Alice Bag, Bands, Belinda, Belinda Carlisle, Blog, Charlotte Caffey, Clash, Fashion, Go-Gos, Jane Draino Wiedlin, Jenny Lens, Joan Jett, Misc, Musings, Ramones, Runaways, Starwood, Whisky, X |
Punk Pioneers by Jenny Lens, MFA. Blondie (2/77), Dee Dee Ramone backstage Whisky with Jenny Lens (2/77), Terry Graham (Bags, Gun Club) and Belinda Go-Go in trash bag (8/77), Randettes (Alice Bag, Exene, Connie Clarksville, Sheila, Trudie T Rudie, Nickey Beat and where is Spazz Attack?) (3/78), Whisky, Go-Go’s, Starwood backstage (1/80), Exene, Decline filming, Club 88 (3/80),The CLASH!, England (6/80), and Rodney Bingenheimer and Joan Jett (1980). Just a tiny fraction of my archive, 1976-80. Those who help keep this punk archive alive (NOT just photos, but mags and more), I send my eternal gratitude. I know some are struggling financially. I get it. Why am I posting this? Cos I’ve spent a lotta time and lost a LOTTA money dealing with my punk archive. Trying to find a home for it. Shall I die and it remains homeless? No, I’m not donating it. That’s rude to me. Why should YOU have the fruits of my labor which put me into debt many times and I get nothing? FU. So All of you who love my work but don’t support the artist, you are mean and selfish. Why can’t you bother to post my pix and tell ppl? Why won’t you tell ppl to remember my pix for gifts or home/office decor. You don’t throw a few bucks my way. What is WRONG with you? I never made money. #GetReal. This archive is endangered due to FINANCES. I’ve put myself into debt COS OF MY PUNK PIX. #Truth The rest of you, who haven’t Donated or bought or even shared many times? You expect art for free and the buck...
Bands, Belinda Carlisle, Charlotte Caffey, Darby Crash, England June 1980, Germs, Go-Gos, Jane Draino Wiedlin, Jeffrey Lee Pierce - Gun Club, Lorna Doom, Masque, Masque Benefit Feb 24-25 1978, Parties, Punk Fashions and Parties, Screamers, Sex Pistols, Slash Mag Benefit, Starwood, Whisky, X, X Home |
Go-Gos, 1977-1980. I loved photographing Belinda Carlisle, Jane Draino Wiedlin, and the totes adorbs Margot. A few shots of Charlotte Caffey with then-boyfriend, Leonard Phillips, singer of the Dickies, first LA punk band to get signed. Plus Jane with her then-boyfriend, Terry Graham, drummer for the Bags and Gun Club. And more, so let’s get started with some IDs and stories behind my photos. Plus so many of our friends. Good times.
Bands, Blondie, Clash, Damned, Darby Crash, England June 1980, Germs, Iggy, Jam, Joan Jett, Joe Strummer, Lita Ford, Masque, Queen, Ramones, Runaways, Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, Screamers, Starwood, Whisky, Writers |
Creem Magazine was THE ROCK magazine. The best of the best was, without a doubt, Creem. Forget Rolling Stone. Corporate and usually dismissive of Punk. Yes, Creem magazine was the BEST ROCK MAG. Ever. Read on to see they didn’t treat me that well, lost slides, but hey, THEY WERE IT. And Creem, of all the mags, deserves to be honored, remembered and most of all, CELEBRATED. Contribute to the documentary fund-raiser, til August 5, 2016! Creem was one of the few magazines who actually put photographer’s names on their masthead. This is a major list of who’s who of rock photography. Note the author of the Creem book is not listed. Yeah. Ok, so why we MUST have THIS version? The TRUTH. Creem magazine and I started our relationship in early 1976. Let’s start at the beginning. Late 1975, while waiting in line at the grocery store, I glanced at a new magazine called “People.” I lived in the northeast corner of the Valley, in Granada Hills. I stopped when seeing a photo of a rather androgynous looking woman. Quoting Rimbaud. I figured any rock n roller who knows the Symbolist poets is someone I want to know. I will never forget first listening to Patti’s “Horses.” My life was totally and irreversibly changed. I wanted to read everything I could about this new thing called “Punk music.” But mainstream media wasn’t having it. They were not fans. Only a handful of magazines and fanzines were covering punk in late 75 and early 76. I also had a disadvantage because I was out in the Valley. We didn’t get a...
Blog, Fashion, Germs, Go-Gos, Joan Jett, Masque, Masque Benefit Feb 24-25 1978, Punk Fashions and Parties, Runaways, Stardust Ballroom, Starwood, Tower Records, Whisky, X |
Alice Bag, Blog, Fashion, Fiorucci's, Germs, Go-Gos, Masque, Masque Benefit Feb 24-25 1978, Parties, Punk Fashions and Parties, Screamers, Screamers Parties, Slash Mag Benefit, Starwood, Tower Records, Whisky, X |
Blog, Fashion, Germs, Punk Fashions and Parties, Punk History, Whisky |
My rebuttal to article claiming Punk saved the Whisky but then talked more about non-punk bands. Minimal about LA Punk bands. I could write a book. Read what I wrote (below or use link) after reading his long article. Why the fashion photo above? Author included photos of English punks with swastikas on their faces. Not in LA! Plus most everyone in the above photo played a VITAL part in bringing punk to life. At the Whisky and elsewhere. Left to right: Terry Graham (Bags drummer and much more), Lorna Doom, Germs bassist, Belinda, future Go-Go and solo performer, ?, Hellin Killer, ?, Pleasant Gehman (who was quoted, as was I). Photographed near the Whisky, on the Sunset Strip, August, 1977. Just another night on the town. LOVELY compliment: “Photographer Jenny Lens, whose work vividly documented the LA scene, wrote in Punk Pioneers…” Yes, I did vividly document and helped create the LA scene. Lots of colorful and vibrant photos. My responses: Where do I start? First, yes, I always said punk brought the Whisky back to life. No argument there. But the stories and photos veer off to include Van Halen (the better to promote his book), Johnny Cougar and Tom Petty. But exclude vital LA Bands? LA PUNKS built and kept the scene alive. Not just the Whisky. The many fanzines and flyers. We promoted and publicized and produced our own shows and good times at the Whisky. No mention. The photos of the punk fans with swastikas on their faces: England. I went out nearly every night and many days, photographing parties, backstage, on the street and shows. Starting August 1976 and ending nearly...
