Nightclubbing with Richard Hell at CBGB in 1979

Hell & the Voidoids at CBGB, by Eugene Merinov

You can't throw a rock this week without hitting a Richard Hell story. This week's edition of Nightclubbing steps back to the late 70's, and features an amazing performance of "Love Comes In Spurts," by the Voidoids, at CBGB in 1979.

You can’t talk about punk rock without talking about Richard Hell. Television, the band he founded in 1973 with then best friend Tom Verlaine, was one of the groups – along with Blondie and the Ramones – that laid the foundation for the downtown scene at CBGBs. Sex Pistols impresario Malcolm McLaren purportedly looked at a poster of Television in 1974, pointed at Richard and said, “I want to start a band that looks like him.” Continued here.

Be sure to check out Hell's new memoir, I Dreamed I Was A Very Clean Tramp, available now!

Charles Ball remembered by Godlis

Charles Ball on the Bowery, 1977 ©Godlis

Following today's sad news about Charles Ball, Godlis checked in with some fantastic images of the man about whom he said, "Charles was a Dylan fanatic, and I fondly remember going to see the Street Legal Dylan at Madison Square Garden one night in 1978. Charles brought along a suitcase with his giant tape recorder, to record the show. I still have that tape of Dylan singing a monumental version of Changing of the Guard - a song that Patti Smith has since been known to cover."

"I heard of Charles Ball's death this afternoon and just can't shake that feeling. He's been underground for so many years now in Florida, gone from his New York scene, that I can't remember the last time I saw him. I think it was on a drive up to Westchester in the early 90's when he was helping me on a video project with my photos. He was working in an audio store up there, and got me a discount on a tuner. Then he was gone one day, no forwarding address or number, and I never heard from him again. We met at CBGB's in 76, when he was working with Terry Ork, and I took this photo of them on Delancey Street after we visited the Teenage Jesus loft one night. He set me up to do at least three Teenage Jesus sessions. Charles used my Alex Chilton photo for the Bangkok 45 and made it legendary. I'm not sure if I ever got paid, but I still spent a lot of great time in the day with Charles Ball - as insufferable as he was visionary. R.I.P. now Charles."

All images ©Godlis

Charles Ball & Terry Ork, Delancey Street, 1977 ©Godlis

Bob Quine, Lydia Lunch, Charles Ball in the studio, 1977 or 1978 - Vanguard Studios? ©Godlis