TVparty is Classic TV on the internet!
punk rock on dvd Punk Rock 1980's punk rock  Tomorrow Show on dvd Fractured Fairy Tales on DVD music on dvd
TV Shows on DVD
Commercials on DVD
TV Show ReviewsTV on DVD Reviews
Christmas Specials on DVD
TV DVDs & TV Books
Kid Shows on DVDcartoons on DVD

 

Dale Bozzio + Missing Persons

  Stiff Little Fingers

Billy Eye backstage with
Stiff Little Fingers and
Missing Persons,
Judy Zee with The
Grandmothers at the Roxy

July 23, 1981 ///// by Billy Eye

PLEASE NOTE THESE ARTICLES WERE HEAVILY RE-WRITTEN FROM MY ORIGINAL NOTES IN 1994 & 2011.

"Of course modern Architecture looks the way it does . . . it's naturally going to look extremely regular and inorganic, because you can't specify an organic thing in advance. You couldn't specify a mud hut with an architect's drawing. It's too complex."

- Brian Eno


The Brave Dog is having an 'Art Band Marathon' this weekend to raise money for completing the club and passing inspection. Friday night bands include Fat and Fucked Up, Afrika Corps, Steak Sinatra, and Strong Silent Types, and on Saturday night watch for the excellent goth band Kommunity FK, The Romantidelics and Red Wedding.


John Hiatt
has signed with Geffen records, thanks in part to the showcase he played with The Toasters at the Starwood, a show sort of reviewed here a few issues back. I guess Geffen liked John Hiatt better than I did, The Toasters however, remain unsigned.

Personal note
"The next motherfucker that gives me a bad review, I'm going to hunt him down and blow his fucking head off."

- Jerry Lee Lewis

Aw, Craig Lee, have people been bad mouthing your column? Jerry Lee has the right attitude. I think you write the best rock column in LA and the LA Weekly is the best entertainment magazine in the city. That's just my opinion, but I'm used to a few denunciatory diatribes myself. Thanks for asking me to join you guys there, but my work is here among the heathens. I am writing some articles for upcoming issues of 'Music Connection' however.

Stiff Little FingersStiff Little Fingers
Monday night, July 6
at the New Florentine Gardens

Dialogue overheard backstage:

"Where are the beers?"
"Two stage right, two stage left."
"What about mine?"
"Are you Ken Scott?"
"Are you Ken Scott?"
"I have a pass to make backstage photos."
"You can wait five minutes."
"O.K., the band will decide who gets pushed offstage and when."
"But no one is allowed onstage!"
"Look, we'll take care of it. And when you push, push forward. Send them straight back into the audience."
"Are you Ken Scott?"
"Where are the beers again?"

 

 singleStiff Little Fingers onstage:
These are some of the most energetic, combustible boys ever to appear onstage, Jake Burns, lead guitarist and vocalist never stands still and he plays amazingly well, fast and wild.

The audience was in a fevered pitch, but to me the music is the same stale passe punk-redux shit, toned down and mellowed just a bit for 1981.

Burns even told the crowd "We don't want to be Black Flag" - this comment was meant to try to calm the violent, gyrating crowd twisting down in front. He stopped the show twice, once because a few punks from the pit were trying to muscle their way onstage. When drummer Jim Reilly got angry and dove into the crowd after them, Burns reaction to the ensuing melee was "May we have our drummer back?"

single from stiff little fingersThis was mostly an audience of textbook punks; Laguna Beach boys in punk drag with fresh crew cuts, turning out to see one of the original sound-and-fury bands and join in on Hollywood's biggest slam pit.

The music (a pure Irish lad punk sound) was inconsequential to some of the crowd, apparently - it was noise and gnash they were after.

I suppose it's a credit to Stiff Little Fingers that they stayed true to their sound after all of this time, and now want to try new things. . . this band came up about the same time as The Boomtown Rats, but the Rats cashed out long ago.

Stiff Little Fingers is more melodic than before, that's true, and a bit more sophisticated, but do they offer anything fresh or innovative for the new music age?

Opening for the Fingers was LA's own Missing Persons, although I'm sure they would rather forget all about it. This up and coming band, fast becoming my favorite, should never have been booked to open for a hardcore punk band. Dale Bozzio of missing persons

Missing Person's lead singer Dale Bozzio was very upset after the performance, the rowdy crowd had thrown pennies at her, spit on her. Applause was sporadic, but the fact that they were able to sustain this thrashed audience at all said quite a bit. I think Missing Persons even picked up a few new fans here.

Backstage, Dale and I talked about the crowd she wasn't prepared for - seeming strangely innocent as she wished Stiff Little Fingers, "Good luck, it's your audience."

terry Bozzio and warrenWarren Cuccurullo
and Terri Bozzio

The two bands, despite having distinctly different audiences, got along great backstage between shows. Terry Bozzio is a highly-regarded musician's musician, and producer Ken Scott is one of the most respected creators in the business; naturally the Fingers were anxious to meet them.

Besides producing their EP, Ken Scott can frequently be seen handling the live mixing board for Missing Persons and he also acts as the band's manager.

Ken told me that they will pay more attention to who the band opens for from now on. Not a bad idea. I visited Missing Persons backstage at the Country Club not long ago, they were opening for the Suburban Lawns and the pot smoke pouring from the Lawn's dressing room was so heavy that Terry was paranoid it would throw off his performance. He was too much of a gentleman to say anything about it, tho. I think pot makes a house smell like a home.

terriNow that the single "Mental Hopscotch" is starting to get airplay over KROQ, I doubt if Missing Persons will be opening for too many more bands anyway. No longer does their crowd consist of a handful of Valley dudes, there solely to see Terry Bozzio and Warren Cucurrullo because of their work with Zappa.

dale bozzio I noticed after those early gigs that Terri and Warren were both really giving of their time, and spoke at length to those loyal fans who turned out for their shows. Missing Persons has their own identity now and the audience for their music is growing. They should be headlining soon.

From the sublime to the ridiculous, KROQ's Dusty Street was seen getting a bit too crazy at the new gay - or not gay? - bar 'One' on Melrose Avenue last weekend. You asked for this kind of stuff, right?

 

Zappa Alumni The GrandmothersAnd now,
here's Judy Zee...

Grandmothers

by PZ Connection

Excited at the thought, we were chock full of anticipation to see the Grandmothers at the Roxy, the mere suggestion filled one's head with images; bizarre lyrics and peppy, expressively shaped rock and mod jazz sounds.

The Grandmothers are a re-grouping of still 'live and well' musicians who worked with Frank Zappa in that notorious age... the influence Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention have had on those who were the young, growing impressionables in the 60s is profound.

The Mother's music attracted non-conformists, crazies, acidheads, and even pulled a few jazz enthusiasts to their side. The superb arrangements, versatile stylings and endless capacity of scales and runs mastered by the band could not be ignored. The quality of the music seemed to warrant Zappa's absurd lyrics, which actually made a lot of sense in closer listenings.

At the Roxy, the Grandmothers warmed up, and it seemed as if we were wrong about this band, the timing was shoddy, and the playing too sloppy for our expectations. Sometimes LA audiences will clap at anything, and they reacted here with roaring enthusiasm to this barely passable start.

Soon the band perked up, and by 'King Kong', the third piece, they were up on their toes, playing full and strong jazz-rock music. During 'King Kong'- a fast, melodic challenging piece, they rose to the ooccasion.

Although they centered on long jams, Don Preston shone brightly, floating on a baby Prophet changing vocal and tonal levels simultaneously, the fucker's changing voices! He's also playing fast scales with definite rhythmic feeling centered on the astral realm of touch (indulging for a moment) - and all with one hand?!?

The open spaces the churning band leaves give prime room for soloist invention. A delicious addition to this, some tasty sax licks by Buck Gardner. The total sound is an orchestral one and it's nice to see a music stand onstage again. So pro! Many beautiful textural exchanges are softly displayed, as if an imaginative video, despite the Roxy's stagnate lighting. So refreshing! It brings my mind to places it hasn't visited in years.

The size of the Roxy is excellent for such a performance. The walls of the place treat the sound well, there are not too many, nor too few people. Those who came here seem to know and appreciate good music when they hear it, and the Roxy audience on this night appeared enthralled, even mesmerized.

Once merely Mothers, these mo-fos have evolved a stage beyond that. What a time for re-emergence, with the world so humorless and bleak. Now this: the true-to-heart Grandmothers arise from the dust of the conservative era.

The Grandmothers are no closet case. For to play with Zappa you must be first rate, but then again, Zappa goes through musicians like most folk go through shoes...

Master keyboardist Don Preston shifts into a thousand gears, he takes off, trips around, and lands as a peaceful space shuttle would. Even as Preston's keyboard sound crouches low, it is audible and comfortably Eno-esque. (Though factually pre-Eno.)

Wall Flower's cool jazz trumpet keeps the jams from being too excruciatingly loooong and drawn out; his solo, a be bop smooth relief from so much busy-ness, from so many cooks on the soup.

Punkasso found the bassist to be phenomenal. Zee found both bassist and guitarist completely unthrilling. Who knows what Motorhead was doing here, 'cept maybe for crowd draw. He seemed to hide in each crevice or niche.

"Can't Breathe the Air No More" is an art form of esoteric leanings, a creative manifestation in a collage format, all neatly packaged. "This is a song I wrote about Los Angeles" Jimmy Carl Black says, "and how I feel about it." "I Can't Breathe the air no more...!" he sings, Grandmotheresquely. Then Don Preston makes insane synth sounds, twirls, and honks that, abstractly, typify Los Angeles. Lights are changing colors on the 16th notes. Vocally, JC Black chokes to death, finishing it off.

The band received more than a few standing ovations. More power to the Grandmothers, may we all age so gracefully.

Rock on!


UPDATE: The Grandmothers:
Zappa alumni Jimmy Carl Black, Andy Cahan, Tjay Contrelli, Bunk Gardner, Tom Leavey, and Denny Walley were known as Geronimo Black in the early-seventies - with the addition of Don Preston they became The Grandmothers. They released an EP and 2 LPs ('Grandmothers' and 'Looking Up Granny's Dress ') in 1980 and 1981.

"Hi -- in the punk section, there's a review of the Grandmothers which mentions Don Preston, who was the keyboardist. Very sweet, ingenious musician, still lives in LA with his wife Tina Preston, an actress.

"Last I heard they lived in Chinatown, and he still plays jazz. Won Billboard Keyboard Artist of the Year for several years, tried to sue Frank Zappa for royalties several times (according to Tina, their lawyers were bought off by Zappa). He's such a nice guy -- vegetarian, plays tennis, keeps healthy -- i'm sure he'd be happy to tell you himself. Probably in the phone book. I love your site -- surprised by the punk stuff, great!"
- Connie M.

 

Los Angeles 1980's punk / new wave scenebilly&judy


From the found archives of The Billy Eye and Judy Zee articles in Data-Boy Magazine / 1980-85.

These original Data-Boy Music columns have been collected in a book with LOTS of new material and photos - it's the story of Data-Boy magazine and the LA Punk / Post-Punk scene. The story presented is a lot more complete!

Punk
LA Punk Rock

After School Specials on DVDHoney West on DVD

kommunity fk
Patrick of
Kommunity FK


UPDATE:

GETTING RAVE REVIEWS! Michael Ely and Jim 'Spider' Taylor have resurfaced a new CD! "The Perfume of Creosote: Desert Exotica Part One" by Smoke & Mirrors. Click to order!

Smoke & Mirrors (4 1/2 stars out of 5)
The Perfume of Creosote Hurrah! A concept album. ³The Perfume of Creosote² is a journey, taking the listener on a daylong sojourn through the desert from emboldened sunrise (Surya, The Divine Sun) to the dreamlike, UFO-infused night sky (As Heaven Falls from the Sky). So far, so hippy. But pay attention at the back, for this absolutely compelling. From the opening ³Surya, The Divine Sun² (named after the Hindu sun god) through the astonishing ³Mirage² (which remarkably sounds like one, which makes no sense until you listen to it) to ³Riparian Oasis² with its beautiful guitar solo to the all too brief (but enthralling) ³Dance of the Scorpions², this is an outstanding release.

Taking aspects of ambience, world music, psychedelia and jazz, the artists concerned, Michael Ely and Spider Taylor, have produced a lush and exotic beast of an album, inspiring in its beauty and wonder. There are twenty three stages to their journey, all of which combine to produce an elongated yet enigmatic and melodic eighty minutes masterpiece. Particularly noteworthy are the percussive elements, which fuse everything together, giving you something to hold on to, as the desert heat takes its toll. Look to "Adventures Of A Packrat" for a perfect example of the fusing together of disparate sounds. Space rock aficionados will find much to love here, especially towards the latter stages of the journey, culminating in the resplendent ³As Heaven Falls From The Sky².

It could have been a bit of a mess, what with tribal percussion, prog rock guitars, trip-hop beats an ambient soundscapes, but you¹ll be hard pushed to find a better fusion experiment.
- Stuart aka zeitgeist

See also - Smoke & Mirrors: Dieties.

Smoke & Mirrors: White Roses Painted Red

Red Wedding CD
INCREDIBLE!
New Red Wedding CD!

Peabody & Sherman cartoons on DVDTV Commercials on DVD

Good Times Season 5 on DVDTV classics Christmas

Wild Retro T-Shirts on Sale!

Greensboro Carpet Cleaning

 

Route 66 on DVD classic Kid's TV Commercials

Classic TV on
DVD reviews 2

Classic TV Shows
on DVD reviews 3

Classic TV on
DVD reviews 4

Best-selling
Classic TV DVDs

Ordering TV shows on DVD from the United Kingdom?

Christmas & Holiday specials
on DVD

Classic Movies on Blu Ray

TV Specials /
Miniseries on DVD

Kid Shows on DVD

DC Heroes on DVD

Route 66 season 1 on DVDRankin Bass Christmas Specials on DVD

Hootenanny DVDAfter School Specials on DVD

Everything you're looking for is here:

Shop Amazon's New Kindle Fire

 

Wild Retro T-Shirts on Sale!

Greensboro Carpet Cleaning

 

 


Punk Rock Los Angeles

INTRODUCTION

10-7-80 The first article, The Masque, Punk bands, Darby Crash & The Germs, The Garage

10-21-80 The Toasters, Great Buildings, The Go-Gos

11-2-80 New Wave nights in Hollywood, T.S.O.L, Shandi, The Smog Marines

11-16-80 Grace Jones, The Nobodys, Billy Sheets and the Elites, The Talking Heads

12-1-80 Hollywood Boulevard 'punks'

12-27-80 End of the year wrap-up, The Naughtie Sweeties, Dead Kennedys, Fear, punk riot in the OC

12-27-80 David Bowie as The Elephant Man

spinWORLDemail us!

 

1-05-81 Devo, Rock Against Racism

1-19-81 John Hiatt and The Toasters at the Starwood

2-03-81 Wendy O Williams, London aka Motley Crue, and Live Nude Girl

2-17-81 The Veil, Darby Crash death, Phil Seymour and The Textones

3-5-81 New wave night at the Odyssey, Ray Manzerek

3-19-81 The East LA scene, Hey Taxi!, The Rentz, The Plugz, The Detour, Human Sexual Response

3-19-81 Judy Zee on LA radio in 1981

4-02-81 Tonio K & Romeo Void, Oki-Dog, Flippers, A week in the LA clubs

4-16-81 XTC, Wall of Voodoo, Madame
Wong, and The Pop

4-30-81 U2 and Missing Persons

5-14-81 Billy Eye Rock Awards, Manakin

5-28-81 Missing Persons at the Topanga Corral

6-11-81 The Brat, Parapalegic Infants in Downtown LA and U2 in Santa Monica

6-25-81 Performance artist Adore O'Hare, downtown clubs, Red Wedding

6-25-81 Missing Persons in Westwood

7-09-81 Los Illegals, The Brat in Hollywood, Al's Bar, Johanna Went, Jerry Lee Lewis

7-09-81 John Cale live at The Whisky

7-23-81 Brave Dog, Stiff Little Fingers with Missing Persons, The Grandmothers

8-06-81 Bow Wow Wow, Malcolm McLaren, Mad Society, Ian Hunter , and the new psychedelia

8-22-81 Missing Persons, Jean Pierre Rampal

9-07-81 Filming at the Brave Dog, Red Wedding, Atomic Cafe, The Stains, Los Illegals, East LA bands

10-06-81 KROQ of the '80s, hardcore EPs, Missing Persons at The Whisky

10-20-81 West Hollywood & the end of The Starwood

4-7-82 New Wave Theatre, Aphotic Culture, The Waitresses and The Plimsouls

5-07-82 In the clubs, The Spoons, Nick Lowe, Madame Wong's West, Angry Samoans, Motley Crue

5-21-82 Interview with Terry Bozzio in 1982

8-27-82 Missing Persons, Red Wedding at the Whisky, Dream Syndicate, The Untouchables, The Go-Gos, Orange County hardcore

1-12-83 End of the year, Minutemen, Fear, Gun Club, Theoretical party, KROQ, Missing Persons

3-14-85 Red Wedding closes The Odyssey in 1985


Lost Kid Shows / Movie Stars on TV / Saturday Morning Shows / Video Vault / Classic Christmas Specials / Fabulous Fifties / Unseen Scenes / Game Shows / Requested Forgotten TV Shows / The Super Sixties / The New * * Shows / 1980's Wrestling / TV Blog

TVparty is Classic TV on the internet!
Classic TV on the Internet!

TV's Embarrassing Moments / Action Shows of the Sixties / TVparty Mysteries and Scandals / Variety Shows of the 1970s / The Eighties / The Laugh Track / 1970's Hit Shows / Response to TVparty / Search the Site / Add Your Comments
Classic TV Commercials / 1950's TV / 1960's TV / 1970's TV / TV Games / Honey Boo Boo / Lucy Shows / Classic Cars / John Wayne / Gene Roddenberry / Rockford Files / Sea Hunt / Superman on DVD / Toy Gun Ads / Flip Wilson Show / Big Blue Marble / Monty Hall / Carrascolendas / Mr. Dressup / Major Mudd / Chief Halftown / Baby Daphne / Sheriff John / Winchell & Mahoney / Fireball X-L5 / Mr. Wizard / Captain Noah / Thanksgiving Day Specials / Disney's First Christmas Special / Saturday Morning Cartoons / The Magic Garden / Amahl & the Night Visitors / Holiday Toy Commercials / Lucy & Desi's Last Christmas Show / Joey Heatherton / Fat Albert / The Virginian / Bewitched / Death of John Wayne / 1974 Saturday Mornings / Chuck McCann / Rudolph Collectables / Shrimpenstein / Local Popeye Shows / New Treasure Hunt / 1966 ABC TV Shows / 1967 TV Shows / 1968 TV Shows / Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes & Baby Doll / Fridays / TV Moms / Red Skelton / Star Wars / KISS / Lancelot Link / Saturday Morning Cartoons / The Magic Garden / Wonder Woman / Classic Comic Books / Andy Griffith / Cher / TV Shows on DVD / Outtakes & Bloopers / 1967 TV Shows / Romper Room / ABC Movie of the Week / The Goldbergs / Daws Butler Commercials / Saturday Morning Commercials / Captain Kangaroo / Chicago Local Kiddie Shows / Boston Local TV / Philly Local TV / NYC Local Kid Shows / Amos 'n' Andy / Electric Company / Bette Davis / Judy Garland / Christmas Specials / Redd Foxx / Good Times / Sitcom Houses / What's Happening! / Winky Dink & You / big brotherSonny & Cher / Smothers Brothers / Commercial Icons of the 1960s / Soupy Sales / The Carpenters / Route 66 / Bozo / The Carpenters Christmas Specials / Local Kid Shows / Death of TV's Superman / Wonderama / Sesame Street / Bob Hope Specials / Little Rascals / 1980's Retro Gay T-Shirts / 1980's TV Wrestling / Fess Parker / Howdy Doody / TV Blog / Lost In Space / Pinky Lee / 1980's LA Punk Rock / Alex Toth Book / TV Terrorists / Irwin Allen / The Untouchables / Carol Burnett Show / Batman TV Show / Green Hornet / Today Show History / Our Gang / Doris Day Show / 1970's Commercials For Women / Bill Cosby in the 1970s / The Golddiggers / Lola Falana / 1970s TV Shows / David Bowie on TV / Hudson Brothers / Jackie Gleason / Hollywood Squares / Match Game / Bob Keeshan / Gumby / The Flip Wilson Show / Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour / The Bobby Darin Show / The Richard Pryor Show / George Burns / Lucy's Lost Christmas Special / Classic Christmas Toy Commercials / Cricket On The Hearth / 1950's Holiday Shows / Amahl and the Night Visitors / A Christmas Carol on TV / The Yule Log / Celebrity Commercials / Rudolph / Movie Posters & More! 

Classic TV Shows on DVD

Get it here!

SAVE MONEY
ON EVERYTHING!

TV Commercials on DVD Time Tunnel on DVD Peabody & Sherman cartoons on DVD Lancelot Link Secret Chimp on DVD Fireball xl5 on DVD The Lucy Show on DVD 1950's Saturday Morning Shows Little Rascals on DVD
/ / / Classic TV Blog / / / TV Shows on DVD / / / TV Show Reviews / // / TV on BLU-RAY
Looking for classic TV DVDs? See below:
TV Commercials on DVD Wrestling DVDs Classic TV Books
Jim Longworth Christmas Specials TV Shows on BLU-RAY

Your Classic TV Blog!