Dr Know (Broken Promises Broken Heads #2)

My mate Michael Kopijn shared #1 & 2 of this zine on his website. It was done by Mike Williams from New Orleans, Louisiana.

In the first issue (Jan. ’85) he shares news/info (on bands such as ‘Metallica’, ‘Exodus’, ‘Megadeth’, etc.), there’s brief presentations of ‘Corrosion Of Conformity’, ‘Discharge’, ‘Sodom’ & ‘Slayer’, plus odd bits (also some metal zines). The second (dated March ’85) features the HC bands ‘Äni(X)Väx’ (Ger), ‘Dr Know’ (Oxnard, California) & ‘Zyklome-A’, ‘Dark Angel’ (heavy metal from L.A.), ‘Celtic Frost’ (Swi), ‘Death’ (Florida), ‘Hirax’, etc. There’s also a Dutch scene-report (Michael Kopijn), record-/tape-/show-reviews, etc.

After the turn of the century Mike authored Cancer As A Social Activity: Affirmations Of Worlds End, a collection of writings described as “an illegitimate coupling of the downtrodden gutter-life beauty of Charles Bukowski, crossed with William Burroughs’ cut-up cerebral style”…

Brob

The zine was just something fun to do as a young person into punk and other extreme forms of music. I didn’t have a typewriter or much money, so it was just an easy way to do something about new and interesting bands coming out, but in a cheap do it yourself way. I’ve always been a big fan of fanzines as way to communicate with other like minded people. I was  fully into the crossover punk/metal scene going on at the time and trading tapes globally so the zine just fit into that agenda. The 3rd ended up being just a pamphlet (a few pages); I never printed many of #3.

I don’t know if I learned anything from it, it was just me living in the moment. I was also playing in bands (the ‘Vacants’ in ’79, ‘Teenage Waste’ in ’81, ‘Suffocation By ‘Filth’ in ’85, ‘Crawlspace’ in ’87; nowadays ‘EyeHateGod’), making flyers, going to shows, etc.

Mike Williams

The bassist of ‘Dr Know’ (Oxnard, California), Ismael Hernandez, was interviewed here before the release of the band’s Burn EP. His band-members at that time were Kyle Toucher (guitar/vocals) & Rick Heller (drums)…

Ö.B.N.I. (Antifan’zine #1)

A suggestion by a Spanish friend… A guy nicknamed Josetxu Crust, originally from Valencia, did Antifan’zine. He was kind enough to provide me with some copies… The name stems from the fact he’s against being a fan of a band, everyone are partners. Jose tells me “I was a curious teenager who went to a neighbour’s (Oscar Mezquita of the band ‘Zanussi’ & Flexidiscos label, who was a bit older) to see what new things he had. One day I locked myself in my room after school for three consecutive days and I tried to do a fanzine. My mother didn’t understand because I was always out and now I was in at home so long. I took things from here and there and did El Fanzine Vomitivo. When I finished I ran to show it to the neighbours. They all agreed that it was bullshit. And it was…”

The first issue was #0 and was a split with Güerta n°1 (together with Oscar Mezquita). Jose’s contributions were an interview with the Kolectivo Alternativo Estudiantes & the bands ‘Acid Droop’, plus some columns and reviews. #1 (’96): articles (e.g. on George Orwell), reviews, comics, poetry, bios, a Paris scenereport and interviews with ‘Disbeer’ (Auch, France) & ‘Ö.B.N.I.’ (Barcelona). #2 offers opinions, interviews with ‘Sedicion’ (Mex) & with the people of the French zine Tribal Cry, poetry & cartoons, and a (lengthy) talk with various ‘punk-activists’. The 3rd issue (1999-2000) also came out as a split (with No Name #4): loads of stuff, e.g. ‘Unhinged’ & ‘Zanussi’ interviews. Jose explains: “We didn’t do interviews by mail anymore but we talked with people who came on tour, played here…” #4  came out in 2001. It was the most political one with material on Autonomous Struggle (a branch of the libertarian movement), about globalisation, revolution, etc. To mention just a few other things: a huge interview with ‘Intolerance’, a story by Willy about ‘Hiatus’ gigs in April ’96, a talk with ‘Fleas & Lice’. Everything in Spanish…

Brob

I started the zine in 1995. Besides that and later I played in various HC/crust/emo bands: ‘Disyouth‘, ‘Agonizante Realidad‘ (“agonizing reality”) or ‘Unauthorized’. Later we also started a DIY label: Logofobia. We released our own material but also from other people. We distributed stuff from all over Europe and re-issued bands such as ‘Anti-Cimex’ or ‘Post Regiment’ on tape the DIY way. We were also involved in the squat-movement (which experienced its most combative peak in 1999) and involved in free-radios (HC/punk-programs) too. In addition to all this we put on concerts for reasonable prices: we invited international bands such as ‘P.C.P.’, ‘Active Minds’, ‘Lost World’, ‘Dropdead’, ‘Seein’Red’, etc. it was a very creative and militant period. We had many bad encounters with local nazi skinheads.

Around the year 2000, I went to live in Barcelona where there was a powerful squat-movement and a great HC/punk-scene. Those days we did a lot concerts and there were quit some struggles in the street, against the evictions of squatters. Paradoxically, a member of that movement today is the mayor of Barcelona. Our distribution/label (Logofobia) grew exponentially: we had two locations in Barcelona (one in the La Fera [La Fera de Gràcia] squat and the other legal in the centre of Barcelona). In addition, we had two sites in Gerona and another in Valencia; apart from having a permanent place at the university in Barcelona. Around 2006, the evictions and repression intensified and we lost all spaces. A lot of people moved and the big HC/punk-scene was over (though it still continues)

Myself, I went to live in Bilbao in 2008. I was no longer involved with the label but it’s still active in Gerona, more focussed on selling books on anarchism. I continued to put on DIY HC/punk- but also post-punk concerts. I soon got in contact with the people of the C.N.T. [Confederación Nacional del Trabajo; “national labour confederation“], the anarchist union, and later with other anarchopunks in the city. I ended up joining the oldest label in Euskadi, DDT Banaketak [“DDT distribution”] (DDT because we wanna fumigate with counterculture), and we continue doing what we always did: releasing bands’ material, publishing alternative books, organising gigs and tours, squatting or fighting for our rights…

Jose

Here’s an interview Jaume Esteve Acosta, the drummer of ‘Ö.B.N.I.’ (crusty thrashcore from Barcelona)… Nowadays he runs a management-/promotion-/booking-agency (Comunica’n’roll) in Zaragoza.

[Translation (with help from Jose) below]

FIRST OF ALL, INTRODUCE YOURSELVES, PLEASE…

Hello, we’re ‘Ö.B.N.I.’ and we are going to answer this interview as sympathetically as possible. Currently we are: Frank (vocals and excuses) [later Marta Martillo], ‘Chiko’ [Manuel Becerra] (6 strings, used as if they were the same) 3), ‘Dani’ [Daniel Masip; ex ‘Carry Out’] (4 strings & crazy stuff) and Jaume [Esteve Acosta] (drums & blunders).

I THINK YOU’RE INVOLVED IN A HANDFUL OF BANDS AND PROJECTS? WHICH ONES? DO YOU HAVE TIME LEFT TO LIVE? ARE YOU STRESSED?

Yeah, we like to make the best of our time and above all have fun with what we like most, the same as what others [the HC scene] want. Let’s go step by step: ‘Chiko’ plays in ‘Violent Headache’, ‘Uprising’, ‘45 Revolutions’ (oi-punk) and countless projects in need of a psychiatrist; ‘Dani’ plays in ‘45 Revolutions’ and does the [Catalan] zine Deixa D’Ostxes [“stop pissing around”] (apparently it doesn’t exist anymore); Jaume (myself) plays in ‘45 Revolutions’, ‘Scraps Of Food’ and various paranormal projects together with ‘Chiko’; we run the label/zine Intelectual Punx. Frank goes to the dentist from time to time. We don’t steal time to live [playing in a lot of bands] since it’s what we like to do. If that wasn’t the case, we wouldn’t do it). That doesn’t mean that we also party, stay lazy in bed, read, work, etc.

I BELIEVE YOU DID YOUR DEMO D.I.Y., WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT AUTO-PRODUCING AND ‘DO IT YOURSELF’ IN PUNK NOWADAYS? WHAT IS INTELECTUAL PUNX RECS?

Yes, we did everything for the demo [For You, Money Is Power; 1995] ourselves; we’re happy with that, D.I.Y./auto-production is always the best way to control your material, your work and therefore your effort. We’re totally in favour of this alternative, but that doesn’t mean that we won’t release our material through other labels. (As long as we have control over the music, lyrics, maximum price, etc.)

Intelectual Punx is a label that ‘Chiko’ and I run: we released our 7” EP Chaos BCN [1996], we also did a zine under that name and we have several projects in mind. (Red.: Such as the 3rd demo of ‘Scraps Of Food’, a monography of ‘Anti-Dogmatikss’ and a ‘bolezine’ [a small Spanish newspaper-like fanzine in the 90s].)

DO YOU THINK THAT IT’S IMPORTANT TO CULTIVATE ONE’S MIND? CAN YOU RECOMMEND US SOME BOOKS?

It’s important but to develop your mind, you have to inform yourself, make your own evaluation, and then draw conclusions and take decisions. Being yourself and not being guided by certain schemes, dogmas,… I’m sorry but I usually don’t read books, just magazines, zines, pamphlets…the newspaper, etc.

WHY THE SONG I’M NOT STRAIGHT EDGE? WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE SxE MOVEMENT?

That song has been misinterpreted by many people. I have got nothing against people who don’t drink, don’t smoke… On the contrary: it’s very healthy. But when this attitude turns against my way of being and is represented in lyrics like S.E. Is For The Strong (‘Inner Cirle’), I don’t see any other solution than to say what I think. I know that “smoking sucks” and that tobacco-smoke is annoying but isn’t the smoke from a motorcycle or car more harmful? I think it sucks a lot more!

WHAT BANDS DID YOU START OFF WITH IN PUNK? ARE YOU STILL LISTENING TO THEM? DO YOU THINK THAT BANDS THAT ARE NOT POLITICALLY ‘CORRECT’ ARE NOT WORTHWHILE?

I started with bands like ‘Subterranean Kids’, ‘Suicidal Tendencies’, ‘D.R.I.’, ‘Piorreah’ [80s Barcelona punk], ‘Sore Throat’, ‘The Exploited’, ‘Eskupitajo’ [Euskadi], ‘L’Odi Social’ [Barcelona], ‘R.I.P.’, ‘La Polla’, ‘Sex Pistols’, ‘Bad Brains’, ‘Napalm Death’,… I still listen to some of these (the majority) and I still like most a lot! I’m not the one to classify a band as politically correct, I just validate things from my own point of view and my scale of values [He doesn’t judge other bands.]. There are bands that I really like musically but of which I hate the attitude (‘Shelter’ for example). Most of the bands that I like and listen to the most, I enjoy musically and their attitude seems ‘positive’ to me. (For someone else it may be different!)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF DIRECT ACTION? … IT SEEMS TO ME THAT IN BARNA THERE’S A LOT OF NAZI SKINS? IS THAT SO? HOW IS LIFE IN THE CITY? ARE YOU PACIFISTS?

I like direct action, I support it ideologically but I don’t put it into practice for various reasons. In BCN there are a lot of nazi skinheads, techno-fans and pill-poppers; we try to keep going as best as possible. There’s no other choice! Some nazis get beaten up but we’ve been beaten up ourselves too… It sucks!!! I’m a pacifist but there are many things that only change with violence! Definitely: Direct Action!!!

ARE YOU INVOLVED IN THE CINEMA PRINCESA [squat in Barcelona]? CAN YOU COMMENT ON HOW YOU VIEW THIS THEME… HOW IS THE SQUAT-MOVEMENT IN BARNA?

We went to the Cinema frequently as there were interesting activities, especially concerts (we played there), but we were not directly involved. At the time of the eviction/battle royal, because of the ‘misinformation’, we were working and found out about it a few hours too late. The security-forces acted violently, as if they were ‘Los Hombres De Harrelson’ [the police TV-series S.W.A.T.]; they will keep their jobs and we will resist, now more spaces are squatted and some are planned.

ANYTHING YOU LIKE TO ADD…

Thank you very much José for this interview, good luck with the zine and a very big hug for all our friends in Valencia, and a kiss. Feel free to write us!

Antisect (Paid In Full #1)

The first 2 issues of this zine are made available by ‘Sned’ on his zine-website…

The main people behind it were brothers Ian & Lee ‘Fester’ Murphy from Leamington Spa/Warwick, later singer & guitarist of ‘The Depraved’. The biggest part of the content were interviews and some reviews (gigs/records/tapes/zines): #1 (84): ‘The Sears’, ‘Leukaemia’, ‘Exit-Stance’, ‘Antisect’, ‘Toxic Shock’ & ‘Motörhead’. #2 (84): ‘Instigators’, ‘D.O.A.’, ‘Depraved’, ‘Subhumans’, ‘Varukers’ & ‘Anti-System’. #3 (85): ‘Anti-Cimex’, ‘Toxic Reasons’, ‘Depression’, ‘Indecent Assault’ & ‘No Defences’.

This interview with ‘Antisect’ was done in ’84 after the release of their album (In Darkness, There Is No Choice) and after an Italian tour. At that time the line-up was Pete ‘Lippy’ Lyons (guitar), John Bryson (bass; replacing ‘Wink’ Renusze Rokicki, R.I.P.), Pete ‘Polly’ Paluskiewicz (drums), Pete Boyce (Rich Hill quit June ’84) & Caroline Wallis (vocals; left the band Dec. ’84).

M.E.L.I. (S.O.S. #1)

SxOxSx fanzine was started in the Lagunera region [Comarca Lagunera – “region of lagoons” – in northern Mexico; with Torreón as largest city] (covering the states Coahuila & Durango) when Ernesto Rivera met up with Ruben Ramírez (who only collaborated in #1) and Gerardo Aguilar. The content throughout is 95 % Mexican punk. Issues 1, 2 & 3 were published in 1990.

#1 (January ’90) featured ‘Derechos Humanos’ (“human right”; Monterrey), ‘M.E.L.I.’ (Mexico City), ‘Cirrosis’, ‘Abuso’, ‘Fetos Defecados’ (“defecated foetuses”; Durango), ‘Rotten Brain’ (Durango), etc. #2 (March ’90): ‘Arkanhell’, ‘Cabezas Podridas’ (“rotten heads”), ‘Disolución Social‘ (Monterrey), ‘Risas’ (“laughter”), ‘Alergia’, ‘Real Animal’ (Monterrey), etc. #3 (October ’90): ‘Dazing’, ‘Anarchy S.O.S.’, ‘Immunidad Diplomatica’, ‘No Security’, ‘Cotlod’, ‘Sin Guerra’ (“without war”), ‘Cacofonia’ (Mexico City), ‘Cirrosis Fetal’, etc.

In 2018 they did #4 and in 2019 #5. 2021 should be the year of their 6th issue (with a DVD of the band ‘Disolución Social’, recorded in 1991).

Brob

Ernesto was the vocalist/lyricist of the punk band ‘Influencia Negativa’ (“negative influence”). I wasn’t in a band, just supporting the scene with various activities. The fanzine was started out of a concern to contribute something to the scene and to support the bands we like (lyrics and music). They have a lot to say about the punk-movement and in general.

Gerardo

‘Disolución Social’ (3 brothers) & ‘M.E.L.I.’ (Muerte En La Industria [“death in industry”]) are cool bands and both still active…

Miguel Cortes

M.E.L.I.

Here’s an interview with Antonio (guitarist). According to his own words, they play hardcore that attacks everything that affects us as people and human beings, and everything that has a life of its own.

What has been the response to your demo?

We, as a band, have distributed the demo very little, although we felt that some people have pirated it quite a lot. We’re not against that; people have accepted it. We hope they understand.

To whom have you distributed your demo?

As I was saying: we hardly distributed the demo, but friends who keep correspondence, have sent it to Spain, Argentina, Colombia, South-America and other countries that I can’t remember now.

Who wrote the song Vamos A Pisar [“let’s trample”]?

Originally it’s from a band from Spain [Arrasate, Euskadi], called ‘R.I.P.’; but they pay it slow and we play it more like a band from San Diego (California) – but we almost changed all the lyrics.

Do you play in the provinces regularly?

No, we don’t really play regularly and we’ve been in the provinces very little: two times to Toluca and Guadalajara, another time to Saltillo, where it’s very cool by the way.

How much do you ask to play in the provinces?

What we charge is the total roundtrip airfare for five people, lodging for one night if necessary (or more) and a little bit of food. Regarding dates: we would be happy to agree things in advance.

Do you have plans for the future (demo, gigs)?

Yeah, yes we have plans but we prefer not to talk about them at the moment.

A few words for those who read or hear about this?

Keep supporting the scene with sincerity.

The line-up is Antonio Vallejo (guitar), Alfredo E. a.k.a. Franky (bass), Sergio E. a.k.a. Nacho (drums), Hector O. a.k.a. Caballo (vocals).

 

Los Crudos (An Atrophied Preface… Wouldn’t You? #1)

From the editorial: >>In my opinion, punk doesn’t correspond to any particular musical cliché. It doesn’t matter how the music sounds, whether it’s extremely calm, rockier, dreamy, quiet or more aggressive, angry, brutal, fast and noisy. What matters is that the feeling, the music is honest. Angry, furious, powerful, fresh, loving, combative, powerful and aggressive. No business, managed by an anonymous enterprise that maintains an entire industry and reaps in unrestricted profits with it, all with the purpose of degrading people’s feelings, thoughts to a job. Music has always originated from a feeling, anger, hatred, dreams. It can not be marketed. […] Music can be something so great, essential to life! Helps overcome defeats, problems and fears. Provides calmth, strength, courage and perseverance to question things every day. Everything and everyone. Music stimulates thought, offers the unrestricted opportunity to pass on thoughts and views, encourages the urge to change. Expresses so much from the moment that it starts.<<

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This fat-fucker of a zine (I thought a one-off ’cause I haven’t seen the sequel) was edited by Andre Sieg and his partner Silke Bayler (R.I.P.). It was more like a catalog for their label/distribution Maximum Voice productions (Leipzig/Gera). But there’s also interviews with ‘Los Crudos’, ‘Autonomy’, ‘Hiatus’, Alain P. of Nabate recs, columns, a report on Class War, etc.

#1 (’96) was reviewed by Ilja S. in Profane Existence #29-30: >>I can honestly say that I’ve never seen anything like this before! This is the absolutely humongous mailorder/fanzine literary production from Maximum Voice Production. There’s a full-length review of every record they carry (must be hundreds!) as well as insightful, in-depth interviews […] all complemented by a high-impact visual style in the layout department. It’s even for free. Setting new standards in the DIY scene for this kind of thing.<<

#2/3 (’98) had interviews with Willy N. (‘Hiatus’, ‘Unhinged’, Rabougri zine) & Michael Knopp of Common Cause recs. There’s also features on shoplifting, magic mushrooms, as well as other news, sabotage and band-photos. [from the review in Profane Existence #35]

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During their 1996 ‘Los Crudos’ European tour I met the people in this band a few times (e.g. 96-10-26). Afterwards I interviewed their frontman Martin Sorrondeguy for my zine Tilt! #9 (see Los Crudos (interview Tilt! #9).) This one is done in 1995-ish – before the release of the split-LP with ‘Spitboy’ and their album Canciones Para Liberar Nuestras Fronteras – with José Casas (guitar), Lenin Montes De Oca (bass; later in ‘D.D.I.’) & Joel Martinez (drums; Ebro Virumbrales during the tour) in the band.

The introduction reads: >>Often enough I get a feeling lately – certainly through my experiences – as if it were that emo/SxE and the devil knows what else has just become another ‘trend’ for the bored middle-class kids to cannibalize to their own satisfaction. But ‘Los Crudos’ show through their freshness, energy and power, outstanding and to the point lyrics, reminiscent of the intensity and power of old Spanish and Italian hardcore bands, always fresh and exciting, that it’s about more than satisfying one’s ego, that music means more. It makes you sympathetic and credible. It gives you strength and belief… For the sake of simplicity, and because of a little laziness and time-pressure, we left it in English: a friend from Poland did it when he was in Chicago. Well, and if there’s a couple of mistakes, fight your way through it!<<

Martin Sprouse (The South Shall Burn Again #3)

Tim Freeborn, the singer of ‘Sons Of Ishmael’ and co-editor of Kill Poseurs, introduced me to Ken Sanderson’s 80s zine The South Shall Burn Again and even contributed a couple of issues…

Even though Ken contacted me in the 90s with stuff to review and ask help to distribute material of his label Prank recs (San Francisco), he never told me he’d done this fanzine. That was during the 80s when he lived in Auburn, Alabama (hence the title). Later he moved to the Bay Area, to work for Ruth Schwartz’s Mordam recs, write columns/reviews for MaximumRock’n’Roll and book shows at 924 Gilman Street.

Ken started the zine in his teens (14-15). The first issue – early 80s – (of which he provided a few pages) takes off with “Help, I’m trapped in Alabama!!!”. There’s an interview with the local band ‘Knockabouts’, brief scenereports from North-Carolina Kentucky, Florida & Georgia, an opinion on the food-industry, zine-reviews, etc. #3 (84-85) has an interview with ‘Crucifucks’ vocalist Doc Corbin Dart, one with Martin Sprouse (The Leading Edge fanzine), a brief chat with ‘Agnostic Front’ and record-/zine-reviews. In #6 (’87) Ken talks with Blaine Cook of ‘The Accüsed’ and Cliff Croce of ‘The Freeze’.

Brob

I first saw The South Shall Burn Again when Ken ordered a copy of Hayseed Hardcore [‘Sons Of Ishmael’ EP] in late ’85. It was the first little zine that I’d seen, just a couple of 8.5 x 11 pages folded in half. The half-letter-sized format looked simple enough but I was wowed by its density: there was more content per square inch than I’d seen anywhere else. Great (somewhat Pushead-influenced, I think) illustrations and design, and thoughtful writing. It inspired me to put out a few issues of my own fanzine with my brother. For a day or two in July ’87, Ken hosted our band in Auburn, where we greatly appreciated his hospitality, did an interview on his campus-radio show, were menaced on the university campus by gargantuan cockroaches, and loved his fantastic design for a clandestine university-wide poster campaign announcing an upcoming Alumni Huntin’ Season.

Tim Freeborn

I don’t know where any of my zines are. A lot of my ‘zines were sent to the Bowling Green State University Popular Culture Library when my parents left Alabama… It’s a real shame that I cannot find the 4th and 5th issues as those were the really good ones… #4 has this massive ‘Septic Death’ interview that’s never been published anywhere else… Somewhere I have an unfinished drawing of what was to be the 7th issue but quit doing the zine and focused on my radio-show.

When I did a ‘zine in the 1980’s, I was literally ‘a one man punk scene’. I lived in central Alabama! There were no punks no interest in the ‘zine locally! No-one liked any of the music I liked, sure there were people who liked ‘Devo’ or other alternative music but not hardcore like I liked.  I would just run off these ‘zines at Kinko’s [American retail-chain with copying facilities] maybe make about 100 and send them to penpals. Through years of work I built a scene (the garage-rock band ‘Man Or Astro-Man?’ was the state’s biggest export) but that came long after the ‘zine…

Why did I do this zine? It was a way to be involved with a broader punk-scene in the 1980s. I was in highschool. There were no live shows or punk bands anywhere near Auburn – a small town of about 30.000 people (12.000 when college wasn’t in session)  Until I started putting on house-shows in the late 80s  for a few in-state punk-bands from the bigger cities two or three hours away… Then national touring bands in the early 90s. It was a 5 hours round-trip to drive to Atlanta to see shows. I often couldn’t get a ride. I did one successful but really scarring show for ‘All’ in 1988 that put me off doing shows for a long time. It was prohibitively expensive to buy instruments there, no-one was particularly interested in punk-music to set an example or even start a scene with. It was a way I could be involved and in contact with people as the scene exploded. A couple years later I had a radio-show that had a lot of the same motivation.

I had been interested in punk-music since the late 70s as a pre-teen: a guy I used to buy used comics from did a punk radio-show (the one I took over later) at the college but didn’t see a punk-show until 1983 when my father got a sabbatical at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. There I  learned about zines and mailorder, and began mailordering records from all over the world. I went from listening to the ten punk-records I could find in Alabama to mail-ordering ‘Terveet Kädet’, ‘C.C.M.’ and ‘Inferno’ records in about a year. In highschool I was friends with a member of the band ‘Mere Mortals’, a sort of fusion punk group that only appeared on a couple tape-compilations (Meet Cafe, Jardcore 84 Fresno – good band, they just kind of never finished the recording those songs were from), and he was starting a zine called Lillies & Life that I helped contribute to. He wanted it to be more of a ‘Crass’-styled art-zine with political bands but maybe I did an incongruous mail in interview with ‘N.O.T.A.’ or something? This is where I got the idea of doing a zine. Central California also had a sporadic but prolific zine from Morro Bay (called Rad) I used to buy that was cut’n’paste/xerox.  Initially I wanted to just cover bands from the south but that proved too difficult. So then I just wrote bands I liked. Later I was in college there and it became harder to do interviews by mail in the late 80s: I was also trying to write people like ‘G.I.S.M.’ and ‘Lipcream’ with limited English and was doing the radio-show, so just stopped doing the zine. I think the radio-show did a couple free zines at a point too.

I was super influenced by ‘Pushead’ and Pusmort, and the zine always had as much “art” layout that a 16-17 kid could muster. I drew all the covers. Make an effort show your hardware! Well, I tried.

For a bunch of stupid reasons I stayed in the gulag of Alabama for 6 years after high-school. Huge life regret. But I did my radio-show for most of those years. It was a pretty crazy radio-show for the time and where it was. I was playing like ‘Confuse’ and ‘Gauze’ records when they came out, basically in rural Alabama. I never felt anyone ever really tuned in and the only thing that seemed to make a scene there was when I started bringing live bands, but later I learned like when I listened to my friend from the comic-shop’s show as a pre-teen… Tons of young kids there listened to it every week. Every now and then one contacts me and sends me a thanks for turning them on to a bunch of cool music  or asks me to identify a song from a taped copy of the show. Since it was such an anomaly, tapes of the show would circulate all over the state.

Oh and while you might understand, Alabama is its own unique cultural thing in the U.S. and worldwide, an angry racist backwards place like no other, but is the equivalent of like some out of there way corner of Europe like Bulgaria or Romania. It’s not without its charm, beauty, friendliness and wonder but it is the Heart Of Dixie, where the loss in the civil-war still loomed large, the centre of the Bible Belt. It’s a really really weird place, I hope now that I can do Prank again I can finally release a few friends’ bands from those big cities on vinyl, but one thing at a time…

Ken Sanderson

There’s already an interview with Martin Sprouse during his Pressure Drop Press days on these pages. Here’s one about The Leading Edge, the fanzine he did 1983-85…

Panico (Astro Zombies #3)

Around 1995 I got in touch with the anarchist HC band ‘D.D.I.‘ from Pavia. Their singer ‘Mila’ [Gianpiero Milani] ran AZ Autoproduzioni (distro and label), together with the band’s friends Irith Davidson, Piero Majocchi & Luca Musso. AZ came from Astro Zombies, which was a zine before. Unfortunately I never got ot read that (written in Italian)…

Brob

There were 4 issues of Astro Zombies: n° 0, 1, 2 and the last n° 3. We started in 1989 and it lasted until 1993, something like that… #1 (1990) was with ‘Kina’, ‘Maze’, ‘M.D.G.’, ‘Klasse Kriminale’, etc. #2 (1991): ‘Die Kreuzen’, ‘Hard-Ons’, ‘Infezione’, ‘Fall Out’, ‘Disforia Psichica’, ‘Clima Famigliare’, and more #3 (1993): ‘Nausea’, ‘M.D.C.’, ‘Instigators’, ‘Political Asylum’, ‘Contropotere’, ‘Panico’, ‘Peggio Punx’, ‘Sovversione’, ‘Pedago Party’, ‘Permanent Scar’, ‘Bandiera Dell’Odio’, ‘Disciplinatha’, plus interviews with DIY labels such as Edizioni Storie Tese, Mister X, Lega Dei Furiosi. Each issue also had tape/demo/record/zine reviews, scenereports, political articles on DIY and anarchism. The last one was too big/ too expensive to photocopy and was never released it as such.

In the late ‘80s in Pavia, a small town near Milan, in Northern Italy… Luca & me were close friend from childhood and we were in the same highschool. In 1988 we were 13/14 years old and we started to listen to punk (‘The Clash’) and then to hardcore (‘Minor Threat’, ‘Bad Brains’, ‘Black Flag’, ‘Misfits’, ‘Hüsker Dü’, ‘Bad Religion’). In 1989 we turned to DIY hardcore punk, buying zines and records by mail directly from the bands. We were writing to lots of people, we were receiving lots of flyers, small advertisements in the mail… That year we decided to start our own fanzine, we called it Astro Zombies because our ‘Misfits’ addiction at that time.

Doing the zine was lots of fun, an occasion to write to many people and to travel around to see gigs and meet people. We were teens and being punk was freedom, solidarity, anarchy and love (and lots of fun!). We learned how to be and to do things DIY, not for profit and money, to share ideas and life, to keep away any commerciality regarding things related to music. We also tried to avoid this in any aspects of our life (job, food, hobbies, friendships).

In the same period that we were doing the zine (early 90s), we started to go to squatted Autonomous Social Centres (Centri Sociali Autogestiti), where most of the hardcore-punk bands were playing at that time: Leoncavallo and Laboratorio Anarchico in Milano, El Paso in Torino, Scintilla in Modena, Forte Prenestino in Roma, Treblinka in Udine, etc. We met lots of bands and people, did funny interviews for the zine and started our distribution, AZ, that later in the 90s became a big distro and D.I.Y. record/tape-label. I remember the interviews with ‘NoMeansNo’ in Leoncavallo in 1990, ‘Victims Family’ in El Paso in 1991 and Dave Smalley of ‘Down By Law’ in Gramigna (Padova) in 1992. But the interviews were too long, our English very bad and they were never published… We mostly published interviews with Italian bands for this (linguistical) reason…

Astro Zombies zine evolved into AZ, no just a zine but distributing and producing lots of different kinds of D.I.Y. material (records, CDs, tapes, T-shirts, books, videos, zines, anarchist newspapers, pins, badges etc.). AZ ended around 1996 and evolved to Agipunk, (just ‘Mila’).

In 2008 Dario [Quatrini] (guitarist of ‘D.D.I.’) and myself did a book (Make Music Not Money). [In which some interviews (‘Contropotere’, Nausea’, ‘Panico’, ‘Peggio Punx’) from Astro Zombies #3 are included.] I still organise gigs and events under that name. (‘D.D.I.’. reformed at that time for an Italian tour (8 gigs) to promote the book.)

In 2015 some of the people that were in ‘D.D.I.’ (Gio, Lelo & Edo) reformed with me and a saxofonist under the name ‘Malabrocca’. We play around (old Italian harcore punk with sax), we organise gigs in Pavia and annual Punx Pic-Nic, and we’re recording our first record and printing T-shirts…

Piero Majocchi

‘Panico’ interview [Translation (by Piero Majocchi) below]

[HC band from Torino with] Fabrizio: drums [ex ‘Impeto E Assolto’] / Walter ‘W. Ego’ Daziano: bass [ex ‘Kollettivo’] / Vanni Picciuolo [ex ‘Franti’]: guitar, sax & sampling / Sergio Tosato [ex ‘5° Braccio’ & ‘Contrazione’]: vocals, sampling & graphics

To be read with a strictly Piedmontese accent… [Piedmonte is the region around Torino]

Luca [Musso; AZ]: Why are you here?

Vanni: Ha ha ha (?!?).

Sergio: This is a good question…but: we received a call from a person that was nice on the phone and told us about this event that has been going on for years; in reality we don’t know much about the organisation though… They seemed like nice people so we decided to come. Then we learned that ‘Kina’ were gonna be there too and we always enjoy playing with them… It’s summer… Some outdoor concerts are always good after having played so intensively, sweating like beasts…so I don’t know anything else to say.

Piero [Majocchi; AZ]: Why did you choose to make a song with Majakowski’s words? [Vladimir Majakowski; Russian poet]

Vanni: Well…so…the story of the track is quite complicated, in the sense that in Torino there’s a group of anarchists who have created a publishing-house called Nautilus that deals with all kinds of media: books, comics, records, videos, etc. They had the actual idea in mind to do something on suicide, that’s why they [Nautilus] released a book on the subject translated from French (Suicide, Method Of Use) and contrary to what the title might implicate, the book is aimed to explain the way to regain possession of your body and therefore it’s about the freedom to be able to choose whether to die or not, beyond any morality, rules; the state of things as they are. It’s a book that caused a lot of scandal in France and even here in Italy it was banned, and the anarchist publishing-house (the same as mentioned above [Piero: Nautilus; still active today]) was planning on making a video about that. In a somewhat strange way, it also dealt with Majakowski, as he committed suicide, and his life as revolutionarian poet. So we were asked to make a audio track for the opening of this video, and for the end of it. We did it within a month. [It’s the first track on the Scimmie LP] Sergio used very beautiful poetry and made – as they say – a cut-up [mash-up]: he reassembled pieces and constructed the first part of the song, and we added the words of the note he left when he decided to do take his life. In fact, the lyrics [made with a cut-up of Majakowski’s words] start with a text of criticism on suicide, because there was a friend of his who decided to commit suicide: he writes a poem referring to this act, substantially condemning it, and we wanted to put together the two situations highlighting the contradiction between this moment of his life where he commited suicide and his criticism on suicide as a way to end your life.

Luca: Sooo…less questions about ‘Panico’ but more about the Torino scene: ‘Franti, ‘Orsi Lucille’, etc.? All right?

Vanni: Eh?

(Shit music in the background makes things difficult to hear.)

Sergio (intervening quickly): Questions about Torino!

Vanni: Ah yes.

Luca: …It doesn’t concern you directly but d’you know something about Inisheer [independent label from Torino], is it permanently finished…?

Vanni: Stefano Giaccone [co-founder of ‘Franti, together with ‘Lalli’ and Vanni], right? Together with ‘Lalli’ he created it [the record-label Inisheer] but he decided essentially to quit because he has been planning to do things like publishing records on his own label for some years… How can I put it… After some time it became a routine: setting a goal, producing a series of things and then always do the same things, like what happens in political parties and in capitalistic society: continually being forced to play a role, something that binds you to a script, prescribing a whole series of behaviours that you must have, so therefore he has decided to stop this. Despite this Stefano and ‘Lalli’ are still continuing to produce material and distribute it. Even more… Lately we started playing together again, so we’ll see. For the moment I can’t tell you what will happen. We formed a band, Walter (our bassplayer who’s rolling the joint) is in it aswell. Then there’s also another band with ‘Lalli’ [Marinella Ollino] (the vocalist of ‘Franti’ [HC folk/art-rock]. Stefano [Giaccone] is joining us on this tour playing drums.

Mauro [Bianchi, AZ]: And in this sense also previous projecst [bands]… (pause of about 5 seconds) such as ‘Orsi Lucille’ or ‘Environs’ fall within this perspective?

Vanni: Yes, yes, certainly…

Mauro: Playing again together in another band and then stop…

Luca: …and I think this is also the reason that ‘Franti’ broke up and then the members continued more or less to follow the same musical style…

Vanni: …You see, this story of ‘Franti’ [Piero: a very important band in Torino during the 80s; but not playing ‘hardcore’, more like melodic ‘punk’] is a strange one because, personally, I had a lot of arguments with Stefano [Giaccone; vocals/sax/guitar]; I never felt that he had quit definitively. Somehow I believe that this thing continues to live and the fruits continue to florish. [Piero: ex-members of ‘Franti’ continued to play together in other bands] So for me it’s not easy to say that ‘Franti’ broke up; even today in reality it’s not true…compared to what I was saying before, we continued to work with this [Piero: anti-commercial attitude] in mind. For example: even ‘Orsi Lucille’ [musical project by ‘Franti’ members 1989-93]; it would have been convenient to release the record under the name ‘Franti’, certainly from a commercial point of view, unfortunately it would have had a different impact, but we absolutely wanted to avoid this logic, to think in these terms. In fact, apart from the drummer, it’s practically all of us [‘Franti’] plus other collaborators.

Luca: …It’s a contradiction: in the end the people are the same and the music has changed but not that much.

Vanni: Yes but you see: it’s not contradictory because somehow some things weren’t right about this ‘Franti’ thing. Let me explain: in practice people put ‘labels’ on us that we didn’t like very much, so somehow re-using the name would have meant living up to commercial trends that today, undeniably, exist and are strong: I knew, paradoxically [Piero: in the late 80s ‘Franti’ repressed all their records in a box-set; this was intended to have a cheap and politically correct price but now it’s very expensive on the collectors-market], that today our box with all the ‘Franti’ material…

Luca: How many copies did you make?

Vanni: 300…and unfortunately Massi, the bassist, argued furiously with Stefano because he claimed that the price was 12.000 lire [nowadays 6 euro] while Stefano, who knew the distribution-game, had set the price at 18.000 [9 euro] for 4 records, which in short…was bullshit even at the time when we did it… Today this box-set has become a rarity and sells for 200-250.000 lire [100-150 euro]: insane! We don’t want this kind of speculation, we preferred not to go into this direction.

Mauro: And being so…‘engaged’ in your collaborations, did you feel a particular atmosphere by setting yourself certain objectives: certain names, lyrics or topics to be treated?

Vanni: No. Usually with respect to the way in which one expresses one’s self, in my opinion, maximum freedom is needed: I mean, one can also sing ‘love’ songs, sentimental songs; the problem is to see how the individual wants to achieve what (s)he has in mind: if (s)he’s working inside the official business, if (s)he wants to stay out of it, if (s)he’s somehow opposed to the pre-existing state of things and then, regarding collaborations, we always gave more importance to the brains of people than to technology. We never gave a fuck if someone played good or bad, oh well, within certain limits of course; however we’ve always favoured the human side: becoming friends or not. In this case: basically this is the way we decide with whom or how or when to do things.

Mauro: OK, but I was referring to those different influences in your collaborations, namely ‘Environs’ on the jazz-side, ‘Orsi Lucille’ on the rock-side, and ‘Franti’ again something else…

Vanni: No. Absolutely not [Piero: they don’t want to be labelled because of music]: it’s simple when you work together of course…

Mauro: (Not to harrass anyone but…to understand…) In this sense I meant atmosphere. You know, with one name you do this, with another name you play something else…

Vanni: No, nothing was planned. When you find yourself having to collaborate with people and if there is no hierarchical division of labour, there’s a kind of alchemy created, a chemical reaction where certain things mix together. I mean: as long as we played together as ‘Franti’ certain things that Stefano played and others that I played, in some way got mixed in that situation. When we got together as a ‘Panico’, others things I had in my head emerged much stronger, they clashed or coincided with what Sergio, Walter and Fabrizio, the old drummer, had in mind. Then (when playing together) the personality of an individual, a colour emerges…

Sergio: Exactly, it’s like putting different colours together, mixing them results in another colour. So, if you put more red or blue you will get green, purple!!! (?!?)

Vanni: As ‘Franti’ there was a lot of discussion regarding the lyrics in English; I was quite against it but Stefano, being born in America and therefore exponent of his own different culture (having lived there up to 7-8 years), instinctively felt the need to express some feelings in English. For example in the last thing he did, Rust Of Keys [LP on Insisheer, 1990] under the name of ‘Howth Castle’, he wrote lyrics in Italian and then translated them into English. You understand that if the problem had arisen within another band, someone would have told him: “Hey, what the fuck are you doing, let’s keep writing in Italian!” and the songs would have been in another way. And this is exactly why there’s no hierarchical structuring of the work, there is no ‘boss’ who gives orders: ‘you do this’ or ‘you do that’. We decide all together, even quarrel, not everything is a bed of roses: there are those who see it black and there’s those who see it white…

Sergio: …And there are those who see it gray!

Sergio + Vanni: Hahaha

Luca: Getting back to the way you were saying before: one of the most beautiful things that can be sensed in what you do, Inisheer or Blu Bus [label founded by the people of ‘Kina & ‘Franti’], is exactly the atmosphere of doing things because you like doing them, because it really means something to you; we find ourselves among friends, we do something spontaneously…we feel it; I believe all those who listen to it, can feel it.

Sergio: Well, this makes us happy because this is the goal why we do stuff. It’s what underlies everything, even of starting to play: the need, the desire to communicate. So what happens very often is that one has intentions and cannot obtain results, in the sense that the problem is also making people understand what you want to communicate without necessarily being rhetorical or using slogans. What we’re trying to do, and I also believe bands like ‘Kina’ or the people you mentioned earlier and who basically have the same spirit, is to attack the levels of communication that exist.

Il Pezzo [Francesco Pezzoli, AZ]: Since you did some songs over again that were already on the cassette [selftitled; 1989] for Scimmie [LP released in 1990]: did you do that because you thought that the message of the tape hadn’t reached enough people, or because you weren’t happy with the recording or just for no particular reason?

Sergio: Basically for the first reason you mentioned: the cassette is a medium that reaches only a limited number of people.

Vanni: For example, about the issue of recording music: there’s the old diatribe: it’s always a problem when you have to decide whether to record or not. Personally, together with the other members of the band, I believe that real music is what you listen to live and that the recordings are always snapshots, so the actual recording always has to be planned in some way, for me it’s a means through which you can communicate different, alternative contents. We recorded focusing on [Rosa] Russo Jervolino law [Italian politician], the law on drug-addiction and drugs in general (as they’re called). [Piero: a law against cannabis-use] When we decided to do this, we combined the two aspects of the problem: being able to reach more people, because the tape from this point of view is limited, and trying to communicate some issues that we liked. Therefore we included the fanzine, the contributions of other groups of anarchists who always have expressed themselves against this law that was strongly desired by [Bettino] Craxi [Italian prime minister] in a “police-repressive” way.

Sergio: We also used the record as a counter-information tool: we worked together with the people who were closest to us, especially from El Paso [anarchist squat & HC/punk venue in Torino; Piero: still active today] and contributed to the release of the record, since this is a co-production. The idea was to put out as many opinions as possible, even conflicting ones. In fact, if you go and read the various inserts of the LP, this becomes clear.

Luca: For example ‘Kina’ [band from Aosta, running Blu Bus recs] and Mister X [D.I.Y. HC/punk label from Pinerolo (Torino)].

Sergio + Vanni: Exactly!

Sergio continues: This also happens within our band. But the problem is to get all opinions out, the problem is not the existence of different positions. This is another matter that we in ‘Panico’ have confronted many times, even when you go play in a different places and you’re confronted with different situations. But all in all the problem is to join forces to move forward.

Vanni: It’s increasingly difficult to do counterculture…

Sergio: …It’s true: it’s increasingly complicated; there are people who’re divided and no longer work together, the last few years [1991!]. That’s negative and the idea of making a broad co-production was also intended in this sense: bringing together more forces.

Il Pezzo: With the demo-tape or rather in the additional booklet there’s info about the R.A.F. [Rote Armee Fraction]. Do you share their ideals or did you just talk about it…?

Sergio: The demo-tape and the record are both co-productions: the booklet of the demo has two parts: in the one half the lyrics, in the other half the contributions by others [Piero: such as the R.A.F. article]. Basically, we don’t share their ideas at all but we ‘trust’ the people who wrote these things since we’ve known them for years. If you read the R.A.F. article, you’ll see it’s a R.A.F. history, no position is taken, at the most one can see sympathy. However, it’s counter-information to let this generation – which is not mine or Vanni’s – know about something that at the time (when we were your age) was discussed. So it’s an attempt to create a kind of ‘historical memory’.

Vanni: We also published this article to say that those people were not monsters but people who were involved in politics and choose a very precise methodology, giving their lives to that end, and be protagonists of history and not just figurants, people who have, as a matter of speech, played all their cards and were then executed: this is the thing to emphasize. They were killed in prison by applying the death-penalty illegally, even outside the bourgeois legality. The real problem is recognizing that there was an armed struggle in Europe, a big political movement, which is being demonized nowadays; we think of those years as the crazyness of a gang of possessed. But in stead they were people who had roots in our society. At that time [Piero: the 70s], 600 people were imprisoned in Torino: all of them knew each other, they were friends, comrades, etc.

[Piero: lyrics to the song Ascolta (“listen”)]

LISTEN, IT’S INSIDE ME, I FEEL ITS WARMTH BETWEEN THE HAIR OVER THE BODY, BETWEEN THE HAIR, IN MY THOUGHTS, IT’S INSIDE ME WITH HIS DESPERATE SMILE

LISTEN, TAKE THE SOUNDS, MAKE THEM SLIDE, LOOK, TAKE THE COLOURS, SPEAK, TAKE THE WORDS BUT CHANGE THEIR SENSE

LISTEN, LET TIME TAKE HIM BY THE HAND, WATCH, LET THE WIND SPEAK, LET THE BRAIN SHUT OFF THE VOICES

[Piero: the text is poetic, about emotions and feelings, it doesn’t have a distinct meaning but very general… the translation is quite literal, everyone can interprete it as they want…]

Il Pezzo: Do you actively participate in the management of El Paso?

Vanni: For a while we tried to rehearse in a cellar under El Paso where there was a good sound. I believe that Sergio is the most knowledgeable about the matter, having participated in the 3 attempted occupations of squats and social centres in Torino and they were always repressed… If you wanna say something (he turns to Sergio…).

Sergio: Well…the history of El Paso is a long story that begins in 1981 when some of us organised the first concerts with bands such as ‘5° [Quinto] Braccio’, ‘Declino’ & ‘Kollettivo’. Around these bands an anarchist punk collective was born (81-82). The first occupation was that of 1983 in a cinema that turned into a ruin shortly after. However, we had already been evacuated, and then others followed when a collective called Avaria had undertaken many initiatives for some time. Then most people went away until the collective was almost dissolved. Those who remained in the collective continued until the occupation of the real El Paso [Piero: in 1987]. In the beginning I participated actively, then slowly I got out of it, mostly because I had a slightly old mentality of doing things and it’s correct that the people who’re there now – who are from 22 to 25 years old – and were very much involved in the occupation (they lived inside the C.S.A. [Centro Sociale Autogestito, self-managed social centre]), took initiatives and things their way. They are actually running El Paso, and I usually do things with another mentality. Another reason for me leaving the collective is that I started working with a few people around me, people that I felt completely at ease with. Now I’m able to do the things I like, as the people from El Paso can do things their own way once the ‘old guys’ like me have moved away. This is how the ‘Panico’ project started for me: I met Walter, Vanni and now Riccardo (the new drummer [1990]). Sure: playing in a band is much different than occupying and running an anarchist squat but I think it’s important that both experiences exist: social centres without bands are like empty recipients.

Vanni: But as far as the people who occupy it are concerned, the squatting thing is very beautiful because by squatting, they try to fulfill their needs: have a home, express themselves…

Sergio: …Of course, this is clear. In fact, there are other important things besides music: political discussions… The important thing is that the tradition of Italian punk is not lost: punk is essentially an instrument, an attempt to communicate. Punk was born, especially in Italy, because it was no longer possible to say anything: the seventies had just ended and the era of ideological disengagement had already begun; [Piero: in the 80s] there was some sort of communication-block that prevented counterculture and favoured compliance with the rules.

Vanni: So it’s right to talk about the political disengagement after after the “years of lead” [Piero: how the 70s are called in Italy: the years of the armed struggle movement], but also about the crisis of the working-class, the lay-offs…

Mauro: …The PCI [Partito Comunista Italiano] that was looking for a compromise with the DC [Democrazia Cristiana] at all costs…

Vanni: Yes, in the end there was this compromise, there was this alliance: what they call ‘Consociativismo’ [Piero: the official alliance between the Communist and Christian parties in the 70s], was in practice the agreement of the establishment, the government, with the executive group of the PCI. No law passed that was not agreed before. Today it has become clear how big the collaboration of Pecchioli [Piero: PCI politician] was with the police, with the secret services, providing them the names of people, groups, comrades of the PCI to try new political paths. In fact Kossiga [Piero: DC politician], who then was minister of the interior, said: “Pecchioli attacks me now but then we were sitting at the same table.”. In terms of repression, what the PCI did in Italy at the time is as serious as the action of the Brigate Rosse [Red Brigades; Piero: armed communist group] who – by choosing armed struggle – destroyed the rest of the movement causing a mass repression by the state. In both cases [Piero: Red Brigades and the state] the repression took place in a very Leninist way: the party takes the leadership over the masses and decides from above on what to do. The Brigate Rosse have decided to kidnap Aldo Moro [prime minister; Piero: killed by the Red Brigades in ‘78] and to strike with this enormous blow of power against the state. While the PCI has has allied itself with the state in an incredible way and in 2-3 years time a desert has been created: the movement was over, everyone in jail… Practically police-repression was followed by layoffs and social repression.

MONKEYS: THEY STAND ON OUR SHOULDERS. EVERYONE HAS HIS/HERS. THEY WEIGH. IT MAKES US VERY COMFORTABLE TO JUST LOOK AT THOSE OF THE OTHERS. MAYBE THE BIGGEST, THOSE THAT TAKE YOU TO YOUR GRAVE, AFTER SELLING EVEN YOUR FRIENDS. THE MONKEY, THE HEROIN EMPTYNESS FOR EXAMPLE, OR THE MONKEYS COCAINE AND ALCOHOL THAT BURN YOUR BRAIN. BUT THERE ARE MORE MONKEYS … THE MONKEY OF POWER AND ITS BUROCRATIC-MILITARY DELIGHTS, THE MONKEY OF TOO MUCH FOOD THAT MAKES YOUR HEART BREAK. AND WHAT ABOUT THE MYSTICAL MONKEY THAT TAKES YOU TO THE CLOSED CONVENT?

WE ARE THE MONKEYS, ANCIENT ANIMALS, THE USUAL OLD STORY, ALWAYS THE SAME.

THIS RECORD IS A CO-PRODUCTION OF IRA [Piero: Torino HC/punk band and label with El Paso people] – BLU BUS (AOSTA & TORINO) – MISTER X – NAUTILUS – PANICO

Pushead (Kaaos #9)

Matti Saarinen (from Toijala, north Of Helsinki) did this zine in the period 1980-1986. Apparently he also wrote for other zines (e.g. Barabbas) and contributed to MRR. In the 90s he ran a label/mailorder named Kaaos Korporaatio.

A few issues are available on the internet. The zine’s in Finnish. #6 (’82) starts of with an interview with ‘Motörhead’ (!?), there’s presentations of Finnish bands (‘Laahaus’, ‘Kaaos’, ‘Riistetyt’, ‘Idiootti’, ‘Kohu-63’), a piece on American punk bands, a lengthy talk with ‘Chron Gen’, a briefer chat with ‘The Defects’ (Belfast), features on ‘Blitz’/’Vice Squad’/’The Business’, etc. The cover of #8 announces ‘Necros’, ‘Varaus’ (Fin), Jello Biafra, ‘Riistetyt’, plus scenereports from Brasil & New Zealand.  #9 (’84) has features on (a.o.) ‘Conflict’, ‘Anti-System’, ‘Crude SS’, ‘Mellakka’, interviews with ‘Fuck-Ups’ (San Francisco), ‘Tuomittujen Juhla’, ‘Pushead’, scenereports from Yugoslavia & Italia, and much more. #10 (’85) contains an extensive interview with ‘D.O.A.’ & one with ‘Kaaos’, a talk with the Finnish ‘Massacre’, a scenereports from Northern Ireland, The Netherlands & Italy, a report on the anarchist meeting in Venice, features on Finnish bands (a.o.) ‘Kuolema’, ‘Poliisivaltio’, ‘Lapsilta Kielletty’, ‘Pravda’, reviews, plus loads more. A pity I can ‘t read it…

This interview with ‘Pushead’ (Brian Schroeder) – visual artist, vocalist of ‘Septic Death’, owner of the record-labels Pusmort and Bacteria Sour – dates from the first half of the 80s…

[Translation (by Arto Hietikko) below]

Pushead, who’s real name is Brian Schroder, is a punk from Boise [Idaho], United States. He has become best known for the record-covers he has drawn: the ’Rattus’ LP [WC Räjähtää; 1983] and Uskonto On Vaara EP [1984], and records by ’Necros’, ’S.S. Decontrol’, ’Meatmen’ and many others. Even though 24-year-old Pushead lives 650 kilometers from the nearest [big] city, he has been able to achieve a lot by correspondence. He’s a contributor to many American magazines, for example Maximum RocknRoll and Forced Exposure, he draws zine-covers (also  the cover of this issue of Kaaos) and various leaflets with his original, wild style. In addition to this, Pushead has a band of his own, ’Septic Death’, which has been together less than two years and played about ten gigs.

An interview of this multifunctional hardcore man:

YOUR DRAWINGS ARE NOW KNOWN ALL OVER THE WORLD. HOW DOES IT AFFECT YOU, OR WHERE DO YOU FIND THE MOTIVATION?

Pushead: I get a wonderful feeling when I know people use what I’ve done and enjoy seeing them. I like to draw. There’s a difference between drawing a record-cover or for some magazine, logo or advertisement. Drawing a record-cover is more stressful. Often bands don’t even know what kind of cover they want, they just tell me to draw. Then it’s have quite a challenge to think and plan something neat. As long as I got enthusiasm, I have a reason to continue. Every time I see a finished work it brings me new passion.

YOUR DRAWINGS ARE GRAPHIC AND DISTINCTIVE. WHAT IS THEIR MEANING?

Pushead: Most of my works carry a certain meaning. Everybody is free to interpret them with their own way. Many people understand them in a totally different way from the original meaning. That’s great, it gives totally new meanings to my works. The message behind every work is different. Even some rudimentary penises mean something. If I tell everybody that this means this and this means that, it would be like watching a movie or reading a book. It’s better to make people think for themselves and let them make their own interpretations. The best way to make people remember something is to use horror. I’m in no way fascinated with violence or blood, and I don’t glorify these. They’re just targets to deliver ideas and people enjoy them. Horror mesmerizes your thoughts.

WHAT KIND OF FEEDBACK HAVE YOU RECEIVED FOR YOUR WORKS, FOR EXAMPLE FOR BLOOD SAUSAGE, THE MEATMEN RECORD?

Pushead: It’s probably one of my most popular works. I don’t know why people like it, I think they don’t understand its meaning. They just like it. Many have asked me “How can you draw something like this?”, “What made you draw this?” or “Watching this hurts me.”. This is exactly what makes the meaning of the works complete. People react to them.

HOW DID YOU LEARN TO DRAW AND WHERE DID YOU GET YOUR INFLUENCES?

Pushead: I’m self-taught. No schools or any other institutions. In the beginning it took a lot of time to find my style, to sketch and to practise. I used comics and later artists such as Nino, [cartoonist Will ?] Eisner, [?] Kirby and many others whose work interested me. I also got a lot of help from Annie (girlfriend) who’s also interested in drawing.

MANY OF YOUR WORKS REPRESENT MEN, WHY DON’T YOU DRAW WOMEN?

Pushead: Ummm, I don’t know. I’m trying to get rid of male characters. When I started to draw I had girls as models but they’re much more critical about the work. Everybody was bothering me and giving advice about how the work should look like. So I quit and for some time I drew caricatures which didn’t need to be men nor women. I think it’s difficult to draw a woman, it has to be done in the right way. Not naked or as sex-object but as a feminine character.

BUT THAT’S HOW YOU DRAW MEN!

Pushead: No. I mean that I don’t want to draw naked girls because that’s how girls are always portayed. Of course I can drive to Mexico and get girls there to model for me if I wanted to…

TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR BAND.

Pushead: Yeah, I have a band ’Septic Death’ that I sing or roar in. I write the lyrics and make some of the songs. The music is fast but quite complicated, noisy sounds and frenzied fear. The idea behind the band is that religions have been established for god and god has been established in purpose of you not being afraid of death. ’Septic Death’ is a band about the reality of death. When you die you’re dead. You won’t see any guiding-lights or smiling angels, no god or devil. You will rot. Millions of churches all over the world pledge loyalty to a god so that he would protect people and take them to heaven when they die. They live for a god without doing anything by themselves because that god might not like it. They believe that kind of life will give them a new eternal life, and the only purpose is to fulfill god’s wishes. ’Septic Death’s songs are mainly about fears and paranoias. Some of them comment on current events. It’s so depressing to read about them in the newspapers, songs are able to draw more attention.

Pushead is unemployed at the moment but there are still a lot of things to do. He spends his days drawing, and writing articles and reviews. Pushead has been skating for eight years and contributes to the American skateboard magazine Thrasher. Pushead has designed various skateboards, their wheels, new brands and skating-ramps. Usually it’s all non-profit, unless works are ordered to get money. If the drawings are made for someone to make profit, Pushead takes royalties. Pushead lives together with his girlfriend Annie, who’s studying in England at the moment.

Pushead: To live separately is difficult for both of us as we are very close. We plan to get married. Many friends of mine have laughed at the idea but what’s wrong with it?

You can write to Pushead & Annie, 2713 Kerr, Boise, ID 83705, USA.

Armatrak (Anarchy, Outrage And Serious Intent #5)

Anarchy, Outrage And Serious Intent was the zine that Stephen Moore (vocals/guitar) of the band ‘Armatrak‘ (Auckland) did; together with Simon Bendall (first bassist of the band). They did five issues (from 1983 on), the last one was abbreviated to Outrage. The band ran a label called Positive Youth Promotions, put on shows, contributed a lot to the scene in New Zealand.

The www mentions issue 3 (’84) featured bands such ‘The Apostles’, ‘Chaotic Dischord’, ‘Corpse’, ‘Aftershock’, gave info on the St Heliers/ Glendowie Peace Group and the Hamilton punk-scene, contained reviews, etc.

#5 (’84) was contributed by Koen ‘Siesele’ L. and is online on Michael Kopijn’s website. It has scene-reports from Finland & Belgium, interviews with the ‘Passion Killers’ (Leeds), the ‘Bristles’, ‘Chumbawamba’ & ‘Armatrak’; info about ‘Indirekt’ & Thorn-EMI, plus reviews and news from abroad…

Brob

Steve did most of the work… I lost touch with him when I went to England in ’87 and have been trying to track him down.

Simon Bendall

 

Laitz (Names Don’t Matter #4)

Names Don’t Matter by André (from Deurne, near Eindhoven), with help from Marianne (“the travelling reporter”). He also did a mailorder, named Oorsmeer (“earwax”) and helped out with gigs at the 2B squat in Eindhoven; later got he involved with Thrashold (together with Marq Kuypers, Martin ‘Scheet’ Voorbij & Joes Bentley). From the editorial of the first issue: “This zine definitely doesn’t aim to be a hardcore zine; the content might be but that’s pure coincidence.”…

Michael Kopijn made 3 issues available on his website:

#1 (84-85): brief info on ‘Lärm’, ‘Gepøpel’, ‘Indirekt’, ‘Bloedbad’, ‘Intensified Chaos’, the Dutch tape-label Midas tapes (Jac Van Bussel), British miners’ strikes, etc. #3 (85): interviews with ‘Strontium-90’ (Bel) & ‘Wulpse Varkens’, brief info about ‘Murder Inc. III’, ‘Mellaka’, ‘Käyttööhje’ (Fin), ‘Scunner’ (Ned), ‘Koyaanisqatsi’ (Bel), ‘Avskum’, ‘Crapscrapers’ (Ger), ‘Resistance’ (Ned) & ‘B.T.D.’, an article on oppression of Peruvian women, report on Venlo HC, some reviews and more; #4 (86): has a column entitled Multinational Rock’n’Roll, a feature on Independent Project recs (Los Angeles), a lengthy talk with ‘Lärm’, and band-interviews with ‘Laitz’, ‘X-Creta’, ‘Stanx’ & ‘Oh’Dev’, plus zine-reviews.

[#2 (85) featured (a.o.) ‘S.C.A.’, ‘Nog Watt’, ‘Hiroshima Nooduitgang’, etc.]

Issues 2, 3 & 4 came with compilation-tapes (under the name of My Smile Is A Mask tapes): This Is Names Don’t Matter (#2), But This Product Is Crap! (#3)

The interviews were mostly rather brief. Here’s an more indepth one with ‘Laitz’ (from Utrecht), a band that did a gig for the Smurfpunx-collective (86-05-03)…

[Translation below]

‘Laitz’ is a hardcore band from Utrecht and the surrounding area. They started in the spring of ‘83 but didn’t have a singer at that time. The line-up was: Joost [Teunissen], (drums), Ferko [Bodnar] (guitar) and Joep [van Liefland] (bass).

“So we’ve been around for almost 2 years now and a large part of that time we practiced at Joost’s attic, much to the dismay of the neighbourhood. When Ron [Goris] (vocals) joined in spring ‘84, everything suddenly went much better. New inspiration, more and better songs and the first performances in Utrecht.”

Besides the band they also do quite a few things. At the moment they are busy organising gigs. Some time ago they released a Brazilian compilation-tape (with: ‘Olho Seco’, ‘Ratos de Porão’, ‘Extermino’ & ‘Juízo Final’) and they also do the fanzine Het Blad Van Eduard. A while ago they also released their first cassette under the name: Balance Of Power [1984]. The following questions are answered by Joep. It has to be mentioned that the answers are his, ‘Laitz’ is not a four-unit…

ORGANISATIONS LIKE THE C.C.C. [Cellules Communistes Combattantes; 80s Belgian extreme leftist action-group] – THERE ALSO APPEARS TO BE SOMETHING SIMILAR IN THE NETHERLANDS (AUTONOMOUS CELLS NETHERLANDS): WHAT’S YOUR THOUGHTS REGARDING THE STATEMENT THAT THEY ONLY RESULT IS THE OPPOSITE EFFECT (MORE POLICE) AND THAT THE SYMPATHY THAT PEOPLE MAY HAVE FOR LEFTIST ACTIVITIES IS TAKEN AWAY FOR THE LARGER PART?

Firstly: to me this autonomous organisation seems to be a contradiction, but apart from that I don’t really know them. As for the claim that hard action supposedly takes away people’s sympathy for leftist activities: I think you shouldn’t dwell on that too long, because then you would have to quit as an action-group. The media turns everything around anyway and I think it’s wrong to let your action-methods depend on that too much. In my opinion, the time for harmonious consultation is over. Don’t get me wrong: I’m not saying that’s bad but nothing much has been achieved. Fundamental structures remain the same and conflicts of interest are covered. Of course the question reamins whether you achieve more with hard actions, but I think it’s good if you show that you don’t agree with certain things at all. For example: squatting, that has often been accomplished with struggle and hard action, is already becoming well established. Actions often get so distorted that it comes across as negative to many people, but even then: it sparks off some things in any case and it’s talked about. As for the opposite effect: more police and all that, it’s true. You can see it ow in Belgium with the C.C.C.: a special police-unit is being set up again to combat terrorist actions. A very vague concept of course and it will also have consequences for other froms of resistance. However, I don’t think it should be a reason to stop taking action for the C.C.C. It questions Martens [Belgian prime minister in the 80s] policy (and more) and I think many people agree with that, as well as with their strategy. I for sure do. They’re forced to show their true face!!!

THE LYRICS TO THE SONG IT’S ALL BULLSHIT: WAS IT WRITTEN IN AN APATHETICAL MOOD?

I didn’t write those words but I see it more as an expression of frustration. All those different ideologies, they all pretend they got it right; I’m just fed up with that every now and then. If you think about it for too long, it’s all becomes so relative. Today’s greatest anarchists may be sitting behind a desk as an office-clerk in 10 years time. Ideals gone! I think that’s a depressing idea, but I don’t think it’s an argument not to fight for your ideals now because you’re alive at this very moment and you might be dead tomorrow!

A LOT OF PUNK BANDS ARE FED UP WITH SOCALLED ‘FUCK-THE-SYSTEM’ LYRICS. THESE ARE THEN EXCHANGED FOR TALK ABOUT SATAN, NECROPHILIA (TASTY!) AND SO ON. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THAT?

If satan would be identified with certain people, some kind of system or something, but satan merely as a trademark?… Gosh, I don’t know. On the other hand, satan, the dark, the symbolism: it does attract me. But it also repels me because I’m afraid of it…

IS NEW FUN COWBOY A STRAIGHT-EDGE SONG?

New Fun Cowboy is not a straight-edge song. None of us are straight-edge. The lyrics actually paint a very stereotypical image of a material simplist, of which unfortunately there are still quite a few walking around…

CAN WE STILL EXPECT ANYTHING FROM ‘LAITZ’ IN THE FUTURE?

We plan to release something on vinyl with a few other bands (a double EP with ‘B.T.D.’, ‘Loud Warning’, ‘Kikkerspuug’. One side each. [actually became the 4-way split-12” On Our Way To Fools Paradise] It should be out in April. Performing a few times would also be fun.

FINAL QUESTION: NOW THAT STRAIGHT-EDGE SEEMS TO HAVE ALMOST GONE AGAIN: WHAT DO YOU THINK TOMORROW’S NEW RAGE WILL BE?

Being autonomous or something?!… I don’t really know what to think of all those fads. Straight-edge, I have nothing against it, and I have nothing against skateboarding either. The problem with fads is that they’re always so short-lived and people quit so quickly. So you can’t construct anything with it but hey, what’s with the bullshit and morality…