Esther Wong- Madame Wongs/Madame Wong’s West Clubs in Hollywood.
Esther Wong — “The Godmother of Punk”
Esther Wong was one of the most important figures in the Los Angeles punk and new-wave scene of the late 1970s and 1980s. She owned the famous clubs Madame Wong’s and Madame Wong’s West, where many legendary bands got their early start. She was born in Shanghai, China and originally worked in the family Chinese restaurant business.
The restaurant in Chinatown eventually became Madame Wong’s, which unexpectedly turned into one of the hottest music venues in L.A.
In 1978, Esther Wong began booking punk and new-wave bands to perform at her Chinatown restaurant. Soon, the club became a launch pad for bands such as The Go-Go’s, X, Oingo Boingo, The Germs, The Police, Berlin, Jane’s Addiction, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, and many more. She became known as the “Godmother of Punk” for helping many musicians when no one else would book them. Esther Wong was famous for being extremely tough and outspoken, very protective of the bands she liked, and not afraid to yell at the rowdy crowd. She actually grabbed and threw overly rowdy people out of the club. She had a reputation for running the club like a strict mother, which many musicians actually respected. The bands were afraid of her but loved her, at that time, getting stage time in Hollywood was worth it. “If you survived a show at Madame Wong’s, you knew you were a real band.”
Madame Wong’s West.
When the original club became famous, she opened Madame Wong’s West in Santa Monica in 1981, bringing the scene closer to the beach and the Hollywood crowd.. Esther Wong helped shape the Los Angeles underground music scene. Without her clubs, many early punk and new-wave bands might not have had a place to play. Her venues became part of the same legendary circuit as The Whisky a Go Go, The Roxy Theatre, and The Cathay de Grande.
Esther Wong sometimes paid bands with food instead of money — Chinese dinners from the restaurant downstairs. The vibe was raw and underground, not corporate, and the crowd was a mix of punks, glam rockers, artists, and club kids Leather jackets, mohawks ripped shirts and loud guitars, thats what it was all about.
I loved both of these clubs and saw many undiscovered bands there, GNR, LA Guns, Jane’s Addiction and Francis X.