Bodie's World Famous Dive Bar

Located on University Ave past College Ave was a little bar with a little stage that shared residence with the prosthetic limb fabricators next door. The parking lot overlooked a pile of plaster limbs and on weekends would have everyone from bikers to students to retirees and was almost exclusively local.

Bodie's was hub back in the early to mid 80's for the "Cow Punk" bands as well as many other San Diego roots, rockabilly, surf influenced bands. The bands that were frequently featured were local or regional as a rule and Harvey Bodie, the owner, was always there supporting newgroups. A partial list of regular acts were, The Beat Farmers, The Evasions, The Electric Sons, Joey Harris and the Speedsters, Mojo Nixon and Skid Roper, Mitch Cornish and the Hellhounds, The Syndicate of Soul, The Paladins, The Shards (a band that featured Chris Davies of the Penatrators and Richard Banke of Skid Roper), Tami and the Monthlies, Luna, Cindy Lee Berryhill, DFX2, The Rockin' Roullettes.

In 1984 (I believe) the Norman Heights Fire claimed Harvey Bodie's house and shortly after that the limb factory next door to the bar
The Shards pose outside Bodie's, the group featured Richard Banke and Chris Davies on guitar, Robert Bewley on bass, and Bill Clark on drums.
expanded into the space leaving Bodie's in limbo, but shortly thereafter, I have heard, the bar resurrected closer to the downtown area. Pictured above are the Shards posing in the parking lot next to the pile of plaster limbs.


The Shards playing at Bodies 		The sign on the wall was for the Electric Sons, Paul Kamanski and Joey Harris' Band before Joey replaced Buddy Blue in the Beat Farmers. The Mosrite guitars and basses are kind of a symbol of the era.

Anyway I hope you can at least get a kick out of the info and the pics.

Thanks for the web site. I've lived in the Bay Area of California since 1987 and now Reno NV and long ago lost contact with folks in San Diego. The music scene there was, and I'm glad to see still is, strong. After living in other places I'll tell you that San Diego has a great resource and a cultural heritage to treasure in their music.

- Robert Bewley, Reno NV.
(I'm the bass player in the pictures, the drummer was Bill Clark)

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