Verse Two: Although the "China White" suggestion is fascinating, Madame Wongs is clearly a reference to the Chinatown restaurant of the same name. To drum up business and to try to catch the growing wave of punk music, Esther Wong began booking rock acts in the 70s, including the Ramones and the Police. True punk fans didn't consider it a real punk club--Esther shied away from the more aggressive acts and wouldn't book women at all. So between hits of smoking cocaine the singer and his buddies played the blues at Wongs. Not sure about "with curtains drawn" except that blues wasn't the usual musical fare and perhaps they jammed before/after sets of "giving the people what they wanted" That's my take. Other than stating the obvious that this protagonist really was a poor bastard.
Verse Two: Although the "China White" suggestion is fascinating, Madame Wongs is clearly a reference to the Chinatown restaurant of the same name. To drum up business and to try to catch the growing wave of punk music, Esther Wong began booking rock acts in the 70s, including the Ramones and the Police. True punk fans didn't consider it a real punk club--Esther shied away from the more aggressive acts and wouldn't book women at all. So between hits of smoking cocaine the singer and his buddies played the blues at Wongs. Not sure about "with curtains drawn" except that blues wasn't the usual musical fare and perhaps they jammed before/after sets of "giving the people what they wanted" That's my take. Other than stating the obvious that this protagonist really was a poor bastard.