Helen, Mary and Trudie were still in New York City. When they came back they were going to stay in Tiger's apartment while he was away for a few weeks, and look after his pet rats, Ratso and Ratskolnikov.
I have no idea who was playing at the Whisky that night; if anyone knows, please let me know. It was rare that I didn't manage to get in somehow.
"That lady" from the Times was Mary Lou Luther, who was the Fashion Editor there from 1968 till 1985. (I just looked that up; I was not familiar with her before that night though my mother was!) She was going to do a feature on punk rock fashion. I was kind of surprised that she singled me out as I still had long curly glam rock style hair and I was wearing black jeans that night and a thrift shop shirt - nothing "punk" at all in my mind; I think the jeans were even flared! (I didn't know how to sew and in those days it was impossible to find black straight leg jeans in LA; my mom's friend adjusted a couple of pairs in for me and I eventually had to buy some mail order from Trash & Vaudeville in New York.)
At any rate during both our initial chat and our somewhat longish interview at the Times, I kept insisting that I wasn't a punk, and talked a lot about my band, The Bromos, who were more of a Nuggets/garage kind of thing, but she also offered me moolah to model some punk clothes - money talks! Strange that I don't mention the money here, just the fame, as I don't remember at all desiring the latter back then. Maybe it's because after I did experience my fifteen minutes (in 1981, although I kinda already had had five of them after that newspaper article came out!) I really changed my tune and forgot the previous one!
12 July 1977
Debbie cancelled her lesson [as she was wont to do - my main income was from teaching piano in those days] and so we went to the Carson Mall. The day before, Mom kept bugging me about the staple gun and she had gone out and bought a new one! So I had thought Brent had said to be there [the Carson Mall] before 1:00 but it turned out it was after 1:00. We got there at 11:30. [Again, I am impressed at how early we managed to get out of the house in those days!] And Brent was late - did not get there till 1:40 or so! So we just walked around. We got interviewed about commercials and stuff (for Aziza Eyes etc...) and got $2.00. Anyway, Brent had forgotten the staple gun! But at least he gave me lots of free albums! [A fair exchange, I would say!]
So... Jade was trying to pick up on "St. Timothy" [no idea who this was!] and Brent and I were making so much fun of her: "I think I'll like Bobby on Monday, Ruben on Tuesday..." [These two were both members of the Hollywood Stars.] Jade said if Tim heard the Hollywood Stars he'd like 'em and Brent was going, "Wanna lay some money down on that? I'll bet $50." Then Jade's saying how it has to be the right atmosphere. Uh huh.
So I practiced some [the piano; in these days I played two or three hours a day but probably not so much while Jade was there] then we were gonna have Chinese food but that place was closed. So that night Jade went to Charles's [no idea who that was either!] and Jay [I think this was the keyboardist in Tiger's band The Crazies, though maybe not; I would have called that guy "Stratus" - cause at one time he wanted to change the name of the band to Stratus, which was, in my mind of course, crazy!] was supposed to get Tiger and me into the Whisky but the jerk didn't! And we still had to drive him and these two girls somewhere.
Anyway I was really pissed [I seem to be so easily set off in those days!] cause right before we had left, Helen and Mary and Trudie called, and they didn't know when they were coming back and they said they wouldn't take care of the rats. They said they'd feed them to Killer's snake. [No need for any rodent lovers to worry; they did take care of them - including filling their water bottles with beer at times - although one of them escaped and became wild for a while. And Killer was Tiger's name for Helen; yes, that's how her name Hellin Killer originated. Mary was Ratso or Mary Rat, Trudie, Spider Woman or just Spider, and I was Fizz, cause I was in The Bromos.]
So Tiger got mad cause I was mad and we were standing outside the Whisky, wondering why we were standing outside the Whisky cause we obviously weren't getting in, and then that lady asked if she could take our pictures and we talked a little and she asked if I had ever worn a garbage bag and she gave me her phone number and told me to come down to the Los Angeles Times to get my picture taken properly. So I was cheered up - now I would be famous!
We went over to Powerburger and then to Tiger's, and for once, Jade told me all the details! [Which I did not write down; probably a good thing!]
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| The entire article appears in a later installment, but wouldn't you don a garbage bag for $300 in 1977? Note silver glitter platforms. As I told you, I wouldn't let go! |
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