St. Louis Video: L7, "Loudmouth" at Bernard's Pub, 1988

• http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3075/3182209399_4b0a8eb21c.jpg?v=0 Where is he now?

• Bernard Pub (Lafayette) was the new punk rock place after Turners. The new Bernard Pub (Landing) still has the black side sign on it up the street from Morgan on the landing. All were places including Stages where John Green promoted punk rock shows. In the day, it seemed like he was screwing bands out of money, but now kids make the big bucks at all the new punk rock places like Way Out and Creepy Crawl (right). I would like to know what the eccentric John Green is doing these days. By the way, the music scene was pretty scarce in St Louis during those times as they are now. Anyone remember Parm from Club 367.....

• WOW! A lot of great info on this page. Particularly the link from "Jim" directly above my post. Yes, Bernard's Pub operated out of that building on the corner of Lafayette & Thurman. I know, I played in the band, "White Cross" there (pre-motorcycle wreck) back in '88. It was a f**kin' hole, mostly due to John Green running it. After our gig that night, I walked in one last time to see if we left any gear behind to find our drummer pushing Green up against the bar with one hand, while holding a cymbal stand in the other, threatening to bash Green's head in if he didn't pay us what we were promised. A story I'm <b>positive</b> many other bands in St. Louis can verify. AND... as the story in the link above states, there <i>was</i> a woman found dead in that building after it was "boarded up". I also remember leaving and getting lost, headed North! After about 4-5 blocks we noticed there were alot of people just hanging out on the street corners... at 3am!! I turned our van up one street to head towards Grand and was quickly told by the shouting crowd, "You're goin' the wrong way muthafucka!!" YIKES!! Needless to say, I stomped the gas and got the hell outta dodge as beer bottles galore rained down on us from all around! I had know idea about all the problems Peppe's been dealing with. He should get whatever he wants for that property, especially since it's been in his family for well over 50 years. Apart from that diatribe, Bernard's Pub has always had a stigma attached to it. Always related to John Green. He screwed more bands in more ways than any other bar owner in St. Louis. He also used to run "Turner's Upstairs" in North St. Louis off Hwy 70. It was an old Theatre and body building gym that he converted the stage to accommodate bands, not that he really did anything special. It was a cool place to wander backstage in the dressing rooms, but other than that, the place was a bitch to play. "Upstairs" meant it was on the 2nd floor and you had to haul all your gear up a HUGE flight of steps and then carry it back down after the gig. I was there the night Axe Minister played and another band (whose name escapes me) that had the guitarist/singer, Joe Buffalo. Joe died that night driving home from the gig. RIP Joe... Turner's was in a shitty part of the city, just as the 1st Bernard's was. In 2 different occasions going to Turner's, there was a stabbing and then a shooting. NOT a good neighborhood! As for the Bernard's on The Landing... I was always amazed (as were others) that John Green managed to wrangle together a club "on the Landing". He would overcharge underage kids... water-down the drinks for those over 21... and screw every band that ever played by giving various excuses like, "Well, you owe the light-guy 25 bucks, so that comes out of your cut." Or, the same type of excuse, only this time it was the sound guy. It was ALWAYS something with John. Anyway to nickel & dime a band out of the $$ they were promised, he would find it. Now then, after all this bitching about Green... that doesn't take away from the fact that ALOT of really cool punk bands did play there over the years. However, you may have noticed that the ones with names like L7 and such... rarely returned. Bernard's was built around the local bands, usually cramming 10-12 bands in a weekend night! It was long and narrow, and had multiple levels to it. 4... maybe 5 depending on how you looked at it. It was a unique club that had potential to be "one of the greats", had it not been for John Green. Don't believe me? Just ask anybody "older" when you're out, about Bernard's Pub. If you get a reaction, then mention John Green's name and watch their eyes roll and/or head shake. It's a sad commentary, but I guess it all went with "punk rock" in general, eh?

• Someone could just ask this guy about the club http://www.riverfronttimes.com/2006-07-05/news/lot-in-life/full

• Holy crap I'm old. O.K., Bernards Pub was at the corner of Laffayette and Thurman. During the late 70's it was a happening lunch location for all the SLU hospital staff then later a venue for local new wave and early punk bands. It was owned by Bill "Bernard" and booked mostly by Johen Green. In the early 80's the trend went toward all music and on April 19th 1984 it was raided by the vice squad during a set by Austin, TX band The Offenders. JJ, the singer dropped his pants for a second and was charged with lewd behavior. In all 36 kids were arrested and charged with underage drinking. It was closed until some time in early 1987 when John Green began to book all ages shows there again until the end of 1989. There was no body in the wall. A crack head though was murdered in the apartment in May of 1990 by her dealer or boyfriend or who knows. More bands played there than I can list in this already very long comment. Suffice it to say it was an amazing era in STL punk rock. The footage of L7 was in September of 1988 opening for Bad Religion to a whopping crowd of 60 or so people. Later, well after they played Crimpshrine rolled up in a Ford Pinto with part of the gear strapped to the roof and played a short set at the end of the night. That's right kids, we used to have to walk up hill both ways with hoosiers throwing Busch beer cans at us to get to shows.

• Bernard's is of course not the same as the front entrance of Morgan Street. Perhaps I am wrong but I thought Morgan Street gobbled up Bernard's at some point and connected the buildings. It has been years since I have been there but that was what I remember.

• The original Bernard's Pub was just south of St Louis University on a street that was just north of and ran parallel to Highway 40. In the late eighties sometime, it moved to the Landing. Some great bands played at both locations over the years. Ignition, HR (from the Bad Brains), Sinster Dane, Filet of Funk at the original location. Buck Pets (loud!), Flaming Lips at the later location. There are probably a hundred other great ones I just can't recall at the moment.

• I actually thought Bernard's plub was up the street from Morgan Street slightly closer to Eads on the East side of the street. I'm perfectly willing to except I'm wrong, I just have this image of a place (that I thought was Bernard's) where there was actually a little balcony/loft looking over the stage. It was super narrow and shitty where that stage was though and a lot of bands took to playing on the flight of steps in the back of whatever this place was.

• I know there was an incarnation of Bernard's off of 44 between Grand and Vandeventer on the North side of 44. I can't remember the street but I want to say 39th. Anyway, Steve on Wheels of Maximum Velocity fame, yes the rock show on public access, told me that when they moved, they found a corpse in the wall of the building. This was before they moved to the Landing as I understand it. Perhaps someone a bit older than me can verify this.

• As I understand it, at one point Bernard's Pub was a decent place for good punk music. However, the only one I remember was located where (part of) Morgan Street Brewery is now on the Landing. It was a place that just about anyone could book a show and had the quality to show for it. I think the old Bernard's Pub was in a different location than the Landing Bernard's Pub.

• UR fired. Bill Bernard

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