Apr 09, 2013 The Vandals’ Joe Escalante on Long Beach and Imprint
Since joining The Vandals in 1980, Joe Escalante is the only member to appear on every album and plays bass for the old-school punk band to this day. In addition to playing with the Long Beach-spawned group, Escalante has practiced law, operated a record label, directed movies, hosted various radio shows, and campaigned to be a judge for the Superior Court of Los Angeles County. I was beyond thrilled when he agreed to moderate the music panel of Long Beach: Work in Progress (April 26, 2013 at the historic Edison Theatre) featuring his old friend Jack Grisham from T.S.O.L. and Chhom Nimol and Zac Holtzman from Dengue Fever.
Didn’t you grow up in a somewhat famous house in Long Beach? What are some memories of growing up there?
852 East Ocean Ave., known as the Adelaide Tichener house, built by the Green and Green Architects. My dad bought it in 1968 shortly after divorcing my mom. I lived primarily in Rossmoor (O.C.) but stayed with my dad on weekends and summers. I lived there while I went to UCLA as well.
My favorite thing was that it came with a German live-in maid. It was very surreal just 23 years after the end of WW2 for us Mexicans to have this German servant. That was my dad’s twisted sense of humor. He insisted she be part of the deal.
At dinnertime, she would serve elaborate meals like something out of Downtown Abbey. The dining room was on a stage with an electric bamboo curtain that would reveal the formal place settings that all came with the house. There was an electric buzzer hidden under the carpet that my dad would push with his foot when he needed “Frau Lisa” to come out of the kitchen.
I also enjoyed the koi pond because it gave us a place to put all the gold fish we would win at the Pike where we hung out. My dad thought that was an okay place for us to hang out.
My dad’s business was on the corner of Santa Fe and Anaheim St. in an area that was never appreciated until West Coast Choppers opened down the street. It was called Superior Signs International and it’s still there today.
What was it like being in a punk band in Long Beach the late ’70s? Were you torn between L.A. and O.C. or amphibious?
Long Beach was rough compared to O.C. where I lived most of the time. There was more trouble to be had in Long Beach than in Rossmoor but when you’re talking about punk rock, you got into it because you were looking of trouble. I’m glad I went to school in O.C., but there was a lot of adventures to be had in Long Beach so it was always exciting. However, in O.C. I was known as a regular kid whose mom worked at the bowling alley, but in Long I was thought of as a “rich kid” which was actually quite problematic in the punk scene.
But as for shows, I preferred driving to Hollywood to the Whisky, Starwood, or Stardust Ballroom. That was a habit instilled by my dad. Every weekend we would go to Hollywood, Century City, China Town, Westwood, or Olvera St.
Exactly how many Zed Records locations were there over the years? Was it as great as I remember it?
The first one on 7th St. was in some tiny building that looked like it used to be a house. The second was in a little shopping center and was much bigger. When the third one moved to the traffic circle, it is was a little less romantic but it at least it still existed.
It was a place where you could just hang out all day. There was no Internet so where else would you get information about the punk rock world? You could buy the latest imports, pick up the latest fliers, and answer an ad that said “Social Distortion needs a drummer.” It was everything.
And was Fender’s as scary as I remember it? (Check out the flyer for The Vandals opening for The Ramones at Fender’s HERE.)
Fenders wasn’t as scary as the Fleetwood in Redondo Beach or even the Olympic Auditorium, to me. Those were places where you could leave in a coma.
I believe you know Jack Grisham and are familiar with Dengue Fever. Got anything to say about them going into the Q&A?
Jack Grisham was our leader during the folly of our youth. He was perfect for the job. It was great having a leader. Later in life, I made the Pope my leader but Jack was a good preliminary leader for me.
He had a car called the Cult Wagon. It was all pretty amazing. People did not like to see us arrive at their Long Beach parties in that thing. A couple times I remember hosts pleading with Jack not to come in.
Regarding Dengue Fever, I am familiar with them to the point that if someone says Cambodian band, I say Dengue Fever. I only recently discovered how original they are and I didn’t know they were from Long Beach.
Now that you’re back in the area (Signal Hill) what are your current favorite things about Long Beach?
My favorite things are Alex’s Bar, The Airport, Joe Jost’s, and the Pike Restaurant, in that order. My favorite thing used to be the Pike and Loof’s Lite-a-Line, before it moved.
More information about Long Beach: Work in Progress HERE. Above, Joe Escalante and I discuss the music panel over Death Tacos at GenkiYaki. Photo: Sandra Escalante.