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UID:Indybay-18776018
SEQUENCE:18899710
CREATED:20150811T182400Z
DESCRIPTION:Berkeley's all ages collectively run club Gilman St. will host a 
 celebration and benefit for a local hero. Michael Diehl is so essential to 
 life here that he was named "Mayor of the Streets". Recently he has 
 suffered some medical complications and he is hoping to get help to pay off 
 the bill---as well as mark his 60th birthday.\n\nThe night is jammed 
 packed. Food Not Bombs will be there to boost everyone's blood sugar level 
 when the doors open at 5pm. People will need it for a mind blowing display 
 of Michael's art work will flood everyone's senses. Michael is an unique 
 artist of cluttered and topical fliers--many of which will feature events 
 that happened at Gilman St. as well as protests in Berkeley in general. 
 Michael is also a painter and the works on display will promise to 
 challenge people who are sexually repressed.\n\nGilman is most known for 
 music---or what people obssessed with punk will pass off as music.\nThe 
 night opens with a new band--local kids running with the name Full Metal 
 Wingnut--will take the stage without shame. Also on stack is National 
 Disgrace. The writer of this post hasn't quite figured out what they're 
 about---but surprises can be a good thing.\nThere's nothing mysterious 
 about the solid pop punk trio Courtney & the Crushers. They will arrive to 
 the club fresh from a West Coast tour and provide some heart pounding booty 
 shaking sounds. The vocals finely compliment the music and you just may 
 want to start a band afterwards. By the way the bassist Richie Boucher used 
 to play in Soup---the first band ever to play the Gilman stage.\nAlso hot 
 from a tour is Coral Remains---who recently changed their name from 
 Styrofoam Sanchez. No pop here. They create a grating sound scape that most 
 of the innovative creative types are doing these days. Their recent welcome 
 home set inspired late night reminisces about the ritual heavy musical 
 experience of Crash Worship. Coral Remains is less of a Juke Box and closer 
 to waking from an LSD trip.\n\nMichael Diehl is an example of someone who 
 discovered the scene and kept giving to it. He was involved with the 
 original Gilman St crew working with the art committee that provided murals 
 for the space. Burnout had chased away the Maximum Rock N Roll management 
 as they ignored his "Let a 1,000 Parks Bloom" manifesto calling for the 
 club to stay open and expand outside of punk music. By 1989 he was working 
 to keep the club open and was thrust into the head coordinator position 
 until 1992. Known then and forever for his enthusiastic dancing, what is 
 less known is the pagan rituals he would host during the club's off nights. 
 At one time casting a spell to get the rent paid. Who knows if it 
 worked--but by 1992 bands like Jawbreaker, Rancid and Green Day (among 
 others) filled the space with crowds that keep the doors open to this 
 day.\nWhen Michael got burned out form the club he didn't retire. A 
 passionate dedicated fighter for People's Park and the larger homeless and 
 street people community you couldn't go to a protest without seeing his 
 familiar top hat. He could hardly add another feather to the hat but watch 
 him as he quickly takes on a Cop Watch activity when ever the times calls. 
 Doing out reach work for B.O.S.S. and later with the Berkeley Free Clinic 
 and even a weekly program on the 104.1 Pirate Radio station (alternately 
 Free Radio Berkeley, Tree Radio Berkeley and Berkeley Liberation Radio). 
 The post 911 years became so ugly and traumatic that he has been essential 
 in providing peer support in a weekly Radical Mental Health Collective at 
 the Free Clinic where one can find open ears and heart.\n\nSo you see--your 
 chance to put some money into a good place is facing you. What else you got 
 going on a Thursday night?    \n 
 https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2015/08/11/18776018.php
SUMMARY:60th Birthday Party and Benefit for "Mad Hatter"
LOCATION:Gilman St. Project is in West Berkeley 924 Gilman St @ 8th st.
URL:https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2015/08/11/18776018.php
DTSTART:20150828T000000Z
DTEND:20150828T060000Z
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