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Punk veterans Alice Bag, coordinated with blue suede shoes to match her azure blue hair, and Jimmy Alvarado, in a black Ramones T-shirt, are likely the most eloquent and well spoken punk rockers that you will ever meet this side of Henry Rollins.

Vroman’s and Razorcake zine presented Bag and Alvarado, both featured writers for the prominent punk zine, Razorcake, at the Hastings Ranch store on Foothill on Sunday, Oct. 19, who shared their unique experiences in the 70s and 80s during the burgeoning L.A. Punk Scene, where they spoke to a standing-room-only crowd of fans and patrons bleeding deep into the store.

“That’s a lot of people,” remarked PCC student and bookseller Muriel Munguia, on coming to work during the event.

Todd Taylor, founder of Razorcake, introduced Alice Bag, a musician, writer, educator, feminist archivist and author of “Violence Girl: East L.A. Rage to Hollywood Stage, a Chicana Punk Story.”

Alice Bag was lead singer of The Alice Bag Band, which was featured in Penelope Spheeris’ quintessential film on the Los Angeles punk scene “The Decline of Western Civilization,” and Castration Squad.

Both bands played throughout Los Angeles, Hollywood and East L.A.

And with her, Jimmy Alvarado, a musician, videographer, writer, and “collector of punk oral histories,” who both reflected fondly and honestly on the Hollywood and East L.A. Punk Scene of the late 70s, early 80s and wisdom learned of the time.

“My real name is not Bag,” she said laughing along with patrons knowingly. “Taking your punk name is empowering.” Bag’s real name is Alicia Armendariz.

Bag said her first taste of punk was through the glam and glitter rock of the 70s when she read magazines like Circus and Cream and heard The Ramones, Patti Smith, and Rodney Bingenheimer’s radio show on KROQ  that almost solely featured new bands of Los Angeles and vintage 60s rock, including TV band The Monkees.

On his early foray into the scene, Alvarado remarked, “I didn’t know Punk Rock from Pet Rock. I always was the kid that didn’t fit in.”

Both artists credit Flipside Records and fanzines for feeding their passion for punk music and culture.

For Alvarado, the scene provided an early outlet while he was restricted at home as a teenager.

“I had to live vicariously through these records and fanzines,” said Alvarado. “Because I couldn’t leave the house!”

The Bags played mostly in Hollywood while living at The Canterbury, an apartment complex and a culture hub for the scene that resided in Hollywood clubs and bars on Cherokee.

Both Bag and Alvarado spoke on the East L.A. scene and the bands they followed and befriended, many of which were incarnations that blossomed from other band breakups.

“Our little scene was a little incestuous,” said Bag.

Although they spoke in admiration on local and known bands like X, The Stains, The Weirdos, Black Flag, Bad Religion, and L7, they spoke fondly of smaller local East LA bands such as Los Illegals, Los Olivos, and Mad Parade.

Smaller LA bands played wherever they could–car clubs, swap meets, nightclubs like The Vex, The Paramount Ballroom, The Starwood and Madame Wong’s and progressive art venues like Self Help Graphics in downtown and Al’s Bar.

The scene was underground but thick with those in the know. But mostly, it was in someone’s backyard.

“It became it’s own kind of beast,” said Alvarado of the backyard scene.

Drug overdoses, club thrashings, general burn out, and a stabbing at the punk club Fenders, diminished the then-fast growing music scene, and Bag and Alvarado changed with it.
But in the wake of the recent death of the last remaining Ramone, Tommy Ramone, this event may have been a needed affirmation that punk was still alive and well.

“Nobody gets into punk because they are well adjusted,” said Alvarado.

That said, Bag went on to study law and earn her Bachelor’s degree to teach and Alvarado regularly contributes as a columnist and podcaster for Razorcake.

Vroman’s Hastings Ranch store on Foothill has monthly zine workshops every third Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., but be sure to call the store for updates at 626-351-0828.

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