Reviews

 

Sunday, June 24, 2007

Read Drop Dead Magazine

Carlos and I were having this discussion yesterday about the death (or impending death) of print media and how there are so few publications around now that we enjoy reading from cover to cover. Then we went to a news stand in the South Bay and I picked up a copy of Drop Dead.

Although I am familiar with Drop Dead's death rock festivals (Jenn from the Rockit did a really nice write up of the L.A. event a few issues back), I have never read the magazine. I picked up issue 3 (technically the fourth installment of the magazine), which is the most recent edition. It seems to publish sporadically (two issues from 2006 and one from 2005), but the content is well worth the wait.

The cover story on Fad Gadget is what attracted me to the magazine, since I had really wanted to write a history of Frank Tovey (guess I won't be doing that now). Drop Dead's feature includes numerous interviews, including ones with Daniel Miller and Tovey's daughter Morgan. It is an enlightening read and a splendid tribute to the artist.

Inside, I was pleasantly surprised to find a lengthy and well-executed piece on the artwork of Alien Sex Fiend (based primarily on interviews with Mr. and Mrs. Fiend). The layout of this piece was superb and well-reprsented Alien Sex Fiend's artwork.

Also, there is an extensive piece on early L.A. synth punk, which highlights Nervous Gender, Catholic Discipline and, naturally, the Screamers. It is an extremely interesting read, something that should be seen by every "authority" who blatantly overlooks L.A.'s post-punk scene (or only discusses hardcore). I was particularly impressed considering that the magazine hails from New York. It's nice to see that people in another city understand the importance of L.A. bands.

But that's not all. There is an interview with Attrition that I really want to read, but have not yet on account of the fact that the byline reads "Atrocious Lyre" and so I can't help but bust up laughing whenever I turn to the page. If that's not the best nom de plume ever, I don't know what is.

Looking through the website, I noticed that previous issues feature a piece Prague cemeteries, an interview with Andi Sex Gang conducted by Cinema Strange/Deadfly Ensemble's Lucas Lanthier, a history of horror surf, an article on early 4AD bands and pieces on Nina Hagen and Virgin Prunes. How awesome is that?

Like nearly every goth-leaning publication, Drop Dead features a wonderful layout. The style is legible and professional while retaining a homemade zine feel with slightly off-kilter text boxes and fonts that look to be handwritten.

Everyone who reads this blog needs to go out and pick up a copy of Drop Dead. Support people who are actually doing something against the grain.

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posted by liz o. # 1:10 PM
 

The Big Takeover Top Ten
By Kristen Sollee (link)
11-27-2005

Drop Dead Magazine #0, September 2005
A great new magazine to fill the void that New Grave left (and then some). Deathrock, goth, psychobilly, gothabilly and post-punk – you’ll find it all in Drop Dead Magazine, which is put out by the same people who bring us the phenomenal Drop Dead Festival. This limited collector’s edition of the mag features Nina Hagen, The Virgin Prunes, The Brides, a brief history on the 80’s dark music/post-punk scene in NYC and a lot more.

 
DROP DEAD MAGAZINE
By Mick Mercer (link)
12-15-2005

In the past I was lucky enough to edit magazines, ZigZag being the one to really vibrate thanks to a talented crew, blessed by the likes of Tom Vague, Tony D, Robin Gibson, Richard North, Jonh Wilde et al. If you learn anything in that role it is that your writers and photographers, with their knowledge and enthusiasm, are everything, and if you have people who care more about the music than their own egos you’re laughing.

If I were currently mad enough to have been starting a magazine now I would turn to four people automatically, and they’re all in America! True, we have two writers in the UK who are good enough, in Sexbat and Michael Johnson, but the people who eviscerate the gloom of online writing with their passions week by week you need turn only to Lakini Malich, Seth Styles, Basim and Greg Fasolino, who I am sure will be in involved with the Drop Dead magazine, and hopefully Donna Ricci’s planned art/fashion magazine (which will also include music), two titles that can complement each other and start to awaken their audience from its reliance on Gothic Beauty, and may, just maybe, push that title itself to be a touch more adventurous, which will be good for it. The more magazines, the more attention the music gets, the healthier the scene becomes.

Just as Deathrock’s return in a younger form has been good for all overlapping scenes by suggesting there is a way to invest energy in your work, and escalate excitement, so you need music magazines which can go hand in hand with this, and Drop Dead’s bony digits are cracking with glee. This debut issue, released around the September festival, already has many things going for it, and you’d be well advised to pick this up to start your collection. It looks fantastic, with a loosely aligned style page by page but enough dramatic splurges of visual activity to satisfy anyone design-obsessed, and it hums with life in terms of the writing.

With Nina Hagen on the cover, there are decent interviews with her, The Brides, Virgin Prunes’ Gavin Friday, Lucas from Cinema Strange, and psychobilly kings The Quakes, along with a swarm of smaller pieces on names playing the festival. It’s a mini-riot. Greg Fasolino’s article on the original; New York Deathrock greats is also there, so that’s two of the writers involved! All involved do well in creating a remarkably strong debut issue, so things can only become sleeker and deeper.

The nearest comparison is an old magazine I always liked, Propaganda, when that was around, despite its unfortunate lack of regularity, but I always wanted more on the music, music, music, and Drop Dead has that. It’s up to date, it’s driven by enthusiasm, and it will have an effect as a result. It needs work, naturally. Lakini will relax into his style more and throw out charming sparks like his journal does, which is his style, and it’d be nice to have a clearer idea who has done things, be that layout, articles, photos or reviews. Also, nobody needs the text so big throughout the issue, because you can get so more in by adhering to the reviews’ text size, and then readers get so much more out of it, with cover-mounted pince-nez for anyone who can’t cope. I’m out of the loop presently, but look forward on taking up Polina’s kind offer of involvement, and will be writing for it during 2006 which is just bound to be another classy year, feeding off recent activity and the quality of music around is stirring beautifully.

A wonderful thing. Glorious times ahead.

Mick Mercer works include:
 
 
 

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