The Last Pogo Jumps Again

In January we got some great photos of The Government (Flat Tire, Hemingway Hated Disco Music);  add Bobbe Besold as yet another of the terrific photographers there were in Toronto back in the mid-seventies.   Our total count so far is 612 photos spread over our four hour movie.

We discovered http://chuckmanothercollection.blogspot.com/ and John Chuckman’s awesome collection of postcards.  Unfortunately, not enough dpi to show on the big screen.

How cool was Yonge Street back in the mid-seventies?!  Note that this was even before the “famous” neon record that Sam the Record Man erected in the late seventies.   As with much of what made Toronto cool, virtually none of the stores in this picture still exist.

The Last Pogo Jumps Again co-filmmaker (along with Kire Paputts) Colin Brunton sketched out this rough map as a guide for Montreal artist (and ex-punker from the band American Devices) Rick Trembles in order to create a slicker full-colour map.

We tried (and failed) to get permission to feature a few seconds of the Bunuel/Dali short masterpiece Un Chien Andalou.  Too bad.  Many people will recall Nash the Slash performing for the first time at Gary Topp’s Original 99 Cent Roxy Theatre his musical accompaniment to the film.  Jaws dropped.  Five years later, Pogo filmmaker Colin Brunton would copy the famous eye-slitting scene for his first film, a short called Bollocks that he made with Liz Aikenhead.   Bollocks was in part shot at Club Davids, the infamous gay bar by night, punk bar by later in the night, and featured performances by The Viletones and The Ugly, and appearances by scene notables Wayne Brown and Mr. Shit.    Brunton purchased a sheep’s eye for the scene, just like Lou and Sal did;  a safety pin was used instead of a razor.  Good times.

A fascination with the 1976 – 1980 punk/new-wave scene in Toronto continued as (excellent) photographer Don Pyle’s photo album Trouble in the Camera Club was released in April 2011.

We got our first draft of the map of Toronto circa 1977 from Montreal artist Rick Trembles.   He also drew up maps of Southern Ontario, the U.S., and Canada, pointing out some of the punk hotspots, i.e. CBGB’s and Max’s Kansas City in NYC, The Smiling Buddha in Vancouver and the cities Toronto, Hamilton and London in Southern Ontario.

In April 2011, co-filmmaker Kire Paputts packed up the equipment and took the bus down to Philadelphia (that’s just how we roll, people) to re-interview Toronto scenesters Freddy Pompeii, guitarist for the original line-up of The Viletones, and later lead singer of The Secrets;  and Margarita Passion, who used to own New Rose, the cool clothing and record store hang-out on Queen Street East back in the day.

Rick Trembles continued to awe us with his comic-strip rendition of the day back in 1977 when Joey Shithead and his band The Skulls (who would soon later morph into D.O.A.) borrowed the stage at the infamous Gasworks Tavern (the name “Gasworks Tavern” now copyright Mike Myers if you can believe it) from the power pop trio Goddo.  Needless to say, neither was impressed with the other.

Shock Theatre impresario, artist, filmmaker, LSD and music fan William “The Count” Cork showed filmmakers Brunton and Paputts the crypt at Mt. Pleasant Cemetary that he and Ugly singer Mike Nightmare slept in for a six month period back in 1978 or so.  Bill told us that a Vietnamese colonel told him that because they slept under the surface of the ground at a cemetary, they were able to become invisible.   Brunton and Paputts then think:  “Intervew of the year.”

In May, sad news:  super fan and collector Imants Krumins passed away.   Later in the year, the Forgotten Rebels would dedicate their live CD to him.  Much beloved in Hamilton and Toronto, we managed to snag an interview with him when we started this project in 2006;  Imants supplied us with tons of handbills and info.  He’s credited as “Lead Archivist” in the credits to our film.

In June 2011 one of the last band interviews was conducted when Brunton and Paputts drove down to the Beaches area of Toronto to speak with Michaele Jordana and Doug Pringle of The Poles.  Noteworthy for the anthemic single C.N. Tower, The Poles were always slightly controversial, but not how they’d like:  there were quite a few punkers in Toronto that didn’t feel that, somehow, they were as genuine, say, as The Viletones, Teenage Head, The Ugly, Scenics, Martha and the Muffins, The Secrets, The Mods, etc. were.   So — the question of validity was asked, feelings were hurt, and months later, after not being able to come to terms for a music license for C.N.Tower (ridiculous, by the way!) the whole segment and any mention of the band whatsoever was dropped from the film.

We found a photographer in NYC with the uber-NYC moniker Nicky L who licensed us some Super-8 footage of The Ramones at the New Yorker, September 1976.  With bootleg audio of the same show from Randy Johnston and Gail Wetton (who also gave us the ticket stub above), we pieced together the exact moment they hit the stage and changed Toronto music oh those three decades ago.  We’re currently trying to negotiate a deal for the music and are actually 3/4 of the way there.  But that last quarter is a bitch.  More on that later.  Ugh.

Cardboard Brains copyright Vince Carlucci.

After several somewhat unsettling emails from Cardboard Brains‘ lead singer and co-founder (along with guitarist Vince Carlucci) John Paul Young, we gave up hope of ever getting permission to use an original Brains song in the movie.  Boo!  We’re currently scratching our heads on how to solve that one, but hey — out of the 50 songs we wanted to license for the movie, we’ve only lost about four (and we’re still continuing to fight for three of those) so if our movie were, like,  The Toronto Blue Jays, and the filmmakers were the fourth and fifth batters?  We’d be knocking it out of the park!

Our very first Skype interview and our very last band interview, was with the lovely and talented Sally Cato, live from her apartment in NYC.  Former lead singer of The Concordes, The Androids, and later, post-Toronto, Smashed Gladys, Sally gave us a great intervew, and some Super-8 footage of The Androids to boot.  Hey-o!

Picked up a remastered live track of Drastic Measures from ex-Measures and ex-Dishes Tony Malone;  found some hilarious Super-8 footage of the Forgotten Rebels.  And in a thrilling coup, received permission to use an old SCTV clip of the Agoraphobic Cowboy, Rick Moranis.  Thanks, SCTV!  Thanks Mr. Moranis!

Nash the Slash, copyright Paul Till.

Photographer Paul Till sent us a few more pictures of Nash the Slash, for the ‘before and after’ style we’ve been using throughout the film with people we’ve interviewd.  Of course with Nash, he looks eerily similar in photos from 1977 as he does in the interview we did with him in 2007.  Nash was actually scheduled to play The Last Pogo in 1978, as, like the rest of the bands that evening (Scenics, Secrets, Cardboard Brains, Mods, Ugly, Viletones, Teenage Head) he was one of promoters The Garys’ favourites, but punched a wall in his loft above The Original 99 Cent Roxy Theatre and broke his hand.  

We had our third interview with Dishes and Drastic Measures songster Tony Malone in September, visiting him and his pit-bull Bella in Toronto’s west end.  We needed to clarify a point about The Dishes, arguably the first band in Toronto who felt New-Wavish, and who clearned a lot of decks on Queen West for OCA bands and others.

In October we recalled the death three years earlier of Teenage Head singer Frankie Venom.   Around the same time, we finally finalized the Teenage Head songs (seven versions of six songs;  hey, we don’t fuck around!) and completed the deal with Gordie Lewis.  In December we found some more footage (beautiful 16mm black and white) of The Original 99 Cent Roxy Theatre through Facebook pal Talis Briedis which we hope to incorporate.

And now we’re just waiting for a handful of release forms to come back to Pogo H.Q.  Once done, we start the sound edit and mix, and then scheme up the release pattern and festival plans.  Our near six year task is almost done.  Which is bittersweet.

Cheers

No, this is not a still by Mark Hogancamp from Marwencol.

Pogo filmmakers Paputts and Brunton were tweaking the rough cut, turning it into a fine-cut, and thought it’d be good to get some “B” roll for an interview with Bill Cork.

We used our cellular phone to call Bill, and two hours later were in the Pogomobile on our way to a cemetery to search for the crypt that Bill and Ugly lead singer Mike Nightmare lived in for a few months in the late seventies.  Let us put that into italics for you, and add the “F-word” for emphasis:  they lived in a fucking crypt for a few months.  Punk rock much?!

Bill Cork had a penchant for this sort of thing:  after running the Shock Theatre (sci-fi movies ‘n’ punk bands) in 1977, he adopted the nom de plume The Count and spent many nights sleeping in a coffin in the backyard of Viletones’ guitar-slinger Freddy Pompeii and New Rose clothing store owner Margarita Passion on Power Street at Parliament and Queen, before the neighbours complained.

Taking a short cut through the cemetery on the way to a rehearsal of The Wild Things one night (in 1979;  one year out of our time-line, but close enough for rock ‘n’ roll), Bill and Mike happened upon the crypt and noticed the padlock broken.  They made their way into the anteroom, the interior entrance to the crypt proper, and slept there for a few months, enjoying the flagstone floor, brick walls, safety and comfort.  And the ghost of George D. Morse.

No, no no — not the 9th Configuration, the 4th Terrabyte.

As post-production ramps up at Pogo H.Q., the hard-drive holding 300+ hours of interviews and archival footage started humming a not so happy tune, and so we instantly despatched a beleaguered p.a. to pick up a massive 4 terrabyte external drive for some back-up.  Safety first, beauty last, financial responsibility a distant third.

No, no no — not men wearing hats…

It might take a village to raise a child, but it takes the whole world to raise the red-haired bastard stepchild known as The Last Pogo Jumps Again:  A Biased And Incomplete History Of Toronto, Hamilton and London Ontario Punk Rock And New Wave Music Circa September 24 1976 To December 1 1978.

The teletype machine in the musty garret of Pogo H.Q. fired off a note to Florence Italy to ask NYC No-Wave filmmaker Amos Poe who exactly handles the leasing of stock shots for his seminal B & W & Nasty film Blank Generation, the film that inspired promoter Gary Topp (later to be one half of infamous Toronto promoters The Garys) to start booking punk and new-wave bands at the New Yorker on Yonge Street (whooo-eeeeee!) in Toronto.

Detail of Rick Trembles’ Toronto map circa 1976.

Meanwhile, Montreal’s Rick Trembles (who’s been doing our maps and is putting together a font for us to use for subtitles and tail credits) informed us that two guys who would, a year later, become part of the first lineup of Montreal’s Men Without Hats, had bombed down from McGill University in Montreal one weekend in 1977, armed with a Super-8 camera, to attend the Outrage concert at Toronto’s spooky Masonic Temple.   David Hill did the sound and John Gurrin did the shooting (and we suspect that both of them did the partying).   We got in touch with David, now in New Yawk, and with a slight discount urged on by Amos Poe, had the Super-8 footage of part of the Viletones set transferred to mini-dv;  just waiting for it to arrive.

Speaking of terrabytes, the day The Scenics opened for Talking Heads at the New Yorker (September 16, 1977), and the day before the Outrage concert T. Rex’s Marc Bolan died in a car crash in England.

Ticket courtesy of Molten Core

Eighth-billed actress Mary Nash is the grandmother of Toronto’s Nash the Slash.

This weekend co-director Kire Paputts takes the bus down to the City of Brotherly Love, Philadelphia, to clear up a couple of points with Margarita Passion, hopefully track down her ex and ex-Viletones and Secrets, Freddy Pompeii, and, natch, eat cream cheese and get stupid at sporting events.

Just a couple more questions, m’am.

Pogo H.Q.‘s teletype machine buzzed with news from Philadelphia, P.A.:  Margarita Passion, nee Margaret Barnes, now Margaret Barnes-Delcolli, ex of Toronto and the punk record/clothing store/hangout New Rose, (said store having been immortalized by novelist William Gibson from story of the same name) and ex of  Viletones/The Secrets guitar slinger/lead singer Freddy Pompeii, nee Frederick De Pasquali — sent us a note via the Information Super Highway on the  World Wide Web confirming details of Keith Richards and Mick Jagger of awesome rhythm ‘n’ blues band The Rolling Stones to further ideas contained in the film The Last Pogo Jumps Again:  A Biased And Incomplete History Of Toronto Punk Rock And New Wave Music Circa September 24 1976 To December 1 1978.

Margaret wrote to confirm — confirmed by steel-trap mind (really!) Freddy Pompeii — that yea, when Keith Richards got busted in Toronto for heroin in 1977 and went to court in 1978 — “…Don’t remember who made the t shirts. But yes Mick bought them plus fingerless gloves, sox, other tshirt that was actually a david johansen tshirt that said “Funky butt Chic”. I have photos and cover of the Sun if you want me to scan them and send them to you. Oh I almost forgot… Steven had these ankle belts for sale in New Rose and Mick bought them. I have them on in the centre spread that Shades did with me, Patsy and Ruby T’s.”

Jerry Hall and Mick Jagger, 1978, photo copyright Philippe Morillon

And what Margaret was replying to was a query by the Research Dept. at Pogo H.Q. confirming that as Keith went to trial in 1978, Sir Mick went down to New Rose and bought up all the “Free Keith” t-shirts they had on sale.

We thoroughly enjoyed a read of Keith Richards‘ autobiography Life in between making notes on the (currently) five-and-a-half-hour version of The Last Pogo Jumps Again:  A Biased And Incomplete History Of Toronto Punk Rock And New Wave Music Circa September 24 1976 To December 1 1978.

Whoa!  Canadianish Sally Fields takes on fifteen guys at once.  Choo-choo!

One thing we found interesting was how often Toronto was mentioned in the book.   Yea yea, we know we’re all supposed to be over the Canadian inferiority/Sally Fields you-really-like-me-you-really-really-like-me thing, a feeble image bolstered lately by mention of it in a Wikileaks doc (props!) but still — pretty cool.

Not cool.

Of course the most infamous Toronto story was when Keith was busted for heroin possession and trafficking in February 1977, just as the original Toronto punk scene was starting to get into full swing.   Richards has always been thankful for the arrest because it forced him to get serious treatment, and apart from a couple of trips off the wagon, by the time he went to trial in October 1978 — just when the original Toronto punk scene was starting to morph into something else — Keith was clean.

Margarita Passion, Gambi Bowker, Lucasta Ross and Nora Currie in front of New Rose;  photo by Gail Bryck.

Margarita Passion and Freddy Pompeii’s Toronto punk rock clothing/music/hangout store New Rose made some “Free Keith” t-shirts, and they were all snapped up one day by Mick Jagger.

Another Keith’s album

Hurry!  Only 191 left!

Sigh.  It turns out the Paul Cook we met on Facebook isn’t the Paul Cook who drummed for the Sex Pistols, and to avoid any further rumours,  Toronto Paul Cook photoshopped the above nifty graphic, clearly stating his case.   The Last Pogo Jumps Again Due Diligence Department will now launch a full-scale investigation confirming or denying other supposed Facebook pals such as King Kong, Martin Luther King Jr., and Viletone Freddy Pompeii.

King Kong atop the New Yorker Theatre, 1976.  Photo, mural and sculpture by David Andoff. If you look closely, there are ads for The Ramones concerts just behind the hippie selling trinkets.

And if you look really closely, you’ll spot The New Yorker box office, September 1976.  Photo by Brad Foster.

The men’s can at the Horseshoe Tavern after The Last Pogo, December 1, 1978.  Screen shot from The Last Pogo.

Have we reminded you recently that there are still Last Pogo DVDs available? And they’re only $12 a pop!   Just in time for Black Friday, Christmas, Kwanza, Hannukuh, or whatever other kinda thing you might celebrate in the next month or so. Just click on the “store” button to the left, or if you’re in Toronto, head down to Rotate This, Hits ‘n’ Misses, Soundscapes, This Ain’t the Rosedale Library, Criminal Records, Frantic City, Wild East, Circus Books, or Tuneology.

Courtesy the punkpaper.free.fr

Lucasta Ross plays with Steven Leckie & The Solutions! at the Last Pogo 30th bash December 2008; photo by Edie Steiner

Lucasta and the rest of the B-Girls in 1977;  photo by Rodney Bowes

The Last Pogo Jumps Again co-director Kire Paputts is busying himself prepping his short film, but still has time to track down and interview more of the folks we need for our sprawling documentary.  Last week it was ex-B-Girl Lucasta Ross, the interview taking place in her amazing goth abode.

Meanwhile, down in L.A., filmmaker and Last Pogo Jumps Again contributor Amy Belling spent a few hours with original Viletones manager Tibor Takacs.  Tibor (with partner Stephen Zoller) broke off his arrangement with The Viletones when he decided enough was enough, and split for L.A. to pursue his film career.   He’s worked steadily ever since.

Mickey Skin of The Curse dangerously stands up on an arcade ride; photo by the ever amazing Rodney Bowes.

Kire also managed to sneak in an interview with…drumroll, please…the parents of Mickey Skin from The Curse.   The only thing cooler than that is the fact that Mickey’s mother often went to shows by The Curse back in 1977.  Yo, mama.

Photo of Paul Cook by S. Fitzstephens

We thrilled to find out that Sex Pistol drummer Paul Cook had recently discovered our blog,  and had forwarded one to Viletone Freddy Pompeii.   It was a taste of the collection of newspaper clippings we’ve filed away since starting this project back in June 2006.  And we know it’s the real Paul Cook, because he was on Facebook.   Make friends with him as well as other Facebookers like Albert Einstein and Elvis Presley.   F’real.

Land suitable to build a house on in Florida that you can purchase from us.  Plus you get a free Last Pogo DVD!

Xenia at The Last Pogo 30th Anniversary Bash in 2008;  photo Edie Steiner

The Last Pogo Jumps Again co-director Kire Paputts interviewed ex-B-Girl Xenia last week, and discovered that besides somehow still looking nowhere near her real age, she’s a Yoga instructor, and maybe that’s a clue.  Over the next few weeks we’ll be chatting with original Diode and Johnny & The G-Rays drummer Bent Rasmussen, back in town after some time in Thailand teaching English and diving;  Bollocks co-director Elizabeth Aikenhead and The Awesome Nora Currie;  ex-Battered Wives’ John Gibbs;  and one more stab at ex-Viletone Steve Leckie.

On Hallowe’en, Freddy Pompeii reminded us that Shock Theatre o/o Bill Cork liked to sleep in a coffin behind the New Rose Hotel

On the West Coast, co-director Tristan Orchard chats up legendary D.O.A.’s Joe “Joey Shithead” Keithley (who can confirm once again that drummer extraordinaire Chuck Bisquits is alive, frenzied Internet rumours to the contrary) and new-to-the-party, Amy Belling drops in on Tibor Takacs (to talk about managing The Viletones, semi-creating Club Davids, and making films with Cardboard Brains’ John Paul Young) and she’ll also be interviewing Rodney Bowes down in L.A., to talk about all the great photos he took in Toronto back in the day.

Art by Suicide’s Alan Vega.  Suicide played an awesome gig at Toronto’s Horseshoe Tavern in 1978.  Image from mathieucopeland.net

And then we’re pretty much done with the interviews (although we said that about a year and a half ago.)  Still holding out hope for William Gibson, John Cale, Alan Vega, David Byrne and more — but we’ve definitely got the gist of it.

Chicagoan Dan Clyne’s 1971 comic book;  check out zippythepinhead.com

The trick now is getting our hands on some filthy lucre.  With no interest at all from Telefilm Canada or CBC (gee, that sorta brings you right back to 1977, no?  I mean, it’s not even ironic;  they weren’t interested back then and they’re not interested now) we’re going to have to scheme up something a bit more clever, but we’re not quite sure what just yet.

Best. Magazine. Cover. Ever.

We’re loath to put one of those tacky “Donate!” buttons on our site, and it’s become tired to offer up cutesy “Executive Producer” credits for folks willing to fork over a few thousand bucks (although, cough cough, if you are keen on getting a fancy title on a cool movie, and you do happen to have several grand lying around with nothin’ to do, call us. We like you!)

Shit we need.  Even the bottom layer would go a long way.

The Pogo I.T. Department is doing a quick and subtle revamp of the site where we’ll rebrand ourselves as  The Last Pogo Jumps Again:  A Biased & Incomplete History of Toronto Punk Rock Circa September 24 1976 to December 1 1978, Parts One and Two, (not that we’re going to ignore Hamilton or London, mind you) and as we hone in on just how to complete this monster, we’re pretty sure it’s going to be around five hours long, we shit you not.

Andy Warhol’s Empire was eight hours, five minutes.   Five hours is nothin’! Nothin’ I tells ya!

Of course there’ll be a shorter hour and a half version for the timid, and for those with an insatiable lust for two minute clips — two minute clips on our site and certain to be downloaded and pasted on YouTube, etc., of some of the babies we’ll have to kill (industry term for editing out great little bits that don’t somehow fit into the Grand Scheme of Things.)

Yea, easy for you to say Al,  you’re a fucking genius.

Okay, not quite yet, but here’s hoping.   Original Viletone Freddy Pompeii has been starting to lobby his Facebook pals to nominate The Viletones to Canada’s Walk of Fame.

Haven’t heard of it? Don’t worry, you ain’t missing much.   The Research & Development Division of The Last Pogo Jumps Again haven’t been too deep into any sort of investigation or anything, but something’s kind of rotten in Denmark when apart from usual suspects like Rush and Celine Dion, they’ve also managed to have American born actor Brendan Fraser‘s signature set in concrete for all of us Canadians to be … proud of?   Well, golly, sure thing, why not!?  After all, he played an uncredited role as “Placebo Patient” in fellow Walk of Famers’ Kids in the Hall‘s movie Brain Candy, and literally not taking credit for that, well that’s very Canadian.  He furthered an embarrassing stereotype by playing Dudley Do-Right in the film of the same name, and we’re pretty sure the mind-blowingly offensive Al Jolson‘s got a spot on the Hollywood walk, so that seems to fit.   And he went to the snot-filled halls of the fancy-pants Upper Canada College, so there.   Okay, okay, we’re sure Brendan’s a nice guy, but we think the jury’s a little out to lunch on this one.  I mean,  Talking Heads‘ singer David Byrne lived in Hamilton for a little bit when he was a kid — does he qualify?  And what about The Rolling Stones?  They live in Toronto for weeks at a time whenever they get set to tour.   Steppenwolf‘s lead singer, German-born John Kay fronted Toronto band The Sparrow, what about him?  (Oh, wait, he’s there too.)

So while we can off-hand think of a couple of dozen artists and such that we’d like to nominate (author David McFadden, Gary Topp, the guy who used to yell “Doggie Doggie” at the Ex) nominating such an iconic band as The Viletones would be somewhat fucking hilarious and well-deserved, and you just know the acceptance speech by Steve Leckie, Chris Haight, Motor X and Freddy (and second and third gen ‘tones like Sam Ferrara, Tony Torture, Steve Koch and on and on) would put a hearty eff you in the fun it would be.

The deal is, is that you can only nominate one person per year, and since this ball seems to be rolling along, why doncha take five minutes out of your day, cut and paste this link — http://www.canadaswalkoffame.com/nomination– and let’s see if we can stir things up in 2010.   Gabba gabba hey-o!

Freddy Pompeii, 1978;  Photo courtesy Don Pyle. Watch for Don’s photo book coming soon.

Last weekend, while some of The Last Pogo Jumps Again crew were busy with Danny Fields (see blog below), another contingent were battling a day of rain on a roadtrip to Phillie to interview original Viletones guitarist Freddy Pompeii.

Viletone Chris Haight and his son, LPJA co-director/editor Kire Paputts, guided by the voice of Family Guy’s Stuey on the GPS, made their way to darkest, deepest Philadelphia to spend a couple of days with Freddy and ex-wife (and good pal) Margarita Passion.    Upbeat and candid, Freddy spoke about the origins of The Viletones, how fucking cool it was back in the late-seventies, and his own history of punk, from his days as a Toronto folkie to the The Viletones to The Secrets and finally to the heroin bust in Ottawa that sent him back to the States.  Now retired (punks retire?!) as a painter, Freddy battles his demons with a methadone program but the various trials and tribulations of his life as a rock star haven’t dampened his spirits, and with the Gift of Gab he’s always had, we got some great stuff from the esteemed Mr. Frederick De Pasquale.  And along with the stories, a tape of a never-much-before-seen TV appearance by The Secrets.  Boners!

Chris Haight, Margarita Passion and Freddy Pompeii;  photo Kire Paputts.

Along with his awesome musical accomplishments and stories (including learning how to play the electric guitar while a “…guest of the Provincial Government for a few months…”) Freddy and then wife Margarita Passion owned and operated the original Toronto punk clothes and music store New Rose.   Yesterday we went down to the site of New Rose, hooking up with long-lost prodigal son Michael Dent and Dave “Tank” Roberts, the most beloved of all bouncers, and close pal of Punk God Joey Ramone.  Just out of therapy for the new knees he got earlier this year, off the butts for two years now, and losing weight, Tank was the picture of health.  We were hoping for a tour of what once was New Rose.

Mike Dent across from the site of New Rose.

A TD Bank now takes up the space.  After greeting the Muslim manager with the standard Muslim greeting (“Assalamu alaikum, ,sister”), we told her that this was an historical musical site, and asked for permission to shoot Dave and Michael giving us a tour of what was where back when.  As expected, a call to headquarters was needed, and knowing we wouldn’t get word within an hour,  if at all, we went outside and around the corner to another historical musical site:  the house that Freddy and Margarita lived in in the late seventies. (Update:  we got a call today from the branch manager who gave us the thumbs up to come back and shoot inside.  Amazing!)

Dave “Tank” Roberts with new knees and pink lungs;  photo courtesy Mike Dent

“Hey, there’s gonna be a brass plaque here one day,” Brunton said to the two guys that walked out of the house after we’d set up the camera.  “This is where Freddy Pompeii and Margarita Passion lived!”   They were impressed.  Not.   “Yeah,” one of them said, “I’ve heard of The Viletones.  I’ll…I’ll google…the other people,” and they were gone.

“Y’know, they’re really should be a plaque here,” said Dave.  And Gary Topp should have an Order of Canada, and The Garys should be on the Canadian Walk of Fame (or whatever it’s called.  Brendan Fraser is there.  I repeat:  Brendan Fraser is on the Canada’s Walk of Fame.  Really!?)  There should be lifetime achievement awards to Teenage Head, a statue of Steven Leckie when he croaks, and tons more but whaddya do.

Dave and Michael told stories about hanging out there with Freddy and Margarita and dozens of others, drinking beer, playing records –  and how ex-Wild Things keyboardist Bill “The Count” Cork used to sleep in a coffin in the backyard, until the local health board told him it wasn’t, y’know, so healthy.

Kire Paputts with his weapon of choice;  photo courtesy Mike Dent.

After tales of the Freddy & Margarita estate, we set up across the street on the steps of a church to interview Michael Dent, sporting a T-shirt with his image and the word “Asshole” underneath.  But the Parliament and Queen area, having not completely succumbed to developers, gentrification, and a Starbucks and/or fitness centre on every corner, etc., is still refreshingly run down, and so are some of the locals.   We were distracted by a homeless couple who were intrigued by our fancy-ass camera and total tight-shitness.   And they were chatty!  The woman (who we’ll call Mary) explained that her boyfriend (who we’ll call Earl) was too shy to be on camera (Uh, wait a minute?  Are we going to be filming you guys?).  But Mary wasn’t shy.

“I was a straight-A student, I was a model, I was in theatre in school…I wanna get on the plane to Hollywood…”

Frankly, it wasn’t like our agenda for the day was exactly jam-fucking-packed, so why not let them play too?   We told them we’d give them a twenty each if they signed a release form, and that was it.  While Earl played with his kite, Mary tore into a wicked stream-of-consciousness thing, maybe a play, and then started singing The Good Ship Lollipop and other hits and plays and thoughts.  She’d pause only to ask us if we could send her to Hollywood.  And to complain that Earl wouldn’t marry her.

“He’s scared of relationships,” she explained.

She asked us again if we could please just send the plane to Hollywood and why she and Earl were so disappointed at Ontario Place the night before.

“My fucking sister lives in a mansion in Nova Scotia and she couldn’t give us thirteen bucks to go to the show!  She lives in a mansion!”

She shifted into another jittery stream-of-consciousness blur on her old life (straight “A” student;  loved drama in high-school) her new life (mental illness; father in rest home), and what happened in-between (too many jobs; a nervous breakdown; getting meds)   Not wanting to be rude, but y’know, wanting to actually shoot something we could use in our movie, we gently tried to shoo them off.  We gave a five to a guy who was starting to hang out with us, and let another guy take one of our bottled waters.  They finally headed off down the street to a shelter for a meal.  But Mary wasn’t quite done;  she tried one more time.

She asked us again:  “Can you send me the plane to Hollywood?  Can you please send me the plane to Hollywood?”

View from a plane of the Hollywood sign.

It was heartbreaking and funny and what are you supposed to do? so we pulled out our cell phone, and speed-dialed Our People. 

“Can you send the plane to Hollywood for us? (pause)  Oh. (pause)  Okay, what about a helicopter, then? (pause)  I see.” Mary watched eagerly;  Earl walked his bike and dragged his kite. “Too much cloud cover, eh?” we said to the dial tone.  We broke the news to her.  “Sorry, Mary, but they can’t send the plane to Hollywood today.  Maybe some other time, eh?”

Mary didn’t seem bummed out.  She’d probably already maxed out on let-downs, and she thanked us again for the cash.

“Please show the movie to my Dad.  He’s at that rest home at Main and Danforth.”

Earl finally perked up.  “Hey, wanna see where I lived last winter?!” he asked brightly.  He pulled out a cell phone (yes, homeless people can have cell phones too, don’t freak out) and showed us a picture of a small wooden shelter, about four by six feet, covered in snow.

“It was all really good two-by-fours, it was warm.  I had a TV in it, and a surround sound stereo system, and a punk record on the wall, the one that was shaped like a heart?”

(Yes, homeless people can have surround-sound stereos too… wait a minute, wtf?!)   We finally told them we really had to get to work, and they went to the shelter for a meal.

The Last Pogo Jumps Again crew travel back in time to when Hollywood was cool.  There was no sighting of the Plane from Hollywood.

After waving goodbye to our new pals, we finally settled in to interview Michael Dent.  After fronting the punk-pioneering (i.e. they started when it all started) The Dents, the lure of cheap and good heroin drew Mike out to the Left Coast, Vancouver in particular, and downtown to be precise.   Three bad moves.    Just like Freddy, Mike eventually tired of the whole thing, enrolled himself in a methadone program, and moved across the Georgia Strait to the city of “the newly wed, and the nearly dead,” Victoria, B.C. Not quite as cool as The Kinks song of the same name, Michael earlier this year fully came to his senses, realized he was actually living in Victoria and packed up his stuff and moved back to Toronto.  He’s been clean for ten years.

Along with spoken word performances, photography, and a near obsession with Facebook, Michael’s gotten back into what he was doing back then: being a stage techy, and he recently re-hooked up with old pal Gary Topp and helped out at the Jonathon Richman show last week. 

“Really, if it weren’t for The Garys, I wouldn’t be here today probably,” he said, and Dave Roberts agreed.  “The Garys were the best. Every year on my birthday, Gary Topp phones up and sings Happy Birthday to me.  Or else plays it on his ukelele or whatever.”

In the first days of the “scene” in Toronto, apart from being a regular at Gary Topp’s Original 99 Cent Roxy and New Yorker Theatre and The Horseshoe, he made a living being a stage-tech, and started his band The Sneakers with some buds from high-school.   Booked to open for The Diodes at their Crash ‘n’ Burn club, he was surprised to see that another band called The Dents were actually opening.

“Who the fuck are The Dents?!  I thought we were opening?!” Mike asked Diodes frontman Paul Robinson.

“Well, we didn’t like the name.  So you guys are The Dents now.”

And so it was.   Michael gave a lot of credit to Stephen Davies.

“He taught me how to write a rock ‘n’ roll song.”

Mike did stage duties for friend Nash the Slash, toured the States, went to a bazillion shows, and generally had the time of his life.   The Dents played all the clubs in Toronto:  The Horseshoe, the Crash ‘n’ Burn, David’s, The Turning Point.  The best gig ever?  Playing CBGB’s in NYC, thanks to friend Lydia Lunch.  And like so many kids in Toronto who went on to form their own bands, was at all three of the first Ramones gigs at the New Yorker Theatre, September 24 and 25, 1976.

“I was at Records on Wheels, and by the time I’d heard half of Blitzkrieg Bop, I’d bought the album and tickets to all three shows.”

Buy this book.