Personal History | The Che Underground

Playing through the changes

December 11, 2017June 15, 2009 by admin

Detail: Dave Fleminger at the Casbah, May 29, 2009 (photo by Sean McMullen) Now it can be told: When we concocted the idea of the Che Games for May reunion show at San Diego's Casbah Club, I was very apprehensive about what it would sound like.

After all, we were bringing together bands that for the most part hadn't played together since the mid-'80s. Plus, we were asking these folks to practice more or less on the fly. The Che Underground diaspora dispersed us geographically for many years; for most of the acts, opportunities for full rehearsals were few and far between.

I was amazed by the results: The bands were so tight, and I daresay many of the musicians are better now than they were in 1984!

It makes me want to learn more about how all our players keep themselves musically active -- not just the people who performed at the Casbah, but the rest of the musicians on the blog.

The P Man Live In San Diego

January 1, 2011June 12, 2009 by Paul.Howland

(Ex-Wallflower Paul "The P Man" Howland brings his Dubstep stylings to the Kava Lounge June 20 courtesy of Dub Smugglers.)

I've been working hard sorting through my tunes to decide which ones to bring down to the Kava Lounge on June 20.

Since I'm playing first, it's definitely gonna be a fairly mellow set, at least to start out. I've got a fair bit of really good unreleased stuff from some UK producers, some new releases, as well as a few favorites of mine that have been out for a while. My set is gonna be from 9 'til 10 pm, so please try to arrive early. I hope you'll be able to stick around too, Austin Speed and Criminal (Subliminal DJs) are playing a back to back set after me, then you've got headliner Noah D, and doing a special closing set San Diego's own PK.

Me and my monkey: Guilty pleasures

January 1, 2011June 10, 2009 by admin

(Tell-Tale Heart/Town Crier Ray Brandes puts out a call for your dirty laundry!)

We call them “guilty pleasures,” those indulgences we secretly enjoy but are embarrassed to admit. Unlike moral guilt, the shame we feel is really just a fear of others discovering our “low-brow” or “uncool” tastes.

I have a friend whose name, for the sake of confidentiality, will remain anonymous. He is a connoisseur of '60s music, particularly garage punk, and has earned himself quite a reputation as a “cool” guy. He rarely takes off his sunglasses, plays in a '60s punk band, and for all intents and purposes has committed himself to a total garage-punk lifestyle. Under his bed, however, lies a dark secret which would bring his carefully contrived image tumbling down if discovered by the rest of the world: the “Titanic” original motion-picture soundtrack. He doesn’t want you to know, but “My Heart Will Go On” brings him to tears each time he hears it.

Bandmates/other friends 1982-1990 (+1)

January 1, 2011June 6, 2009 by admin

(Bart Mendoza of Manual Scan and the Shambles — San Diego music historian extraordinaire — shares some highlights from his stacks.)

Some call it being a pack rat; I prefer the tag “archivist”! The dream is to put together a DVD/book with the rooms full of stuff I’ve accumulated in 30 years of collecting San Diego music memorabilia.

But in the meantime, in honor of the recent Che Underground reunion shows, here are 20 relevant vintage photos from my archive. For this fifth picture post, I’ve included a little bit of everything: random photos from 1982-1990 (+1), including bandmates and other friends.

1) Dean Curtis at Club Zu. You know it’s a good show if Dean is in attendance.

So … Whaddya wanna do now?

March 30, 2019June 2, 2009 by admin

Wow. Just ... wow. The Che Games weekend was an emotional, artistic and spiritual triumph -- throw in a few adjectives of your own there! I'm grateful that so many other people feel so energized and fulfilled by the time we spent together.

I think most of us need at least a little while to digest (and for those of us heavily involved in prep, to reclaim our schedules). But hey: While the iron's hot, I want at least to hear what new worlds you want this blog and this community to explore next.

Here are a few items on my personal menu ... Please chime in with more!

Gigs that hooked you

January 1, 2011May 13, 2009 by admin

Hey! Let's talk about music, and San Diego, and San Diego music ...

A long, long time ago, Che Underground: The Blog hosted a thread about our musicians' first times on stage. Let's reach even further back into the collective memory banks and talk a bit about those formative shows that made you feel like part of a scene of interesting people listening to interesting sounds.

We've talked about many local bands and a slew of notable visitors at venues ranging from the Skeleton Club to the Zebra Club to the International Blend/Kings Road Cafe ... Adams Ave. Theater to the North Park Lions Club et al.

Now, which ones came first for you, and why?

A very Che Mother’s Day!

January 1, 2011May 10, 2009 by admin

While waiting for the crème brûlée French toast to finish baking and the coffee to drip, I realized I was remiss in not prepping a little shout-out to the mothers among us ... and perhaps to our own moms as well.

From what I've read on these pages, we've got some pretty rockin' mamas participating here -- and many of the rest of us are lucky enough to have hooked up with one.

Not a new subject for us by any means, but one that deserves its own thread: Whether you're a parent yourself or just the product of one (or more), what's your adult perspective on this whole child-rearing business?

And for the breeders/rearers/crazy aunts and uncles in the audience: What have the children in your lives taught you about yourself -- and your own parents?

Happy Mother's Day!

You Never Give Me Your Money: IOUs and the Ché Underground

March 27, 2019April 30, 2009 by admin

(Tell-Tale Heart/Town Crier Ray Brandes takes up a karmic collection with 25 years' interest.)

In the cafés of Madrid, in the outdoor flea markets of Barcelona, and along the beaches of the southern coast of Spain, everyone is talking about “La Crisis.” The Spanish economy is now faltering badly, on the edge of a recession brought on by the collapse of a building boom; an average household debt 120 percent above the gross domestic product; and an unemployment rate of over 10 percent, the highest in Europe.

One company, however, which employs a curious and uniquely Spanish trade, has seen its business surge in this environment of unpaid bills. El Cobrador del Frac, the “debt collector in top hat and tails,” exists to humiliate debtors, playing on their sense of public shame. For a percentage of the collection, you can have your debtor’s footsteps dogged by a man conspicuously dressed like Fred Astaire and carrying a briefcase emblazoned with his trade. It is a shrewd and imaginative premise: that people are quick to repay the money they owe when their indebtedness is paraded in public.

Liberty Station, formerly NTC Base SD

June 30, 2009April 20, 2009 by admin

(A curious bit of ephemera: An author named Matt Rhodes stopped by the blog; added this evocatively written item and one other piece; then moved along, never to participate again. I appreciate it both as a historical touchpoint and a found object. If anyone is in touch with Mr. Rhodes, please thank him for the donation and invite him back.)

San Diego easily forgets. A perfect example is the City's botched attempt to convert the old Naval Training Base (on Rosecrans) into yet another strip mall for tourists and transplants alike.

In 1993, the NTC was closed down by the Navy and sold to city developers for millions of dollars. The 361-acre development is in a good location: on the waterfront just west of the airport and only a couple miles from downtown San Diego. The project has been noted for its renovation of dozens of historical buildings that will be adapted for stores, offices, schools, and other purposes.

The base was gutted by developer/contractor Corky McMillan.

This we Dug: Wire

April 23, 2012April 17, 2009 by Paul Kaufman

(Guest columnist Paul Kaufman picks his favorite late '70s LP as part of the ongoing series originated by Wallflowers frontman David Rinck.)

Best album from 1977? There’s a lot of competition. Of course, a lot of press covered the Sex Pistols' “Never Mind the Bollocks” and the first Clash album; deservedly so.

But if I had to choose just one from that year to take to a desert isle, it would be “Pink Flag” by Wire. This primitive collection of 20 very short songs (some under 1 minute) dramatically threw down the aesthetic gauntlet back then: all you boring, epic-writing, guitar soloing prog rockers are now obsolete. Without the overt political slogans of the time, they were nevertheless revolutionary in their sound and approach. Spare three chord music; spare imagery: