RE: Patti/Bruce /Because The Night

["Paul Perner" <ravensdawn>]

"Because the Night," came out as a 7" 45 RPM (I'm
writing in over-40, cryptic code, please forgive me)
and the very day it landed as a DJ only disc out of the
west wing of Arista, there was Germs or Johnny
Thunders show (forgot witch) at the Whiskey.

Standing out in front of club, the first Patti fan I ran
into was lens man Mike Yampolsky. I was a year
that, pretty much, still belonged to the trail-blazing,
back-alley rebels that Patti helped inspire a year or
two back.

We knew the winds were changing, B52s, GoGos,
Talking Heads, London knife-edge getting a polish
to post-punk-pop-edge.... BUT everyone was walking
a fine line. It was an exciting completely unpredictable
age in outcast rock music. Punk bursting out all over
the place, the seeds of  *dark beauty* we still have today
were being sown by Joy Division, Siouxie, Christian
Death (to name a small sampling), a few sparks of what
would become tasteful, Euro original sounding techno dance
hall music was finishing off roller skate, android clone,
endless hypo-disco tape loops with one last bullet
to the disco ball head.

It was the Late Nineteen Seventies and with all that had
passed before it, I was ready to hear Patti blow the lid
off the Planet Earth. That night. with "Because the Night"
only a few hours off our turn tables and bouncing around in
our heads as we looked for a way to grab hold of it, Mike
and I just looked at each other blankly, "Did you hear Patti's
new 45?" he asked. "Yep," I sighed in return. Mike: "I'm
scared... really scared."

And so the first day of the great division of Patti fans began.
In light of the Clash and other intensities of the time, the 
single was a heart-shaped, sweet lolly pop on a stick.

The album came out. I had already heard better live versions
of most of the songs, but the title track stole the very center
on my heart. It took me to the spiritual company of poets I
loved... and it echo 'd her magical performance of it at CBGBs
in front of small crowd while she still had her neck brace.

She ended Easter with the words,  "I want you to wake up...
and I want it now... but not at the expense of forgetting a 
dream." I'll never forget those words.

Even though "Because the Night" was my least favorite slice
from her, it opened the door to the freedom on not having
to be the "god mother of punk" anymore. And that lead to
a kaleidoscope of Patti expressions. Some to love - some 
to hate. Some have struck chords that we're still learning.
Patti tapped into my dreams and left words that gave me 
hope. In light of that, everything else is just a tune to tap
your foot to.

Paul

	.