Archived
Interviews

    This website exists today only because courageous, intelligent and daring women back in the 1970's
    decided to break the rules of society. They rallied together under the banner of the punk movement.
    Many of them are no longer with us.

    This page is dedicated to their memories.

    Because many people have written to me to suggest other people to interview and wondering how I
    choose the women I interview, I want to explain my criteria for inclusion in this section. They are:

    1) You must be a woman - or have been one at the time.

    2) You must have been active in the L.A. punk scene before 1980. By active, I mean actively participating
    by frequently going to shows, taking photos, writing, being in a band, supporting the scene in some way.
    This section was never intended to be a "celebrities only" section. It's an oral history of the early scene
    from the female perspective.

    3) You must be able to send me your answers via email. I don't talk on the phone.  I have previously sent
    interviews via email to women who would seem to be obvious choices for inclusion but they have either
    not responded or have told me they are working on it and then they forget about it (you know who you
    are). So if you know someone who belongs in this interview series, remind them to finish up their
    interviews and send them in.

    Everyone gets the same eight questions. No space or time limitations. Since I think that women's voices
    have already been over-edited by others, I reserve the right to refuse to edit these women's responses.
    Instead, I intend to publish them in their entirety, raw and unexpurgated.

    LET THE WOMEN SPEAK!
    Interview with: Debbie Schow
    conducted May 2007


    Debbie Schow and I met briefly at Kim Fowley’s cattle call for Venus and the
    Razorblades, his post-Runaways project. Debbie had been involved in the local
    music scene before punk really took off in L.A. and she started photographing the
    bands and scene. Later, when Nickey Beat joined Venus and The Razorblades, he
    introduced me to her formally. I remember her being unusually serene and elegant
    and I wondered what someone like her was doing hanging out with Kim Fowley.

    Debbie was around to photograph the transitions from glitter to punk, then punk to
    post-punk. She is also a musician in her own right. She’s started to go through her
    archives of negatives and I’m certain we’ll be seeing more of her work in the
    future. For now, Debbie has graciously allowed me to share some of her photos of
    Wall of Voodoo, X and others, including a previously unpublished color photo of X
    at Union Station in Downtown L.A.


       

    1. What was/is your contribution to the punk community?

    Photographer. I was fortunate to take sessions, not just snaps, that I rather immodestly say do
    stand the test of time and hopefully are worthy of subjects and era. Occasional provider of a floor
    to sleep on, facilitator – I told Nicky Beat and the Weirdos about each others, a match made in….
    well a good match made. Stuff like that, a designated driver of the over-indulged, art gallery
    (LAICA) promoter, writer.

    2. Which artist, band concert and/or show had the most impact on your life?

    John Cale, 60’s girl groups, Screamers, X, Blondie, Gang of Four, Television, Damned was
    hilarious, Gun Club, Plugz,  loved the Bags, Tindersticks (UK) now, Kim Fowley because I worked
    for him and learned from him, even if it was what not to do. So, so many, too many to mention.

    3. What was the role of women in the early punk scene?

    We were allowed to exist on our own merit; it wasn’t equal, it wasn’t fair, it was a start.

    4. What is the legacy of punk in your life?

    Everyday, inside I’m still a punk, I live by punk morals, be honest to yourself, create, dive in, take
    chances, use your angst – positively.

    5. What are you listening to now?

    Not enough always want to hear more ..World music, especially real Irish music as I lived there for
    almost 20 years post punk, but most mainstream US pop music is still avoided, Have developed a
    taste for music I shunned as punk, be it jazz, classical, experimental, Gregorian chants, Morricone
    soundtracks..

    6. Do you have any funny or interesting stories to share?

    John Cale at the Starwood, was a real "Toto - I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore" moment,
    one of many you’ll have to write me personally about.

    X in rehearsals for their debut album, with Ray Manzarek passing a flask of whiskey as we
    watched and discussed ideas for the album cover. It was punk rock, Los Angeles and, alas I
    never got to shoot the cover but did some great photos of the band.

    Sex Pistols show in San Francisco, the atmosphere turned ugly with a weird anti-L.A. vibe at
    stage front as the Avengers were playing. This John Denver look-alike and a vicious herd of drag
    queens started pulling my hair, kicking and punching me with no rhyme or reason...I tried to fight
    them off with my camera but was outnumbered. It was weird, it was very scary, they were all over
    me, like Hitchcock’s Birds with high heels and potentially calamitous when the JD type started
    choking me. Just as I was about to lose consciousness, out of no-where came this garbled French
    accent “get off-of-‘er you, you fiends”. It was Claude Bessy and pals with Philly near-by who
    fought the swarm off me and brought me to safety.  It would have been a dreadful if iconic way to
    die. But Philly saw what was happening, alerted Claude and he and the punk posse jumped in
    and saved the day, bless ‘ em.

    At the end of the gig, as Sid Vicious was on-stage choosing from various women, another weird
    story, the Denver look-alike apologized and said it was voices in his head...and the others joined
    in the frenzy. I should note that more often than not, I got along with those in drag very well and
    counted several well-frocked cross-dressers among my friends.

    The photo sessions by Melanie Nissan with the Screamers and Jenny-Body from Backstage Pass
    that I was in, it was great fun to be in front of the camera...for a little while.

    Jeffrey Lee standing on tables singing the blues and playing his heart and soul out in the early
    Gun Club days, watching their gigs and batting eyes at Brad Dunning, their first drummer and a
    sometime beau….awww.

    Meeting Phil Spector.

    My cat is named after the Screamers’ Tomata Du Plenty..she is Tomata’ Cleocatera Du Kitten, as
    she had rather a loud scream-yelp when found as a kitten..and has punk-cat attitude that would
    make her namesake proud.

    The cattle call of early punk female talent that my one-time boss Kim Fowley held, some of the
    best future punks showed up, very early days, you were there Alice - remember? You guys were
    great even then.

    While touring the EMP “rock museum” in Seattle with a group of homeless kids I worked with, we
    came across a photos I took of Jane Draino from The Go-Go’s and other pics of mine that I was
    unaware were in the gallery’s collection. I pointed them out to the kids, thinking they would of
    course think I was so hip and cool. One of them exclaimed “oh my God, you’re so old you’re in a
    museum.” So much for my hip and coolness, they then wandered off to find the rap section.
      
    7. Are there any punk women from the early scene that you feel have not been
    adequately recognized?

    Philomena Winstanley, she had a lot to do with the design of Slash magazine and aided a lot of
    bands and publications with design, friendship and advice. Her contributions went under noticed
    as she was so often seen just as Claude’s girlfriend and so much a part of keeping him together.
    When I lived in England she and Claude were both enormously kind to me.

    8. What is something we should know about you that we probably don’t know?

    Currently, slowly, slowly compiling website from the thousands of photos from then of X,
    Screamers, Wall of Voodoo, Weirdos, Television, Blondie, Ramones, Gang of Four, Plugz,
    Kessels, Magazine, Angry Samoans, The Last. Chances are if you are reading this and are of the
    era you are in those negatives.

    I lived in Dublin for almost 20 years with stints in the U.K. and fronted The Screech Owls, with
    several singles, eps, cds, here is a video on YouTube:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yl8shArACKY

    Any old pals and others (if polite) please write and say hello, it would be great to hear from you  
    deborahschow@yahoo.com or on MySpace at http://www.myspace.com/thescreechowls  
Two views of Debbie Schow.
John Cale at The Starwood.
Wall of Voodoo at the grave of
Douglas Fairbanks in Hollywood.
X at Union Station, Downtown L.A.
Jane Draino before she joined the
Go-Go's, modeling clothes she
designed.
X by Debbie Schow.
Exene by Debbie Schow.