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kenwaagner
| | Posted on Saturday, January 25, 2003 - 10:19 am: | |
I lived in the Judith on West Willis from 1980 to 81 and spent a fair amount of time in the neighborhood up until i moved out of the city in 1990.
I lived with a guy named Scott Schuer who played guitar in the band L-Seven that Frank Callis (who was also in the band) mentioned in a post on here, which is how I stumbled across this board.
We were wee lads, but, in need of a home, and Frank introduced us to his friend Clyde who managed the Judith and let us move in despite the fact that I was a 20 year old college dropout who was collecting unemployment and Scott an unemployed 19 year old guitarist in a band. Our rent was $150, so I guess he figured we could afford it between the two of us.
L-Seven and Retro both rented spaces behind Cobb's corner on Willis. L-Seven (406) and Retro (408) I only remember this, because I used to pay the rent on 406.
I could write a book about the year or so I spent living in the corridor, and have thought about it, because to me it was such a seminal time in Detroit for those of us who were there.
When Scott and I first started hanging around in the neighborhood, Larissa (the singer in L-Seven) was living in the space at 406 which was always known as the Clubhouse.
Larissa was the most intriguing person we had ever met, and she was also the singer in our favorite band, L-Seven.
At the time, Scott played in a band called the Attitudes with Kory Clarke who also went on to play in L-Seven, and I was mostly just hanging around, going to shows, working at clubs, etc.
Shortly after we began hanging around with L-Seven, they asked Scott and Kory to join the band, and I became L-Seven's manager after hanging around and watching them rehearse for a couple of months.
During that time, Larissa had moved into the apartments above the original Clutch Cargo's at Park and Elizabeth, and the Clubhouse had become a fulltime rehearsal space/studio not only for L-Seven, but, also for Negative Approach and a few other hardcore bands. (L-Seven was not a hardcore band, I will write a separate post about them).
Shortly after we moved into the Judith, the Freezer Theatre got shut down as a "club" after a Minor Threat show. This didn't really come as much of a surprise, the Freezer had kind of become the epicenter of the Detroit hardcore scene and was playing frequent host to pretty big punk rock shows, including the Misfits and several others.
With a blossoming hardcore scene and nowhere to have shows; we decided to begin having shows/rent parties at the space at 406 Willis, and converted the three room space into a one room "club" by converting what were the walls into the stage.
For a couple of years, The Clubhouse thrived as an all ages venue playing host to a number of pretty incredible shows by bands from allover the country, and steadily drawing crowds of a couple of hundred kids into the neighborhood.
Scott and I started a band called the Linkletters with L-Seven guitarist David Rice and a guy named Bill Methner on bass. We played around the neighborhood quite a bit including shows at the Freezer, Clubhouse, Dally in the Alley, Old Miami, Funeral Home/Music School, Alvin's and the Cass City Cinema.
I booked and promoted shows at The Clubhouse, Cobb's Corner, The Fascination Station (anyone remember that?) and had my 21st birthday while living there.
We spent time working on Bob Slattelrly's house, doing demolition work for $5 an hour making his house handicapped accessible, plenty of time playing PacMan at Rayis Brothers (often while on LSD), dodging the dudes from the Billinghurst and lots of time wandering aimlessly around the neighborhood.
Lots more...but, curious if anyone cares...
I live in Chicago now, where I've been since 1991. |
scottschuer
| | Posted on Saturday, August 28, 2004 - 7:48 am: | |
I'm Scott, the "unemployed" guitarist of Detroit's L-Seven, and Ken's roomate in those heady days of the early 1980's punk scene in the Motor City. As a disaffected suburbanite, the Cass Corridor quickly became my physical and spiritual (if I be allowed the presumption of spirituality) base.
At that time, Ken Waagner was the most responsible and trustworthy "true believer" in regards to the primal sounds and musical mutations eminating from 406 Willis and the Freezer Theatre. Ken was a true professional before any of us even knew what that meant. He carried the weight of our neurotic collection of creative miscreants with great aplomb
Aside from being blissfully, and willfully, ignorant of the realities of inner Detroit, I spent long summer days of tension and wonder watching the world unfold. I went through a phase where I'd get really baked on hashish and streetboard over some of the shittiest patches of asphalt in the world.
Believe it or not, I now teach writing at a local university and, like Ken, could write a book about the scene from 1980 to 82.
Is anyone recieving??? |
Joe
| | Posted on Saturday, December 04, 2004 - 8:36 pm: | |
I remember the "Clubhouse" vaguley;I was a kid and would often sneak out of my folks house and catch the Michigan Ave. bus down to Woodward and walk there...catching an N.A. show, being harrassed by Bob Magenta (a.k.a. Tesco Vee of The Meatmen) and having some skinheads protect me from getting my 12 year old but kicked by the guys in The Necros....
Looking back and looking at whats going on now with "alternative" music is a joke; I remember having Ian McKay not 5 inmches away screaming into a bad P.A. system, guitars deafeningly feeding back, and loving every painful note.
The Clubhouse/ Freezer scene is fuzzy; but wonderful. |
Suzi Chick
| | Posted on Thursday, June 01, 2006 - 6:41 am: | |
Hi,
I was someone who hung out,lived in the corridor,smoked hash with scott,guzzled from the BIG JUG,and put up,and stood my ground with all the guy's who could never quite figure me out,back then.I had the pleasure of seeing Scott in Ann Arbour about ten years ago,and having a brief friendship.He published one of my poems I wrote about the Freezer in a book.(I also have a great one about Rayis Boys..from back then)It was truely an incredible period,and people like Ken were instrumental in making it happen(I always thought Straight edge though)<even though I took alot of misplaced abuse,they are super fond memories.Hope you are all well.Check out my My Space site.Cheers. |
diana bonner
| | Posted on Sunday, June 03, 2007 - 12:31 am: | |
I remember L-7; they were one of the first bands I saw down there. I was a loud and appreciative fan. I remember Retro, too. I saw them a few times also. I think all I did in the eighties was go out and see bands. I lived right on campus so it was all too convenient |
Stephen Goodfellow (Admin)
Username: Admin
Registered: 6-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, June 16, 2007 - 8:38 pm: | |
Dianne,
I think it would be great to put together a list of Corridor bands from that period. Could you spearhead the project? If you create the topic and place it under "General discussion". Any remembered bands, together with details would be great. I will expand the website to acomodate whatever we can gather together on the subject. |
rickidee
| | Posted on Friday, November 23, 2007 - 2:40 am: | |
Hi Folks!
I "remember"shows at the Freezer (as much as I can remember anything...) then on to the Falcon Mystery Lounge and Graystone..the Hungry Brain in the scummiest part of the scummiest part of Del Rey....just waiting to die there...hard times...later was Blondies and St Andrews etcetera far too many to rememberat once...and speaking of remembering...this is driving me crazy,I may be remembering it completely wrong...does anyone recollect a club on West Jefferson..downriver somewhere, I'm thinking Wyandotte or perhaps Rouge...I remember at one point it was a porno theater...I may be thinking of the Hungry Brain but I thought there was another club further downriver on Jefferson...
It's no surprise I can't remember correctly,I can barely remember last week for crying out loud...much less 25 years ago...to this day people will swear they saw me a so-and-so show and I cant recall a second of it...
Also,I seem to remember calling the Freezer "The Freezer Door" but I havent seen anyone else call it that online...is that also a figment of my imagination?
I am a video collector,I have video of L-7 and LOTS of other bands,I would love to trade if anyone is interested!!!
CHEERS
Ricki Dee |
JOE
| | Posted on Friday, December 12, 2008 - 8:41 am: | |
in responce to the downriver venue, it was the Harbor Theater off Fort Street on Jefferson...the last show there was The U.K. SUBS with Broken Bones in '87. The only other downriver places were Nunzios on southfield west of Fort st. And the Serbian Hall where Mior Threat played... |
Anna Varney
| | Posted on Thursday, February 05, 2009 - 6:27 am: | |
Wow! This is definitely cool for me to stubble across, I've been trying to remember things that happened back then, but its all a bit fuzzy.
Larissa's sister Anna
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suzi chick
| | Posted on Thursday, April 23, 2009 - 10:20 am: | |
Hey Anna,I was a soul sister to Larissa and so was my friend Joanne, I have some Kool photo's if you want to be in touch. |
scottschuer
| | Posted on Friday, September 11, 2009 - 2:18 am: | |
Hi - this is Scott again. Still teaching writing in an increasingly symbolic, ironic world (was that partly our doing?). It's great to read the memories of Suzi, Anna, Joe, Ken, etc. Please keep writing and posting. Love ya'll! |
Suzanne
| | Posted on Thursday, December 31, 2009 - 3:15 pm: | |
Hi Scott,
I've been briefly in touch with Dave R. over the years...nice to see you're still around. Haven't seen Bill M. since I lived in Detroit (over 8 years ago). Can't believe Dave and I have known each other for almost 30 years. He found me here (Yes, right here at Cass Tribes!), over 5 years ago, and we met up for lunch in San Francisco. Then we met on MySpace, of all places, a couple years ago, and communicated. I ran into Diana (Sleep) at a grocery last spring in Royal oak. Good to hear about you; glad to report all is well with me, too! |
Krystalyn
| | Posted on Sunday, November 20, 2011 - 7:18 pm: | |
How could any of this be btteer stated? It couldn't. |
Arief
| | Posted on Sunday, November 25, 2012 - 2:20 am: | |
Totally agree! You just need to get in action and do sonithemg. If you did sonithemg, nobody can tell you that you wasted your time or that you did nothing. It may be difficult sometimes, but you'll learn along the way. For me getting the final image, before coloring takes most of my time. The actual coloring doesn't take that much time. So I just make sure that I have my final sketches ready and color them during the 3 weeks, so that I can finish the 6 pieces in week 7. My only concern is participating for all the other lovely member, I can't sit too long behind the PC lately, because I'm just too tired. It's even hard to keep track with my school work. I'll do my best though, because I did saw people took the time for me to comment on my pieces! I really, really appreciate that!Oh! Jonathan, I love your two pieces! The second piece is simply gorgeous! Love the structure in it. This is my ramble comment haha.Ciao! |
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