GARY GOLDENVOICE ... LApunk13 ... punk rock

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LApunk13

Gary GOLDENVOICE Tovar

GARY TOVAR

created

GOLDENVOICE

THE SOUNDS OF THE EIGHTIES, IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

LED BY PROMOTER GARY TOVAR, WHO PRODUCED 1000's

OF PUNK SHOWS, AT 100's OF VENUES!

GARY TOVAR, THE MAN BEHIND GOLDENVOICE.

I CONDUCTED THIS INTERVIEW WITH GARY AT THE

OLYMPIC AUDITORIUM "GOLDENVOICE" OFFICE.

VIDEO LOUIS

SHOT THE ORIGINAL VIDEOTAPING OF THIS INTERVIEW...

[kiki] Here in L.A., Gary, you put on all the major concerts...

[gary] We try and please by bringing

in new bands, sometimes too soon. We

go after some bands that later on

will be big. We bring them out here

and try and cultivate them. We save a

couple of slots for the opening bands,

but there are at least 300 bands in

L.A. alone, and you can't please

everybody because you just can't have

everybody. It's easy to tell a band to

tour, but it's hard because there's a

limited amount of money on the road. I

tried touring bands and it's the

hardest in the Midwest.

[kiki] You are successful at putting

the right bands together, going for

the draw.

[gary] We do good publicity. I'm proud

of my small shows. We are not a

corporation! We do shows that are big

size with all the small bands. We

treat all the bands the same and all

the bands do good. Some of the English

bands have attitudes, but we try and

set them straight.

[kiki] Goldenvoice is now highly

established...

[gary] I think we have a good scene

popping up now. A lot of people have

told me to do nothing but small

shows, but I think a good balance of

only once a month, doing a big show,

is good. I've been accussed of

everything from monopolizaration- on,

but no one else will do it because you

risk your ass! You can get sued

easily.We get 4000 people, and I can't

be responsible for everything!

[kiki] But, you have been blamed for

some small clubs closing down...

[gary] I am glad you asked me that!

That is a bunch of bull! The clubs

have been closing since the Masque of

'78-'79, and they will always close

because of the individual police

departments in all the different

cities. Take Flashdance for instance,

that club had a good business going

but closed down because of the Police

department. Other clubs have closed

down because they don't get off their

ass and publicize their shows enough!

We hustle on the flyers and cover a

lot of territory. Very few club owners

will come to my shows and pass out

flyers. I also feel that there is a

problem of overexposure. The Circle

Jerks played 12 times recently, the

12th being at Oskar's Cornhusker- it

drew only 15 people! On some of the

bands I bring over, I would be glad to

put them in small clubs besides my own

gig, but usually the clubs will try

and shake me, go behind my back,

instead of offering to help me pay to

get the bands into the country. We

have trimmed down the staff to only

myself, my girlfriend, and one full

time employee. Everyone else only

works the night of the show. For all

you would-be promoters, go out there

and give it a shot yourselves. Then,

maybe you'll see how hard it is to

make a living! So, be there, at any

Goldenvoice show, or spend $20 at the

Forum to see an over commercialized,

prepackaged act that really sounds

better on vinyl, always!