Talk with Andrew Czezowski and Susan Carrington
This was one of the most interesting and illuminating chats about entrepreneurship I have heard in a long time.
Two young people who loved music, style, culture and having fun opened a club, The Roxy, that four 100 days provided an outlet for the emerging London punk movement.
Both Andrew and Susan had fascinating stories to tell, about managing/nurturing/being around the Damned, Chelsea and Generation X.
The club itself sounded like a typical toilet venue that most people would avoid, yet in this case it hosted the likes of the Clash and the Heartbreakers and launched thousands, perhaps millions, of dreams.
I had a brief chat with both Andrew and Susan afterward and they were incredibly nice. They stressed the idea that you should follow your heart in your early career, do things you enjoy, work with people you find interesting, and always be open to opportunities.
They have recently published a couple of books about those 100 gigs, one is a collection of evocative photos and one provides details (and for me, inspiration) of the early DIY spirit that launched punk into the public consciousness.
It was also a good reminder of the Irish presence in that early punk movement…..the band Chelsea’s lead singer Gene October was originally one Gene O’Hara….and one of their early gigs was billed as ‘The O’Haras’.
