Gay bars in la puente

Those schooled in its history know that back then, as the gay liberation movement and punk culture emerged as newly against-the-grain efforts, that commonality bred a mutual appreciation and acceptance. He also played in the pioneering psychobilly band The Cramps, then returned to The Gun Club intermittently in the years after.

Powers also put in nearly a decade with Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds; he joined in But now it seems to be a little more general. When we talked over the phone, Powers was in France, only days into a month-long European tour. He reflected on the tragedy in Orlando, and related how he went from anti-stance punk to incorporating activism into his life and music.

It hit on a very primal sort of level, you know. It is almost like PTSD for me. I went through AIDS the bar time, then there was, in the 90s, a second round of it. You think there is so much progress, and there is, but you know, this kind of a mass shooting at a gay club, it just really hits on a very primal, primal level.

Again, it just feels like PTSD. It just shook up a whole world I thought that was kind of over for me. It really just makes you feel vulnerable and horrible and sad. It was a Latin night, so it was mostly Latinos and those who love them there. Even more, it puente you on a much more primal level. I got asked to write something.

It just made me think about that, of course, then AIDS happened shortly after punk. It seemed to be the thing to talk about and I really felt like early punk people were not politicized for being gay. In fact, it was an anti-stance against anything, any labels, any organized thing.

Even the gay kids, the gay punk rockers, were not interested in the gay culture of…disco or that side. The solace was more in the leather gay scene and stuff that accepted the punks. I was just a rocker — a glam rocker and a punk rocker.

Early Gay Clubs in LA

To be punk rock, you clash with people who are being outright political — political political. I knew of just one super political gay band in San Francisco, this band called Grand Mal at the time. They became a band called The Offs, a ska band, and the singer was Don Vinil. But they were an in-your-face punk rock band…I met and hung out with Don a lot.

And had an affair with him, of course. They were political, more in-your-face, and this is pre-AIDS. When AIDS happened though, it became impossible to be quiet or ambiguous or even a separatist against that.