924 Gilman Street

Interviewer Max Raynard isn't just a journalist, he's also a Gilman member.

I first met Smitty when we ended up in the same jail cell after being arrested at a peace protest. His sense of humor and light-hearted attitude was a drastic contrast to the somber surroundings. After our initial meeting I saw him often at punk shows at Gilman, where he was a volunteer.

924 Gilman Street is one of the United States' longest running independent music venues. Originally opened in 1986, it operates on the Do It Yourself (DIY) ethic, which means that people who wish to make social change or do anything embark on it themselves without waiting for an okay from the establishment. The club is not operated for profit, but rather as a venue for artists to express themselves -- a breath of fresh air in the world of arena concerts, bouncers, and ticket stubs.

All the members of the club have the ability to make decisions and work for the improvement of the club as a whole. A member of Gilman is anyone who attends shows -- a membership card must be purchased on entry to the club. It is this idea that sets the club apart. After the closings of Burnt Ramen Studios and Mission Records, Gilman remains one of the only all ages clubs in the Bay Area that caters to the punk rock and hardcore community. Their website is www.924gilman.org

Quirky and always ready with a sarcastic joke, you might find Smitty on a typical Friday or Saturday night at Gilman, running around with a clip board signing people up to volunteer or making sure people have paid at the door. I interviewed him via email, after a Saturday show.

Disclaimer from Smitty: This is not any sort of official Gilman statement or anything. To get something like that one would have to come to a membership meeting, have the Gilman membership approve the interview, and then delegate someone, or more likely a few people, to do the interview. I am only representing myself, an individual who volunteers at Gilman on a regular basis.

Flyer for a Gilman show.

WireTap: How long has Gilman been around and what is the history of the club?

Smitty: Gilman's first show was December 31st of 1986. I wasn't around back then, so I can't really tell you too much about it. I do know that the idea to have an all ages venue in Berkeley was floating around for a few years, and then finally in April of 1986 a few people found the 924 Gilman space and signed the lease. After this they put up flyers around town trying to get more people involved and held once a week meetings to hammer out what exactly they wanted in a space other than it being all ages.

They also had to do a lot of construction on the building, redo all the plumbing and make it wheelchair accessible. These were all punk kids that didn't [know] a whole lot about construction so they were learning as they went. They also had to get permits and things from the city of Berkeley, but that wasn't a huge problem. Berkeley is a liberal city, so it was fairly supportive of the club.

Finally after eight months of paying rent on a place without being able to hold shows there, on December 31st, 1986 they passed the last fire inspection, and had their first show that night. Asides from a few breaks, the club has been putting on shows ever since.

WT: Why was the club founded?

S: To have an all ages venue for kids to go to. Also to have a safe space because the punk/hardcore scene at the time was fairly violent, i.e. Nazis coming to shows and starting fights.

WT: What is the current mission of Gilman Street? What is the club trying to accomplish?

S: Honestly I don't know the mission statement of the club. I'd imagine it has to do with providing a safe all ages community space that allows independent musicians to perform. Though it is not limited to music only, there have been art shows, movie nights, plays, and other uses of the space.