DAGGER ZINE REVIEWS!



1.16.12 VISUAL VITRIOL: THE STREET ART AND SUBCULTURES OF THE PUNK AND HARDCORE GENERATION by David A. Ensminger (University Press of Mississippi) Full disclosure here is that author David Ensminger is a friend of mine but honestly, this review would be the same even if I didn’t know him. I remember when Dave first started talking about doing this book and I must say, it’s one of the most well-researched and passionate books on the subject of punk rock I’ve ever read. But that’s Dave, the guy is the walking/breathing embodiment of a passionate doer I’ve ever met. If the guy says he’s going to do something, he does it and when he first started talking about doing this project I knew it would appear someday. Housed in an 8.5” by 11” softcover book with 9 chapters and 300 pages and laid in between literally hundreds of reprints of fliers, Ensminger main subject here is the punk/hardcore movement and gets into certain nooks and crannies where he tackles previously ignored subjects like the use of skulls on fliers, as well as separate chapters with Hispanics, women, gays, graffiti and skateboarding in the punk/hardcore movement (as well as a good look at how the media played a role in all of this). Ensminger obviously did his research and the book is well-detailed. Many of the interviews were taken from his terrific (defunct?) zine he did called LEFT OF THE DIAL as well as him being lucky enough to have spent quality time in the presences of flamboyant leader singer Randy “Biscuit” Turner of legendary Texas punk band, the Big Boys (the end of the book include an afterword on Turner’s art). In the end Ensminger does a terrific job of basically describing the glue that kept this scene running for so long (one that’s still going) and all its working parts. It wasn’t a love fest where everyone was tolerant of the next one, in fact, a lot of times, it was just the opposite. You’re not going to get a candy-coated version of anything here and that’s one of the reasons the book is so compelling. www.upress.state.ms.us 10.16.11 ROCTOBER #49 I always look forward to a new issue of Roctober and this one came completely out of the blue so it was an even bigger surprise. This is Jake’s “Livin’ in the 80’s” issue and he has interviews with Glenn Danzig (Uh…..REALLY , Glenn?!), TSOL (Jack has some interesting stories as well), Zero Boys plus Nardwuar VS. PIL, etc. There’s also a ton more stuff like comics, stories, photos and yes, tons and tons of thoroughly entertaining reviews (by none other than Waymon Timbsdayle). Jake’s historical knowledge of different genres of music is impressive and Roctober is, as always, a great read. Subscribe or die. www.roctober.com 10.16.11 8-TRACK MIND #101 This is Russ’s first issue in, well, a long time. Maybe a decade and it’s nice to see the return of this 8-track lovin’ zine. The mag’s cover poses the thought: zines vs. blogs and many of Russ’s friends contribute to their thoughts on it. You have essays from ex-SST employee Joe Carducci, former SCRAM editor Kim Cooper , Danny “Motorbooty” Plotnick, Lance Laurie from SNACKBAR CONFIDENTIAL, Malcolm Rivera (Velvet Monkeys, etc.) and plenty of others. It’s a good thought to ponder (one I have many times as I do both print a well as a website) and I hope this is the start of a new era for Russ. Long live 8-TRACK MIND! russelforster@hotmail.com 10.16.11 THERE IS PEACE IN THE SURGING PROW / CLOUDBERRY 406 #6 This is the 6th issue of Roque’s zine (which goes hand in hand with his Cloudberry Records label) and much like the old UK label Sarah Records did, he numbers the zines much like he does the records he releases (and this includes a 3” cd as well with all of the bands interviewed contributing one track each). In this half-sized duotone zine are short interviews with The Garlands, Gold-Bears, Very Truly Yours, Persian Rugs, Strega, My Laundry Life, Bedroom Eyes, and Cassolette. It lives and breathes indie pop (of the twee variety) and you just might too after reading it. www.cloudberry.com 7.16.11 SEE A LITTLE LIGHT: THE TRAIL OF RAGE AND MELODY by Bob Mould with Michael Azerrad (Little Brown) Some folks were surprised when Bob Mould didn’t contribute to Andrew Earles Husker Du book that was published last year but that is because Mould had a book of his own to unveil, and here it is. SEE A LITTLE LIGHT tells the whole story of Moulds (mostly unhappy) upbringing in Malone, NY then on to Macalester College in Minneapolis, MN. It was there that by chance he met a record store clerk named Grant Hart who drummed. Hart said he had a friend from nearby St. Paul who played bass and it was then and there that Husker Du was born in 1979 (they were a quartet for a very short time). As told by Mould the years in Husker Du were turbulent both in dealing with the other band members (Grant Hart isn’t the only one Mould has ill feeling towards as Greg Norton receives his share of Mould skewers in the book) as well as Mould coming to terms with his homosexuality. From there it was a few solo records, then Sugar (hard to believe that band was only around for approximately 3 years) then more solo records, a stint working at World Championship Wrestling, more records and , well, you get the picture. There were also two long-term relationships that were both tumultuous and ended badly as well as several moves (Mpls to Hoboken to NYC to Austin to DC to San Francisco) . There are some great stories along the way (Husker Du being on Joan Rivers, Bob playing some gigs with his hero Pete Townshend, doing the walk of shame in Palm Springs prior to playing to thousands at Coachella, etc.) and you want to cheer for Mould as he comes to terms with who he is and what he is supposed to do. He admits his shortcomings at times while other times he pounds his chest in defiance (the story of Greg Norton stopping backstage before a London gig only to be the only one in the huge crowd not going bonkers, is pretty classic) and in the end he finds his people (the bears). With an attitude of an outsider, one that had to persevere, Mould continued to create while barely take a break (or a breath) and in the end has created quite a legacy that he can certainly be proud of. Now Bob, take a vacation, please. www.hachettebookgroup.com 5.16.11 Thee Psychick Bible by Genesis Breyer P-Orridge (FERAL HOUSE) A while back Peter Carroll, author of magick tracts and founder of The Illuminates of Thanateros, a worldwide organization of chaos magick ritualists, caused a stir when he asked in a letter to the editors of Thanateros Magazine, “Is TOPY (Temple Ov Psychick Youth) really anything more than a correspondence society for the Genesis P-Orridge fan club, and how many gothic poseurs in it would want to remain in it after an hour in a pub with P-Orridge I wonder?” Two decades later P-Orridge answers that question with Thee Psychick Bible. Having had an intimate relationship with the Temple Ov Psychick Youth, I figured a review of Genesis Beyers-P-Orridge’s new book, Thee Psychick Bible (Feral House, 541 pages, ISBN: 978-1-932595-90-1) would be a value meal of an assignment. Something I could easily supersize without even having to look under the floor-mats for spare change. Instead, this 514 page tome serves up an anthology of all the convoluted rhetoric that Gen regurgitated from other sources over the decade that he “officially approved the anti-cult cult” known as TOPY and I found that, like a bad case of indigestion, the book only serves as a reminder why one wouldn’t want to go back to that place again. The book begins with early TOPY documents like Thee Grey Book, Thee Black Book (aka, Thee Sigil Book) and others. These early TOPY documents start the volume off just as they did the organization; making a promise to potential adherents that individual freedom and liberty is possible through a lifestyle hybrid of low brow ceremonial magick and art. Thee Grey Book asserts that the Temple holds the key to unlock the shackles of society, to subversively undermine culture and to short circuit systems of control. These early manifestos are probably the greatest socio-political philosophy to come out of Industrial Music Culture during the 80s. Concise and systematic, it described a life lived beyond borders and stands as a post-psychedelic sixties–pre-psychedelic 90’s rave culture, psychedelic industrial lifestyle journal sans the ingestible psychedelics. TOPY tried to be a religion without the religious part, a cult of individuals overthrowing the larger invisible cult of culture. The fact that this was being attempted through ritual magick on the 23rd of every month via a worldwide blood letting and monthly chicken choke was part of its youthful charm. Gen didn’t write all of this material though. In fact, Gen didn’t write a lot of this volume. Early TOPY documents were the collaborative manifestos of a renegade shadow nation. And herein lies the irony of TOPY. While Psychick Youth struggled to throw off the ‘P-Orridge fan club’ shawl and create their own identity as a group of fierce individualists that respected no boundaries or limitations of individual expression, no laws of culture, no hierarchy or system of control, the controlling personality of P-Orridge was scheming a copyright law suit against TOPY itself. Scotland Yard had put him in exile from TOPY in the early 90’s and he soon put the whole movement to bed. Daddy couldn’t play the game, so no one was allowed. Apparently Gen needs to raise cash to complete transgender surgeries; this would explain why this collection of TOPY documents has surfaced as a “bible”. Wait, what….a Bible? Bullshit. The mention of that term neuters the spirit of TOPY. As an occult lexicon this volume fails miserably because Gen can’t shut the hell up. His ADHD mars any wisdom his thoughts or concepts may have otherwise imparted. Gen’s narratives are like an endless maze threatening to trap the reader forever inside. A labyrinth hodge-podge of recycled, recursive rhetoric built of other’s ideas in which readers can get lost in, maybe even die in, before ever finding a glimmer of light to guide them back out. The backlash from TOPY focused on the organizations insistence that it was a worldwide magickal organization that, while it was conceived by P-Orridge and Peter “Sleazy” Christopherson, was a totally separate and independent organization from P-Orridge’s band Psychic TV. This was proved wrong. In the end Carroll's comment is proven true by none other than Gen himself. This puts Thee Psychick Bible in a weird, self defeating position. Thee Psychic Bible is a faint shadow of TOPY staring in the mirror, full of self loathing and muttering, “I coulda’ been a contender. I tell ya Momma, I coulda’ been”. For the Chaos Practitioner, reading this book is akin to a runner choosing not to buy new running shoes instead choosing to settle on just watching Nike commercials. Through the tome’s pages we are forced into the uncomfortable position of being the morbid onlooker witnessing yet another solo P-Orridge car crash. www.feralhouse.com VIC GARRISON 3.22.11 I SLEPT WITH JOEY RAMONE by Mickey Leigh with Legs McNeil (Simon and Schuster) Having shared a bedroom for many years with his big brother,, Mickey Leigh knew Joey Ramone when he was just Jeff Hyman. A very tall kid from a middle class family in Queens growing up in a neighborhood with bullys who loved to pick on Jeff at every turn. Sometimes Mickey would stick up for his brother and other times, well, they both ran. Mickey tells the life of Joey’s myriad physical problems as well as some mental ones too (debilitating OCD). Eventually he discovers glam music and becomes first Jeff Starship then, after meeting the other future Ramones, Joey Ramone. Leigh talks about the early days when he roadied for the Ramones (earning a whopping $50 a week) but being a talented musician in his own right he wanted more. He eventually quit that gig and made a few stabs at his own music career but never seemingly able to make it work. Along the way you’ll hear plenty of Ramones stories regarding Johnny’s controlling behavior (to put it lightly), Dee Dee’s immaturity (drugs, drugs and more drugs), Marky’s battle with the bottle, and the author’s hope to get some credit on a Ramones record as either the roadie or a guy who helped write a few songs but that never happened and ,well, plenty more. The book is at times hilarious, unbelievable and yes, heart-breakingly sad. Leigh paints his brother as a big-hearted guy who at different times of his life went off the rails and into paranoia. I’ve read many books on The Ramones and this is among the best if not THE best. 1.24.11 FIREBRANDS: PORTRAITS FROM THE AMERICAS by Justseeds Artists Cooperative, Edited by Shaun Slifer and Bec Young (Microcosm) It’s been said that history is often written by it’s “winners”. This is a book that celebrates all those who fought for freedoms that don’t get mentioned in the dusty history textbooks of high school. Each page contains a brief biography of people you may have never heard of, or rarely discussed facts about history makers who have had chunks of their story omitted from popular versions. This is where you can read about how Helen Keller was deeply committed to the socialist movement and helped to found the ACLU. This is where you can read about how the Dole pineapple company played a key role in overthrowing the Hawai’ian monarchy, and what Queen Lili’uokalani did to protect her people, or how prize-fighter Muhammad Ali staunchly opposed the Vietnam War. It is this book of 78 history makers that can ignite a spark for us to learn more, to get to know their stories, and help us connect ourselves to the freedoms they wrote about, sung about, went to jail for, got hung for, lost their families for, and ultimately, lived for. www.microcosmpublishing.com MARINA MENEGOL 1.24.11 WE NEVER LEARN: THE GUNK PUNK UNDERGUT, 1988-2001 by Eric Davidson (Backbeat Books)- I had seen/read about this book for a few months before I got it because I wasn’t sure what it was all about. When I dug a little deeper I found out it was written by none-other-than Eric Davidson, who was singer of the terrific 90’s Columbus, Ohio band New Bomb Turks. Davidson had toured the globe numerous times with his band and has also written for numerous music publications so I knew he was the right man for tackling this job of all things garage rock in the late 80’s and early 90’s and he’s done a superbly stand-up job. As told through memories of his own as well as interviews (there’s some excellent ones in here with Dwarves Blag Dahlia, Sympathy’s Long Gone John and plenty others) Davidson paints the energetic, sleazy and unique scene that these garage rock luminaries created accidentally on purpose. Talkin’ up heavyweight bands like The Dwarves, The Gories, The Devil Dogs, The Mummies, Teengenerate, Pussy Galore, and many more as well as cool grunt rock labels like Crypt, In the Red, Estrus, Goner, Get Hip and too many others, the book offers up page after page of pickled evenings, pure dirt, belly laughs and occasionally hurt feelings. Some didn’t make it out alive but most did, so let’s be thankful that Davidson was one of the lucky ones since it enabled him to put pen to paper (or finger to keyboard) and recall all of this. Purchase immediately. www.backbeatbooks.com 1.24.11 WHY BE SOMETHING THAT YOU’RE NOT; Detroit Hardcore 1979-1985 by Tony Rettman (Revelation)-Tony Rettman was a guy on the New Jersey hardcore scene who I used to see at shows at City Gardens all the time (mid to late 80’s). Always a stand-uo guy with good taste in music, he did a zine called I4NI for a few years then I lost track of him. Looks like he’s been busy these past few years putting together his book on the Detroit h/c scene and he did a damn good job of it. The book, with a forward by the always great Tesco Vee, chronicles this Midwestern scene and all who sailed it. In an oral history style you’ll read about the beginnings of bands like (Tesco’s own) The Meatmen as well as Negative Approach (plenty of John Brannon in here), The Necros (actually from Maumee, Ohio), The Fix (who some bands on the scene seemed to have a problem with, for some odd reason), L-Seven, and plenty others. You’ll also read about the venues like Clutch Cargos, The Freezer Theatre and plenty ore and the book is littered with great photos, fliers, gigographies of the venues and plenty more. Rettman worked his tail off to put this fine little book together, the least you could do is buy a few copies (you know the grandparents want a copy). www.revelationrecords.com 5.04.10 Make A Zine!: When Words And Graphics Collide BY BILL BRENT AND JOE BIEL When I first started making zines, I was so scared I would fuck them up somehow. It was 2001 and I’d been out of college for 2 years, living in Portland and having discovered the Independent Publishing Resource Center which was 15 blocks from my sketchy downtown apartment. (the building has since been demolished, but that is another story) I distinctly remember asking this zinester guy at the IPRC inane questions about page numeration and what if I cut the page sizes out wrong, so they didn’t line up perfectly. His response, which was repeatedly echoed by older and wiser zinesters was basically this: “Do what you want. RELAX. It’s a zine, You can’t fuck it up-- by definition!” Eight years later, I finally get what those guys were talking about. Anything goes with zines, hell, you could use doily and make a zine out of it; it does not matter. However, if you are a big scaredy-cat perfectionist like me, or you wanna get really serious about things like mailing list organization and what to send to a distro so that they pay attention to you, I strongly suggest you pick up a copy of Make a Zine! by Bill Brent and Joe Biel. In exhaustive detail, this little puppy is the handbook for everything from Layout and Type to Going on Tour. It includes helpful hints that can only come from experience, like “Nurture a positive relationship with your postal workers.” Get it now! MARINA MENEGOL 12.13.09 Brain Lapse #1- This is the same guys who did the one issue of ROCK MANIA (reviewed below) and I’m not exactly sure why the changed the name but the format appears to be closely the same and so is their love of completely obscure power pop. First off it’s color, glossy and looks great and with no ads so they must have poured a ton of money to get this printed. Inside is The Equals (cover stars) plus Titan Records, The Orbits, Marbles (not Robert Schneider’s band) and others. There’s also plenty of reviews, opinions, photos and the like. Whenever I get on my high horse and think I know all there is to know about obscure music I pick up this mag, page through it and add a whole bunch more records to my want list. This is awesome and a must have for collectors or even the casual music fan. www.brainlapsefanzine.com 12.13.09 Glosspot #4-This is Jen Sbragia’s long running zine. Well, I say long running as issue #1 came out over a decade ago but she’s only managed 4 issues in that time. Still, it’s a terrific zine, one that I wish came out more often. Basically, it’s a personal zine with pieces on Lita Ford, Prom Night 1987, miscarriage, a few thrift store records and some whatever happened to? (folks Jen knew from high school). Jen has a flair for writing, one that makes you want to keep reading and when you’re done wish there was more. I ran the gamut of emotions while reading it from being extremely sad to laughing out loud. Needless to say this zine comes highly recommended. Plus, I love Jen’s artwork! (write to Jen at PO Box 42468 Portland, ORE 97242 or check www.jensbragia.com ) 12.13.09 Wishful Thinking #1- This is a half size zine and it’s subtitled “an indie pop publication” which is no surprise as it’s done by Drew Diver (he is half of the indie pop duo Horse Shoes, who have a record out on Shelflife). Inside is interviews with Ed from Shelflife Records, plus a few bands I’d never heard of but feel I need to check out (Bonfire Kids, The Argyle Wishlist, Air France and Pallers). It’s a bit thin but Drew said he plans on changing the format each issue to keep it interesting and maybe next ish he could add a few record reviews too. Plus it’s obvious he has a serious love for this kind of music with the enthusiasm he pours into the writing. (Write Drew at wishful.thinking.mag@gmail.com) 12.06.09 Sick: A Compilation Zine on Physical Illness EDITED BY BEN HOLTZMAN (MICROCOSM PUBLISHING) Sick is a compilation of stories by writers sharing the gory details of their experience with physical illness. It is a fascinating read. From kidney disease to hypoglycemia, everyone has a story to tell, not just about having one’s body go to war with oneself, but how sickness can affect people’s connections to the folks they love. It’s about our really broken healthcare system. And it’s true, in most public circles, people don’t really wanna hear about this. Sickness is depressing. It’s ugly. It’s not very cool to go on and on about problems with your bowels, or whatever. But being sick is not all there is to Sick. It’s about knowing oneself on a new level. It’s about living that old saying “Whatever doesn’t kill you, really does fucking make you stronger.” www.microcosmpublishing.com MARINA MENEGOL 12.06.09 Brainfag Forever NATE BEATY (MICROCOSM PUBLISHING) A collection of Nate Beatty’s comics from 1999-2007. This autobiographic comic collection captures breakups, post-breakup weirdness, relationships, debating why comics are made in the first place, along with a slew of other life topics. Brainfag 6 contains some brilliant line drawings of Portland’s Bridges, trains and trainyards, and mermaids dancing with humans underwater. A nice concoction of easy to relate to well scripted, diverse subjects. www.microcosmpublishing.com MARINA MENEGOL 07.08.07 Rock Mania #1- This came out late last year but I just heard about it recently thanks to Ric Menck’s column in the latest UGLY THINGS (see review below). Menck has hit the skins for The Tyde, Pernice Bros, Matthew Sweet and, of course, his main vehicle, Velvet Crush so you know the guy has great taste. Tho’ this is the first issue I see some big things in the future for this mag that is made by serious lovers of power pop (probably the least respected music genre ever). Inside are pieces on Nikki & the Corvettes, Justin Love, Milk N’ Cookies, and plenty more. There’s plenty of reviews (of old school power pop records), photos, collages and even a pinup and it’s all printed on nice, glossy paper with a bright color cover and color interspersed throughout. They even have a review of my beloved INTERNATIONAL DISCOGRAPHY OF THE NEW WAVE, a book I bought back in 1982 ( or maybe ’83 ?) and have cherished ever since. Not sure what the future holds for this mag but toss lots of money at them and make em’ continue! www.totalrockmania.com 07.08.07 Ugly Things #25- Mike Stax, oh Mike Stax how do you do it? Issue #25 of UGLY THINGS clocks ion a 225 pages ! This is Stax’s biggest monster yet and he shows no signs of slowing down (and he and his wife just had a kid…congrats !). If you’re unaware of U.T. (“Wild sounds from past dimensions” as it says at the top of the mag) it’s all things garage rock/freakbeat and the like. This is a guy who had like a 4 part piece on obscure 60’s band The Misunderstood ! In this issue is interviews/pieces on The Music Machine (a U.T. favorite…the piece is 30 pages long! ) , The Light, Freedom’s Children, The Namelosers, The Attack, Rubber City Rebels plus more and all the usual columns, reviews, photos and the like. It comes out about once a year which is good cos’ it takes me a full year to get through one of these monsters. One of my favorite parts of the mag is the recent additions of columnist Ric Menck (Velvet Crush ) who write about old power pop records and the like in his CALL ME LIGHTNING! column . Also, if you’re a label and you’re thinking about sending Stax a record or cd to review don’t do it unless it’s a reissue cos’ he won’t review it. www.ugly-things.com