The A-Hole Gallery

A-Hole fire escape w/ Patricia Fostar

The A-Hole was more a residence than a gallery but more than anything it was a Punk sanctuary for wayward artists. I lived there on the 3rd floor bewteen 1984 and 1987 with Deanna Ashley (Frightwig), Alistar Shanks (Tragic Mulatto, Polkacide & Three Day Stubble) Gail Coulson (Tragic Mulatto) Microwave (Alternative Tentacles General Manager and co-defendant for the Dead Kennedys Frankenchrist obscenity trial) Curt Gray (KALX DJ) Patricia Fostar (graphic artist) Annette Kerns (painter) & Corey and her young son Jabari.

Tragic Mulatto

At the same time I started working at Hamburger Marys which dovetailed very nicely with my new punk digs. Hamburger Marys had recently fired all the junkies on staff which meant there were quite few jobs available. Based on my history as a theatrical sound operator, I was hired as Tuesday night DJ and morning dishwasher through a referral from my ex-girlfriends ex-boyfriend. In my capacity as DJ, I started hounding the members of the various bands that worked there to give me material to play during open hours so I could promote their music. As a result I became aquainted with Bruce Calderwood (Flipper), Jay Crawford (Bomb), Chris Schlosshardt (Sea Hags), Jeff and Andrew Scatturo (Bird Killers) Meri St Mary (Housecoat Project) and others you probably never heard of.

With so many musicians and artist living in one place I had ample opportunities to help out at shows when I wasn't in the audience rocking out. One thing always leads to another so I got to see Flipper at The On Broadway, Frightwig at The Farm, The Dicks at The Vats, Bomb at The End Up, Sea Hags at

Frightwig @ The Farm

The I-Beam, Tragic Mullato at The CW Saloon, Bird Killers at The Nightbreak, Fang at Tool & Die and The Dead Kennedys at the Fab Mab. This all greatly expanded my circle of performing artist friends and I was able to introduce some punks to theater and some theaters to Punk.

Through Hamburger Marys I met the late Eddy Carranza who happily dragged me around town to see shows and who I brought in as a sound operator for plays I worked on. He helped me stage some street theater which lead to his stint as a clown on The Mr. Steve and Wee Wee show, a local cable access program produced by Steve Schatz that I sometimes helped, before he began touring with Bomb as a Go Go dancer.

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