Madame Wong, godmother of L.A. punk was 88

Shanghai-born Esther Wong began booking punk and new wave bands into her Polynesian-themed Chinatown club in 1978, hoping to increase the meager crowds. It worked. Between there and Madame Wong's West in Santa Monica, she put on Oingo Boingo, the Police, X, the Motels, the Ramones and a whole bunch of other bands. She also booked the Go-Gos, even though today's Times obituary by Myrna Oliver notes "she all but banned female singers, calling them 'no good, always trouble.'" Madame Wong's operated until 1985, the Santa Monica club until 1991. Brief tribute at the San Pedro blog Life on the Edge.