San Diego Reader

As reports come in regarding the apparent suicide of Don Cornelius, founder and longtime host of TV's Soul Train, a local war of words has erupted over Cornelius and his legacy.

Beginning online via Facebook, Twitter, and the fan page for local punk rockers Social Spit, 42 year-old band bassist Lenny Bly (aka Ugly Lenny) commented that Cornelius' suicide was "a bangup way to start Black History Month."

Bly later posted followup statements such as "I have no pity for anyone who kills themselves. Maybe the black history month comment was a little extreme. I actually am going to remove it. I still have no pity for Dumb Cornelius or Kurdt Kabang. So, there's some defenseful mouthing off."

Local musico Clay Colgin ( Men of Clay , Eris Sisters ): "My name will be off the Social Spit fan-page soon enough. I think most true punks, at least the ones I know and remember, would agree with my sentiment."

"Lenny's gloating today over a man's death, suggesting it was a bang of a way to start black history month, was more than enough to prompt me to remove my name from your list of supporters. It's one thing to not like another artist or style of music, but to be unable to wait two seconds to cheer his death was beyond anything I could've imagined, even from the ugly-man himself. Sad day for San Diego punk-rock...I'll take Don Cornelius' memory any day. There's no room for this kind of racist BS on my likes list."

Aprilstar Davis Jewelry: "Wow I had no idea that's gross and it offends both African Americans and survivors of suicide."

Colgin: "It offends what punk was all about in my book."

French MacGillicutty: "I don't know or want to know the details, but i get the gist, so: thank you Clay for not supporting the lowest common denominator and keepin' it real!"

Lesha Holland: "No sympathy for the suicidal? It must've been so great to live an entire lifetime chock-full of rainbows and puppykisses, never having to come up against shitty life experiences that can make it seem far more trouble than it's worth."

Cliff Cunningham: "I'd like to know where the fucking 'gloating' is Clay, just don't see it."

Josh Board: "When I saw a few people on Facebook mention that idiot Don Cornelius (Soul Train) killing himself – I thought I’d mention a few other deaths that were overlooked..."

Randy Shiner: "Why do you call Don Cornelius an idiot? Because he offed himself? To me suicide is stupid (but understandable), but who am I to get inside someone else's head? Maybe he figured enough was enough. I had a friend who had terminal cancer who chose to stop taking the chemo and to just die. Is/Was she stupid too? Who am I to say?"

Board: "Randy: Great question. So let me answer. He's stupid for two reasons. I know two people that met him, and said he was extremely rude. And, he beat his wife (plead guilty), and she had to get a restraining order. Anybody like that out there SHOULD kill themselves. They're pathetic."

Shiner: "What? You expect stupid questions from me? For me, I would rather look at his positive contributions to music and black culture in particular, though he evidently had some issues with domestic violence. A lot of people do, and a lot of people are idiots, including, evidently, Mr. Cornelius. But I do not think it's right to dismiss his life's work because of that, and I don't think you were."

Board: "I do think you can dismiss a lifetime of work...This guy beat his wife. As far as I'm concerned, he's a pyscho that I'm glad is off the planet. I wish he would've ofted himself sooner. Perhaps before he hit a woman."

Ugly Lenny sent the following as a comment to above: "Dear Crybabies, It was a tastless joke that a 'woman called Clay' got her panties all in a bunch over. Just a joke. Clay not only misquoted what I initially wrote (two different times in two different ways); but he made it sound like I was some kind of nazi or something. This is not the first (and I'm sure it won't be the last time) Clay has accused me of being a racist. 7 days after Amy Whinehorse OD'd, I posted a comment congratulating her for a week of sobriety. I don't remember him giving me a hard time about that tasteless joke. Maybe because she looks white? Or maybe he missed that one and forgot to accuse me of hating white people too. I am a republican and yes, I know that is very 'un-punk.' But, you won't find one single place where I've ever called myself a punk. I'm not a punk and never claimed to be. Anyway, if I mention something about immigration, Clay says I hate Mexicans. If I say anything against the president, Clay will say I hate blacks and ANY comment against Obama is racist to him. I used to say the same things about Clinton. He probably would've said, then, that I hate America. I could say that I don't like the tie Obama is wearing and Clay would say 'that's because you're a stupid racist nazi.' You can't win with Clay. I'm just a crude humorist. People just need to lighten up. Hope you all have a wonderful day at your tree-hug-athon."

"The original quote was '..starting Black History Month with a bang' (meaning gunshot); not 'bang up way to start...'. The original quote: no opinion stated based on facts. Clay's dyslexic interpretation of the original quote: changes it to state an opinion which was never expressed."

Formed in 1980, Social Spit played one show with guitarist Dave Fleminger, singer Bruce “Scabs” Atwell, drummer Brian Watkins, bassist Bosco, and guitarist Squirrel. That band broke up and, in November 1980, Bruce Atwell approached Jonny Vee at a Black Flag show about relaunching Social Spit.

Bassist Russ Weber joined and the new Social Spit debuted in December 1980 at the North Park Lions Club on Utah Street. In January 1981, Bruce Atwell quit and was replaced in February by Cliff Cunningham, making his debut with the band at the Fifth Avenue punk club Zebra Club (a show that also included the Unknowns and Violation 5).

In late 1981, the band began to fall apart. In 1982, Cunningham developed Ewing’s sarcoma, a type of bone cancer, losing his leg in December of that year. The band split, other than a one-off concert in 1982 at Kings Road on 30th Street, the last show with bassist Russ Weber and founding drummer Brian Watkins.

In 1986, Social Spit reformed with drummer Paul “Scumdog” Valentine and bassist Sean Coley (Diatribe). Six months later, Coley was replaced with bassist Mike Von Geitzen. Around this time, San Diiego label Mystic Records recorded and distributed the EP Psycho Ward.

Mike von Gietzen and Scumdog left the band in late 1987 and were replaced with Dave “Psycho” Nestor on bass and Javier Vega on drums. In 1988, Mystic released the Social Spit Live EP, with Shit List (later retitled There’s No Place Like Home) put out the following year, sporting cover art by local cartoonist Marc Rude, of Dead or Alive Productions and, later, Black Market Productions.

Between 1986 and 1992, they shared the stage with the Circle Jerks, Bad Religion, the Exploited, the U.K. Subs, 7 Seconds, the Adolescents, and the Descendants.

Through the 1990s, the band was on-and-off, with oft-shifting lineups, with Cunningham departing in 1992. In 2005, Cunningham rejoined for seven shows in six months, to celebrate the band's 25th anniversary, though they soon split again.

They reunited again for their 30th anniversary, and so far the spit seems to beholding them together. Currently based in East County, the present lineup includes guitarist Jonny Vee (aka WeaponX), singer Cliff “Pegleg” Cunningham, bassist Ugly Lenny of Inciting Riots (who joined in 2005), and newest member Javier Vega on drums (replacing Jimi Flynn, ex-Ministry of Truth).

The Eris Sisters are an electronica duo featuring Kristi Maddocks, of the legendary vintage local garage band Everybody Violet, and Clay Colgin (Men of Clay), aka Mancalled Clay.

Maddocks suffered a massive brain injury in 2005, though she subsequently recovered. She has also played with the Blues Gangsters and Burlap & Pearl.

Their debut DownHEAR was recorded in late 2010, featuring seven songs, three of them remixes, including some remixing by local Pea Hix.

Maddocks returned to San Diego on August 21, 2010, to preview tracks from their debut with Colgin at the Club Zu Boat Party IV. A limited edition CD sampler was given out at the event.

A few weeks later, on December 16, Maddocks was involved in a wreck involving the public-transit van she was traveling in, ending up with her back-boarded all afternoon and tied to catheters. She recovered and the band is reportedly working on new demos.