In August of 1981, the Violent Femmes were having a tough time booking a show. Their sound didn't exactly match the musical landscape of the era. So they took to the streets, busking for change outside a drug store near the Oriental Theater.

The Pretenders guitarist, James Honeymoon-Scott, saw the group performing and stopped to listen. He got Chrissie Hynde. The opening act for The Pretenders had just canceled, so they asked the Violent Femmes if they would open. And that's how the Femmes got their commercial start.

When Femmes bassist Brian Ritchie went to thank Hynde after their set, she told him, "I didn't do it because I'm a nice guy. I did it because you were good."

source: Permanent Record: The Very Best of the Violent Femmes liner notes, Rhino Records

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