Great snapshot of an oft-overlooked influential band, as you outlined! You mentioned '79 as the year the Runaways splintered. I visited Hollywood (from Houston) in June '79, and spent most of my time trolling the clubs on Sunset Blvd., happily soaking up all the punk/power pop vibes I was reading about in all the rock mags!
Having, apparently, more spare time with no band to manage, I ran into Kim Fowley in front of the Roxy one night! We chatted briefly, but as my LA visit was meant to ""audition" it as a city to which I'd like to move, meeting rock stars on the street was a big 👍to my decision to move, finally, in January '80! That same night, as it happens, I bumped into Rodney Bingenheimer, as well! The pages of "Hit Parader" and "CREEM" were all but coming alive right before my eyes!
Couple all that with running into Knack lead singer, Doug Fieger, at Tower Records just up the street one day that June week was the capper! He had just stopped by to give his OK to the new end cap the store had just set up with hundreds of The Knack's Capitol debut LP surrounding drummer, Bruce Gary's actual drum kit! At this point, there was no way I WASN'T going to move from Houston the following January! Keep up the great work!
Always enjoy your extended comments with all the "war stories". My mom was friends with some of the great classical musicians and conductors of the day, but I didn't have an appreciation for what that meant, and never did anything to cultivate those ties. Good for you for knowing what it meant and following your nose!
Great snapshot of an oft-overlooked influential band, as you outlined! You mentioned '79 as the year the Runaways splintered. I visited Hollywood (from Houston) in June '79, and spent most of my time trolling the clubs on Sunset Blvd., happily soaking up all the punk/power pop vibes I was reading about in all the rock mags!
Having, apparently, more spare time with no band to manage, I ran into Kim Fowley in front of the Roxy one night! We chatted briefly, but as my LA visit was meant to ""audition" it as a city to which I'd like to move, meeting rock stars on the street was a big 👍to my decision to move, finally, in January '80! That same night, as it happens, I bumped into Rodney Bingenheimer, as well! The pages of "Hit Parader" and "CREEM" were all but coming alive right before my eyes!
Couple all that with running into Knack lead singer, Doug Fieger, at Tower Records just up the street one day that June week was the capper! He had just stopped by to give his OK to the new end cap the store had just set up with hundreds of The Knack's Capitol debut LP surrounding drummer, Bruce Gary's actual drum kit! At this point, there was no way I WASN'T going to move from Houston the following January! Keep up the great work!
Always enjoy your extended comments with all the "war stories". My mom was friends with some of the great classical musicians and conductors of the day, but I didn't have an appreciation for what that meant, and never did anything to cultivate those ties. Good for you for knowing what it meant and following your nose!