True stories of punching Nazis at Gilman with the directors of Freaky Tales and Turn It Around: Podcast
https://consequence.net/2025/04/freaky-tales-turn-it-around-gilman-podcast/
#Berkeley #punks #Nazis #GilmanStreet #movies
"Imagine if Quentin Tarantino and Boots Riley teamed up to make a film set in 1987 Oakland and you’ll start to get a sense of the darkly comedic, cartoonishly bloody film 'Freaky Tales,' which opens this weekend. Directed and written by Anna Boden and Oakland-raised Ryan Fleck, the movie follows four interwoven stories involving a Golden State Warrior with a secret identity, inexperienced female MCs battling pimp rap godfather Too Short, and Pedro Pascal as a reluctant thug. The film begins with a magical green fog sweeping across the Bay, signaling that 'Freaky Tales' is a work of surrealist fantasy, but the fourth one of its subplots, involving a brawl between Nazi skinheads and punks, is actually based on a true story.
(. . .)
The catalyst was an anti-racist song called 'Skinhead' by local punk band MDC. Rumors had spread that skinheads enraged by the mocking lyrics were planning to bum-rush Gilman during an MDC performance and 'do terrible things' to singer Dave Dictor, according to Parks. Although there wasn’t an official meeting to discuss battle strategy, as a scene in 'Freaky Tales' depicts, the punks showed up to the MDC show with bats and chains, ready to stand their ground against the expected onslaught."
#OTD July 12, 1986
Bay Area pop punk band The Mr. T Experience release their debut LP, “Everybody's Entitled to Their Own Opinion”
It’s been fun watching this band evolve from this debut and through their creative peak in the mid-90s. From the start, MTX has always been a bubble gum power pop kind of punk band, singing about failed relationships, or not having one.
This album, along with their 1989 EP “Big Black Bugs Bleed Blue Blood” were regular tracks in my playlist. It’s just fun, simple, straightforward music without pretense.
Favorite track is “Danny Partridge”, about the arrest of former child star Danny Bonaduce (The Partridge Family).
And How!
Dom Tyer
Levka
Defiance!