COOLEST NEW WAVE MOMENTS OF YOUR LIFE

[DougMash]

I'm owner of a CD store on Long Island (www.cdislandny.com), and find myself constantly telling my employees stories of the "glory days" of new wave. I was an intern at WLIR-FM, did shows at a college station (WBAU - Adelphi, better known for launching Public Enemy & De La Soul), and had a fanzine (http://www.dougmash.com/NewMusicScene.php) and through those three got into a lot of shows/events free.

I thought a fun thread here would be your New Wave "brushes with greatness" memories.

Here's some of mine...

Giving JOHNNY ROTTEN Coffee - Was interning at WLIR when John came in to promote "Happy?" I usually didn't get too starstruck with guests, but as I waited for the red "on air" to go off, so I could give him his coffee, I got a little nervous. My hand was shaking as I handed him the cup, and I realized his was shaking twice as badly. I was never so happy to safely pass a cup to another person in my life. Johnny was great, a lot more quiet off-air than I was expecting, and even drew a self-portrait for me: http://www.dougmash.com/SelfPortraits.php

Holding up JOEY RAMONE - We were at the old Ritz (now "Webster Hall") for a show around 1986 when we see Joey draped over his 5' tall blonde girlfriend's shoulder like a poorly wrapped carpet roll. She propped him up against the wall and asked us "can you watch him" while she went to get the VIP room security guard to escort him in. I put my hand on his shoulder, asked him if he was OK, and he mumbled something unintelligible and started leaning my way. Luckily, the VIP bouncer showed up to drag him to the VIP room couch before I had to bear his full weight.

Gun fighting with MICK JONES. Got to see Big Audio Dynamite 3 times back in the day, one time at a place called 1018 that had risers on the side of the stage. During the "Good The Bad and the Ugly" gunfire-sample part, I started doing "finger guns" at Mick. He starts laughing, swings his guitar behind his back, and finger-gun fights with me for what seemed like a minute. At a later show, around the "Globe" time, Mick points up toward us and says "I see an old friend up there." We turn around to see Joe Strummer standing right behind us. Sadly, Joe backed away & never found his way to the stage.

Also at 1018 (in 1986), I survived "Karen Finley" to see NEW ORDER from 10 feet away. We were just a couple people back from the stage (and 15 minutes from New Order) when Finley came on. She proceeds to say "this is a song about when I was raped," whips down her halter top and begins to smear what I hope was chocolate syrup all over herself, splattering the front row as well. I had to physically restrain my girlfriend from leaving, as no way we'd get back that close, saying "New Order's going to be right there in 15 minutes!" It was a great show, once Finley and her can of brown goop left the stage.

WLIR NONCONFORMAL BALLS - I only got to the last one (1987), but what a crazy party those were. A the old Ritz, the show was LOU REED debuting "Mistrial" and HOODOO GURUS. I wish I could output my memories to video, as I remember spilling my 7&7 on DEE DEE RAMONE(he was cool about it), then going for a reload, passing DEBBIE HARRY, FRED SCHNEIDER and AL JOURGENSEN on the way to the bar. At the bar, we laughed at three guys "dressed up like the STRAY CATS" before realizing it WAS the Stray Cats. Someone put up pictures of an earlier Nonconformal Ball here: http://www.pbase.com/tastyorange/wlir_nonconformal_ball
There's GOT to be more!

I also...
got called "cool" by MILES COPELAND, after we showed him our fanzine, and he sent us backstage at STING's first solo tour warmup show at the Ritz. We got stopped by the bouncer, but yelled to Miles and he said "no, they're cool" Never got near Sting, but Omar Hakim & Kenny Kirkland were nice guys.

got LLOYD COLE's first American autograph (shortly before he was named NME's "Wally of the Year")

got a "thumbs up" from PETE SHELLEY after yelling "great show" to him after a Buzzcocks show.

God, I could go on and on, but I really want to hear about YOUR "brushes with New Wave" greatness.

[oldnewwaver]

getting back stage at an Oingo Boingo, The Fleshtones, Stan Ridgway, and World Party concert
at the Fleshtones show, was able to be in a filmed intro with Pete Zaremba on the Cutting Edge MTV show (he was my mom's cousin)

interviewing Oingo Boingo for my high school paper at A & M Records

meeting Jerry Harrison and Ranking Roger at a Killing Joke concert

sitting with the Bangles and Rodney on the Roq at Susana Hoff's movie premiere (the Allnighter)

meeting John Hughes at a Psych Furs concert with both Mary Stuart Masterson and Eric Stolz

getting hit in the head with Terri Bozzio's drumstick at a Missing Persons concert

did security for the record store I worked at for Spandau Ballet who did an instore signing (thought I was going to die!)

Dave Wakeling treated me and my wife for dinner at a small dinner club where he was performing. Had a friend that knew him and sat at the same big table (but my wife did not want for me to endless ask him questions about the Beat and General Public)

saw the Thompson Twins at a small venue that was a surprise show

[Jim2]

Not so many "brushes with greatness", but here it goes:

Heard the Ramones on college radio in 1977.

Interviewed Blotto & Andrew McCluskey years later at that very same college radio station.

Went to buy Sex Pistols tickets the day they canceled their first date at The Leona Thatre (a mere 2 miles from my house) due to delays in obtaining passports. They opened in Atlanta instead.

Front row at my "Dream" concert; OMD opening for Depeche Mode on "Music For The Masses" tour. That show, was the dress rehearsel for 101, as there were cameramen running up and the aisles and around the stage. I sang the chorus to Everything Counts as Dave held the microphone out to me, I was the only person in the front who knew the lyrics. Whatever happened to the unused footage?

Backstage at Madnees on "Rise & Fall Tour".

Saw Duran Duran unload their own equipment outside a venue back in 1981.

Had tickets to see XTC which had to be refunded due to Andy Partridge's breakdown a week prior.

Saw Squeeze 5 different times and never paid once.

I used to get a kick whenever I heard a New Wave Band like the Smiths or XTC on the radio. Now I hear them in the grocery store and in restaurants.

[bigwavedave]

I worked sucurity at a Thomas Dolby/Modern English show on the 1984 tour. One of my fellow students on security detail was assigned to go pick up Thomas in a funky little Pinto owned by the college; that looked pretty funny when he pulled up to the backstage in that little beater and Thomas hopped out.

I was visiting England in 1988 and ended up on a little tram with Lloyd Cole and The Commotions. They were headed across the lake to film a Saturday music show at a castle on a small island. I was there as a tourist, but happened to hop on the same tram. It was pretty tiny so I ended up being the only one on board not with the band or crew.

[Frau_Blucher]

From a past thread, I recall being most impressed with ben_at_work having gone on a date with Stacey Q and waukena (may he rest in peace) hanging out with his hero Joe Strummer. I couldn't touch either of those.

I've mentioned before that when the members of X used to do a poetry and music night at the now-defunct Lhasa Club in LA, I once shared a beer with John Doe and had a brief make-out session with Excene. Hey, it was BYOB and we brought lots of B! I even saved one of the cans of Bud that Doe shared but then chucked it when I realized the ridiculousness of it..."no really, this really WAS John Doe's beer can."

Latter day, I got to hang out and chat with the Plimsouls at SXSW a few years back. I mentioned it'd been 25 years since the last gig I saw, and they remembered lots of the details of that gig up at UCLA. Caught them again briefly at Maxwell's in Hoboken a couple years later and got a picture of us (schwenko and abacab66) with Eddie Munoz. Later, I donated to the fund to help Peter Case with his heart surgery, and Case later sent me a hand-drawn and signed self-portrait.

[zill]

Shit, I've never even met Frau, let alone the encounters you guys have had.

On the eve of Game 1, however, this seems like an appropriate place to post a picture of Robert Smith wearing a Canucks jersey during the Cure concert at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver in 1996!

<a href="http://s175.photobucket.com/albums/w131/pselfy/?action=view&current=rsmithc.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w131/pselfy/rsmithc.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

<a href="http://s175.photobucket.com/albums/w131/pselfy/?action=view¤t=RsmithCanucks.gif" target="_blank"><img src="http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w131/pselfy/RsmithCanucks.gif" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

[Frau_Blucher]

[quote][i]Originally posted by zill[/i]
<br>Shit, I've never even met Frau, let alone the encounters you guys have had.

On the eve of Game 1, however, this seems like an appropriate place to post a picture of Robert Smith wearing a Canucks jersey during the Cure concert at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver in 1996!
[/quote]
If we see a very fat Green Man, we'll know who.

[Frank_Chickens]

The various interviews I've done over the years. My favourite ones were Richard James Burgess of Landscape and Gary Barnacle of Leisure Process.

Right now I'm trying to setup an interview with Jonathan Smith of Dekka Danse.

[raserx]

"WLIR NONCONFORMAL BALLS - I only got to the last one (1987), but what a crazy party those were. A the old Ritz, the show was LOU REED debuting "Mistrial" and HOODOO GURUS. I wish I could output my memories to video, as I remember spilling my 7&7 on DEE DEE RAMONE(he was cool about it), then going for a reload, passing DEBBIE HARRY, FRED SCHNEIDER and AL JOURGENSEN on the way to the bar. At the bar, we laughed at three guys "dressed up like the STRAY CATS" before realizing it WAS the Stray Cats. Someone put up pictures of an earlier Nonconformal Ball here: http://www.pbase.com/tastyorange/wlir_nonconformal_ball
There's GOT to be more!"

I was at that one too.( It was1986 BTW:-) I remember seeing Fred & Kate from B52's & Joey Ramone milling about. But my "highlight" was getting shoved out of the way by a huge bodyguard to make way for Led Zep's Jimmy Paige. Who sat about 20 feet from me and seemed to really be digging the Gurus. Oh yeah , and I got an autographed pic from Mitch , the kid who played "The Toxic Avenger"......

<a href="http://s134.photobucket.com/albums/q99/raserx63/?action=view&current=nnnn.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q99/raserx63/nnnn.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q99/raserx63/raserxsm.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting"></a>

[raserx]

I went to a special WLIR screening of "Pet Sematary" with ......The Ramones!

<a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q99/raserx63/raserxsm.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting"></a>

[q89747]

All right, once again file this under 'Not Exactly NW But Close Enough'... Saw Echobelly on their first US tour, 1994. I'd kept up with them by reading imported copies of Select, so knew who they were and had all their early singles. It was a cold December night in Chicago so it was well less than half full. I was up front, singing along to every song. Then when they played 'Centipede', I freaked out cos that's was my favorite song of theirs, and was shouting along to it, and the singer Sonya Aurora Madan leaned down and gave me a peck on the cheek. Not an aloof pop star too good to return fan appreciation.

[crywolf]

On the same flight from Heathrow to JFK with Bryan Ferry. He was a few rows ahead of me in the front. There must have been total 7-10 passengers in the first class section.



Didn't I read you right, between the devil and the deep blue sea.

[zill]

[quote][i]Originally posted by Frau_Blucher[/i]
<br>
If we see a very fat Green Man, we'll know who.
[/quote]

Like this? My friend was drunk, so sorry for the shaky picture.

<a href="http://s175.photobucket.com/albums/w131/pselfy/?action=view&current=greenman.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w131/pselfy/greenman.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

[Frau_Blucher]

[quote][i]Originally posted by zill[/i]
<br>[quote][i]Originally posted by Frau_Blucher[/i]
<br>
If we see a very fat Green Man, we'll know who.
[/quote]
Like this? My friend was drunk, so sorry for the shaky picture.
[/quote]
"My friend". Riiiiight. It's hard holding a camera while screaming "BOB! BOB! BOB! We love you!!!!!"

I forgot about Coop and I chatting up Mark Burgess at SXSW a few years ago. That was followed by meeting him after last year's Chameleons Vox gig in San Francisco and getting my book and gig poster signed. Definitely one of my musical heroes. Anyone who doesn't like the Chameleons is a fat cunt...in my humble opinion of course.

[Panorama]

I met Bono and Adam from U2 after the 12/9/84 Unforgettable Fire show at Music Hall in Cleveland, Ohio... they both signed the show program i bought. I said to Bono, "I love the song Red Light," and he responded "There's a lot hidden in that song that people don't realize."

I've photographed a lot of concerts in the 80's... including these shows Thompson Twins and OMD (12/1/85), Billy Idol (2/10/84), Howard Jones (6/24/85), INXS (9/2/88).

I had front row at U2 in March 1985 and 3rd Row for REM at Music Hall in Cleveland, Ohio on Aug. 12, 1985. I printed up a (2) 16x20 and (2) 11x14 prints from the REM Cleveland show and went to see them in Pittsburgh, PA 10/23/87, met REM after the show at the tour bus, had them sign the Cleveland ticket and the large 1620 print in silver paint pen... the shot was of Michael and Peter... Bill Berry said "I'm not signing that, I'm not even in it," I begged, and he signed it, the framed print hangs in my office.

I shot photos for Alternative Press Magazine the first few years they were publishing, so I got to meet and photograph a lot of bands that were being interviewed for stories, so the publisher would do the interview for 15-20 minutes and I'd set-up portraits with studio lighting on location, so I shot portraits of:
Run DMC http://www.flickr.com/photos/cooganphoto/3038324327/
They Might Be Giants http://www.flickr.com/photos/cooganphoto/3039162374
http://www.cooganphoto.com/images/88-10 ... Giants.jpg
http://www.cooganphoto.com/images/88-10 ... Giants.jpg
The Jazz Butcher
The Pursuit of Happiness ("I'm an Adult Now")
Information Society
http://www.cooganphoto.com/images/88-08 ... ociety.jpg
http://www.cooganphoto.com/images/88-08 ... ociety.jpg
Revolting Cocks
Voice of the Beehive
Ranking Roger from English Beat,
Michael Bean from The Call
Mike Score from A Flock of Seagulls

Also shot a few cool pics of Alice Cooper for Restaurant Hospitality Magazine
Cover - http://www.cooganphoto.com/images/resta ... _05_01.jpg
http://www.cooganphoto.com/images/01-03 ... Cooper.jpg
http://www.cooganphoto.com/images/01-03 ... Cooper.jpg

I met Thomas Dolby in Boulder CO after a show he was playing, nice guy

<HR width="185" align="left">
"Photography with a Vision"
http://www.cooganphoto.com