What inspired you to start doing Flipside magazine in 1977?

Hanging out in Whittier with nothing to do. We were all into music and getting drunk and we liked going to Hollywood to escape boring suburbia. We felt we could contribute to the early punk scene by covering it.

How did you get into punk rock?

I went from Black Sabbath and the Rolling Stones to the New York Dolls and Ramones in about two years and started hanging out with like-minded people from Whittier. Al had a car, so that was very convenient. I was 16.

What was the first show you saw and what was it like?

The Quick at the Whiskey, before there was a 'punk' scene. But the best show was the Ramones in 1976. There was nothing like them at the time.

The record reviews in the early issues are hilarious with all of you guys sitting around drunk with the tape recording going - seriously punk. How did that idea come up?

Tape recording was easier than lame things like note taking or writing traditional reviews. And it captured the atmosphere as well. We would transcribe it on a shitty typewriter and that was that. We would always review the B-side first as well.

What was your favorite band to interview - why?

The Weirdos. We always had a laugh. They did anything we told them to do too- like posing in the shower or whatever. And they would say dumb things to be obnoxious or funny.

What were the most inspirational bands on the early scene for you?

Overall, the New York Dolls, the Ramones and the Germs.

Did you do the cool cholo style lettering "Los Zeros" over their interview in issue no. 7?

Yes. I learned it in school.

In that issue whoever wrote the intro (was it Al?) mentioned that Javier Escovedo possessed one of the coolest punk names along with Johnny Rotten, Iggy and some others. Was this referring to his nickname "Spunk" or his actual name? Or is this question just diving into too much minutiae about something that was written 25 years ago?

That was written for a laugh. We thought that a name like 'Javier Escovedo' was the farthest thing from what a punk name was 'supposed' to be.

Did you feel any special affinity with the Zeros as a Latino in the LA punk scene-

Not really.

-or were they just another band and their background didn't matter?

I've always felt uncomfortable about dividing and separating people based on race. They were just a good band.

What do you think is the Zeros' legacy in punk rock history?

They expanded the scene, making Southern California punk not just an LA thing and showing people you didn't have to be comical to get some respect in the scene.

If the Zeros could drive up from San Diego, then why not bands from Orange County? We admired the fact that they drove 3 hours to play shitholes like the Masque.

And I liked how they always opened with "Pipeline" by the Ventures.

How did you feel about the Weirdos, the Screamers, the Dils, and/or the Germs?

The Dils did great music. We ragged on them all the time in Flipside about their politics, but they were still nice to us when we saw them in clubs hanging out.

The Germs were the whole reason I was there though. Each performance was always unpredictable and guaranteed to be memorable. Darby was a great performer in the early days- mixing danger with humor. My favorite moment of him was when he opened one show singing as he tore up a bible and threw the pages at the audience, who grabbed them as souviniers.

What was your favorite personal punk rock incident from the early era '76 -'80?

Seeing Johnny Thunders at the Whisky fucked up on heroin, stumbling all over the stage, mumbling and slurring, not knowing what was going on. He would start a song, drop his pick and spend the next 5 minutes looking for it as the band played on.

On a more personal rememberance, sometimes we would go to a venue where a big punk show would be (like Larchmont Hall) and sneak in during the afternoon and then wait like in a closet area under folded chairs drinking beer until the place opened and blend in with the crowd.

What brought you to downtown Los Angeles in 1981 as a place to live and work?

I wanted to leave Whittier and was familiar with Downtown. There were two clubs within walking distance- the Brave Dog and Al's Bar. Hard Core punk went to the beach areas and the Brave Dog would have new 'post-punk' bands like Kommunity FK and Christian Death play there. It was the birth of the early death rock scene.

How did you get into painting? What was the impetus?

It provided an opportunity to do something without compromise. It's a selfish escape.

---

Interview by David Jones (of El Vez and Carnage Asada fame).

www.X-8.com