The rebirth of the Whisky as a rock club occurred in the late 1970s, when the embers of a punk scene in L.A. The venue also hosted minor theatrical performances such as The Rocky Horror Picture Show during this period, but no attempt to transform the Whisky attracted the kind of talent or intensity that the club had cultivated during the 1960s. With the buzz of its formative decade behind it, the club's producers sought out more economical performance ideas for the space, and operating a dance club appeared to be a cheaper, less troublesome, alternative to the live music format. The Whisky nearly burned to the ground in 1971, and the club was forced to close for several months before re-opening as a discotheque. The film, and other similar representations of the 1960s, affirm the Whisky's status as a potent emblem of the rebellious energy of a particular moment in music and pop culture history.ĭespite its indisputable " hot spot" status during the 1960s, the Whisky's popularity waned in the early 1970s as a softer, more folk-inspired sound penetrated live music in Los Angeles. Whisky stage to recreate the spirit of that era's radical, drug-fueled excess. In his vivid film evocation of the period, The Doors (1991), Oliver Stone used simulated live footage of one of The Doors' early performances on the While the Whisky name is associated with some of the most significant performers of every rock era since the club's opening, it is the explosive decadence of the late 1960s that has most decisively defined the Whisky's place in the popular imagination. Guitar legend Jimi Hendrix dropped in on several occasions to jam with the Whisky's house bands, and rock's raspy leading lady, Janis Joplin, downed her last bottle of Southern Comfort at the Whisky before her death in 1970. Bands such as The Doors and Buffalo Springfield brought revolutionary sounds to the music world, and attracted the likes of John Belushi and Charles Manson to the venue. Johnny Carson, Rita Hayworth, Lana Turner, and Steve McQueen were just a few of the personalities who turned out to revel in Rivers's performance.Īs the turbulent socio-political energy of the late 1960s gained momentum, so too did the influence of the Whisky. Opening night featured Johnny Rivers, whose blues-inspired pop album titled Johnny Rivers at the Whisky a Go Go took him to the top of the charts. The Whisky quickly became a breeding ground for the most influential musical talent of the mid-to-late 1960s. Owners Elmer Valentine and Mario Maglieri transformed an old, three-story bank building into a Parisian-inspired discotheque complete with female DJs (Disc Jockeys) dancing in cages suspended above the stage. Older than neighboring rock 'n' roll haunts such as the Roxy and the Rainbow, the Whisky emerged onto L.A.'s music scene in January of 1964. As its decades at the corner of Clark Drive and the famed Sunset Boulevard have proven, the Whisky's roster of rock performers chronicles the evolution of L.A.'s highly influential music industry and its impact on popularculture at large. With the affluence of Beverly Hills and Malibu to its west, the fantasy of Hollywood to its east, West Hollywood's gay and lesbian influence directly south, and "the hills," home to the world's rich and famous, above it, the Whisky finds itself at the heart of a city in which anything can happen-and often does.
#WHISKEY A GO GO FULL#
They reveal that the full story of that night has never been told – until now.Infused with the neon energy of the Sunset Strip, the Whisky a Go Go stands as Los Angeles's (L.A.) richest repository of rock 'n' roll history. These files reveal what occurred prior to, during, and after the conflagration.
That changed in 2012, when the author had the privilege of being the first person to view the files created by the original lead detectives. Rumours have swirled around that horror-filled night for decades: were Stuart and Finch framed? Were others involved? Were further atrocities committed to hide the truth behind the outrage? For decades it was impossible to uncover the truth behind the tragedy. Despite the quick arrest and subsequent conviction of John Stuart and his sidekick, James Finch, the ashes have never stopped smouldering. The Whiskey Au Go Go nightclub massacre was a defining moment in 1970s Australia: the ‘horrific epicentre of all the crime and filth, the corruption and deaths that came before and followed that tragic night in March 1973, when 15 innocent people lost their lives’. Unless otherwise stated, the narrative is based on the original police murder-investigation files. The quoted conversations are taken verbatim from police eyewitness statements, court transcripts, coroners’ reports and other archival material.
0 kommentar(er)
