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Brendan Mullen obituary

Source: The Guardian

Nov 02, 2009

Summary

Nightclub owner who acted as a catalyst for the LA punk scene

All subcultures need a catalyst, and Brendan Mullen, who has died aged 60, after suffering from a stroke, literally stumbled into that role for the Los Angeles punk movement when he found a deserted basement in the heart of Hollywood. "It was like going into the labyrinth," he recalled. "There was no power, it hadn't been used in 15 years, so, like Theseus with his string, I dragged this decomposing garden hose in with me so I could find my way out."

After a quick clean-up, Mullen opened the 10,000ft space in June 1977 as the Masque. Originally intended as a rehearsal room, it quickly found another use as an unlicensed music venue. At that point, few LA promoters and club owners would host punk shows, but Mullen provided the new groups with a stage, an audience and an ambience where anything went.

The Masque became the crucible for the first wave of LA punk – a musical movement that gained little attention at the time, but which has since grown in stature. That basement was forcibly closed in early 19

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