The girls uninhibited, sexual psychosis, created the perfect segue for ‘Crack’ to come scorching onto the scene with our first set, plowing through the originals of Dilby and Acer’s ‘Crack’ crew, and we added some new covers to the mix, such as GBH’s, ‘Sick Boy’, and Social Distortion’s, ‘1945’.  

Of course, Gem heightened the unrestrained lunacy by having us do the Limelight and Dobbs version of ‘I Wanna’ Be Your Dog’ which had me losing my shirt (again) and Gem riding around on my back, with me on all fours singing (again) and a shitload of girls getting onto the stage, with Sammi and Lena doing the honors of kissing me all over this time until Syd, who I guess didn’t have enough fun at my expense by just about stripping me naked in their store the other evening, decided to French my tonsils out tonight.

My Gem was no help here either, laughing and howling demonically while Syd shimmied her way under me, running her tongue across my chest until slipping even further down to the netherworld before I sat on top of her, delaying her progress towards leaving me in a ….gulp…over-stimulated situation, and in the process, sent a hysterical Gem toppling from my back.  Ever the trooper, my girl continued playing through a tangled mess of amp and mic cords, drawing some well-deserved applause when we finished.

During the break of our first set, after I unloaded nearly a full bucket of ice water on me to quell the um….heat produced by a certain Sydney, Gem and I jumped up on stage, with her deciding to wow the audience with some old time rock by running her ‘Robin’s Egg’ Gretsch ferociously through Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Voodoo Child’; leaving the crowd jaw dropped at her guitar mastery and Acer and Dil beaming at their rising star’s proficiency.

And if that weren’t enough to make the evening an interesting one, we seemed to have lost Tim and Skate somewhere.  Dust, Oren and Steph decided to put together a search party but never got their chance to mount their rescue, when out of the night appeared two guys in ball caps, Schmidt’s coverall’s and close to seven or eight cases of bottled beer.

“Compliments of the Schmidt’s Brewery!” one of the employees exclaimed laughingly before the cap was snatched from his head by Dusty, who could only throw up his hands in utter disbelief when he realized the caper that had just been pulled. “Jesus Bleedin’ Christ….you two cat burglars just pulled off a beer heist!” he exploded in laughter as Tim and Skate beamed from ear to ear when the jig was up.

“Hell, there are so many people working in there, we just walked in like new hires, went to the locker room, grabbed these get up’s, headed straight to the loading dock  and tossed all of it onto this hand dolly.  Then it was off into the dark streets of the Libs for us!” Skate beamed with pride.  All in all it was just another day in the life for our human versions of Heckle and Jeckle.

An excerpt from Richard Cucarese’s upcoming fictional novel, ‘PUNKS’...Chapter 34, ‘The Message’....

Social Distortion interview and ‘1945′ live from CBGB’s!!  It was a great concert!!

Schmidt’s Brewery in Northern Liberties, Philadelphia!!!! R.I.P.....

. Climbing the steep paths leading us towards the Student Union building, the sun begins its usual game of hide-n-seek amongst the towering blanket of leaves overhead.  Fall came a little early this October and the palate of reds, yellows, and burnt orange swirl with the breeze like broken, colored glass in a kaleidoscope.

Through the trails, the wind howls, Sammi nuzzles onto my shoulder, buttoning up her petite jacket against the cold.  “So where is my lovely, Bohemian girl today?  Is she going to be at the Student Union, in class, or parts unknown?”

“Your guess is as good as mine.  You know Gemma, she’s more unpredictable than October weather, I guess.  Let’s go check the Union first, I have to get a dark tea and some smokes anyway.  Would you like a coffee, Samms?  It’s my treat, I got paid this week.”

In between going to school and enjoying my new found freedoms, I picked up a part time job cleaning office buildings, and was still busing and waiting tables at a pub by the school.  “Well thank you, my hard working honey.”  Sammi remains nuzzled into me entering the Union.  “Any chance you can get me some cheap smokes from the machine, babe?”

“As long as they are still a dollar-twenty, hon, sixty cent smokes, coming right up.”  Sammi walks into the cafeteria to snarf some hot refreshments; I head to the cigarette machine, waiting for everyone to clear out.  

A friendly classmate of ours who worked for a vending company last summer gave a quick ‘tutorial’ on how to ‘purchase’ smokes at half price.  Scoping again to make sure no preppy snitches are watching, I grab change out of my shredded jeans…the ones with Sex Pistols lyrics scribed over every inch of fabric with a black Sharpie…. placing the coins in the slot.  This must be completed in precise order; dime, quarter, another quarter.  Now, it’s time to get ready for the intricate, safe cracker artistry.

Simultaneously, you have to pull out the selector knob under your brand slowly, push down on the change return lever, listen carefully for the selector knob to click, quite the feat in a Student Union full of loud teens and twenty-somethings’.  I have a habit of crouching down by the knob and waiting for the click.  It should be happening right about… *click*… now, with the lightning speed of Bruce Lee, the knob’s drawn out fully and viola, a fresh pack of twenty Reds appears in the tray.  

After repeating the process for Sammi, as a thank you gift for driving here, letting me flirt with her and the like, I repeat the process for an exquisite lovely who hopefully will join in our morning debauchery.  Kneeling down next to backpack, I push our prizes into the front pouch, only to hear a familiar clicking sound approaching, accompanied by a familiar song, being played at an eerily moderate volume.

           John Mc Geoch’s guitar plays hauntingly; the clicking on the floor gets closer…..Siouxsie Sioux’s voice rolls out like a demonic purr….

 “From the cradle bars

Comes a beckoning voice

It sends you spinning

You have no choice,”

           The clicking and the music stop directly behind me, replaced by a spellbinding, sultry voice.  “What’s in the bag, handsome?  You know, stealing cigarettes is a Federal offense.  Stand up, turn around slowly, give up the contraband without a fight and no one gets hurt.”

           Complying to the voices demands, the boombox volume is killed.  Turning to face the judge, jury and executioner, her early morning magnificence; the natural, light olive hue of her skin makes the green of her eyes even more arresting, the hair, which when left to flow freely, almost reaches the center of her back, is pulled up, unlike the other night when it was gelled into what seemed to be hundreds of razor thin pink spikes.  The Kool Aid neon has been washed out, revealing natural, deep auburn beauty, save for the dyed, shocked-white streak running through a few long strands.  

The ensemble of thigh-high boots with precarious heels, sheer black stockings, short tartan skirt, black “ANARCHY U.K” t-shirt, covered by a short, studded leather jacket creates quite the dissonant effect in this predominantly, white bread, yuppie campus, considering the closest thing you had to “The Look,” was the Duran Duran or Culture Club, ‘New Wave’ posers.  Most of these kids never even listened to that music, but the demand in the 80’s of paying a high price to look trendy, existed in spades with this clique.  

Excerpt from Rich Cucarese’s (that’s me!!) upcoming, literary fiction novel, ‘PUNKS’....Chapter 2, ‘1985′......

from the Camden side of the Delaware River, looking into Philly, circa 1986....sketch, courtesy of Rich Cucarese

Sketch courtesy of Rich Cucarese, author of the upcoming, fictional novel, ‘PUNKS’

(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNSWlbH6Dhw)

Some Philly hardcore punk flavor here....

One of the tribes’ favorite places to snag a real good, Philly cheesesteak (and apparently the C.O.S. boys thought so as well)....Jim’s Steaks on South Street!!!