Richie Stotts of Plasmatics

Oil on wood slice. 13” x 18” in diameter.

I saw Plasmatics at the Bond International Casino on Broadway in 1981. I just scored the Purple Haze from my lesbian psychedelic drug dealer that afternoon. She warned me not to take the whole thing. She told me to take a quarter. Then I took the whole thing. By the time I arrived at the Bond theatre, I was high as Elton John’s Rocket Man. The Bond had a spiral staircase that was the keyboard. Every time you step on it, it lights up and makes a sound. It took me 30 minutes to get to the top. Then it had a silver UFO-like thing on the top of the staircase. I couldn't figure out what it was until someone squashed a cigarette into it. I finally entered the theatre and the first thing I noticed was Richie Stotts on guitar. He had a blue mohawk and a tutu playing Flying V guitar. He was absolutely wild. Wendy O Williams was equally wild. I instantly became a fan. The show was absolutely amazing. Wendy blew up a car on the stage. I had never seen anything like that. I saw Richie at the Pyramid Club a few years later.  He was working at the door. I was regular there. I was too shy to even talk to him. I regret it to this day. The one show that changed my life. Richie and Wendy set the bar way high up for punk rock shows. If I see Richie some days, I just want to say thank you. And I finally got my Flying V!