THESE ARE THE DAYS

I went to Matt Stokes` art show These Are the Days yesterday for about an hour, and was getting into it, but felt twitchy like I was getting outta a Time Machine. Many old flyers (some yellowing and fragile) were displayed from the PUNK DAYS, as well as Fanzines, such as Sluggo and Contempo Culture. I saw fragments of an old guitar...don`t know what that was? Some of the 45 rpm singles that came out from that time were displayed also.

My favorite aspect was the television sets that were set up to show, I believe, 8 millimeter films of some of the local punks just fooling around, simply dittling around in Austin somewhere (maybe by the University or on Guadalupe...don`t know). I recognized some of the faces, but couldn`t really put together who they were? This may be a good thing. This isn`t odd though, because I was living in Dallas in 1978, and managed a Baskin Robbins Ice Cream Store at Preston/Royal. I actually wrote parts of Magnum Lust (the Norvells` song) back in the stock room where we kept malt cups, straws, sundae dishes, and cake boxes also. Oh, the film of the Re*Cords was an eyeopener! Bert Cruz had on shades and played the accordian and had on that striped shirt I remember just like Mr. Peppermint. Doug and Tom and Lynn waxed electric too.

I didn`t take everything in, but felt like I was taking a step back in time...not that I really wanted to go there? I felt nervous as if I was at Roswell or Area 54...can`t say why really? The new punk film was a little loud and I felt like I was watching a parody of the old punk bands. Maybe a sort of Spinal Tap one off to punk? I don`t think the simulation really reflected back on the period, in a way that I remember it. That may bot be saying much? I could have used some historical context too. Things like the Son of Sam shootings, Jimmy Carter`s haircut, the Iranian Hostages, Billy Beer, and the gas crisis would put this period in a national context. This could have been a little corner with newspaper clippings, where people could go hah hah...that`s what was going on nationally at the time...1978 or 1979. But that`s my own little brainstorm, folks.

I`ll try to go back and take a camera (my Polaroid One600/Ultra fur sure)...I`m certain my perspective will change...it was very cool...good job Matt...I just feel lucky to still be alive in 2009! The punk movement was just a fad, but it still holds some importance...what that importance is is what I`m still trying to determine? Maybe it was just an adolescent initiation rite, nothin` more.

It`s too early (6:34 AM-1/26/`09) to dig into my boxes for flyers (I actually have a few myself somewhere?), so I`ll just put my Gut Shot piece up...it`s as punk as anything else I have!