Celebrity Skin Sheds Obscurity; College Plays to a Wider Audience

The letter had come all the way from New Delhi, addressed to the members of local rock act Celebrity Skin, but no one in the band was quite ready to interpret what it might mean. The one-page message wasn’t written in English or any other language known to the musicians. It was more a strange collage of bright paint, glitter and sketches of various religious symbols.

“It’s a great letter,” said drummer Don Bolles, examining it in the Hollywood apartment he shares with guitarist Robert Haas.

“How can you tell?” singer Gary Jacoby asked.

The influence of Celebrity Skin has slowly spread in some unexpected ways these last few years. And with the impending release this month on Triple-X Records of the band’s debut album, “Good Clean Fun,” Celebrity Skin could soon find itself with more unintelligible letters from faraway places.

Celebrity Skin, after years of struggling on the local rock club circuit, is set to headline a concert Saturday with Tiny Tim, the Dickies and Green Jello in the gymnasium of Hollywood High School. This show also follows a coveted opening slot in Iggy Pop’s recent concert at the Hollywood Palladium.

But these events come after some early years of critical drubbing and popular uncertainty over the band’s high-energy mix of raw guitar rock, ‘70s pop and glam rock camp. Complicating perceptions has been a stage persona draped under layers of thrift-shop costumes, creating a colorful, frenzied effect.

“When I first got into rock ‘n’ roll as just a listener, it had to do with hype more than anything,” said Haas, as he recalled watching the likes of Alice Cooper on late-night television.

“We didn’t like the idea that to be free you have to wear T-shirts and jeans,” Haas added. Nevertheless, in a brown sweater with white leather athletic pants, the guitarist was the most plainly dressed of the five band members gathered in his apartment, where behind him, just outside the window, cars rushed loudly along the rain-soaked Hollywood Freeway.

Nearby, bassist Tim Ferris was shirt-less under a green jacket, baggy blue-and-red plaid pants and laced boots painted blue. Singer Jacoby wore dark sunglasses and a pink, fur-collared sweater. Celebrity Skin, which also includes guitarist Jason Hale, first revealed this fashion sense in 1985 at its debut in the back yard of a Caltech official who was giving a party for some graduating students. The band hadn’t been together long and had only rehearsed a few times, but Haas offered his band’s services after hearing of the gig at his job in the school’s accounts payable department.

Since it only had 15 minutes of material and had contracted to play for an hour, Celebrity Skin augmented its set with multiple costume changes and outrageously long drum solos copied from the records of Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and others.

The new album, which follows last year’s three-song EP, is the result of two months of scattered recording sessions co-produced with Geza X. “Good Clean Fun” is a 12-song collection of original material showcasing more sophisticated production and arrangements than were available to the band on the earlier record, which was recorded cheaply in producer Earle Mankey’s house.

Still, even the new record had its budget limitations, forcing Celebrity Skin to record in a studio at off-hours to pay lower fees. “We were going in at midnight and leaving in the morning, when the real bands came,” Haas said.

Celebrity Skin performs with Tiny Tim, the Dickies and Green Jello at 8 p.m. Saturday in the Hollywood High School gymnasium, Highland Avenue and Sunset Boulevard. Tickets are $15. For information, call Ticketmaster at (213) 480-3232.

CLASS ACTS: As Santa Monica College toys with creating a new performing arts theater, it continues to book a series of notable concert events, including Saturday’s performance by jazz keyboardist Keiko Matsui.

In the last two years, the community college campus has been host to concerts by jazz artists Dizzy Gillespie, Lionel Hampton, Hugh Masekela, Dave Brubeck and the Yellowjackets. Other recent shows have featured country performers Glen Campbell and the Oak Ridge Boys. It’s all been part of an effort by the school to attract a broader local audience, said Gloria Motler, program director for public events at the college.

“We were really looking to bring people to the college campus,” Motler said. “We’re right in the heart of the Westside and yet the 30-something crowd was not seeing the college as a source for entertainment.”

Matsui’s concert, which will also feature a performance by saxophonist Michael Paulo, is part of the school’s Celebrity Jazz Series. Motler said she booked the Japanese-born musician after witnessing a recent high-energy performance in which Matsui moved about the stage with a portable keyboard slung over her shoulder.

“Your first impression of her is that she’s very petite and shy,” Motler said. “But once she gets on stage, she has this high energy that is very appealing. She plays to the audience.”

Matsui said she will be performing selections from her three albums, including the recent “No Borders,” with its smooth collection of instrumental and vocal tracks, fusing jazz with rhythm and blues and other elements.

Keiko Matsui performs with saxophonist Michael Paulo at 8 p.m. Saturday at Santa Monica College, 1900 Pico Blvd. Tickets are $15 for reserved seating or $8 for bleacher seats. For information, call (213) 480-3232.