I’m baaaack!
After more than a year and a half with no live music to see, I made my post pandemic debut last night at the Dickies and Queers show at El Corazon. All during the pandemic I kept dreaming of seeing live shows again.
The Dickies were a joy as always. Guitarist Stan Lee initially wore the Dickies’ Killer Clown face mask (which is available on their web site), but shed it after about the third song.
Drummer Adam Gomez slammed like a maniac but barely broke a sweat. His appearance is the antithesis of punk. His neatly cropped and combed hair never fell out of place and he sported a white shirt, black bow tie and black suspenders.
Front man Leonard Graves Philips proclaimed that he turned 65 last month and that’s what happens when you’re not dead. I wonder if he imagined 40 some years ago in the band’s infancy that he would still be going strong at age 65. How did we all get so old?
When they lit into their cover of Black Sabbath’s Paranoid there was a mad surge toward the stage, but this was also a very polite audience. Someone actually apologized for knocking me into the stage. Like the Dickies, their followers have also gotten old as this crowd was calmer than ones from the past. This didn’t undermine their enthusiasm. They sang harmony on the Moody Blues cover of Nights In White Satin and sang most the other songs word for word.
The props were back this time too. Last I saw them (in mid 2018) they had inadvertently left their props at the LA airport. The inflatable sex doll was back and Leonard danced about with it in a pas de deux. Other props included a dog puppet and an inflatable club that Leonard used to bonk everyone in front on the head as well as other band members. He also thrust it between Stan’s legs.
For their cover of Gigantor Leonard donned a white towel like a cape and proceeded to prance about the stage. Then they left the stage but only briefly before returning to do their infamous cover of the Banana Splits Theme and their punked up, speeded up version of Eve of Destruction. Then they left the stage for the night. Not bad for the now senior citizens of punk rock. They’re still going strong.
Prior to the Dickies’ performance was the Queers. Hailing from New Hampshire, The Queers are comprised by Joe Queer on vocals, Cheeto Bandito on bass, Ginger Fanculo on guitar and Hoglog Rehab on drums. These guys are all punk. There is no hint of inbreeding of other genres. They played fast and loud and they were on fire. Joe Queer was all over the stage as if walking on hot coals. Guitarist Ginger Fanculo had long hair roaming nearly to his hips and he whipped it around in great succession. Their cover of The KKK Took My Baby Away was even more fierce then the original and to exceed the Ramones in raw power is an astounding accomplishment. It was great to see the Queers again.
Before the Queers was Seattle band 38 Coffin. 38 Coffin is fronted by Lauren Coffin (Die Nasty). This quartet is three-fourths female and though they looked all tough and punk with teased hair and tattoos, they oozed charisma from every pore. 38 Coffin are, the aforementioned Lauren Goffin on VOX/Guitar, Lindsay Scary-Bass, Emi on Pop-Lead Guitar and the lone male member, Dainger on Drums. They were very enthusiastically received by the small but growing crowd.
Opening the night was Thee Deception. This five-piece was a tight, raunchy punk outfit that got the cub smoldering and the crowd who came early sufficiently warmed up.
