B.G.K. - video ?

An "International event" Aug. 8th 1984 at the Olympic Auditorium with the Dead Kennedys (US) as headliners, B.G.K. (NL), Raw Power (Italy), Riistetyt (who had "gone glam" and renamed themselves to "Holy Dolls" for the occasion) out of Finland, plus our friends Reagan Youth (US) and Solucion Mortal (Mexico). For unknown reasons, and much to their dismay, our tour mates Cause For Alarm were denied a slot on the bill.

About 8000 kids went absolutely flywheel BERSERK.

During our set I observed 7 or 8 individual slam pits each 100-200 ft in diameter, all bouncing and clashing into one another like swirling galaxies colliding. Things nearly got out of hand when our singer Rene invited the crowd to "rush the bouncers" and get up on stage to show them "we're not rockstars". That's just great, now we got 200 mohawked lunkheads slamming on stage, twiddling with the machineheads of my bass, and turning the classic L.A. stagedive into a "see how far I can run on people's heads with combat boots on" contest.

Video footage of this mayem DOES exist ! It was intended to appear on a Flipside video fanzine but a Euro (actually, UK) release of this somehow fell through. If anyone can hook a brother up with (some of) this footage I'd be eternally grateful.

Highlights of that night include one member of aforementioned Finnish band getting pounded by L.A. cops for replying the immortal words "Fuck you, I'm from Finland !" when ordered to "spreadeagle, motherfucker!". I guess he didn't know what the word "spreadeagle" ment, or didn't realize you NEVER say "fuck you" to an mirrorshades at night wearing L.A. cop waving a nightstick in your face. Most likely both.
Maybe you had to be there think it was funny though.

Our singer also got busted for saying 'cheers to that' raising the beer in his hand outside the venue and smiling at the cops. We had to bail his knucklehead ass out the next day for $ 75,- ..Just in time for another L.A. show at the Cathay de Grande. Rene said he made new friends in the drunktank and that they were all "really cool black guys".

B.G.K. @ Cathay de Grande, Aug 1984. Left to right : Sluggy (b), Steven (g), Rene (v)

On that same US tour we were invited to do a "live at Target" video set in San Francisco, which I was ALL FOR, but after the usual democratic vote cast (which I ALWAYS lost) the band declined this offer in true "that's too commercial" DIY blunderpunk fashion. Oh well. Nothing you wouldn't expect from a band that also turned down the chance to open for Motorhead because "they draw a metal crowd, and we don't like metal". Playing this mega Olympic show set up by a big time coke dealer businessman named Gary Tovar wasn't a problem, though. I admit the guy's "Goldenvoice Productions" company paid for our work permits.

I also recall vividly how fanatical certain people in our own entourage tried to convince me "this music isn't about making money, man !" after I complained about not even owning my own amplifier, and having to play/borrow cheap low volume transistor amps from opening bands. I wanted that bass to sound like Grand Funk Railroad but it came off sounding like a banjo. I guess they decided my songs weren't even mine. Meanwhile we were giving away THOUSANDS and THOUSANDS of dollars in squatter "benefit" shows and "no more censorship fund" funds.

The very same zealots ended up owning not uncommercial companies such as this and this. Hypocrites !!
Moreover, they flat out refused to carry the 100 % DIY Nitwitz/Hellacopters release on my own label almost 2 decades later because it wasn't politically correct enough.

Boy that's ironic.

Sluggy tells you no lies.



Notes to self : Recite story of playing the 1984 democratic convention in Dallas with the DK's while stoned out of my gourd.
Recite story of playing the 4th of July 1984 in Washington DC.