tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33543511.post116105799183440424..comments2023-11-05T06:51:51.312-06:00Comments on Here Comes Johnny Yen Again...: Goodbye to CBGB'sJohnny Yenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06561248220244037567noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33543511.post-1161371797962491862006-10-20T14:16:00.000-05:002006-10-20T14:16:00.000-05:00BubsHey-- what can I say-- I never made it to CBGB...<B>Bubs</B><BR/>Hey-- what can I say-- I never made it to CBGB's, but I bought the t-shirt at the Urban Outfitters in Berkeley. It's the message.<BR/><BR/>I never made it much into Neo's until the mid-90's. When I was a full-time waiter, Sundays and Mondays were my weekend. I used to make it a point to get to 80's night on Sundays. Got a funny bicycle mishap story from one of those nights that I'll probably blog about soon.<BR/><BR/>Are you and the missus fans of the Riptones? Earl, their bass player, was one of my best friends in high school. He had past-the-shoulder hair back then. He was definitely one of the people that made high school tolerable. In any event, Earl's not doing well-- he was in a really bad car wreck 20 years ago, and had to be hospitalized for it again recently. Of course, being a musician, he has no insurance. There's a benefit at Martyr's on Sunday, November 5 for him.<BR/><BR/><B>Tenacious S</B>-- just saw the news about Raygun! I'm jealous! Have fun! I used to hang out with Jeff, Haggerty and company at Overeasy, a south side club around '85 and '86. We were hanging with them the night of a great show in the spring of '86 at a long-gone place called "Crosscurrents." Big Black, Scratch Acid and Killdozer-- for five bucks! I died when I saw that they were all playing at the Touch and Go party-- tickets were long gone by the time I found out.Johnny Yenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06561248220244037567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33543511.post-1161278320938167892006-10-19T12:18:00.000-05:002006-10-19T12:18:00.000-05:00Hey Johnny, Lu told me I needed to read, so here I...Hey Johnny, Lu told me I needed to read, so here I am. I can't imagine my life without punk. The sense of community at the VFW hall shows where everyone was welcome, the feeling that you did have a voice if you wanted to claim it, the fact that the music encapsulated all those emotions that weren't always publicly acceptable. Can't wait to tell you all about the surprise........wish I could say more, but I've been sworn to secrecy.Tenacious Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15133857720793708520noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33543511.post-1161230843748135032006-10-18T23:07:00.000-05:002006-10-18T23:07:00.000-05:00Well done. I like what you said about looking "st...Well done. I like what you said about looking "straight" now, since I fit that bill pretty much. My bride and I both refer to rockabilly as the punk rock retirement plan. It's a common beef of both my daughters--"punk" being a form of consumption, rebellion being sold as a fashion. The store Hot Topic is horrible, a corporate shill for prepackaged "punk". But the thing is, they have really really good t shirts that it's hard to find anywhere else. Oh well.<BR/><BR/>We had our wedding reception in 1986 at Neo on Clark St. We ruled out Exit and 950, I can't remember why. Your list of vanished clubs got me nostalgic.<BR/><BR/>Lulu, that's funny about the Metro. The last few times I've been at the Metro, or the Aragon, I've been with my kids. And I'm sure I look just like another overprotective suburban dad watching over his kids. Ha. Next month we'll all be at the Music Box at the Crispin Glover slideshow, and in December it's the Raconteurs at the Riviera.Joehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09747874295331152779noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33543511.post-1161124845644887112006-10-17T17:40:00.000-05:002006-10-17T17:40:00.000-05:00That should have been "somewhere around 1990." I h...That should have been "somewhere around 1990." I haven't had enough of my postwork coffee yet.Johnny Yenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06561248220244037567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33543511.post-1161124782258243052006-10-17T17:39:00.000-05:002006-10-17T17:39:00.000-05:00That's funny-- one night somewhere around I was i...That's funny-- one night somewhere around I was in the Gingerman with my friend Dianna, a friend from college, and her boyfriend Mark, who was a bartender at the Exit (you'd remember him-- he was about six foot six). A a little 708'er girl walked by with a leather jacket that was so new it had that new leather smell. Dianna turned to me and said "Remember when dressing in black meant something?"<BR/><BR/>I remember reading an interview with Dylan, where he talked about how fast the punk thing became fashion. It was funny because my father had said the same thing about the sixties; my family lived in Lincoln Park from 1964 to 1968, when it was hippy/radical central (my dad was an electrician with three kids, so he lived vicariously through our friends and neighbors). He said it seemed like the more radical the person was, the harder they sold out.<BR/><BR/>It's funny-- where I work, it's the kids who work at school and want to do something with their lives that are radical. When I worked in Cicero, though, I had my little punkettes-- they were usually Green Day fans. I think of Green Day as punk with training wheels; it'll lead to the real thing eventually.<BR/><BR/>People are always surprised too at me-- I look very straight. Punk's not necessarily a look-- it's an attitude. But with apologies to Tom Robinson, "You don't have to wear a leather jacket to sing this song... but it helps...."Johnny Yenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06561248220244037567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33543511.post-1161119321898817472006-10-17T16:08:00.000-05:002006-10-17T16:08:00.000-05:00What a nice tribute. I was too young for most of ...What a nice tribute. <BR/><BR/>I was too young for most of those clubs, and by the time I was old enough, Punk had become a huge fashion statement. I remember getting dolled up to go to a show (Raygun maybe?) at Metro, and Sharon (tenS) applying ring after ring of eyelier to my eyes, standing back and shaking her head in sorrow. Evidently I still looked like the Ralph Lauren girl, and not like a gritty punkette.<BR/><BR/>Despite my girly-girl looks, I loved the music, loved the "scene" and the people, because it was so far removed from the little plastic suburb where I grew up.<BR/><BR/>My favorite students tend to be the little alternikids, the ones with the colored hair and the goofy clothes. I love their passion and their outrage.<BR/><BR/>Last year I mentioned something about going toa show at Metro to one of my classes and one kid said "Are you one of the weird old people at our club?" No honey, you're one of the pain in the ass kids at MY club.luluhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06468418041443316689noreply@blogger.com