Jesse Townley aka Jesse Luscious of Philly Zine, Blatz, The Gr'ups, The Criminals, The Frisk

Joseph A. Gervasi interviews Philadelphia ex-pat Jesse Townley, aka Jesse Luscious. Jesse grew up in the Roxborough neighborhood of Philadelphia. Upon discovering HC punk, he fully immersed himself in the mid-/late-'80s scene. He founded Philly Zine and moved to a squat at 51st and Baltimore in West Philly. By the late '80s he moved to the San Francisco Bay Area, where he sang for acclaimed (and often chaotic) bands such as Blatz, The Gr'ups, The Criminals, and The Frisk. He's also an elected member of the Berkeley Rent Board, a member of the Green Party, he runs the Alternative Tentacles Records label just under owner Jello Biafra, and he works with the disabled. We talk about the Philly scene of the last '80s and Jesse's abiding love for the city, terrorizing sensitive liberals during the few months he was in college, why he moved to the Bay Area, managing a CT skinhead band, working for Lookout! Records, writing the chaos punk/crusty anthem "Fuck Shit Up" with Blatz, on-stage mutilation with a razor at a Fugazi show, working at Alternative Tentacles, Jesse's lifelong love of punk, and a great deal more. We are joined by past interview subject Stacey Finney nee Gold, who contributes to the interview. This is one of the longest interviews of the series and one of the very best.

Photo of Jesse Townley by Joseph A. Gervasi
Photo of Jesse Townley by Joseph A. Gervasi
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