Getting around to it.

Getting around to it.

In the mid-90’s I had the grand vision of putting together a book on the history of the Denver punk scene well before documenting punk scenes became fashionable. Sharon Cheslow, Cynthia Connolly and Leslie Clague’s Banned in DC: Photos and Anecdotes from the DC Punk Underground (79-85) was my inspiration and template for attempting such a project; they executed the perfect idea. Sadly, my project lacked commitment and was never realized. For almost two decades, boxes of photographs, fliers, interviews, letters, and zines still sit in a garage in San Diego and incomplete stories tucked away on a hard drive.

My friend, Jill “Razer” Mustoffa believed in my vision and was my cheerleader from the beginning, it was people like her why I got more involved in the scene; promoting shows, making zines, starting a record label apart from playing in bands…while I didn’t do much in the way of really starting a book, Jill has in some ways inherited the role as the gatekeeper of the bygone era via her Denver Punk Scene Facebook page. It is a living interactive electronic document that our friends contribute to by uploading images, leaving comments or sharing stories. It’s a space where you can choose your level of involvement. http://www.facebook.com/denverpunk

Every so often I get nostalgic and open a folder and look at what I started, thinking some day these stories will be told. Now that I’m living halfway across the world from my hometown, it seems like the appropriate time to dust off a couple and see what happens.

c/s Bob Rob (Medina)

January 2014

Special Thanks to Ana Medina and Monica Zarazua for editing and such.