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[personal profile] defrog
ITEM: I missed this, but it’s something a few of you will have some interest in: Elmer Valentine, the founder of the Whiskey A Go Go, died last week.

The Whiskey A Go Go is not only one of the coolest club names ever, it’s also one of the few places in Los Angeles I’d want to visit (preferably via time travel), as it kicked off many a career for some great bands. It was to the 60s what CBGB’s and Max’s Kansas City would later be to the 70s, by which time the Whiskey was showcasing bands like X and The Germs. The Doors got started there, and the Kinks and the Who played their first American gigs there.

Okay, so it’s also where Huey Lewis and the News got started, but why quibble?

And another thing ... Go-go dancing? Elmer Valentine invented that.

Well, probably. Sources say go-go dancing originated at the Peppermint Lounge in NYC, but the Whiskey was the first club to hire go-go dancers on a regular basis AND put them in dance cages.

Besides, did the Peppermint Lounge Girls get a starring role in a low-budget beach-monster picture?


No.

A great legacy for a former vice cop from Chicago.

FUN FACT: The term "Go-Go" is derived from the French expression à gogo, meaning "in abundance, galore", which is in turn derived from the ancient French word la gogue for "joy, happiness".

Source: Wikipedia

For more information, see: a girl in a glass box dancing to The Sonics.


Shake it don’t break it baby,

This is dF

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