Woman in Charge
Effective, divisive, love her or hate her
Over this past weekend, during our War Stories zoom session, Pleasant Gehman and I talked about Michelle Meyers, who passed away in the 1980s1. She was the talent buyer for the club, and a protege of the notorious Kim Fowley.
She was effective and efficient. She made the trains run on time.
She was also incredibly polarizing. People loved her or hated her.
I remember taking this photo in 1979. I can place the year, because that’s when Stiv started wearing that jacket, and the t-shirt he is wearing appears in photos I shot in August and September when his pop band played there. Carbon dating of the wardrobe variety! I’ve also been looking for this photo for ages, which is what I mentioned during War Stories.
When I did stumble upon it over the weekend - while looking for and scanning something else entirely, it was a fantastic EUREKA moment. Because we promoted the show on Facebook (and every platform that exists, because you must), I posted the photo there, referencing the mention in War Stories.
The replies commenting on Michelle were divided almost entirely on gender lines.
The guys in bands and at record labels all mentioned they enjoyed speaking with her on the phone, and that she treated them well. The ladies, on the other hand, mentioned she treated them unkindly. Not the photographer Roberta Bayley, however. Roberta mentioned that she knew Michelle in San Francisco in the 1960s, before Roberta moved to New York, and before Michelle moved to LA. She told us in her comments that they were both big fans of The Flamin’ Groovies, and that Michelle and another of her friends drove themselves and Roberta all over to see them, and that they were also big fans of The Byrds. It was all about the music! She said the last time she saw Michelle was in 1978 at the Miyako Hotel in San Francisco while the Sex Pistols were there.
Michelle was always a Cool Auntie to Pleasant and me. I remember she would let us in free at the Whisky, and when there were too many of us, she’d let us in 2-for-1. She also taught Pleasant and me how to promote shows, and how to pull off odd ball stuff like jamming a hotel telephone switchboard when you were calling a band so that no one else could reach them but you. She had been around, after all. She had done some kind of “assistant” work for Kim Fowley and perhaps Marshall Berle - hustler and impresario, those men were, respectively. She learned all the tricks of the trade, and people took her calls because when she started, she was calling on behalf of the Men Who Ran Things. She knew how to transfer their power (real or perceived) and influence to herself. You gotta admire that.
I absolutely saw her be mean. She wasn’t ever mean to me; she may have been stern, but she was not hateful. Others report their interactions with her much differently.
I am presuming that because Pleasant and I worked at the Whisky in a variety of odd but essential jobs (ticket taker, occasional show promotion, answering phones in the office during the day), she considered us “family,” and behaved that way.
On May 23, 1978, when Pleasant and I were partying with Billy Idol at Joan Jett’s apartment, across the street from the Whisky a GoGo, on Lobotomy Night - a show we booked as a benefit for our Zine, we all lost track of the time. As you can see, Lorna Doom was partying with us, and The Germs were on the bill! Billy himself was the guest of honor.
The show was happening but its headliner, promoters, and guest of honor were not in the club, but across the street. Michelle stormed into Joan’s apartment, and told us to get the hell over to the Whisky and then she grabbed Billy by the ear, just like a school marm, admonishing him, “YOU, guest of honor, get your ass across the street NOW!”
And Billy meekly and respectfully replied, “Yes ma’am.”
Michelle was the one, however, who gave Pleasant and me tips on how to make sure our party at Joan’s stayed private, and that we would be the only “journalists” there.
I am the only person with pictures of this historic event.
This was the punk equivalent of a Camp David Summit - with Ambassadors from London and Los Angeles meeting for the first time, having a coffee klatch in the kitchen and just hanging with the locals.
This evening while I was trying to learn when Michelle passed, the internet delivered me many old social media comments from people in bands or in audiences who crossed paths with her. There was no middle ground with her.
Lady Boss. She was one of a kind. If she was a man, the only thing people would talk about was the efficiency and influence of this Sunset Strip boss.
March is Women’s History Month.
Respect a woman today!
I wish I could be more precise. I remember when she was sick - she had cancer. Some bands played benefits for her medical bills. I don’t remember when she passed, but I believe she did while I still lived in Los Angeles (which was until 1988).
Chris has lots of M.M. stories. Roberta was close with Roy Loney even after Chris joined the FGs.
I was at the benefit for her at The Plant in the early 80’s and the big one at The Roxy around 86. She booked some shows for bands I was working for. She was a dear friend of the Flamin’ Groovies as well. 💙