The Last Pogo Jumps Again

Greg Trinier of The Mods;  1978 & 2008;  photos Edie Steiner

As the DVD release of The Last Pogo (Toronto Punk 1978) continues to make its way to indie record stores across the globe, we’re on the last stretch of our feature documentary The Last Pogo Jumps Again.

Directors Colin Brunton, Kire Paputts and Aldo Erdic, with the help of a ton of people, not the least being Gary Topp, David Quinton, Tristan Orchard, Ollie Brunton and the Toronto punk community started shooting this in June 2006, and with a few more interviews (you know who you are!) and a few more pieces of the puzzle put together, we should be good to go in ’09.

To toss in an inappropriate Grateful Dead hippie quote, “What a long strange trip it’s been.”

What started as a bit of a lark back in 1978, making the original Last Pogo, has repeated itself 30 years later, making The Last Pogo Jumps Again.  Shooting the Last Pogo in 16mm film in 1978 was a precise, sniper-like hit ‘n’ run;  making The Last Pogo Jumps Again in 2008 is like a video game drive-by shooting where you get endless lives.  Always forgiving.

Colin Brunton and Tommy Ramone;  photo Kire Paputts

Here’s what we did in 2008:   Tommy Ramone autographed our Ramones bumper-sticker and The Stranglers’ Hugh Cornwell got pissed-off when we asked him to define “punk rock”…part one interview with legendary Toronto promoter Gary Topp (The Garys)…Roger Streets a.k.a. Roger Dirtbag and Wayne Brown and Eddie Smith and Barry Farrell…fan Paul Richmond reading his grade ten essay on punk…a fire on Queen Street West…part two with Cleave Anderson…The Last Pogo closes down NXNE 2008 to a sold-out audience…Dave “Tank” Roberts shows us how to throw someone out of a club…Nardwuar the Human Serviette sings “Cardboard Brain” in an art gallery…the hard-drive holding all of our two-and-a-half years of footage dies…The Last Pogo DVD is released…The Ugly original members Tony Torcher, Sam Ferrara and Steve Koch enlist Greg Dick as their new lead singer to replace the dearly departed Mike Nightmare…Teenage Head release a new version of their first album featuring Marky Ramone…a rejuvenated The Scenics release the CD “How Does it Feel to Be Loved” and start a second life gigging and laying down new tracks…a treasure trove of stuff with Gail and Randy Johnson of Molten Core…Liz Worth finishes her book on Southern Ontario punk rock “Treat me like Dirt”…original players at The Last Pogo :  The Scenics, Cardboard Brains, The Ugly, The Mods, and Steven Leckie join Mickey de Sadist and The Forgotten Rebels and a last-minute surprise set by The B-Girls at The Last Pogo 30th Anniversary Bash and the media ignored us just like it was 1978 again…and on October 14th, Teenage Head lead singer and punk icon Frankie Venom dies after a short battle with throat cancer.

We picked up some more clues, crossed some more ‘t’s'…and look forward to more in 2009.

Keep those cards and letters coming, folks!

Mike Nightmare of The Ugly, Greg Trinier of The Mods, and Steven Leckie of The Viletones; all photos by Edie Steiner

All photos in today’s blog by Edie Steiner…

VInce Carlucci, Cardboard Brains

Sandy MacFadeyen, Cardboard Brains

Andy Meyers, The Scenics

Ken Badger, The Scenics

Mickey de Sadist, Forgotten Rebels

Greg Trinier, The Mods

The B-Girls

Alex Topp, Steven Leckie and The Solutions!

Steven Leckie, Steven Leckie and The Solutions!

Alex Topp, Steven Leckie and The Solutions! Aldo Erdic, The Last Pogo Jumps Again

Kire Paputts, The Last Pogo Jumps Again

Greg Dick, The Ugly

Steve Koch, The Ugly

Sam Ferrara, The Ugly

Tony Torcher, Sam Ferrara, The Ugly

While we toil away at Pogo Post Production, assembling our footage, scanning documents and buttons, securing rights and correcting wrongs, puzzling through the piles of video tape and film — we continue to get press for the first movie we did, THE LAST POGO, out on DVD around the world.

The latest kudos come from Jack Rabid of The Big Takeover magazine, the densely packed twice-yearly publication out of NYC.   We managed to make Jack’s Top Forty (alas, we were number 39, but still…)  Here’s the entire review:

“Wow!  I’ve been hearing about this 25-minute movie for 29 years, and it’s amazing to view it now!  What a window to a time that was rarely documented:  the pre-hardcore, original punk era when it was astonishingly fresh, creative, rule-busting, and shot full of newborn energy/excitement.  It’s Toronto, December 1, 1978, a three-camera, good sounding film (not video) of seven bands (one song each) playing at a farewell concert of premier punk club The Horseshoe Tavern.  The stars are Teenage Head and The Viletones, known from collectible singles — but not footage.  Lesser know openers prove equally supercharged, fascinating, and varied.  The Scenics open like a Canadian Velvet Underground;  Cardboard Brains are more The Weirdos vein;  The Secrets add a taste of R&B/Skulls/Vibrators/U.K. Subs groove;  The Ugly ripsnort through a Dead Boys/Ramones dirty shockwave; and The Mods are Jam clones to a t (or a suit and skinny tie!), but they’re excellent, fierce, and tight;  Nazi Dog‘s Viletones make magically menacing three-chord rock, and, in the one song they were allowed before the cops stopped the show and punters rioted, Teenage Head cooks a classic rock ‘n’ roll infested chaos.   Beyond that, is how vivid this film is, of a scene and underground moment it captures.  It’s not just the dancing and pogoing creatively dressed, jazzed, skinny people — no idiot slam-dancing and sneers — or the notorious sweaty buzz the crowd gets from seven wired, wiry bands, or the pleasant sight of punk’s front row ringed with women — led by impossibly cute punkette co-host Margarita Passion.   It’s that this was an art-meets-music lightning flash the likes of which has never been replicated.  Short but absolutely essential history comes alive!

Sam Ferrara of The Ugly at the Pogo 30th;  photo by Fast Eddie Smith

Tonight Fast Eddie Smith is hanging some of his pics from Europe at the Second Cup at Jarvis and King;  it’ll be up until Christmas, and maybe a little longer.   On Wednesday, The Cameron Tavern hosts the opening reception to the 15th Annual Christmas Art Show, “Giusto un Altro Giorno” (Just Another Day) featuring the latest metal sculpture work by local musician, artist, and all-around dude Sam Ferrara.   If you’re interested, best get there opening night, because although the show will be going on until January 3, 2009, historically most stuff gets snapped up right away.  So snap to it!

Here’s how you solve all your Christmas shopping in one day:    On Wednesday, go for a coffee at the Second Cup, and buy several original prints by Eddie.  These are shots of Europe, shot on film (!), and are pretty nifty.  Next year Eddie promises the rock ‘n’ roll show.  After deciding which prints to purchase, walk up to Queen St. West, and buy a copy of The Last Pogo dvd at one of the places listed below.   It’s only $12.00!  Or go on-line and get to our “Store” right here on this site, and order a dozen or so copies of The Last Pogo — if you get your order in by this Friday, then you should recieve the dvd in time for Christmas, if you are so inclined (bear in mind that people of all religious and social backgrounds can enjoy The Last Pogo.)

Then walk over to the Cameron Tavern on Queen, one block west of Spadina, and not only rub shoulders with kewl hipsters and musicians, but buy several original pieces of art made by the one, the only, Sam Ferrara.

Nat Records, Tokyo, Japan

Sorry, no time to chat!  Busy looking over a few hundred hours of footage, thinking about the missing pieces of the puzzle that was the punk rock scene in Toronto1976 – 1978, and starting to put together our feature doc THE LAST POGO JUMPS AGAIN, schedule to be completed in 2009.   There’s a million details.

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The Last Pogo (1978) is available at indie record stores in North America, Spain, and Japan — or on-line here.  Just click on the “Store” page, click in PayPal or write a money order (for only $12.00, cheap!), and a uniformed government worker will hand deliver your own copy of The Last Pogo:  The original 25 minute 1978 movie featuring Teenage Head, Viletones, Ugly, Mods, Secrets, Cardboard Brains and The Scenics;  a scorching 20 minute set by The Scenics in 1978;  a 30 minute commentary by Chris Haight of The Viletones and Secrets;  and a couple of hidden features.

Canada: Toronto: CIRCUS BOOKS & MUSIC 866 Danforth Avenue at Jones, 416-925-6116 CRIMINAL RECORDS 493 Queen Street West Toronto, ON M5V 2B4, Canada (416) 364-5380 ROTATE THIS 801 Queen Street West Toronto, ON M6J 1G1, Canada (416) 504-8447 HITS ‘N’ MISSES 860 Bloor Street West Toronto, ON M6G 1M2, Canada (416) 535-7817 FRANTIC CITY (formerly BABEL)  123 Ossington Ave, Toronto ON M6J 2Z2 (416)533-9138 SOUNDSCAPES 572 College Street Toronto, ON M6G 1B3, Canada (416) 537-1620 PAGES BOOKS 256 Queen St W, Toronto, ON M5V 1Z8 : 416-598-1447 WILD EAST 360 Danforth Avenue Toronto, ON M4K 1N8, Canada(416) 469-8371 SUNRISE RECORDS across Canada SUSPECT VIDEO, Markham Street, Toronto TUNEOLOGY, Main south of Gerrard, Toronto THIS AIN’T THE ROSEDALE LIBRARY, Kensington Market, Toronto.  Waterloo: Orange Monkey, 5 Princess St. W., 519-886-0939  Ottawa: CROSSTOWN TRAFFIC, 593-C Bank St  Ottawa Ontario  K1S 3T4 Oshawa: STAR RECORDS, 148 Simcoe Street South, Oshawa, ON L1H 4G9 (905) 723-0040 Hamilton, Ontario:  CHEAPIES RECORDS, 67 King St E., Hamilton ON, L8N 1A5, Phone #: 905-523-0296 DR. DISC, 20 Wilson Street, Hamilton, Ontario. CANADA L8R 1C5 Phone #: 905-523-1010 London, Ontario: GROOVES, 353 Clarence Street, London, Ontario, N6A 3M4, 519-640-6714, SPEED CITY, 299 Springbank Drive, 519-858-2680 Victoria, B.C.: Ditch Records, 635 Johnson Street, 250-386-5870 Vancouver, B.C.: ZULU RECORDS, 1972 W 4th Avenue, Vancouver, B.C. (604) 738-3232 SCRATCH RECORDS, 726 Richards Street, Vancouver, B.C. (604) 687-6355 HMV MEGASTORE, 788 Burrard Street, Vancouver, B.C. (604) 669-2289 Nanaimo, B.C.: FASCINATING RHYTHM, 51 Commercial Street, Nanaimo, B.C. (250) 716-9997 Edmonton: Megatunes, 10355 Whyte Ave, 780-434-6342, Freecloud, 10764 101 St., 780-429-1476 Calgary: Melodiya, 2523A 17 Ave SW, 403-246-8916, Sloth Records, 1508 4 St. SW 403-265-6585 Saskatoon: Vinyl Diner, 628 Broadway Ave., 306-525-4040  Winnipeg: Music Trader, 97 Osborne St., 204-475-0077 Regina: X-Ray, 2323 11th Avenue, 306-525-4040 Kingston: Jungle, 123 Princess St 613-547-1544, Montreal: Sonik, 4050 Berri  Fredericton: Backstreet 506-458-8832  St. John: Backstreet 506-693-9425,  Halifax: Divorce 2687 Fuller Terrace

US. COBRASIDE DISTRIBUTION, Glendale,  Calfornia, Phone (818) 548-9001 CARGO RECORDS AMERICA INC., 1525 West Horner Street Chicago, Illinois (888) 508-5265   INTERPUNK at www.interpunk.com,

Spain: BOWERY, C/ Luna, 18, Madrid, Spain. Phone 91-532-8360

Japan: ITA/NAT RECORDS, Tokyo, Japan;  RECORD SHOP ANSWER, Hase BLD NO. 2 NAKA-KU NAGOYA-City Aichi 460-0011 Japan, 052-241-0667

France:  SUGAR & SPICE, Paris, France, sugarandspice.fr