tonight! AT THE JUNGLE CLUB

January 13, 2012 7:57 AM

A flickr set of Ottawa punks from the mid-'80s.

Photos of a loose group of friends from the Ottawa area, several of whom appear to have been members of Porcelain Forehead, Honest Injun, and Unwarranted Trust. They also seem to have been involved with the nuclear disarmament movement. While you peruse these, why not listen to some Canadian punk rock music, eh? (previously)

posted by TheWhiteSkull (22 comments total)

Kittens were all the rage back then as well.
posted by NoMich at 8:03 AM on January 13 [1 favorite]

Oh there are few things that make me feel as warm and fuzzy inside as old photos of young punks having fun.
posted by griphus at 8:04 AM on January 13 [2 favorites]

Andrew Cash then, Andrew Cash now.
posted by Beardman at 8:06 AM on January 13 [19 favorites]

Oh and in that vein, Twin Shadow's video for Castles in the Snow is just a bunch of footage of 80s Brazilian punks hanging out.
posted by griphus at 8:07 AM on January 13

I thought maybe I could find Warren Kinsella in there, but I think he was in Calgary at the time.
posted by Kabanos at 8:07 AM on January 13 [1 favorite]

Oh there are few things that make me feel as warm and fuzzy inside as old photos of young punks having fun.

Me too. I'm currently flashing back to my days in Mt. Pleasant, MI right now.
posted by NoMich at 8:08 AM on January 13

The Dik Van Dykes - Beachcombers
posted by The Card Cheat at 8:08 AM on January 13 [1 favorite]

This is about as edging as Ottawa can get! I was too young then to be in with these crazy kids. But "wow" I never thought Ottawa could muster it.
posted by Napierzaza at 8:12 AM on January 13 [1 favorite]

Be careful Russell. Don't pogo into gramma's knick knacks.
posted by davebush at 8:23 AM on January 13

Great to see kids having the time of their lives. Hope some managed to hold onto that.
posted by Twang at 8:33 AM on January 13

Very wholesome, sober punks.
posted by Stagger Lee at 8:35 AM on January 13

These kids are allright.
posted by Capt. Renault at 8:36 AM on January 13

The Dominion Tavern! It's only been around since 1994, so obviously it's only in the "2010 reunion" shots, but if you're in downtown Ottawa and wanted to hear punk that was pretty much the only place to go. Also quarts of beer! And pickled horrors!
posted by Hoopo at 8:53 AM on January 13 [1 favorite]

Also, the "King Edward slum" shot is kinda funny--those row houses have been renovated and a friend of mine lived there in the late 90s.
posted by Hoopo at 8:59 AM on January 13

I think I know a face or two in these shots. Saw Porcelain Forehead play a reunion show at Carleton's Porter Hall in, I guess, 1992?
posted by stinkycheese at 9:10 AM on January 13

Brings back many memories of my own misspent, wasted youth.
Oh that I could misspend and waste it again!

Thanks for posting. (Although, for the love of all that's holy, this Canadian punk needs to be linked somewhere here!)
posted by BigHeartedGuy at 11:55 AM on January 13 [1 favorite]

I love this picture.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 2:10 PM on January 13 [1 favorite]

Hello my youth, nice to see you again.
posted by biscotti at 3:16 PM on January 13

What I find strangest is how clean-shaven all the guys are. Not one bit of stubble.
posted by mendel at 6:16 PM on January 13

I may get some disagreement here, but I'd say that, until the advent of gutter punk (or drunk punk, or punks living on the street), you were generally supposed to be clean-shaven, if not sharp. You put some consideration into your look. Any facial hair smacked of being a hippie. Around the mid-late 80s, when metal and hardcore converged, and punks were doing lots of acid, that changed, and it became acceptable to have heavy stubble or long hair or even (gasp) facial hair.

People don't realise now how lame beards were considered in rock - not just punk rock, but heavy music in general. Beards were actually suggestive of soft music, of what's come to be known as yacht rock (I used to call it mall music or barber music since those were the only places I heard it). Beards were for Jeff Lynne and Leon Russell.
posted by stinkycheese at 8:35 AM on January 14

I may get some disagreement here, but I'd say that, until the advent of gutter punk (or drunk punk, or punks living on the street), you were generally supposed to be clean-shaven, if not sharp.

In general I think that's right, but it's also worth noting that some of the big punk/hardcore luminaries rejected it--e.g. here's Black Flag with defiantly luscious locks. I think also of Hüsker Dü and the mustache, but I guess they were on the road to becoming a heavy pop act more than punk.
posted by Beardman at 10:03 AM on January 14

Long long time ago, now. Looks very much the way I remember it, except I was in Vancouver.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 11:40 PM on January 15