FLAMING LIPS flyers from Oklahoma - all 80s stuff

Last week I finally got around to watching the Flaming Lips documentary, "Fearless Freaks". For whatever reason, there's not much about the early years. But whatever. Maybe someone will make tell that story later? Ever since watching the movie I've been listening to their albums quite a bit and thinking about their shows from 1985 to around 1989, which I think was the last time I had seen them. My favorite show from them was around 1988, or so. They had the smoke machines, bubbles, and colored stage lights. They had a "The Exorcist" theme that night - Wayne as Reagan (Linda Blair), Richard English as the devil, and Michael as the priest. To this day, that's one of my all time favorite shows from any band. Prior to that, all my show experiences where just bands setting up playing the songs without any stage theatrics. Then to see this band who went all out, it raised the bar.
It's funny when you think about how back then there would hardly be anyone at their shows, where nowadays there's tons. And even funnier that Oklahoma City has a street named after them. Whereas back then, I can remember the jocks and rednecks having really adverse reactions to the mere mention of the band. "What is that? Some weird freako-commie shit?!?" Hopefully their kids are now die-hard Flaming Lips fans.
Some of the best flyers in Oklahoma during the 80s were the Flaming Lips flyers that Wayne Coyne would illustrate (Rusty Short, aka Kltuch, also did some great flyers for NOTA, Brown 25, etc as well - I'll make a specific post of those down the road). Everytime I'd see these on the telephone posts I'd have to jump out of the car and grab one. Or take them off the wall at shows (of course once the show was over!).
I remember one time going to Michele Vlasimsky's apartment when she was showing a friend and I how to organize shows and seeing a few more flyers Wayne had done. My mind was completely blown. The stuff was cartoonish, raw, psychedelic, and just all around cool as hell.

I believe this flyer is from 1988.

Promo photo from 1985/1986? 

From 1986. I hear the building where the Velvet Underground is now gone. 

I think the Subterranean was the only all-ages show space in Oklahoma during the 80s. I just wish they had more hardcore shows there....

From 1987. Nate's Cafe was a dance club like space on the Northside of town. 

One of my favorite flyers. I think this was in 1986. 

I remember this show well. From 1986. The drive home that night was really bizarre. 

1986. 

1988. Whatever happened to Janis Eighteen? I remember there being a local buzz for them. 

OKLAHOMA PUNK FLYERS part 2

Here's some more flyers from Oklahoma in the Eighties. Hard to believe there was a punk scene there. Even then at the time when it was happening...

OKLAHOMA PUNK FLYERS part 1

Below are a few flyers from the Oklahoma scene in the Eighties. This batch largely from Tulsa, and Norman. Flemed Lumps on the Stark Raving Mad bill is actually the Flaming Lips. I'll post more flyers from Oklahoma later this week. So stay tuned...

N.O.T.A. interview from 1985

Here's another stellar mail interview for a zine I did called False Pseudo. FP was the first zine I started, at the age of 16. It started off as just a zine full of opinions on music, the town I lived in, some music news (culled from Flipside, Okie zines, and whatever they said on "Fear Of Music" and "My Tunnel" (radio shows on KGOU) at the time), and comic strips about fighting jocks, rednecks, and metalhead. Very much a product of its environment and times. Surprisingly, despite there being no punks at my school, I had a few subscribers. This zine never made it out of Oklahoma, and maybe had 10 copies of each issue printed at the time.

The issue that the N.O.T.A. interview ran in caused a bit of a stir for the printing company I took it to. This was while I was still living in Moore, and across the street from the main post office was a print shop that offered cheap copies (opposed to the 10 cents a copy I was paying at the library!). I dropped the master copy off there and started my lunch time fasts to raise money for the printing. A couple days later I get yanked out of school, my mom is enraged and saying some shit like, "I can't believe my own flesh and blood would do this to me.."

The copy shop read over my zine and decided they did not want to print it because it was "against God, disrespectful of authority, and pornographic." I remember walking into the shop and the owner is pissed off. He threw the masters my way and told me he never wanted to see me in his establishment again, and told my mom she needs to do a better job of raising me. And some shit about how he should call the police on me. Whatever...

The only pornographic thing was the ad for the A.S.F. "A Sure Fuck" EP and shirt which has a man with an erection and three spurts that have A.S.F. written in them. Then there were drawings of cop cars on fire, "I hate all cops" written in the borders, and shit like that. Not to mention stories about fighting rednecks and jocks and my complete disdain for Oklahoma in 1985. My mom gets home and reads it. "I can't believe such filth is in my house! What kind of son have I raised?!? I don't even know you anymore!" She then starts ripping the master pages up. From that day forward all my zine activity was completely hidden from view and never mentioned around my family ever again. I think I made about 5 copies at most of this one. They were all sold at Starship Records in Tulsa, OK.

N.O.T.A. were, and still are, a favorite band of mine. The fact that a band that awesome could come out of Oklahoma was something in itself. It actually gave one hope. The majority of the world thought we were all a bunch of assbackward people and living out in the sticks (I have letters from bands asking if we had running water and indoor plumbing in 1985, and if we have much trouble with the Indians!). So, in some way bands like N.O.T.A. were de facto ambassadors of the state.

"TOY SOLDIERS" EP COVER. RELEASED ON RABID CAT RECORDS.


Who are the members of N.O.T.A., and how long have you all been playing together?

Jeff - N.O.T.A. is Jeff (me) - vocals, Bruce - bass, Russell- guitar, Bob - drums. We've been together since April 1980. Russell joined in June 1982.

Who writes the songs and where did you get the ideas for them?

Jeff - Russell and I write the bulk of the songs, but everyone contributes and Bob and Bruce have both written lyrics.

"TOY SOLDIERS" EP LYRIC SHEET


What is the name of the new album and when will it be released to the public?

Jeff - It doesn't have a name, just N.O.T.A., and it should be out around September 15.

Do you have any tour plans for the album?

Jeff - Yes, we're planning a tour of all points east of the Mississippi starting around October 1.

What do you think about bands such as Suicidal Tendencies putting videos on Mtv?

Jeff - I think it's great! Otherwise that channel is a total piece of shit. Let there be more.

In your opinion, what do you think of the scene in Oklahoma?

Jeff - I wish it was more steady and contained fewer "tribes". We need to have a scene first then we can all find shit to fight about.

Is there anything you would like to say to the people of Oklahoma, and where can people write to you?

People can write us at PO Box (invalid at this point I'm sure), Tulsa, OK 74157. Anyone that's been around already knows us so I guess there aint much to say except COME OUT TO THE SHOWS AND SUPPORT THE SCENE YOU MAGGOTS!!!

"MOSCOW" EP COVER. RELEASED ON UNCLEAN RECORDS.

THIS IS THE FIRST PRESS BACK COVER OF THEIR "MOSCOW" EP. THE FRONT COVER IMAGE IS THE SAME ON THE SECOND PRESS. THE ONLY DIFFERENCE ON THE FRONT COVER OF THE FIRST PRESS AND SECOND PRESS, IS THE MARGINS ARE THINNER ON THE SECOND PRESS. ALSO THE FIRST PRESS IS ON NON-GLOSSY PAPER, WHEREAS THE SECOND PRESS COVER IS PRINTED ON GLOSSY!


THIS IS THE BACK COVER OF THE SECOND PRESS OF "MOSCOW".

ASF interview from February 1987

A month ago I was going through an old trunk of things I have collected for the past 25 years or so. The entire trunk was packed full of punk memorabilia that I have amassed since I was a teenager. Some of it good and most it bad. Anyway, I used to do various fanzines over the years, and in the 80s I did a lot of mail interviews. Since I lived in Oklahoma and not many bands came through, so I had no other real choice.

One of the zines I worked on, which never came out, was called Trapped In Moore. The name referenced the town I was living in at the time. Moore is, or was (I hear it's changed quite a bit over the past 20 years) a bedroom community south of Oklahoma City. Your typical suburb of the 80s, where the jocks ruled the day and the rednecks kept the weirdos in check. Punk rock, or more aptly, hardcore, at the time was definitely not the cool music. You've heard the story a million times by now I'm sure. So anyway, Moore was a dull and boring place to live. So I did fanzines and wrote to bands to feel a little less trapped in that town. Four months after this interview was conducted I moved out of that town and never looked back.

This interview was with ASF, an all female trio from Boulder, CO. Unclean put out their EPs and they had a LP on Flipside around the time this was done. One of the members, Leslie Mah, went on to be in Tribe 8.

Who are the members of A.S.F., and if you want, give your ages.

Leslie - bass, vocals.
Shannon - drums.
Tracie - Vocals, guitar.

How did A.S.F. get together and how long have you been together?

Tracie - Me and Leslie started playing about 3 years ago and eventually got other members. We've been together for about 3 years.

Do you have any jobs other than the band?

Shannon - Shannon and Leslie work in a groovy neck tie factory where we make the most expensive ties in the US.
Tracie - I work at a printing shop doing bindery work. Real exciting.

What are some subjects you write songs about?

Tracie - Just about how we feel, and things going on around us. Personal experiences.

Are any of you straight-edge? Any opinion on straight-edge ideologies?

Shannon - Pass me another beer.
Tracie - No. Straight-edge is fine and I think a lot of people need to be that way because they can't handle themselves. Whatever people want is fine as long they're happy.

From the picture in Flipside #50, I noticed two of you have skateboards. Where are some good places to skate at in Boulder, and what is the skate scene like there?

Tracie - There's not really much of anything in Boulder. Not even many punks, so of course nowhere to skate. No place to have shows anymore unless you have lots of money.

What made you start A.S.F.?

Tracie - Me and Leslie always wanted to be in a band so we did it together.

Where did you find the word "scrunti"?

Tracie - Some friends in Kenosha came up with it. It's a slutty girl.

Who are some of your favorite bands?

Tracie - Exploited, Ruebella Ballet, Gash, Frightwig, Super Heroines, and a lot of others.

In what direction do you see hardcore heading?

Tracie - Toward uncaring, toughness, fashion, and just really not having any sort of message any more besides, 'Let's get drunk and fuck'.