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For a long while punk rock was largely associated with the East Coast, thanks to veritable gods like the Ramones and Bad Brains. Punk in Southern California, however, has seeped into the discussion, and acts like Black Flag and The Adolescents are getting the due they deserve. One of L.A.'s most formidable entries in punk? X, which formed in the late '70s and released its manifesto with 1980's Los Angeles, which is regularly listed among the greatest punk rock recordings of all time.
Certainly, the Grammys weren't paying attention back then. In 1980, Billy Joel's 52nd Street won Album of the Year! And The Eagles snagged an award in the "Rock" category! But now it's 2017, and the Grammys have caught on to the significance of X. So much so that the Grammy Museum will be dedicating a whole exhibit to the band. Titled "X: 40 Years of Punk in Los Angeles," the exhibit will surely make you feel as if you were born in Pangea. The show is slated to run from June 30 to February 25 of next year.
"We are honored, dumbstruck and so grateful that all four original members are here to celebrate and share our history and 40th anniversary," the band said in a joint statement. "It's a very long way from a basement on Hollywood Blvd. [at the Masque] to the Grammy Museum, but we feel that we bring with us all the punks from then and now."
The Masque, by the way, is regarded as L.A.'s first punk club. Don't feel culturally inadequate if you've never heard of it; it was very short lived, as it was closed down by the Los Angeles fire marshall just five months after its first show in January of 1978.
Back to X. According to All Access, items on display will include original instruments and gear played by the band, handwritten lyrics and notebooks, clothing, original concert flyers for L.A. shows, and screenings of X: The Unheard Music.
"Visitors will get a unique, behind-the-scenes look at the development of X's career and how, after 40 years, they remain one of the few bands to continue to tour with all four original members," museum curator Nwaka Onwuswa said in a statement.
Isn't it kind of weird that a punk band gets its own exhibit now in the Grammy Museum? Would this have been conceivable 30 years ago? Perhaps not. But then again, X did make a concerted effort to be a bit more radio-friendly by the mid '80s. And as the Grammys' handlers phase out, going from older to younger, there's a newfound awareness of bands that had been left on the sidelines. So, all in all, the whole deal isn't that surprising.
Anyway, here's some X to whet your appetite.
The Grammy Museum at L.A. Live is located at 800 W Olympic Blvd A245, Los Angeles, (213) 765-6800.
