Farewell, Dirk.

“H.J. Caruso is innocent !!”

Oh hell; the sheer brilliance of Rocket To Stardom can’t even be explained.

I don’t think I ever exchanged any words with Dirk at the Fab Mab, except for the usual heckling when he was up on stage insulting the crowd between bands. But I was there often enough to appreciate the fact that he didn’t “go Bill Graham” on us.

It was a blast to see him MCing for the Fab Mab Reunion show last April at the Fillmore. It truly was like time travel as he, the Mutants, and the Avengers’ Penelope Houston all looked (and sounded) almost identical to 25 years ago. It’s a shock that he’s gone.

I can’t recall all the bands I saw at the Mab, but they definitely included the Avengers, the Dils, the Mutants, the Contractions, Devo, Madness (on their first performance in the USA), the DKs, Talking Heads, and others. If I got out my old Search & Destroy’s I could recall others.

I was at that Madness show. I raced across the Bay Bridge after seeing Ronnie Woods play with Bob Marley at the Oakland Colliseum. Talk about a contact high. Then we all went to the Target party. Crazy times.

People like Dirk Dirksen are needed in this world and are missed even more when they are gone because people like Dirk Dirksen are visionaries and risk takers. They will hang their reputations on the line and put themselves out there because they believe in a young musician’s right to try to get an audience.

Bravo to this man and the life he led. He is already sorely missed and I hope Jane, his familly and the rest of his friends are comforted in knowing when a personality like his was called for he gave it his all. When a risk needed taking he took it. When a crowd needed insults to feel loved he loved them and when the city of San Francisco needed a cultural enema he gave it the Fab Mab.

It was a blast to see him MCing for the Fab Mab Reunion show last April at the Fillmore. It truly was like time travel as he, the Mutants, and the Avengers’ Penelope Houston all looked (and sounded) almost identical to 25 years ago. It’s a shock that he’s gone.

I can’t recall all the bands I saw at the Mab, but they definitely included the Avengers, the Dils, the Mutants, the Contractions, Devo, Madness (on their first performance in the USA), the DKs, Talking Heads, and others. If I got out my old Search & Destroy’s I could recall others.

That was a special time in SF, but sadly all scenes eventually drift apart.

Here’s my favorite part of Joel Selvin’s obit for Dirk:

“I’m sorry to see you’re that easily pleased,” he told the crowd at the end of one band’s performance. “You should try and show some intelligence and sophistication and not just accept any slop that’s thrown in your trough.”

He turned to the musicians, who were trying to stalk off the stage, thinking he was not going to let the band have an encore.

“I’ll give you one,” he said, “but only because the next group is an absolute pimple in the armpit of progress. Now everybody, please pay attention because it’s time to play ‘People Are Stupid.’ “

“He was super obnoxious onstage,” said Penelope Houston of the Avengers. “He would stand there with that little dog under his arm, being a target for whatever they wanted to throw. At the same time, he loved all those people. In a way, they were his family.”

The dog’s name was Dummy.

Are they just more intelligent or driven than the rest of us? If so, what is it that drives them to so many seemingly diverse occupations through their years, until they find/run-into one that ’sticks’/what they’re best known for?

What I’m sort of wondering is… there’s so many famous people that have, at one time or another, been managers/producers/agents for other well-known celebrities or other well-known entertainers and/or smart people…
So — how do/did they get to that position… was it due to design (smart ambition); dumb luck that matched to their natural abilities; growing into and suddenly realizing what they were best suited to do; or what??
And if so, how did they finally realize that’s what they were “meant” to do??

Where was the Mabuhay Gardens?

The Mabuhay (Fab Mab) is on Broadway right at the end of the strip. It was a Filipino supper club and the owner, Nes Aquino, allowed a few local bands to play there in the hope of selling some drinks. “Mabuhay” means “Shalom.” The biggest underground band in town, The Nuns, played and there was a line around the corner. Everyone had dollar signs in their eyes. Nes was realistic enough to realize he couldn’t handle it– or didn’t want to– himself and when Dirk presented himself as a show biz figure and a bohemian, it was just what he needed. There was almost no booking policy; there were more slots, especially in the beginning, than there were bands, so anyone could play.

The Mabuhay was more a hangout than a showcase. You went for the scene and sometimes there was a band worth hearing. Sometimes there was an incredible band– but not that often. Not many bands with big names played there– not even big underground names– because there were no accounting procedures at the door (to be polite). It was more about the local bands anyway.

It was a great time in my life and I was close with Dirk for quite a few years, although I haven’t been in touch with him in over a decade. Now I feel badly that I haven’t. Bon voyage, Dirk.