Unforgettable

[gordonzola]

substitute made a list of unforgettable live shows that I loved reading. Here are a few of mine (in San Francisco unless noted):

Devo Berkeley Community Theater 1979
Thank god I had this as my first show ever instead of something awful like Journey at Day on the Green.

Flipper, Butthole Surfers, Frightwig On Broadway 1984 My first real punk show. I was hooked forever. My reaction to the Buttholes was, "I don’t know what the fuck this is, but I think I love it." Held on the day Dan White was released from prison, it was a mock "Welcome Home" party.

Toy Dolls at the On Broadway 1984
Probably the most violent show I ever attended. About 20 skins stood in front of the stage and if anyone got near them they’d provoke an incident and pounce, 20 on 1. This for a joke punk band that sang songs about spiders and circus elephants. Some brave souls that I later realized were MRR folks tried to rally the crowd into standing up to the Nazis with mixed results and a lot more flowing of blood. I don’t miss those days, but it made the backpack and white belt years of the ‘90s all the more absurd.

Social Distortion, Minutemen Ruthie’s Inn, Berkeley1984
I went for Social D but left in love with The Minutemen.

Dead Kennedys, MDC, Dicks, Reagan Youth, DRI Democratic National Convention Protest 1984
Life changing. I got arrested that day at the post-show protest which lead me further down the road towards the anarchists. More arrests on this day than any other since the early ‘70s anti-war protests.

Chumbawamba, Neurosis, Cringer, Offspring, High Risk Group Women’s Building 1990
This might very well have been the best show I’ve ever seen. Chumbawamba figuring out who the real anarchists were by playing "dance music" off their "Slap" album. High Risk Group performing modern dance at a punk show. The queer punk scene forming itself through putting on shows at SF’s feminist community center. A friend living across the street for a good place to drink before and after the show. Everything was perfect.

Feederz, Adrenalin OD, Kwikway, Isocracy, Mr. T Experience The MRR Warehouse Project (Gilman St.) 1988
The infamous dead dog show. Really, it kinda sucked. And all guy bands from Jersey are never as funny as they think they are.

The Layabouts, MDC, Scream, Mr. T Experience Anarchist Survival Gathering, Toronto 1988
Two shows actually, one for da punx and one for the other anarchists. I went to both. The acid kicked in about halfway through Scream and Dave MDC lead me past a gauntlet of cops to roam the streets of Toronto all night.

Bikini Kill, Nation of Ulysses Epicenter 1990? 1991?
Who are these bands who have their own zines? Will they live up to their own hype? Yes, oh yes. A brief return to punk regionalism when bands you’ve only heard rumors of shows up in your town and leave a new movement and new style in their wake. I remember another volunteer putting on the NOU 7" about an hour before they arrived to "see what these guys sound like". We all had demo tapes of both bands when they drove away.

The Ex, Tribe 8 Epicenter 1992?
Dutch anarchists playing SF for the first time in years and local queers playing their first or second show. The Ex was amazing, Tribe 8 groundbreaking.

Bikini Kill, MDC Club Kommotion 1994(?)
Terrible. MDC a decade past their prime and just embarrassing. Kinda like that scene in "Repo Man" where Emilio Estevez sees the Circle Jerks in Gold lamme jackets playing lounge music and says, "I can’t believe I used to like these guys". Billy from Bikini Kill got mad at the (volunteer-run!) club because they kicked out some buddy of his for stealing beer and walked out. BK recruited someone from the audience and it was unbearable. Everyone could tell BK was pretty much over.

Aztlan Nation Gilman St.1994
Chicano hip hop. It was some kind of anti-racist benefit and these guys just blew away the punk bands. Of course, whoever organized it billed the lamest, most-PC bands ever and got mad at me when I suggested they book someone like Rancid. The punx were mis-represented and it was embarrassing, But Aztlan Nation was awesome.

Feelings on a Grid My basement 2002
This band should have been huge. They should have lead the anti-racist, working class, queer synth punk rebellion. Now all we have is our memories.

I wish I had continued to keep a show diary past 1987, I can’t remember how many bands I saw in the ‘90s. Of course, most of them sucked. Still, I’m sure I’m forgetting something.

Comments

[sophistimicated.livejournal.com]

Gawd, but how I loved Nation of Ulysses. BK, too, but I saw them all the time at my school, so familiarity blunted the glee, a bit.

I think my favorite live show was the first YoYo a Go-Go.

[gordonzola.livejournal.com]

I was at the second or third. I stayed for most of it but then Oly got to me and I fled to Seattle for 24 hours.

[jamie-miller.livejournal.com]

I never really was one of those "Oh god I wish I had been around to see those shows" kind of person until yesterday when I saw Walk the Line and realized that, had I been born in, say, 1945, I could have seen Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis, June Carter and Roy Orbison perform together.

And also when I read your post. Flipper & Butthole Surfers? The DNC protest in 84? I bet those were fun, to say the least.

[gordonzola.livejournal.com]

totally. However we can agree that some times were bleak too. After the DKs broke up, the best show in SF was Verbal Abuse and Fang. Those were sad, sad times.

[(Anonymous)]

Funny!!! You know, I'm just about to write a journal entry on one of those bands, it's SOOOOO timely!

And the BK shows. Those were incredible times. I didn't say "Fun" because there was so much tension, drama, emotion in the air. It was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Every show they played involved some controversy or other. And the premises that BK played with - girls up front, no male photogs, etc - just added even MORE tension. Remember how it was? You didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

And I was thinkin about that Kommotion show. You didn't name names, but that show was ruined by someone I shall dub "D." He was super wasted, and I think there was some behind-the-scenes stuff going on with him and B. of BK that made them have to ditch the show. Ugly. I ran into "D." a few years ago and he's still got the same amount of animosity towards me as ever. I feel like saying, "hey, remember all those times you were a complete FUCKUP and freaked people out with your insane, speed-fueled tirades? And, about that show you ruined...?"

But whatever, it's all history now.

[gordonzola.livejournal.com]

yeah, I didn't even mention seeing BK and the Tourettes at the San Ho library. That was an awesome show and nothing bad happened! arispurr was there.

and yeah, I never got the full story but the who B storming off the stage thing seemed, well, not contrived, but incomplete as a reason to give up the show.

and, shhhh, I didn't read the zine before the show and didn't know I wasn't supposed to take pics. I've got some. Shhhhhh.

Re: hey

[gordonzola.livejournal.com]

oops, I replied above.

Re: hey

[gordonzola.livejournal.com]

any Epicenter shows you would have added to your list?

Re: hey

[clear-all.livejournal.com]

Nails of Hawaiian!

Re: hey

[gordonzola.livejournal.com]

Ha. I forgot about that. I think I have a pic of Sharon wrapped up in that ripped banner actually. And I found a really cute pic of you and a really funny one from, you know, back when you were PUNK.

i am so sleepy

[spoonfeeding.livejournal.com]

gah.

hey thanks for your nice message! I left my phone at home so did not get it til now.

i am nto even reading your post. this is how bad a firend i am! i will read it later when the big words wil make sense.

what are you doing sunday? will you come by robert's for games and drinks? 11-11. bring your hubris and your game face.

tomorrow i will call you.

also: ABELSKEEVERS!

But Hey, Most Things Do

[cuervolinda.livejournal.com]

The thought of you in the Stranglers shirt at these shows is making me really hot. You are my punk rawk teen fantasy come to life.

Re: But Hey, Most Things Do

[gordonzola.livejournal.com]

wow. you really needed higher aspirations for your fantasies. ;)

[purejuice.livejournal.com]

The queer punk scene forming itself through putting on shows at SF’s feminist community center.
was that the revolution?
have you written about it?
will you?
thanks for this, lovebird. it really does a lot of 'splainin'.

[purejuice.livejournal.com]

ps. skins? MRR? decode for mama, pliss.

he he, thats easy

[unemployia.livejournal.com]

skinheads (bald rasicist fascist heads, form packs and punch and kick you)- and Maximum Rock n roll - the big punkrock zine

Re: he he, thats easy

[purejuice.livejournal.com]

oh, skinheads. i was wracking my brain, thinking, redskins, shirts 'n' skins. didn't G work for MRR or something of the kind?

Re: he he, thats easy

[gordonzola.livejournal.com]

Yes, I did zine reviews for MRR for a few years in the late '90s early '00s.

[gordonzola.livejournal.com]

Well, it was a revolution of a sort and it was a close ally of the riot grrrl scene. But I always thought that whole crowd overused the word revolution to the extent of making the word mnearly meaningless. I mean, if the "revolution is my girlfriend", then one never really needs to leave the house. I know that a literal reading and not the desired symbolic one, but hey, I'm like that.

I have not written about it. The Homocore archives are a good place to start reading about it . I blurred history in my entry because Homocore was active before the Women's Building shows. The consolidation and growth of homopunk really took off in SF with those shows and later the Q-TIP (Queers Together in Punkness) ones at Epicenter.

crusherrr up there was a pretty influential force. And it's all I can do not to scan some really funny pics of him that I found while looking for some Bikini Kill shots.

[gordonzola.livejournal.com]

but soooooo cuuuuuuuute!

[gordonzola.livejournal.com]

Actually, I'll scan 'em in a couple of days and send them to you. What's your e-mail?

gordonzola @ livejournal.com

[purejuice.livejournal.com]

bingo. political agency is the huge question about, uhm, let's call it "gender" "performance". not going there. not without my cup on.
thank you for the link, i shall peruse.

ps

[unemployia.livejournal.com]

Gordon, I was in the 88 anarchist gathering in Toronto - do you remember me, I was the tall tall girl with long hair and a little few month old baby. But I hung out in the childcare room and loved it there ... so much! I loved meeting the few other parents and people that came in, it was up to my speed.

missed the show, didn't go to a single workshop, ate toast with nutritional yeast on it all week, lost a few pounds (nursing burns up so many callories) - came up in a van with friends from DC. was fun though.

Re: ps

[gordonzola.livejournal.com]

I'm sure we crosed paths. It was all new and exciting to me, meeting the anarchist freaks from all over northern North America. I hadn't made it to Chicago or MPLS so it was my first anarchist convention. Mostly I hung out with the larger affinity groups connected to ours in Ithaca. We were the Schuylerians, we were loosely affiliated with the Bolos and the Vermonts and some NYC squatters.

Re: ps

[ketzie.livejournal.com]

I keep posting before reading everything.

I knew the Schuylerians and the Vermonts/Bolos. In fact, I tagged along to the DNC in Atlanta, stopped off at Earl's family's farm, then moved to Philly.

I have long suspected that we've had near-misses in the past.

Re: ps

[gordonzola.livejournal.com]

Damn. We're anarcho-related. You must have been traveling with Schuyler (Beth) and Mike M too, right? I heard you listened to the Subhumans over and over again.

I went to Erle's wedding at the farm a few years ago.

Re: ps

[ketzie.livejournal.com]

I wasn't actually travelling with them. I seem to recall that they went on to New Orleans and we took Beth's bike back to Philly.

Re: ps

[dcart.livejournal.com]

I knew you two would be anarcho-related. :)

Re: ps

[unemployia.livejournal.com]

in Hanover, Maryland? the housw with the different coloured roomss and the hawk living in the wall, and the harvest festival? Earl and Andrew. i was there - met up from folks from the peace march and went off in that dirrection that summer.

do you know Olga vermont? my name is china

Re: ps

[unemployia.livejournal.com]

"Schuylerians" - that sounds sooo familiar. I knew two guys who came from Ithaca where they were going to college - to try anarchist organic cooperative farming one summer down in Hanover,Maryland, we had a harvest festival there too. That was a year or two before. Andrew (?) - i think was that the guys name. Very cute - and gay - I had a big crush on him. Later (1989) he moved out to the bay area

Re: ps

[ketzie.livejournal.com]

Do you remember a guy named Paradox? he was one of the Philly crowd. I seem to recall that he did a lot of childcare that week.

Re: ps

[gordonzola.livejournal.com]

yes, I do remember the name. He may have come to Ithaca for a little bit of time. It's kind of a haze though.

Ah, Toronto..

[ketzie.livejournal.com]

I was also at both the MDC and Layabouts shows. I now live in Toronto and every time I go by the Waverly I annoy whomever I'm with by reminiscing yet again.

Re: Ah, Toronto..

[gordonzola.livejournal.com]

when are you coming to visit SF so we can gossip about old times?

do you know bikenerd? I met her at the '89 San Francisco gathering. She is awesome and lives in Toronto.

[nunofthat.livejournal.com]

I'm still on a date with my feelings!

[gordonzola.livejournal.com]

I hope you always will be.

my wife says

[elbowd.livejournal.com]

if I add you as a friend, I'm supposed to leave a comment.

So, what about Idiot Flesh?

Re: my wife says

[gordonzola.livejournal.com]

I have no opinion about Idiot Flesh.

and welcome.

Times of No Grace

[mr-flippant.livejournal.com]

I went to a White Zombie show in TJ and Neurosis opened. Their fans, who clearly didn't care about WZ, lined up in front of the stage but only stacked up about three people...deep and tapered off on the ends. That did not stop them from stage diving or keep one guy from doing a header on the concrete floor.

Re: Times of No Grace

[gordonzola.livejournal.com]

well, no one ever said Neurosis fans were the smartest of the bunch...

and that show was in Trader joe's? Awesome!

"I’m sure I’m forgetting something"

[jactitation.livejournal.com]

What about Chumbawamba at Komotion?

Re: "I’m sure I’m forgetting something"

[gordonzola.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, I think my mind blended those two shows together. Do you remember who else played the Kommotion one?

[tiredshaw.livejournal.com]

FLIPPER!

[gordonzola.livejournal.com]

Such an underrated band!

[tiredshaw.livejournal.com]

I think my favorite song by them conceptually is "Brainwash". It's the most honest and real commentary on punk rock that I feel exists... they keep playing the same song again and again despite the fact that the audience doesn't understand. They said more in that one song than most bands did in their entire careers

[dcart.livejournal.com]

I wish I had kept a show diary at all, ever. It really seems now that I only remember the shows where I was blown away by someone's performance (good or bad) or had something personally memorable happen to me. I sometimes can't even remember if I ever got around to seeing certain bands when their music turns up on my mp3 player or the like.

[gordonzola.livejournal.com]

heh, I was going through mine and was all, "I saw Red Kross? Token Entry?..." I wish I had kept it up. It was only after writing this that I remembered the 7 Year Bitch/Tribe 8 show that should have been on that list.