Another fabulous installment from the Cyndie Jaynes Collection of photographs from the San Diego underground ca. 1984-’85.
“[M]ost of the ‘hanging around’ photos … were taken at [John] Murphy’s place on Normal St.,” Cyndie recalls. “I got a camera for high-school graduation, and sat around taking photos of anyone who showed up.”
![[John] Murphy’s place](https://cheunderground.site/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/img104.jpg){kind=link}
We’re very grateful she did; each of these loving portraits offers a shock of recognition and a rush of neurotransmitters to long-unused synapses. Check out the photos and help us fill in the blanks!
1. Murphy’s jaw wired shut
2. Tom Goddard
3. Kathy
4. Chris Gast and Lori Shouldice
5. Steve Medico
6. Bobby Lane
7. Zoe and Bobby
8. Eric Bacher and Suzie Goddard
9. Alena Tuscher
10. Eric sends his love
Roaring 20s
WOW, I have not seen a pciture of Chris and I from the pre black hair era. I almost didn’t recognize myself. Thanks Cyndy for this…
So many memories, so little time.
Unless I’m much mistaken, the lead photo of Mr. Murphy’s dentition dates from a serious beating he and Mr. Works at the hands of some ruffians. (The doctors told him he’d never smoke again, but the human spirit seems to have triumphed!)
photo number one here is Tom Goddard, brother of Susie. He hung around a bit, but was very into his own thing. He’s a vagabond sailor now.
Pat
duh…I guess you guys got that already. i should read the WHOLE post.
pat
Lori Shouldice is a kyootie-patootie. So is Susie. I heard she became a cultural anthropologist or archeologist -- something worldly that requires digging. She always was Miss Smartie Pants.
I remember getting ready for Studio 517 shows with both those girls. We were pretty silly giggly girls! 🙂
and boy was it fun Kristen! I’d love to be young again for a week and hang with everyone, knowing what I know now of course, ha! When I looked at the photo I didn’t even recognize myself, then I moved my mouse over the picture and wa-la, it was ME! Boy we were young! RIP, Chris Gast. Although he broke my heart in 93-94 or so, I still think about him…This picture is the fella I fell for, and stayed with for over 7 years! Live and learn eh? I had heard Susie was going to Berkeley or something quite a while back, and think Patndahat is in touch with her. It’s so refreshing to know that most of us made it to tell the tales! And successfully at that!
Oh one more thing: has anyone heard from John Murphy? Be curious to hear his tales of life! He was a character, a real character!
Lori, I was just invoking you on another thread! Was correcting the spelling of your name. I’m glad you’re here.
I’m glad to hear from Kristen that Murphy is doing well. As I’ve been reading along here, a memory of his manner and way of smiling and speaking has been returning. Was his mouth actually wired shut for awhile? That’s part of my memories, too….
A funny project would be to assemble a map of all these crash pads and party houses of yore. Imagine a troop of us dropping by and knocking, startling the current inhabitants.
>>A funny project would be to assemble a map of all these crash pads and party houses of yore.
Tom: I’ve suggested we do something crrrrazy with Google Maps, which is coming frighteningly close to providing 360-degree panoramas of everything.
We could get all the addresses and organize a virtual walking tour. Of course, actually leading a group of day-trippers through all these ‘hoods would be even funnier … I want to hold the flag on the stick, like those Japanese tour guides at the Metropolitan Museum!
Whoops now it’s me that’s not reading very carefully! Wired shut indeed!! More than a memory, the photographic evidence is freaking staring me in the face! I’d leapt here from another thread.
Yes Lori, that’s how I remember you best--in the pre- all-black era!
Of course, all-black is always an attractive way to go. So many wonderful precedents! Though I will take Roy Orbison and Johnny Cash over the SS. But great to see you and Chris here in more naturalistic guise, and I can see one of the things that must have drawn you to him: his eyes.
Tom Goddard was very much his own man (I’m echoing Pat), but a friend to me I’d like to run into again someday. His sister was actually more my peer, but I remember driving with him somewhere while he illuminated the Cure for me, whose records I had been too retro or whatever to buy, though I knew tham a little by osmosis and radio. I remember deciding that I actually did kind of like “Love Cats” which was a song that was kind of dear to girls I knew. Or anyway, the singer was! I suppose I merely approved of the Cure as I did a few other semi-popular acts--which sounds self-righteous, I know, but I think we were who we were in part because, Truffaut-like, we were engaged as critics and would-be arbiters because we had a real love for the thing, whatever it was--what they used to call Pop with a capital P--and felt we had a stake in it. I felt we could define pop culture for ourselves, and that you kind of had to be, like embody, the alternative. Obviously I was some kind of wild-eyed fanatic.
Tom Goddard had a famous blue raincoat--kind of like Leonard Cohen. One of the things I liked about Tom was that he was actually kind of a secret athlete. He was apparently a very good windsurfer--becoming an instructor eventually, I believe. But he was quirky somehow (it wasn’t really quantifiable) even in the context of quirks (we were all quirky, it came with the territory). It was appealing, though, that he was kind of mysterious, and unpersuaded about any number of things, as I saw it. He wasn’t trying to impress anyone.
I had hoped to run into Susie Goddard at the 2005 memorial for Creighton Cole, R.I.P., but it was not be. Tom and Susie’s mother, however, was there. The Goddards, all of them I ever met, were always whip-smart and attractive to be around. A certain Britishness IIRC through their mother (do I have this right?) just made them seem cosmopolitan in the context of San Diego. I admire them--though that makes it sound like I knew them better than I did. They were schoolmates to me and I took them for granted as “people I know” without really knowing them well. I’ll leave this note behind to embarrass them should they ever happen along….
That is one EARLY photo of Bobby Lane! I remember him best with much longer hair (and a skateboard), but those memories must be from the era when a lot of people ironically grew their hair long again--probably verging on 1989 by then. Not to be confused with neo-psychedelic people who’d always had their hair long! Thus the theatre of hair, n’est-ce pas? But wow, is Bobby ever young here.
Am I right that Tom Goddard and Jerry Cornelius were co-conspirators in a pact to woo two beautiful daughters of a local Indian family by dancing magnificently at the PB Krishna Temple? (I believe we referred to them as “Gold Girl” and “Green Girl” for the color of their saris.
Somehow, I’m putting Tom Goddard’s name into the scenario but Tom Ward’s visage …
BTW, did anyone notice Paul Hokeness’ artwork on the wall in a lot of the photos? He would carefully rip the labels off of various beer bottles, slap them on the wall and then draw the outlines of bottles around them in Sharpie. Sort of like police chalk outlines only for beer.
>>He would carefully rip the labels off of various beer bottles, slap them on the wall and then draw the outlines of bottles around them in Sharpie. Sort of like police chalk outlines only for beer.
Martha Stewart, eat your heart out! 🙂
(Come to think of it, we should dedicate a thread to our youthful assaults on interior design!)
Steve’s hair = Godhead.
When I think of Murphy I think of the guitar intro for Metallica’s “Jump In The Fire” and the (“Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!”) keyboard intro for The Chesterfield Kings’ song “[little help, Cyndie?]” at full blast over and over, and over,…and over,…again. I last saw John Murphy a few years ago at the Casbah with his wife Sandy (L.N.U., well,… now it’s Murphy), whose sister I always had a crush on.
HOlY speed metal batman…I forgot that Murphy was a headbanger the whole time we were doing our little paisley pansy shuffle -- He loves that stuff! Good for you Murph. Be true to thyself.
Wasn’t there some little antique/thrift shop right in front of Murphy’s place. I vaguely remember stumbleing through there after numerous hangovers. Also, I would like to add a little story I fondly remember of Murphy. We, Murphy,myself and some other hooligan/s decided to venture into Mexico. I can’t remember who else, possibly Matt Johnson, well anyway, we got our good time on but when it was time to return to the States, I encountered a person who had been denied entrance into the US but had a drivers license that said he lived on Grape St in San Diego. So I was determined to help this guy. I lent him my Levi jacket messed up his hair and had him try to blend in with the rest of us. Well, customs denied him entrance once again and was a bit more critical of the rest of us, to the point that they wouldn’t let Murphy through either since he had no identification on him. No problem. We head back to my vehicle, sans Murphy, and as we are crossing over the bridge going to the other side of the freeway , in the distance we hear some bushes rustling and the faint voice of Murphy saying he would meet us over at the car. He freaking snuck from Mexico into the US right there, right at the most conspicuos spot. I have to give him props on theat one.
Hell , I should proofread before I post. Lo siento mucho
Too true about the Hare Krishna Temple in PB. There was Green Girl and Purple Girl, each more beautiful than the other. Neither Jerry nor I made any progress in any way however, and when the “voluntary contribution” for dinner became “purchase a ticket door”, we more or less lost interest. Jerry’s dancing style created some awed respect amongst the Indian crowd though, if I remember correctly. I don’t think they had ever seen anything like it, but they left him plenty of floor space. The last we ever went there was for Krishna’s birthday or something, on some horrible sweaty night in August. We went to some weird midnight feast, and then when it all finished at 2 in the morning, had some weird trek back to Pat Work’s place on University and 6th. In fact I think it wasn’t too long after that episode that I realized there must be plenty more Indian girls in India and took off to Southeast Asia with Dave Rinck.
Tom: Krishna’s birthday = blue birthday cake at the temple. Quite the hootenanny!
Interesting footnote: A generation of SD’s Indian immigrants learned to dance like James Brown thanks to your and Jerry’s good example. At Indian weddings in Southern California, these people still embarrass their own children with these moves, dancing frenetically until attendants in traditional dress throw capes over their shoulders and guide them, shaking and sweating, off the floor.
That’s too funny about Murphy sneaking across the border.
I have know Murph since we we in 8th grade I beleive. There are a zillion good Murph stories.
In tribute to John Murphy I say I have a bad hang over and can’t remember any of them at the moment.
I think Murphy came along when Mark joined the Morlocks, if I´m not mistaken. Kind of a package deal. Murph and I spent many long summer afternoons dealing with a piece of crap Datsun 510 I bought for 300$ after my Valient burned up. He´d work on it for free, but with only two conditions: I had to buy him a 12 pack of Luckys and let him play Metallica and Megadeth all afternoon. It was well worth it.
Wow,great memories…I have some pictures but not to many. I have tons of flyers and a painting that Jerry Cornelius made of me. Ray was that after your Volkswagon was stolen or before? That was a clean 1965 red VW. How are you Pat? I would love to talk with anyone.I have a page on myspace. Miss you all!!!
Alena
Wow, Alena! Cool seeing you here. The pics of your kids? The first daughter could be you, last time I saw you at Murphy’s.
Jerry, I never thought we would talk again. I am so pleased you are on here! Actually if I didnt run into Tony Suarez I would never have know about this website.Thanks again Tony!
Will the real Zoe Poore stand up please!