1972-75 Glam Rodney

Rodney Bingenheimer is an Los Angeles DJ who, back in the day, was LA's punk rock music's biggest cheerleader. He was directly responsible for helping a lot of LA bands get some radio airplay and become successful - including the GoGo's.

However - back in 1972-1974 - everything was different.

Those were the days of glitter rock - when David Bowie and Robert Plant and Iggy Pop were
regulars at the Rainbow.
 They attracted a regular group of girls who were into the whole British glam scene. These kids included Belinda and Lorna and others who who be their friends.

• The E Club
  
• Rodney Bingenheimer's English Disco
  
• The Sugar Shack

The E Club

Rodney's E Club

In October of 1972 Rodney Bingenheimer and Tom Aryes opened a club in Hollywood called the E Club. It was located at 8171 Sunset Boulevard. David Bowie was one of their first customers. It was located just east of the Chateau Marmont.

Site today of the former E Club
8171 Sunset Blvd.

2008 photo: tlc

E stood for English. He played new music being played in English clubs at the time - the New British Invasion bands. One came to Rodney's E Club to listen to the latest glam pop sounds from England such as Bowie, Queen, Suzi Quatro and Roxy Music. It was also the place to come mingle with those rock stars. Young Joan Jett would hang out here, along with Marc Bolan of T-Rex, Led Zeppelin. Glam rock was huge with the underground scene.

Rodney with Bowie and dress

Rodney Bingenheimer arrived in Los Angeles in 1965. He formed close friendships with the cream of the LA social scene including many top pop stars of the day. He became so well known in the Hollywood music scene that actor Sal Mineo dubbed him "The Mayor of the Sunset Strip".

Rodney was a huge fan of the English pop music (1st wave British invasion) i.e. -the
Beatles, the Searcher, Billy J Kramer and the Dakotas and Jerry and the Pacemakers -that had come to America in the mid-1960's.

However, in the late 1960's he became so disenchanted with the music scene in LA that he moved to England. There he was introduced to the English underground glam scene happening in all the clubs. He became good friends with David Bowie and Rod Stewart.

When he returned to Los Angeles he was considered a beacon of "English Nowness" in a sea of blandness. Girls loved him, his Brian Jones hairstyle and mod English clothes.

Rodney thought LA needed it's own cool English club scene. So...he opened his own club. It would feature the latest in British pop music including all the glam stuff. He had a collection of British records to spin in his new English "disco".

He would play only the music he liked.

Chuck E. Starr was his D.J.



Ziggy

Sometimes the club featured live music such as Iggy Pop and the Stooges. David Bowie was a regular guest.

Iggy Pop

In 1974 he moved his club to 7561 Sunset Boulevard. It was renamed Rodney Bingenheimer's English Disco. This location was closer to where he lived for many years on Curson Street

It became a favorite hangout for many rock stars (and a favoured haunt for young female groupies). Joan Jett and other future Runaways would go there.

Former site of Rodney Bingenheimer's English Disco
7561 Sunset Boulevard (as it looks today)

2008 photo:tlc

Inside the club

wiki:RodneyBingenheimer

Inside today of what was once Rodney's Club

2008 photo: tlc

Rodney was a regular at the Rock 'n' Roll Denny's on Sunset. It which was just down the street from where he lived. Soon scenesters would hang out at Denny's in hopes of seeing Rodney or one of the many band members he knew.

Former site of Rock 'n' Roll Denny's on Sunset

2008 photo: tlc

Rodney’s English Disco closed in early 1975. A new kind of Disco music had taken over and was all the rage. British Glam was dead. However - Rodney refused to play this new disco music at his club. So he packed up and closed up. Disenchanted again.

SUGAR SHACK
With no more British glam clubs- the kids who wanted to hear Bowie and stuff had no where to go - except maybe the Sugar Shack in North Hollywood. This was an underage clubs for kids only. It was open 'til 5 am. No alcohol. And they would play lots of Bowie. In 1975/76 it became the big hang out place. A lot of the same girls who use to go to Rodney's now went here.

Former Sugar Shack Teen Club
12458 Magnolia, North Hollywood

2008 photo:tlc

Most of the kids who who had gone to Rodney’s old disco now went the
here. These kids included Belinda's pals Hellin Killer and Trudie as well as the Joan Jett crowd. Chuck E Starr was the DJ there. It was open til 5 a.m. Even Kim Fowley and Rodney started hanging around there too, though they were over 21 years olds. hmmmmmm...
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1976/77 - Punk Rodney

All about Rodney

RodneyBingenheimer was the first DJ to play the Go-Go's on the radio. and he gave them endless exposure on his late night show. Rodney was cool. Everybody loved Rodney.

In August, 1976 Rodney Bingenheimer was given his own radio show on a new station called KROQ. His show was called Rodney on the Roq. At his time KROQ was a relatively unknown Pasadena FM and AM radio station.

His format was at odds with the prevailing country-rock style that dominated the Los Angeles music scene at the time. There was no Eagles, no Doobie Brothers, no disco on his show.

Rodney on the Roq was the first radio program to give punk and other underground music it's own forum every Sunday night. He introduced his audience to the new music of the day as he brought in more and more records that he had collected from England.

August 1976 - Rodney on the Roq

KROQ-FM was the most punk-friendly station in the United States -- KROQ was putting punk records in heavy rotation at a time when most rock stations avoided this kind of music.

Some of the New York bands Rodney would play included: Blondie, the Talking Heads, Patti Smith and the Ramones. He also exposed his LA audience to the more obscure New York bands such as Television, The Heartbreakers, Dictators, Pere Ubu, the New York Dolls and Dead Boys.

Photo: www.rottentomatoes.

He gave air time to local bands as well. Bands like the Germs, the Weirdoes, the Zeros, the Nuns, the Dils, The Avengers and of X were among the bands that Rodney played regularly on his show.

Penelope of the Avengers and Rodney

Photo:THERESA KEREAKAS punkturns30

In 1976, Rodney Bingenheimer (the DJ) and Kim Fowley (the music producer/ promoter) pretty much had this town sewn up. If you were an unsigned band, without their endorsement, you were cut out on KROQ and from playing the Whisky or the Roxy.

www.planetout.com

Rodney and Kim help persuade the owners and manager of the Whisky to book unsigned local bands. Rodney would often be the MC at these shows.
There were:

• Kim Fowley Presents at the Whisky
• KROQ New Wave Nights at the Whisky

Rodney Bingenheimer the MC

www.mrbalihai.com/haideaway/v/whisky

www.mrbalihai.com/haideaway/v/whisky

Darby Crash at the Whisky

www.mrbalihai.com/haideaway/v/whisky

Say...What is punk music anyway?

www.mrbalihai.com/goof/2005/12/what_is_bop.html

Three minutes of snappy pop punk to set those feet a tapping, those girls a running and... Distortion............... hip but not hippy.
www.punk77.co.uk/punkhistory/backinthegarage.htm

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1976 - Brief Belinda Bio

Baby Belinda

Belinda Carlisle was born Belinda Jo Carlisle on August 17, 1958 in Hollywood California. 
Belinda was born to Harold Carlisle - a contractor, and Joanne - a housewife.

Belinda is the oldest of 7 children. Her brothers and sisters are Butch, Hope, Mary, Joe, Josh and Sarah.

When she was young, her family lived at 1322 N. Naomi St. in Burbank, Ca. They lived in a modest two-bedroom house in a lower middle income neighborhood. Her mom and dad slept on a pullout sofa.

They weren't poor, but she did have to wear hand me down clothes that didn't quite fit.

Belinda's home in Burbank, CA

Even early on, Belinda had weight problems.

Her father was an alcoholic and her mother struggled to make ends meet. Belinda's birth father had left the family when Belinda was 5 years old.

Her mother remarried 2 years later to Duke Kurczeski (stepfather). Her stepfather was very strict and there was a lot of tension in the household.

Belinda, Butch and Hope had their last names changed from Carlisle to their new stepfather's last name, Kurczeski. Four more children were born to Belinda's mom and step-dad.

As a youngster - Belinda was a total tomboy. She had a purple Stingray bicycle with a banana seat and sissy bar. She was one of the first girls in California to play on a boy's basketball team.

She was often a trouble maker. She was in a Girl Scout Troop but got expelled after three days for placing cicadas in people's sleeping bags.

In 1968, the family moved to Thousand Oaks, California (located about 40 miles outside Los Angeles, CA).

In high school she was a pretty good student. She excelled in athletics. She played basketball and was part of the track and field team. She was also a cheerleader.

Belinda was a cheerleader at Newbury Park High School in Thousand Oaks, California.

photographer unknown

Although she was awarded a scholarship for her athleticism, she didn't go off to college after graduation. After graduating in 1976, she left home and moved to Hollywood - just as LA was was about to be hit with the '80's punk rock movement.

1976/1977 - SWFs Seeking Excitement

Pinocchio & Figaro met up with Lampwick

They were promised unlimited freedom. While on the island, the children are encouraged to commit acts of vandalism, fight, drink alcohol, smoke cigars, and gamble - all things that good little boys are not supposed to do. from Pinocchio

1976/77- Belinda Carlisle and Terry Ryan were a couple of bored teenagers who would go into Hollywood looking for adventure. Belinda and Terry met in art class at Newbury Park High School in Thousand Oaks, Ca. Terry introduced Belinda to a lot of music like Iggy and the Stooges, New York Dolls and Roxy Music. They were into the same things - like any music or guy from England

They started going to clubs when they were both in high school. Belinda would pick her up, and they would go into Hollywood.

Lookin' for adventure...

lapl photo database

They drove into West Hollywood- which was a 40-minute drive from their home in Thousand Oaks.

Hollywood Frwy, Sunset Blvd off-ramp

1980 photo:Roy Hankey

They would often hang out in the parking lot of the Rainbow Bar' n' Grill on Sunset Boulevard - next door to the Roxy club. Like a lot of teenage girls, they wanted to hang out with Hollywood celebrities and meet rock stars. For this - the Rainbow parking lot was the place to be.

Elmer Valentine's Roxy nightclub

N.D photo: Roy Hankey

Belinda and Lorna have a Germ encounter...

In 1976, Belinda was into Freddie Mercury and Queen. She heard he was staying at the Beverly Hilton on Wilshire Boulevard - so they hung out in the hotel lobby hoping to meet him.

The Beverly Hilton Hotel

They were unsuccessful at meeting Freddie - however, they did meet a couple of other Queen groupies. These guys turned out to be Paul Beahm (Darby Crash)
Georg Ruthenberg (Pat Smear) and Pleasant Gehman from West Los Angeles. This encounter changed Belinda's and Terry's direction in life forever.

I’m off to Funland where there are parties every day.

Groupies form their own Group...
Belinda and Terry became their friends and agreed to join Paul and Georg's band called the Germs. Belinda was to be the drummer and Terry the bass player. However, shortly after the Germ's formation Belinda got sick with mononucleosis and was replaced on drums by Donna Rhia (aka Becky Barton).

Terry would go on to be a full time member of the seminal LA punk rock band - The Germs. She changed her name to the more punk sounding Lorna Doom.

Paul initially changed his name to Bobby Pyn before settling on Darby Crash. Georg went by Pat Smear.

Belinda did a stint as Darby's prop girl. She would hand him salad dressing and peanut butter when he was on stage ala Iggy Pop.

photo: TheresaK

Lorna Doom

photo: TheresaK

It was this association with the Germs that led Belinda to immerse herself totally into the new punk rock scene forming. She and Lorna made friends with other scenesters, went to clubs, hung out back stage, dated musicians, and became one of scene's it girls.

----------------------------

I'm not a donkey...

1976/77 The Major Attractions

LAND OF PLAY, LAND OF TOYS
Where everyone plays all day and never works and never goes to school...

In 1976-77 there were four clubs that booked original live music in the Hollywood area. They were...

• The Whisky
• The Roxy
• The Starwood
• The Troubadour

THE WHISKY
8901 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood

The Whisky a Go-Go opened on the Sunset Strip on January 11th 1964.  From the get go it was an immediate success.  The Whisky quickly became L.A.'s most important live rock club during the ’60s and ’70s. 

 Many legendary bands of the '60's and '70's playe- such as the Doors, Buffalo Springfield, Bruce Stringsteen, the Who and Led Zeppelin. The stage was small. The club only had a capacity of  about 400. There were two levels with two bars and a dance floor.

The Whisky was designed in the mode of a French Discotheque. Elmer Valentine, the founder of the Whisky, had recently gone to the Cannes Film Festival in France and saw girls dancing in cages spinning records.  He brought this idea back to the States and he opened his own disclotheque.

In 1964 Beatlemania had struck the United States big time. The Sunset Strip surrounding the Whisky soon became a center for rock'n'roll nightlife. Every kid and their brother wanted to be in a band a be the next big rock star. Suddenly the Sunset Stip transformed from an old cocktail lounge image to a youthful more rock'n'roll oriented scene.

In the mid 1960's, anything with 'go-go' pasted on the end of it meant it was really hot.

The Whisky a Go Go

1982 photo: Paul Chinn


Location of the Whisky on the Sunset Strip

View Larger Map

Exterior of the Whisky as it looks today

2008 photo: tlc

Interior of the Whisky today

2008 photo: tlc


2008 photo: tlc

The Roxy

9009 Sunset Blvd. West Hollywood

photo by: PAUL CHINN

The Roxy
9009 Sunset Boulevard
The Roxy opened on September 23, 1973 by Elmer Valentine and Lou Adler - along with original partners David Geffen, Elliot Roberts and Peter Asher. They took over building previously occupied by a strip club owned by Chuck Landis called the Largo.

This was the club you played in when you've made it on a good record label. Record companies often would bring their acts here. The club only held about 500.

It has a great location on the Sunset Strip, and shares a parking lot with the very popular Rainbow Bar 'n' Grill.

The small On The Rox bar above the club was a regular hangout for John Lennon, Harry Nilsson, Alice Cooper and Keith Moon during Lennon's "lost weekend" in 1975.

2008 photo: tlc

Roxy nightclub

2008 photo:tlc

THE STARWOOD
8151 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood

The Starwood Club was located at the northwest corner of Santa Monica and Crescent Heights.

2008 photo:tlc

View Larger Map

photographer unknown

As the site looks today - very sad

2008 photo: tlc

Young kids loved the Starwood. It was less intimidating than the established clubs on the Strip. The Starwood would let new bands play including punk music and unsigned bands - it was a really cool place for young people to hang out at. Also...it had a great circular driveway.

Members of X lived down the street from the Starwood.

Before it was the Starwood it had been a fashionable nightclub called PJ's. In the '60's, PJ's was a popular twist club in town. It was here that the Standells and Bobby Fuller Four got their break.

In the early 1970s, PJ's was bought by organized crime figure Eddie Nash, and became the Starwood. The Starwood closed in 1982 after a fire. All very mysterious.

The origianl Starwood structure was torn down and a tacky strip mall now stands in it's place.


GoGo's played here regularly, as did The Germs, The Plimsouls and X.

2008 photo: tlc

The Troubadour
9081 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood

1979 photo: Musgrove, Dean

The Troubadour was born as a coffeehouse in the fifties and boomed with folk music in the early sixties. Through the late sixties and into the seventies, the "Troub" was where everybody who was anybody played. The Troubadour would also feature New Wave and punk in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
www.rockandrollroadmap.com/the_troubadour.html

The Troubadour was not a major player in the punk rock scene, however, there were some memorable shows there and everyone in the scene had a soft spot for the Trub do to it's legacy and location.

Honorable mention:

GAZZARRI'S
9039 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood

Gazzarri's

1980: Roy Hankey

It closed it's doors and was torn down in 1995.
However, today live music club The Key Club stands at it's old location.

Site of Gazzarri's today

2008 photo: tlc

Gazzarri's was one of the first clubs to showcase the rock'n'roll boom on the Sunset Strip in the 1960's. However, by the end of the 1970's, it seemed to be stuck in the past. It was the place you went to if you were into 1970's glam /glitter rock stuff and/or heavy metal. It was where the hair bands played. It didn't play new punk rock bands.

It is worth noting that both The Doors and Van Halen were the featured house bands at Gazzarri's for long stretches before being discovered.

The club reached its peak of popularity in the mid-1960s through the late 1980s. It was owned and operated by the "Godfather of Rock and Roll", Bill Gazzarri.
wikipedia info
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