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I am here for Friends and Networking

About Me

La Mere Vipere was the world's first punk dance club. It began life as a gay bar, a satellite of another gay bar owned by Noe Boudreau named "The Snake Pit". Located at 2132 N. Halsted St, LaMere held its first "Anarchy Night" on May 8th, 1977 (Mother's Day), at the suggestion of Mike "Sparkle" Rivers, a LaMere bartender who also worked at Sounds Good Records, one of the few Chicago record stores to carry the latest punk releases from England. A subsequent "Anarchy Night" on May 29th was reportedly delayed so the bar could play the first Sex Pistols single "God Save the Queen". A three-day event called "Punk-O-Rama" featuring punk films, live performances by local bands and a punk fashion show was held in late June, marking the club's transition to a full-time punk bar. The club soon drew a steady barrage of media attention, the hostility of it's neighbors and the police, and an onslaught of gawkers and tourists. The band Chicago was famously turned away at the door because the bar was already too crowded. According to an interview with former LaMere bartender Monica Lynch, NY culture mavens Steve Maas and Anya Phillips visted the club before Maas opened his own punk disco in downtown Manhattan, The Mudd Club. LaMere was destroyed by a fire on April 27th, 1978. The cirumstances surrounding the fire have always been suspicious and many folks at the time said that there was foul play involved. Some say the police had a hand in the fire, but that could never be substantiated. At a Patti Smith concert at Park West just following the demise of the club, Patti responded to the audience's vocal despair over their loss with the advice that they "build a new one". The untimely end of La Mere Vipere could be seen as the close of the first generation/wave of the Chicago punk movement. Noe Boudreau never opened another punk bar, but did later dj at other clubs including Club 950 and Neo's where he sometimes held nights called "One Eon of Eno by Noe at Neo's". Noe later died of AIDS. After LaMere closed down, the scene shifted to Oz and O'Banion's, the latter opening a couple months after LaMere's demise. An early 80's attempt by promoters to open a membership-only club called LaMere Vipere in a former near north porno theatre never got off the ground. The former site of LaMere re-opened as a liquor store.Information from the Chicago Punk Wiki: http://punk.dee-nee.com/wiki/La_Mere_Vipere

My Interests

I'd like to meet:

People who were regulars at LaMere Vipere, people who only went to O'Banion's but claimed to have gone to Lamere Vipere, people who would've gone to LaMere Vipere had they been old enough to get in, bands whose music was played at LaMere, local bands beloved by LaMere regulars, punks of every description. No gawkers!

My Blog

La Mere Reunion, May 9, Club Foot--Update

Here is the latest update:Festivities start at 8:30 with the ceremonial playing of the first two songs ever played at LaMere. Bobby Skafish kicks off the first set at 9:00 pm, followed (in no parti...
Posted by on Sun, 03 May 2009 23:55:00 GMT

La Mere Vipere Reunion at Club Foot Saturday May 9!

....more details to be announced!
Posted by on Mon, 06 Apr 2009 18:03:00 GMT

Mourning the death of Doug Brown, aka, "L'il Dougie".

We've been informed that Doug Brown, one of the original LaMere deejays , passed away suddenly in his Connecticut home. We extend our condolences to the musicians he played with, all the people who da...
Posted by on Sun, 08 Mar 2009 15:15:00 GMT

Kris Tigerlady Speaks!!!!!!

I am lamentably tardy in posting this , but the legendary Kris Tigerlady shares her LaMere memories in the online ChicagoPunkPix zine: http://chicagopunkpix.com/CPP/ The story draws comments from...
Posted by on Tue, 02 Sep 2008 18:27:00 GMT

La Mere Vipere Facebook Page

David Floodstrand and Kimball Paul have started a La Mere Vipere Facebook Page--you'll find some people there that you won;t find here. Here's the link: http://www.new.facebook.com/group.php?gid=31949...
Posted by on Tue, 02 Sep 2008 17:47:00 GMT

Breaking News: Ken Ellis plays the "Music of LaMere" on Mothers Day

Ken Ellis, whose LaMere memories enlivened "You Weren't There" says he will be spinning the music of LaMere and showing the great LaMere photos of Gavin Morrison on Mothers Day (May 11)...
Posted by on Sun, 04 May 2008 18:19:00 GMT

Skafish CD: What's This? 1976-1979

Indelible memories&..the first punk concert I ever saw, a twin bill of the Ramones and Skafish , June 1977.  At a time when it seemed there were maybe a dozen oddball Ramones fans in the entire ...
Posted by on Tue, 01 Apr 2008 01:00:00 GMT

Mary Alice Ramel Speaks!

There is a great interview with Gabba Gabba Gazzette editor and LaMere Field Marshall Mary Alice Ramel. by Marie Kanger-Born in the latest Chicago Punk Pix zine.  Here's the link: http://chicagop...
Posted by on Mon, 07 Jan 2008 21:35:00 GMT

some photos of the LaMere reunion

At least a coupla folks took some photos of the LaMere reunion. Check out Penny's myspace: www.myspace.com/pennywvn and Maries Chicago Punkpix magazine: http://chicagopunkpix.com/CPP/?p=30  
Posted by on Tue, 27 Nov 2007 20:20:00 GMT

Some notes on the 30th Anniversary LaMere Reunion

I am still recovering from the events of this past weekend, and not up to a blow by blow account.... but here's a few hangover-blurred thoughts: I finally knew the LaMere reunion was a success wh...
Posted by on Tue, 27 Nov 2007 19:34:00 GMT