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The Electric Banana
Photographer: Mike Bonello
Date: 1995
Place: Bigelow Boulevard, Oakland, Pittsburgh
Why this sign?
The Electric Banana was a great rock&roll bar. People stopped going to
shows there because they were afraid of the flamboyantly abrasive Johnny
Banana, who was known to chase people he didn't like out of his club
with a pistol. There were elements of desperation, decadence and danger
at Banana shows, which made for exciting times and great rock&roll
music. A lot of people had their lives changed forever by music they
heard there. It wasn't hard to get shows there even when you were just
starting out, and even if you didn't get paid much-- Johnny was
notoriously tight-fisted-- Judy would usually slip you some money and
say, "Why'n't yinz go out and get some breakfast?" Now it's a
restaurant, and you can't really blame Johnny and Judy for wanting to
settle down a little, keep earlier hours... I wonder if Johnny's ever
had to break out his pistol for rowdy diners?
Posted by Mark at November 1, 2004 5:50 PM
Comments
I grew up hanging out in the Banana...
Posted by: Woo at November 10, 2004 2:20 AM
Just came out of the ol' Electic Banana, which is now Zarra's. Johnny and Judy are still there and they really took care of me. I got there a bit late for dinner and even though I was the only one there and they had their coats on ready to head out when I came in. They took their coats off and fixed me up a wonderful dinner and few drinks. I'm not from Pittsburgh so I never made it to the electric banana, but it sounds like it was a rocking/wild place.
Posted by: Greg at March 3, 2005 4:58 AM
I grew up in Pittsburgh and many days in my youth involved going to punk rock shows at the electric banana in the mid to late 1980's. It was a very special time for bands that were coming through town and had no where else they could play as well as the many talented local bands who got there start playing there.
Paul
Brooklyn, NY.
Posted by: paul brainard at April 23, 2005 8:26 PM
I spent a few nights every week for years at the Banana. Saw many unbelievable bands and shows, got up to a lot of trouble, had a million laughs, made lots of friends at this place. It has spawned dozens of insane stories (many many of them absolutely true!) - what a time, what a place...
Posted by: Stevo at May 3, 2005 10:33 PM
Like many people, my first gigs were at the Electric Banana. If it hadn't existed, we would have had to invent it.
Posted by: Bryan at June 7, 2005 6:10 AM
y'know the "Johnny chasing folks out with a pistol" story isnt really true. He did have to break up a near riot at an exploited show with the ole shootin arn.
Also Judy usually cooked for the bands which was ahell of a lot better than most clubs did for punk bands in those days.
Posted by: Jason at June 21, 2005 6:24 AM
I went there a few times in the late 80's.....Got really drunk and stoned right there on Bigelow Blvd.I remember a lot of new bands could play there without having to kiss some coke-snorting club owner's ass.A lot of punk and New Wave stuff.
Posted by: TIMMY at July 15, 2005 1:34 PM
I played with an early synth pop band "Glad Corp" at the Banana circa 1982. I remember Johnny Banana, he carried a gun and had supposedly shot someone in the past. It was an Irishman, an illegal alien, who introduced us to Johnny, nice guy. We did the interview at the college radio station as well. Pittsburgh, I have fond memories. Would love to eat in Zarra's, one of these days.
Peace,
Jimbo
Posted by: Jimbo at November 7, 2005 3:40 PM
The Banana rocked! If it wasn't for the Banana and Johnny n Judy,my life wouldn't be the same. All the cool bands I saw there,Agnostic Front,esp when Will Shepler was in a local band called Circus of Death,Exploited with Wattie punching out the colored lights around the stage,The Accused, New Model Army(the rented a Penske truck and rearranged and added some letters so it said PENIS on the front,Dayglo Abortions,DRI and can't forget Pittsburgh punks HALF LIFE! oh and girl band Barbed Wire Dolls! Sundays were metal nights,rockin the Burgh with Eviction,Bird of Prey,Backlash. Johnny did tote a pistol when things got out of hand. Who would have thunk that Judy(being a large woman) was a go go dancer,where's the pics of that? And I remember Byl the soundman,and Johnny handing him a funky brown leather sport coat one night,and the drink special called the Rude Judy. One thing I didn't like was the toilets with no paper. You had to ask for it behind the bar! Got a pic of a freshly painted purple banana somewhere,and don't get jealous,a floor time from the front of the stage! Got it when they were turning it into an eatery!
Posted by: captain kurt at December 29, 2005 12:59 AM
I go back even further. I hung out at the Banana in the late 70s. A snotty little punk-rock dweeb taking the bus from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh dorms to check out the scene. Saw one of the Stiff Records tours there, Wreckless Eric and Ian Dury and the like. Saw the Police there... who I hate... but it was cool at the time. It's one of the great clubs... and it's gone... just like The Bank in Akron, the Pirate's Cove in Cleveland and Max's and CBGB's. And that's the way it should be, really.
Posted by: derf at March 21, 2006 9:30 PM
The place was a dump, but a damn fine dump indeed. The Banana was what it was, kinda like the rest of the punk clubs in other cities trying to make a buck, but mostly going broke. When I think back of the shows I've seen my head spins, seriously, too many. Many of my friends played there too, the owners weren't complete asses, just mostly asses. I don't blame 'em, they were a bit out of their element and we weren't exactly honor students.
The place had a stage, a toilet (usually), a bar, sometimes a pool table to rest on (I used to wonder the fates of those sixteen original balls lost so long ago), and a door to be thrown out of.
A few people talked of the Exploited show and I remember the one in the late 80's/early 90's (Type-O-Negative opened) when Wattie kept bitchin' about the crappy quality mics on stage and insisted on slamming them onto the floor, into the ceiling, stomping on them, etc. Great show, BUT, I have to blame Wattie's idiotic behavior for that one. Johnny told him like five times to quit destroying the mics and he kept at it like he just wanted to close the place. Anyway, Johnny called the cops and we all got roughed up by the pigs. I still have the IOU I gave my dad for loaning me SEVENTEEN bucks for that show, an unheard of sum in those days for a show. Still, Wattie and Johnny gave me my seventeen bucks worth to remember, thanks guys.
Posted by: Anonymous at April 6, 2006 11:30 PM
Played there with the Gypsy Waters band in the early 80's. Johnny and Judy treated us like their own. Very fond memories of the EB. One of the genuine Rock n Roll venues in the 'burgh.
Posted by: Joker at April 9, 2006 10:14 AM
I remember scamming the little suburban girls for money to get in, then taking the money to the state store and buying a ton of cheap wine and everyone sitting on the wall outside and drinking before the show. Judy would let you in if you were a couple of bucks short and Johnny wasn't looking over her shoulder at the door.
Posted by: Snake at April 24, 2006 8:29 AM
Ah, the Banana. I went to Robert Morris in Coraopolis in the mid-80's. I stood three feet from the incomparable D. Boon of the Minutemen. Still one of my favorite shows.
Posted by: Robbie at May 30, 2006 4:28 PM
Johnny And Judy are good folks and their current restaurant Zarra's has great food & atmosphere. Back in the day it was great seeing Half Life, The Exploited, GBH, 7 Seconds, Agnostic Front, and DRI play there. They really used to pack them in for those gigs.
Take all the BS gun incident rumors people say about Johnny, cut them into half, and then once again then you'll have the truth. Did crazy things happen, sure...but the man never held up bands and ripped people off the way some of the BS rumors go. Particulary the way The Circle Jerks distorted it. Johnny's a solid family man.
If you've ever been to a show at the Bananna, stop by Zarra's for some dinner and say hello to them. You won't be disappointed by the food..I promise!
Posted by: Michael Mc at September 22, 2006 9:42 PM