I
remember being at that Blondie San Diego show . . . did I go
with you? [No, I was banned from ever shooting them again. Story
detailed in my interview with David Jones and will be elaborated
upon when I post Blondie pix.] This is one of the few things
I don't remember, but I do remember seeing the Kinks and Blondie
at San Diego State.
The Record swap meet. Oh yeah, I remember
those EARLY wee hours on Saturday/Sunday mornings. [often we’d
go from a show to a party to the swap meet.] I was told about
it the night of the Damned that this record swap meet sold all
kinds of keen records. [I am surprised I found out about a year
prior to Mark. That’s how I met the Back Door Men staff
and got involved with punk publications so early on.] Bowie,
Iggy . . . bootlegs galore! So I ventured. I saw almost everyone
I met at the Damned show. Since there were very few of us "punks"
back then, it was easy to recognize each other.
I remember running into and then hanging
out with Bobby Pyn [aka Darby Crash] and Pat Smear. The whole
time Bobby and Pat were trying to convince the crowd at the
swap meet that this shoe they had found belong to Bowie and
they were selling it. After awhile I think we began to believe
their own story or became more aggressive in trying to make
others believe it! We then ran into Belinda and Lorna. They
told me they were going to start a band and asked if I wanted
to be in it. Since I didn't play an instrument and my voice
(although looking back it probably would have flown) was terrible,
I gladly declined. To my surprise they all told me that none
of them played an instrument either! Well we know the history
. . . Germs, Go-Go's [as Mark knows, Belinda was Dottie Danger
and was the Germs original drummer. We got the beat, indeed!].
This strange girl with Elton John heart
shaped glasses decided to hung out with us but I think we pretty
much considered her a groupie. Except for Belinda and Lorna
being hard core Queen groupies, the rest of us were not interested
in her groupie-like attitude . . . we were punks, we went for
the SHOCK value. Desiree Hunt (or Desiree Cunt as I named her)
was a very naughty girl. Always telling me stories about all
kinds of things she would do to me . . . I was gay, so none
of her bright red lipstick ever got on me! She had her typical
shag/Bowie cut, her rose tinted heart shaped glasses, 4 inch
platform shoes, tight navy jeans and her Rock ‘n’
Roll French cut shirt that was so tight it must have been painted
on. [I remember Desiree, she wanted to be my friend but we just
didn’t jive. She called me once, after seeing my photo
on the back of Patti Smith’s “Babel” poetry
book at the Burbank Library. She was so proud of me, that I
was such an inspiration to other women. I cried and cried because
Patti wouldn’t credit me as “Jenny Lens,”
but Jenny Stern, so what kind of inspiration could I be when
few realized the whole body of my work, much yet to come? Desiree
wore a dress I made at the Palladium Fashion September 23, 1977
show cos I was too shy and busy shooting. I wonder what happened
to her?]
Kim Fowley was a frequent visitor of the
swap meet. I never really liked him, although I didn't know
him personally, I just knew who he was and what he did. He always
had these teenage girls hanging off of him, idolizing him for
the fame he might bring them. I remember telling Holly Vincent
[later of Backstage Pass and Holly and the Italians] not to
hang out with him cause he was a creep . . . not knowing he
was standing behind me . . . when I turned around gave me the
evil eye. I guess I was learning that with rock ‘n’
roll came the lifestyle. Not being in a band, my only experience
were the friends who were in bands and the things we did. But
that's another story and is more complicated and too x-rated
to tell. (can I tell these things on your website?). [tell all!!!]
Plez and I used to hand paint t-shirts.
I made this great one with Debbie Harry's face on it and wore
it to one of the shows at the Whisky [Mark is an amazing self-taught
artist!]. Her roadie came down and asked me where I got it and
I told him I made it. He asked me if he could trade a shirt
for it, which I agreed. He told me after the show to go to the
Tropicana where they were staying (didn't EVERYONE?) and the
trade would be made. I got to meet the group that nite and I
traded my Blondie t-shirt for a real Ramones t-shirt! I was
in heaven. We made Damned t-shirts and even Mumps! I think I
made the Mumps each their own. Funny I had no clue I would become
a graphic artist back then . . . all by drawing on a white t-shirt
with colored markers and paints! [I gave Mark special fabric
crayons to draw on the t-shirts, then put a piece of paper on
top of the cloth and iron to make it permanent. I encouraged
him to become a graphic artist.]
Love, Sick Mark
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