West Coast punk

[Sneelock]

sure we had stuff like the Screamers and the Weirdos but I never really got to viddy the participants until hardcore was in full swing. there's some good you tubes of those bands and I'll bet those hardcore punks wouldn't have been caught anywhere near some of that stuff...

or they just would have punched somebody out.

[Jeff K]

Out of the albums Matt posted, this may be my favorite of the LA hardcore brigade.

[Shagger Dave]

Try some of those.

[Snarfyguy]

I'll also throw in a mention of the Urinals/ 100 Flowers. Very odd but very catchy, and never deliberately off-putting. They start out barely able to play their instruments but get good in a hurry.

Is any of that in print? I have a couple of excellent songs of theirs on some pretty dodgy comps from back in the day (anybody remember Life is Boring / Ugly so Why Not Kill Yourself / Steal This Record, et al.), but I never followed up on them.

Sensible Virgrin, Reject Yourself, etc. - really good stuff.

[Sneelock]

I really liked an EP they did (as 100 flowers) called "drawing fire". I think a couple of those 3 songs made it onto some sort of 'best of' dealio.

[toomanypillowz]

we like him!

He has cute cats!

[toomanypillowz]

It's interesting to see the L.A. punk scene debated on this board, since I've been surrounded by folks for years who do nothing but worship it; it's actually refreshing to get some perspective from outside of that bubble. I do get a bit tired of the old L.A. punks waxing nostalgic about the Importance Of The Masque and the early scene, and how the skinheads basically ruined it with violence (they're like stories that you hear told around the campfire year after year), but there was some quality stuff there. I was a little too young to have been a part of it, but a lot of my older friends were (I was in a band with a friend who was previously in an Orange County hardcore punk band called Plain Wrap).

X is a great band - really more of a rockabilly band fronted by a couple of poets than a punk band. And the Germs just burned SO brightly, fueled by Darby's impressive lyrics. If you can fast forward past the embarassing interviews (X is the only band who comes off intelligent), the footage in "Decline" is really fantastic. "Darby, pick up the mike!"

I have always thought "punk" is something that defies categorization and a look. It's a sort of dadaist approach, a deconstruction of the norm. If you have a band that consists of one loud electric guitar and a tuba, and you do Carpenters covers, that's punk to me.

[toomanypillowz]

I really liked an EP they did (as 100 flowers) called "drawing fire". I think a couple of those 3 songs made it onto some sort of 'best of' dealio.

I have a great L.A. comp called "Warfrat Tales," that has the 100 Flowers theme song, the Urinals, The Leaving Trains, etc.

[toomanypillowz]

But in retrospect, Americans birthed the bitch, the British put fake fangs and a mohawk on it, and the Americans took it back, gave it a buzz cut, and set the amps into overdrive.

you are ronald macdonald.

And you, sir, are a coxcomb.

[Jeff K]

Speaking of West Coast punk, four of Flipper's albums have been reissued on the Water label, including the rare live album.

Hear that, Snarfy?

[hookfinger]

The great bands always seem to defy genre while the second string get lumped. Garage+music press = punk. LA/west coast served up X, The minutemen and few others. I may be too old for hardcore but you could do no wrong looking at these 2 bands.

[Jeff K]

The great bands always seem to defy genre while the second string get lumped. Garage+music press = punk. LA/west coast served up X, The minutemen and few others. I may be too old for hardcore but you could do no wrong looking at these 2 bands.

John's already given X a go and he didn't like them. I don't know if he's heard the Minutemen but knowing him, he won't like them either.

He should check out Cleveland's punk scene instead. More his style.

[Shagger Dave]

The great bands always seem to defy genre while the second string get lumped. Garage+music press = punk. LA/west coast served up X, The minutemen and few others. I may be too old for hardcore but you could do no wrong looking at these 2 bands.

John's already given X a go and he didn't like them. I don't know if he's heard the Minutemen but knowing him, he won't like them either.

Now how could someone NOT like the Minutemen for Christs sake?

I agree, I can see him digging Rocket From the Tombs and the Electric Eels, and I'm sure he already likes Pere Ubu.

[hookfinger]

The great bands always seem to defy genre while the second string get lumped. Garage+music press = punk. LA/west coast served up X, The minutemen and few others. I may be too old for hardcore but you could do no wrong looking at these 2 bands.

John's already given X a go and he didn't like them. I don't know if he's heard the Minutemen but knowing him, he won't like them either.

He should check out Cleveland's punk scene instead. More his style.

I suppose I have a lot of catching up to do.


I still struggle with the Cleveland bands.

[pang5]

Proceed directly to Black Flag and Flipper.

Yeah? You think I'll like them?

Another thing I wanted to know - is there a decent comp available of this stuff?

Repo Man Soundtrack?

And the whole damned film!
Great fuckin film. John Wayne was a fag!

And it's got a swell rendition of TV Party plus a sweet performance by The Circle Jerks.
John, I can burn you a copy, if you'd like.

[Bungo the Mungo]

of Repo Man? No need thanks J - I've got it. Great film!

[Matt Wilson]

It's interesting to see the L.A. punk scene debated on this board, since I've been surrounded by folks for years who do nothing but worship it; it's actually refreshing to get some perspective from outside of that bubble. I do get a bit tired of the old L.A. punks waxing nostalgic about the Importance Of The Masque and the early scene, and how the skinheads basically ruined it with violence (they're like stories that you hear told around the campfire year after year), but there was some quality stuff there. I was a little too young to have been a part of it, but a lot of my older friends were (I was in a band with a friend who was previously in an Orange County hardcore punk band called Plain Wrap).

X is a great band - really more of a rockabilly band fronted by a couple of poets than a punk band. And the Germs just burned SO brightly, fueled by Darby's impressive lyrics. If you can fast forward past the embarassing interviews (X is the only band who comes off intelligent), the footage in "Decline" is really fantastic. "Darby, pick up the mike!"

I have always thought "punk" is something that defies categorization and a look. It's a sort of dadaist approach, a deconstruction of the norm. If you have a band that consists of one loud electric guitar and a tuba, and you do Carpenters covers, that's punk to me.

Well said.

[Sneelock]

I remember when X got back together with Billy Zoom. this local charcter from the old days named Tequila Mockingbird went around making a big deal that she and few others remained "real punks" while X and most of the people who came to see them had - gasp- cars and jobs and unpunk things like that.

I know "authenticity" is the gift that keeps on giving for certain people but I think a lot of people who liked the scenes always had cars and jobs. I guess they weren't "real punks" back then either.

[meetthesonics]

Just chiming in to recommend Double Nickels, as several others already have. One of the decade's 10, 5 probably, best.

[toomanypillowz]

I remember when X got back together with Billy Zoom. this local charcter from the old days named Tequila Mockingbird went around making a big deal that she and few others remained "real punks" while X and most of the people who came to see them had - gasp- cars and jobs and unpunk things like that.

I know "authenticity" is the gift that keeps on giving for certain people but I think a lot of people who liked the scenes always had cars and jobs. I guess they weren't "real punks" back then either.

Tequila.