Thanks to Matablog for catching this fascinating write-up on San Fran punk promoter Dirk Dirksen, who died Monday night at the age of 69. Dirksen was a fixture of the SF scene, presenting such acts as Mutants and the Avengers at his Mabuhay Gardens nightclub; he often seemed to have more fun than the bands, and as a result, the gig resulted in seven broken noses:

Mr. Dirksen, who called himself “the pope of punk,” was known for peppering audiences and performers alike with abuse and insults…”He was super obnoxious onstage,” said Penelope Houston of the Avengers. “He would stand there with that little dog under his arm, being a target for whatever they wanted to throw. At the same time, he loved all those people. In a way, they were his family.”

Among the highlights of the Mabuhay’s annual calendar was always his birthday celebration, where each year he dreamed up a different mock torture for himself — flogging, beheading, etc. One year he had himself burned at the stake.

Rest well, oh eccentric champion of punk! We’ll miss your unorthodox ways–especially the next time we get trapped in conversation by some twentysomething club promoter who wants to talk about branding and American Apparel cross-over schemes. In Dirksen’s honor, we present two stellar tracks from Mutants, whose Fun Terminal was playing at the Idolator flophouse earlier this week:

Mutants – Strange Night [MP3, link expired]
Mutants – Lesson In Time [MP3, link expired]
Dirk Dirksen — ‘pope of punk’ amused, insulted S.F. crowds [S.F. Chronicle]