San Diego punk | The Che Underground

Wendy Pyro: Punk pioneer

December 11, 2017February 26, 2010 by admin

(In which Clairemont High School alum Dave Fleminger strikes rock ‘n’ roll in a back issue of his alma mater’s paper.)

January 1981: Imagine the trepidation felt by young Clairemont High news reporter Alan Graham about this front-page assignment.

He has been given the responsibility of unveiling the “punk-rock lifestyle” in the pages of the Arrow, the school paper. To do so he will be interviewing Clairemont High School’s best-known proponent of the movement, Wendy “Pyro” Gaines. Perhaps he could have also gone undercover, like Cameron Crowe had done at Clairemont High a couple years earlier, but that could have gotten a little rough, and Wendy has graciously granted Alan an opportunity to stay within familiar CHS territory and still learn about a mysterious group whose meeting place (?) was at a Lions’ lodge in far-off North Park.

Gary Heffern/Al DeLoner: “Anxiety”

December 18, 2017January 18, 2010 by admin

A special debut on Che Underground: The Blog! A chance remark by Mikel Toombs in this forum has inspired a haunting new song by San Diego legend Gary Heffern, recorded by Scandinavian bard Al DeLoner.

The piece, “Anxiety,” is in part a meditation on the disintegration of San Diego’s late-’70s underground. Heff writes, “Consider it a present to Che … as further proof that life does go in full circles … and inspiration can be found in the kindness of a friend giving me gentle nudge.”

Men of Clay: Artifacts

December 31, 2010December 25, 2009 by admin

Courtesy of Clay himself, here’s a set of artwork that evokes his work as editor of Bamboohead and eponymous frontman for Men of Clay.

As these flyers demonstrate, MoC performed frequently in San Diego at the turn of the ’80s and was featured in 1983’s “Our Blow Out” compilation. So far, however, we’ve only discussed the band in passing. Please chime in with your memories of Men of Clay!

Angie Bowie AIDS Begone benefit
featuring Gary Heffern

December 14, 2017December 6, 2009 by admin

It’s appropriate that a champion of the San Diego music scene should saddle up for a righteous campaign to raise consciousness and funds for those in need.

A track from “Consolation,” a new CD from Penetrators frontman (and Che Underground regular) Gary Heffern, will be featured in AIDS Begone, a CD and cyber party organized by the legendary Angie Bowie.

Here’s what Ms. Bowie told Che Underground: The Blog about Heff’s contribution, titled “I Am Your Destroyer”: “‘I Am Your Destroyer’ is a fascinating lyric with a Jekyll-and-Hyde quality. Knowing that destruction can be both constructive and renewing. That being a destroyer may also open up an avenue for new feelings, love and emotions that could not exist with old tradition and prejudice. It’s a great song!”

Fairmount Hall’s punk pioneers

December 31, 2010December 1, 2009 by admin

While doing research for the blog, I came across this account from Scott McDonald in a 1981 edition of Flipside. This scene report (on Page 3 of the PDF) describes Fairmount Hall’s debut as a punk venue:

“Recently, a very successful show was produced at Fairmount Hall. This was the first gig at this location, and it features San Diego’s four best bands: thing was set up and arranged by Tim, Violent Crimes manager, with monetary help from whoever was willing and could afford it.

“Tim deserves a pat on the back for being the first one to go out and find a new location since the old Lion’s Club closed. Anyway all the bands played good sets, with plenty of energy being expended by both the bands and the people on the dance floor.

Read moreFairmount Hall’s punk pioneers

Our family tree, revisited

December 31, 2010November 22, 2009 by admin

Thanks to the Cardiac Kidz’s Jim Ryan, Che Underground: The Blog has a fresh supply of artifacts from his band and other early participants in the San Diego punk scene.

Among Jim’s contributions is this chart from early 1980 composed by Dan McLain. It testifies to Dan’s role as underground historian and adds new fuel to the longstanding discussion of our family tree.

Eric Rife’s punk-rock picture show

December 31, 2010November 19, 2009 by admin

In another exciting development for fans of San Diego’s musical history, the San Diego Union-Tribune has officially twigged to the long-pending documentary by veteran scenester Eric Rife.

Besides being a friend of many participants here, Eric was the primary videographer at our Che Games for May reunion … and an inspiration for the magical history tour embodied by this blog.

Gifts and barters

December 31, 2010October 22, 2009 by admin

Back in April, Ray Brandes introduced us to a novel Spanish debt-collection practice and intiated a conversation about the spiritual and physical debts we owe each other. (For me, this whole blog has been a way to express gratitude to all of you for shaping me and helping me realize potential I couldn’t have foreseen.)

I’d like to get a little more mundane, perhaps, and think about the actual objects we pooled and traded. Money wasn’t equally distributed among us, we know, but it seems everybody managed to contribute something to the economy: sharing cigarettes, giving cool boots or a coat to a friend, making a cassette that got handed around, maybe going in on ownership of a vehicle or an amp …

Unlike a straight-up purchase, there’s a social connection and a story behind every trade or gift we made. I’d like to hear some more of them!

Penetrators reunion, January 2010!

December 31, 2010October 15, 2009 by admin

Che Underground: The Blog has been immeasurably enriched by our recent interactions with the Penetrators. As Ray Brandes has chronicled here, the Penetrators have been one of the most influential and beloved forces in San Diego’s music underground from the band’s genesis in 1977 until decades after its dissolution in 1984.

Good news for all their fans: Pens frontman Gary Heffern has given us the green light to announce a run of Penetrators-related fun at San Diego’s Casbah from Jan. 27-31, 2010 — including an evening presented by the Che Underground.

Missing persons

December 31, 2010October 7, 2009 by admin

Friend of Che Underground Chris Mathis’ triumphant reappearance after reports of his demise dramatizes my favorite part of this whole blogging adventure: the opportunity to reconnect the people we knew then and lost track of since.

On Day Three of this blog’s existence, I posted a very modest list of folks whose whereabouts were unknown to the small circle of scenesters who were privy to our launch … Since then, we’ve located all the people on the list and many, many more besides. Even better, many of our friends have found us, thanks to the blog’s rising online profile.

So who else do you want us to track down? Let’s talk about other people who remain MIA and discuss how to connect the rest of those dots.