Brendan Mullen
| Brendan Mullen | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | October 9, 1949 Paisley, Scotland |
| Died | October 12, 2009 (aged 60) Los Angeles, California |
| Occupation | Nightclub owner, author |
| Known for | The Masque, Club Lingerie |
Brendan Mullen (October 9, 1949 – October 9, 2009) was a British-American nightclub owner, music promoter and writer, best known for founding the Los Angeles punk rock club The Masque. 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 Germs.
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. He also worked as a local newspaper journalist at the Barnet Press in the London Borough of Barnet from 1972 to 1973.
In 1973, Mullen moved to the United States, where he resided for the remainder of his life.
In 1977, Mullen founded 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 10,000-square-foot (930 m2) basement for $850 a month allowing him to set up numerous rehearsal spaces for the burgeoning punk music community. City officials refused to approve permits required to run it as a legal nightclub and shut the club down in 1978. Fire marshals 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 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 music impressed Mullen, as did the duo's energy. He offered their band, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, an opening slot on an 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 clubs in the area such as The Viper Room and Luna Park.
...
Wikipedia