Another great piece of San Francisco history. You make it so vivid, even though I was only 9 years old and living in Houston, Texas at the time, I feel like I could've been there. When I eventually made it to San Francisco, everyone was always declaring "the scene" dead, but it seemed to go on regardless of any such claims, always shifting a little into something slightly else, but still a place to get and stay weird. I don't know how true that is now, because who can afford to be weird there anymore, but I hope it always retains some of that magic.
I'll be spending the rest of my day trying to square the words "The Ramones" with "Savoy Tivoli" in my head. I just see every single wineglass in that place exploding.
Ha ha - the Savoy punk shows were actually upstairs. In our book, we interview a number of folks who were there. The graphic artist Winston Smith describes loading in the gear for that Ramones show, up a rickety flight of wooden stairs. Opening for the Ramones was the comedy group Duck's Breath Mystery Theater. Unbelievable they got away with those types of events. But then, most of the old punk venues seem so improbable in today's climate. A million miles away.
Another great piece of San Francisco history. You make it so vivid, even though I was only 9 years old and living in Houston, Texas at the time, I feel like I could've been there. When I eventually made it to San Francisco, everyone was always declaring "the scene" dead, but it seemed to go on regardless of any such claims, always shifting a little into something slightly else, but still a place to get and stay weird. I don't know how true that is now, because who can afford to be weird there anymore, but I hope it always retains some of that magic.
I'll be spending the rest of my day trying to square the words "The Ramones" with "Savoy Tivoli" in my head. I just see every single wineglass in that place exploding.
Ha ha - the Savoy punk shows were actually upstairs. In our book, we interview a number of folks who were there. The graphic artist Winston Smith describes loading in the gear for that Ramones show, up a rickety flight of wooden stairs. Opening for the Ramones was the comedy group Duck's Breath Mystery Theater. Unbelievable they got away with those types of events. But then, most of the old punk venues seem so improbable in today's climate. A million miles away.
That sounds like an incredible night of entertainment!