X | The Che Underground

The Skeleton Club in flyers

July 24, 2021June 10, 2010 by Mmrothenberg

Che Underground: The Blog has written before about the legendary Skeleton Club, the backbone of San Diego punk that Laura Fraser and Tim Mays ran for a scant two weeks at 921 4th Ave. before reopening (always a half-step ahead of SD authorities) at 202 Market St.

Now Mikel Toombs enriches our store of Skeleton Club lore with a wealth of flyers, including announcements that accompanied the original venue’s opening and closing.

“The one about the Skeleton Club closing was handed out at the final show at the original Skeleton Club,” Mikel writes. “I don’t have any recollection of the other one.”

This We Dug: Johnny Thunders

March 29, 2019December 26, 2008 by Mmrothenberg

(In this installment, Wallflowers vocalist Dave Rinck puts his arms around a memory.)

Last Saturday night, Dave Ellison and I took our wives out for dinner and a show in Los Angeles. We had a great time, and what a show it was!

Well, first there was some sort of ridiculous country/New Wave band that sucked. I don’t know why they let these guys in the door. They were called Cracker or something. They had some stupid song about taking skinheads bowling. I mean, why should I have to hear about that?

Anyway, the headlining bands were X and the New York Dolls. Obviously X was great. I mean, wow: Billy Zoom has become such a guitar virtuoso, really like a sort of punk rock Chuck Berry. Has anyone here noticed that Gretsch is releasing a re-issue of the amazing Billy Zoom Sparkle Jet guitar? BTW some guy is running an online petition to get X into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Please go and sign it — it would be so cool to see a real authentic underground band like this get in.

Remembering Renee Edgington, North Park Lions Club

March 21, 2018August 1, 2008 by Mmrothenberg

(David Klowden commemorates a San Diego punk pioneer and AIDS activist.)

Renee Edgington yearbook photo I was searching online for my former mentor, Renee Edgington, the founder of Shark Productions, who was responsible for creating so many cool shows in San Diego, and learned that she & her husband died in a car accident 10 years ago while vacationing in South Africa.

Anyone who attended a show at the North Park Lions Club between 1978 and 1981 has Renee to thank for making it happen.

I knew that she had been an AIDS activist in Los Angeles, but I didn’t know that she’d founded Clean Needles Now. Renee was a wonderful woman & I was deeply saddened to hear about this tragedy.

Shark Productions artifacts: