Transcript
Cori Fox: Okay. We're back.
Cori Fox: Please tell me more about the underground punk scene because I missed that. I was, you know. I miss that whole thing. I mean, I know a little bit about Henry Rollins, but he was on ah maybe like a second wind when I first started hearing about him.
susan: Well, you probably had. ah Parents who cared about you. I'm sure my parents, my mother cared about me a lot, but she, I think by the fifth kid in her. By this time her 50s, she was probably like, you know what? It's a tough world out there. Have a good time. play
Cori Fox: No, that's my that's how my mom was too.
susan: Oh, okay.
Cori Fox: My pick might...
susan: But maybe you just didn't live in the right area. I mean, I don't know.
Cori Fox: but i think I think Gen Xers in general were neglected as children.
susan: Yeah.
Cori Fox: you know? And.
Carol: Yeah, go outside and play. Come home when the street lights come on.
susan: Yeah. It's complete.
Cori Fox: Exactly.
susan: Different time, completely different time, yeah.
Cori Fox: Yes.
Carol: I mean... Yeah.
Cori Fox: When I was nine years old I was roaming a mountain by myself after school.
susan: Yeah.
Cori Fox: Like ah that's, that doesn't happen nowadays.
susan: Yeah. Mm -mm.
Cori Fox: You know what I mean?
Carol: Right. Right.
Cori Fox: We were just left to our own devices for so long. And if I had known about. the underground punk scene and freaking Red Rocks and all the the things that you guys were doing. i would have been there you know
Carol: Right.
susan: What still astounds me is the scene that Denver had. Like, I mean, it's really then especially was very much a conservative. Cowtown. But we had like this thriving scene that so many, like I said, Chili Peppers would come through or Metallica would come through. And it was just like.
susan: Very cool, chill, like in somebody's warehouse or garage or wherever they can find a place. My favorite venue, I think and probably the first one I went to was a place called The Packing House. Which.
Carol: nice
susan: Yeah, it was an old rendering factory that had been abandoned, but we would go in there and I don't know if they were setting up generators. There usually wasn't. much power but they had to have something to power the amps and everything but it was dark it smelled like processed dog food when it was still horse.
susan: It was horrible.
Cori Fox: Oh gross.
Carol: ah
susan: like you wear your so But it was so punk rock. You know what I mean?
Cori Fox: Yeah, how how perfect for a punk rock venue.
susan: I think it absolutely was. And we were like, I think, 13 when we first started hanging around. and And then there was a promoter. Fanzines were huge then. The skate scene was huge then.
Cori Fox: m
susan: And there was a promoter that kind of like. just took it upon himself to find venues for bands. and uh He was a known and he and he's still I'm still friends with all these people on Facebook, by the way, but he like his.
susan: Drug proclivities are no secret. you know. Now he owns up to all of it, but I can't believe that man lived. he his name was because... I'm not going to say what his name was because I feel like that wouldn't be appropriate, but he got a moniker because he used to shoot heroin into his neck.
Cori Fox: Oh.
susan: So.
Cori Fox: Wow.
susan: Yeah, I mean, I'm talking serious.
Carol: diana
susan: I saw so many people OD before I was even old enough to drive a car. But, you know, it's kind of a trauma bond. that like
Cori Fox: Oh yeah!
Carol: but
susan: nobody died right so did you die nobody died on our watch right so I mean they certainly did as we started getting older but and so like this guy he's actually making the rounds again like
Cori Fox: yes No one died on your watch. That's right.
susan: worldwide because now he's got like a brain cancer that is he should have been if the if the doctors were right he should have been dead a few years ago but now he's just like on the speaking tour about like I'll die when I decide to die.
susan: I've still got stuff to do.
Cori Fox: Mmm.
susan: But like it's that kind of force, I think, that was leading that scene at the time. that you know Even despite the drug habits and everything else that was going on, there was always a drive.
susan: you know, to do something and so it was pretty cool. It's very cool.
Cori Fox: Yeah.
Carol: That's awesome. Yeah, you definitely got into it a lot younger than I did.
susan: Oh yeah.
Carol: Because, yeah, I didn't even.
susan: Sure did.
Carol: learn about like the punk rock stuff till I was 16, 17 years old.
susan: My girlfriend was 18. That's probably how.
Carol: Yeah. There you go.
Cori Fox: Wait, how old were you Susan?
susan: I was 13 when we first started hanging out.
Cori Fox: And she was 18.
susan: Yeah.
Cori Fox: That's That's a big age difference for teenagers.
susan: Yeah, well. Yeah. The first person I lived with was a guy who went on to become a police officer. i was I think 16 and he was 21. So like that wasn't even.
Cori Fox: Oh jeez.
Carol: a
susan: i know I never thought about it until I was older and I'm like, mike I would. kill somebody for you know dating my teenage daughter at that age but
Cori Fox: Mm hmm. Mm hmm.
Carol: Bye.
susan: Bye. you know, it was a different time, I guess. And, and we didn't talk about things like statutory rape and stuff then. And to be honest, like those, those relationships, I found a lot of comfort and safety in those. so you know i can't say it was all bad not that i'm promoting it by any means do not date minors
Cori Fox: well
susan: Don't do it.
Cori Fox: Oh my god. Huh? Thank you for that plug.
susan: Yeah, it's just a little disclaimer
Cori Fox: but
susan: Call me crazy.
Carol: Oh.
Cori Fox: ah about
susan: ah
Carol: Little PSA.
Cori Fox: ah god
susan: I mean, sometimes you got to really be blunt and tell people things, you know.
Cori Fox: Oh yeah.
susan: so
Cori Fox: Yeah.
susan: ah The reason why it was comfort and safety is because my life at home was not safe and not comfortable. And so crawling around in meatpacking plants that were abandoned.
susan: exposing myself to, I don't know what kind of tetanus and everything else. like That was...
Cori Fox: Yeah.
susan: a better environment for me to be in. so
Cori Fox: Yeah. Yeah.
Carol: That's hilarious
susan: Yeah.
Cori Fox: Tetanus.
susan: It's true.
Cori Fox: Tedness was better than your home environment.
susan: Yeah, it really was, actually. so And I had a lot of fun.
Cori Fox: Yeah. It sounds like you did.
susan: Yeah.
Cori Fox: Well, yeah, that's why I was roaming around a mountain at nine years old. i I wish, like, I wish that I was going to punk rock shows. I wish I had any idea. I bet my brother was. he He got into a hell of a lot of trouble when...
susan: o
Cori Fox: when we we lived in Arizona. But but anyway. Haha! Yeah, that's go I'm going to cut that out.
susan: ah
Cori Fox: Irrelevant.
susan: Boop!
Cori Fox: Okay, so... Carol, do you have anything to add about your you know, young beginnings in punk rock or what? What have you?
Carol: I mean My parents had no idea what I did because I had like Not that I did anything wrong, but my best friend lived a couple blocks away. So it was so easy for me to say, hey, I'm going over to Angie's house. And ah for the weekend or not the weekend, probably for overnight, you know, and then we'd go up to Hollywood and go see a band or go. to to the midnight screening for a Rocky Horror Picture Show. We did that a lot. My mom had no idea.
Carol: Oh. So, yeah, it was really easy for me to just say, oh, I'm going to go hang out with Angie. And you know, they don't care. So.
Cori Fox: Yeah.
Carol: But yeah, and for me... like the band that I've seen the most actually is DI. Susan, do you know of DI?
susan: Yeah.
Carol: yeah so so
susan: Yeah.
Carol: since they're orange county you know they're playing at those really small places.
Carol: So we would go see them.
susan: Isn't there a dollhouse or something?
Carol: all over the the dollhouse the Doll Hut Yeah.
susan: There's some venue in... Yes. oh hut Yes, I've been there.
Carol: Yeah, there's...
susan: Yeah. That's a great place.
Carol: I think I've seen them probably 12 to 15 times just because of being in the area.
susan: Nice.
Cori Fox: well
Carol: And that's just what you did. It's like, oh, the DI's playing again this weekend or they're going to be at this party or, you know, whatever. but Oh, and the offspring. Always, uh...
Cori Fox: Mm hmm.
susan: oh Wow.
Carol: We saw the offspring at a really small bar in San Pedro, I think. So that was pretty cool.
susan: Nice.
Carol: well that would have been the early 90s because by then i was with john That's about it.
Cori Fox: The band that I saw. as my younger self were. Jimmy Eat World. They're from the Tempe area.
Carol: ah
Cori Fox: And they're they're still around. I can't believe they're still around.
Cori Fox: um Fugazi.
susan: Oh yeah.
Cori Fox: I'm proud of seeing Fugazi back when I was a... The young. teen.
Carol: Right. Yeah, I saw them once. I was trying to look that up the other day in my journal. that I don't remember where I saw them offhand.
Carol: That was cool.
Cori Fox: Oh, the... The journal, you've got a concert journal. I think this is so cool.
susan: oh that's awesome Awesome.
Cori Fox: And I wish I would tell us about the journal.
susan: Yeah.
Carol: I started it in 1985 when I went to my first show.
Carol: Of course that was so long ago, I have no idea what prompted me to do that. But the same thing with... saving all my concert stubs.
susan: Wow.
Carol: started it at the same time. So I've always had those in photo albums. So with the journal, I would write down. the date, where it was, who I went with.
Carol: And. generally it was more like okay they played this song or didn't play this song or anything memorable that happened.
Cori Fox: Mhm.
Carol: But then... Later, like, probably look - past 10 years or so. I've gotten it more... diary -ish where i'm like oh we went out to eat here beforehand and you know But the interesting thing is my friend Angie that I talked about. she lives in Indiana now and she was just out here a couple months ago. And we almost always bring the journal out and we start talking about the shows we went to and all this stuff.
Carol: And it's so funny because even though we are at the same show. she'll say oh don't you remember blah blah blah and I'm like no I don't remember that at all and then i'll read the book and i'm like oh my god i had that written down
Cori Fox: but
Carol: But it's it's just funny because some things, I literally have no memory of a certain show. And if it wasn't written down that book.
Cori Fox: mm -hmm
Carol: I wouldn't have been able to tell you I was even there.
Cori Fox: Yeah.
Carol: And that's what sucks about getting old, you know?
susan: That's fantastic.
Cori Fox: ike
Carol: It's like... If you don't have that stuff written down, it's it's just gone.
susan: Yeah that's true.
Carol: And that's with no drugs, Susan.
susan: Fair. That's fair. I'm still really close friends with that same girl that, we emerged onto the punk rock scene together. And we will sit there and reminisce.
susan: And either I remember it or she doesn't, you know, like if we go back and forth.
Carol: yeah
susan: But as we talk about it, and I think that's an important part of. remembering is having the ability to reminisce with somebody because then it kind of opens those doors to memory again.
Carol: Absolutely. Yeah.
susan: Yeah, so it's hard when we lose touch with our friends that you know everybody we had a ah shared common history with, we forget it.
Cori Fox: Yeah.
Carol: Yeah. Absolutely.
Cori Fox: Yeah.
Carol: Yeah, it's a bummer.
susan: That is so fantastic that you have that archive though.
Carol: But...
susan: That is amazing.
Carol: I'm... i'm so glad that i do like it's come in handy lots of times i'll have some of my other friends will call me and be like hey were we at this show and i'm like i don't know
susan: Yes.
Cori Fox: yeah
Carol: You know, I have one more. note about Dead Kennedys, which this kind of cracks me up So when I was... Let's see. I think it was 91. I was going to...
Carol: Was it Orange Coast College or Santa Ana College? Something and I was wearing a dead Kennedy shirt And. This guy walked up to me and started talking to me and He's like, yeah, I manage a ah punk band and blah, blah, blah. and And we started. His girlfriend was there too, and so I became friends.
Carol: with him And then Later just became friends with his whole group of all these punk rock people in orange. And I ended up marrying one of them, so.
susan: a
Carol: That's... That's how I, that's how I met John.
Cori Fox: oh
susan: That's awesome.
Carol: was because some stranger talked to me because I was wearing a Dead Kennedy shirt.
Cori Fox: Oh wow.
susan: That's awesome.
susan: Wow Wow. I just realized we have, Santa Ana College is where Cori and I...
Carol: but
susan: Skinned A cadaver. That's...
Carol: oh
Cori Fox: Yeah. oh
susan: We have a Santa in a college.
Carol: there's our There's our connection.
susan: Yeah.
Cori Fox: Wow.
susan: Yes, that's wild.
Cori Fox: Wow. That's so cool. and now
susan: There was definitely nobody that cool going to school there when we were there, Cori.
susan: No way.
Cori Fox: Yeah, so ah Susan and I skinned a cadaver together. That's how we initially met in college.
Carol: That's crazy.
Cori Fox: Bye -bye. Yeah, that's our...
susan: Yep.
Cori Fox: That's our bond.
susan: Yeah.
Carol: Was that to like see the muscle structure or what's the point of that?
Cori Fox: Everything.
Carol: Okay.
susan: It was to prep it for a human anatomy class.
Carol: Yes.
susan: So like, you know, when you go in for a cadaver anatomy class, they've got one already prepped and ready for the class. Well, there's three or four back in the refrigerator behind the lab, and those have to be prepped.
Carol: Uh -huh.
susan: And lucky for me, they were giving out extra credit if I would come in and skin cadavers.
Carol: oh
susan: I don't know what brought Cori there. Maybe she's she was postpartum. Maybe she needed a break from the baby.
Cori Fox: No, no, this is what it was.
susan: Bye.
Cori Fox: The other option was to skin a cat and I, I'm a hardcore.
susan: Oh, yeah, I wasn't going to take it.
Cori Fox: Yeah, I'm a hardcore animal lover. That was a... Easy pass for me.
susan: Yeah, I was just saying, I'm not a cat person, but there's... you I was going to be a nurse. Why do I want to study cats? Even cutting into the cow eye, I was a little bit like. This better be just like a human eye.
Carol: oh
susan: Because otherwise.
Cori Fox: Yeah. Yeah, that was, that was, only it was logical to me too. I mean, the animal loving part aside. I'm studying human anatomy, not cat anatomy.
Cori Fox: you know
susan: Exactly.
Carol: yeah
Cori Fox: It was just a.
susan: Yeah.
Carol: it's a little different
Cori Fox: but Yeah.
Carol: but
Cori Fox: It was just a bonus that the guy who cared for the cadavers was a necrophiliac.
susan: Do you think he was?
Cori Fox: Maybe.
susan: I mean, has he ever been in the news? I don't even remember what his name was, but he was, you were the one who came out of that back room and you were like, he's talking to them.
Cori Fox: oh either.
susan: He is talking to them.
Cori Fox: see see Yeah, he he was the perfect man for that job.
susan: i know
susan: I don't think he was able to be. he was It was past the date of being... filiac for anything, I think. I don't think there was any action going on down there. You know what I mean? You know what I'm saying? or on
susan: I wasn't so sure. Like he could be in that cadaver office now because he was already old then.
Cori Fox: Yeah.
susan: And that was. shoot 20 years ago almost was it 20 years ago
Cori Fox: You're right Yeah. He was an elder statesman. That's true.
susan: Yes.
Cori Fox: Yeah, who talk to cadavers.
susan: He sure liked those. bodies and they were all women in there we didn't even have a male body and that was kind of weird
Cori Fox: Woo!
Cori Fox: You're right.
susan: worth it.
Carol: i
susan: I know!
Cori Fox: Oh ho ho! Man! Oh, it's all coming together now.
susan: the
Cori Fox: What? ah Oh gosh.
susan: Yeah, great. So we have that Santa Ana College bond here. I love it.
Cori Fox: Yeah, yeah
susan: You got to be tough to go to Santa Ana College. I stand by that.
Cori Fox: I think so.
susan: Yeah.
Cori Fox: I think so yeah.
susan: Yeah.
Cori Fox: Yeah. Kind of in the hood.
Carol: funny
Cori Fox: who
susan: Oh. Yeah.
Cori Fox: So that's all for today's podcast.
Cori Fox: Let's tune in next time. Who knows what we'll talk about.
susan: Skin ning bodies! Peace.
