LA Reader, December 2, 1983

Saturday: Earth Dies Burning (and audiences leave art-damaged by these noise-mongering teens whose idea of musical nirvana is eighty dirty sine waves at maximum volume for long periods of time. Consider yourself warned).Andrea ‘Enthal, who penned this blurb for the LA Reader, apparently hated us.  Whether she ever actually attended any of our shows is not known. The blurb ran a few times.

I don’t think Andrea ‘Enthal had much interest in anything EDB – not the noise, nor the sense of humor, nor being teenage boys – but I think that “consider yourself warned” was a pretty reasonable tag.  She had a late night radio show on KPFK that we weren’t welcome at, but I remember hanging out in the dj booth with the show that came on after hers on several occasions.

Matt

LA Reader, October 14, 1983

John Trubee, Geza X, Gobscheit, Jimmy Smack, Earth Dies Burning. Bebop REcords and Fine Art, 18433 Sherman Way, Reseda, 881-1654. Smart-ass toilet-training humor from Trubee; smart-ass theatrical pop from Geza; tatooed asses, noise, and what passes for poetry and social statements from Gobscheit; art-damaged poetry from synthesizer-toting Smack; and just plain damage from the noise-mongering teens of Earth Dies Burning. Saturday at 9 p.m. Free.

I think that Jeff and I must have walked into BeBop Records and Fine Art not too long after they first opened: Hanging out in record stores was a way we spent a considerable portion of our youth.  Rich Bruland and Rene Engel, the shop’s co-owners, were hung ho when we asked about putting on shows there – yet another example of adults being completely open to these young teenage kids with nothing but gumption.  We put on several shows there – both ones that EDB played at and others.  With the record racks pushed over to the side, BeBop was a fantastic place to see shows – especially for kids in the Valley.

Matt

Penn Jillette postcard, April 7, 1985

Jeff and I saw Penn and Teller’s amazing show in Los Angeles in 1985.  Knowing a bit about Penn Jillette’s musical tastes from his work with Ralph Records, we introduced ourselves to him after the show and slipped an EDB cassette into his pocket.  Thinking about the big man listening to us on his Sony Walkman on his flight home was thrilling – and his gracious postcard indicative of the kind of generous reception we were offered by so many adults whose paths we crossed.

Matt