I’ve said it here several times before, but I always preferred Sonic Youth when they were artier and weirder than the cuddly alt.rock darlings they sort of became. In any case, here’s a clip from that era, circa the release of Bad Moon Rising, as captured at Stache's on High Street in Columbus, Ohio (above) in August of 1985. A month after this was shot, I would start attending college at nearby Denison University.
I first posted this footage, along with a rumination about the venue in question, back in 2011, but that video — like so many others in the wilderness of YouTube — vanished into the ether. It resurfaced here as recently as this past January. Here’s what I had to say about it back in 2011.
I haven't been back to Columbus, Ohio since about 1990, but as I understand it, Stache's was torn down some years ago. A quick search on YouTube, however, brought up a few clips that brought back some memories of the place. Below is a video of, ironically enough, New York's own Sonic Youth rocking the wood panelling off the walls at Stache's (playing my favorite-ever song of theirs, "Death Valley `69"). This was recorded in August of 1985, a good month or so before I'd ever set foot in the place. Like Stache's itself, the clip is low on frills (and it's amusing to watch the scant few paying patrons blithely walk in front the "stage" whilst the `Youth are in throes of strumming their fingers bloody). Still, it gives you a quick taste of what it was like. Plus, it rocks. Enjoy.
As it happens, I may be headed back to Columbus some time later this year to take my daughter to look at some prospective colleges. If so, I might swing by the former site of Stache’s and see what’s there today. But here’s a taste of how it was….
Recent Comments