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Posts Tagged ‘Black Flag’

Died On This Date (August 14, 2005) Esther Wong / The Godmother Of Punk; Owned Madame Wong’s in L.A.

Posted by themusicsover on August 14, 2010

Esther Wong
August 13, 1917 – August 14, 2005

Esther Wong was a Chinese immigrant who landed in Los Angeles in 1949.  By the mid ’70s, Wong and her husband were running Chinese restaurant that presented a Polynesian floor show in L.A.’s Chinatown.  When business started to slow down by the end of the decade, Wong reluctantly allowed a local promoter to start booking local punk bands on her stage.  At the time, most of the city’s venues were banning such acts.  The promoter and Wong soon parted company and Wong started bringing music she enjoyed – the more pop leaning new wave.  In 1985, the club was seriously damaged in a fire and within a few years, Wong opened Madame Wong’s West in Santa Monica where she continued building her reputation as the “Godmother of Punk.”  The list of acts that played Madam Wong’s during their early years includes Guns ‘N Roses, Black Flag, Blondie, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Oingo Boingo, Fear, the Ramones, the Go-Gos, and the Police.  Esther Wong died of emphysema on August 14, 2005, the day after her 88th birthday.



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Died On This Date (June 23, 2009) Steven Wells / Music Journalist; Video Director

Posted by themusicsover on June 23, 2010

Steven Wells
May 10, 1960 – June 23, 2009

steven_wellsSteven Wells was a British music journalist whose aggressive writings appeared in respected music magazines like NME.  During the late ’70s and early ’80s, he touted the greatness of such punk acts as Black Flag and Butthole Surfers and the Mekons.  For a time, Wells was also a stand-up comic, supporting such acts as Gang Of Four and the Fall.  In 1992, Wells co-formed a video production company, directing videos for the likes of Manic Street Preachers and Skunk Anansie.  Steven Wells died of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma at the age of 48.

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Died On This Date (May 4, 1991) Simon “Stubby Pecker” Wilde / D.O.A

Posted by themusicsover on May 4, 2010

Stubby Pecker (Born Simon Wilde)
DOB Unknown – May 4, 1991

Simon Wilde was the bassist for Rabid, and then briefly for the Vancouver punk band, D.O.A. Formed in 1978, D.O.A., along with Minor Threat, Black Flag and Bad Brains came to be known as the flash point of hardcore punk. Wilde died as a result of a brain tumor on May 4, 1991

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Died On This Date (December 7, 1980) Darby Crash / Lead Singer of The Germs

Posted by themusicsover on December 7, 2009

Darby Crash (Born Jan Beahm)
September 26, 1958 – December 7, 1980

Darby Crash is best remembered as founder and lead singer for influential Los Angeles punk band, the Germs.   Formed in 1977, the Germs were part of the same scene that produced X, Fear, the Circle Jerks and Black Flag.  In 1977, they released a single, “Forming,” which is regarded by many to be the first punk record to come out of Los Angeles.   The Germs disbanded in 1980, with Crash going on to form the Darby Crash Band, that didn’t last much longer than a handful of gigs.  He got the Germs back together for a reunion show on December 3, 1980.  Four days later he took his own life by overdosing on heroin in an apparent suicide pact with friend, Casey Cola who actually survived the OD.  In 1981, Crash and the band were featured prominently in Penelope Spheeris’ acclaimed documentary on the L.A. punk scene, The Decline of Western Civilization.

What You Should Own

Click to find at amazon.com

GI - The Germs

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Died On This Date (September 27, 1994) Ken “Dimwit” Montgomery / Four Horsemen, D.O.A.

Posted by themusicsover on September 27, 2009

Ken “Dimwit” Montgomery
1958 – September 27, 1994

3rd from left (D.O.A.)

3rd from left (D.O.A.)

Dimwit was the drummer for Vancouver hardcore punk band, D.O.A. in the late ’70s and early ’80s.  They are often referred to as the founders of hardcore.  In 1989, he helped form the Four Horsemen, a band that had more in common with the Cult and Zodiac Mindwarp than Black Flag or the Exploited.  The Four Horsemen landed a deal with Rick Rubin’s Def American who released their Rubin produced Nobody Said It Was Easy in 1991.   Although the band were poised for greatness, grunge soon hit and the band was left in its wake.  Dimwit died of a heroin overdose on September 27, 1994.

What You Should Own

Click to find at amazon.com

Bloodied But Unbowed - D.O.A.

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