Punk at the Longhorn, Leather at the Kessler | Jeff Liles

Mike and Grubes welcome back the Kessler Theater’s own Jeff Liles—human jukebox of Dallas music lore and owner of the best black-leather-pants origin story this side of Valley View Mall. From a lightning-strike cold open at Dudley’s to the Sex Pistols turning the Longhorn Ballroom into glorious chaos, Jeff dishes on ShowCo lasers, counterfeit Zep tickets, Ramones vs. Pistols setcraft, and why Bronco Bowl should’ve been a Home Depot with a stage. We get a front-row seat to a very Dallas series of cameos: Stevie Ray Vaughan auditioning for a teen Mike, Nick Lowe playing post-show solitaire, Stan Lynch and Andy Timmons tearing up Texas, and a PJ Harvey booking dream that still haunts promoters. It’s witty, rowdy, nostalgic—and a love letter to the venues, weirdos, and miracles that made this town thunder. About the Guest(s): Jeff Liles — Artistic Director at the Kessler Theater; veteran of the Dallas rock/punk trenches; alum of legendary production house ShowCo; tireless archivist and storyteller of the scene. Chapters 00:00:01 - Lightning, Dudley’s & “We’re Live… But Not” 00:02:06 - Enter Jeff Liles: Kessler Boss & Four-Timer Club 00:05:23 - Weather Guys, Climate Takes & TV Sarcasm 00:07:17 - Sex Pistols Tease: Longhorn Postponements & Broken Wrists 00:08:22 - Led Zeppelin ’77: ShowCo Lasers, Mother Blues & 5,000 Fake Tickets 00:12:36 - Longhorn Ballroom ’78: Country Room, Punk Riot 00:25:00 - Openers Win: Nervebreakers, Dead Fish, Rolling Stone “Random Notes” 00:18:36 - From Doors to “Bollocks”: Punk Rock as Vocabulary Lesson 00:27:06 - SRV Auditions Mike’s Band: Slow Blues, Piano-Wire Strings & Fate 00:37:38 - Staying Clean, Helicopters & A Dallas Legend Remembered 00:49:21 - Ramones vs. Pistols: American Tightness, British Chaos 00:51:44 - Hot Klub → Arcadia → Bronco Bowl: The Pipeline for U2, Cure & Friends 00:53:37 - Booking White Whales: PJ Harvey, Nick Cave & Nick Lowe’s Post-Show Solitaire 00:47:01 - Stan Lynch’s Speaker Wars, Andy Timmons, and the Art of MD’ing 00:55:03 - Storytellers Invite & One More Sex Pistols Story 00:56:05 - Reviews, Follows & A Pants-Off Sign-Off   Follow Your Dark Companion on Patreon for every episode:  patreon.com/YourDarkCompanion IG: https://www.instagram.com/yourdarkcompanion/ X: https://x.com/YDC_Dfw TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@yourdarkcompanion FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559876685445 The Old Grey Wolf:  X: https://x.com/TheOldGreyWolf IG: https://www.instagram.com/theoldgreywolf16/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mikerhyner579 To reach out email us at: [email protected] Thanks to our monthly supporters Matthew Kamper W hammons B Smith Robert Stoolfire Thaddeus D. Matula Rachel W Scott Lewis cody SIMS John Gilbert Robert Saunders Kiffer Sidney Long Pattie Rhyner Davidson David Ashlea Bullington James Corona Gordy John C Caffey Joe Lindsey Cam Jillian Wright David Moore Becca Moore Mike Rhyner Your Dark Companion ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★