Personal History | The Che Underground

Helter Skelter: Tate-LaBianca at 40

March 30, 2019August 8, 2009 by admin

(Ray Brandes considers the lasting effect of the ’60s’ dark coda.)

Forty years ago this weekend, the series of grisly crimes that ultimately became known as the Tate-LaBianca murders was committed in Los Angeles. The story of the case and its aftermath is well-documented, most notably in three books: District Attorney Vincent Bugliosi’s Helter Skelter, Ed Sanders’ The Family and John Gilmore’s The Garbage People.

In the past four decades, the public has never lost its fascination with Charles Manson, Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel, Leslie Van Houten and Tex Watson. The recent announcement of the parole of Family member Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme for the 1975 assassination attempt upon President Gerald Ford has righteous citizens nationwide in an uproar.

“Better lock your doors and watch your own kids,” Susan Atkins said upon hearing the verdict.

Che Games memories from Mathias Kuo

January 1, 2011August 7, 2009 by admin

(A long-time reader puts out the call for then-and-now matchups!)

With the advent and conclusion of the Che Games this May, we are reminded of our youth and the path that brought us to the world we exist in today.

Some are still active in the scene and lifestyle; others, such as myself, have taken the experiences and philosophies of that time and melded them into the child-rearing, career-focused, mortgage- and bill-paying reality of the new millennium and the harsh realization that I am a 40-something now and “damn old.”

I discovered the Che Underground last summer, and it has been on my browser ever since. The articles and especially the pictures have allowed me to connect with old friends as well as reminisce about “the formative years” and how that small slice of time has helped me to cope with the world we live in today.

The Last Tommy

January 1, 2011July 31, 2009 by admin

Another reminder of time’s flight … The last British survivor of the World War I trenches, Harry Patch, passed away this week at 111. Henry Allingham, who served in the British Navy and the RAF in WWI, died last week at 113. “The sole British survivor of the war is former seaman Claude Choules, who is aged 108 and lives in Perth, Australia,” the BBC reports.

As of today, there are three verified World War I veterans in the world, including the American doughboy Frank Buckles.

This makes me feel old. When I was little, there were millions of veterans of the Great War, most of them entering the early years of their retirement. (Wikipedia estimates that more than 2 million World War II veterans currently survive in the U.S. alone.) People born in the 19th century were elderly, but not impossibly so.

So how’s your summer?

December 14, 2017July 25, 2009 by admin

Here’s an easy one (at least for those of us living in the Northern Hemisphere): What are you up to this summer?

Summertime feels different to me now than it did when I was a kid and had a solid block of vacation to savor … But in some ways, the time I do take is all the more precious.

Right now, I’m sitting at a picnic table at P.J. Hoffmaster State Park in Muskegon, Mich. Pop-up camper to the left of me … Cellular modem to the right … Here I am!

What’s cookin’ with you this summer?

We know what you did last summer!

Oh! And a bonus question: What songs evoke summer for you?

Lend Me Your Comb: A short history of the Hedgehogs

January 1, 2011July 22, 2009 by admin

(Tell-Tale Heart/Town Crier Ray Brandes applies his narrative skills to documenting an influential early band from his own back pages. Read the full version in Che Underground’s Related Bands section.)

At the beginning of the summer of 1981, the Ideals (comprising 18-year-old Ray Brandes on lead vocals, 17-year-old Tony Paulerio on lead guitar, 20-year-old Maure Silverman on rhythm guitar, 17-year-old Paul Carsola on drums, and led by 14-year-old prodigy Carl Rusk on bass) were gearing up for a summer of Point Loma keg parties at $50 a performance.

The band, whose short career had reached a pinnacle opening for the Penetrators at Mission Bay High School’s prom, played mostly rockabilly and early rock and roll, with Eddie Cochran’s songs making up about 50 percent of our set list!

At the end of May, with Paul away on a summer vacation, Carl called up the Crawdaddys’ Ron Silva to sit in on drums. Ron knew Carl from years of Skeleton Club shows and had recently seen the Ideals play at the Zebra Club, so he was more than happy to oblige. The gig was to be a massive block party in Crown Point, but it never materialized because the set by the opening band, Stonehenge, resulted in several noise complaints.

Guess who’s coming to dinner?

December 11, 2017July 15, 2009 by admin

(Tell-Tale Heart/Town Crier Ray Brandes proposes the ultimate dinner-party guest list.)

A popular parlor game during the Victorian era in Great Britain and the United States was the compilation of a list of guests — both living and dead — one would invite to a dinner party. This ultimate dinner party was often designed to ensure the most lively of discussions, debate and entertainment.

Let’s imagine we’re having a dinner party to which we can invite six guests from any time period in history, living or dead. For the sake of the game, let’s assume all of the guests can speak the same language and will have no difficulties getting to the event. Who would you invite to dinner?

Read moreGuess who’s coming to dinner?

French rock ‘n’ roll: An oxymoron?

December 14, 2017July 14, 2009 by admin

Especially in honor of Bastille Day, here’s an eternal question inspired by an absolutely charming 1966 performance Dean Curtis surfaced by a French combo dubbed Antoine et les Problèmes. “Les élucubrations” is delivered with élan, esprit and a ton of other wonderful French nouns … However, I still find it extremely difficult to listen to.

(It actually reminds me of a small child Robert Labbe, Paul Kaufman and I watched working cafe tables in Belgium, frantically wheezing into a harmonica until he was paid to leave.)

But — mon Dieu! — Che Underground: The Blog is here to smash stereotypes, not to perpetuate them! An unrepentant francophile myself (with a healthy appreciation for other Gallic art forms), I need guidance: Where are the French rockers?

Who’ll be my role model?

December 18, 2017July 2, 2009 by admin

The recent spate of celebrity deaths and some spirited discussions on the blog about guilty pleasures and musical mystification suggests an interesting topic: As music fans, how much do we care about the musical preferences, personal philosophies or other opinions of popular artists whose work we admire?

A frequent right-wing put-down of (generally liberal) celebrities is, “Shut up and sing.” Is there a grain of truth in that slogan? Or is it the responsibility of popular figures to use their celebrity to champion what they think is right?

This We Dug : A Certain Ratio

December 11, 2017June 28, 2009 by Paul.Howland

(Wallflower Paul “The P Man” Howland polls the collective memory banks.)

A Certain Ratio formed in Manchester, UK, in 1977. They are still together as a recording entity.

Their cover of Banbarra’s tune “Shack Up” was a favorite of mine in the early ’80s. Here’s ACR’s version. And Banbarra’s original (which I became aware of recently by reading about it in the excellent Waxpoetics magazine).

Both versions of this tune are nice stripped-down funk; the Banbarra version is arguably better, but ACR’s is not without its charms.

“To Each …” was my favorite of their albums back in the day. (I may have to get the re-issue from Soul Jazz.)

R.I.P. Sky Saxon and Farrah Fawcett

December 11, 2017June 25, 2009 by admin

Melancholy echoes of previous threads …

According to Austin360.com: “Sky Saxon, founder of the brilliant ’60s garage band the Seeds, died Thursday morning at St. David’s Hospital.

“The newly minted Austinite, born Richard Marsh, was hospitalized Monday with what doctors suspected was an infection of the internal organs, but cause of death has not yet been released.

“Saxon fell ill last Thursday, but performed at Saturday at Antone’s with recent Austin collaborators Shapes Have Fangs. Sky’s wife Sabrina Saxon posted news of his passing on Facebook this morning: ‘Sky has passed over and YaHoWha is waiting for him at the gate. He will soon be home with his Father. I’m so sorry I couldn’t keep him here with us. More later. I’m sorry.’ ”