Top Jimmy - R.I.P.

L.A. blues-rocker Top Jimmy, an enduring character in the L.A. music scene in the 1980s died of liver failure in Las Vegas last week at the age of 46.

In the 1980s, there were few places in Hollywood crazier than the Cathay de Grande club on a Monday night, where blues-rock singer and punk icon Top Jimmy held court with his band, the Rhythm Pigs, and various big-name guest stars, including David Lee Roth, members of the Blasters, X, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and too many others to mention. David Lee Roth was an especially big fan of Jimmy's, penning the tribute Top Jimmy on Van Halen's 1984 album.

The first time I saw Top Jimmy there was an uncharacteristically sparse crowd at the Cathay, probably because the guest that night was Motley Crue's Vince Neil. (Remember, this was a punk venue.) Nevertheless, Top Jimmy, along with his band the Rhythm Pigs, rocked the house - and Vince even sounded good! Even though Jimmy recorded two albums Pigus Drunkus Maximus (1987) and Good Times Are Killing Me (1998), he was primarily known as a live performer for his gigs in and around L.A. R.I.P., Top Jimmy.

L..A.'s Infamous Punk Clubs of the Late '70s/Early '80s

The Cathay (as mentioned above) was a cheesy, musty basement club that was a breeding ground for virtually every punk band in L.A. in the late 70s and early 80s. Unlike today's toney House of Blues and other such environs wherein we are conditioned to enjoy a $15 cheeseburger and a $6 beer to accompany our concert-going experience, the Cathay neglected to even include toilet paper in its "restroom" most nights. Now that's what you call hardcore. Here's a quick rundown of some L.A. punk clubs from back in the day:

The Vex - The East L.A.location was unusal for a punk club, The Vex was home to a host of the scene's punksters, and brought in a sizable number of mainstays such as Mad Society, Los Lobos, the Gears and dozens of others.

O.N. Club - Located in Silverlake, it catered to the 1980s incarnation of Mods and their related bands (Untouchables, etc.) and ska/hardcore bands. Remember when Vespas were all the rage?

Masque - the first and most infamous club, located behind a Hollywood Blvd.porno theatre

Club Lingere - A bigger club, the bookers grabbed onto all types of bands - jazz, avant-garde, R &B, as well as punk. My fondest (?!) memory of the Lingerie occurred one Valentines Day when some friends and I trudged through a hurricanesque rainstorm to see the Mentors! (the notorious, black -hooded porno rock poets) perform such classics as Golden Showers and Going Through Her Purse. As I recall, a hellacious brawl broke out between some bikers in the audience. What gal needs chocolate and flowers when you can see the Mentors and feuding bikers? Yeesh!

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