Discarded 1982 timeline I made for my series

This is just a timeline I made of things that happened in 1982, both punk-related and just general. But unfortunately, after I got it this far, I realized my story would work better in 1984. Still working at that timeline. When I get it done, I'll post it.

In case, anyone is curious, New London Center of Performing Arts, The Krent-Sherman Theater, The Holly or The HVR (short for The Holly/Valens/Richardson Ballroom), Harry's (short for So Hairy), Mary's Your Mother, and Windsor Auditorium are made up venues for New London.

- Popular tv shows - 60 Minutes, Dallas, MASH, Magnum PI, Dynasty, Three's Company, Falcon Crest, Love Boat, Jeffersons, One Day at a Time, Hart to Hart, Hill Street Blues, That's Incredible, Laverne & Shirley, Happy Days, Dukes of Hazzard, Greatest American Hero, 20/20, Benson, Cheers, Taxi, TJ Hooker, Fantasy Island

- Ended in 82 - WKRP n Cincinnati, Incredible Hulk, Mork and Mindy, Barney Miller, Lou Grant, Little House on the Prairie 

- Start in 82 - Square Pegs, Knight Rider, Family Ties, Newhart, St Elsewhere 

JANUARY

• Jan - average for Iowa -0.7F
• 1-1 - Mommy's Little Monster by Social Distortion released.
• 1-2 - 18" of snow
• 1-4 - 6" of snow
• 1-10 - -23F. Wind chill -54F. Anniversary of seeing Sex Pistols in Dallas in '78. Joe and Snotty constantly tell the story. Snotty tells him a note exciting story than Joe. Left early that morning. Got there only a half hour early (just barely in time per Snotty). After the show, got drunk with some locals who were trouble makers("real life cowboys who were drug dealers" per Snotty). Got arrested. Let go ("only if they promised not to return" per Snotty.
• 1-11 - schools closed
• 1-17 - Cold Sunday. Record cold across US. Chicago averaged 12.2F for Jan.
• 1-20 - Ozzy bites head off bat. -16F. Fanny ask Joe to come "so not have to go alone". Joe drags Snotty along. Fanny starts to become attracted to Joe.
• 1-22/23 - 6" snow
• 1-29 - Black Flag/Husker Du in Chicago
• 1-31 - Chips punk rock episode

FEBRUARY

• 2-1 - David Letterman starts
• 2-3 - Police (band) at New London Center of the Performing Arts.
• 2-5 - Bad Brains self-titled released.
• 2-14 to 20 - Damned in New London at Krent-Sherman Theater.
• 2-14 - Valentine's Day. Characters' reactions to it and thoughts on it.
• 2-19 - Ozzy pisses on Alamo
• 2-21 - Johnny Cash at New London Center of Performing Arts.

MARCH

• 3-1 - Misfits, Walk Among Us released.
• 3-4 - Wild in the Streets by Circle Jerks released.
• 3-5 - John Belushi dies
• 3-5, 7, or 8 - R.E.M. in New London at Harry's. With David Zollo and Bob Tyler.
• 3-10 - Astrophysicist John Gribbin says planetary alignment would cause ends of world. Pat Robertson said in 1976 world would end in 1982.
• 3-15 or 18 - Ramones in New London at Krent-Sherman. (In Cleveland 3-16 and Detroit 3-17.)
• 3-17 - movie Atomic Cafe
• 3-18 - Andy Partridge walks off stage from in Paris with nervous breakdown. Rumored to be dead causing tribute shows in US. US tour cancelled after one show on 4-3.
• 3-20 - UK Subs/Anti-Nowhere League at New London's Krent-Sherman Theater.
• 3-24 - The Name of The Band is Taking Heads released.
• = Mar/Apr - Disappointment with I Love Rock and Roll at #1? Hanna happy?

APRIL

• early April, below 40F, and some days below 32F. Reminisce of Hoth. Riding wooly mammoth. Says "Then I'll see you in hell!"
• 4-2 - F1 tornado in Iowa. 17 tornadoes in country.
• 4-3 - largest temp change in MN (78 to 7)
• 4-5 - 8" snow. B-52's playing in Minneapolis.
• early Apr, Joe dreams or writes story of next ice age.
• 4-7 - movie Basketcase opens.
• 4-9 - Misfits/Necros at The Krent-Sherman Theater.
• 4-11 or 15 - Bad Brains live at The Krent-Sherman Theater
• 4-15 - City Baby Attacked By Rats by GBH rehearsed.
• 4-17 - Johnny Cash on Saturday Night Live
• 4-19 - Laurie Anderson, Big Science released. Blows Joe away.
• 4-19 to 20 - Yom HaShoah. Holocaust Memorial Day. Sunset to sunset. Snotty observes this day. Mother is Holocaust survivor.
• 4-20, 25, 27, 29 - R.E.M. at New London's Vaudeville. With David Zollo and Bob Tyler.
• 4-23 to 5-2 = Sweeney Todd at New London Center for the Performing Arts.
• 4-26 - Joe Strummer disappears for three weeks! Have to do something with this!
• 4-28 to 29 - Yom HaAtzma'ut. Israel Independence Day.
• 4-30 - Lester Bangs dies.

MAY

• May - Joe and Snotty fight over Combat Rock.
• May - self-titled album by Anti-Nowhere League released.
• 5-2 – The Weather Channel airs for the first time.
• 5-3 - Modern English, After the Snow released.
• 5-7 to 16 - Camelot w/Richard Harris playing at New London Center for the Performaning Arts.
• 5-8 - Hear Nothing, See Nothing, Say Nothing by Discharge released.
• 5-11 to 23 - The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas at New London Center for the Performing Arts.
• 5-14 - Conan the Barbarian opened.
• 5-15 - Troops of Tomorrow by The Exploited released.
• 5-15 - F1 tornado.
• 5-20 - F0 tornado/F1 tornado.
• 5-23 - The Clash in Omaha
• 5-29 - Marion, IL, tornado.

JUNE

• Jun - When The Punks Go Marching In by Abrasive Wheels released.
• Jun - Joe driving everyone crazy cus Wrath of Khan, Poltergeist, E.T., Bladerunner, and Thing all come out in June with Conan just 2 weeks before and Tron nine days after.
• 6-4 - Wrath of Khan opens. Joe had a Trek fantasy?
• 6-4 - Poltergeist opens.
• 6-9 - Steal Ringgold, IA, hailstorm. .75 to 2 inches.
• 6-11 - E.T. opens. Joe and Zuzu love it and Snotty and Hanna hate it?
• 6-12 – A rally against nuclear weapons draws 750,000 to New York City's Central Park. Jackson Browne, James Taylor, Bruce Springsteen, and Linda Ronstadt attend. Gang would hate the music, but go to keep up their county of shows. An international convocation at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine features prominent peace activists from around the world and afterward participants march on Fifth Avenue to Central Park for the rally. Road trip for gang?
• 6-13 - Beach Boys playing New London Center for the Performing Arts.
• 6-14 and 15 - The Kitchen Tour with hip-hop acts at Iowa City. Hanna and Zuzu go.
• 6-15 - F1 tornado.
• 6-15 - Stand Strong Stand Proud by Vice Squad released.
• 6-21 - End of the world according to a Los Angeles Times as from Benjamin Creme. Pat Robertson predicted 1982 as the end in 1976. The Vaudeville had an End of the World Party with local bands.
• 6-22 - Black Flag/Saccharine Trust at The Krent-Sherman. Henry Rollins offer her two back stage passes. Gives them to Snotty and Hanna.
• 6-22 - Bonnie Raitt at New London Center of the Performing Arts.
• 6-25 - Bladerunner opens. Joe goes nuts over it. Starts dressing like Deckard. Drives everyone crazy?
• 6-25 - The Thing opens.
• 6-27 or 28 - Jimmy Buffett at New London Center for the Performing Arts.

JULY

• 7-3 - Movie Best Little Whorehouse in Texas opens. Hanna tries to sneak out to see it while Joe is going sci fi crazy? Dreams or daydreams gang in the early, wild, rebellious, drug-taking, hard drinking days of country music?
• 7-4 - Not sure what, but want to do something with punk vs patriotism
• 7-5 and 7 - Asia playing in Omaha.
• 7-9 - Tron opens.
• 7-12 - Elton John at New London Center of the Performing Arts.
• 7-13 to 25 - Annie at New London Center of the Performing Arts.
• 7-16 - Billy Idol by Billy Idol released.
• 7-30 or 8-1 - Wall of Voodoo at The Krent-Sherman Theater.
• 7-31 - Genesis at New London Center for the Performing Arts.

AUGUST

• 8-1 or 3 - X at The Krent-Sherman Theater. Visit Andie in Harry's. (In Minneapolis 8-2.)
• 8/2 to 15 - A Chorus Line at New London Center for the Performing Arts.
• 8-3 or 5 - Loretta Lynn at The Holly. (8-4 at Ionia County Fair, MI)
• 8-4 - Van Halen at Windsor Auditorium.
• 8-6 - Elvis Costello at ISU.
• 8-6 - Kool & the Gang at The Holly.
• 8-8 - John Denver at the Holly.
• 8-10 - Grateful Dead at ISU.
• 8-12 - Doobie Brothers at Windsor Auditorium.
• 8-12 - Clash at ISU. Stops by the Vaudeville during the day. Friends with Andi from when played Vaudeville before famous. (In Minneapolis 8-11 and Chicago 8-13.)
• 8-13 - Fast times at Ridgemont high. And Sep, Square Pegs start. Flashback story to the gang's high school days in late 70s as each found punk and what it meant for them? Joe and Snotty introduced by Joe's older brother.
• 8-13, 15, or 18 - Kurtis Blow at New London Center of the Performing Arts.
• 8-14 - Ted Nugent at ISU.
• 8-16 - Queen at New London Center of the Performing Arts.
• 8-24 - Chronic Town by R.E.M. released.
• 8-25 - Olivia Newton-John at ISU.
• 8-26 - Dolly Parton in New London. (In KC on 8-24. In Ilinois 8-28.)
• 8-30 - Band Cameo at Windsor Auditorium.
• 8-30 - Crosby, Stills, and Nash in Omaha.

SEPTEMBER

• Sep - Square Pegs tv show
• 9-1 - Social Distortion at New London's Krent-Sherman Theater.
• 9-3 to 5 - US Festival. The whole gang goes?
• 9-4 - Milo Goes to College by Descendents released.
• 9-5 - Johnny Gosch goes missing. Maybe switch it to New London and their paperboy?
• 9-8 - Rush at the New London Center for the Performing Arts.
• 9-9 - The Gap Band at New London Center of the Performing Arts.
• 9-10 - Black Flag in New London at Hoyt Sherman. (9-7 to 9 in IL and NE.)
• 9-15 - REO Speedwagon at New London Center for the Performing Arts.
• 9-16 - Violent Femmes play at The Vaudeville. (In Minneapolis 9-15.)
• 9-18 to 19 - Rosh Hashanah 5743. Jewish New Year. Snotty treats it like Gregorian New Year! Countdown before sunset and drinking! And blows an animal horn.
• 9-21 - R.E.M./Charlie Burton & The Cutouts at restaurant Drumstick with no stage in Lincoln, NE, but other punk acts played.
• 9-22 - Steve Miller Band at New London Center for the Performing Arts.
• 9-25 to 26 - Erev Yom Kippur. Eve of Yom Kippur. Sunset to sunset. Supposed to ask for forgiveness. If anyone expects forgiveness from Snotty, he usually tells them to fuck off.
• 9-26 to 27 - Yom Kippur. Day of Atonement. Sunset to sunset. Snotty eats a big meal before going to parents because he has to fast at home. Refuses to take Sandra.
• 9-27 - R.E.M./Gang of Four at Krent-Sherman Theater.
• 9-30 - The Who / The Clash / Eddie Money in Detroit. Snotty volunteers to come along, but grumbles whole way about this "dinosaur sellout band and how The Clash is heading there" even though he kinda likes The Who and the show.

OCTOBER

• Oct - Dead Kennedys, Plastic Surgery Disasters released.
• 10-9 - Band Chicago at ISU.
• 10-10 - Creepshow
• 10-15 - Cedar Falls. Who "farewell" tour. Joe and Fanny go. 10-21 - Oh No! It's Devo! released. Joe's extreme disappointment. Pretends to like it?
• 10-25 - Fleetwood Mac in Cedar Falls.

NOVEMBER

• Nov/Dec - Unemployment at 10.8%. one character loses job? One of their parents loses job? Snotty or Zuzu's dad loses job?
• 11-3 (Minneapolis) / 11-6 (Detroit) / 11-7 (East Lansing, MI) / 11-9 (Cleveland) - Devo live. Joe thinking of not going. Dragged to all shows by Devo-tees (Devo lover group in New London)?
• 11-5 - Madness, The Rise & Fall / A Kiss in the Dreamhouse released by Siouxsie and the Banshees
• 11-9 - Numan at Krent-Sherman Theater. (In Chicago 11-8.)
• 11-9 - Clash on Saturday Night Live. Flashback to Fear and earlier punk/alternative acts on Saturday Night Live - Devo, Bowie with Klaus Nomi, Elvis Costello famously changing songs, Specials?
• 11-11 F0 tornado
• 11-17 - Life Day. Joe has VHS of Start Wars Holiday Special.
• 11-18, 19, or 24 - Wall of Voodoo at Krent-Sherman Theater.
• 11-25 - Each character's Thanksgiving at home. Snotty and Sandra go to one or the other's parents? Minneapolis fire? One has Thanksgiving there with relatives? Have similar fire for New London? Hurricane Iwa in Hawaii? Relative or side character vacationing?
• 11-25 to 27 - Jamaica World Music Festival
• 11-27 - Rock Super Bowl in Orlando, FL, with Who, Joan Jett, and B-52's.
• 11-30 (Houston) / 12-1 (Dallas) / 12-2 (Austin) / 12-3 Oklahoma City / 12-5 (Tulsa) - Devo live. Joe thinking of not going. Dragged to all shows by Devo-tees (Devo lover group in New London)?
• Quincy (12-1-82) and Chips (1-31-82) and CPO Sharkey (3-24-78) punk episodes. Maybe a dream? Dream they're in the episode? Death at club? Band called Coroner's Office whose told they have a good band. Punk version of Celebration at the end by Latino punk band.

DECEMBER

• Dec - midwest floods, record highs in the 60s
• 12-8 - Ghandi movie. Tsepo complains about and refuses to see movie about racist Ghandi? Discuss Ghand's racist views in apartheid South Africa?
• 12-10 - Bauhaus in New London at Krent-Sherman Theater. Zuzu misses it for Tsepo?
• 12-10 – The South African Defence Force stages a pre-dawn raid on houses inhabited by African National Congress in Maseru, Lesotho. Kills Tsepo's husband? Hear about raid and husband's death.
• 12-13 or 14 - Sonic Youth/Swans in Krent-Sherman Theater.
• 12-17 - Dark Crystal
• 12-24 - F4 tornado in AK/MO
• 12-25 - 58F. Snotty in shorts and t-shirt. Gang decides to skip Christmas with families and instead hangs out together. Goes terribly wrong? Sorta like Christmas Vacation? Floods and Christmas Eve tornado part of that?
• 12-28 - 10 inches of snow. "You had to ask for some real Christmas snow? Well, a few days late, but you got it! Give me back my spring weather!" / Miami race riot. Power goes out at black friend's place? Watch riot at their place.
• 12-30 - Cramps at The Krent-Sherman Theater.
• 12-31 - Some kind of wrap up at NYE punk show with local bands at club. Most characters there. Bob's ska band, Lipstick Homicide, Hollowmen, Rugged Individualists, and Okay Mom! playing. Fanny kisses Joe at midnight to his surprise? Snotty and Sandra kissing. Maybe making up after a fight? Hanna and Zuzu hidden outside kissing. Show midnight at other character's places. Gary and Mrs C give each other toast at rental shop with Goyangi on Gary's lap. Tsepo asleep while boys celebrating. Devo lying close to Tchulu and she's looking tolerant. Officer Parker letting some kids go.

Labels: 1982, 80s, albums, book, characters, concerts, history, Judaism, main characters, movies, performances, politics, protests, records, series, shows (live music), shows (tv), timeline, tv shows

A public radio piece on punk flyers including some from Kansas City

This is an edited version of an article from WXPN, a public radio station, on punk flyers and people who are preserving them. 

A People’s History of Punk: Meet the local archivists working to preserve the past one flyer at a time

by Yoni Kroll

The show flyer occupies a weird space in DIY culture. At its most basic, it’s information: who’s playing, where the show is, and when things are going to kick off. And while you don’t need anything more than that, many flyers are of course highly decorated. They can be beautifully made – either by hand or on a computer, one is not inherently better than the other – or they can be downright ugly. But the thing is that no matter what they look like, flyers hold a special place in the culture. Not only are they an announcement and invitation but, when the music has long ended, they’re oftentimes the only documentation that will exist proving that the concert ever occurred.

Also, and this is important to point out, these are scraps of paper and almost all of them are going to end up in the trash.

If you polled a hundred punks – or really anyone involved in underground music – from different backgrounds, of different ages, from any corner of the world, you’d find that almost all of them have saved at least a few flyers from old shows. Maybe it was a gig with some big-name bands or bands that were legendary only to the few people who made it out that night. Maybe it’s that time they got to see their favorite. Maybe it’s something from a show that happened decades ago, well before they were even born.

These flyers are stored in shoe boxes, albums, framed behind glass, or just shoved haphazardly in a drawer somewhere, ripped and torn. Beyond the sense of history there’s a personal connection to the music and the scene that spawned it.

Anna Young | photo by Yoni Kroll

Anna Young from the West Philly two-piece band Hermit High Priestess has a collection of flyers going back to when she was a teenager in Kansas City, Missouri. Some of them are of shows she played, some she just attended, some she didn’t go to but thought it was important to hold on to the flyer. Surprisingly, or perhaps not surprisingly, not all of her memories associated with these pieces of paper are that positive.

“It’s strange I wanted to keep this stuff,” she admitted. “But I just couldn’t [throw it away].” The flyers are also the only real artifacts of the band she was in for many of those years, Toxic Shok, save for a handful of photos. Despite only being her personal archive – one she’s brought with her through multiple moves around the country over the past dozen years – it is very much a snapshot of the KCMO scene during the time she was involved....

While (OB, @eastbound2fkd on Instagram) very much has a collection now, he didn’t start off with that goal in mind. “Trying not to sound like an old man, but I started ‘collecting’ partly out of necessity,” he told The Key. “If I was at a show (or a record store) and picked up a flyer for a future gig I wanted to attend, I would keep the flyer in my room to remind me of the date, time, and location of the show.”...

Fast forward to July of 2014 and the realization that he had a “box of flyers in the attic doing nothing” and so, as he put it, “… it seemed like a good idea to post some pictures of them on Thursdays, as part of the #tbt hashtag that was popular at the time.” Though first he had to make sure they were all in chronological order, of course...

“I started collecting flyers when I first started going to punk/hardcore shows in 1995,” (Chris Delaware, @delaware90shc on Instagram) said. “At that time, I loved flyers. The artwork, the information, the band logos. Even shows that I knew I couldn’t attend, I still grabbed and held onto them.” He described himself as a “collector and hoarder of all things” including records, cassettes, VHS tapes of old shows, and other punk ephemera: “[I] really just have a habit of not throwing anything away.”

While he had already been posting video clips of old shows to his personal account, he started the @delaware90shc page in August of 2019 after realizing there was a greater interest in this sort of thing outside of the people he already knew. He also cited @eastbound2fkd as inspiration: “I started searching around and found OB’s page and thought, ‘Hey, this is a cool idea. I have a lot of these flyers too, but also a lot of others from the Newark/Wilmington Delaware scene that I was a part of.’”

Although there is an aspect of nostalgia to the project, Chris Delaware is also focused on the importance of historical documentation. As he explained, “… it’s all about the memories but [it’s] also a great way of documenting and archiving our DIY punk scene for sure. I’ve always loved hearing stories of shows from those older than me that I didn’t attend and also seeing old videos.”

That rings true for Young too but she also stressed the necessity for groups to be able to create their own historical narratives. “In general the history of people is changed and molded to fit whoever is writing it, whether that’s through the lens of white supremacy or through the lens of straightwashing,” she told The Key. “The people’s history is important. This stuff, these flyers, these shows, I don’t think that they’re that important to be honest with you. But it’s nice to be able to tell someone that they happened. And some of this art is amazing and some of it’s terrible but altogether it does make something big.”...

Taking a look at some of the posts, it’s easy to understand why they resonate with so many people. Not only are there bands represented that fans love and have a long history with – either from seeing them live or wanting to see them live – but the members of those groups are just as ever-present in the comments reminiscing about the show on the flyer pictured.

For Chris Delaware that’s one of the most crucial reasons he puts in the work. He brought up a house show in Bear, DE he helped put together as a teenager in 1998 for Dillinger Escape Plan, Boy Sets Fire, All Else Failed, and Burn The Priest (now known as Lamb Of God), bands that today fill huge venues all by themselves. When he posted the flyer and videos from the show he was able to hear from members of the bands two decades later and find out what it was like, as he put it, “from their point of view of playing a garage show for a bunch of kids.”

This speaks to the importance of the audience in music but also to the lack of a divide – at times literally and certainly always metaphorically – between audience and band in the DIY scene. Just focusing on the music alone doesn’t accurately give you the full picture of what happened in the past. Still images are oftentimes only of the bands, cutting out everyone else there and sometimes even identifiable aspects of the venues, and video footage is rare. But flyers and especially projects like these that give them cultural context very much help create a robust history by drawing connections between bands, spaces, promoters, and so on.

For Young, every single flyer she pulled out came with a story about that show or one of the bands or her experiences at the venue. “There’s some good memories in here and some really bad ones,” she said. “They definitely all make me feel complicated.” That’s certainly why she’s held on to this collection despite the fact that a good chunk of those stories are not particularly positive.

Although it might not be a full history of early aughts Kansas City, Missouri punk, it is her personal history and that’s a valid and necessary perspective when trying to get a better understanding of anything, especially when it comes to the arts. This is important whether you’re talking about punk in the Midwest or opera in Italy. Also, none of these scenes exist in a vacuum and so seeing what bands toured, where they toured, and who they played with is certainly significant.

While OB admitted to not curating the content he posts except to make sure that he’s posting shows that happened that day – “I just post any flyer I have that matches the date,” he said – he told The Key that by not only focusing on well-known bands or important shows it does give a greater sense of the scene. “I don’t consider myself a historian or archivist though, that sounds pretty academic,” he said. “I am just a punk rock enthusiast.”

Read the complete article here.

Labels: alternative scene, culture, flyers, history, Kansas City, Midwest, midwest punk scene, punk culture, punk scene, scene, WXPN