November 16, 2006
Win Tickets for Capitol of Punk Documentary Screening
Back in September, we told you all about how you, too, could walk in the footsteps of legions of spiky-haired, leather jacketed youths armed with just your cell phone and the force of memory. The Yellow Arrow Capitol of Punk tour gives participants an interactive walking tour of the people and places associated with D.C. punk’s salad days, and has received an enthusiastic response, according to organizers. This Saturday at the Warehouse Theater, you can revisit those days in a more stationary fashion, as Yellow Arrow screens 10 short documentaries assembled for each of the stops on the tour.
Saturday’s screening will include an introduction and Q&A from the films' creators, including Project Director/Executive Producer Jesse Shapins, Sound Designer/Story Editor Kara Oehler, and Video Director Christopher Allen. The event gets started at 10pm, with admission of $6, but some lucky DCist reader can skip the reaching for the wallet part. And all you have to do is tell us a story.
The old 9:30 Club location on F Street is a venue that holds a special place in many hearts, but that’s despite the smells, the obstructed views, the cramped quarters, and the assorted vermin roaming the edges. While many fondly remember the shabby charm of the old 9:30, everyone also tends to have a horror story of some sort associated with it. Leave a comment below describing your Most Harrowing Experience from 930 F Street, and DCist’s panel of judges will decide at the end of the day who is most deserving of the tickets for their hardship.
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Hey, DCist- your young redership was in grade school when the 9:30 club left F Street.
true :(
Nice try-
We considered that, but there were a number of commenters on the previous post who had been to the old 9:30, and since shows there were all ages, there are presumably plenty of people within DCist's demographic that attended shows there in high school and college before the club moved 11 years ago. We're sorry that it does exclude some, but in the spirit of the storytelling aspect of the project, we felt it was a great way to get some amusing/horrifying anecdotes from that time.
-Ian
In 1994, I think, I was at a Stompbox/Biohazard show at The Club. During Biohazard, the pit was pretty intense and I received quite a blow to the head from behind. I don't know if it was another head or a foot from a crowd surfer or an arm or what. I saw stars across my eyes at the impact. A few moments later, as I was shaking it off, I felt a sharpness on my tongue; my tooth had been chipped. It turned out to only be a small chip and was smoothed down by the dentist. But I'll never forget that!
I was pulled into the women's bathroom and got some serious head during a Government Issue show back in '86 or '87, and was so drunk I didn't even get a good look at her (or his) face. For all I knew, it was one of my best friends...*sigh* those were the days.
I saw folks actually trying to dance to The Boredoms. Does that count?
How about Andy Summers singing Roxanne solo?
Who can forget "Three Bands for Three Bucks"? That was a deal. I believe either the downstairs or back bar was removed and re-assembled in the new location's basement bar.
Hey, DCist- your young redership was in grade school when the 9:30 club left F Street.
Untrue! I'm 37 and went to about a half dozen shows at the old 9:30 during high school, college, and the years after.
Unfortunately I can't win this contest 'cause nothing worse than one of my buddies vomiting on my shoes ever happened to me at the old 9:30.
Judging by the last few comments, I suspect there are many fascinating 9:30 stories worth sharing. I met a member of The Cult there, but that pales in comparison to a head session in the loo. Dcist: care to post the 10 best stories?
I only went to the old 930 once..to see Man or Astroman. I was in highschool at the time and had told my parents that i was going to the movies. That fell through the next day when my mom picked the clothes i wore to the show up off the floor. The old 930 club smelled SOOOO bad. LIke a mixture of cigarettes and poop, or something...permeated everything. I will always remember that smell.
I saw Wilco there in 1995 for less than $10 bucks, puts a spin on all those people willing to pay $125 plus to the show a month ago.
Setlist:
http://www.wilcobase.com/event.php?event_key=251
Not bad...
It was at the Psychic TV gig, circa 1989, when Genesis P-Orridge pulled my (then) girlfriend onstage and sang Velvet Underground's "Candy Says" in her face, causing quite a swoon -- that was fully awesome... I could've laughed all night.
Two great memories:
Mission of Burma, despite numerous requests throughout their set, refusing to play "That's When I Reach for My Revolver." They said, "That was a hit with only one bullet", a well-thought out and clever response.
Book of Love, on their farewell tour, reading poems between the songs.
Such a place that was - I remember:
My roommate coming home after a Redd Kross show, without her leather jacket - "Some guy just grabbed it, while I was sitting on it on a barstool and ran!" 1987, I think
Some really annoying GW basketball player coming in late to a King Missle show and pushing through until he got right in front of me. I'm not very tall. (Then again, I'm not short. I'm just average. He was VERY tall.) Trapped between him and one of the pillars, I watched the show partly while standing on the base of the pillar and partly trying to see around him from the ground. I don't remember the year.
The smell, dear LORD, the smell.
A They Might Be Giants show with a large group of students trying to polka in a circle.
Nothing harrowing really, other than the smell, but what a place it was. So many good shows.
It was a Murphy's Law show, spring/summer of 1993 - shortly before it closed down? I was 17. It was really hot in there, so a friend & I stripped down to our bras. The band brought us up on stage, where we joined a crowd of people dancing & taking bong hits. God, I was happy.
I also have fond memories of getting my first black eye @ 9:30 club at age 14, when Ritchie from I spy crowd-surfed his boot into my face. And everyone I know who ever went there has a story about getting concussed on that pole in the middle of the club.
I think the magic ingredients in the "smell" were a combination of smoke, beer, sweat, and patchouli oil.
i saw a lot of good shows at the old 9:30 growing up...but i think the most embarrassing moment was also at the most embarrassing show i went to there. i was at blind melon, and the "bumblebee video" had not yet come out. anyway-- these were obviously some hardcore fans and when "no rain" came on, everyone knew the words. i was right up front, looking around as everyone sang along-- and unwittingly, i pretended to sing along as well--although i had no idea what the words were. the guitarist caught me--stared at me-- and then called me out to the rest of the crowd at the end of the song. i could have used that obstructed view during that song.
Most harrowing memory? Having to take a dump in that bathroom.
Thanks to everyone for your great anecdotes! A winner has been chosen and notified, but feel free to continue reminiscing in this space...
Most harrowing memory? Having to take a dump in that bathroom.
My god man! Are you insane? I would have rather gone outside and pooped in the alley.
Oh do I miss the old 9:30 Club. I have sooo many fond memories of shows and the club itself. One of my fondest memories was of seeing locals (kinda) from Richmond - Siddal (ethereal goth), and Miranda Sex Garden. Luckily I had gotten to know Siddal over the years as they constantly played DC. I was able to join them in the "green" room downstairs where the bands stay, before they went out to open the show.
What I'll never forget though, is hearing the most amazing voices ever, wailing away next door. It was the women of Miranda Sex Garden warming up. You have to understand, both women were trained opera singers, singing in a pop (for lack of a better word - violas and violins are a big part of their sound) band. I'm sure even the fans upstairs surrounding the stage and bar could hear them. Anyway... Siddal went out and did their thing - then Miranda Sex Garden (MSG) went out - and boy did one of the two lead singers (Blake I think) put the SEX in MSG. She came out in this sheer white dress with NO bra or panties! I remember someone quoting (read: screaming) an old line from Revenge of the Nerds (the scene with cameras in the girls dorms) - "Guys, we've got bush." I was in Heaven. The voice, the body - oh, what a night! Now if I could've only gotten laid that night too, that would have put the cherry on top - so to speak.
I think I'm too late to qualify for the free tickets, but such is life
I'm not sure which of these are my favorite, so I'll just list them.
1. I used to work at the club from about 1989 to 1991 as the booking manager. One Saturday afternon I went in to catch up on listening to some demos and file some papers. For some reason Seth Hurwitz, the owner, calls in. During our discussion we start talking about how we really need to step up the exterminator and more aggressively hit the rat problem. Just as we're talking about this, a rat jumps onto my desk, looking me straight in the eye, about two feet away from me. The damn thing was about a foot long, not including the tail, and was leaving a dirty, slimy trail on the desktop.
2. I remember one night I had to spend the night there. I'd booked Biohazard to play, so I stuck around to hang out with the band afterwards. Ministry was playing two shows the next day, an afternoon matinee and an evening show, and they were loading in at 7AM. I knew that if I went home I'd only get a couple of hours sleep before I'd have to head back in, so I spent the night there instead. It's pretty wierd waking up to go to the bathroom and realizing you have to walk around the front bar to walk downstairs to the bathroom.
3. I remember the first time I played 930. We (Marginal Man) opened for Minor Threat and Faith for an afternoon matinee on New Year's Day 1983. It was our first real show and the show sold out so fast that they added a second show. So, for our first time in public we played to two sold out crowds at the 930 club. It was great, but we were pretty scared because, let's face it, if you screwed up EVERYBODY in town would know.
4. We booked the Buzzcocks to play when they did their first reunion tour. We were all HUGE Buzzcocks fans at the club, so this was massive. The tour manager pulls me aside to tell me that the band is TERRIFIED of rats, folks in England know the club as the "rat club" and he wants to play a prank on the band.
He asks me to get as many fake rubber rats as I can find so he can place them all over the dressing room and in their gear, their luggage, food, etc. I found a party store on 14th street that sold rubber rats by the bag and he proceeded to stuff their belongings and food with the fake rats. It was absolutely priceless. Once the band got over their panic, they put on a great show.
KI
I vividly recall April 30th of 1997 -- it was the first time I saw the Butthole Surfers, and the earthshaking "Locust Abortion Technician" was my favorite lp for some time.
Gibby decided it would be a good day to pour alcohol over his hands and a cymbal. Then he lit both and smoked out the club. Given the severe over-crowding the club indulged in at the time, one can easily imagine what chaos ensued
some of us DCist readers, er.. skew the age demographics a bit. I recall 9:30 fondly as having the first video-bar in d.c., the one in the back room, and monitors playing newest vhs tapes, like Factory Records samplers and the like.
I recall seeing an early REM on that small stage, and from that set, could never imagine what would happen with them.