steve wrote:Big Black did play at the Metro a couple of times. I hated the experiences, because I hated being lied-to about the money, the head count, being made to pay for "broken" stage gear, having agreements dishonored, etc. It amazed me that when I showed the owner evidence of his fraud, he said something like, "I don't understand," and refused to pony-up. I was done with that place at that point.

I said as much in a fanzine interview, and was "officially" banned in the 80s. Apparently there was a photo of me on display in the ticket booth, and the staff were told not to let me in as a customer, or for any other reason. I found out about it when I tried to help Sonic Youth load their gear in for a show one night, and was physically prevented from entering.

The owner has made several overtures toward "letting me in," and I actually went there as a customer one night to see Television, but I'm perfectly happy not being a part of anything that goes on in that building.

That sure is a shining moment in the history of the Metro . I didn't realize Shanahan was so afraid of you.

How is the work going on this project? Sounds great.

steve wrote:Big Black did play at the Metro a couple of times. I hated the experiences, because I hated being lied-to about the money, the head count, being made to pay for "broken" stage gear, having agreements dishonored, etc. It amazed me that when I showed the owner evidence of his fraud, he said something like, "I don't understand," and refused to pony-up. I was done with that place at that point.

I said as much in a fanzine interview, and was "officially" banned in the 80s. Apparently there was a photo of me on display in the ticket booth, and the staff were told not to let me in as a customer, or for any other reason. I found out about it when I tried to help Sonic Youth load their gear in for a show one night, and was physically prevented from entering.

The owner has made several overtures toward "letting me in," and I actually went there as a customer one night to see Television, but I'm perfectly happy not being a part of anything that goes on in that building.

I thought it was the brick of fireworks you threw at the crown that made him ban you. At least that is what I heard him say on some radio interview on WBEZ.
Was that b.s.?

steve wrote:The owner has made several overtures toward "letting me in," and I actually went there as a customer one night to see Television, but I'm perfectly happy not being a part of anything that goes on in that building.

I thought I saw you at that show ... being from Michigan, I figured that your presence at a big show in Chicago was pretty much a given. Nice to know I witnessed something unusual. (Beyond Television being really good that night.)

Gone Savage wrote:How is the work going on this project? Sounds great.

Myself and another guy at the station have been doing some research and trying to come up with the kinds of questions we want to ask and how we want it to be structured. He'll be doing a local show on the new channel we'll have starting this fall or winter and we might incorporate it as a series into that, or do a long documentary, or both. We just met about it this evening actually and we will hopefully be starting some interviews soon. I've contacted a few people about that but I haven't scheduled anything. I had a few other projects both professionally and personally that I was finishing up and now will have more time to devote to this so as soon as we finalize the initial outlines and basic questions I'll be aggressively contacting people who we want to interview.

Again if anyone on this board was part of the underground music scene in Chicago in the late 70's/early 1980's please get in touch with me at ghick@chicagopublicradio.org. I want to talk to all facets from fans to bands to everyone inbetween.

El Protoolio wrote:

Gone Savage wrote:How is the work going on this project? Sounds great.

Myself and another guy at the station have been doing some research and trying to come up with the kinds of questions we want to ask and how we want it to be structured. He'll be doing a local show on the new channel we'll have starting this fall or winter and we might incorporate it as a series into that, or do a long documentary, or both. We just met about it this evening actually and we will hopefully be starting some interviews soon. I've contacted a few people about that but I haven't scheduled anything. I had a few other projects both professionally and personally that I was finishing up and now will have more time to devote to this so as soon as we finalize the initial outlines and basic questions I'll be aggressively contacting people who we want to interview.

Again if anyone on this board was part of the underground music scene in Chicago in the late 70's/early 1980's please get in touch with me at ghick@chicagopublicradio.org. I want to talk to all facets from fans to bands to everyone inbetween.

Protoolio, anything going on with this? Did it happen?

We have interviewed a dozen people so far. The last two being Lorna Donley and Marie Kranger-Born last fall. Then I got engaged and the producer I am working on this with got promoted and our camera guy has to hustle some paying gigs so it put everything on hold while we attend to these new developments in our lives. My fiance and I moved to a new apartment a couple weeks ago and we get married in September so between that, my two jobs and my new band I am stretched right now.

We have at least a dozen more people to interview like Terry Nelson, John Haggerty, Steve Bjorklund, Bob Damrau, Boppin Billy Bosco and the Effigies plus a second round of follow up interviews for everyone. Then there is the Toothpaste/Wayouts/Silver Abuse reunion show at the end of this year that we will be documenting. This will also be our one and only opportunity to interview John Lundin since he lives in Hawaii now.

This project is a free time labor of love so we just can't devote the time to it that we'd like to. We will get back to it and it will be finished. I have learned so much about the early days and been exposed to some great music and can't wait to share it with the world.

After reviewing what we have and demoing some of the audio and footage to see how things will fit together we realized that the story we have is bascially the first and second wave of bands up to about 1983. The scene of La Mere, Oz, OBanions, and the Coolest Retard. After around 1983 hardcore had emerged and further splintered an already splintered scene.

Documentaries always seem to have a bias and I guess my bias is I couldn't give a shit about the hardcore scene of the 1980's. I already experienced it once and have no desire to revisit it more then I have to. I want to tell the story of what came before I knew anything about punk rock. Besides, Joe Losurdo from Life Sentence is telling the Chicago Hardcore story in the doc he's been working on so why step on his toes?

When I get the chance I will upload some of the demoed audio somewhere so people can get a preview and maybe offer some feedback. What I have is incomplete interview audio mixed with the music. It is nothing final. For example for Silver Abuse we have only talked to Camilo and Santiago. That's what I mean by incomplete. As for the footage we have, that will have to wait before we put out any of it.

Thanks for your interest and for lighting a fire under my ass a bit!

Ok, three demo samples. This is not complete or final and there is another 18 hours of interviews with at least 18 more to record.

Wax Trax and Strike Under

El Protoolio wrote:Ok, three demo samples. This is not complete or final and there is another 18 hours of interviews with at least 18 more to record.

Wax Trax and Strike Under

Comments? Questions?

El Protoolio wrote:

El Protoolio wrote:Ok, three demo samples. This is not complete or final and there is another 18 hours of interviews with at least 18 more to record.

Wax Trax and Strike Under

Comments? Questions?

Just listening to it right now. Its interesting and cool. The sound isnt very bassy though; dont you need more bass for NPR?