LOS ANGELES — Punk rock reigned on the Sunset Strip Sunday,

as X, the Weirdos, Pennywise and other scene-makers from the past and

present helped raise $17,000 for Keith Morris, the ailing former singer

of the Circle Jerks.

The two-show benefit, which started in the afternoon at the Whisky a Go

Go and ended Monday morning (Aug. 16) across the street at the Viper

Room, included performances by two bands featuring Tool singer Maynard

Keenan and ended with an unannounced set by a supergroup of Butthole

Surfers singer Gibby Haynes, Thelonious Monster singer Bob Forrest, Guns

N' Roses drummer Josh Freese and actor Johnny Depp, among others.

Calling themselves the Keith Morris Orchestra, the latter group played

two songs — a bluesy number called "Why the White Man Sings the

Blues" and the Circle Jerks' "Wild in the Streets" (RealAudio excerpt)

Afterward, Sal Jenco, who co-owns the Viper Room with Depp, announced

that the nine-hour benefit raised $17,000 via ticket sales and

donations. "I want to thank everyone here who made it possible to pay my

$14,000 bill at Cedars-Sinai," the frail-looking Morris said after

joining Jenco onstage. The singer, who also sang in the first

incarnation of Black Flag, lifted up his shirt to show fresh scars on

his stomach and thanked many of the performers individually, adding,

"When I get well, I will be there for them in a f---ing heartbeat."

Morris, 43, said Monday that he discovered he had diabetes about four

months ago when he had a cold that lasted eight weeks. Since then, he

fell and broke a rib and has had surgery for stomach problems, including

appendicitis. He is now suffering from colon problems that will require

more surgery, he said. He has no health insurance.

"I want to be depressed, but I just don't have the energy," said Morris,

who hopes to record with his new band, Midget Handjob, next month. "I

wanna be all dark and gloomy and never leave the house, but if I get

into that mode, it's not gonna happen. I'm not gonna get back out on my

feet and do what I want to do."

"Everybody loves Keith," said Forrest, a friend of Morris' who began

organizing the event two weeks ago and who performed with his own band,

indie-rockers Thelonious Monster, in addition to the Keith Morris

Orchestra.

The benefit began at 4 p.m. at Whisky a Go Go with a lineup featuring

Pennywise, Fishbone, the Vandals and Recreational Racism — one of

the two side projects Keenan fronted Sunday.

Keenan's oufit opened the show with a set of country-style versions of

Circle Jerks songs, including "Group Sex" (RealAudio excerpt) and "Back Against the Wall."

Keenan wore a brown suit and a loud blond wig.

While the evening show was for ages 21 and up, the Whisky show was for

all ages, and the audience was dominated by teenage boys who created a

mosh pit that grew most fervent during Pennywise's headlining set.

Morris introduced Pennywise by telling the crowd that the Hermosa Beach,

Calif., band is carrying on the punk-rock torch. Pennywise mixed older

tunes with songs from their latest album, Straight Ahead (1999),

and ended with "Bro Hym Tribute," during which a horde of young men

joined them onstage for a sing-along.

"There was skepticism about punk rock being dead on the Sunset Strip,

but those kids let it all fly," Morris said afterward. "It was awesome;

it was flawless."

Keenan later turned up at the Viper Room as part of Perfect Circle, with

whom he is recording an album. The Viper Room show included the original

lineup of X, Thelonious Monster, the Weirdos and Haynes, who performed a

DJ set. "Am I not the Chemical Brothers?" the lanky, dark-haired Haynes

asked as he danced behind his turntables.

The Weirdos, often described as Los Angeles' first punk band, played

four songs, including "We Got the Neutron Bomb." Freese, who played with

several bands Sunday night, sat in on drums. The brief performance may

have been the Weirdos' last, guitarist Dix Denney said later. "It's

always fun when we do it," he said. "But I think we're done."

Haynes said the highlight of his night was seeing X (with original

guitarist Billy Zoom), who brought the crowd into Monday morning with

such songs as "Los Angeles," "White Girl" (RealAudio excerpt) and "We're Desperate." "I

couldn't take my eyes off Billy Zoom," Haynes said.

Throughout the event, performers dedicated songs to Morris, who said he

was floored when he heard about the benefit. "There are not enough

adjectives to describe what they did here," he said.