Wicked at a very early Burning Man. Photo by Garth Wynne Jones.
A Wicked party at the King Street Garage. Photo by K. Oneji.
The Wicked Crew during their 1st month in San Francisco (1991). Photo by Rebekah Kortokraks.
Garth: For me it was the three-year anniversary full moon party at Bonny Doon Beach near Santa Cruz. Several thousand heads showed up that night. We got held up leaving the city loading up the sound system so by the time we arrived the party was already under way— tents were being set up, drum circles, fire pits, the works. It was the biggest turnout we ever had, and the moon was hanging over the ocean like one of those biblical paintings. The sound was heavenly (we had a Urei mixer propped up on a rock) and the cliffs to our backs, making the perfect amphitheater. Rolling Stone even showed up and covered the happeningThings got a bit out of hand to be honest: someone thought they were Jesus Christ on acid and threw themselves into the fire. This was before cell phones but eventually medics came for him by helicopter, while California Highway Patrol shut down the highway so it could land. People swore they saw aliens (probably just the helicopter), and during someone's morning set we ran out of gas for the generator. Some bright spark returned from his truck triumphant with reserves and a full tank—but soon it dawned on us he'd filled it with water. Everybody waited patiently for a good hour without sound while the generator dried out before we could refill it with gas. Party time again. Honestly I think Markie played the set of his life that day. Nobody left until late in the afternoon. No hassle from the man. Glory days!
Jeno at a full moon party i 1991. Photo by Gina Paoli.
San Francisco's changed a lot since you guys started Wicked. What do you miss most about the 90s? What changed for the best?Garth: The cheap rent. I used to pay $570 a month in the Haight Ashbury area with parking, and I distinctly remember wondering if I should take on such a princely sum. San Francisco was full of arty types then—it had that edge—so the people were on the same wave length.Jeno: I don't miss the 90s, but I do miss the feeling at a full moon party. Those jams were wild and pagan, and helped define a dramatic change in SF's dance music culture. Before we showed up, AIDS had decimated SF's disco/dance scene and someone needed to relight the fire! Soon enough the city was burning with so much enthusiasm that it went from a dance music outpost to a dance music mecca, in no time.Garth: Things got a bit out of hand to be honest: someone thought they were Jesus Christ on acid and threw themselves into the fire.
A flyer from Wicked's first party in 1991.
Wicked's first full moon party in 1991. Photo by Jason Walker.
DJ Jenö: Our behind-the-scenes organizer, was dragged out of a busted Wicked by his hair, thrown in a cop car and told he was a British rave junkie who wasn't gonna be allowed to corrupt the youth of SF.
Wicked Water Temple Full Moon party in 1993. Video stills by Ron Ciron.
Wicked at their recent 25th anniversary party in Seattle. Photo by Andi Dean.
