Funny, back in the day in DC, there was a store called Commander Salamander aka the "punk store," where you could get all the clothing and punk accessories to ready you for a night at, yep, Poseurs...the "punk" bar in DC (now a really good running story, ironically). Pretty awesome to actually have a bar called Poseurs where people were self-aware enough, or perhaps so clueless to show up in punk regalia.
The DC scene was actually pretty accepting of the fact that if you shopped at Commander Salamander and hung out a Poseurs, you weren't a punk, you were just trying to piss off your parents in Bethesda, Arlington, Mclean, or Upper Northwest (Beecher St crew excluded)....the real punks got their clothes from thrift stores, scrounged food from the Roy Rogers fixins' bar (you could get a bun for a dime and go to town!), and spent their hard earned money on shows at 9:30, Madams Organ, Wilson Center, or cool house parties where Minor Threat, Faith, Bad Brains, or other cool bands would hang out and play.
Alas I was just a touch too young to really dive into that scene. I saw a few shows through sneaking out or those that made it to the burbs...but most of the cognoscenti in DC will admit that the scene pretty much started to end in '84 and was pretty much in "post-punk" mode by '85. Ian MacKaye still rocks with Fugazi and his various projects, but heck....he and Henry are a biscuit away from 60.
Check out "Salad Days" and "Cool Disco Dan" for some excellent perspectives on that special time in DC. For a teeny little city (especially then) it had a great music scene, if you knew where to look.
The DC scene was actually pretty accepting of the fact that if you shopped at Commander Salamander and hung out a Poseurs, you weren't a punk, you were just trying to piss off your parents in Bethesda, Arlington, Mclean, or Upper Northwest (Beecher St crew excluded)....the real punks got their clothes from thrift stores, scrounged food from the Roy Rogers fixins' bar (you could get a bun for a dime and go to town!), and spent their hard earned money on shows at 9:30, Madams Organ, Wilson Center, or cool house parties where Minor Threat, Faith, Bad Brains, or other cool bands would hang out and play.
Alas I was just a touch too young to really dive into that scene. I saw a few shows through sneaking out or those that made it to the burbs...but most of the cognoscenti in DC will admit that the scene pretty much started to end in '84 and was pretty much in "post-punk" mode by '85. Ian MacKaye still rocks with Fugazi and his various projects, but heck....he and Henry are a biscuit away from 60.
Check out "Salad Days" and "Cool Disco Dan" for some excellent perspectives on that special time in DC. For a teeny little city (especially then) it had a great music scene, if you knew where to look.
