I have known Bob Clic for years ... Lets just say since we were infants at The Mabuhay Gardens... Bob has been slaying the crowds with his incredible guitar work and I decided it was high time that I interviewed him.... We are also both Libra's and are born within days of each other.. Very much like Bebe Buell, Jayne County and the late Johnny Thunders who were all born around the same date in July... Bob was gracious enough to answer a few questions... Enjoy!!

Thanks for the interview Bob. Can you give the readers a brief background on yourself?

I was born in Akron, Ohio but by 72 - 73 I had moved to San Jose. I came to SF in 1978. I've played guitar for The Lewd, Melting Euphoria and a whole slew of other bands since the 70s. I also play bass for the Rubber City Rebels.

Tell us how old you were when you first started playing guitar?

I was 9. It was 1965.

Who were some of you early inspirations?

The Doors originally, but I grew up listening to WMMS in Cleveland, I heard everything and everyone from that radio station and also my older brothers record collections.

Can you tell the readers how you became involved with The Lewd?

I met Kurdt Vanderhoof, The Lewd were having trouble finding the right bass player. I volunteered, after the first rehearsal I moved into the Lewd house.

Sats was originally from Seattle and played in a band with the late Tomata Du Plenty. How long did they play together?

They were in Ze Whiz Kidz together.... but you'd have to talk to Sats for details.

Had Kurdt played with The Lewd in Seattle?

Yes, Kurdt was "Blobbo" the bass player on the Kill Yourself single. When they moved to SF he switched to guitar before leaving to start the Metal Church.

Tell us about all the residents of the infamous Lewd House?

Well, at various times it was Sats, Electra and Crystal, me, Blobbo until he moved to the Metal Church house a block away. Big Jim and GiGi moved in also. I know I'm forgetting someone or other.

The Lewd even had a fan club. Tell us about that ?

That was done by Laura Lorda, she was perfect for creating fan clubs.... It was pretty cool, my kids still have everything she sent them.

The Lewd In Action

Tell us how the late Olga de Volga joined The Lewd?

Well, VS had broken up so we had Olga and Alex (VS drummer) come down to our studio over Original Joes. It sounded good and felt right, and then we all went to the Mab together. As we walked into the Mabuhay word got around that we had just played together and everyone was so supportive of the idea that by the end of the night we all agreed to start rehearsing the next night. Punk Globe; I remember that you and Olga were a couple during The Lewd.. Tell us about that?

Yea, soon after she joined the band Olga and I were hanging out together and playing a lot together and then one thing led to another... you know how it is...

I also know how her passing affected you.. You discovered alot about her final months. Did you speak with her family and friends about her final days?

Well, people kept asking about Olga whenever we played and I realized I didn't really have any idea of what happened to her. So yes, I stay in touch with Olga's sister and we got together and posted a thread on Facebook in March.

I also remember you quitting The Lewd and forming Murder with the late Nyna Crawford. Tell us about that?

We both quit our bands around the same time, and we were friends.... In fact it was you, Ginger, who suggested I go talk to her!

What did you do after Murder broke up?

I kept playing heavy metal for a few more years but by the late 80s I was pretty sick of just playing loud aggressive music. So I decided to relearn how to strum.

You also worked at The Strand and The Egyptian Theaters tell us about that?

Yea, I got hired by the Strand to work at the Egyptian Theatre. I stayed there until it became a porno theatre. After that I went to the Embassy Theatre, I was the projectionist when the 89 Earthquake hit. After that I went back to the Strand and ran the projection booth. I really loved working in those movie theatres.

There were so many people involved with the punk scene that worked there. Do you remember them all?

No, but I remember most of them. Me, Michael Riedy, Deanna and Mia from Frightwig, Kurt and Kevin from Wire Train, Fritz and Sally from the Mutants, Bond from the Undead......... I must have missed a few. Plus there were photographers like Karen Ruby, djs like George Epileptic and several others from the scene that worked there. That was just at the Egyptian/Electric, there were also many more musicians working at the Strand during those years.

The Lewd are back better than ever tell us who is in the band now? Is your son still playing in the Lewd?

Sats and I, of course. Tony Garay has played bass for us for over 10 years already, and we have a fairly new drummer, Mic Rawls. Yes, my son Steve Clic is still in the band as another guitar player.

Your brother played with The Rubber City Rebels?

Yep, my brother Buzz Clic was in a band called King Cobra with a friend of his from high school that played hard rock covers all over northern Ohio, I guess they saw Johnny Thunders in Cleveland and realised they could write songs too, plus they weren't all strung out on dope. Stiv Bators named them the Rubber City Rebels.

An Early Rubber City Rebels Video

Now you are playing in The Rubber City Rebels. How long have been in the band?

I've been a Rebel since around 2001 or so, they reformed for a couple Ohio gigs and at that point the bass player quit. I stepped forward, so not only do I play in The Lewd with my son, but I play in the Rubber City Rebels with my brother! It's pretty cool, we all get along great... obviously. I'm on the Pierce My Brain CD and I think another single maybe too. We've since toured Europe 3 times and gone to Japan.

Who is in the current line up and what do they play?

The Rubber City Rebels are Rod Firestone - vocal/guitar, Buzz Clic - lead guitar, Mike Von Hammer - drums, me on bass. Mike was also in the Ohio band Hammer Damage.

The Rubber City Rebels will also be playing the Punk Homecoming 2013.. Are you excited about that?

Yes I am, our last show was at SXSW about 3 years ago or so...... We'll be playing a few other shows that week in September on the west coast, but I don't know where yet.

You are also involved with committee that is putting the show on. You also worked on the Punk Reunion show that happened last year am I right? Who else is on the committee for the upcoming Punk Homecoming Show?

Yes, we did last years reunion and also a benefit. The "committee" has changed by several members since then, but we have Michael Reid, who is the heart of the whole thing, Micky Creep, John Binkov, Ruby Ray, John Eppstein, Kathleene Landino, Peter Urban, Elizabeth Myrddin, Naomi from Mod Lang Records, Raymond Ernest Andre III, Sue Brisk, Nikki Davis, Jim Pitts and myself..... we'll have help from others also, like Chi Chi, as we get closer. It's seems like too many chiefs, but we all have different skills. After the booking gets finalized I start becoming pretty useless to the show, in fact the week of the show I'll have to be in LA to rehearse and play with the RCRebels.

I have heard of a few mishaps that happened with the Punk Reunion show but overall the show was a success. Do you agree?

Yes I do. It's not easy getting people to agree on anything, but we pulled it off twice, I think this one will be better.

Tell us about some of the bands scheduled to play and some special events you have planned for the 2 day show?

We expect to have Frightwig, Penelope Houston, Nervous Gender, White Trash Debutants, Rubber City Rebels, Roy Loney, The Alleycats, Alice Bag, The Guverment (with Greg Ingraham), Impatient Youth, The Blowdryers, the Mutants, Deborah Iyall playing Romeo Void songs... and quite a few more bands than I've listed. We are also hoping to have several writers reading from their books, some type of photo exhibit, and I believe we will be crowning a Homecoming King and Queen! Of course it's all subject to change.....

I know that Iris Berry is reading from her book... Can you tell the readers the dates and location for The Punk Homecoming 2013 Show?

Yes, it's the SF Punk Homecoming 2013 SFW and it's on Sept 21 and 22 at the Verdi Club in SF. Tickets are on-sale now, so by the time anyone reads this they might be sold out, but the website for tickets is sfpunkhomecoming.com

You recently had a health scare.. Do you care to tell us about that?

Yea, during the month of last years reunion, in September, I was having what turned out to be many very small heart attacks. In November (I have no insurance of course) I ended up in SFGH and had a platinum stent put in my heart. They told me without treatment I would not have lived until January 2013.

I hope that you are eating better and getting healthy we need you around for quite a few more years! Tell us what else is happening with Bob Clic for the rest of 2013?

Yes, I feel a lot better now, it must have been slowly making me feel sick because my blood wasn't circulating very well for many years before this... I'm enjoying myself quite a bit the past few years. I live in a 2 inch tape multitrack recording studio, all I do is play music. I play a lot of blues rock and country music.... I play mandolin, banjo, and pedal steel all the time too.

Have you been in the studio recording?

Lately I've been helping John Eppstein record a country music cd, I also play pretty much whenever someone asks me to.

Describe yourself in 3 words?

guitar plunkin moron

Any final words for Punk Globe readers?

Vote Ginger Coyote for Homecoming Queen!