Read Gimme Something Better Online
Authors: Jack Boulware
Gimme Something Better (4 page)
Edwin Heaven:
I created a lot of publicity for them. They opened up at the Boarding House for the Dictators, played with the Ramones, Bryan Ferry. I wasn’t building a crowd in San Francisco, I was building a record company buzz.
I created a lot of publicity for them. They opened up at the Boarding House for the Dictators, played with the Ramones, Bryan Ferry. I wasn’t building a crowd in San Francisco, I was building a record company buzz.
Steve DePace:
They had more money than anyone in the scene at that time. Everybody else was climbing into cars and vans to go to the gig, and these guys—they all had brand-new gear. And they weren’t making that much money at the Mab, to pay for all that.
They had more money than anyone in the scene at that time. Everybody else was climbing into cars and vans to go to the gig, and these guys—they all had brand-new gear. And they weren’t making that much money at the Mab, to pay for all that.
Jennifer Miro:
We opened for every single famous punk band that came in. Mabuhay was a mob scene. Every celebrity, every punk band was playing there. We went to a party and David Bowie was there. Iggy Pop. Mabuhay Gardens was the spot.
We opened for every single famous punk band that came in. Mabuhay was a mob scene. Every celebrity, every punk band was playing there. We went to a party and David Bowie was there. Iggy Pop. Mabuhay Gardens was the spot.
Steve DePace:
Their shows were fun. But they were going for that rock star thing, they wanted to plug into that rock star mind-set. Whereas every other band was like, “We’re not gonna get signed, are you crazy?”
Their shows were fun. But they were going for that rock star thing, they wanted to plug into that rock star mind-set. Whereas every other band was like, “We’re not gonna get signed, are you crazy?”
Hank Rank:
My first time at the Mab, Crime came out. And my whole life changed at that moment. I felt like, it’s back. I saw Iggy and the Stooges many times, and the MC5 many times. I was seeing Alice Cooper’s first tour in small clubs. When I saw Crime, I thought, “This is the music I love.”
My first time at the Mab, Crime came out. And my whole life changed at that moment. I felt like, it’s back. I saw Iggy and the Stooges many times, and the MC5 many times. I was seeing Alice Cooper’s first tour in small clubs. When I saw Crime, I thought, “This is the music I love.”
They just were tough and very cold. They came out and played 10 songs in 15 minutes, and they were off. No encore, just as abusive to the audience as possible. I was destroyed. I thought it was one of the greatest shows I’d ever seen.
Right after that show, Dirk took the stage and said, “Crime is looking for a drummer. So if anybody out there knows any drummers, they’re auditioning.” I made up my mind. I have to be the drummer in this band.
I had only sat down at a drum kit maybe three or four times in my life. But I made this elaborate presentation. I made myself over in the image of Frankie and Johnny, and created a whole photo montage, of me in various poses. It ended with a picture of Frankie and Johnny and my picture between them, so that we looked like three brothers.
To make sure that it stood out from the avalanche of responses that I was sure they were gonna be getting, I sent it to them special delivery with the entire envelope covered in one-cent stamps. I later found out from Johnny that it was the only submission they received.
Johnny Strike:
It was the picture that sold us.
It was the picture that sold us.
Hank Rank:
We got into the uniformed look, and that became the trademark of the band.
We got into the uniformed look, and that became the trademark of the band.
Johnny Strike:
We went to where the police bought their uniforms, and were measured. I had a cop badge. Sometimes we wore suits, like detectives, and put our badges on our suit jackets. But the police uniform, that’s the one we’re famous for. We were in
Gentleman’s Quarterly
with that. We were in
Weekly World News
.
We went to where the police bought their uniforms, and were measured. I had a cop badge. Sometimes we wore suits, like detectives, and put our badges on our suit jackets. But the police uniform, that’s the one we’re famous for. We were in
Gentleman’s Quarterly
with that. We were in
Weekly World News
.
Al Ennis:
Crime was so exciting. They were very theatrical. The music was rudimentary, but really powerful straight-ahead punk rock ’n’ roll. The stage would be black and these sirens would go off, and cherry tops would be going around, and they’d come on in police uniforms and start hitting these chords.
Crime was so exciting. They were very theatrical. The music was rudimentary, but really powerful straight-ahead punk rock ’n’ roll. The stage would be black and these sirens would go off, and cherry tops would be going around, and they’d come on in police uniforms and start hitting these chords.
Jimmy Crucifix:
One of the first shows I saw at the Mabuhay was the Sleepers and Crime. I was about 18 or 19. I needed money to get back home, so I brought a bunch of pot to sell. I was standing by the bathroom, and a guy in a cop uniform looked at me, and saw me with a fuckin’ bag of pot, and I went in the girls’ bathroom and flushed it down the toilet. And then I saw him up onstage playing.
One of the first shows I saw at the Mabuhay was the Sleepers and Crime. I was about 18 or 19. I needed money to get back home, so I brought a bunch of pot to sell. I was standing by the bathroom, and a guy in a cop uniform looked at me, and saw me with a fuckin’ bag of pot, and I went in the girls’ bathroom and flushed it down the toilet. And then I saw him up onstage playing.
Dave Chavez:
I thought their gimmick was great. Cops, gangsters, fedoras—one time it was tuxedos. They were just cool. They always had a look. And they spent time with it.
I thought their gimmick was great. Cops, gangsters, fedoras—one time it was tuxedos. They were just cool. They always had a look. And they spent time with it.
They were the first ones to start the low microphone thing. Where you put the microphone real low so you have to have your legs out when you’re playing. They kinda reminded me of Link Wray. His music was much better.
Danny Furious:
I loved it when Frankie would wear a candy striper’s dress onstage. Crime were so pretentious and lovable.
I loved it when Frankie would wear a candy striper’s dress onstage. Crime were so pretentious and lovable.
Jimmy Crucifix:
It was like when you went to see KISS, except in the punk rock world. Here was this band playing that couldn’t even tune their guitars. But it sounded so good.
It was like when you went to see KISS, except in the punk rock world. Here was this band playing that couldn’t even tune their guitars. But it sounded so good.
Klaus Flouride:
Crime were visually such an assault on your senses. Those guys had rubber faces, too. And they would say, “Oh, we’re not part of the punk scene. We’re above all that.”
Crime were visually such an assault on your senses. Those guys had rubber faces, too. And they would say, “Oh, we’re not part of the punk scene. We’re above all that.”
James Stark:
About the third or fourth gig that Crime and the Nuns played, they played together at the Mabuhay. There was a big battle about who was going to be the headliner. They both figured they were the big guns in town. So the compromise finally reached with the poster was that the names would be the same size on the same line.
About the third or fourth gig that Crime and the Nuns played, they played together at the Mabuhay. There was a big battle about who was going to be the headliner. They both figured they were the big guns in town. So the compromise finally reached with the poster was that the names would be the same size on the same line.
Johnny Strike:
We decided we would once and for all put an end to this competition thing. I remember telling the group before we went out, “Okay, this is it. We’re gonna pull every trick in the book.” I remembered the old story of Jerry Lee Lewis setting his piano on fire, and went back and telling Chuck Berry, “Now follow that.” So we went out, and Frankie was in between my legs playing, we were rolling around the stage. We played like a ten-minute set or something, as insane as possible. We went off, and the audience went on for it seemed forever. We went back and the Nuns were just kinda sitting back there looking at us, “You fuckers.”
We decided we would once and for all put an end to this competition thing. I remember telling the group before we went out, “Okay, this is it. We’re gonna pull every trick in the book.” I remembered the old story of Jerry Lee Lewis setting his piano on fire, and went back and telling Chuck Berry, “Now follow that.” So we went out, and Frankie was in between my legs playing, we were rolling around the stage. We played like a ten-minute set or something, as insane as possible. We went off, and the audience went on for it seemed forever. We went back and the Nuns were just kinda sitting back there looking at us, “You fuckers.”
James Stark:
It got pretty intense, because they both rehearsed at the same space. They never had anything good to say about each other. I thought it was kind of ridiculous. If they’d been more cooperative, they could have actually built it into something bigger. It was all crash and burn.
It got pretty intense, because they both rehearsed at the same space. They never had anything good to say about each other. I thought it was kind of ridiculous. If they’d been more cooperative, they could have actually built it into something bigger. It was all crash and burn.
Hank Rank:
We imagined that the whole world revolved around us. We imagined these conspiracies and rivalries and all these things that were going on, but most people were pretty much just struggling to do whatever it was they were trying to do. With the Nuns, a lot of our problems were in our own minds.
We imagined that the whole world revolved around us. We imagined these conspiracies and rivalries and all these things that were going on, but most people were pretty much just struggling to do whatever it was they were trying to do. With the Nuns, a lot of our problems were in our own minds.
Rough Trade: Crime’s Frankie Fix and Johnny Strike with Howie Klein
Johnny Strike:
They still are.
They still are.
Sheriff Mike Hennessey:
I was a young lawyer at the time, working in the county jail. So I was attracted to the group Crime. They looked tough and sinister, and they played loud and fast.
I was a young lawyer at the time, working in the county jail. So I was attracted to the group Crime. They looked tough and sinister, and they played loud and fast.
Johnny Strike:
We played a gig at San Quentin in police outfits.
We played a gig at San Quentin in police outfits.
Joe Rees:
The Crime gig was a part of Bread and Roses, a group that organized a lot of charity events. We showed up and went through this whole routine. They had to let you know your rights, and if you were taken prisoner, they shot first and asked questions later. They couldn’t give you any security at all once you were inside the gate.
The Crime gig was a part of Bread and Roses, a group that organized a lot of charity events. We showed up and went through this whole routine. They had to let you know your rights, and if you were taken prisoner, they shot first and asked questions later. They couldn’t give you any security at all once you were inside the gate.
Hank Rank:
This was ’77, ’78. We were out in the exercise yard in the sun, in these dark blue police uniforms. Sirhan Sirhan was there at the time. A friend of mine was a prison guard there. He pointed to the window where he was.
This was ’77, ’78. We were out in the exercise yard in the sun, in these dark blue police uniforms. Sirhan Sirhan was there at the time. A friend of mine was a prison guard there. He pointed to the window where he was.
Johnny Strike:
We followed a country and western group.
We followed a country and western group.
Hank Rank:
There was sort of a demilitarized zone between the stage and the prisoners. There was a rope, and then the prisoners were all behind that. And they really divided right down the middle, blacks on one side and non-blacks on the other. When a black group would play, all of the non-blacks would stand up and move to the far side of the yard. When a non-black group would play, the exact opposite would happen. So when we hit the stage, they all got up and moved away.
There was sort of a demilitarized zone between the stage and the prisoners. There was a rope, and then the prisoners were all behind that. And they really divided right down the middle, blacks on one side and non-blacks on the other. When a black group would play, all of the non-blacks would stand up and move to the far side of the yard. When a non-black group would play, the exact opposite would happen. So when we hit the stage, they all got up and moved away.
Joe Rees:
The poster from that day, it was one of those great S&M posters that Crime always put out, of this female dressed in black leathers. A bunch of the inmates got their hands on those posters, flashing them in front of the camera.
The poster from that day, it was one of those great S&M posters that Crime always put out, of this female dressed in black leathers. A bunch of the inmates got their hands on those posters, flashing them in front of the camera.
Hank Rank:
It was a tough crowd. They didn’t exactly get the music, and the guards up on the tower with their guns, looking down, shaking their heads. Nobody there knew what to make of us.
It was a tough crowd. They didn’t exactly get the music, and the guards up on the tower with their guns, looking down, shaking their heads. Nobody there knew what to make of us.
Joe Rees:
Up on the walkway was a black female guard with a high-powered rifle. She had an afro, and it was bleached blond. You’d think that she was part of the show. Policemen performing the music. Inmates with their eyes hanging out. It was so bizarre.
Up on the walkway was a black female guard with a high-powered rifle. She had an afro, and it was bleached blond. You’d think that she was part of the show. Policemen performing the music. Inmates with their eyes hanging out. It was so bizarre.
Johnny Strike:
Frankie was so nervous, he was popping Valiums. By the time he hit the stage, I looked over at him and I was like, “Oh man. He’s totally out to lunch, he’s singing the wrong song.” Somehow we pulled it off.
Frankie was so nervous, he was popping Valiums. By the time he hit the stage, I looked over at him and I was like, “Oh man. He’s totally out to lunch, he’s singing the wrong song.” Somehow we pulled it off.
Edwin Heaven:
Seymour Stein met with the Nuns, and wanted to bring us into Sire. One weekend we were staying at the Tropicana on Sunset Strip, staying there with Blondie and the Ramones. You would not believe how white everyone was, three o’clock in the afternoon light. We all knew everybody was gonna make it. There was no doubt in our mind.
Seymour Stein met with the Nuns, and wanted to bring us into Sire. One weekend we were staying at the Tropicana on Sunset Strip, staying there with Blondie and the Ramones. You would not believe how white everyone was, three o’clock in the afternoon light. We all knew everybody was gonna make it. There was no doubt in our mind.
Hank Rank:
The thing to remember was that before the term “punk rock” was codified, there was no coherent look to the crowd. So you still had a lot of holdovers from the rock people. You had rock chicks there with big hair, you had guys with big hair, you had guys with satin jackets, rock gear. And then you had just sort of college kids.
The thing to remember was that before the term “punk rock” was codified, there was no coherent look to the crowd. So you still had a lot of holdovers from the rock people. You had rock chicks there with big hair, you had guys with big hair, you had guys with satin jackets, rock gear. And then you had just sort of college kids.
But there was this report on one of the evening magazine shows. It was the first report of the Sex Pistols, footage of them from England. This new thing called “punk rock.” It was the first shot of spiky hair, safety pins in the cheeks, torn T-shirts. the first place where people learned how to dress punk. And pogo. The next day, that’s what happened. Everybody knew what to do. Those clothes hit town and everything changed.
James Stark:
The very next punk show at the Mabuhay, it was like, “Oh yeah. Here’s how it works.” It changed overnight. And it lost a lot. Because before that, punk could be anything.
The very next punk show at the Mabuhay, it was like, “Oh yeah. Here’s how it works.” It changed overnight. And it lost a lot. Because before that, punk could be anything.
Penelope Houston:
We saw that, and friends of mine were telling me about punk and describing how people tore their clothes up and safety-pinned them back together. So, without ever having seen a photo or anything, we started safety-pinning signs and Xeroxes onto our clothes.
We saw that, and friends of mine were telling me about punk and describing how people tore their clothes up and safety-pinned them back together. So, without ever having seen a photo or anything, we started safety-pinning signs and Xeroxes onto our clothes.
Rozz Rezabek:
If you went to any show at the Old Waldorf, or anyplace that had an actual ticket, you’d take your ticket stub and put a safety pin on it. So people would have old white dress shirts with a bunch of safety pins with ticket stubs, from all the different punk shows they’d been to.
If you went to any show at the Old Waldorf, or anyplace that had an actual ticket, you’d take your ticket stub and put a safety pin on it. So people would have old white dress shirts with a bunch of safety pins with ticket stubs, from all the different punk shows they’d been to.
Jimmy Crucifix:
When Channel 5 KPIX news first did “Punk Rock Hits San Francisco,” they actually put the Mab on. The picture they showed was my friend Mike Trengali from the Street Punks, all wrapped up in Christmas lights, half naked, playing the piano.
When Channel 5 KPIX news first did “Punk Rock Hits San Francisco,” they actually put the Mab on. The picture they showed was my friend Mike Trengali from the Street Punks, all wrapped up in Christmas lights, half naked, playing the piano.
Jello Biafra:
There were rumors of a scene in San Francisco. I was ready for a new form of rebellion but wasn’t aware of what it was or how significant it was. Plus I knew I liked music that hardly anybody else cared about at all. I went there with my friend Mike Ellis from Santa Cruz who was into punk. We just decided Friday night or whatever it was, the Mabuhay. This was fall of ’77. So we go there and after we paid to get in we realized we’d gone to heavy metal night.
There were rumors of a scene in San Francisco. I was ready for a new form of rebellion but wasn’t aware of what it was or how significant it was. Plus I knew I liked music that hardly anybody else cared about at all. I went there with my friend Mike Ellis from Santa Cruz who was into punk. We just decided Friday night or whatever it was, the Mabuhay. This was fall of ’77. So we go there and after we paid to get in we realized we’d gone to heavy metal night.
Metal night is not what metal is now. You didn’t have extreme metal, death metal, black metal or very much good metal. It was just the last dying dregs of wannabe stadium rock with a little bit of moldy glam thrown on. And not one good song between the three bands we saw that night.
Some punk rockers appeared at the front of the stage and really began to fuck with the metal bands. One in particular was sticking his tongue out and making faces. He was dressed for what was punk at the time, a beat-up old suit and a little skinny tie. Mike recognized him as somebody he went to high school with, at a school for Americans in England. It turned out, yes, it was indeed his friend Russell Wilkinson. But now he’d changed his name to Will Shatter.
He was friendly and said, “You want to be in a band?” “I don’t know, I can’t play anything!” “I’ve been playing bass for three days and I’m in a band! We’re playing tomorrow night.”
That was a house party, a pretty infamous place that I think used to be a printing press on 8th and Howard. That night it was the Avengers and Will’s band, Grand Mal, which sure enough sounded like they’d been playing for three days. The singer was Don Vinil who went on to start the Offs. Will and Craig the guitarist went on to start Negative Trend. That was where I found the real stuff.
4
Teenage Rebel
Al Ennis:
The Avengers were immensely popular. Penelope was an incredible writer. Almost everything she wrote turned into an anthem. It’s melodic, but powerful. Greg Ingraham played guitar, very underrated guitarist. They had the punk look down without even trying.
The Avengers were immensely popular. Penelope was an incredible writer. Almost everything she wrote turned into an anthem. It’s melodic, but powerful. Greg Ingraham played guitar, very underrated guitarist. They had the punk look down without even trying.
Jello Biafra:
They were way faster and more direct than a lot of what was being called punk throughout the world. They had spiked hair like the British bands did, and paint on some of the clothes. Which was not really something done in New York, except by Richard Hell, who claims that Malcolm McLaren and the Pistols got it from him.
They were way faster and more direct than a lot of what was being called punk throughout the world. They had spiked hair like the British bands did, and paint on some of the clothes. Which was not really something done in New York, except by Richard Hell, who claims that Malcolm McLaren and the Pistols got it from him.
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