Hanging out by the Cathay de Grande club was
where I liked to be the most. Even if I didn’t have
money to get in, hanging out with others was still fun.
At least, the music could sort of be heard from the
street. Bernie, the door guy was always there
hollering at us to “Line up against the wall! The cops
are here!” to give the illusion that we were queuing
up to get in and not just loitering. Two blocks from
the Cathay, there was a little alley tucked between a
couple of buildings where many people quietly drank.
The cops caught on and started checking that spot.
We were like rats scurrying around, and the cops and
neighbors hated us. I just wanted to be a part of the
punk rock scene, no matter what gross alley or vile
basement club I was in.