X: 40 Years Of Punk In Los Angeles

Exhibit Info

On View - Oct 13, 2017 - Oct 13, 2017

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Los Angeles punk rock band X, the GRAMMY Museum at L.A. LIVE presents a new exhibit titled X: 40 Years of Punk in Los Angeles on Friday, October 13. On display in the Special Exhibits Gallery on the second floor, the exhibit will give visitors a glimpse into how X’s four original members – Exene Cervenka, John Doe, Billy Zoom, and DJ Bonebrake – quickly established the band as one of the best in the first wave of L.A.’s flourishing punk scene.

An X exhibit in a museum? Unbelievable! We are honored, dumbstruck and so grateful that all four original members are here to celebrate and share our history and 40th anniversary. It’s a very long way from a basement on Hollywood Blvd (The Masque) to the GRAMMY Museum, but we feel that we bring with us all the punks from then and now. We are just the representatives for what has gone before and what is still to come in the City of Angels.
— Exene, Billy, DJ, and John

Items on display will include:

• Original instruments and gear played by the band
• Handwritten lyrics and notebooks by Exene Cervenka and John Doe
• Clothing and other personal items
• Original concert flyers for L.A. shows
• Rare photographs and artwork by Exenex: The Unheard Music Film, and more!

We are thrilled to be hosting the official 40th-anniversary exhibit for one of Los Angeles’ most influential punk rock acts. While most will think of New York when they think of the punk movement, the genre was also developing an impact on the West Coast, of which X played an integral role in developing, and we are so excited to tell that story. – GRAMMY Museum Executive Director Scott Goldman

X: 40 Years of Punk in Los Angeles will be on display through Feb. 25, 2018.

This exhibit will place a much-deserved spotlight on the history of punk music in Los Angeles and one of the bands who played a vital role on the genre’s impact on Southern California. Visitors will get a unique, behind-the-scenes look at the development of X’s career and how, after 40 years, they remain one of the few bands to continue to tour with all four original members.
– GRAMMY Museum Curator Nwaka Onwusa

ABOUT X
Formed in 1977, X quickly established themselves as one of the best bands in the first wave of L.A.’s flourishing punk scene, becoming legendary leaders of a punk generation. Featuring vocalist Exene Cervenka, vocalist/bassist John Doe, guitarist Billy Zoom, and drummer DJ Bonebrake, their debut 45 was released on the seminal Dangerhouse label in 1978, followed by seven studio albums released from 1980-1993. Over the years, the band has released several critically acclaimed albums, topped the musical charts with regularity and performed their iconic hits on top television shows such as “The Late Show With David Letterman” and Dick Clark’s “American Bandstand.” X’s first two studio albums, Los Angeles and Wild Gift, are ranked by Rolling Stone magazine among the top 500 greatest albums of all time. The band continues to tour with the original lineup fully intact. Their 40th anniversary tour kicked of May 1 with dates scheduled through December 2017. For more information, visit http://www.xtheband.com.