How To Root The Republican Fakers Out Of Democratic Primaies-- Joesph Kopser Just Made It Very East In TX-21

The Texas primaries are coming up in just under 3 weeks-- followed by primary runoffs on May 22. And those primaries-- with so many vulnerable red seats and so many seats Republican incumbents are abandoning-- are crowded. TX-21 is a super-gerrymandered district that starts up in West Campus and the Drag in Austin, skirts the state Capitol, takes in Downtown before crossing the Colorado River to encompass Travis Heights, South Lamar and Sunset Valley before heading down through Buda, the western part of both San Marcos and New Braunfels before hitting Alamo Heights, Olmos Park, Terrell Hills, Fort Sam Houston and Government Hill in San Antonio. To the west of that skinny corridor from south Austin to north San Antonio is a big chunk of less populated Hill Country that includes Boerne, Frederickcburg, Bandera, Medina way out to Camp Wood on the Nueces River. May back last April we started warning our friends in San Antonio-- people in Austin already knew-- that one of the Democratic candidates, Joseph Kopser, was really a Republican trying to pass himself off as a Democrat.

Because Kopser has raised the most money-- $676,700 as of December 31, the last FEC reporting deadline-- the establishment media often refers to him as the "leading candidate." That sure doesn't include The Intercept, where investigative reporter Said Jilani just exposed Kopser for a wider audience. I hope it's wide enough to stop this guy. He's one I wouldn't ever even support against a Republican.

Businessman and Iraq veteran Joseph Kopser, a former Republican who is backed by national Democrats, was asked about his views on border security at the Ranchers and Landowners Association of Texas the second weekend of February. The comments have not been previously reported.

“Border security on our Southern border and our Northern border is something we have to focus on,” he replied. He went on to advocate for fences and greater use of technology in the air and on the ground to detect threats on the border. Curiously, he cited his time in Iraq as justification.

“I want to secure our borders because when I spent my time in Iraq, when we were fighting Al Qaeda, the border between Iraq and Iran was not secure, and those fighters came over with Iran and that didn’t do us any good in that fight,” he said. “Nor do I want to allow anyone across our border without us knowing who they are.”

A member of the audience called out, “Are you sure you’re on the right ticket?”

He replied, “I’m on the American ticket.”



Kopser’s progressive opponent, former Capitol Hill staffer Derrick Crowe-- who is backed by Our Revolution, National Nurses United, and other Bernie Sanders-aligned organizations-- reacted harshly to Kopser’s remarks in a statement to The Intercept.

“I am disgusted, but not surprised, to hear Joseph Kopser comparing the U.S.-Mexico border to a war zone, those who cross it to Al Qaeda, and endorsing border zones condemned by the ACLU,” he said in a statement to The Intercept. “It is unacceptable for Kopser to join Donald Trump in calling for the militarization of our border communities and turning them into war zones.”

Now, would you like to hear what a real progressive Texas Democrat sounds like? All Kopser's money won't buy him an ad like the one below. He just doesn't have the heart or the soul for it. No Republicans or so-called "ex"-Republicans do. The DCCC should try to understand the difference. It might help them win races, instead of lose and lose and lose.

Nazis In Unpop Culture

A month or so ago, rock journalist Steve Knopper called me to discuss how punk music pushed back against Nazis who tried infiltrating the early anarchistic punk music scene. Fascists in London, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York seemed drawn to the scene's iconography, rowdiness and anti-establishment perspective. Soon after I went off to Thailand-- the Land of Smiles-- and forgot all about it. This week Steve's story, Nazi Punks F**k Off: How Black Flag, Bad Brains, and More Took Back Their Scene from White Supremacists was published by GQ. First paragraph:

Every hardcore band you loved in the '80s and beyond, from Black Flag to Minutemen to Fugazi, had one unfortunate thing in common: Nazi skinheads occasionally stormed their concerts, stomped their fans, gave Hitler salutes in lieu of applauding, and generally turned a communal experience into one full of hatred and conflict. Punk rockers had flirted with fascist imagery for shock value, with the Sex Pistols’ Sid Vicious and Siouxsie Sioux wearing swastikas in public, but, as early San Francisco scenester Howie Klein, later president of Reprise Records, recalls: “Suddenly, you had people who were part of the scene who didn’t understand ‘fascist bad.’”

I watched in horror as bands, and their supporters, tried to out-do each other in outrageousness in the mid to late '70s. The idea is that if you could piss off your parents and other authority figures, you were succeeding (at something). At the time I had a punk label in San Francisco and our first signing was the most popular local band, The Nuns. Our very first release, a 3-song 7" EP-- looked vaguely Nazi-ish:

There were 3 singers-- one was Jewish, one was gay and one was an art school woman and the guitar player was from a prominent socially conscious Latino family. The song was "Decadent Jew," a live version of which from 1978 is posted above. The Jewish singer uses the N-word. At one point Bill Graham said he would manage the band if they stopped performing the song; they refused. The two other songs on the record were "Suicide Child" and "Savage." They got a lot of attention, which was the whole idea and the way to compete. The fans picked up on the vibe and were soon out-of-control, especially when the scene went from an ironic art school in-crowd joke, to a way for suburbanites to blow off some steam.

By 1980, a more violent strain of punk fans was infecting punk shows. “Pogoing became slam-dancing, now known as moshing, and some of ’em didn’t seem like they were there to enjoy the music, as much as they were there to beat up on people-- sometimes in a really chickenshit way,” says Jello Biafra, whose band, Dead Kennedys, put out a classic song about it in 1981: "Nazi Punks Fuck Off."

Many of the more conscious scene leaders, like Joe Strummer and Mick Jones (from The Clash), Jello Biafra (from the Dead Kennedys), Joey and Tommy Ramone (though not Johnny or Dee Dee) were having misgivings and feeling some responsibility very early on. The bands that didn't give a shit-- or even encouraged and exploited the worst aspects (like the Sex Pistols)-- were cooler, at least in some circles.

Knopper then puts the 3 decade old movement into the context of "the era of Trump and the alt-right, Charlottesville, and 'very fine people on both sides,' [when] fighting Nazis is sadly newly relevant, and veterans of the hardcore-vs.-skinheads battles of yore are happy to help with war stories and advice." The rest of his piece is a very worthwhile oral history on how punks took back their scene, featuring, among others, Black Flag's Henry Rollins, Mike Watt from Minutemen, Darryl Jenifer of Bad Brains and Camper Van Beethoven's David Lowery. I should have told Knopper to include Penelope Houston from The Avengers. Last night she surprised me with her recollection. "The Avengers broke up in mid-79. We didn't seem to attract super narrow-minded fans. I think the Nazis coming to punk gigs happened years after that, but I wasn't there. I'd made my way into more arty or folky kinds of punk: Human Hands, Monitor, B-People, Violent Femmes, after hardcore reared it's nearly shaved little head. There was one time some dudes from the suburbs came to our show at the Mabuhay and started punching people in the audience. We just stopped playing. This was in a pre-pit, pogo-esque time period. I still don't get why some people say the Avengers were the first hardcore band. We were not having it."



Darren Hill was the bass player-- and the brains behind-- the Red Rockers, a band on my label, 415 Records. They had come from Metairie, Louisiana, home of KKK Grand Wizard or Dragon (and Republican state legislator) David Duke. The Red Rockers were nothing like David Duke-- and when their first album was released they were often referred to as "the American Clash." Today Darren manages Paul Westerberg of The Replacements. I asked him to read Knopper's story and give me some input.

We knew that Nazi imagery had been adopted by some of the punk pioneers strictly for it’s shock value. That always made me uneasy but I never imagined that anyone in our scene would actually adopt their ethos.

Slam dancing had become a thing at our shows in New Orleans but it was harmless fun for the most part. Occasionally ignorant and testosterone fueled jocks would come out and misinterpret what was going on. They thought it was some kind of sport and started hurting people-- even girls.

We did a pretty good job policing it though-- stopping the show and calling them out. Ridicule and shaming was pretty effective because they were outnumbered.

It wasn’t until we hit the road that we encountered real Nazi Punks for the first time. I couldn’t believe it. This is a real thing? What in the hell are you doing at our show? Do you know what we’re about? Have you ever listened to our lyrics? We went from awareness and singing “Springtime for Hitler” in the van to the cognizance that this was real and dangerous… and very, very frightening.

By the time we returned home they had infiltrated OUR scene. The vilolence had spun up several notches and we could no longer control it-- to the point that the club we played at all the time had to ban us due to the violent element. I always believed that violence begets violence but there was no reasoning with these animals. Failed attempts and a black eye led to the realization that they were not just ignorant, they were brainwashed. We understood that we had to defend ourselves and our scene. The next time we hit the road, we took our friend out as a roadie-- the only employee we could afford at the time. He was a six-foot-four 260 pound hulk of African/Puerto Rican decent. Picture a NFL linebacker with a mohawk in a kilt. He couldn’t tune a guitar to save his life but probably saved our lives a few times. He would slowly skank across the stage while we played always keeping an eye on the crowd. If he saw any sign of trouble he would leap down into the middle of it and dance, then jump back up and resume skanking. He was actually quite graceful for such a big man. He was so intimidating yet peaceful and we never had a problem after that.

Years later, in the late 90’s, I was managing the Dropkick Murphys. There was a resurgence of the skinhead movement and they adopted the band as their own. Even though the band denounced them, there was still a huge presence at the shows. There was freightening confrontation at a Warped Tour show one year in Salt Lake City. The band’s vastly outnumbered crew stood up to a literal army of bad skins that day in what can only be described as a battle. What can I say, our guys were from Boston. Luckily there were no serious injuries and the skinheads were chased off in shame. There was a serious threat of retaliation if the band ever came back to SLC so we stayed out of the market for a while. Fortunately that dissipated over time.

Those who believe in hate cannot feel empowered and be allowed to grow. Charlottesville reminded me of this.

Sanders Campaign Needs More Punk Rockers To Join The Chorus of Musical Support

photo of Alice Bag and Frightwig by Eric Goodfield

by Denise Sullivan

The rock 'n' roll choice for president is clear, according to the Artists and Cultural Leaders for Bernie Sanders. Politically conscious, engaged, and enlightened performers whether from folk roots like Bonnie Raitt or Jackson Browne, or edgier stock like Wayne Kramer, Jello Biafra, and Margaret Cho, comprise the diverse list of performers. Meshell Ndegeocello, Lucinda Williams, David Crosby, John Densmore, and Serj Tankian (System of a Down) have also signed on to support Sanders.

Of course music people traditionally lean left, whether Fleetwood Mac for Clinton or Bruce Springsteen for Obama; we rock the vote. We also know Democratic leaders and insiders rarely allow rebels like Sanders to prevail, but we in the arts and humanities must maintain hope and stand with Sanders. As a woman, I'm particularly interested in Sanders on the ERA and the Paycheck Fairness Act, his advocacy for increasing minimum wage, commitment to expanding health and reproductive rights, and belief that childcare, pre-school and parental leave should be available to all Americans, not just a privileged few.

While I don't know where original punk rocker Alice Bag stands on Sanders, over the weekend I heard her perform "Equality in the USA" with Frightwig in San Francisco at the Punk Renaissance, a weeklong festival organized by Punk Rock Sewing Circle, former punk rockers committed to social justice. Interestingly, Sanders has ties to punk rock, when as mayor of Burlington, he approved the Mayor's Youth Office and punk gathering spot, 242 Main. Not only do I think there could be a valuable meeting of the minds here-- as in a coalition of punk rockers for Sanders-- but Bag's powerful punk performance once again reminded me of my generation's musical ability to change hearts and public opinion in fundamental ways.

Sung to the tune of "Anarchy in the UK," Bag snarled, "Time for equal pay I thought this was the USA!" This is one punk rocker with plenty to say and she does it with more fire than most ("I'm tired of this patriarchal bullshit!"). Accompanied by the forceful  Frightwig, core members of the San Francisco scene who have long advocated for women's rights in song, the band's Mia Simmans led the group through her own anthem, "Redistribution of Wealth." Bag also sang out against Monsanto in "Poison Seed." The evening's lineup also featured the Mutants and Penelope Houston with the Avengers performing her "We Are The One" and "The American In Me," among other timeless indictments of a broken system.



I don't know about you, but I'd rather hear these kinds of songs, sung by women, leading our way into the future, instead of "Don't Stop (Thinking About Tomorrow)." I look forward to the continually updated roll call of the artists joining the fight with Sanders, and more songs that will lead the way forward. Until that time, here's some inspiration worth remembering from punk rock's past.

San Francisco Celebrates City Hall Centennial... With Classic Punk Rock

Penelope Houston, Jello Biafra, Chuck Prophet and Novena Carmel (left to right) rock San Francisco (click to enlarge). Photo by John Margaretten

by Denise Sullivan

"That was for librarian Cynthia Hurd, murdered two nights ago for being black in America," said Penelope Houston from the stage of Friday night's musical Centennial Celebration of City Hall, punctuating her 38-year-old song, "The American In Me," concerning the country's culture of violence. Accompanied by Chuck Prophet and the Mission Express, Houston, who works by day as a city librarian and archivist, originally cut the song in 1977 with her history-making punk rock band the Avengers (they opened the last ever show by the Sex Pistols in San Francisco), and her remarks were welcome commentary at the mid-point of an  impressive cross-generational revue assembled by Prophet to sing the songs of San Francisco (a second stage devoted to jazz and blues held down by vocalist Lavay Smith featured internationally recognized hometown talent like Jules Broussard and Paula West).

Timed to coincide with the US Conference of Mayors, a visit to the city by President Obama, and a $33,000 a head fundraiser organized by House leader Nancy Pelosi, the outdoor event was a "a unique public private partnership" sponsored by PG&E, ATT, Wells Fargo and Twitter, according to the City's bumpf supported by the discreet logos flanking the stage. Representing the City's musical history from the dawn of rock and folk, the program veered from the dark "Tom Dooley" by the Kingston Trio to the excruciatingly light Beau Brummels and Journey, then back to dark as honorary San Franciscan Mark Kozelek turned in a terrifying performance of his true life tale, "Richard Ramirez Died Today of Natural Causes." As Prophet led the musicians often accompanied by Nona Brown's Inspirational Music Collective (a full backing chorus) and a string section, and journalist Ben Fong Torres emceed, it was Houston and her punk rock brethren Jello Biafra (Dead Kennedys) who used their stage time outside the US Mayor's conference to stand down local and societal ills and sock it to 'em. Punk rock, alongside hip hop has long served as contemporary music's conscience and soul, or at  least since rock and folk has largely abandoned overt messaging and moved toward a more opaque and obscure language and centrist views. But there are some singers who mercifully shall not be moved from their mission to disrupt business and politics as usual.

Immediately following Houston, as a string section plucked "California Uber Alles," Jello Biafra noted, "This one's for City Hall," then he spilled his guts into "Let's Lynch The Landlord." Biafra, who took his own bid for mayor in 1979, was clearly delighted to be back on the civic beat. He told the San Francisco Weekly, "My hope for this festival, zillion-dollar light show or not, is that it's a celebration of the vibrant art and culture that makes San Francisco such a destination for other people. It's a shame the rent has gotten so expensive that people don't keep drifting in here from all over the country as teenagers, or a little older, all chasing a dream-- that's what I did." Biafra's dream led him to becoming one of the most recognized and fervently progressive voices in punk as leader of the Dead Kennedys and later as a solo artist, though it's also been at a cost. He's been persistently pestered by law enforcement since the day his band's name appeared on a marquee; he's survived an obscenity trial and fought his own eviction on Guerrero Street decades ago. But times have changed dramatically in San Francisco as reported here and elsewhere. Evictions are more frequent and uglier. And due to poor planning and housing policies we've seen large swathes of the City's culturally creative and contributing working, artist, LGBTQ, Latino, and African American populations continue to be priced-out, often following Ellis Act evictions alongside more unlawful and unethical practices.



As I watched Biafra perform "Let's Lynch The Landlord" with some urgency, I stood by friends who with the assistance of the City Attorney are presently  facing down one of the ugliest of all landlords our City and LA will ever know. I thought of the others we've lost to evictions, AIDS, poor health and other causes and wondered who will be next to be evicted or passed over in favor of a younger, richer and whiter San Franciscans. Steve Barton, the singer-songwriter and guitarist from Translator who left the city years ago told me of the housing crisis impacting West Hollywood where he's lived with his wife for 13 years.  Later in the evening,  he lead his frustration anthem, "Everywhere That I'm Not," to great effect as once again I contemplated where we'd been, how far we'd come, and where we'll all land when the boom goes bust.

"Don't forget who you are. Be true to yourself San Francisco," implored Debora Iyall following her battle cry, "Never Say Never." Iyall was at the Indian Occupation of Alcatraz in 1969; she returned for the punk rock invasion of the city in the late '70s and early '80s and when called upon to serve in the here and now, she answers. It's values, like that, among others, that punk rock taught her generation and that others in the tradition of resistance, like the protestors who jammed streets downtown and the creators of the Black Lives Matter installation at the celebration's periphery, still cleave to, while under under the gold dome of City Hall, insiders partied on.

"We've got to live together," sang Novena Carmel during grand finale singalong of her dad Sly Stone's hit, "Everyday People." And for a few hours, the remaining residents of the city that knows how did just that.

Debora Iyall and Chuck Prophet rock San Francisco

Pride: "Mining Communities Are Being Bullied, Just Like We Are"

Last night a film critic friend invited me to see a new movie being released Friday, Pride. It's a dramatization of a true story set in Thatcherite England (1984), during an historic year long coal mining strike. The movie is spectacular and is a celebration of a bond between humans in the face of cold, ugly corporate power being enforced by right-wing government. The film is set as a piece the brings together politically conscious London gays and Welsh miners. There is plenty of prejudice and hatred woven throughout the plot but when a miner goes to a London gay dance club to thank the community for raising funds to feed their families-- which the Thatcherites are trying to starve into submission-- he says, "When you're in a battle with an enemy so much bigger, so much stronger than you, to find out you have a friend you never knew existed… well, that's the best feeling in the world." What do they have in common, these rough-hewn Welsh miners-- think Appalachia-- and a gay community just coming to grips with the AIDS epidemic? Both recognize a bond built from fighting oppression by the neo-fascists, their police, their media and their manufactured public opinion.

I called Roland when I left the theater to tell him about it. I couldn't. I choked up every time I trued explaining when I spent much of the movie crying. He looked it up online. "It's a comedic drama," he said. "It looks funny." He's right, there was some humor in it-- thank God-- but, at least for me, there was the pride of unity that always chokes me up when I see communal efforts to resist the power of the Establishment, the power of the cannibals. And for me, the whole film got tied up in my mind with a miners benefit I had helped organize a few years before this one. It was in the summer of 1978 and the scraggly punk rock community around San Francisco's Mabuhay Gardens came together to do a benefit concert for Kentucky miners striking because of shit working conditions and black lung disease. We made that our battle in a similar way that the London gays made the miners' struggle in one small Welsh village their own. We managed to raise over $3,000 and almost a dozen bands played-- the Nuns, the Dils, the Avengers, the Sleepers, Negative Trend, UXA, the Mutants, the Liars, Seizure, SST, Tuxedomoon… I may have left some bands out.

The battle will never end, not so long as there are still selfish, greedy sociopathic conservatives trying to enslave everyone else so they can get a bigger share of the pie. Above is a trailer from the film; here's a clip from the Avengers playing "The American In Me" at the Mabuhay miners benefit. Do yourself a favor; go see the movie.