August 09, 1985 - Huntington Beach, CA

Show Day - Sunny/Hot

Woke up late - same stuff. Playing Safari Sam's in Huntington Beach tonight. Dave and Dave got the new tires we needed - took them 7 stores to find the right ones. Rod and I walked to strip stores for food and Fosters Lager about 1PM. Back at Vince and Terry's. Packed our gear and out by 6:20PM after we said our goodbyes. Off we go.

Scrawled in the margin of my journal: "Saw the dating game - Skylab falling dude got picked!!!"

Sound check at 7PM. Minimal PA - OK sound. Weird place - rustic grass shit on walls - shitty tables. Stowed our stuff. Turned out that there would be three other bands before us. The first one checked - teenage Beatles cover band - awful parents in tow. Large mother was real silly. Lee W. showed up and showed us around Huntington Beach. Ate at Wimpy's - large burrito - good. Walked on pier and along beach front. Back to club.

The historical Safari Sam's website has a show listing but ours is not on it. This picture of the Minutemen playing Sam's is hilarious.

First band started playing - I stayed outside. Other bands waited with their gear in parking lot. Second band on did Iggy cover "Dog's Life". I listened from outside - I didn't catch their name - boring. 3rd band - "The Untold Fables" - 60's type trash - Vox amps - dressed up shitheads.

Was it "Dog's Life" or "Dog Food"? Here is a page detailing the Untold Fables lead singer's career.

We got on about 12:30 or so. Played a set that was average. Joe broke a string half through Serrated Edge. Rearranged set etc. Out by 1:30 or 2AM. Said goodbye to Lee. Got payed $40. Fucked again. We are off to Phoenix - drive through desert at night. Dave R. drove at start.

Between this show and the show at Oscar's Cornhusker, we made $100 for our two week stay in sunny California. Time to head East...

Posted by Dean at August 9, 1985 03:51 PM
Comments

Another deceptively cheery postcard from Dean, dated August 9.

Card face is STRYPER: Enigma's then-popular EvangelicalHairMetal band.

Dean's text:

"ROCK GODS!"

"Hi, These guys sell tons of disks for Enigma -- they have tons of stuff about em around the office. The weather out here is great -- the people are totally weird dood! Actually we leave Calif tonight after we play -- drive thru desert to Arizona. 3 weeks to go. Home the 30th Aug. Party like a Big Dog (Hip Calif stuff) -- Dean"

Posted by: M.Ace at January 9, 2004 04:51 PM

Actually I sound like the CA sun has begun to bake my brain. I think Lee W. was teaching us some local (loco) lingo...

Phrases like: 'the kind' and 'Party like a big dog' come to mind.

Posted by: Dean at January 10, 2004 11:30 AM

Oh yeah, the highlight of my career in alternative music HAD to be playing in a grass shack with a (marginally talented) teenaged Beatles cover band called "Norwegian Wood"! I remember the mother being a royal pain in the ass for everyone involved in the show that night. I actually felt bad for the kids in the band. We seemed to be the only band on the bill that night that wasn't trying to be a copy of something.

Posted by: Dave Blood at January 10, 2004 12:48 PM