POP OVER PUNK
POP OVER PUNK
A few decades ago, while some people were celebrating the brashness of punk, Kim Cooper was waving the flag for the repetitive, G-rated lyrics and upbeat rhythms of bubblegum pop. “Even in the '60s, DJs were making fun of them,” she says.
Silly lyrics, maybe, but how could performers who got crowds dancing, singing, and smiling not have, er, sweet cred? To honor the fad, Cooper co-edited the book Bubblegum Music Is the Naked Truth (Feral House, 2001) and began hosting bubblegum-themed events at roller rinks and bowling alleys. This Friday, during what just happens to be International Bubblegum Month, she'll hold the second Bubblegum Achievement Awards at the Bob Baker Marionette Theater.
The awards include the premiere of a documentary inspired by Cooper's book, which includes vintage commercials and scenes from live concerts. Also on the bill is Bob Baker himself, a local marionette artist and avid record collector, performing various acts to hot rod and '60s monster albums, “Chopsticks,” and bubblegum hits. Raffle prizes include pre-chewed bubblegum art, which Cooper assures is much more elegant than it sounds. For example, artist Ben Harben will give away a multicolored bubblegum portrait of Lancelot Link, the '70s TV chimpanzee detective. And in honor of today's version of bubblegum music, artist Jason Kronenwald will offer a portrait of Britney Spears in pink-flesh-toned gum. “The art is an ironic comment on the disposability of fame,” Cooper says.
Cooper held the first Bubblegum Achievement Awards in 2003 at Hollywood's Magic Castle. There she met her future bubblegum-mania-spreading partner, the “Bubble Queen.” A Bazooka-endorsed spokeswoman decked out in a wardrobe designed by Partridge Family fanatic Go-Go Giddle Partridge, the Queen will cohost this year's awards with Canadian musicians Canned Hamm. Another musical treat includes honoree Ron Dante of the Archies performing his 1969 hit “Sugar Sugar.” Other award winners include Steve Barri of Lancelot Link and the Evolution Revolution, and Joey Levine, writer of hits for the Ohio Express including “Yummy, Yummy, Yummy.” Then there's Barry “Dr. Demento” Hansen. “No other DJ [in the '60s] was willing to play old blues and bubblegum music together,” Cooper enthuses.
So what does a gummy award look like? Winged Victory with a giant pink jawbreaker bubblegum ball, of course.
–Jacqueline Smith
Bubblegum Achievement Awards. Bob Baker Marionette Theater, 1345 W. First St., downtown L.A. Info: (323) 223-2767. Fri. at 7 p.m. $52; tickets available at the door. Bubblegum-music.com.
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THIS WEEK IN THE CITY
Thursday 6
BOOB SPARE
Remember those crazy L.A. punk cuties, the Go-Go's? Well, they grew up and had lots of hits and then some solo stuff and now, like most of us, they're a little older, wiser, and aware. Tonight, Go-Go guitarist Jane Wiedlin will be among the celebrity guests appearing at the second annual Bowling for Boobies (B4B) at the Lucky Strike Bowl in Hollywood. Produced by the Soroptimist International of the Verdugos (whoa!), the activities will commemorate Breast Cancer Awareness Month, with proceeds helping local women with breast cancer who are juggling huge medical bills, plus a percentage designated for Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. For a minimum $100 in pledges, you can bowl, enter a raffle, and strike up a very good time (with Jane, and everyone else). 7 p.m.-9 p.m. 6801 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. Bowlingforboobies.com.
Friday 7
WAILING ONE
OK, so maybe he identifies more with metal than punk, but there's clearly something very subversive and certainly outrageous about NYC rapper and comedian Schaffer the Darklord (STD). For one night only, he's appearing at the Knitting Factory's Alterknit Lounge, performing what skateboard mag Concussion calls “the f*cking funniest rhymes you've ever heard over a loop of black metal samples and wailing chorus.” But he's not just Darth Vader with rhythm – this guy's got flow, fans say, even when (or maybe especially when) he's shouting about Jesus zombies and postapocalyptic clone sex. Right f*cking on. 9 p.m. $7. 7021 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, (323) 463-0204. Knittingfactory.com; Schafferthedarklord.com.
Saturday 8
PRESS AND PLAY
Another major band in L.A.'s punk past is X, the members of which have continued to make music as well as extend their talents into other artistic realms. Today, group cofounder John Doe will appear at the SPARC Building in Venice for a program of conversation and performance with acclaimed fiction writer Rick Moody and popular-music critic, curator, and English professor Josh Kun. The three will discuss literature and music, of course, and then Doe and Moody will break into song. The evening is sponsored by 826LA, a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing youths' writing skills. 8 p.m. $10. 685 Venice Blvd., Venice, (310) 305-8418. 826la.com.
Sunday 9
LYP LOCK
Transvestites are inherently punk, even when they're glam. This weekend, see one of the greatest guy-to-gal dames, Lypsinka, performing the West Coast premiere of The Passion of the Crawford, described as “a fantasia on the persona of the renowned Hollywood glamour goddess Joan Crawford.” The New York Times called this show by the alter ego of John Epperson a “strange and mesmerizing … psychological drama,” which ends with a dramatic reading/lip-synching of Max Ehrmann's famous poem “The Desiderata” as performed by Crawford late in her life. Net proceeds from all performances support the free and low-cost services at the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center. Thurs.-Sats. at 8 p.m.; Suns. at 7 p.m. Closes Oct. 23. $35. Renberg Theater, 1125 N. McCadden Pl., L.A., (323) 860-7300. Laglc.org.
Monday 10
STRING ALONG
Punk music is not an oxymoron, and it wouldn't be the same without guitars. In fact, few musical genres would. Dig into the history of this remarkably versatile instrument by availing yourself of the new International Guitar Research Archive at Cal State Northridge. A resource especially valuable for people interested in classical guitar, the collection – which holds American and foreign music prints, journals, and related correspondence from 1830 to the present – is considered one of the most complete in the U.S. Search for materials online or pay the place a visit next time guitar history has you, er, fretting. Hours on appointment basis. Free. Oviatt Library, 18111 Nordhoff St., Northridge, (818) 677-2285. Library.csun.edu/igra.
Tuesday 11
QUEEN EXENE
John Doe was one cofounder of X (see Saturday); Exene Cervenka was another, as well as its namesake. While Doe has added “actor” to his résumé, Cervenka has continued to pursue her talent as not only a musician but a fine artist. Through November 26, the Santa Monica Museum of Art is exhibiting America the Beautiful, featuring nine of her journals from the past 31 years, revealing rough drafts of songs, drawings, and ephemera from life on the punk road. Also on display are 20 related collages, together revealing her developing and multifaceted creativity and artistic intelligence. Mark your calendar: On November 3, she'll be performing live. Tues.-Sats. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. $3-$5 suggested donation. 2525 Michigan Ave., Bldg. G1, Santa Monica, (310) 586-6488. Smmoa.org.
Wednesday 12
PHOTO TRIP
The pre-history of punk extends back to the '60s, a decade rife with political tumult and musical response. Context, you see, is key, and if you'd like to see a little bit more of what was going on in our world when this genre was taking root, check out Pictures for the Press, an exhibition at the Getty of news images from the '40s through the '70s, including works by famous photojournalists Robert Capa, Larry Burrows, and Charles Moore. Even Robert Jackson's Pulitzer Prize-winning image of Lee Harvey Oswald the moment he was shot by Jack Ruby is on view in this companion (and perhaps more stunning) complement to Scene of the Crime: Photo by Weegee. Closes Jan. 22. Tues.-Thurs., Suns. 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Fris.-Sats. 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Free. 1200 Getty Center Dr., L.A., (310) 440-7360. Getty.edu.
Published: 10/06/2005
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