GARY WILDE

Born in the city of Angeles in 1957, the 2nd son of my parents, Darrell & Ann. Raised in Beverly Hills, California with my older brother and 2 sisters. Yes, I Attended Beverly Hills High. By the time I turned about 7 years old, I began to Listen to The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Yardbirds and begin to love Everything 60’s especially “Twiggy.” & loved TV shows like Laugh-in and the 007 Movies.

My younger sister, Liz, (who now lives in Madrid, Spain) and I often spent Hours and hours viewing Beatle movies over and over again saturating ourselves With their FAB sounds. When I turned 9, I was hit by an RTD bus on Wilshire Blvd., but lived to talk about it. It was a bit tragic but life changing! But Hey! That’s part of my story and I’m sticking to it! This whole thing may sound kind Of fractured so read the book, ok?
In the 60’s my dad was a nationally known celebrity and business tycoon Hairstylist. He occasionally traveled from his Beverly Hills Tonsorial Salon to Vegas and around the Country to service some of the great business and musical Artist.

He was known as “The Picasso of the Shears”. He also made many TV Appearances to introduce the new Revolution in men’s grooming. What made him Popular with me was that he was one of the first stylist on the West Coast to cut And style the long hair look for men; especially among musical groups that played In the 60’s. I remember helping out at his shop on Beverly Drive and was honored at my Tender age to shine Beatle boots belonging to the Byrds, The Monkees, and The Doors And other great Rock and Contemporary groups. My dad was considered a real Reformer and innovator.
I tell you, some of these great musical groups inspired me to try my luck in the Music biz. So, I then began playing drums and guitar, morphed and got a mop top, Paisley shirts, turtle necks and Beatle boots and I was on my way. That also started my love for everything VOX!
Then came the 70's David Bowie Mott the Hoople Rod the Mod & The Faces The Sweet T Rex & the Glam thing was big with my friends in school and a strange cool era of Yes (my dad took me to see them at the forum in 1971 they open for Black Sabath)and to this day I do still admire there talent.
The KROQ Years/Rodney
At the end of the 70's 1977 actually I found a new source of music on a new LA radio station out in Pasadena CA called KROQ and came across this DJ Rodney Bingenheimer AKA Rodney On The Roq.
One Rare photo I took of Kim Fowley & Rodney at
The Starwood club in Hollywood Rodney was playing new music called Punk Rock and mixing that with new artist such as Blondie The Ramones and loads of English bands like Gen x Siouxsie The Clash & others of the time. Wow something new! So I started recording the show from our home and also archiving it along with my day job
(Thanks Morry's for the 20 plus years).
This went on till a friend introduced me to Bingenheimer at the legendary Sunset Strip Rock'N'Roll Denny’s and we became friends.
Mr B was impressed with the archive and had invited me down to the studio to see how it was done. For my birthday we worked on his anniversary show that was to air that week using my tapes from past shows with people like the Sex Pistols and other groups that had done the show. I was also a fan of Blondie and his guest for that show was Debbie Harry Chris Stein Siouxsie Sioux Michael Des Barres & Clem Burke so I got to hang out with them.
I know get to the point!
I did actually become(a year later) the engineer of the show were I would spin records and run the board working for Mr. B and KROQ
the rest is history!
With my new job I would find new band demo's and records that Mr. B would give me to see what we liked and started checking out new bands playing clubs in LA like the Bangles & The GoGo's and other group’s. Taking photos and recording them then reporting back to Rodney about the sounds and people sometimes playing my tape's on the air
The Bangles (And that another story itself)
And The Pandora’s from the early days.
THE PANDORAS
Were the one's that stood out to me the most.
I started going to their gig's and made friends with Gwynne & Paula and in a short time I was asked to manage them along with booking shows and managing other known groups during the
LA Paisley Underground scene in the 80's.
the two B/W photos by super girl Heather Harris thanks babe
The Pandora’s had the sound the look and did quite well in the L.A. club's and it was fun to work with them but as you may know from lineup history written there was trouble. Shortly after the It's about time record came out Paula and I put out a flyer advertisings that the Pandora’s needed new players so Gwynne was dropped from the band for her lack of musical taste in the direction that Paula wanted to pursue then Bambie & Casie also quit. And because of that Gwynne hated me for that for reasons I will not say. So I moved Paula to a rehearsal space in my sister’s garage to find new musicians. After completing the new line up with Julie Patchouli on Bass, Karen Brankfield Drums,Melanie Vammen Keyboard along with Paula Pierce Guitar & Vocals. After the band played a few gig's and recorded a new single Hot Generation for the Shaw VOXX label it was time to get on the road. With myself & Ron Rimmsite The Pandoras would do a east coast tour and we met up with The Fuzztones in New York. We called it the nowhere to park tour.
Now I will say I was blown away with The Fuzztones sound and the look. And especially with Deb O Nair the keyboardist WOW! what a knock out! But hey they lived in NY and I was involved with my bands and KROQ In Los Angeles. At that time The Pandora’s had become very successful in the LA local scene. Then after some time one day The Pandora’s and I parted ways(Thanks Karen!). Paula then recorded a fine LP called Stop Pretending but dropped the 60's style shortly after it was released. Paula told me that the song In And Out Of My Life In A Day was about us. Sadly to say years later I got a call from her boyfriend that Paula had passed away. And I was asked the ultimately saddest task to be one of the pallbearers at her funeral
R.I.P. Dear Paula.
THE FUZZTONES
Then something stranger happened. The Fuzztones split up in NY and Rudi Protrudi called and told me he and his new drummer Mad Mike were moving to LA to reform the tones and if I wanted a part doing my thing with the group. So they moved into my mom's old house and I started doing the stage set up and some bookings and getting them air play at KROQ. Actually everyone with a band wanted to be my friend at that time because I could get them played on the radio if Rodney liked it and if I would push it on him because we where good friends then. When I was not doing the Fuzztones/Day Job thing Rodney and I would hang out doing the clubs or the celebrity thing around town and hang out at Penny feathers or Denny’s/I HOP.
Then things started rolling with the Tones I went on tour to Europe with them and saw the world and had the chance to hang out with some very fun people along the way. I will say I did meet a large collection of great people like tour agents/road managers/record moguls Hauns of Music Manic and the super nice people at Beggars banquet records and some all out craze's and all out cool band that supported the shows everywhere
All the fans and my friends on the road.
This photo with our driver/gear man/light man Flip/peter our Dutch friend from Pro-Tone. And hanging out on Monaco bay. Photo by Diter Van Denzel Who was also a good friend from Pro-Tone/Tour Manager that year with the rest of the Fuzztones Jordan John Rudi Mike Jason, and I.
That turned out to be hard on the KROQ thing and my friendship with Rodney. My persona had changed from a what he called a choir boy to a rocker because I dyed my hair black and grew it out real long and I had lot's of girls hanging out with me.
One day in 1987 (I think).
We had a misunderstanding over his girlfriend/fiancé Susan and I left. Yup I walked out of his life and KROQ because he could not understand what I told him that his girl had come on to me. I told her to go home to her mother! And leave me alone!. It was something I did not want or need at the time or would ever want from her or ever do to my friend plus she was just 16.
Rodney could not or would not understand or even try to understand what his so called best friend was telling him and to this day he will fly into a rage if you say my name to him. He will tell you
THE DAMMAGE IS DONE!
But I told the truth and It was his loss. Years have passed and when I saw the movie Chris Carter help make about him called The Mayor of the Sunset Strip I felt so sorry for Rodney and his temper. Anyway so I stayed with the Tones till the LA breakup in 1990 and I must say I had a ball working with them.
We did this LINK PROTRUDI & THE JAYMEN video with Rudi Mad Mike and I on bass out in the California desert but it was bassist John Carlucci on the recording track
....
By the way thanks go's out to one of the first MTV VJ's Martha Quinn (Fuzztones Jordan Tarlow's Wife) Back in the mid 80's I was nicknamed Mad Man Gary F...in Wilde! She would use my name on MTV doing some celebrity car quiz stuff (that was cool & I have the video) Thanks Martha.
Just before the last tour with the Fuzztones I meet this German girl at a party at The Wild Pad and we fell in love and eventually I was divorced. As I look back at that
I had a Blast Thanks Angelika! After the Fuzztones split up again Rudi killed me off.
On the back of a Fuzztones LP he put In memory of Gary Wilde R.I.P. But as you can see my Fuzzy friends it is not true!
Thanks pal!
One night the remaining Tones and I had this idea (or was it Martha's ?)we were all at this bar in Hollywood and.
THE PHUZZTONES
With me as the lead singer and Jordan Mike John & Jason
The guys wile we were touring London and Amsterdam
The Fuzztones would bring me up on stage to sing GLORIA during the encore's and everyone liked is so much that we decided to try to do this after the split up. We got X-Fuzztones bassist John Carlucci to asked Dail Gloria at English Acid/peanuts to book us in as The Phuzztones and we sold out the show and got good reviews to great ones.
The funny thing was Rudi and his new line up of fuzzclones found out about the show and booked a Fuzztone show the same night just up the street and I was told no one was there. But The Phuzztones had other ideas an so it was only one show and a demo tape so that dream ended.
My good friend Sirius Trixon has tried for years to get me back on stage and record something because of one night in LA where I got up to sing Gloria at some east-end Hollywood dive with one of Johns bands called Hollywater. He said the only one that did not rush up to the stage was The Tommyknockers front man Rich Coffey who stood in the back with his arm's folded standing dumbfounded but Rich is in my book one of the coolest cat's around!
But That was it! I was for the most part down and out and sick of the biz and so I just got out. It Was Time to find a life away from all the BS. I do miss the fun and my friends and they are not forgotten but as for the last few years I decided to retire from the music rat race for now and moved out of Hollywood and I bought a home in Apple Valley CA in 1999 wher I live with my cat Ralphie
And as you may not know I own the Luv Radio station network and I'm having a great time with my partner Tracy who dose the programing and runs the station from my home town Bererly Hills and I still run my Internet sales Cars/Guitars/Twiggy collectibles on my site I started back in 1997 when I was back in LA called Tracyluv's Twiggyluv. The original site is undergoing a total re-vamp but you can link to this for now to get an idea of what it's about
TRACYLUV'S TWIGGYLUV just click this text
My new home is a Mod Carnaby Street like place with London street signs and British telephone booths cobblestone walks and so on. Ask Trixon about it. He'll tell ya! and I like to hang out in Las Vegas casino's.

I've met a Lot of cool people along the way in my years in all kinds of places like the far south of Italy to the far north of Norway and Sweden and everywhere in between (you know who you are), I do wish one day to see you all again. Soon I will produce a book about my Journey to tyme but till then
ALL THE BEST from Mr. Wilde
PS: A big THANKXXX go's out to Julie Patchouli for this clip of The Pandora’s at Irving Plaza New York on there first tour
The Pandoras Going His Way