Dina Douglass Punk Photography

Dina Douglass Punk Photography My punk photography. For IG, see . For my event photography, please see my web site or my
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Black Flag’s Henry Rollins strikes a pose at the Ukrainian Culture Center on December 10, 1982. On this night, the Black...
05/28/2026

Black Flag’s Henry Rollins strikes a pose at the Ukrainian Culture Center on December 10, 1982. On this night, the Black Flag lineup included Henry, Greg Ginn, Chuck Dukowski, Chuck Biscuits and Dez Cadena.

There’s a video of this show floating around on YouTube (see the MickMod account), and I think I can see my camera popping into frame off to the right. I know that Robbie Robinson, Marla Watson and I must have been standing quite close to one another, as we all have photos from the same vantage point. The video is dark but I can definitely see Earl Liberty in a few shots as well.

This early Goldenvoice show included D.O.A., the Minutemen and the Descendents. D. Boon lost his life in 1985 when a left rear wheel axle broke into a million shards of tragedy and unfulfilled promise.

I’m a few days late for World Goth Day but thought those who celebrate might enjoy this photo of Specimen, which was tak...
05/27/2026

I’m a few days late for World Goth Day but thought those who celebrate might enjoy this photo of Specimen, which was taken at the Alexandria Hotel in Hollywood on December 22, 1983.

The show was promoted by Gary Tovar at Goldenvoice, with Joseph Brooks (Vinyl Fe**sh founder and renowned birder) spinning vinyl. The band was incredibly kind to pose for me after Gary allowed me to visit their hotel room. How I wish I remembered one thing that was said, but I was too young to commit to memory conversations that might have mattered in hindsight.

I had trouble finding photos of the band with names included, but if my research hasn’t failed me, this image features Jonny Slut, Olli Wisdom, Jon Klein, Kev Mills and Chris Bell. Jonny, I still owe you that bit of history.

I’ve always enjoy finding quiet moments in unexpected places. We all have our vulnerabilities and little habits, but man...
05/22/2026

I’ve always enjoy finding quiet moments in unexpected places. We all have our vulnerabilities and little habits, but many of those are hidden from public view. I suppose that’s one reason I love this photo of a comforting habit surfacing just before the next band.

The bill was Social Distortion, The Vandals, MIA and Mad Parade at the Pomona Valley Auditorium on February 1, 1985. I wish I knew this guy’s name but I don’t. I have a few other photos of him so I’m sure someone will chime in with his details soon. For now, just thought I’d post this thoughtful moment instead of the chaotic crowd shot that I was thinking about posting.

The smoking Debbie Harry doppelganger at the right corner is just a bonus.

Wattie takes a licking and keeps on ticking. I took this photo when The Exploited played at the Olympic Auditorium on Ju...
04/28/2026

Wattie takes a licking and keeps on ticking. I took this photo when The Exploited played at the Olympic Auditorium on June 1, 1984. Opening bands included DOA, Bad Religion, Kraut and Love Canal.

I have several images of Wattie crawling away from the crowd during this show, but this photo exists only on a proof sheet. The three-frame negative strip that featured this image is sadly nowhere to be found. Enter a hi-res flatbed scanner and I’m happy to say this image has now been rescued.

This show was a monster, with the venue packed to the gills. You can see the late Big Frank’s arm in the upper left as he tries to pull Wattie away from the crowd.

Kevin Guercio fronts No Mercy on July 12, 1984, at the Cathay de Grande in Hollywood. The Venice-based band was opening ...
04/24/2026

Kevin Guercio fronts No Mercy on July 12, 1984, at the Cathay de Grande in Hollywood. The Venice-based band was opening for Corrosion of Conformity, and if you swipe to the second photo, you’ll see a photo of the marquee.

Kevin fronted No Mercy until 1985, when Mike Muir took over lead vocals for the band. I couldn’t find a No Mercy song to add so I pulled a Suicidal Tendencies song instead (I tried).

You can’t really tell with the IG crop, but Kevin is wearing shorts for this performance. I don’t really know much about Kevin but if what I’ve read is true, he relocated to Wyoming when he left the band (or left the band to relocate to Wyoming). Shorts and Wyoming = The sum total of my knowledge on this one.

Corrosion of Conformity stayed at my apartment after the show because my neighbors were from Raleigh and knew the band. One day, I will get around to posting some of the many shots I took of Woody, Mike and Eric being silly and just hanging out in my teenage apartment.

Minor Threat’s Ian MacKaye watches Channel 3 perform on July 23, 1983, at Space II Arcade in Washington, D.C.. I’ve alwa...
04/13/2026

Minor Threat’s Ian MacKaye watches Channel 3 perform on July 23, 1983, at Space II Arcade in Washington, D.C.. I’ve always loved photographing people just standing around, and I guess I’ve lately been in the mood to show off a few of those photos (first with John Macias, then with Jack Grisham and now with Ian).

Most of my punk archive was shot in Southern California, but my paternal grandparents lived near Perryville, Maryland, so I took this photo when I went to visit them.

I borrowed a car then drove for ages to see CH3 play at the Marble Bar in Baltimore and then at a next-day matinee at Space II Arcade in WDC. I remember getting into huge trouble for not coming home until the next day, but it was worth it. Fun fact: CH3’s Mike Magrann has a color photo from the same day so I know that Ian’s shirt was yellow.

The number of people who helped me identify this venue is legion, so eternal thanks to Mike Magrann, Scott Crawford and Jim Saah, all of whom spent time trying to figure out where this was. If I’ve forgotten anyone, it wasn’t on purpose, and I thank you, too.

This photo of TSOL’s Jack Grisham was taken just before the start of an infamous show and equally notorious riot. On the...
03/27/2026

This photo of TSOL’s Jack Grisham was taken just before the start of an infamous show and equally notorious riot.

On the night of January 8, 1983, TSOL headlined a show with Social Distortion, Redd Kross, Toxic Reasons and Los Olvidados at SIR Studios on Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood.

Many people reading this will already know that when police started gathering outside for no reason whatsoever, Jack told the crowd of 2,500 kids to sit down. Eventually, Jack apparently said, “Let’s get ‘em!” and as kids spilled into the street to encounter members of the riot squad, things got ugly.

Sunset Blvd. was shut down for hours with a standoff that made no sense. People set road signs and boxes on fire. Punks got thrown in jail. Two days later, the Los Angeles Times shrieked “Punk Rock Fracas Leads to 5 Arrests.”

Jack’s reaction? He decided to leave the band. If what I’ve read is true, TSOL played one more scheduled show, and then Jack just decided it was time to do something different.

One of the reasons I love this random photo is that it captures Jack just standing around, waiting to go on stage, with no inkling of what was going to happen only a short time later. Also, he’s wearing yellow, which was not his usual.

I did capture a photo of all the kids sitting down, and it appears across two pages in my forthcoming book, Shot as a Teen. The book also includes a few shots of Jack performing on stage at this show, as well as a photo of a kid kicking boxes filled with fire down Sunset.

John Macias of Circle One stands in the crowd while watching Minor Threat play at Rollerworks on April 2, 1983. I can’t ...
03/24/2026

John Macias of Circle One stands in the crowd while watching Minor Threat play at Rollerworks on April 2, 1983.

I can’t say that I really knew John, but he was definitely responsible for getting me into a number of shows. He had this thing where he’d stand by a club’s back door, then start moving in circles while more kids jumped in. Eventually, the mass of kids would break through the door, but no one inside really seemed to care.

Though I rarely had trouble getting into a show, I know I was in a few of those masses of kids. The Public Image Ltd. show at the Pasadena Convention Center comes to mind.

A few great color shots of John performing with Circle One appear in my forthcoming book, Shot as a Teen. I wish John had seen my photos of him but sadly, he never did.

Agression’s Mark Hickey opening for Minor Threat at Rollerworks in Chatsworth, April 2, 1983. Mark was a nardcore pionee...
03/13/2026

Agression’s Mark Hickey opening for Minor Threat at Rollerworks in Chatsworth, April 2, 1983. Mark was a nardcore pioneer as well as a bouncer at Godzilla’s, so the street cred was high with this one.

Mark seemed to have a strong protective instincts and I remember numerous times when he pushed people away from me and others when things were getting a bit out of hand.

A reissue of Agression’s Don’t Be Mistaken is available on Trust Records, and it features a 20-page booklet as well as a single featuring live recordings from Fender’s Ballroom.

Social Distortion’s Mike Ness floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee. This photo of a mid-air Mike was taken duri...
03/10/2026

Social Distortion’s Mike Ness floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee. This photo of a mid-air Mike was taken during a Social Distortion gig at the Pomona Valley Auditorium on February 2, 1985. Opening bands included The Vandals, MIA and Mad Parade.

As I was looking through my extensive portfolio of early Social Distortion photos, I kind of realized that I have some of the best and some of the absolute worst shots ever taken of Mike. Post the bad ones, you say? Maybe not so much. For now, I’m much more excited about the band’s new album, out May 8th on Epitaph. Fifteen years was much too long to wait, so I truly hope it’s a big success for the band.

Figuring out where this show took place was actually really difficult. Social Distortion played with the Vandals on a number of occasions, but I just couldn’t reconcile the venue with any corroborating images. Eventually, after months of on and off research, I found a photo taken by Robbie Robinson that possibly had the same drum riser and walls, so he kindly went back through his files and we were able to line up wider shots that confirmed the venue. I’m eternally grateful for his help. And for what it’s worth, I don’t even remember ever driving to Pomona at that age.

I usually try to post music of the era but since the band has some long overdue new music out, thought I’d include Born to Kill.

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