Brendan Mullen
Encyclopedia
Brendan Mullen was born in Paisley, Scotland and moved to Manchester, England when he was 8. He spent his early teen years writing for various British music magazines. In 1973, Mullen moved to the United States
where he remained for the remainder of his life. Mullen had just started working toward U.S. citizenship at the time of his death. Through Mullen's support at various nightclubs in California, the scene gave birth to such bands as the Red Hot Chili Peppers
, The Go-Go's
, X, The Weirdos
and the The Germs
.
Mullen is best known as the founder of The Masque
, a small punk rock club in central Hollywood, California, which existed intermittently from 1977 to 1979. Mullen originally only wanted a place to practice music however the owner of the building offered him the 10000 square feet (929 m²) basement for $850 a month allowing him to set up numerous rehearsal spaces for the burgeoning punk music community. The Masque became ground zero for punk music in Los Angeles however city officials refused to approve permits required to run it as a legal nightclub and shut the club down in 1978. Fire marshalls sued Mullen to end the lease and many bands came to his aid with two nights of benefit concerts to raise money to pay legal fees. Both shows culminated in rioting.
After the closure of The Masque, Mullen spent much of the next decade booking shows for another popular L.A. club called Club Lingerie. Club Lingerie was known more for its eclectic bookings that ran from punk and pop to jazz and blues, as well as the first West Coast appearances by several New York-based hip-hop acts. In 1983, Mullen had his first encounter with Anthony Kiedis
and Flea
who came to into the club with their newly recorded demo tape demanding Mullen listen to it. The duo proceeded to play the demo on a boombox they carried around and danced around like maniacs to their music. The stuff Mullen heard impressed him as did the duo's energy. He offered their band, the Red Hot Chili Peppers
an opening slot on a upcoming Bad Brains
show. Kiedis and Flea ended up becoming longtime friends with Mullen until his death. The band credits Mullen with being one of their first major supporters and giving them their start. Mullen also booked a wider range of performances at the Variety Arts Center downtown in the mid-to-late '80s. Mullen would later work for other popular clubs in the area such as The Viper Room and Club Luna.
On October 12, 2009, the website Media Bistro reported that Mullen had been rushed to a Los Angeles hospital, having suffered a serious stroke. The Los Angeles Times
confirmed his death at the Ventura County Medical Center
shortly thereafter. At the time of his stroke, Mullen was celebrating his 60th birthday by traveling through Santa Barbara
and Ventura
with Kateri Butler, his companion of 16 years. Doctors were surprised by his stroke saying he had none of the indicators, his cholesterol was perfect. One of the neurologists summed it up best when he said, 'Sometimes, your number is just up.' Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist, Flea
, wrote a two-page article for the Los Angeles Times
on the passing of Mullen.
One of Mullen's last projects, which he was unable to complete before his death, was helping the Red Hot Chili Peppers co-author their biography. The book was released on October 19, 2010, a little over a year after Mullen's death.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers' 2011 album, I'm With You
features a song titled "Brendan's Death Song" which is a tribute to Mullen. According to Anthony Kiedis
, he was told about Mullen's death on the first day of rehearsals for the album. He went to rehearsals and informed the band of Mullen's passing and without talking, the band quickly started to play music and the song came to the band quickly out of a jam. Kiedis described the song as having the feel of a death march but "it's more of a celebration than a bummer."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
where he remained for the remainder of his life. Mullen had just started working toward U.S. citizenship at the time of his death. Through Mullen's support at various nightclubs in California, the scene gave birth to such bands as the Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers is an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1983. The group's musical style primarily consists of rock with an emphasis on funk, as well as elements from other genres such as punk, hip hop and psychedelic rock...
, The Go-Go's
The Go-Go's
The Go-Go’s are an all-female American rock band formed in 1978. They made history as the first all-female band that both wrote their own songs and played their own instruments to top the Billboard album charts....
, X, The Weirdos
The Weirdos
The Weirdos were an American punk rock band from Los Angeles, California. They formed in 1976 and broke up in 1981, were occasionally active in the 1980s, and recorded new material in the 1990s...
and the The Germs
The Germs
The Germs are an American punk rock band from Los Angeles, California, originally active from 1977 to 1980. The band's early lineup consisted of singer Darby Crash, guitarist Pat Smear, bassist Lorna Doom, and their most consistent drummer Don Bolles. Germs have since reformed in 2005 with Shane...
.
Mullen is best known as the founder of The Masque
The Masque
The Masque was a small punk rock club in central Hollywood, California which existed intermittently from 1977 to 1979. It is remembered as a key part of the early L.A. punk scene.-History:...
, a small punk rock club in central Hollywood, California, which existed intermittently from 1977 to 1979. Mullen originally only wanted a place to practice music however the owner of the building offered him the 10000 square feet (929 m²) basement for $850 a month allowing him to set up numerous rehearsal spaces for the burgeoning punk music community. The Masque became ground zero for punk music in Los Angeles however city officials refused to approve permits required to run it as a legal nightclub and shut the club down in 1978. Fire marshalls sued Mullen to end the lease and many bands came to his aid with two nights of benefit concerts to raise money to pay legal fees. Both shows culminated in rioting.
After the closure of The Masque, Mullen spent much of the next decade booking shows for another popular L.A. club called Club Lingerie. Club Lingerie was known more for its eclectic bookings that ran from punk and pop to jazz and blues, as well as the first West Coast appearances by several New York-based hip-hop acts. In 1983, Mullen had his first encounter with Anthony Kiedis
Anthony Kiedis
Anthony Kiedis is an American vocalist/lyricist, and occasional actor best known as the lead vocalist of the Grammy-winning American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers. Kiedis spent his youth in Grand Rapids, Michigan with his mother before moving, shortly before his 12th birthday, to Hollywood,...
and Flea
Flea (musician)
Michael Peter Balzary , better known by his stage name Flea, is an Australian-American musician and occasional actor. He is best known as the bassist, co-founding member, and one of the composers of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers...
who came to into the club with their newly recorded demo tape demanding Mullen listen to it. The duo proceeded to play the demo on a boombox they carried around and danced around like maniacs to their music. The stuff Mullen heard impressed him as did the duo's energy. He offered their band, the Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers is an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1983. The group's musical style primarily consists of rock with an emphasis on funk, as well as elements from other genres such as punk, hip hop and psychedelic rock...
an opening slot on a upcoming Bad Brains
Bad Brains
Bad Brains is an American hardcore punk band formed in Washington, D.C., in 1977. They are widely regarded as among the pioneers of hardcore punk, though the band's members objected to this term to describe their music. They are also an adept reggae band, while later recordings featured elements of...
show. Kiedis and Flea ended up becoming longtime friends with Mullen until his death. The band credits Mullen with being one of their first major supporters and giving them their start. Mullen also booked a wider range of performances at the Variety Arts Center downtown in the mid-to-late '80s. Mullen would later work for other popular clubs in the area such as The Viper Room and Club Luna.
On October 12, 2009, the website Media Bistro reported that Mullen had been rushed to a Los Angeles hospital, having suffered a serious stroke. The Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
confirmed his death at the Ventura County Medical Center
Ventura County Medical Center
Ventura County Medical Center is a hospital in the city of Ventura, California, USA. It is a 208 bed acute care hospital. The county also operates a 49 bed campus in Santa Paula.- External links :*...
shortly thereafter. At the time of his stroke, Mullen was celebrating his 60th birthday by traveling through Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
and Ventura
Ventura, California
Ventura is the county seat of Ventura County, California, United States, incorporated in 1866. The population was 106,433 at the 2010 census, up from 100,916 at the 2000 census. Ventura is accessible via U.S...
with Kateri Butler, his companion of 16 years. Doctors were surprised by his stroke saying he had none of the indicators, his cholesterol was perfect. One of the neurologists summed it up best when he said, 'Sometimes, your number is just up.' Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist, Flea
Flea (musician)
Michael Peter Balzary , better known by his stage name Flea, is an Australian-American musician and occasional actor. He is best known as the bassist, co-founding member, and one of the composers of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers...
, wrote a two-page article for the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
on the passing of Mullen.
One of Mullen's last projects, which he was unable to complete before his death, was helping the Red Hot Chili Peppers co-author their biography. The book was released on October 19, 2010, a little over a year after Mullen's death.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers' 2011 album, I'm With You
I'm with You (album)
I'm with You is the tenth studio album by American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers. The album was released by Warner Bros. Records on August 26, 2011 in several countries and on August 29 in the US, a day earlier than originally planned...
features a song titled "Brendan's Death Song" which is a tribute to Mullen. According to Anthony Kiedis
Anthony Kiedis
Anthony Kiedis is an American vocalist/lyricist, and occasional actor best known as the lead vocalist of the Grammy-winning American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers. Kiedis spent his youth in Grand Rapids, Michigan with his mother before moving, shortly before his 12th birthday, to Hollywood,...
, he was told about Mullen's death on the first day of rehearsals for the album. He went to rehearsals and informed the band of Mullen's passing and without talking, the band quickly started to play music and the song came to the band quickly out of a jam. Kiedis described the song as having the feel of a death march but "it's more of a celebration than a bummer."
Selected bibliography
- We Got the Neutron Bomb: The Untold Story of LA PunkWe Got the Neutron Bomb: The Untold Story of LA PunkWe Got the Neutron Bomb: The Untold Story of LA Punk is an oral history of the Los Angeles punk scene written by Marc Spitz and Brendan Mullen and originally released on November 13, 2001 by Three Rivers Press.-External links:* at Three Rivers Press...
(2001) with Marc SpitzMarc spitzMarc Spitz is a music journalist, author and playwright. Spitz's writings on rock n' roll and popular culture have appeared in Spin as well as The New York Times, Maxim, Blender, Harp, Nylon and the New York Post... - Lexicon Devil: The Fast Times and Short Life of Darby CrashDarby CrashDarby Crash was an American punk musician who, along with long time friend Pat Smear , co-founded The Germs...
and the Germs (2002) coauthored with Germs drummer Don BollesDon BollesDon Bolles was an American investigative reporter whose murder in a bombing is linked to the Mafia.-Biography:...
and Adam ParfreyAdam ParfreyAdam Parfrey is an American journalist, editor, and the publisher of Feral House books, whose work in all three capacities frequently centers on unusual, extreme, or "forbidden" areas of knowledge.-Life:... - Whores: An Oral Biography of Perry FarrellPerry FarrellPerry Farrell is the frontman for the alternative rock band Jane's Addiction. Farrell created the touring festival Lollapalooza as a farewell tour for Jane's Addiction in 1991; it has since evolved into an annual destination festival. Farrell continues to produce Lollapalooza with partners William...
and Jane's AddictionJane's AddictionJane's Addiction is an American alternative rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985. The band's original line-up featured Perry Farrell , Dave Navarro , Eric Avery and Stephen Perkins . After breaking up in 1991, Jane's Addiction briefly reunited in 1997 and again in 2001, both times...
(2006) - Live at the Masque: Nightmare in Punk Alley (2007) with Roger Gastman, and Kristine McKenna
- The Red Hot Chili PeppersRed Hot Chili PeppersRed Hot Chili Peppers is an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1983. The group's musical style primarily consists of rock with an emphasis on funk, as well as elements from other genres such as punk, hip hop and psychedelic rock...
: An Oral/Visual History (2010) - coauthored by the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Mullen
Selected filmography
- X: The Unheard Music (1986) himself
- We Jam EconoWe Jam EconoWe Jam Econo - The Story of the Minutemen, is a full-length documentary about the influential 1980s punk rock band Minutemen, created by director Tim Irwin and producer Keith Schieron in association with Rocket Fuel Films...
(2005) himself - Punk's Not Dead (2007) himself