All The Young Punks Pt. 13

This chapter is rated PG

--- June 1979 ---

Joe and Angie met at the garage on a weekday during exam week. Joe had taken two tests that morning and was dismissed early. He picked a time he knew Sal would be working at the liquor store. He hoped Pops would also be out. He was nervous, self-conscious, not entirely sure he wanted to do this. Angie was very persuasive and Joe was a sucker for her charms.

Seth handled the camera. Joe sat on the porn sofa, Angie in an easy chair. She pitched him a few softball questions about the origins of the band, and then asked about the circuit of clubs he was building in Southern New England, and his plans for the future. That's when he realized he had nothing to be nervous about. She was a friend, not a journalist, and he was telling a story she had heard before and he had told many times. They talked on camera for less than twenty minutes and went by fast.

"You're young," Angie said. "and punk bands typically don't endure. Even if you achieve your goals with The Young Punks, this likely won't last forever. What would you do post-punks?"

"Start another band? I don't know. I have only one goal, to earn a living making music. I don't have to be rich and famous to be happy. I just want a comfortable life in the music business, doing what I love."

"Do you want to be famous?"

"I want to be happy."

As they wrapped up, Joe went to the fridge for a beer. Angie had one more favor to ask. She followed him over, and as always, she turned on the charm.

"Can I have one of those?"

"Sure." Joe looked over at Seth. "You want a beer?"

"Nah, I'm good. Thanks."

Joe popped the top off a bottle and handed it to Angie who was now standing very close. She leaned against him.

"Thanks," She took a sip and smiled. "Would you mind if we set up and filmed your graduation show?"

"That's five days after your deadline."

"I know. Seth and I would like to shoot some of that, just for fun and also for the experience. How many concerts do we get to shoot?"

"It's a party."

"It's a show. We'd like to get some of that on film."

"That's fine. It's no extra work for me, right?"

"Not at all. We'll have a few friends along to help."

"Okay, deal."

"What are you doing the rest of the day," Angie asked.

Joe exhaled. "I have to go back to school to serve one final hour of detention."

Angie laughed, a little too loud for Joe. She covered her mouth. "I'm so sorry. That's just funny to me, detention. What did you do?"

"Well, it's a story. Do you know Rock & Roll High School by the Ramones?"

"Of course I do."

Joe gestured to the kitchen table. "Have a seat and tell you a tale of tomfoolery."

---- 500 RED SOLO CUPS ----

Sal, Pops, and dependable Denny had most of the party logistics under control. The food and beverages would be the usual pizza and beer, as well as soda pop and dishes Tony fixed in the garage kitchen. Pops cooked for two days leading up to the party. Joe was in charge of setting up the stage with Denny, inducing a PA system they had recently purchased. Previously, the band was as low-tech as you could be in the garage. They didn't mic their amps or the drums. For this outdoor show, they'd mic everything. Denny was very useful in this work.

Denny had a protege, a kid from the hood who was dependable and somewhat handy. Petri was a skinny kid, barely 130 pounds, quiet, and a bit awkward. Everyone liked Petri because there was no reason to dislike him. He would help Denny with beer and pizza distribution.

Tony had connections in the City of Providence. A friend in the maintenance department dropped off sixteen orange drums that would be used to cordon off his property from the larger industrial complex. They were also useful as trash barrels. Tony's pals in City Hall helped him pull a permit for the party and he made sure his cop connections knew he was behind the event. The good news was, there were very few neighbors to complain. The nearest residence was nearly a quarter mile away.

After a long and boring Friday evening Central High School graduation ceremony and a noisy late dinner for nine at Andino's Family Restaurant on The Hill, Joe had Dad drop him off at the garage so he could help Denny prepare for the show and do a sound check.

The band would set up on the loading dock overlooking the mill complex. Beyond Pops' property was a much larger lot for the hulking four-story brick factory with hundreds of windows and thousands of panes of glass, many broken. Parking would not be a problem.

Nate's drum kit was set up just inside the double-wide garage door, in line with the amplifiers. The garage itself would serve as backstage. Tony was busy in the kitchen preparing trays of food. He enlisted Johnny as his assistant. Sal, Nate, and Petri set up two tents and tables outside for pizza, beer kegs, and cup sales. The band would charge one dollar for a bottomless red solo cup, all the beer you can drink. Those dollars were more for taking a head count. The party was otherwise free of charge.

Joe had spread the word through his contacts within all the school factions that everyone in the class of '79 was invited to his graduation bash. He invited friends in Boston and Worcester, including the house band at Barney's, Atomic Ray Gun. He asked Sticks if his trio would like to play an opening set. ARG agreed. It would be their first gig outside of their punk Irish Pub.

June 9, 1979, was Joe's first full day of freedom and he was going to do it right. They had a plan. Everything was covered. Pops had volunteer hoodrats. The garage was buzzing with activity all morning. The party officially started at noon. Atomic Ray Gun arrived at 10:50 with three carloads of Massholes behind them. The locals started flowing in immediately after them.

From afar, Joe saw Monica walking in with her new boyfriend. Sticks pulled Joe aside. "Sorry about the dude with Mon. We were hoping he wouldn't come."

"No. Don't worry about it. That's one chick I don't have to deal with."

"Is Kelly coming?" asked Sal.

"Yes, and she'll have some of her BU girls with her."

"How is that going to work with Claire?"

"It'll be fine. She knows about Kelly."

Atomic Ray Gun began setting up as the first wave of guests began rolling into the parking lot. Denny's crew started selling the numbered red solo cups for a buck. Claire showed up just before the music started.

"I'm really busy right now," Joe said. "sorry."

"Can I help?"

"Yeah, you can write numbers on these cups with this." He handed her a Sharpie. "He has two hundred out there, so you start at 201. I'm handing this job off to you. Give the cups to Denny at the beer tent and tell him there's more ice on the way."

Claire looked out towards the lot. "There's already a good crowd. How many are you expecting?"

"At least a few hundred, but we're prepared for more."

Joe had done enough shows to judge crowd size. His graduating class was just over five hundred. He figured half might show up, plus underclassmen, hoodrats, and college kids. He was expecting over three hundred. As the first band was ready to take the stage, Joe estimated they were over two hundred.

Angie, Seth, and two other RISD film students arrived to set up their cameras. As she hugged Joe on the loading dock, he noticed Claire was watching.

"How much are you going to film?" Joe asked.

"I don't know," Angie said. "We'll get the opening of each set and a few songs. Take a break and shoot again when you're doing your bits."

"Would you like my setlist?"

Angie smiled. "That would be awesome. I need to get You're So Vain. It's the best."

Seth walked up with a bag of gear and a camera on his shoulder. "We have a camera to shoot from out there and a mobile Jonathan will move around with. Where can I set up my tripod?"

"There are heavy pallets by the portable Johns." Joe pointed. "They stack nicely. We can move them wherever you want. They'll allow you to shoot over the crowd."

"Perfect." Seth went to work, waving his friends along.

"Let me get you the set list," Joe said to Angie. She followed him indoors.

"This is an ambitious undertaking," she said, looking out at the gathering crowd and then inside at the backstage party. "You're producing a concert, Joe?"

"It's just a party."

"A damn big party or a small concert."

After Angie went off to help her cameramen, Joe sat for a few minutes, taking a break, observing the scene they had created. Pops had pulled two of Joe's classmates into the kitchen and put them to work. ARG was about to do a sound check. The film crew was setting up. Everything was going too smoothly. He expected something would go wrong because ambitious undertakings always have glitches.

He went to the kitchen where Pops handed Joe a plate with meatballs, sausage, and peppers. "Eat something," he said. "Once this show gets going you won't have time."

"Thanks, Pops," He took a place at the kitchen table.

"Hi Joe," two cheerleaders waved on their way to the bathroom. There was a steady stream of young women walking in and out.

After his quick bite, Joe walked out to the loading dock and stepped up to the mic. He had announcements to make. Dozens of partiers were walking over from the parking lot. More cars were pulling in behind them. The party had created a mini traffic jam in the west end of the city.

It was showtime. Joe's peers cheered as he stood behind the mic overlooking the crowd. The line for beer cups was long. A whiff of weed drifted by. Joe waited, taking in the moment.

"All right, boys and girls! Central High class of nineteen seventy-nine!" He paused as the kids cheered. "Welcome to your graduation bash!" He stepped back and let them whistle, hoot, and holler.

"I have some announcements before the music starts. We have three simple rules. Pay attention!"

He waited for the murmur to die down, all eyes were on him. It took a long moment.

"Rule one: Bathrooms. Ladies can use the indoor bathrooms or portables if they dare." He pointed to the back right corner of the lot where two port-a-johns stood. "Dicks can use only the porta-johns."

He looked beyond the crowd at the scene in the parking lot, cars unloading, more pulling in, and groups walking toward the party.

Rule number two: Boundaries. Those orange barrels mark our property line. Keep the party inside. No beer is allowed in the parking area. That Providence police cruiser out back will be here all day to keep and eye on you animals.

Rule three: Beer cups. They cost one dollar. That cup is your ticket to beer, pizza, and soda under the tents... all day, or until we run out, which won't happen. Each cup is numbered. Don't lose them. If you do, you'll have to buy a new cup."

He paused again, a dozen cars were in line, stopped, trying to park. Joe noted a significant number of underclassmen and began mentally adjusting his crowd estimate.

Sal shouted at Joe from backstage.

"Oh, yeah." Joe nodded. "There's a fourth rule. The open-top barrels are for trash. If we see you throwing trash on the ground, we'll put you in a barrel head first." He looked back at Sticks waiting in the wings. Sticks nodded.

He turned to his class with fists held high. "Are you ready to rock?" The early birds roared.

Joe motioned for A.R.G. to come out. "Let's get our brother band up here."

As they took the loading dock stage and plugged in, Joe waited. "I'd like you to welcome our friends who will get this party started."

He nodded at the trio behind him. They nodded back. Joe pulled a toy gun from the back of his waistband and held it high. It was formed from sheet metal, light blue with yellow flames.

"Do you kids remember this toy?" He pulled the trigger making a whirring sound in the mic and sparks. "I got this for Christmas when I was five years old."

The boys who had the ray gun as a kid sounded off.

"From Worcester, Massachusetts, give it up for our good friends... Atomic Ray Gun!"

The crowd cheered. Joe shot sparks at the band as he walked off. Sticks beat the time for his band to rip into their first number, the Ramones' Blitzkrieg Bop. The crowd chanted with them, "Hey ho, let's go! Hey ho, let's go!", and the show was on.

"Perti says he's up to 244 on cups," Claire informed Joe as he walked backstage. "And there's a long beer line. I have to make more cups."

"Should we run two kegs?" asked Sal.

"Do we want them chugging and puking by three o'clock?" Joe replied. "The line will slow the drinking down."

"Do you want to frustrate your guests?" asked Pops. "Tap the second keg and I'll pick up another at the store."

"Okay," Joe said. "You're in charge." He swiped his hands together. "I wash my hands of food and beverage-related duties."

The Ray Guns were a power trio, loud, and high energy that got the crowd primed. The smell of grass floated through the crowd as many sparked up. The backstage party in the lounge and kitchen included the constant traffic of young ladies using the bathroom.

Nate called Joe. "Hey, if you see an underage girl hitting on me, tip me off, okay buddy?"

"I've got your back."

Sal raised his hand. "Me too."

Joe then slipped outdoors to mingle and greet his former classmates, many he barely knew. He was surprised by the number of disco queens who showed up, along with their unbuttoned silky-shirt boyfriends.

"Hey, Kimmy," he called a disco girl from his homeroom class since middle school. "This is real music."

"Can I dance to this?"

"You can dance to anything."

He hung out with his stoner friends for two songs. They were a source of the wafting hashish. The jocks claimed the turf close to the beer tent. Basketball and football players gave him high fives and back pats as he passed through. He asked that they maintain order in the beer line. It was hard for Joe to get far without being stopped by someone who wanted to talk, to give a thank you.

Way in the back, sitting on upside-down orange drums, were his three sisters. A few feet behind them, just outside the perimeter, was their chaperone, Dad. Jackie was visibly unhappy that she was being constrained to the rear periphery. Joe hugged each sister and stood with them for a song, listening to the PA system from 160 feet away.

"This is something else," Dad said. "Where did you get all these people?"

Joe shrugged, "We have a lot of friends. Once we put the word out... it spread fast. The clubs we play here are small. This will be our biggest home crowd."

Sandy was also in the back with her hippy clique avoiding the elbow-to-elbow crowd up front. She embraced Joe. "This is impressive. I can't believe it."

"I can," Joe said. "I'm just waiting for something to go wrong."

"I hope it doesn't. Break a leg."

"That might mess up the day."

On the way back, he stopped to see Seth who was standing on a platform of wood filming ARG. Joe looked up. Seth gave him a thumbs up, Joe nodded and walked toward the nerd crew.

Betty hugged him. "I'm so glad I'm gonna finally see your band." She winced. "Does this mean I kept my promise?"

Joe rolled his eyes, "Technically, yes. I'll give it to you. You could've come out long ago. The only thing stopping you was you."

"I know."

He hung with the nerds for one song. His social rounds were complete, Joe headed toward the beer and pizza tents to check in with his hoodrat helpers. Denny was busy. "We're at 308. Some still haven't gotten cups. Not everyone is drinking beer. The soda is gonna run out, and we need more ice."

"How are we on pizza?"

"We're good. The second batch of twenty is here and Pops ordered the third round. He's bringing back another keg."

"Good. Hey, I need a cup."

"I need a dollar," Denny said. "You made it clear, no free cups."

"You fucker. I have no cash on me."

CHS star basketball player, Miles Carter, reached over Joe's shoulder and handed Denny a buck. "I got ya, Joe. Thanks for the party, man."

"Thanks MC. Have you seen Monique and Nicole?"

"Not yet, but they said they'd be here."

When Pops arrived with fresh pizzas. Joe and Petri helped carry them to the tent and then rejoined the backstage party. Standing on the dock, stage right, He looked out over the crowd. Kelly and her BU crew were walking in from the parking lot. When he stepped inside, he had to stop to let Sandy pass.

"Let me show you around."

"Can I pee first?"

The backstage party was an ever-changing scene as people moved in and out of the factory garage. Joe was on his best behavior, only two beers before his set. When Sandy emerged, Joe gave her the sixty-second tour. Claire watched them from a distance.

Atomic Ray Gun wrapped to rowdy applause. Joe stepped up to the mic and led the cheer for an encore. The band obliged. Their final song was the Clash's 'White Riot', a short tune they extended with an instrumental jam.

The two bands worked together to swap gear and get The Young Punks stage-ready. They didn't rush. Joe noticed Dad walking toward the porta-johns. He grabbed the mic.

"Jackie, Jules, Jeanie!" he waved over the crowd to his sisters and motioned for them to come up front. The girls made a jailbreak along the side perimeter. Joe looked over to the nerd crew.

"Hey, Bryan Murphy, Betty!" They looked up. "Keep an eye on my sisters."

Dad threw his hands up in frustration when he realized they had run off.

"Dad!" Joe pointed toward the girls.

Joe stepped inside to find the red solo cup he left lying around, cup 366. He found it. Claire pulled him aside. "Who's the brunette you kissed?"

"That's Kelly, and she kissed me."

"I think you kissed her back."

Joe smiled, "Maybe I did. Wish me luck." Then he went to work.

As Sal, Nate, and Johnny took the stage, Joe took a moment to quickly repeat his pre-show announcements. Then he strapped on his Butterscotch Tele.

"Are you guys ready? Is there anyone here from next year's class of 1980?"

A modest cheer went up, dozens of kids.

"You will be the last class who will drink legally in high school. The state of Rhode Island is raising the drinking age to nineteen next year, right after you graduate."

The crowd booed.

"I know, but it's much worse than you think. You'll turn eighteen, drink legally for a short time, and then you'll be underage when they bump the age up on July 1st."

Joe watched faces process that information, then boo again, even louder.

"The age will go up again the year after that. You're gonna get screwed three straight summers until you're twenty-one."

They booed again.

"Fuck the politicians!" Someone up front shouted.

As Joe turned his volume up, he looked over at Dad standing with the nerds and sisters.

"Okay, let's do this. We'd like to thank everyone for coming out. Congrats to my classmates, we're finally free."

Joe looked back at his mates.

"We're gathered here today, because - schools! - out! - forever!"

Johnny played the opening to Alice Cooper's 'School's Out'. A song they learned especially for the occasion. How else would you open a high school graduation gig?

Joe had launched over a hundred and fifty shows over fourteen months, each giving him a rush as his band and the crowd came to life, but he got goosebumps for 'School's Out' unlike any other. His classmates joined the chorus.

"School's out for the summer

School's out forever.

School's been blown to pieces."

From their first gig, The Punks began every show with three or four hard songs to get the crowd wound up. They transitioned straight into 'My Generation' by The Who and then Bowie's 'Rebel Rebel'.

Jonathan was upfront in the crush, filming with his assistant helping him move through the crowd. Joe tried to ignore the camera, casting only a few glances toward the lens.

Over time, you learn to know your audience. Joe's classmates were not a punk crowd, so they opened with rock covers. He sang parts of Rebel Rebel without playing guitar. He did motions with his hands, like a model primping and posing. It just happened one night at UConn and the kids loved it, so it became a bit. Joe's sisters laughed at him acting all prissy. When they landed on the last Bowie chord, the party's roar was impressive.