For those of us who've been "ching-chong ching-chonged" or catcalled to "go back to China" or called a "zipperhead" or asked if we speak English, for those of us who ever held ourselves back because we didn't see people like us living those dreams, who for so long never dared to hope to see a reflection of themselves, for those of us who anxiously hold the mainstream acceptance of a single film as a judgment on whether we'll ever really belong in this country — well, we could use a little entitlement.
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Zipperhead has since relocated to South 4th St. and been renamed to Crash Bang Boom. A few years after Zipperhead founder and building landlord Rick Millan sold the business to local musician Rob Windfelder and his business partner Stefanie Jollis, the store was relocated and renamed. Green Day made their Philadelphia debut on January 23, 1993 at J.C. Dobbs on the 300 block of South Street. The band had not yet signed with Reprise and the club oversold the 125-capacity venue.
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The music video was partially filmed at Eastern State Penitentiary, an abandoned prison seen here in 2009. The "gritty" and "low-budget" music video was partially filmed at the abandoned Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia. Parts of the video were filmed at Zipperhead, "a popular counterculture store on Philly’s South Street" which is mentioned in the song. It was directed by Adam Bernstein.
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Gyro Worldwide was founded in Society Hill, Philadelphia in 1989 by Steven Grasse. After developing a series of controversial advertisements featuring Charles Manson for a Philadelphia clothing store called Zipperhead, the company was dropped by several clients such as Comcast. However, the controversy also helped to increase the company's publicity and led to partnerships with brands such as MTV. The company became known for guerilla marketing and controversial advertising campaigns.
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Zipperhead (now relocated and changed name) was mentioned in the song "Punk Rock Girl" by the Dead Milkmen. The Orlons, a music group from Philadelphia, released a 1963 song based on (and entitled) South Street, which begins with the line "Where do all the hippies meet?" Another Philadelphia-area band, The Dovells also mentioned South Street in their 1963 hit "You Can't Sit Down". Philadelphia band Need New Body has a song called "So St RX" which is about South Street.
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"Punk Rock Girl" makes several pop culture references, from comedian Minnie Pearl to musicians Mojo Nixon and the Beach Boys. It mentions several locations in the band's hometown of Philadelphia, including the counter-culture shop Zipperhead. The track was the group's biggest commercial hit; it peaked at number eleven on Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, the band's only such entry on the charts. Its music video was a surprise success when it was picked up by MTV, where it became a staple of the era.
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Fear's 1982 song "I Don't Care About You", which name-checks the neighborhoods associated with the punk movement in the United States in the early 1980s, begins with the line, "I'm from South Street Philadelphia" (also relevant to writer/vocalist Lee Ving who was born in the city). The Dead Milkmen's 1988 song "Punk Rock Girl" makes references to Zipperhead (a punk rock/alternative clothing and accessories store) and The Philadelphia Pizza Company., Ltd, both of which were located on South Street. Portions of the video for this song were filmed on South Street.
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The song references several locations from the band's hometown of Philadelphia: the couple meet at Zipperhead, a legendary counterculture clothing store in the city. From there, they venture to the Philadelphia Pizza Company, a real-life pizza shop open at the time of the song's release. When the waitress explains they only serve iced tea over hot tea, the duo hop onto the table and rebel, crying out "anarchy". Steve Huey of AllMusic observes that Genaro's vocals are often "spoken-more-than-sung, stream-of-consciousness lyrical rants".
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This community of fans helped attract recording contracts for many artists, including Kenn Kweder, the "bard of South Street"; George Thorogood; and Robert Hazard. During this time, South Street served as an artists' haven and a hub of Beat subculture and, later, 1960s counterculture, bohemianism, and the hippie movement in Philadelphia, establishing a lasting association of South Street with avant-garde and alternative subcultures. From the mid to late 1970s into the 1980s, South Street's reputation as a musical, artistic, and countercultural hub was further solidified as it became the center of Philadelphia's punk scene and punk and alternative rock music communities, with venues such as JC Dobbs and stores such as Zipperhead catering to the burgeoning scene. In the late 1980s, South Street became one of the city's main tourist attractions.
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