Dirk Dirksen was the Pope of Punk. He booked shows at Mabuhay Gardens and Rock on Broadway in the 70's and 80's. If you were a punk band playing San Francisco, you probably knew Dirk.

In July 2006, The Contractions and The Symptoms came on my radio show to promote an upcoming reunion show. I saw The Contractions open for Duran Duran in 1984, my first concert. They were my introduction to punk rock and it was the first time I ever saw slam dancing.

Kathy from The Contractions introduced me to Dirk, who I thought was her father. During the show he yelled from the couch and I kept trying to get him on the microphone. I had no idea who he was and was too young to go to any shows that he booked during his time at the FabMab.

Later, after the show, I found out who he was and he completely punked me, saying he was a janitor, etc. His energy was infectious and I wanted to interview him again.

Unfortunately, he died in his sleep at age 69 in November. The more I learned about him the more I was in awe.

I'm probably the last person who was qualified to do a Dirk Dirksen memorial show, but the two hours of his life I spent with him will forever be impressed on my mind.

During the memorial show, his family and friends tell their stories and I played snippets of his time on my show from July, which was his last radio interview.

DJ Pixie co-hosted the show with me.

Segment 1
59:38 minutes, 54.60 MB
Segment 2
57:29 minutes, 52.60 MB