Legendary drummer Gina Schock of The Go-Go’s returns to the Maryland Crab Cake Tour for Nestor’s 31st Anniversary at Costas Inn in Dundalk with pals John Allen and former 1970s bandmate George Kondylas to tell old punk rock Christmas tales of yore.
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
friends, play, band, danny, baltimore, john, real, george, christmas, sniff, house, brian eno, drums, scratch, gina, people, remember, mom, bowie, song
SPEAKERS
Gina Schock, John Allen, George Kondylas, Nestor Aparicio, Gina Shock
Nestor Aparicio 00:00
YWNSG Towson, Baltimore Baltimore positive like a troublemakers on the set. It is my 31st anniversary today so you’re gonna be the one that wins the million dollars before it’s all over. It’s all brought to you by the Maryland lottery conjunction with our friends at Goodwill and with their nation. 866 90 nation. Give a call get 0% finance you get two. You get two free buy two get two free alright? Scratchers, they’re yours you’re 18 years of age. There’s one for you. I feel like Santa Claus one for you one for John Allen as well. Cheetahs shot rock and roll royalty from the band that goes but most importantly for the band scratch and sniff. shores can do is hear from beyond words and scratch and sniff and John Allen is here pretty much as a referee and as my childhood friends so we have Colgate and Eastwood both represented here. We got Oaklawn cemetery represented on the backside crossing your neighborhood.
Gina Schock 00:56
We call it Dundalk. I guess I don’t know.
Gina Shock 00:58
I mean, you’re just across Eastern Avenue from us. His name wasn’t Graceland Park, right. That was my great grandmother’s house Graceland
John Allen 01:04
park up on the hill where Chuck was
Gina Shock 01:07
right. Right. So we were just four to 45th Street.
Gina Schock 01:11
Your national hat worked for you. For you. I love. It’s so nice. So
Nestor Aparicio 01:17
the last time we were together, you flew in like a hurricane and out you’re signing books, you got a book out, we’ll get to all of that. But most importantly, I don’t usually ask women to lift their shirts on the show or whatnot. But I’m going to ask the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer to show us sir, it’s weird. She said you say it the right way. But don’t die. Alright, so you don’t know this
Gina Shock 01:48
place in Ireland, but I’ve been there. I’ve thought about going
Nestor Aparicio 01:54
I had the most wonderful Sunday roast there. And I met this wonderful man who sent us a box of Dundalk stuff from Dundalk, Iowa two months later, just wonderful Irishman. So here’s the story. Four years ago, five years ago, choice Johnny and I get together frequently. We’re friends and he doesn’t admit it. But we’re friends in real life. And we’re so we do things off the record. We don’t even go on Facebook where they’re nothing. And we’re together. And we started talking about Joyce because we both were taught by Joyce. And we said he says to give me her number I want to get together with spreading the love. Five years ago, six of us, me and my wife, Jen, John and his wife, Erin, George and Joyce, we all get Indian food down Colombia and what is BS and like about life and this and that. And I said something about wanting you on or drumming or something like that. And George lit up. He’s like, you know, I was in a band with Gina shock. And I’m like, what, like, I don’t know this I and you know how goofy about you? I’ve always wanted you on the show and bucket list. And we went through that last night. And he said I get gene on the show. This is five years ago. I’m like, do it too. It’s I’ve bugged Joyce for years. And the day you showed up with Donna Jean rumbly, six weeks ago in town, I gave her hell like She’s here and she’s not on my show. So all of this happened. But more than that, Johnny, I’m gonna get about a year and a half ago and he had just watched her documentary. And he said, have you seen that Go Go’s documentary. He’s like Gina shock. And I’m like, I’ve been trying to get her on the show choice. And we went through this and he’s like, to the minute she says, Then back, you’re gonna know you are the most Baltimore of Baltimore people. How much time have you really spent here over the last I have
Gina Schock 03:32
tried to retain my Dundalk accent forever and ever. You know, sometimes I sit in the mirror and watch my math practices moves the right way, you know, for you know, going to go down to shore going down the ocean, things like that.
Nestor Aparicio 03:53
It’s a beautiful sound that you’ve been pretty nice. Yeah.
Gina Schock 03:57
The truth is, is when I drink it gets way more pronounced. My accent gets really pronounced then but I’ve tried to retain it honestly, because I always want to remember where I’m from, because I’m proud of where I’m from. Well, we’re proud. I’m so glad I grew up in this town. I grew up where did I had the best childhood? Good friends people that I’m still really close with this one. You bet George There you go right off the bat. We’ve known each other a long time. And
Nestor Aparicio 04:25
he told a story for you got here about showing up at your house. 45th street going upstairs? pink curtains. drumkit big ol fat drums delay. Is that true?
Gina Schock 04:34
Oh yeah. Because my my parents were like angels. They let me set that drum kit up in my bedroom. And we had I think I said to just had a trundle bed net. Let’s go to bed. So I had someplace to sleep. I could open it up a friend came or whatever. But I had to have room to put those drums so I put them in my bedroom with and I had to have it close to my stereo so that I could put headphones play with my records right And so that’s the way we set it up. And that’s how I learned how to play drums. That’s when I brought George over and showed him my setup. Setup. Give me Give me the sword.
Nestor Aparicio 05:09
Sure, not in the Village Voice and try to
George Kondylas 05:12
remember. I don’t remember. Somebody introduced us, Danny
Gina Schock 05:17
would have been Danny Brown. God. I can’t believe Denise gone.
George Kondylas 05:21
Danny was a singer and he passed in October. Wow. 6067
Nestor Aparicio 05:26
Danny says I know this girl and Dundalk bangs on the drums. He told me you never met a girl as a drummer at that time in life.
Gina Schock 05:33
Right? There weren’t a lot around at that particular time. But wait a minute. I gotta tell you one more story about Danny because we passed that Vulcan that. Yeah, right. Danny Brown worked there. And he I think he cut his finger off or something. Well, I remember that. Don’t ask me why but I just saw that. Oh god Danny Brown part of his finger off there. And then it was like Danny’s gone. I can’t believe it. Oh, like that? Yeah.
Nestor Aparicio 05:56
Okay, fair enough. Yeah. You work at Vulcan No. Law? No. Or Dundalk. 70 Throw. Put on City Hospital. Stitch it back together though. So you’re past your house. I had to go past your house to get there. Did you come back for Halloween?
Gina Schock 06:13
I never missed I in my entire life. Never missed one Christmas at my parents home since I left in 1979.
Nestor Aparicio 06:21
You see, I never knew that. Like I you literally have been walking among us. Every holiday you literally
Gina Schock 06:28
since 79. What are you download? Wait since I’ve been born. But I continued the tradition of being there for Christmas always. No matter where I was. I would fly home to be home with the home for Christmas with mom and dad. And if I had to fly up the next day to do a show, whatever. I did it, but I was always home with them. Because it wouldn’t be Christmas unless I was home with my family. You know what I mean? Right? So even though my mom and dad aren’t here, I’m at the house and feeling warm and beautiful. Being in the space where I grew up and my dad’s handiwork is everywhere in that window went up went up into the attic, which my father converted into another room we converted into like a bedroom from a you’ve seen the ups have you seen the attic? Oh shit, you’re gonna die.
Nestor Aparicio 07:13
So beautiful. Doesn’t have the pink curtains anymore. No.
Gina Schock 07:16
Work. He did all beautiful wooden floors and cabinets. So there’s
George Kondylas 07:20
a lot of knotty pine in that incredible window.
Gina Schock 07:23
God bless him. He stayed up all night and cleaned the entire upstairs, the attic app and parted all downstairs. So I was up till three or four in the morning crying and looking at stuff that he brought down and we were both crying. John
Nestor Aparicio 07:36
told me this was gonna be tough for you, John, like John said to me an hour ago. He’s like, we got to be careful here with you but your bandmates? I’ve done a little work on you. I’ve gone documentary search they always beat on you and sit down for variety about being a pack rat that you keep everything is that true?
Gina Schock 07:55
I keep it but I keep it in order. I am a I’m a real true Virgo. I keep everything in its place. Everything is that you want to see the house already started cleaning. Already started cleaning the house.
Gina Shock 08:07
Yeah, I had to just get a guy with a dumpster and let them clean out my parents house. I couldn’t do it. Because I’d be all day I’d be going through that stuff and looking at memories.
Gina Schock 08:15
I just I have to do that. And it’s you have you know, it’s a process and it’s it’s okay, and I’m going to do it and it’ll make me feel better and more connected. And make me feel like, what’s funny is like, when my parents both are gone now I don’t I’m not. It’s weird, but I’m not afraid of death anymore. Yeah, because I feel like wherever they are, whatever that is. If I can just be with them. It’ll be great. Well, you’re with them right now. I think they’re what Yeah, I feel like there’s a part of me with them right now. But you know, I feel comfortable about passing when I die. I think you know, I feel okay. Yeah,
Nestor Aparicio 08:52
those are both doing man. This is your son as well. This thing because you’re singing You’re you’re gonna sing our lips are sealed. What am I
Gina Shock 09:00
doing? I don’t know. I’m gonna I’m gonna play drums on middle of nowhere. We’re gonna figure we’re gonna figure it out.
Nestor Aparicio 09:09
Two weeks from literally less than two weeks on the 28th I’m inviting everybody down one or 2.7 is doing a big event. You’re signing books. You’re gonna play some music with some friends of mine and Wendell and I tried to put some friends together but
Gina Schock 09:21
yes, yes. And I’m so I’m really grateful because everybody that I’m meeting for you through Georgia are all like incredible musicians and sort of Baltimore legends. So it’s gonna be a great day. We just got to remember have fun and not be too serious. Because you know what, I lose my mind. Everything’s got to be so perfect. And I gotta leave that hat at the front door and just have a good time. It’s Christmas time. We’re gonna play some songs. We’ll have some fun, you know, and you know, I don’t know we’ll do let’s do some interesting choices. I think.
Nestor Aparicio 09:52
What’s your favorite Go Go song. You have one or they’re all come on.
Gina Schock 09:56
I don’t know you don’t pick one. No. Yeah, I don’t have 100
George Kondylas 10:01
list. That’s perfect for you, girl.
Gina Schock 10:06
No, I don’t know. I? Well, I like I’m really pleased to be in a band that has done so well and had great songwriters. And, you know, it’s all been really good. So I’m grateful and I mean, I don’t know I’ve played this. Excuse me this song so many times. I always like this town. That’s one of my favorites. Okay, well, I
Nestor Aparicio 10:28
wanted you to single,
Gina Schock 10:29
like get up and go. I don’t know.
Nestor Aparicio 10:35
Jean Jacques is here. We’re Costas John Allen is here. George can do this as well. The original band was scratching sniff John, what do you know? What did you know before you started researching for this segment about scratching sniff and about Gina and because we didn’t know much you and I have been here forever. And we feel like you’re a bit of a mystery.
Gina Schock 10:54
Oh my god, you guys. He got to come over to house where do you see all the specs and Stiff Stuff we found? Yeah. Oh, yeah.
Gina Shock 11:06
So you guys played the marble bar? That was our claim to fame. Right. Where else where else was around? Plato’s today. Maybe you’re
Gina Schock 11:15
still there. Click the marble bar. Right. Open Park
George Kondylas 11:18
rec center. Right.
Nestor Aparicio 11:22
You played the Brooklyn Park rec center? Yeah. And I called in? Oh, yeah. He taught standards. Yeah. Right. And again, the audience didn’t hear that because you were Off mic. So you had a story when you call We were drunk city. Right. And to tell that story, its entire one of the
George Kondylas 11:35
early shows we played. We borrowed a van from somebody packed everything in it. And everybody got the Brooklyn Park Rec Center, which is like a cinderblock. Alcatraz. Pull that out front. And people were standing around and said any good. And we said yeah, we think we are. So we got in play to play and somebody else littered Skinner? geniale. They’re dead.
Gina Schock 11:59
I made friends immediately. I tell you make friends.
George Kondylas 12:05
And here’s the thing we got out. After the show, we got out and two of the tires were flat, not a slash just flat. Sending a message
Gina Shock 12:14
wasn’t done. Maybe they didn’t. Maybe they didn’t have a knife. Exactly.
George Kondylas 12:22
Here’s a quick story. When we did we did a demo. And this was on Eastern Avenue. I don’t know if you remember this RMT real musical talent.
Gina Shock 12:29
Was it behind Petros?
George Kondylas 12:31
It might have been it was it? No, it was right on the street right
Gina Shock 12:34
now. It was started by Dre was next to Petros it’s the same block I think could have been maybe it
Gina Schock 12:41
was in that little
Nestor Aparicio 12:42
one Eastern Avenue. Right across from the post office.
Gina Schock 12:45
Yeah, it was next door to it. Yeah, right. Yeah.
George Kondylas 12:48
Where the steakhouse is. Michael’s Real News. Right? It was called RMT. This good old boy in there and he’s got the headphones on. We started playing. We started playing Rawhide for rawhide, Danny would kind of like had his own lane to go in. There’s a little bit too.
Gina Schock 13:09
I don’t know why he was a little over the top. That’s why
George Kondylas 13:12
this was about SNM. So I’m playing very
Nestor Aparicio 13:16
high 7877 Somebody
George Kondylas 13:20
that has been around longer than that. But
Gina Schock 13:23
you played acoustic guitar in the beginning.
George Kondylas 13:25
It’s real pretty in the front. And then it comes in with this thing. It’s kind of like blue cheer. Or, you know, or like Nirvana, like real muffin, like the guy’s head snaps back headphones fly off and he’s like, Jesus, Greg, gotta let me know when you’re gonna remember that. Remember that particular? That’s what happened. So we had to start over. He was like, let me adjust the levels. Okay,
Nestor Aparicio 13:50
what do you remember that scratchy sniff
Gina Schock 13:52
GW musical talent? Just can’t get over that the name? That’s not me. That’s really not me. Let’s catch you. Scratch and see if I remember we rehearsed a lot in Chuck’s basement. Right, let
George Kondylas 14:08
me ask you this. So Chuck’s in Chuck’s basement is he was on the park, and we would play and it would always be loud. Or some part No, no, but most of them are that part you said.
Gina Schock 14:19
At the top of the hill cemetery.
Gina Shock 14:23
We just go there and
Nestor Aparicio 14:26
watch the fireworks straight from up the hill. And that’s right. Yeah.
George Kondylas 14:32
But his mom and dad lived there. Right. So I mean, and I think I don’t know if any of siblings, they read a lot of siblings, but it was loud and they could never like when they had to get our attention. They would just turn the lights off. So
Gina Shock 14:42
my dad used to do and I was banging on the drums and
George Kondylas 14:44
bass, I’m thinking I was having an aneurysm. So and then the cops would come noise complaints. They say what do you guys doing? He started playing he was like, he would just sit and watch the car. Cool. Yeah, it’s great.
Gina Schock 14:57
That showed up he became like a fan. and of the band. He liked it. I love it. That’s why cops used to be they catch it with a six pack, they dump it out and take go home. Right? They didn’t put you down a
Nestor Aparicio 15:09
cop. So Right. That was I was familiar with them. Was Reagan Colgate Elementary? Believe me. Believe me,
Gina Schock 15:16
we did. Oh my god. So scratch and
Nestor Aparicio 15:19
sniff and the legend of that band and punk rock and sheen. I want to talk to you a little bit about the documentary and stuff. Because in the beginning, the Go Go’s, and all of these bands you were attracted to were punk and different and no rules, literally no rules.
Gina Schock 15:36
Right? That’s sort of the way we work. That was our mindset at the time, you know, we wanted to shake things up, and you shake them up, we wanted to do that, you know, and push the limits and so and when we did songs we would like we would do would we do two sets of covers George and two sets of originals. So we got to play our own music.
George Kondylas 15:56
First though, what I was telling them earlier the covers we did were different.
Gina Schock 15:59
They weren’t different raw,
Gina Shock 16:00
you know, when we wrote that? Yeah. Oh, it was your own song. Oh, it’s gonna cover it wasn’t the one from the blues
George Kondylas 16:11
right. Now we did. Patti Smith. We did ask the angels,
Gina Schock 16:16
right as the angels. Oh, yeah.
George Kondylas 16:19
We did. We did. Like several.
Gina Schock 16:23
We had to do a Roxy.
Nestor Aparicio 16:27
I wore my Bowie belt and I worked hard for you last time. I’m more bowing for thinking dogs when you got it. It’s time and dogs and I figured you guys were probably Bowie people. Right when you scratch and sniff Bowie was inspirational for you guys.
Gina Schock 16:41
We did a bowie medley
George Kondylas 16:44
right. So it was rebel rebel and sheesh and a whole bunch of people who just struggle together figure it out how they work.
Nestor Aparicio 16:54
They use guitar player then though you were the drummer but he became a drummer and incredible
Gina Schock 16:58
guitar player. I still can’t believe the plays drums do but he’s really good guitar player.
Nestor Aparicio 17:07
I only know him as a drummer.
Gina Schock 17:08
Oh my god this stuff that you learn this stuff that that we would shoot will not wait I chuck and George would choose actually the the songs or would make the suggestion so let’s put it that way. And I always went along with it and they like opened me up to like, I mean, I can’t believe that we weren’t doing Roxy Music and like Brian Eno stuff we wanted to do what else?
George Kondylas 17:31
Babies on fire. Yeah, I was offered here come the Warrens Yes. And
Gina Schock 17:38
that’s one of my favorite records still. Yeah, you really turned me on to Brian Eno solo stuff which I’m forever grateful George
George Kondylas 17:45
Strait. We’re trying to think what else
Gina Schock 17:48
Genesis okay. I never listened to Genesis. He turned me they turn key they turned me on the Genesis man was
Nestor Aparicio 17:53
down that John, John was listening to like balls to the wall from John Allen is here. George could do this and the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer. So John, hey, I mean, you and I had talked about like, the band and the legend of Gina and you were in it. It is amazing to me and my childhood. I didn’t know a lot of when the band broke. I was 1314 Our Lipsy I remember all of that. But there was not this tremendous buzz that you’re spending holidays in Dundalk. Like, I never saw a store in the Dundalk ego. I never saw you in the local. Like literally, it took a long, long time before I realize you are a from Baltimore be from my neighborhood. And more than that you have this lovely accent and memories of the penguins that he’s born.
Gina Schock 18:42
Oh, my God, please. You know what I’m gonna tell you back then. I didn’t announce that I was coming home because I didn’t want it to be any kind of circus happening in the house. Because we already had people call it my mother and send us stuff. And she would answer the phone and let people in and show him all the records and all that was like, Mom, you can’t do that. You can’t do that. You know, I mean, I would always really lay low.
Nestor Aparicio 19:05
Your fame was not understandable to your family, maybe to some
George Kondylas 19:08
degree, right? The story I remember was the postman or the post woman would add people would ask them where do the shocks live? And they would figure out which house it was and then they would go knock on the door. Because the mailman knew.
Gina Schock 19:19
Now man knows all the secrets, right? Where the bodies are.
Nestor Aparicio 19:24
Right? I mean things weird like that. They they don’t really want you or want anything. They just want to like, say that’s where it is. And they will meet your parents. So yeah, it was.
Gina Schock 19:33
Yeah, maybe. Well, yeah. A lot of crazy things have happened, you know, and back then were happening still, but I just wanted to my mom and dad were just so proud. They just wanted the whole world to know. And so what you have to be careful, you know, because everybody in our band had stalkers. We you know, there’s there was a lot of crap that went on back then. And I wanted to protect them. And so I would lay real low when I came home yeah. I really wasn’t about going out it was about being with my mother father and my brother and my small group of friends.
Nestor Aparicio 20:07
So what’s Christmas like it’s Chaka give me you did you do cook awesome sauerkraut oh Christmas like we do. Yes kebab.
Gina Shock 20:14
Trotsky’s they went
Gina Schock 20:17
well that’s related to this second cousin Stacy standard which is we went to high school we went to Catholic High together huge Catherine I bring on notice is my mother’s day my mom’s endearing. Yeah,
Nestor Aparicio 20:32
I thought you were in a Catholic High ring and I now
Gina Schock 20:35
stolen mine got stolen on New Year’s Eve, Jane and I went to see ultravox at the Roxy now at the whiskey 1979 Going into ad or was an ad shown in 81, whatever. It was going into 81 and Jane and I were living in an apartment in Hollywood Boulevard and we went to see ultravox at the Whiskey a Go Go, we came back. And I put my key in the door and it just opened up. And I was like, Oh Christ, somebody might be in there. Well, anyway, we got robbed and they stole like all of our jewelry and any cash that we had. And it was my high school route. And my mother’s wedding ring, which that really upset me, but I do have my mom’s High School ring. Yeah, my grandfather’s watch. My grandmother’s wedding band. Yeah, I try to keep all these things on my person.
Nestor Aparicio 21:21
You’re really gonna You’re late into the Ostrowski Bank Street of every kielbasa I’ve ever had. Excuse
Gina Schock 21:27
me, Rosie, Rosie, when Stacy stanwich family or relatives Ostrowski?
Nestor Aparicio 21:37
Yeah, well, we’re all related these Baltimore
Gina Schock 21:39
Wait, I’m telling you, yeah. Because I believe you know, my, my mother. My father’s I don’t know how it was, but we’re related second or third
Nestor Aparicio 21:51
cousins or some some, it’ll be on my mind,
Gina Schock 21:55
which his mother and father are related to the Ostrowski and we’re related to them, somehow, I don’t know. We’re all pull locks. That’s all.
Nestor Aparicio 22:03
That’s why it’s important. All right. I’m gonna take a quick break. We’ll come back here. I want to talk about the book. I want to talk about signings. I want to talk about what you would do in the last eight weeks. All right. All right. Jeanne shocks here. She started drinking and eating my crabcakes Tobruk as well as our friends at Goodwill. And when donation John Allen George good deal is talking rock and roll. We’ll come back and wrap things up here my 31st
Gina Schock 22:25
from costas! Happy birthday, daddy. Yeah.
