Halloween, October 30th, 1974 – The O.P. plays their first gig at the infamous Bergener Ballroom.
Hallelujah! One bright, sunny and slightly surrealistic day, Jim Bergener agreed to let the Ointment Project play at his place on Halloween! Jim and Laura were already known for their parties so this was exciting! I was working construction in the greater L.A. area at the time, and got the call while jackhammering concrete. The call was from Big Jim Bergener: “The party’s a go. I hope you guys are good!” I didn’t want to lie to him so I said nothing. Hey! The party was THAT NIGHT! I was working in Burbank! So trusted Howard to rent us costumes. He got a marching band uniform for him. I asked for Superman. He got me “a Martian costume”. (see picture), a yellow bodysuit (!), two antennae with golden sparkly orbs on the ends, and a red felt ‘sandwich board’-style piece which was decorated with shiny gold lame stars and crescents! I added green shorts and Alice Cooper make up, I looked really stupid. Howard had his marching band uniform on, and Allan had on…..?
With Jim and Laura Bergner our gracious hosts, we played 8 years running at the Halloween parties.
These are shots of different Halloween parties at which the Ointment Project jammed! The OP/Bergener fetes raged long and hard, each party stranger than the last!
Jim and Laura Bergener’s split level house was HUGE, with extra bungalows in the back, a rec room where we played, with a full wet bar next to it. Then there was the pool, the spa and the steam room! There are countless stories born of the gatherings at this house. And though the Bergeners no longer live there, the city designated it a National Site!
BTW, it was Howard who began naming every place we played as if it were a legitimate venue. So Jim And Laura’s house became the Bergener Ballroom, to be immortalized in song on the Ointment Project’s first and only vinyl record, Squeez-A-Petey! We had so much fun at these parties!
ointmentproject.com 