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.