Peter Ivers

 

I first encountered the Unknowns on the eccentric Los Angeles punk rock showcase New Wave Theatre on late night TV in the early 1980's, and I saw them perform on the show at least twice.  At one of them, NWT host Peter Ivers stuck a mike in front of a little girl who was maybe six years old, and he asked her if she knew who the next band was.  She said, "I don't know"; and Ivers responded, "Neither do we:  the Unknowns!" 

 

Peter Ivers would interview the bands after their performances in a most bothersome way, often closing with the question, "What is the meaning of life?"  I remember Unknowns frontman Bruce Joyner giving a short rant in response to one of his questions about how "the world would be a helluva lot better place if people only worried about theirselves and not so much about other people". 

 

(June 2011)