Gimme Something Better (74 page)

Tim Armstrong:
Singer, songwriter, and guitarist for Rancid, Operation Ivy, and the Transplants. Co-founder and operator of Hellcat Records. Living in the East Bay.

Tim Tonooka:
Founder of
Ripper
zine.

Tom Flynn:
Founder of Boner Records, and former member of Fang, Special Forces, Duh, and Star Pimp. Now looks upon most other characters in this book with smug superiority.

Tom Jennings:
Founder of
Homocore
zine. Co-founder of Shred of Dignity warehouse. Early coordinator at Gilman. Creator of FidoNet. Car nut and technical artist.

Toni DMR:
Founding member of DMR. Managed to survive those years, as well as a broken neck, cancer, and chemo. Currently a surgical technologist who coordinates transplant teams, harvesting organs from dead bodies to save lives.

Wendy-O Matik:
Spoken-word performer. Author of
Redefining Our Relationships: Guidelines for Responsible Open Relationships
. Pushing the boundaries on firmly rooted notions in mainstream society on relationships, love, and sexual politics.

Winston Smith:
Radical collage artist since the 1970s. Created Dead Kennedys logo, album covers for Dead Kennedys, Green Day, and George Carlin, to name a few. Work has appeared in
Playboy
and
The New Yorker
.

X-Con Ron aka Ron Posner:
Onetime owner of Fogtown Skate Shop and Concrete Jungle. Longtime guitarist and founding member of MDC.

Zarah Manos:
Former coordinator of Gilman Street. Now lives and works in Oakland.

Zeke Jak:
S.F. punk. Jak’s Team since 1988. Metal worker and machinist with Survival Research Laboratories.

Dirk Dirksen quotes “The reason I became the MC” and “Out of that, the huge X’s,” from
The Josh Kornbluth Show
, KQED-TV San Francisco, 2006.

Dirk Dirksen quotes “We premiered something like 25 plays of authors” and “I had my nose broken I think seven times,” from “What We Talk About When WE Talk About Punk,” Citysearch, February 1999, by Alexa Weinstein, used with permission from Alexa Weinstein.

All other Dirk Dirksen quotes from interview conducted on KALX by California Kid, November 20, 1997, used with permission from Alan Parowski.

All Chip Kinman quotes from interview for
Unknown Legends of Rock ’n’ Roll
, Richie Unterberger, 1997 (Backbeat Books), used with permission from Richie Unterberger.

All Dirk Dirksen quotes from interview conducted on KALX by California Kid, November 20, 1997, used with permission from Alan Parowski.

Excerpts from “Cramps/Mutants: Napa State Hospital,” Howie Klein,
New York Rocker
, July 1978, used with permission from Andy Schwartz and Howie Klein.

All Chip Kinman quotes from interview for
Unknown Legends of Rock ’n’ Roll
, Richie Unterberger, 1997 (Backbeat Books), used with permission from Richie Unterberger.

All Dirk Dirksen quotes from interview conducted on KALX by California Kid, November 20, 1997, used with permission from Alan Parowski. All Randy Rampage and Joey Shithead quotes from an interview for upcoming documentary directed by Susanne Tabata, used with permission from Susanne Tabata.

Quote from police sergeant, from personal collection of Chester Simpson, used with permission from Chester Simpson.

All Johnnie Walker quotes from interview with
www.jive95.com
, used with permission from Norman Davis.

Interview with Jello Biafra from
Maximum RocknRoll
11, January 1984, used with permission from
Maximum RocknRoll
.

All Jello Biafra quotes in
Frankenchrist
trial section from
High Priest of Harmful Matter—Tales from the Trial
, Jello Biafra spoken-word CD, used with permission from Jello Biafra.

All Michael Guarino quotes from
This American Life
285, David Segal, March 25, 2005, produced by Chicago Public Radio and distributed by Public Radio International, used with permission from David Segal.

Excerpts from court case from Dead Kennedys et al., Plaintiffs and Appellants,
v.
Jello Biafra, Defendant and Appellant; 094272; (San Francisco County Super. Ct. No. 998892), public domain.

Quote from “Punk Rock on Trial,” RJ Smith,
Spin
, February 2000, used with permission from RJ Smith.

All Johnnie Walker quotes from interview with
www.jive95.com
, used with permission from Norman Davis.

Lyrics from “Annihilation” by Crucifix, used with permission from Sothira Pheng.

Excerpts from
The People’s History of Berkeley
, used freely due to GNU free documentation license.

Excerpt from “Part Two: S.F. Skins Respond,” interview conducted by Tim Yohannan,
Maximum RocknRoll
18, October 1984, used with permission from
Maximum RocknRoll
.

Excerpt from “Northern California Scene Report,” Tim Yohannan,
Maximum RocknRoll
15, July 1984, used with permission from
Maximum RocknRoll
.

Excerpt from “Nazi Skinheads: The Hate Behind the Headlines,” Cary Tennis,
Calendar Magazine
, January 1, 1989, used with permission from Cary Tennis and
SF Weekly
.

All Creetin K-oS quotes from “Nothing Here Now but K-oS,” interview by Jason Honea, used with permission from
www.punkglobe.com
.

Lyrics for “Berkeley Heathen Scum” by Fang, used with permission from Sammytown.

Excerpt from “Dixie Lee Carney/June 14th, 1965-August 6th, 1989,”
Maximum RocknRoll
, 77, October 1989, used with permission from
Maximum RocknRoll
.

Excerpt from “Bob Noxious of the Fuck-Ups,” Tim Yohannan,
Maximum RocknRoll
8, September 1983, used with permission from
Maximum RocknRoll
.

Excerpt from “Scene Report Bay Area,” Tim Yohannan,
Maximum RocknRoll
1, July 1982, used with permission from
Maximum RocknRoll
.

All Nicki Sicki quotes from “Q&A Subject: Nicki Sicki,” Jay Unidos,
Urban Guerrilla Zine
(
UGZ
) 11, 2001, used with permission from
UGZ
.

X-Con Ron quote “At first the band was called . . .” from
web.mac.com/erposner1/MDC/MDC_PUNK.html
, used with permission from Ron Posner.

Lyrics from “John Wayne Was a Nazi” by MDC, used with permission from Dave Dictor and MDC.

All David Solnit quotes from
Intoxicated Culture: A Political History of the California Punk Scene
, Jeff Goldthorpe, 1990 (unpublished), used with permission from Jeff Goldthorpe and David Solnit.

All Nicki Sicki quotes from “Q&A Subject: Nicki Sicki,” Jay Unidos,
Urban Guerrilla Zine
(
UGZ
) 11, 2001, used with permission from
UGZ
.

All Wes Robinson quotes and excerpts from “Wes Robinson—For a Good Time, Call (415) 841-2678,” Cliff Carpenter,
Maximum RocknRoll
3, November 1982, used with permission from
Maximum RocknRoll
.

All Jeff Goldthorpe quotes from
Intoxicated Culture: A Political History of the California Punk Scene
, Jeff Goldthorpe, 1990 (unpublished), used with permission from Jeff Goldthorpe and Chris Carlsson, of
www.shapingsanfrancisco.com
.

Tim Yohannan quotes from
Maximum RocknRoll
15, August 1984, used with permission from
Maximum RocknRoll
.

Tammy Lundy quotes “When we were in Madison, Wisconsin . . .”; “I was approached by . . .”; and “Biafra at one point . . .” from “Rock Against Reagan Tour ’83,” by Tammy MDC,
Maximum RocknRoll
7, July 1983, used with permission from
Maximum RocknRoll
.

All Jeff Goldthorpe quotes from
Intoxicated Culture: A Political History of the California Punk Scene
, Jeff Goldthorpe, 1990 (unpublished), used with permission from Jeff Goldthorpe.

Lyrics to “I’m Telling Tim” used with permission from Fat Mike.

“Punk Voter Comments to the FEC,” Fat Mike (Burkett),
www.punkvoter.com
, April 7, 2004, used with permission from Fat Mike.

Liner notes from
Heavy Petting Zoo
used with permission from Fat Mike. Jesse Michaels quote “Fat Mike took his power,” from
www.punkvoter.com
, used with permission from Jesse Michaels.

Yeastie Girlz lyrics used with permission from Jane Guskin and Cammie Toloui.

Lyrics to “Hedgecore” used with permission from Jesse Michaels.

 

 

 

 

Outrageously important thanks to our transcribers from all over the U.S. and Canada: Paul Bartle, Bill Brent, Sean Castillo, Geraldine Convento, Beau Dowling, Chia Evers, Emma Gibbons, Ianna, Phylis J. Iqbal, Susan Jonaitis, Julie, Rochelle Lodder, Sarah Niersbach, Alana Parvey, Molly Rice, Pete Richards, Hope Richardson, Katrina Robinson, Sam, Aaron Sikes, Patty Spaniak, and especially Michelle Zulli and Naomi Hospodarsky. And to Susie Bright and Craig Newmark for helping spread the word.

More thanks to Anna Brown, Jesse Luscious, Chris Appelgren, and Dwayne Bonedog for opening their archives. To Martin Sprouse, Al Ennis, and Jay Unidos for reading through early drafts. To Jim Fitzgerald for hooking it up. To Alexis Washam and Kristen Scharold from Penguin, and in particular Karen Anderson, who saw the potential before anyone. And to the folks at Mission Creek Café and Lost Weekend Video, who let us barge in to do interviews with zero advance warning.

Jack would like to thank Peter Plate, John Marr, Bucky Sinister, and Patrick Hughes, among many others, for ideas and encouragement. My family, who remain supportive even though they don’t really know what the hell I’m doing. And Christie Ward, for everything under the sun.

Silke would like to thank Sham Shaenz and Ben Econochrist, who helped us get the ball rolling, and the DMR Twins, who have never let it drop. Also my cousins, Arleda, James, and Finn, who gave me a place to rest my bones and nourish my heart during those marathon interview days; my parents, who lived through the fury and chaos of my youth and never loved me less; Audra Angeli-Slawson, who decided not to kill me in 1985; Andrew Flurry, who was my best friend then and remains so now; and Patrick Richards, who helped clear my head.

 

 

 

 

Jack Boulware
is the author of
Sex, American Style
and
San Francisco Bizarro
. His freelance writing has appeared in the
New York Times Magazine
, the
Washington Post
,
Playboy
,
Maxim
, Salon, and the
San Francisco Chronicle
, among others. For ten years he was a columnist and features writer for
SF Weekly
. He is co-founder of San Francisco’s annual Litquake literary festival.

 

Silke Tudor
is a San Francisco-born writer who has contributed to the
Village Voice
,
Spin
, and
Tattoo Savage
. For ten years she was a columnist and nightlife editor at
SF Weekly,
and produced the annual
SF Weekly
Music Awards. She recently moved to New York and toured the world with the
Billy Nayer Show
.