Fullerton was an epicenter of early punk in Orange County, breeding Social Distortion, the Mechanics, Adolescents, D.I. and others, and one blond, bespectacled man has carried the punk torch in the city for nearly 20 years. Bill Evans started Black Hole Records with his wife, Anna, after quitting Naughty Women, which included among its members iconic punkers Izzy Stradlin, Rikk Agnew and a teenage Mike Ness as a roadie. It’s firsthand experiences with such musicians that makes a trip to Black Hole a crash course in punk (and even rock). Some record stores won’t give you more than a “hello” when you walk in, but bring a Smiths album to the counter, and Evans will tell you more than you ever wanted to know about Morrissey. There’s no empty space on the walls, long-filled floor to ceiling with vinyl relics of punk days long since past. Even the name of the store pays tribute to a Fullerton punk landmark—Ness’ crash pad was aptly named “The Black Hole.”
