“The hippies...I don’t think really believed in love that much and I don’t think the punks believed in hate that much.” There are exceptions to everything, but overall... this is truth.
It doesn't go like that, we all know that society is twisted by rich and ppl with power, wtf that power mean idk, some of us want to change course of society bc it seems that one-minded majority is runing separate lives in modern caves force to work by rich,get underpayed, while prices getting higher and higher... That isnt essence of soul, its to help, solve and create. We have move to FAR from that, convinced that we cant survive 24hrs just behave that way.We have all study that first simple societys lived like that for 100000yrs, this form of society last maybe 7-8000yrs and will die soon with great casualtys!!!! Do it yourself punk form came bc ppl wanted to stop paying ridiculous prices for service or product while workers doesn't gain shit from that, that is point!!!! Even Jesus said that 2000yrs ago but it seems ppl rather live in chains than fight for real freedom of choice even you get killed...Im ready to die for that 24\7 and will always be no matter how old i am and belive those PUNKS were too, but we all have to take that stance, that is WIN WIN situation for all, poor workers and rich assholes...QUESTION IS ARE YOU ALL READY TO GIVE LIFE FOR BETTER FUTURE OF OUR KIDS AND PLANET??? My opinion is NO
The best flyer we got was an invite to be an extra in the film Suburbia-that was a fun experience.I think we were leaving Godzillas when they were handed out.
Yes it was! I kept my band's flyers, along with other bands as well. I loved the commando style of *DIY*...some of those flyers out there were really well done. Literal works of art!
With us in the late 80s / 90s (illegal rave acid-house party scene) it was pirate radio, that'd come on the air for 2 hours and tell us all where the party was happening, and we'd all convoy down there - but you had to know the freq in advance to catch the message
I took my daughter trick or treating in Los Alamitos. We knocked on a door and Joe Escalante answered the door . I was dressed as Richard Simmons he thought it was hysterical.
Coming from the UK where everything was grey and miserable during the 70's the idea of Southern California, the punk rock scene, skating and surfing was the thing of dreams.Sure, we had punk and we had the punk culture but you guys had the sun and that somehow made it seem so much better!
i was in the eastern US and we all admired the surfing and skate magazines. then snowboarding came and we jumped on that. i miss being young. so much fun! i miss my skateboard that got stolen. i wish i never quit. i was never good but had fun. my brother got into a commercial for an amusement park. i taped over it like a jerk. we can't track down the master copy anywhere. that would be an amazing for his kids to see.
@@sk8anddestroy792 not at all, I was on about the environment, the way we lived as a country. The Sex Pistols were a breath of fresh air, exciting and dangerous.
My close friend Ray was part of the LA punk scene in the early 80's with great stories. He was Mike Ness' roommate from Social Distortion. I found Ray in his room in late September succumbed to his opiate addiction. I miss Ray so much
I grew up in Orange County and fell in love with punk when it hit my ears for the first time at 13 in 1979. Even though I was too young to have experienced the Cuckoo’s Nest, i feel so privileged to have seen many of these bands in their prime.
Man you're so lucky! I was born in 1990, East Oakland California. I had family in Crenshaw, so I spent summers down there in LA at my aunt and uncle's house, hanging with my cousins. I can't even remember how I got exposed to it so young, probably through my oldest hobbies which were skateboarding and graffiti, but I literally grew up listening to mostly hip hop or old school Bay Are and LA punk and hardcore. I was already listening to stuff like Circle Jerks, MDC, Poison Idea, The Germs, FEAR, and Black Flag when I was around 12. My favorite bands back then were FEAR and Dead Kennedys. I wish I could have been alive for that era, you guys are SO lucky. I was born too late.
So glad I got to experience it. Punk rock house party's in O.C. and the Nest. Punk rock spoke for us kids that didn't fit the into the mold of how middle class suburbia was tryin to mold us. We weren't jocks, we weren't academically driven. We were misfits, outcasts, unsure of what life meant, and what our lives would be in our attempts to survive adolescence. We were growing up in a post hippie culture, living in a master planned middle class suburban, with divorcing parents, parents that were unplugged, completely absent and unaware of the social struggles we were trying to endure. All I knew was something was wrong with my life in H.B., and I was angry, scared, lost, and invisible. Thank goodness for the music, the outlet, and the groups of people where we found we belonged at this period in time. 40 years later, still alive, happy and living a beautiful productive life. What a journey and wonderful life its been!!!!
Ha, I grew up in HB. I heard punk on Rodney on the Roq when I was in fifth grade. I happened to be wearing headphones. I couldn't believe it, my life was changed. I was a skater when skating was dead. Black Flag, Circle Jerks, Descendants, Social D, TSOL, Dk of course. And there were more.
I wasn’t old enough to be there but as an HB native growing up my friends and I looked up to those 80’s hardcore bands and joined the revival movement that was kinda going on in the early 2000’s. My first show ever was the Adolescents with Agent Orange at the Galaxy. That made a big impression on us.
This brings back so many great memories of my youth. I wasn't part of the SoCal punk scene, but we listened to the bands, bought their records, and played just as loud and fast in Atlanta, Georgie. Cool documentary.
I lived in Wesminster CA in the early 80's and was into rock. Spent a lot of my time in Huntington. The rock dudes and the punk rockers had their own areas where we would hang out, but we were always cool with each other (at least the folks I knew). We all played in bands and would help each other out. We always thought the punk music was too basic, and they thought our music was lame and all sounded the same. But we always had respect and got along well. To be honest, as a rock guy, punk rockers made better friends from what I remember - my rocker friends were unreliable as hell, my punk buddies always came through. 👍
Talk about respect we would go to this club in Seattle called The Rock Theater which had two rooms one would be hair metal and the other punk rock booked on the same night. 1984 Husker Du....TSOL Oh yeah some little band Soundgarden would open up for them...MELVINS Green River would open
@@mikemike8142 Husker Du! Oh man, been a while since I heard them! Only Seattle would have such a cool place with punk and hair metal the same night! Awesome! Soundgarden?1 Melvins! Damn brother!
85 86ish MELVINS opened for Circle Jerks at Gorilla Gardens Seattle after one song into the Jerks set the fire marshal shut it down. It's on UA-cam the riot.
What's up Westminster!! I'm 47 as of last month, everything you said about thr Metal guys and Punks, different areas is true.. some kids don't get it, like seriously don't get it, it was the time, being your self and who you were gonna be was the truth about You.. so Fight for it.. it's the part of this scene that you either get or never will... peace
@@mikemike8142 wow mike, i was in college 85-90, i can remember alice at the off-ramp...but for the life of me i can't remember the Rock Theater. did it become something else? i know this is a year ago but damn, my memory is getting so bad:) - barbie:)
Man, this brings back a crap ton of memories. A band I fronted practiced in the same space as US Bombs (Duane). Miss seeing and talking with that guy. Thanks for posting!
I moved to Orange County in 1980 and from 13 years old to sixteen years old, when I was rudely deported back to Britain, I grew up fast with the L.A Thrash circuit that had a huge influence. One of the soundtracks to my youth. From the Misfits to Circle Jerks, TSOL to Bad Brains, Christian Death, The Vandals. Social Distortion, D.O.A. The flyers were brilliant always guaranteed 5-6 bands a gig. Awesome times. ..and of course Black Flag. Even got to see Dead Kennedys.
was there really a huge rivalry between the thrash and the hardcore punk scenes in L.A. at that time? i've been watching a documentary where they say they were beating the shit of each other at concerts all the time
No Punk Merged into thrash Verty Smoothly on my end of Town. DogTown was Awesome. This and the last Vid " 25 Years of Punk ' Both Suck for never once mentioning Suicidal Tendencies. I used to get Paid to Clean the Parking Lots they are talking about. So yes I was there But I lived in Redondo Beach. Southside of DogTown. I only mention it Because it should show the Rivalry. The Pussy Ass shows beyond the Orange Curtain were just White Boys. We were Poorer. That meant a Gang Scene both Black and Mexican. But trust me, the Shows from Hollywood to that Orange County line where the hoods had Graffiti were WAY more Exciting. I went to School with Black Flag. Redd Kross, Motley Crue. and Ratt. and they all Played the same Places. Including the Nest. I Stumbled into this Thread on L7 Vids LOL I lived all over South Bay. Took Surfing in High School first Period. Rarely made it to Second. Then Skate to School. .
honestly don't know why the scene introduced gang black kids, as if they would even understand the punk movement at all. All they were there to do is fuck up white kids, always on that welfare radar going around beating the shit out of tax paying hard working Americans. Can't believe someone like you who is white accepts this bullshit behaviour. punk started strong then because of this shit the scene died, and idiots joined.
What an amazing xp for a friend from across the pond. We appreciate your stay. Sorry for the deportation thingy. We're bad fr deporting the wrong people here.
@@denniscasey2883 Just visualizing what you have saw is amazing. Im 33 and always feel like I show up to "the party" bout 8-10 years to late for all the cool stuff.
26:35 - The Vandals wrote an extremely good, famous, awesome song which mentions Zubies. "I Want To Be A Cowboy." One of the greatest songs in the universe. And the Vandals are still playing, in 2018!
And in 2022 . Just saw them at the house of blues in orange county where I live doing their Christmas show. Josh Freeze on ths drums. They were amazing
We grew hearing that Circle pits came from Here, not the who, Haha whatever to that, but I remember when I heard some metal dude's talking about Mosh pits, moshing etc.. like what the fuck, since when? .. Hahahaha thought y'all just stood there and brushed each others Hair at Concerts Hahahaha..
@@AtZero138 Oh, I get it - because metal guys had long hair and took showers and stuff? Didn't have incredibly talented folks like GG Allin shitting all over the stage and flinging it into the crowd?
I was skating to Black Flag, TSOL Dead Kennedy's, and Agent Orange in friends empty backyard pools and homemade skate ramps in the "Heim back in '82-87 because those were my favorite bands. I was always taking over the boom box or cassette player at our skate sesh's because those fuckers were the best! Those were the days. You have to listen to those bands if you've never heard of them. It will be a spiritual experience.
This was a lot of fun for me to watch. I wouldn't be here today if not for punk. When I found it, I found a home I still love to this day. I'm 52 , my kids love punk. Their morning alarm for school is the magnificent seven, clash.
I'm glad I was alive and listening to punk and new wave in late 70s and early 80s even though it seems so long ago I'll never stop playing this music. 🎇
I started playing LA punk bands on the radio in '78 at KPFT in Houston with Christian Arnheiter.Christian started the first punk band in Houston,the Hates. The Controllers were the first LA band to play in Texas.
fun stuff...first show I "remember" going to was 999 at the nest....next day I went backpacking in the Sierra Nevadas with only the sound of nature and "homicide" blazing through my head.....I was hooked (thanks for posting this)
In the fabled history of punk rock, the So Cal scene is usually overlooked, I'm glad to see this highly important scene is getting it's overdue respect!
Just wrote this somewhere else here: maybe it's because it doesn't offer the same ready-made opportunity to dream yourself into it? A bunch of well'er to do kids from Rich-Land, America who are having a sad about living in Suburbia doesn't have exactly the same bad guy allure as say 70s UK punk or a near-bankrupt NYC or even Reagan-era DC. I don't mean to knock these people or their memories, and neither the music they made, BUT if part of the allure of punk rock is giving disaffected teens the illusion of living the life of a dangerous outsider, Orange County is not exactly the first place to start, is it?
Not being American and a child of the 90s, I always had a hard time understanding why Southern Californian punk rock never had the same cachet as other Rock'n'Roll scenes. This documentary really helped put things into perspective. When you can get behind "doing the pogo" but look at slam dancing with suspicion because you know somebody is going to get hurt... or this legendary figure in your scene is infamous because... like, he, like, drove away from the cops and stuff and they shot a gun before he was arrested... that leaves little room for teens to project their own ideas of danger and deviance into it. Not that rich kids from suburbialand don't have plenty of reasons to be fed up with the life into which they were born, but it isn't exactly the stuff out of which the dreams of rebellion are formed. Thanks for uploading this.
Black Flag 🏴 played at my neighbors house up the street in the early 80’s - house party was off the hook, skate pipe out back, fist fights, people jumping off the roof, pure chaos. Cops had to shut it down - Good times 🙌
They didn't go to music college, or follow the latest trend, instead they traveled a road which was bumpy and filled with holes. It was about playing, having a good time, and just being young and growing up with their own problems. Much like the original skinhead the punks were cast as yet another enemy of the people by the media. Not everyone had money, looks, talent, or some other desirable attribute but somehow this movement grew. Unfortunately like every great beginning evolution changes a perfectly deformed and interesting idea and molds it into something cute and cuddly for the masses to accept.
The Modern Lovers and NY Dolls opened my mind for the shock and awe years there after . I was a17yr old that hated disco and growing tired of the leftovers from the 60s'
I was there for a lot of shows. I still live in Huntington Beach and a cpl of years ago I was boarding a flight for Oregon on business and who ends up sitting next to me toting his skateboard in hand? None other than Steve Olson! Had a great convo and flight talking about the old days. 👊🏻💯
I remember going to" the living room" in Santa Barbara it was like 1993 i was in 6th grade and my older sister and her boyfriend at the time took me and it changed my life. The next day I heard an operation ivy on vinyl and that was the real turning point for me. Grimy street skater punk. I got way more into skateboarding as time went on, but I will always be punk to the core.
Without these bands, we would never have what we have today and I wouldn’t be me. These guys deserve a shit ton of credit and some of these guys are playing this summer I’ll show my respect
I don't think a scene can really happen in the age of the cellphone: a culture needs just a little isolation. Plus, that generation knew one thing loud and clear: fun meant getting out of the house, no matter how old you were. Of you were 9, go play baseball. If you were 19, get out and party.
Fenders Ballroom in Long Beach, California(15 miles north of Huntington Beach, Ca.) Was definately the Biggest Punk Venue in all of Southern California. The amount of shows that took place at Fender's between 1984-1989 was unmatched by any other venue. Olympic Auditorium in Downtown L.A. and The Country Club in Reseda, Ca. were probably the other venues that had alot of punk shows. They should make a documentary about Fender's Ballroom as it also had alot of metal shows. The Country Club in Reseda was also a legendary place.
Hear hear fenders was legit when the skins were running amok everybody birched but they would have happily taken the skins reign back when the suis took over mad beatdowns but it was very cool place every town had their own double or triple long tables my dad always sat at the head of the long beach table and the mags maximum rocknroll flipside the old stapled together fight for freedom they would always go to my dad whos gonna rip it up tonight Earl and he really liked target of demand I remember the drumm of target of demand bust his floor tom and borrowed the next bands drum and busted their head too they were amazing along with some other gems in the LBC we're secret hate and China white strip and more right before I got into it the neighbors were moving by my grandpa's place and they had a skateboard ramp they said I could have it and it was a half pipe covered in bands names in spray paint it turns out the guys half of them were in china white I guess they got kicked out for making too much noise grandpa said they were always boozing over there lmao Then their was dowies parents closed down bar the ol wagon wheel saloon on PCH but when dowies folks went to Hawaii for a few weeks to renew their vows dowie opened it up as the circle ballroom my first show i was 13 and it was there that I was transformed the we place had no seating in it their was only a waiting bench maybe sat 5 or so people the rest of the place were beer soaked tiles that actual came up off the ground attached to my boots it was awesome the lineups we're legendary LBHC
I saw a lot of gigs in the area growing up in HB in the 70's and 80's. But the one that stands out the most which brings me most pride was Gwar at Fenders Ballroom. I wasn't even a big Gwar fan. But the stage show and notoriety made it a rare occasion. I also saw RHCP at Fenders when they were just getting started.
I lived up the coast in Vancouver Canada and we had a great thriving punk scene here also. I spent many great nights at this dump of a club called the Smiling Buddah Cabaret. Bands like D.O.A., Pointed Sticks, Subhumans, and many others. Great times.
Ethan Walker They were always the best. Not an OC guy. but punk house parties... the best. and underground venues, right after they get known and right before the papers start touting the gigs... It's still around man...
Ethan Walker Assuming you live in some shithole part of the country or perhaps a more serious situation is stopping you. But if not get the fuck out there! They're still happening..always will be..GO!!
being a punk rocker in europe you had a lot of things to do.. gigs, squats, if you had money you could go to london for fashion amsterdam for fun berlin before the wall was weird.. but i had a blast reading mrr and looking at all these fine guitars
Wow, This quite accurately sums up my experience of that era and my feelings of life then and now. I had a very similar world in Nor Cal culminating at the Fab Mab in San Francisco in the late 70's/early 80's in the band F.U.X. and later the Malones. Long live Pat Brown!!
i lived on the Central Coast most of my life,& went down to L.A. for gigs.Went North few times,tried out screamin for Fang,loved Flipper,saw Fear in S.F. & saw the G.D. there many times.Nice place back then. Havent been there since 91
Love that picture of Todd Muscat jumping over Henry Rollins. Todd went on to play bass for Decry and is currently playing bass for Junk Yard (with Brian Baker and Pat Muzingo).
The east coast scene was probably similar in many ways, but I luckily never had to see any of the crazy violence that I hear about, I must've just missed it. Sure, we were called fags, and got dirty looks from just about everyone, but for the most part were left alone to enjoy the music and company of likeminded friends. I feel privileged to have grown up when I did, and owe my friend Erin everything for introducing me to bands like Descendents, Dag Nasty, etc. I still listen to the same albums that I did back then, they don't get old, which is something that the popular music scene doesn't seem to understand. I can only speak for myself, but punk rock was never a fad, it was a lifestyle. I think I knew from the second I heard it, that it was something that was going to completely consume me. I took to it like a moth to a flame, one day I had Guns N' Roses, the next was Descendents. I actually remember an older kid saying "What happened, did you just stop liking that other music overnight?!" And I just turned to him and said "yeah". I had an English teacher who had a Social Distortion tattoo on her ankle, she saw that I had a misfits shirt on one day and we talked about bands. She said to me "I never understood why the Descendents weren't bigger than they were, they have positive lyrics like 'I've been thinking good good things about you', and although I couldn't agree more, there's something about being able to keep these bands to yourself (and a small group of other people), it's like being in an exclusive club. It stays sacred.
I lived in OC 1980 to 1990 and from 80 to 84 the punk scene was great,there were a ton of awesome groups. Eddie and the Subtitles anyone? But the Dickies were by far one of the most kick ass groups in California, probably in the U.S.
That was my laundromat.I skated down the hill at the factories behind the laundromat in 1972 and knocked myself out' ran to my friends house on Shalimar. I was 9. Nest became my place later.
Am I the only one who notices that it says 1979 instead of 1981 on some of these clips? Perhaps I was the only one not on drugs and alcohol back then. Also, I was there that night when it was Henry's first performance with Black Flag. It was the most overcrowded I had ever seen the Nest and its parking lot. The cops shut it down with a man search. Make that a boy search. I think he was no older than me, maybe younger, so 14 or 15. It's a lie that it was a large group of skinheads who killed that old man. The boy was a little blonde punk with a mohawk and an especially cool jacket. He hid inside the club. He gave his noticeable jacket to another guy to wear as a decoy, and he tied a bandana over his head to cover his mohawk. I stood in the parking lot and watched for my friends to come out and as the cops didn't discover the 'man' they were looking for as he walked out arm in arm between two blonde teenaged girls, my friends. I have a lot of stories from the Cuckoo's Nest. I can say this, I recall Costa Mesa cops being afraid of the punks. They had occasions when they did not intervene when they should have and certainly could have, like when a girl was beaten up by two guys. They had one of the guys in cuffs then let him go. I had the name of the second guy who in the middle of the street beat the hell out of and tore the dress off a second very sweet girl who tried to protect the first girl. Cops did nothing to pursue even though I reported it to them.
thanks for adding some more truth, there are elements of a mysoginistic cult of violence that is excused here because it was energetic and 'fun'....believe me, there were plenty of nazi fascists ,amongst the boot boy scene etc etc. I was 17 in 77
I lived in southern California in the early 80s and saw a few of these guys in a church basement in San Diego and at a few party's. Dead or alive productions rings a bell.
I have been to The Cuckoos Nest in the 80's..I seen TSOL...The Adolescents..and other Bands..I remember hanging in the parking lot Partying with Punks..They all invited me into their cars or Just hanging out in the parking lot drinking..Loved the Punk Girls. If you were Punk..We Accepted Punks..It was a Revolution..A Union between all Punks that believed in the same things and Rebels of Nature! We all did what we wanted and lived life on our terms..Some people didn't understand because they weren't Wild n Screwed up like we were.. Such an experience.. Which The Cuckoos Nest was our Hangout..Never forget this Club😮😝
Remember watching this for the first time back in 2019 when I was 15 just getting into the punk scene. I was so amazed and felt this pride of being an OC native. Because for all my life I thought OC/Santa Ana was a boring life and had no history to it. But up until turning 13 did I start to realize and gain the knowledge that OC was more than just fucking Disneyland and the block. Now at 18 nearly 19, after four years of being a punk head im so fucking glad to have found the scene which has brought so much new life, amazing memories, life style, friends, a whole new meaning to my life really. After watching this doc again I realize that the venue FTG in Santa Ana seems to be trying to recapture the Cuckoo’s Nest but in a new way. It’s a hell of a small place but it’s neat. I see after going to concert for years and looking back at this documentary. I notice that the OC Punk scene doesn’t seem to be what it used to be like in the 80’s. That or I haven’t been to enough venues. But it only seems like nowadays that some people aren’t there to mosh or enjoy the music but instead just to dress up pretty circle around the pit and stand around. It irks me really. Like why are you here than? At least go up front of the stage and listen to the music. But overall I’m just glad that people are still keeping the punk spirit alive. Also seeing new venues open up within the past couple of years is also really cool to see. Stay weird fuckos.
Cool ! My high school was full of Rockers who stupidly said; Disco sucks! Punk is bunk! One year later at the UW I discovered Punk Rock. In those days you had to peg your black Levi's to make them skin tight. I sometimes referred to my gang as; the Society of people with black Levi's.
Right On Kiddo.. I'm 49 and proud to have read and understand your words that have weight.. I still find great modern bands.. The Scene here in OC is the so called LA scene.. L.A girl from Adolescent.. Cheers and Oi Oi Oi @∅ Huntington Beach CA
Great punk bands! I had my first punk band D.A.M.M. (DRUNKS AGAINST MADD MOTHERS) in high school playing huge parties. After 21 I promoted a club on Via Lido Island in Zooport Beach close too the nest in Costa Misery that was Zubies then. I had Friday night at The Thunderbird. The first night the head bartender called me and Eck to see him after closing. Went to see him and he said you know your $80 bar tab. I said ya did we go over it? He said no but this night was amazing and your tab is unfucking limited KEEP IT UP. We did and had a blast. The Newport city counsel had many of them living on that island were trying to shut us down for a long time. When they did they kept it vacant for 15 years with the signs still up in some or the most expensive land in the USA. I was labeled the good promoter by the bands. I always paid in full and bought them drinks and not against the tab I gave them and had other great bands and a packed crowd. We had a blues/ deadhead style band downstairs a pool room and a huge dance room DJ down there too. 4-5 Punk bands upstairs. We strictly only promoted Newport and Huntington beach and a couple clubs in Costa Mesa and remained packed and no valley of the dirt and hardly any non beach locals. Back before Punk was safe!!!! Lots of us people had a riot in HB at the big surf contest. The white kind not looting and burning stores. Just cop cars and city life guard trucks. Here is a video with a Circle Jerks classic tune to it at the 1986 OP Pro. It started because cops were busting a couple of the girls flashing their jugs and they started getting violent when we started throwing food and liquid from our drinks on the pigs. ua-cam.com/video/8c1KMaHU-qs/v-deo.html GOOD TIMES AYE PIGS?
brianbirc lol my dad had a t shirt business under the same name made pens and bumper stickers had bitches sell them at bars and got death threats and sued by madd
Love how Keith tears it down. Keith's reinforced by Jellos clip that fallows. Conclusion = crass lyrics Punk is dead Yes that's right Just another cheap product For the consumers head -CRASS
Damn, this brings back memories of high school days. Would rather this be the thing rebellious kids of today got into compared to how things turned out. Oh well, different time back then. Thanks so much for sharing this doc, just subbed. Gave me a big happy. 😊
Lol, I came to Costa Mesa from Honduras in 89, and Zubies is where we got pizza after soliciting for the OC Register if we sold worth a damn. The Transmission place still there by the way.
I grew up in Toluca Lake, a suburb of North Hollywood, and we were at the Whiskey, Rainbow and Troubadour at the same time, with more of the same scene. This was an interesting documentary, but we had a great scene at the same time over in Hollywood and no mention of that (?). The Germs weren't even mentioned. Still, thanks for putting this together -- lots of great footage.
Damn, I'm originally from North County, San Diego but I spent a lot of time in Huntington Beach. I was wondering where I got the punk rock gene. This doc explains a lot.
I trip on watching this cuz I knew of some of the guys like Olson and Peters from skate boarding at Skatetopia in 1978 when I was 10, and also the concrete wave, and my friends older bro, 5 yrs older, class of 81" went to the cuckoos and played in a band called Warlock, which I still think is a great band name today!
@@Johnny2Bags47 There were only 2 skateboard parks in OC, (at least that I knew about), The Concrete Wave, which I think was around the Tustin/Irvine area, but not pos, and Skatetopia, which was somewhere close to Knotts Berry Farm, and Knotts is in BP. In the 1978 Tony Alva film/doc, "Skateboard Kings", they show the inside of Skatetopia and the check in counter where you paid for a session and rented pads and whatever you needed.
I used to hang out in Huntington Beach back in the days of the Cuckoos Nest, and went to that club a few times sand saw bands like TSOL, Black Flag, and The Ramones. Use to go to the Golden Bear as well to see people like Johnny Winter. The midnight movies where cool to to see movies like The Song Remains the Same, or A Clockwork Orange. Huntington had a lot to do for a kid from the OC out of Mission Viejo.
Does anyone happen to know the second to last song that’s playing as they’re doing the final interviews? Not the closing but the one right before with the awesome bass line.
The scene now a days is trying to relive a sound, time and place instead of carving out their own niche. We can get all dressed up and call ourselves punks but we would only be cheaply imitating a time that has long since past. It is our job in the now to help create the scene and never look forward or back unless with optimistic inquiry.
exactly. it happens to any music scene underground that visionaries produce and people end up consuming. its nice to revisit underground scenes of our youth but that's all it is, a visit. getting old is holding onto paradigms of your youth. besides, nothing is underground anymore so there's that whole other discussion ...
@@skinheadyouth66 Go with your gut, suggestions are going to be someone else's nostalgia along with a bunch of posing and grandstanding about what punk is supposed to be. Those early bands played what they wanted when everyone else was trying to be Zeppelin, The Who etc or aiming for a certain scene/sound
Except Orange County was not all "perfect lawns" and "comfortable upper middle class folks" it was scroungy places like the abandoned houses "Jinx" squatted and fixed up, he started "Taxi Taxi" in HB and then Electric Chair. And neighborhoods in Costa Mesa like along Placentia Avenue, scroungy trailer parks, places in the "Jungle" (base of the Newport peninsula) and people who lived in the kind of places that don't exist any more but they sure did. OC had room, if grudgingly, for all classes not just moneyed tools.
It was so fun living in Southern California back then! What a time and scene! Nothing like today. Gone forever, but lives in legend in our memories, thankfully documented on film and in books. This is a good look back on a scene that won't happen again. Not like this anyway
I live in the OC Fullerton to be exact punk rock is here but it's like oh there's a show let's go and the whole city is there it's amazing but there's nothing like that here anymore unless you go to East LA where the scene is there but we need the scene back here
Mannnn we still have house shows in SoCal, best ones are in Anaheim and Santa Ana, 10 cop cruisers, a chopper, and 300 ppl at oranges house show in Santa Ana
It's so weird looking at these guys now, and they're dads with gray hair. Then I look in the mirror, and I'M a dad with gray hair.
Sucks doesn't it lol I'm 53
@Patrick Ancona loyal to the vert, damn
Same here..54 years old and looking at these dudes and thinking "where the fuck has time went??"
51 here, but still young at heart👍
grey, yepp but no kid at all ... little bastards run around toss my beer... no world for kids, no future you dumb asses
“The hippies...I don’t think really believed in love that much and I don’t think the punks believed in hate that much.” There are exceptions to everything, but overall... this is truth.
They do in the beginning but once it becomes a fad its ruined
It doesn't go like that, we all know that society is twisted by rich and ppl with power, wtf that power mean idk, some of us want to change course of society bc it seems that one-minded majority is runing separate lives in modern caves force to work by rich,get underpayed, while prices getting higher and higher... That isnt essence of soul, its to help, solve and create. We have move to FAR from that, convinced that we cant survive 24hrs just behave that way.We have all study that first simple societys lived like that for 100000yrs, this form of society last maybe 7-8000yrs and will die soon with great casualtys!!!! Do it yourself punk form came bc ppl wanted to stop paying ridiculous prices for service or product while workers doesn't gain shit from that, that is point!!!! Even Jesus said that 2000yrs ago but it seems ppl rather live in chains than fight for real freedom of choice even you get killed...Im ready to die for that 24\7 and will always be no matter how old i am and belive those PUNKS were too, but we all have to take that stance, that is WIN WIN situation for all, poor workers and rich assholes...QUESTION IS ARE YOU ALL READY TO GIVE LIFE FOR BETTER FUTURE OF OUR KIDS AND PLANET??? My opinion is NO
I think he means deep inside they aren't so different. Just idealistic kids.
Punks = hippies with safety pins .
Ya don't say 😥DOH!
Everything was about getting a flyer. That was our social media towards the shows.
Always! If you saw someone handing out flyers, you made sure you got one.
The best flyer we got was an invite to be an extra in the film Suburbia-that was a fun experience.I think we were leaving Godzillas when they were handed out.
Yes it was! I kept my band's flyers, along with other bands as well. I loved the commando style of *DIY*...some of those flyers out there were really well done. Literal works of art!
With us in the late 80s / 90s (illegal rave acid-house party scene) it was pirate radio,
that'd come on the air for 2 hours and tell us all where the party was happening, and we'd all convoy down there
- but you had to know the freq in advance to catch the message
Or start a band with your friends
I'm from Orange county and my parents met at a Black Flag show in 1981. They know a lot of these guys and I grew up around them. OC
:-D Awesome!
Your parents are super cool. Treat them well.
Word! You'll always find something different behind the curtains
@Alberta Strength Probably 2003! I saw that tour too, they played BF, Ramones & Misfits songs!
That’s so cute!
I took my daughter trick or treating in Los Alamitos. We knocked on a door and Joe Escalante answered the door . I was dressed as Richard Simmons he thought it was hysterical.
Hahaha that's awesome, what a memory!
Coming from the UK where everything was grey and miserable during the 70's the idea of Southern California, the punk rock scene, skating and surfing was the thing of dreams.Sure, we had punk and we had the punk culture but you guys had the sun and that somehow made it seem so much better!
i was in the eastern US and we all admired the surfing and skate magazines. then snowboarding came and we jumped on that. i miss being young. so much fun! i miss my skateboard that got stolen. i wish i never quit. i was never good but had fun. my brother got into a commercial for an amusement park. i taped over it like a jerk. we can't track down the master copy anywhere. that would be an amazing for his kids to see.
we had skateboarding at southbank carving the mellow banks RIP
?kkõ
So.you admit the sex pistols was boring...im not hating either..my wife is from east London
@@sk8anddestroy792 not at all, I was on about the environment, the way we lived as a country. The Sex Pistols were a breath of fresh air, exciting and dangerous.
RIP Steve Soto. Miss you man.
My close friend Ray was part of the LA punk scene in the early 80's with great stories. He was Mike Ness' roommate from Social Distortion. I found Ray in his room in late September succumbed to his opiate addiction. I miss Ray so much
Social Distortion was one of the few hard-core bands I liked. I was more into English music like the Cure, at the time.
Sorry for your loss
Sorry buddy. That's rough.
I grew up in Orange County and fell in love with punk when it hit my ears for the first time at 13 in 1979. Even though I was too young to have experienced the Cuckoo’s Nest, i feel so privileged to have seen many of these bands in their prime.
Same
Man you're so lucky! I was born in 1990, East Oakland California. I had family in Crenshaw, so I spent summers down there in LA at my aunt and uncle's house, hanging with my cousins.
I can't even remember how I got exposed to it so young, probably through my oldest hobbies which were skateboarding and graffiti, but I literally grew up listening to mostly hip hop or old school Bay Are and LA punk and hardcore. I was already listening to stuff like Circle Jerks, MDC, Poison Idea, The Germs, FEAR, and Black Flag when I was around 12. My favorite bands back then were FEAR and Dead Kennedys.
I wish I could have been alive for that era, you guys are SO lucky. I was born too late.
So glad I got to experience it. Punk rock house party's in O.C. and the Nest. Punk rock spoke for us kids that didn't fit the into the mold of how middle class suburbia was tryin to mold us. We weren't jocks, we weren't academically driven. We were misfits, outcasts, unsure of what life meant, and what our lives would be in our attempts to survive adolescence. We were growing up in a post hippie culture, living in a master planned middle class suburban, with divorcing parents, parents that were unplugged, completely absent and unaware of the social struggles we were trying to endure. All I knew was something was wrong with my life in H.B., and I was angry, scared, lost, and invisible. Thank goodness for the music, the outlet, and the groups of people where we found we belonged at this period in time.
40 years later, still alive, happy and living a beautiful productive life. What a journey and wonderful life its been!!!!
Ha, I grew up in HB. I heard punk on Rodney on the Roq when I was in fifth grade. I happened to be wearing headphones. I couldn't believe it, my life was changed. I was a skater when skating was dead. Black Flag, Circle Jerks, Descendants, Social D, TSOL, Dk of course. And there were more.
I wasn’t old enough to be there but as an HB native growing up my friends and I looked up to those 80’s hardcore bands and joined the revival movement that was kinda going on in the early 2000’s. My first show ever was the Adolescents with Agent Orange at the Galaxy. That made a big impression on us.
No words can describe the sadness I felt when I frantically searched for, but never found “Part 3”
This brings back so many great memories of my youth. I wasn't part of the SoCal punk scene, but we listened to the bands, bought their records, and played just as loud and fast in Atlanta, Georgie. Cool documentary.
This is skate punk. What you want to listen to shredding a backyard pool, street surfing, airing out of half pipes. YEAH.
animal chin is still alive
I listened to it and I skated it.....all of it !!
It is it’s great stuff
Street surfing!
I lived in Wesminster CA in the early 80's and was into rock. Spent a lot of my time in Huntington. The rock dudes and the punk rockers had their own areas where we would hang out, but we were always cool with each other (at least the folks I knew). We all played in bands and would help each other out. We always thought the punk music was too basic, and they thought our music was lame and all sounded the same. But we always had respect and got along well. To be honest, as a rock guy, punk rockers made better friends from what I remember - my rocker friends were unreliable as hell, my punk buddies always came through. 👍
Talk about respect we would go to this club in Seattle called The Rock Theater which had two rooms one would be hair metal and the other punk rock booked on the same night. 1984 Husker Du....TSOL Oh yeah some little band Soundgarden would open up for them...MELVINS Green River would open
@@mikemike8142 Husker Du! Oh man, been a while since I heard them! Only Seattle would have such a cool place with punk and hair metal the same night! Awesome! Soundgarden?1 Melvins! Damn brother!
85 86ish MELVINS opened for Circle Jerks at Gorilla Gardens Seattle after one song into the Jerks set the fire marshal shut it down. It's on UA-cam the riot.
What's up Westminster!! I'm 47 as of last month, everything you said about thr Metal guys and Punks, different areas is true.. some kids don't get it, like seriously don't get it, it was the time, being your self and who you were gonna be was the truth about You.. so Fight for it.. it's the part of this scene that you either get or never will... peace
@@mikemike8142 wow mike, i was in college 85-90, i can remember alice at the off-ramp...but for the life of me i can't remember the Rock Theater. did it become something else? i know this is a year ago but damn, my memory is getting so bad:) - barbie:)
Man, this brings back a crap ton of memories. A band I fronted practiced in the same space as US Bombs (Duane). Miss seeing and talking with that guy. Thanks for posting!
I moved to Orange County in 1980 and from 13 years old to sixteen years old, when I was rudely deported back to Britain, I grew up fast with the L.A Thrash circuit that had a huge influence. One of the soundtracks to my youth. From the Misfits to Circle Jerks, TSOL to Bad Brains, Christian Death, The Vandals. Social Distortion, D.O.A. The flyers were brilliant always guaranteed 5-6 bands a gig. Awesome times. ..and of course Black Flag. Even got to see Dead Kennedys.
was there really a huge rivalry between the thrash and the hardcore punk scenes in L.A. at that time? i've been watching a documentary where they say they were beating the shit of each other at concerts all the time
No Punk Merged into thrash Verty Smoothly on my end of Town. DogTown was Awesome. This and the last Vid " 25 Years of Punk ' Both Suck for never once mentioning Suicidal Tendencies. I used to get Paid to Clean the Parking Lots they are talking about. So yes I was there But I lived in Redondo Beach. Southside of DogTown. I only mention it Because it should show the Rivalry. The Pussy Ass shows beyond the Orange Curtain were just White Boys. We were Poorer. That meant a Gang Scene both Black and Mexican. But trust me, the Shows from Hollywood to that Orange County line where the hoods had Graffiti were WAY more Exciting. I went to School with Black Flag. Redd Kross, Motley Crue. and Ratt. and they all Played the same Places. Including the Nest. I Stumbled into this Thread on L7 Vids LOL
I lived all over South Bay. Took Surfing in High School first Period. Rarely made it to Second. Then Skate to School. .
honestly don't know why the scene introduced gang black kids, as if they would even understand the punk movement at all. All they were there to do is fuck up white kids, always on that welfare radar going around beating the shit out of tax paying hard working Americans. Can't believe someone like you who is white accepts this bullshit behaviour. punk started strong then because of this shit the scene died, and idiots joined.
What an amazing xp for a friend from across the pond. We appreciate your stay. Sorry for the deportation thingy. We're bad fr deporting the wrong people here.
@@denniscasey2883 Just visualizing what you have saw is amazing. Im 33 and always feel like I show up to "the party" bout 8-10 years to late for all the cool stuff.
26:35 - The Vandals wrote an extremely good, famous, awesome song which mentions Zubies. "I Want To Be A Cowboy." One of the greatest songs in the universe. And the Vandals are still playing, in 2018!
Final credits song.
And in 2022 .
Just saw them at the house of blues in orange county where I live doing their Christmas show. Josh Freeze on ths drums. They were amazing
@@Johnny2Bags47 I was there too, in the pit, it was a pretty good show
"I wouldn't be so arrogant as to say I started slam dancing" right as he's telling you how he started slam dancing.
Over and OVER too ! Lol
@@ddl4374 You wouldn't happen to have a brother named Greg from Huntington Beach? Went to Edison in 80-84
We grew hearing that Circle pits came from Here, not the who, Haha whatever to that, but I remember when I heard some metal dude's talking about Mosh pits, moshing etc.. like what the fuck, since when? .. Hahahaha thought y'all just stood there and brushed each others Hair at Concerts Hahahaha..
@@AtZero138 Oh, I get it - because metal guys had long hair and took showers and stuff? Didn't have incredibly talented folks like GG Allin shitting all over the stage and flinging it into the crowd?
Excellent documentary. I feel 18 again, with a tear, miss that time in my life :)
House Parties with Suicidal Tendencies. Motley Crue down the Street. DRI.
Redondo Beach to Dog Town.
Yep me too. Still connected to most of my friends from the scene but really, that was the best time in life :)
I was skating to Black Flag, TSOL Dead Kennedy's, and Agent Orange in friends empty backyard pools and homemade skate ramps in the "Heim back in '82-87 because those were my favorite bands. I was always taking over the boom box or cassette player at our skate sesh's because those fuckers were the best! Those were the days. You have to listen to those bands if you've never heard of them. It will be a spiritual experience.
This was a lot of fun for me to watch. I wouldn't be here today if not for punk. When I found it, I found a home I still love to this day. I'm 52 , my kids love punk. Their morning alarm for school is the magnificent seven, clash.
Fourteen yrs old in 1980, I remember listening to most of these guys. Sickman 1972, thanks for sharing this documentary; lots of memories, man...
I'm glad I was alive and listening to punk and new
wave in late 70s and early 80s even though it seems so long ago I'll never stop
playing this music. 🎇
I started playing LA punk bands on the radio in '78 at KPFT in Houston with Christian Arnheiter.Christian started the first punk band in Houston,the Hates.
The Controllers were the first LA band to play in Texas.
fun stuff...first show I "remember" going to was 999 at the nest....next day I went backpacking in the Sierra Nevadas with only the sound of nature and "homicide" blazing through my head.....I was hooked (thanks for posting this)
Nice. I saw 999 with the Angry Samoans in 1989. Think that was my second ever show. Cuckoo's Nest was before my time, unfortunately.
+Henry Bemis that sounds like a awesome fucking show
999 one of the most underrated bands ever!!
I believe you're right
Those were the days… I was in the punk scene in Venice CA…. Suicidal Tendencies. Love this, thank you!!!
In the fabled history of punk rock, the So Cal scene is usually overlooked, I'm glad to see this highly important scene is getting it's overdue respect!
Just wrote this somewhere else here: maybe it's because it doesn't offer the same ready-made opportunity to dream yourself into it? A bunch of well'er to do kids from Rich-Land, America who are having a sad about living in Suburbia doesn't have exactly the same bad guy allure as say 70s UK punk or a near-bankrupt NYC or even Reagan-era DC. I don't mean to knock these people or their memories, and neither the music they made, BUT if part of the allure of punk rock is giving disaffected teens the illusion of living the life of a dangerous outsider, Orange County is not exactly the first place to start, is it?
There are still people who weren't around during that era, and still love the amazing punk coming out of that place...
My mom was at the nest every weekend. That slowed down in 82 when I was born lmao I grew up on 19th and Placentia! CM
Her name Sonia?
@@hanshart1472 no Darlene
grew up surfing HB and remember seeing all those bands ... those were the days.
Yup. God I do miss Surfing. Rememer the Bath House? They used to Rent Out these Rubber Rafts Long before Boogey Boards next to that for a Buck a Day.
Not being American and a child of the 90s, I always had a hard time understanding why Southern Californian punk rock never had the same cachet as other Rock'n'Roll scenes. This documentary really helped put things into perspective. When you can get behind "doing the pogo" but look at slam dancing with suspicion because you know somebody is going to get hurt... or this legendary figure in your scene is infamous because... like, he, like, drove away from the cops and stuff and they shot a gun before he was arrested...
that leaves little room for teens to project their own ideas of danger and deviance into it. Not that rich kids from suburbialand don't have plenty of reasons to be fed up with the life into which they were born, but it isn't exactly the stuff out of which the dreams of rebellion are formed. Thanks for uploading this.
We were there with out video camera's, we do have a great interview with Todd Barnes this, Great film here :-)
Black Flag 🏴 played at my neighbors house up the street in the early 80’s - house party was off the hook, skate pipe out back, fist fights, people jumping off the roof, pure chaos. Cops had to shut it down - Good times 🙌
This was a great documentary, thanks for putting it up.
They didn't go to music college, or follow the latest trend, instead they traveled a road which was bumpy and filled with holes. It was about playing, having a good time, and just being young and growing up with their own problems. Much like the original skinhead the punks were cast as yet another enemy of the people by the media. Not everyone had money, looks, talent, or some other desirable attribute but somehow this movement grew. Unfortunately like every great beginning evolution changes a perfectly deformed and interesting idea and molds it into something cute and cuddly for the masses to accept.
The Modern Lovers and NY Dolls opened my mind for the shock and awe years there after . I was a17yr old that hated disco and growing tired of the leftovers from the 60s'
New York dolls, johnny Thunder, Velvet under ground, Lou Reed , the Ramones we're awesome.
Lots of stuff like this happening again in my area but the pure speed and energy of 80s shit cannot be matched. It is its own separate entity.
I was there for a lot of shows. I still live in Huntington Beach and a cpl of years ago I was boarding a flight for Oregon on business and who ends up sitting next to me toting his skateboard in hand? None other than Steve Olson! Had a great convo and flight talking about the old days. 👊🏻💯
I remember going to" the living room" in Santa Barbara it was like 1993 i was in 6th grade and my older sister and her boyfriend at the time took me and it changed my life. The next day I heard an operation ivy on vinyl and that was the real turning point for me. Grimy street skater punk. I got way more into skateboarding as time went on, but I will always be punk to the core.
Greetings from Philippines, Thanks for this Punk related documentary! "Vive Le Punkrock!"... :-)
Without these bands, we would never have what we have today and I wouldn’t be me. These guys deserve a shit ton of credit and some of these guys are playing this summer I’ll show my respect
I don't think a scene can really happen in the age of the cellphone: a culture needs just a little isolation. Plus, that generation knew one thing loud and clear: fun meant getting out of the house, no matter how old you were. Of you were 9, go play baseball. If you were 19, get out and party.
@@flinch622the rave/jam band scene is the only “underground” shows in my area, I live near Pittsburgh
I've played so many basement shows i can't even count. So much fun. Canadian Gutter Punks are some of the best people I've ever met
I grew up in east LA , a place where punk never died!!!
💯🤘orale
Henry Rollins tale of Jughead quenchin the thirst of an audience member 😂
Jello wearing a Satan Is Real - The Louvin Brothers tee shirt. F'ing classic.
Jello knows just how fuctup fine that album is.
But Jello is 100% not SoCal. Dude is totally SF.
He looks like Elon Musk.
Fenders Ballroom in Long Beach, California(15 miles north of Huntington Beach, Ca.) Was definately the Biggest Punk Venue in all of Southern California. The amount of shows that took place at Fender's between 1984-1989 was unmatched by any other venue. Olympic Auditorium in Downtown L.A. and The Country Club in Reseda, Ca. were probably the other venues that had alot of punk shows. They should make a documentary about Fender's Ballroom as it also had alot of metal shows. The Country Club in Reseda was also a legendary place.
Dude that owned fenders is trying to open up another club agaim
Fenders sucked, but I agree middle 80s anyway
Hear hear fenders was legit when the skins were running amok everybody birched but they would have happily taken the skins reign back when the suis took over mad beatdowns but it was very cool place every town had their own double or triple long tables my dad always sat at the head of the long beach table and the mags maximum rocknroll flipside the old stapled together fight for freedom they would always go to my dad whos gonna rip it up tonight Earl and he really liked target of demand I remember the drumm of target of demand bust his floor tom and borrowed the next bands drum and busted their head too they were amazing along with some other gems in the LBC we're secret hate and China white strip and more right before I got into it the neighbors were moving by my grandpa's place and they had a skateboard ramp they said I could have it and it was a half pipe covered in bands names in spray paint it turns out the guys half of them were in china white I guess they got kicked out for making too much noise grandpa said they were always boozing over there lmao Then their was dowies parents closed down bar the ol wagon wheel saloon on PCH but when dowies folks went to Hawaii for a few weeks to renew their vows dowie opened it up as the circle ballroom my first show i was 13 and it was there that I was transformed the we place had no seating in it their was only a waiting bench maybe sat 5 or so people the rest of the place were beer soaked tiles that actual came up off the ground attached to my boots it was awesome the lineups we're legendary LBHC
We saw Johnny thunders and Lord's of the new church at Fenders. Gun club too.
I saw a lot of gigs in the area growing up in HB in the 70's and 80's. But the one that stands out the most which brings me most pride was Gwar at Fenders Ballroom. I wasn't even a big Gwar fan. But the stage show and notoriety made it a rare occasion. I also saw RHCP at Fenders when they were just getting started.
I was always there.. i always thot you guys were older than me back then....you guys all look great.... Great Vid...thanks !!
That Cop at 28:00 seems like a wicked cool dude
Yep. We need more like him.
🤟🤟
Henry Rollins The Nest was in Costa Mesa! My hometown!
RIP steve soto! this is a great doc, so many incredible bands from that scene.....many of the best hardcore punk bands ever!
Being around punks all the time turned Jerry Roach into a punk. He's the real hero of this story
I lived up the coast in Vancouver Canada and we had a great thriving punk scene here also. I spent many great nights at this dump of a club called the Smiling Buddah Cabaret. Bands like D.O.A., Pointed Sticks, Subhumans, and many others. Great times.
D.O.A. and Subhumans were as good as they get. I truly enjoyed seeing both
I’m 52 now... this was my life.
And we love ya for it brother.
Remember the Vandals?
Yeah sure- you were going to skate punk shows when you were 10.
MONDO BECK LIVED IT BRO...
RIP 2/4/21🖕🤬💜🛹💫🎨
I'm 19 and would kill to go to a punk rock house party
Ethan Walker They were always the best. Not an OC guy. but punk house parties... the best. and underground venues, right after they get known and right before the papers start touting the gigs... It's still around man...
Ethan Walker Assuming you live in some shithole part of the country or perhaps a more serious situation is stopping you. But if not get the fuck out there! They're still happening..always will be..GO!!
i live in Australia and ive recently started going out to local gig and im having the best fucking time
Ethan Walker Right on!! Excellent .glad to hear! Have a blast!!
If you can't find them, start a punk band and make them happen.
being a punk rocker in europe you had a lot of things to do.. gigs, squats, if you had money you could go to london for fashion amsterdam for fun berlin before the wall was weird.. but i had a blast reading mrr and looking at all these fine guitars
I'm 22 and love this type of music. So cool.
Wow, This quite accurately sums up my experience of that era and my feelings of life then and now. I had a very similar world in Nor Cal culminating at the Fab Mab in San Francisco in the late 70's/early 80's in the band F.U.X. and later the Malones. Long live Pat Brown!!
i lived on the Central Coast most of my life,& went down to L.A. for gigs.Went North few times,tried out screamin for Fang,loved Flipper,saw Fear in S.F. & saw the G.D. there many times.Nice place back then. Havent been there since 91
Flipper!
Gene Sanford ..... Absolutely loved flipper and still do...
Some of those lineups at the Cuckoo's nest are a dream come true.
Love that picture of Todd Muscat jumping over Henry Rollins. Todd went on to play bass for Decry and is currently playing bass for Junk Yard (with Brian Baker and Pat Muzingo).
Funny watching this before work in Huntington Beach surprising to hear all these bands are from here.
In Houston, it was The Axiom.
Man, I loved those days
Axiom wasn't till late 80's early 90's. No comparison.
The east coast scene was probably similar in many ways, but I luckily never had to see any of the crazy violence that I hear about, I must've just missed it. Sure, we were called fags, and got dirty looks from just about everyone, but for the most part were left alone to enjoy the music and company of likeminded friends.
I feel privileged to have grown up when I did, and owe my friend Erin everything for introducing me to bands like Descendents, Dag Nasty, etc. I still listen to the same albums that I did back then, they don't get old, which is something that the popular music scene doesn't seem to understand.
I can only speak for myself, but punk rock was never a fad, it was a lifestyle. I think I knew from the second I heard it, that it was something that was going to completely consume me. I took to it like a moth to a flame, one day I had Guns N' Roses, the next was Descendents. I actually remember an older kid saying
"What happened, did you just stop liking that other music overnight?!" And I just turned to him and said "yeah". I had an English teacher who had a Social Distortion tattoo on her ankle, she saw that I had a misfits shirt on one day and we talked about bands. She said to me "I never understood why the Descendents weren't bigger than they were, they have positive lyrics like 'I've been thinking good good things about you', and although I couldn't agree more, there's something about being able to keep these bands to yourself (and a small group of other people), it's like being in an exclusive club. It stays sacred.
I lived in OC 1980 to 1990 and from 80 to 84 the punk scene was great,there were a ton of awesome groups. Eddie and the Subtitles anyone?
But the Dickies were by far one of the most kick ass groups in California, probably in the U.S.
Such a great video!!! Definitely takes me back!!
That was my laundromat.I skated down the hill at the factories behind the laundromat in 1972 and knocked myself out' ran to my friends house on Shalimar. I was 9. Nest became my place later.
Am I the only one who notices that it says 1979 instead of 1981 on some of these clips? Perhaps I was the only one not on drugs and alcohol back then. Also, I was there that night when it was Henry's first performance with Black Flag. It was the most overcrowded I had ever seen the Nest and its parking lot. The cops shut it down with a man search. Make that a boy search. I think he was no older than me, maybe younger, so 14 or 15. It's a lie that it was a large group of skinheads who killed that old man. The boy was a little blonde punk with a mohawk and an especially cool jacket. He hid inside the club. He gave his noticeable jacket to another guy to wear as a decoy, and he tied a bandana over his head to cover his mohawk. I stood in the parking lot and watched for my friends to come out and as the cops didn't discover the 'man' they were looking for as he walked out arm in arm between two blonde teenaged girls, my friends.
I have a lot of stories from the Cuckoo's Nest. I can say this, I recall Costa Mesa cops being afraid of the punks. They had occasions when they did not intervene when they should have and certainly could have, like when a girl was beaten up by two guys. They had one of the guys in cuffs then let him go. I had the name of the second guy who in the middle of the street beat the hell out of and tore the dress off a second very sweet girl who tried to protect the first girl. Cops did nothing to pursue even though I reported it to them.
thanks for adding some more truth, there are elements of a mysoginistic cult of violence that is excused here because it was energetic and 'fun'....believe me, there were plenty of nazi fascists ,amongst the boot boy scene etc etc. I was 17 in 77
thanks for posting, really interesting
Lol they had cops dressed as cowboys
I lived in southern California in the early 80s and saw a few of these guys in a church basement in San Diego and at a few party's.
Dead or alive productions rings a bell.
I have been to The Cuckoos Nest in the 80's..I seen TSOL...The Adolescents..and other Bands..I remember hanging in the parking lot Partying with Punks..They all invited me into their cars or Just hanging out in the parking lot drinking..Loved the Punk Girls. If you were Punk..We Accepted Punks..It was a Revolution..A Union between all Punks that believed in the same things and Rebels of Nature! We all did what we wanted and lived life on our terms..Some people didn't understand because they weren't Wild n Screwed up like we were.. Such an experience.. Which The Cuckoos Nest was our Hangout..Never forget this Club😮😝
I like punk in general with Dead Kennedys my fav band.
Remember watching this for the first time back in 2019 when I was 15 just getting into the punk scene. I was so amazed and felt this pride of being an OC native. Because for all my life I thought OC/Santa Ana was a boring life and had no history to it. But up until turning 13 did I start to realize and gain the knowledge that OC was more than just fucking Disneyland and the block. Now at 18 nearly 19, after four years of being a punk head im so fucking glad to have found the scene which has brought so much new life, amazing memories, life style, friends, a whole new meaning to my life really. After watching this doc again I realize that the venue FTG in Santa Ana seems to be trying to recapture the Cuckoo’s Nest but in a new way. It’s a hell of a small place but it’s neat. I see after going to concert for years and looking back at this documentary. I notice that the OC Punk scene doesn’t seem to be what it used to be like in the 80’s. That or I haven’t been to enough venues. But it only seems like nowadays that some people aren’t there to mosh or enjoy the music but instead just to dress up pretty circle around the pit and stand around. It irks me really. Like why are you here than? At least go up front of the stage and listen to the music. But overall I’m just glad that people are still keeping the punk spirit alive. Also seeing new venues open up within the past couple of years is also really cool to see. Stay weird fuckos.
I’m glad that FTG popped up one of the staples of the current SoCal scene. I hope FTG lives on in the same way as the Cuckoos Nest
Cool !
My high school was full of Rockers who stupidly said;
Disco sucks! Punk is bunk!
One year later at the UW I discovered Punk Rock. In those days you had to peg your black Levi's to make them skin tight. I sometimes referred to my gang as; the Society of people with black Levi's.
Right On Kiddo.. I'm 49 and proud to have read and understand your words that have weight.. I still find great modern bands..
The Scene here in OC is the so called LA scene.. L.A girl from Adolescent..
Cheers and Oi Oi Oi
@∅ Huntington Beach CA
You got right. Rock on!
what the fuck, fuck shit up!
Awesome! We had a similar place - Bugsy's. Such a good scene
Shoutout to Dag Nasty & Agent Orange great album covers...Never heard of you on the east coast, bought your cassettes...life changing.
Wow, Tony Reflex looks like he had a rough night before his interview.
This is legitimately really entertaining documentary
And real! I feel transported every time I watch this.
We all miss punk from 80s and 90s if we watch this ❤️
Great punk bands! I had my first punk band D.A.M.M. (DRUNKS AGAINST MADD MOTHERS) in high school playing huge parties. After 21 I promoted a club on Via Lido Island in Zooport Beach close too the nest in Costa Misery that was Zubies then. I had Friday night at The Thunderbird. The first night the head bartender called me and Eck to see him after closing. Went to see him and he said you know your $80 bar tab. I said ya did we go over it? He said no but this night was amazing and your tab is unfucking limited KEEP IT UP. We did and had a blast. The Newport city counsel had many of them living on that island were trying to shut us down for a long time. When they did they kept it vacant for 15 years with the signs still up in some or the most expensive land in the USA. I was labeled the good promoter by the bands. I always paid in full and bought them drinks and not against the tab I gave them and had other great bands and a packed crowd. We had a blues/ deadhead style band downstairs a pool room and a huge dance room DJ down there too. 4-5 Punk bands upstairs. We strictly only promoted Newport and Huntington beach and a couple clubs in Costa Mesa and remained packed and no valley of the dirt and hardly any non beach locals. Back before Punk was safe!!!! Lots of us people had a riot in HB at the big surf contest. The white kind not looting and burning stores. Just cop cars and city life guard trucks. Here is a video with a Circle Jerks classic tune to it at the 1986 OP Pro. It started because cops were busting a couple of the girls flashing their jugs and they started getting violent when we started throwing food and liquid from our drinks on the pigs.
ua-cam.com/video/8c1KMaHU-qs/v-deo.html
GOOD TIMES AYE PIGS?
brianbirc lol my dad had a t shirt business under the same name made pens and bumper stickers had bitches sell them at bars and got death threats and sued by madd
Love how Keith tears it down. Keith's reinforced by Jellos clip that fallows.
Conclusion = crass lyrics
Punk is dead
Yes that's right
Just another cheap product
For the consumers head
-CRASS
🤟🤟
i guess I'm not as punk as I thought i was. I love punk and I love this doc!
Matthew Smith be more punc
Damn, this brings back memories of high school days. Would rather this be the thing rebellious kids of today got into compared to how things turned out. Oh well, different time back then. Thanks so much for sharing this doc, just subbed. Gave me a big happy. 😊
Lol, I came to Costa Mesa from Honduras in 89, and Zubies is where we got pizza after soliciting for the OC Register if we sold worth a damn. The Transmission place still there by the way.
Is that even a real cop? He's hilarious and sides with punks.
And acted like pulling a gun was as simple as waking up...then mad guy leave...don't make them like that no mer
daniel trummer
What the fuck
@Patrick Ancona more asshole than person these days..dumb ass.
I grew up in Toluca Lake, a suburb of North Hollywood, and we were at the Whiskey, Rainbow and Troubadour at the same time, with more of the same scene. This was an interesting documentary, but we had a great scene at the same time over in Hollywood and no mention of that (?). The Germs weren't even mentioned. Still, thanks for putting this together -- lots of great footage.
Benevolent Barnstormers I agree
did you see lemmy at the rainbow much
Jordan Mahony lemmy didn't move to la till 1990
Did you even watch it? Not only were the Germs mentioned, but there were short interview segments with Germs dudes...
What, no love for the Starwood?
so good!!! what year was this doc made in???
Damn, I'm originally from North County, San Diego but I spent a lot of time in Huntington Beach. I was wondering where I got the punk rock gene. This doc explains a lot.
there were many punk clubs in southern California, yet this video concentrates on one. they should rename this video to the cockoos nest story..
cory davies I see , that makes more sense to me
Cathe De Crande etc
Also, Jello talks repeatedly and he has nothing to do with the OC or even SoCal.
Great documentary
I trip on watching this cuz I knew of some of the guys like Olson and Peters from skate boarding at Skatetopia in 1978 when I was 10, and also the concrete wave, and my friends older bro, 5 yrs older, class of 81" went to the cuckoos and played in a band called Warlock, which I still think is a great band name today!
Skatetopia in Buena Park California ?
@@Johnny2Bags47 There were only 2 skateboard parks in OC, (at least that I knew about), The Concrete Wave, which I think was around the Tustin/Irvine area, but not pos, and Skatetopia, which was somewhere close to Knotts Berry Farm, and Knotts is in BP. In the 1978 Tony Alva film/doc, "Skateboard Kings", they show the inside of Skatetopia and the check in counter where you paid for a session and rented pads and whatever you needed.
I used to hang out in Huntington Beach back in the days of the Cuckoos Nest, and went to that club a few times sand saw bands like TSOL, Black Flag, and The Ramones. Use to go to the Golden Bear as well to see people like Johnny Winter. The midnight movies where cool to to see movies like The Song Remains the Same, or A Clockwork Orange. Huntington had a lot to do for a kid from the OC out of Mission Viejo.
best part is Keith morris right after Rollins talking puts his bullshit on blast hahah
Real Big Fish not a punk band but they are soooo underrated from H.B
Does anyone happen to know the second to last song that’s playing as they’re doing the final interviews? Not the closing but the one right before with the awesome bass line.
Really well done. Thank you.
The scene now a days is trying to relive a sound, time and place instead of carving out their own niche. We can get all dressed up and call ourselves punks but we would only be cheaply imitating a time that has long since past. It is our job in the now to help create the scene and never look forward or back unless with optimistic inquiry.
exactly. it happens to any music scene underground that visionaries produce and people end up consuming. its nice to revisit underground scenes of our youth but that's all it is, a visit. getting old is holding onto paradigms of your youth. besides, nothing is underground anymore so there's that whole other discussion ...
I'm open to suggestions I'm working on something
@@skinheadyouth66 Go with your gut, suggestions are going to be someone else's nostalgia along with a bunch of posing and grandstanding about what punk is supposed to be. Those early bands played what they wanted when everyone else was trying to be Zeppelin, The Who etc or aiming for a certain scene/sound
Except Orange County was not all "perfect lawns" and "comfortable upper middle class folks" it was scroungy places like the abandoned houses "Jinx" squatted and fixed up, he started "Taxi Taxi" in HB and then Electric Chair. And neighborhoods in Costa Mesa like along Placentia Avenue, scroungy trailer parks, places in the "Jungle" (base of the Newport peninsula) and people who lived in the kind of places that don't exist any more but they sure did. OC had room, if grudgingly, for all classes not just moneyed tools.
alex carter didn't Roche have something to do with the Electric Chair too?
How funny. I haven't thought about Jinx or Taxi in ages. That's a great memory. I loved electric char. It's the only place I shopped downtown.
It was so fun living in Southern California back then! What a time and scene! Nothing like today. Gone forever, but lives in legend in our memories, thankfully documented on film and in books. This is a good look back on a scene that won't happen again. Not like this anyway
Estancia Class of '81. This is the story of my pre-adult life.
Greg, Drew, Bobby, Tracy, Mike, Cindy, Jodie, other Mike, HB, CM
I live in the OC Fullerton to be exact punk rock is here but it's like oh there's a show let's go and the whole city is there it's amazing but there's nothing like that here anymore unless you go to East LA where the scene is there but we need the scene back here
great documentary!!!
Mannnn we still have house shows in SoCal, best ones are in Anaheim and Santa Ana, 10 cop cruisers, a chopper, and 300 ppl at oranges house show in Santa Ana
What's the song playing just before the end credits, from around 01:07:00 to 01:10:00?