After being hidden by boards for over 22 years, the fabled rats of Raul's mural re-emerged only after the closing of the Showdown, and just long enough to be documented by the Musuem of Popular Culture before disappearing into the walls again. Painted in 1979 over the period of exactly one night by Sarita Crocker and Claire LaVaye with $125 of house paint and acrylic, the 10-by-20 work has overseen the dance floor during such legendary shows as Patti Smith sitting on the floor of the stage singing "You Light Up My Life," the first 1979 show with the Skunks and the Violators (featuring future Go-Go Kathy Valentine), and Roky Erickson's re-emergence under the punk rock banner. Neither gone nor forgotten, the rats once again live behind a wall … and in our memories.
