, which reminded me that the band "conned" their way into this gig by passing off a cassette of the English band, Penetration, performing "Don't Dictate" as themselves. We even learned the song so we could play "our hit" live. It must have been immediately obvious that the whole thing was a fake when we hit the stage and performed "No Mercy For The Dead" sans British accents, but we were a hit and were invited back the following week.

Some of the original members of Castration Squad will be performing live together for the first time in twenty years on Friday, September 2 at the Key Club in Hollywood as part of the Divas of Death Rock show, along with Eva O, Dinah Cancer's 45 Grave and Voodoo Church. Be there or DIE!

Taking a Short Break

I'm taking a short break (if you couldn't tell) to complete my relocation. I'll have limited internet access until the new place gets set up, so I won't be doing much posting or website work, but I'll be back again in a couple of weeks. Enjoy the summer!

Alice

Countdown to the Weekend

Lots of stuff going on this week.

Thursday night, July 28th, I will be guest DJ'ing at La Polla Loca. Also performing that night will be the latina synth-pop duo, Cebollitas Bonitas. La Polla Loca takes place at Little Pedro's, just on the outskirts of Little Tokyo. Click on the flyer below to go to the website for directions. This is a free event and the drinks are cheap, so come on down and hang out! 21 and over...bring your fake id.



Friday night, July 29th, Anti-Market Retail Gallery presents: Silkscreens by ZEROXED! and Photographs by DAWN WIRTH (early punk era). Art Reception: 6:30pm-9:30pm, Music starts at 10pm. Featuring Live IN-STORE performances by: Punkoustica and The Sirens.
Click on the ZEROXED flyer below to visit the Anti-Market website for more details.

I hope to see you at one or BOTH nights!!

Le Tigre In L.A.

Should be a fun dance party tonight at the Avalon with Le Tigre, Gram Rabbit and Electrelane. If you're a Le Tigre fan, I'm sure you'll be there. If you aren't going to the show, but still feel like getting your groove on "Le Tigre style," you can head down to Little Pedros for Rudy Bleu's La Polla Loca club on Thursday, July 21 at 11pm to catch Le Tigre's own JD on the turntables. Here's a fun Le Tigre video to whet your appetite:



I will be guest DJ'ing next Thursday, July 28 at La Polla Loca along with Rudy Bleu. Expect my set to include everything from Bollywood dance tunes to Gloria Trevi. I'm looking forward to having a great time and hope you can make it. And best of all...it's free!

Dinah Cancer on Indie 103.1

Sorry for the short notice, but I just found out about this today. Dinah Cancer will be a guest on Indie 103.1 fm's Mighty Morning Show on Tuesday, July 19. The show begins at 7 am and guests usually roll in around 8am. Supposedly, Dinah will be getting a tattoo live on air while the host interviews her. Please listen on your radio, or you can stream it on the internet at



Call in to the station at (877) 900-1031 and let Dinah know you're listening!

Dinah is one of the real pioneers of what has come to be called "horror punk" or "death rock." And I suppose it's time to officially announce that members of Castration Squad, including Dinah, will be reuniting for a one time only show in September at the Key Club in Hollywood. More details to follow soon.

Women In L.A. Punk - Part XIV - Rover

Rover is one of those girls who added life and color to the early punk scene and made it so interesting. She received one of the first wounds (six stitches in the scalp) in the "us against them" skirmishes that seem to occur whenever people are afraid or intolerant of those who look different from them. It's hard to imagine a time and place when having short, crazy-coloured hair could provoke a violent reaction from a stranger, but that is what it was like in the 1970's.

I had no idea that it was Rover who came up with the idea of selling "best friend" status for a quarter. After awhile, the idea caught on at the Canterbury and people would offer to be your friend for the price of a burger or if you agreed to help them out with something.

Rover's interview captures the youthful innocence that was part of the early punk days but which is often overlooked for the more sensational aspects of the scene. She remembers the "in crowd" being an "impossible clique to penetrate" and says that it was "self-protective, justly so." I only recall that my friends in the scene, Rover being one, made up a sort of extended family of like-minded individuals who were similarly outcast from "normal" society.

Click on the thumbnail to read Rover's interview.

Punk = Attitude

I've heard from a few sources that I'm in (for a few seconds) the new Don Letts documentary entitled "Punk = Attitude", which apparently was shown on cable TV over the weekend. I don't have cable and I barely watch TV so I missed it, but I thought I'd repost a blog entry I wrote last August, right after the interview was conducted.

REPOSTED BLOG ENTRY:

A couple of weeks ago, I was interviewed by Don Letts for a movie he's doing on punk rock and he asked me about the difference between punk now versus punk back in the seventies. I responded that the attitude still remains alive in certain new bands, even if the sound is not what someone would describe as "punk". For example, a band like The Gossip is much more punk to me than a band like Sum 41, even though the latter band plays what is generally considered to be "the punk sound". The Gossip is extremely talented, but beyond that they have the attitude that they're gonna do what they like because they damn well feel like it! Their sound will change as they gain experience and they become more proficient but hopefully they will not change their sound or style to fit what a record company is looking for.

That's a big difference between bands nowadays and bands when I was playing with The Bags. Back then, before the internet, the major record companies really did control distribution. They didn't like punk rock because it was anti-establishment and it was too different from what had come before, so they didn't think they could sell it to the masses. Alot of the LA bands were laboring under the mistaken impression that if we just worked hard and polished our sound enough that we would be signed to a record label. Well, that just wasn't going to happen for bands like The Bags, Weirdos and Screamers.

In looking back at some old live footage of The Bags, I realized that at a certain point, I became so focused on my vocal performance that I lost much of my energy onstage. See, I used to sing off key quite a bit (no!) during performances because I was so busy going crazy. Once we started trying to polish our sound, I had to tone it down alot to keep my singing on key. It was the beginning of the end. It would have been better if I had gone on barking out the words onstage because, in retrospect, there was no way that we were going to get signed anyway. Once we started trying to be "label worthy," we lost the energy that made the Bags and punk rock unique.

People accuse Hardcore of killing off the original LA punk scene but I wonder if that scene hadn't already served its purpose and run its course. Bands that came after us, like Black Flag and Minor Threat, absorbed the lessons at which we'd failed. They took the D.I.Y. ethic a step further. They knew they were never going to be signed, they had no interest in being signed and so they refused to compromise on any level.

Which brings me to my conclusion. Kids nowadays don't have to tame their shit down because they're wiser than we were. They learned from my generation's mistakes. They know that they don't need a major label to make their music heard and they know that a record company will try to control them if they get signed, anyway.

That's the true legacy of punk, not the mohawks and studded belts, nor the Warped Tour nor any of the mega-successful bands. It's the hard-earned knowledge that you can stay true to your vision, you can do it yourself, without compromise and without a major label behind you.

arf arf,
Alice

The Bags In Portland

This is kind of a cheater post because I'm rehearsing with Punkoustica tonight, but I heard that my old Bags bandmate Terry Graham is in town and was on Indie 103.1, talking about the L.A. punk scene. I knew that I had this video that even Terry probably hasn't seen, so I thought I'd share it.

This short clip of the Bags performing "Survive" comes to us courtesy of Michael Lastra and is taken from a video he shot when we played in Portland in 1979. This lineup is the group of musicians most people know from the Dangerhouse recording sessions: Craig Lee on rhythm guitar, Terry "Dad Bag" Graham on drums, Pat Bag on bass and Rob Ritter on lead guitar. I can only share a small portion of this with you, but I'm happy to be able to share even this tiny bit because Bags recordings of this audio/video quality are extremely rare. The full song appears in Michael Lastra's soon to be released documentary on the Portland punk scene.

I hope you enjoy it. Click on the picture to launch a Windows Media player file. It's a large file, so you'll need a high speed connection.

Women In L.A. Punk, Part XIII - Genny Body

One of my strongest memories of Genny Body is of her, onstage with Backstage Pass. She had one half of her face very glamorously made up with lipstick, eye shadow, etc. and one half with no makeup at all. It was a very interesting look and reminded me a bit of the cover of Bowie's Pinups album. I was thinking about this a few nights ago and it occurred to me that Genny's makeup could be a metaphor for the time and place that her band, Backstage Pass, occupied. I thought that the made up half represented the glam scene which was then being replaced by the new punk scene. The half with no makeup represented the punk scene. It was raw and real, as opposed to the more showy, artificial glam side.

I was trying to explain to someone what it was like before punk started to take off in L.A. Alot of the people who went on to form punk bands were very into Glitter/Glam, which in my mind was the most exciting style prior to the advent of punk. Glam encompassed acts like Bowie, Queen, T-Rex...even Elton John had a Glitter element to his persona. The New York Dolls kind of pointed the way forward towards punk rock and allowed other things to happen musically in a more raw and stripped down way. But there was a brief period in L.A. before punk became firmly established (which it did quite rapidly) where people were kind of transitioning between glam and punk and that's when Backstage Pass began playing. It's important to note that Backstage Pass was an all-female band at a time when it was still very rare to find even a single woman playing an instrument.


Backstage Pass by Jenny Stern/Lens, as published in the May/June 1977 NY Rocker. Genny Schorr = Genny Body

Backstage Pass was made up of more polished and proficient musicians than most of the punk bands around at the time. Their music bridged the gap between glam and punk and was inspiring to many female musicians, who eventually went on to form their own bands.

Thanks once again to Jenny Lens for putting us in touch with one another. Please click on the Women In Punk thumbnail to read Genny's interview. Have a nice, hot Fourth of July weekend. Remember, play it Safe and Sane! No walking on bar tables!

Mumps CD Release Party

June 30th is the last day of the academic school year. Although classes for students are over on different days, the contract year ends on the 30th. A new school year begins on July 1st. What that means to many teachers is that on June 30th you must pack up your things and put them away, or if you're like me and are leaving the school, you must pack everything up and take it home. After twenty years of teaching, packing up is no small task. I spent all day sorting through things, throwing away lesson plans that I'd developed over the years, keeping only the most essential things. It was difficult physically as well as emotionally.

In the evening, my good friend Kristian Hoffman held a record release party for The Mumps new CD anthology, "How I Saved the World". The Mumps were a very early punk band that boasted well crafted songs and the charismatic Lance Loud on vocals. Because the CD has been released after Lance's death, Kristian asked various L.A. musicians to guest star on vocal duties, including me. I turned down the opportunity because I expected to be moving out of my classroom and into my new condo on the 30th. Unfortunately, due to extremely inept flooring installation, courtesy of Ikea, we are about a week and a half behind schedule and cannot move into our place yet. Anyway, that's a different story.

Let me get back to The Mumps release party. The band was absolutely brilliant. Kristian is not just a talented keyboardist/songwriter/singer; he is a witty and charming frontperson. He ushered his numerous guests up on the stage and they were all top-notch. Stand out performances for me were Lisa Jenio and Mink Stole.

I was sitting, lady-like, sipping on a Mandarin tonic when Kristian asked for volunteers to go up and play the cow bell. A young man went up and played and won a Mumps poster as a reward, but Kristian was not satisfied. "Another volunteer!" he demanded, so before I could stop myself I was up on the stage. I grabbed the cow bell and tried to walk on top of the tables while keeping a steady beat. HA!! Did you know that bar tables don't have 4 legs? The ones at Tangier have one center stand that would not support 150 pounds on platform shoes. So I fell.

Everyone gasped. Of course I'm made of rubber, so I got back up and tried to pretend that it was all part of a well rehearsed act. I got my Mumps poster and the chump award too!

Punkoustica's First Two Shows

Wow! What a fun weekend. Teresa, Angie, Tracy and I played a couple of really unusual shows this weekend. Saturday we performed at the Shipyard in Berkeley - basically a big outdoor art space. The weather changed rapidly on us and we were unprepared for the cooler temperatures. I've never played guitar in cold weather, but I remember guitarists I've worked with complaining about their hands stiffening when they were cold. Well, you guessed it. My hands were so stiff and clumsy that I messed up almost every song. I was really mad at myself.



Brrrrrrr!

The good thing is that the audience was very nice. They clapped and danced and had fun and had me pretty much convinced that their entire evening hadn't been ruined due to my lousy playing.

After our set I met up with my Myspace friend Miss Oblivious and her friend Ally and we walked to the liquor store to get something to warm our insides while the next band was setting up. We sat in a little boat that was parked outside the shipyard, sipping our drinks and pretending we were on a pleasure cruise.

I'll fast forward through the rest of the evening: cool girl singer onstage, naked man suspended above the crowd by cellophane, opera singer on roof sings as an intoxicated forklift driver backs up carelessly, nearly killing about 20 audience members, snake dancers, flaming whips, dirty port-a-potties, someone gets trapped inside one of the port-a-potties, drizzle, cop cars arrive, music, drums, bass, Doritos, hotel, snoring...

The first thing we did on Sunday morning was shop for warmer clothes. Once that was taken care of we practiced our newer songs. I dipped my hands in an ice bucket before playing each song to toughen myself up. Not really, but it sounds good doesn't it?

Later we did some thrift store shopping, went to a local swap meet, ate Indian food and visited some of the cool funky shops in Berkeley.

The SF show was at Studio Z, a nice, toasty indoor venue. The sound man took an extra 5 minutes to give us a better sound than we'd had the night before. This helped alot. Our second show was much better than the first.

More cool performances by Binky, The Weegs, Savage Republic, and Skip Arnold.

Punkoustica survived it's first two shows, and now for L.A. Keep an eye on our MySpace profile for show dates.

We're not playing this weekend, but a bunch of cool bands are playing at the second annual Fuck Yeah Fest in Echo Park on Saturday, July 2. Toys That Kill, Mean Reds, Dillinger Four...if you're in town, come check out what the kids are up to!

Punkoustica Goes To S.F.

The usual craziness this week...trying to finish out the school year. This is the last week of class for my students. At the same time, I am trying to set up my own daughter in her new school for fall, which involves providing proof of residency since we're moving to a new district, that's harder than it sounds. Then, Punkoustica rehearsals whenever I can squeeze in a few hours on weeknights. Plus dealing with the remodeling contractors who are not doing what they are supposed to do. I'm about to explode from all the stress and anxiety.

And those of you in the Bay Area will be able to watch me release all of that anxiety and stress this Sat and Sun as part of the How To Destroy The Universe Festival. Click on the highlighted link to get location, time and ticket info. I'm really looking forward to these shows! If you live in the L.A. area, we'll be doing some shows in July, so stay tuned.

I also want to thank everyone for the very nice feedback we've received on Dawn Wirth's interview. It was really sweet that her Dad wrote in.

I'll be back next week with stories from the road. I hope to see you at our shows this weekend!

Women In L.A. Punk Part XII - Dawn Wirth

Dawn and Alice - Photo by Sarah Wirth

I first met Dawn Wirth over 25 years ago through a mutual friend. She was taking photography classes and we soon found out that she was a talented photographer who was enthusiastic about documenting the new scene by taking pictures of the bands. I hadn't seen her since the late 1970's. We were recently reunited thanks to the internet.

Dawn was very involved in supporting the early scene bands. She used her photos to create promo items for the Weirdos and Mumps. In the days before the internet, the only way unsigned bands could get their name out was through fan clubs and flyers.

It is my honor to post a few of her photos, many of which have never been previously published. We wanted to post more, but we were unable to get them in time to run alongside this interview. We hope to be able to post more of her work in the months ahead.

Please click on the Women In Punk thumbnail to read Dawn's interview and see her some of her photos, which feature some of the best known figures in the early L.A. punk scene. Enjoy!

How To Destroy The Universe

No, it's not the title of George W. Bush's bedside reading. How To Destroy The Universe is the name of a 3 day music/art/performance festival in the Bay Area from June 24 - June 26 in which Punkoustica will take part, along with dozens of artists and acts ranging from a "human body hook suspension" (I have a few candidates in mind for that) to Kira Roessler and Mike Watt's DOS to a rare performance by Savage Republic. Punkoustica (formerly Las Tres) has stripped down and de-petrified our sound and you can hear a sample of our newer material right now. It's raw from the garage...literally. Click on the thumbnail below to download an MP3 of Modern Day Virgin Sacrifice. Rip it, burn it, play it for all your friends.

Stare at your reflection
Looking for perfection
What you're looking for is never seen
The truth that I behold is crystalline

I can tell you now, I can tell you now
That road will get you lost
I can tell you now, I can tell you now
It isn’t worth the cost

You’re indoctrinated
The monster must be sated
And you my little lamb, my little girl
Are ripe to feed the greed of this old world

I can tell you now, I can tell you now
That road will get you lost
I can tell you now, I can tell you now
It isn’t worth the cost
Oh look at you, all sugar and spice
You’re a modern day virgin sacrifice





Punkoustica is on Myspace. Check us out, sign up and become our friend! Myspace is a great place to check out new bands and see naked butts, too.

Here's the flyer from Mobilization for the How To Destroy fest. Click on it to find out ticket prices and lots more info. I hope those of you who live in the Bay Area can make it out to this event.

A Date With Jack

A nice fellow named Rod Zink recently emailed me a copy of a Castration Squad gig flyer that brought back some memories:



Castration Squad was an L.A based all-female punk band back in the early 1980's. I recall my Canterbury roommate, Shannon, sitting around, brainstorming ideas for the band back in the

late seventies, but it wasn't until the 1980's when her nightmare vision of a militant, death/horror fixated, all-girl band was realized. Shannon was a dark-haired, pale beauty, never leaving the apartment without her "full face" on. Pleasant once described her as a "punk Vivien Leigh." She found her deathly beautiful blonde counterpart in another L.A. punk, Mary Bat-Thing, later to become famous as Dinah Cancer, lead singer of 45 Grave.

Among others, Castration Squad's lineup included Tracy Lea (who was also in Red Cross and appeared as Tanya Hearst in the cult movie Desperate Teenage Lovedolls), Tiffany Kennedy (Cambridge Apostles), Phranc (Nervous Gender, Catholic Discipline), Elissa Bello (Go-Go's) and yours truly. With Shannon as lead singer and Mary as backup, Castration Squad and its avowed mission "to repair men" could have been somewhat intimidating, but it was mostly in the spirit of fun.



Getting back to the gig flyer, Castration Squad, and in particular, Tiffany had an obsession with John F. Kennedy, so much so that the band played a JFK memorial show each year on the anniversary of his assassination. Tiffany wrote a love song to her favorite dead President, entitled "A Date With Jack", which you can listen to here. I'd go anywhere with him...even Dallas!

Very sadly, I heard from friends that Shannon is no longer among the undead. She is one of the fallen comrades to whom I've dedicated my Women in L.A. Punk page. Along with bands like the Slits and the Raincoats, Shannon was ahead of her time and adopted an aggressively feminist punk stance long before anyone had heard of Riot Grrrls. If you want to learn more about female punk musicians of the 70's and 80's from all over the world, a great resource out of Switzerland is Jenny Woolworth's archive.

The Queen's Quilt

As you might gather from the lack of recent posts, I'm still going crazy with all the stress and activity surrounding my family's impending move from the Eastside to the Westside of L.A. It's only about 17 miles in terms of distance, but those who know Los Angeles will acknowledge that East is East and West is West. I've lived on the Eastside for 46 years, and I only know two people, one bar and one restaurant on the Westside.

It's easy for me to get wrapped up in all the details of our daily lives, worrying about paying the bills, feeling burnt out from working long hours and constantly running errands. Music has always been good therapy for me, so I pulled out some old recordings of my songs to refresh my memory of them and perhaps rearrange them for Punkoustica. I came across a rough demo version of a song I wrote about my own childhood, called "Queen's Quilt," which I'll share with you here. It has much in common with Dolly Parton's "Coat of Many Colors," though I was not trying to do my own version of that song. I have to admit that the song itself is pretty corny, but I've always been partial to corny songs. The quilt could use a trip to the dry cleaners and the song is pretty old and dusty too, but what the heck, I'll share it with you.

Queen's Quilt

It was long ago and times were rough just like today
Mom and Daddy didn't have a cent left to their names
Driving through those darkened streets in the hub of industry
They found treasures in the dumpsters while the city was asleep

I watched from the car as Mom and Dad climbed in the bins
Pulling sample books and remnant cloth squares from within
Mama sewed a quilt for me, scavenged cloth fit for a Queen
Brightly colored velvet pieces and a patch of velveteen

The Queen's Quilt is laying on my bed and when I'm feeling bad
It reminds me that things do get better, that I'll find a way

All that winter Mama sewed while Daddy sold the quilts
And by spring the winter's hardship had begun to melt
Driving through those darkened streets in the hub of industry
They found treasures in the dumpsters while the city was asleep

Listening to the words, I began to think what it must have been like for my parents (who are now deceased), struggling to get by when neither of them had regular jobs or a high school education. When times got tough, they scraped by any way they could. Being children of the Depression, they were raised to be thrifty and resourceful and those survival skills served them well many times over the years. In particular, my Mother was very self-reliant and (it seemed to me) she could just as easily patch a hole in a leaking roof as she could prepare a delicious meal out of practically nothing.

Taking the time to think about their lives helped me to place my own worries and stress in perspective (for tonight). Thank you, Mom and Dad.

GUTTERVOMIT

That's the name of a new D.I.Y. art/music/lifestyle 'zine that I'm enjoying right now. It's creative, well-written and visually inventive, much more so than glossy magazines with huge budgets. You can find it at Antimarket and at other locations around L.A.




Check it out and support alternative media!

Speaking of Antimarket, Punkoustica may do a little informal instore show next weekend. I'll let you know the details if it pans out.

Hot Tip for 2Nite

Psst! Rudy Bleu and Senior host a weekly dance party at Little Pedro's called La Polla Loca and tonight fatherfucker/rockstar Peaches is going to rock the turntables as a guest DJ. It should be packed, so get there early. Little Pedro's is on 1st street, as you leave Little Tokyo and head toward the bridge, on your left hand side.

Kari Krome - Women in L.A. Punk XI

We're up to #11 in my series of interviews with influential women in the early L.A. punk scene. Can you believe it?

This bi-weekly installment of close encounters of the female kind is with none other than Ms. Kari Krome.

Kari Krome's interview came about quite by chance. A few months ago, when some of the remaining members of Castration Squad were toying with the idea of a reunion, Tracy Lea received an email from Kari Krome, asking about the group's plans. Given Kari's role in creating the seminal all-female rock band, The Runaways, we were very impressed and intrigued. One thing led to another and I quickly prevailed upon her to do an interview for my website.

Click on the image below to read Kari's interview and enjoy!



Photo of Kari Krome copyright SACRED DOGS ENTERTAINMENT / Used with permission.

Dances With Crones

I spent last Saturday dancing with crones. Before you think I've become an ageist and am slandering women of a certain age, let me tell you about my experience.

My Punkoustica bandmate, Angela asked me to join her on a couple of songs at her sister’s 60th birthday party, so I agreed. I wasn't sure what to expect. I guess I assumed that the party would be mostly older folks and might not be terribly exciting, but it wasn’t at all what I expected. I’d never had the opportunity to be around so many older women in a festive setting. Some were married, some single, some divorced or widowed, but regardless of their marital status they all behaved in a way that showed they were not concerned with what anyone thought about them. These older women seemed to have a much stronger sense of identity, individuality and confidence than is typically found in younger women.

When the music started playing and these women got up to dance, they weren't dancing any recognizable steps. They simply moved their bodies along with the music. They twirled, jerked, jumped and gyrated with such carefree enthusiasm that I was irresistably drawn into their circle. I imagine that the energy I felt in the midst of that circle must have been something like the energy that witches tap into with their own dance rituals. The sense of power, wisdom, and creative energy swirling all around that dance floor was like magick. Looking into their eyes, I sensed that these women could own the world if they wished, or turn you to stone if they chose to. Being in their company allowed me to feel the full strength of womanhood, and it gave me something to look forward to as I mature and learn the wisdom of the crone.

The word "crone" is often associated with the image of a shriveled old hag, usually one bent on evil-doing. I suspect that this has more to do with the Roman Catholic Church's attempt to malign the ancient Goddess cults and pre-Christian religions than anything else. In our own culture, we perpetuate this negative association with female aging by focusing almost exclusively on young women as the symbols of femininity. "Crone" has become the word society uses to express disdain for older women, but in reality, Crone should be the image for self-assurance, self-empowerment and self-knowledge that comes with age. Crone is the fulfillment of life experience and wisdom and should be revered.

Happy Birthday, Joey

There's nothing I can say about the influence of Joey and the Ramones that hasn't been said a million times already. Instead, on the occasion of Joey's birthday, I thought I'd share a spoken word piece by a group called Too Much Girl. What could be better than sharing a piece of lemon meringue pie with Joey Ramone?

The Joey Episode

Scooter Makes Good

For those of you who don't live in L.A., you may not be aware that we just elected our first Latino mayor since 1872. That's a pretty big deal to those of us who are of Mexican American descent.



It's even more special for me because I went to high school with the new First Lady of Los Angeles, Corina, pictured here with her husband, our new mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa.


Oddly enough, a few months back, I ran into Corina at Trader Joe's. We chatted for a bit about what we were doing because we hadn't seen each other in about thirty years. She told me she was a teacher and reading specialist. A couple of days later, I got an election mailer that had a picture of the mayoral hopeful and his wife and I thought, "that looks like Corina." Duh. Her name in high school had been Corina Raigosa (see below) and the couple had agreed to share both surnames upon marriage, hence Antonio Villar became Antonio Villaraigosa. I think that's really great, except Alicia Velasquezarmendariz would not fit on my driver's license.

Corina was one of the first people to befriend me when I transferred from Garfield High into the all-girl Catholic high school, Sacred Heart of Mary. We were known as the Scooters and our mascot was an elephant. Don't ask me why, because I don't know.
Anyway, I was known as "Ziggy" in those days, a reflection of my love for David Bowie and my all around weirdness. I've posted Corina's senior picture alongside mine, for your amusement. The writing on my picture is my own. I didn't have very many friends, so I wrote to myself, "To Alice, You're the best friend I ever had and I hope it will always be that way. I love ya, Ziggy."

GO SCOOTERS!!!

Hitman

Here's a little treat for you all: a teaser clip of The Weirdos, performing Hitman live at the Masque in 1978 for a taping of a T.V. show about the punk rock craze. It's hard to hear with the poor sound quality - keep in mind that the Masque was really a big basement with terrible acoustics - but the audience reaction should give you some idea of just how powerful this band was. On a bad night, the Weirdos were amazing. On a good night, they were untouchable. In the audience that particular night were lots of Masque regulars, including at the front of the stage Karla Maddog, the awesome drummer for the Controllers. She's wearing a raincoat, getting pummelled and fighting for her life...and probably loving every second of it, as we all were. In a different clip I saw from the same video, I noticed the photographer, Dawn Wirth taking photos of the Weirdos. Here's one:


Photo of John Denney of the Weirdos by Dawn Wirth.

Coincidentally, I just recently got in touch with Dawn after 25 years. She will be a featured interview in a few weeks, and she will be allowing us to publish some of her rarely seen photos from the early punk days, like this photo of Tommy Gear of the Screamers. Dawn has some amazing shots which we can't wait to share with you. Thanks, Dawn!


Photo of Tommy Gear of the Screamers by Dawn Wirth.

Punk Sex Symbols

Terry Graham = Johnny Depp? You be the judge. This is for all the Terry Graham fans out there. We had no idea he had so many. Either that or Terry has been feverishly posting as "anonymous"!



Speaking of sex symbols, we are pleased as punch (and why exactly is punch so damn pleased?) to announce the posting of the latest in a series of interviews with Women In L.A. Punk, Trudie!

Click on the thumbnail to read an interview with L.A.'s Favorite Punk.

Happy Mother's Day

We're getting ready to move into a new home, so we have to get rid of some things that I've had packed away for years in the garage and underneath the house. One of the boxes we came across today while putting things out for a yard sale contained more rare stuff from the early punk days in L.A. Once again, my mother had saved these things from the trash can (unbeknownst to me) and stashed them in a cardboard box along with other keepsakes, like this photo of the two of us:


We'll be posting some of the things my Mom saved in the archives shortly, but we wanted to give you a peek at what we just found today:


A Weirdos Songbook from 1977


A flyer for the FIRST Bags show at the Masque, 1977


Some old issues of Flipside.


More old photos...here's Terry Graham.

So, once again thanks to my Mom, we have a lot more to share with you in the weeks and months ahead. Remember to be nice to your own Mother!