Personal History | The Che Underground

John Nee: From UCSD’s student impresario to Marvel Comics maestro

January 23, 2018January 21, 2018 by Mmrothenberg

Congratulations to John Nee for his high-profile hire as the leader of Marvel’s comic-book pack, where he’s taking over as publisher in the wake of Dan Buckley’s promotion to president of Marvel Entertainment. “As the Marvel publisher,” writes ComicBook.com (which got the exclusive), “Nee will oversee the health of the comics line both print and digital [and] be tasked with ensuring the quality of the line, managing budgets [and] guiding marketing.”

John has been a legend in the comics world for decades. He ascended to president of WildStorm Productions, then joined the executive team at DC Comics when DC bought WildStorm in 1999. John rose to Senior Vice President of Business Development at DC before staking an independent claim as co-founder of Cryptozoic Entertainment in 2010.

Like the rest of the heroes portrayed on this blog, John Nee arrives at his new job with his own Che Underground origin story.

Paul Howland tunes up with Unsteady

September 14, 2020December 14, 2017 by Mmrothenberg

I’ve followed with delight the evolution of monster bass talent (and OG SD Wallflower) Paul Howland into a dubstep DJ — a testimonial to the kind of reinvention a creative mind embraces, regardless of genre or gear.

However, this 35-year fan of Paul’s fret work is always excited when the man picks up an axe and takes his talent analog.

So I’m gleeful about his recent appearances on six strings, playing with Unsteady, a ska band with which he toured nationally and recorded two albums in the 1990s.

Paul’s first tour of duty was on bass as part of a lineup organized in 1992 by saxophonist/vocalist John Roy. Other members of the era included keyboardist Kevin “Baby” Hewitt as well as guitarist Creedy Bates and drummer Kent Graves, both veterans of venerable San Diego ska band the Donkey Show.)

As of December 2017, Roy and Hewitt are still going steady with Unsteady, along with an expanded lineup that features a full horn section and two guitars.

Re-enter Paul Howland, who’s been gigging with the band in recent months — his first public appearances as a guitarist.

(Footage by Curtis Meacham, November 2017. To see an extended set, visit his Facebook page.)

King Therapy (Jeremiah Cornelius):
‘The Air That I Breathe’

February 24, 2018December 6, 2017 by Mmrothenberg

There to here: After a lengthy radio silence, Che Underground: The Blog returns with the long-rumored musical resurrection of the scene’s sharpest ear and most astute culture critic. Listen to his first release while reading King Therapy’s process and prospects.

King Therapy is the alter-ego of a secret-identity by Jeremiah Cornelius, created for the presentation of some musical thoughts and ideally, collaboration by like-minded musicians in the roles of various Dissonauts.

“The Air That I Breathe” is the first track completed for a prospective EP of cover songs that are in various stages of near-completion. I always like this song’s ability to poise on a knife-edge between sincerity and pure corniness.

RIP Cyndie Jaynes

December 11, 2017December 31, 2015 by Mmrothenberg

Today brings sad news about Cynthia Jaynes Omololu, née Cyndie Jaynes, 18 months after her cancer diagnosis.

Her husband Bayo reports:

“Dear friends and family, tried to figure out how to let everyone know without putting a damper on your holidays, but it is with a broken heart that I have to tell you that the love of my life Cyn passed away this morning on her sleep. The last month and a half were extremely painful for her, but the one consolation was she died peacefully.”

Pictures of Jerry

May 5, 2019October 18, 2014 by Mmrothenberg

Thanks to Jeremiah Cornelius for providing this portrait of himself as “Romulus Johnson”, ca. 1988, after many of us had relocated from San Diego to San Francisco and a year or so after the dissolution of the original Morlocks.

As anyone familiar with our scene knows, Jerry Cornelius was the indefatigable trend-setter, flyer-maker, lyricist, MC, band manager and catalyst behind myriad San Diego adventures.

“What Would Jerry Do?” Read all about it!

Transplanted to San Francisco, Jerry continued his cultural explorations via music and fashion.

There to Here: Cole Smithey,
Smartest Film Critic in the World

December 11, 2017July 22, 2012 by Mmrothenberg

(In this installment, Che Underground: The Blog catches up with Rockin’ Dogs drummer Cole Smithey about his career at the movies in New York. If you’d like your story told, e-mail cheunderground@gmail.com!)

You recently celebrated your 15th year in New York and 15 years as a film critic. What was your path from drummer with the Rockin’ Dogs to your current role as “the smartest film critic in the world”?

It was a long and bumpy one, I can assure you. I moved up to San Francisco with the idea of finding a new band to play with, but that just didn’t happen. Having studied acting at SDSU, I got an acting scholarship to Hartnell College in Salinas. So, I spent a year in Salinas living out of my van. I played tympani in a 38-piece symphony orchestra there — doing classical music. I also played drums with the pep band at football games. The drama-department politics at Hartnell were horrendous, but I somehow managed to come out of it with a 4.0 GPA. There’s something to be said for living in your van: You just study all the time.

I moved back to SF and was working for my talent agent — sending myself out on auditions for industrials and commercials — when I picked up an issue of Sight and Soundmagazine. I realized instantly that I wanted to be a film critic.

There to Here: Cynthia Jaynes Omololu,
Young Adult fiction phenom

January 2, 2018July 10, 2012 by Mmrothenberg

(In this installment, Che Underground: The Blog talks to San Diego scene documentarian Cynthia Jaynes Omololu about her career in young-adult fiction. If you’d like your story told, e-mail cheunderground@gmail.com!)

With the publication of Dirty Little Secrets and the recent release of the first installment of your new Transcendence series, C.J. Omololu is developing a growing reputation as an author of fiction for young adults. How did you get from the San Diego scene of our youth to a writing career in San Francisco?

Aw, thanks, Matthew. I’ll take that kind of reputation. It actually makes a lot of sense – I have to write from the perspective of a 16 or 17 year old and a lot of people say I’m emotionally stunted at around that age. Okay, not totally true, but I started hanging around the San Diego scene at about that age, and it was a pretty influential time for me. We’d moved to Del Mar from Poway in the summer between 9th and 10th grade and I felt like I never fit in there – we were renting an apartment in the land of multimillion dollar beach houses and honestly, I couldn’t compete.

There to Here: Paul Kaufman,
University of Massachusetts Medical School

July 2, 2012July 1, 2012 by Mmrothenberg

(In this installment, Che Underground: The Blog talks to the original drummer of Manual Scan and co-founder of Lemons Are Yellow about his memories of the San Diego scene and his far-ranging career in biochemistry. If you’d like your story told, e-mail cheunderground@gmail.com!)

We actually met right after you’d left San Diego to study at UC Berkeley, then for your doctorate at MIT. But you stayed in close touch with all of us who were still in America’s Finest City. What was it like coming back for short visits and seeing the scene change?

I have very vivid memories coming back during quarter breaks and other holidays during my first year away, 1982-3. The most shocking thing was that every time I came back, the Answers song list was totally different, even within a couple of months! At the same time, the Mod scene became incredibly huge, and the punk scene seemed to go from an artistic, underground scene to a place laced with way too much testosterone. So I did feel like I was missing a lot, a lot was indeed happening, and not being there day-to-day probably accentuated that feeling. I stayed in San Diego during that amazing summer of ’83, so I did get to see some of the best parts first hand. (cue “Nowhere”).

And then when I came back summer of ’84, so much more had changed. No more Answers. No more Noise 292. I think that summer, the Morlocks emerged (pun intended) at a party at Paul Allen’s house. I remember I had to stand back, they were so loud, and I was accustomed to some pretty loud stuff back then! They played “Voices Green and Purple,” it was intense. And before long, everyone was up in San Francisco, just across from me in Berkeley, so I got to see a bit of that era before I left for Boston in late ‘86.

Support Gary Heffern!

December 11, 2017June 29, 2012 by Mmrothenberg

San Diego music legend and former Penetrators front man Gary Heffern has met with misadventure, and he needs our financial help to set things straight.

Heffern, now living in Finland, in May suffered a burst appendix that forced him to cancel a July Penetrators reunion in San Diego and postponed his work on a new CD, not to mention his day job. With bills coming due, Gary is reaching out to his network for support.

Here are a couple of opportunities to help this San Diego legend in his hour of need:

There to Here: Todd Lahman,
Sweeney Todd’s Barber Shop

July 5, 2012June 23, 2012 by Mmrothenberg

(In this installment, Che Underground: The Blog examines a Wallflower’s journey to hair theater. If you’d like your story told, e-mail cheunderground@gmail.com!)

The last time I saw you was around 1985, when you were playing guitar with San Diego’s original Wallflowers. How did you get from rock-‘n’-roll in Poway, Calif., to ownership of one of LA’s best-known barber shops, Sweeney Todd’s?

Hmmmm … I’m not sure I can draw any correlation between my experience in the Wallflowers and my career in the tonsorial arts except to say that I probably cut hair a lot better than I played guitar! But seriously, I guess if there was anything to compare, it would have to be that like the guitar you’re constantly honing your chops (pun intended!) There’s always some new technique or some new flourish to add to your bag of tricks if you keep your eyes and ears open.