Tomata du Plenty and David Lee Roth

As you would expect in David Lee Roth’s Crazy From the Heat (1997 ed.), there are not many references to punk, though in an amusing conflation he oddly and belatedly hands the year 1978 over to Van Halen, the Sex Pistols and the Bee Gees. All three get a passing nod. There is also a passing reference to Henry Rollins and to LA scenester Tequila Mockingbird. I know that Pleasant has thought that David Lee Roth was an investor in the Zero Zero gallery as you can read here. There are also references to the club in the excellent Peter Ivers bio In Heaven Everything is Fine. In Crazy From the Heat, Roth confirms that he was in fact a partner, and was where he had his initial meeting with Steve Vai “actually after a police raid at the local Zero One Gallery, an after hours spot where I was a partner. We got busted every three months: there is supposedly no after-hours in L.A.” Arguably the better anecdote and one that has only somewhat recently been brought to my attention is that DLR and Tomata du Plenty knew each other and that the Zero Zero was the common denominator.

Radio Free Hollywood #2 June 1977/The Whisky Presents Gene Clark, Van Halen and Kim Fowley's Ten New Wave Bands

Digging in the barn I came across the first two issues of the great Radio Free Hollywood from April 1977 and June 1977. Cover stars the Dogs ripping into "Slash Your Face" no doubt. June 1977 at the Whisky? In 2013, it is a no brainer to see all three multi night shows. Wasn't quite the case back in 1977. Yeah, I am enjoying "Two Sides to Every Story" (in parts) and that picture of Gene could be a portrait of me in front of my barn today in a vintage Swandri. Just listened to the Van Halen boot "Demo Daze" with the world premier of "Running With the Devil" and "House of Pain" live on Rodney on the Roq December 14, 1976. Great covers by Van Halen circa 1974 of James Gang, Bad Company and Sugarloaf with Mark Stone on bass. Sweet! The Rodney/Fowley THREE night TEN New Wave Bands? That dear friends, is the source of GERMICIDE by the Germs with the great Belinda intro. Where were you? Waiting in line to see Star Wars again that month. Hah! Also dig (cut-off) Shock without Kip and before "This Generations on Vacation." Lookin' far more Dubrow than Masque at that point. More RFH here soon . . . /waitakere+clark+001.jpg" /> Finally, the Dogs back in 1971 at Lansing Catholic Central High School, in Lansing, MI caught on super 8 with a dub over of "John Rock":