Muriel with bruised knees, 1980 Muriel Cervenka and her husband, Gordon Stevenson (Teenage Jesus and the Jerks), were in town to promote a film they made titled, Ecstatic Stigmatic. It was supposed to be quite an exciting weekend of celebrations as Muriel’s younger sister, Exene and her band, X, were releasing their first LP, “Los Angeles.” They were headlining the Whisky nightclub in West Hollywood. A great number of us gathered at Judith Bell’s apartment for dinner before the show. After dinner, Exene and John Doe left for the club to set up for the first set of the evening. Muriel was given a ride by Steve Nieve (Elvis Costello and the Attractions) and his girlfriend, Farrah Fawcett Minor, in the used VW Bug they had purchased earlier the same day. The rest of us headed for the Whisky and arrived as the first set was ending. We made our way upstairs to the backstage area. It was very noisy and crowded. A large group of uniformed LAPD officers came up the stairs in single file. We all assumed there was some kind of bust in progress. The noise lessened, and in a matter of seconds was reduced to silence. Chris D (Fleasheaters) came over and sat next to us and shared the nightmare...Muriel had been involved in a fatal hit and run car accident. A few moments later, Exene’s wail broke the silence as John told her the news. It was left up to Exene to decide if the second set was to go forward. She asked to have someone bring her a bottle of booze. Before shock could settle in, the band was on their way down the steps to the stage. The unknowing audience went wild. It was agonizing to watch. The show ended when Exene finally collapsed on stage. My roommate Robert Lee scooped her up into his arms and carried her back upstairs. Later in the evening, we all returned to John and Exene’s little house to huddle and grieve. |
