// Category Archive for: Issues

My Short List Of Heroes: Q & A With John Parish

By J Howell

John Parish may not exactly be a household name, but the scope of his work, on both sides of the glass, is almost unparalleled in both quality and variety. My first exposure to John was seeing his name in the liner notes to PJ Harvey’s To Bring You My Love, which is still a favorite record of mine. I had to find out who was responsible for the sounds on that record, which were jarring and lush, often in the same song. Turns out this Parish fellow had a lot to do with it, both as a musician and a producer, and as a mentor of Harvey’s, who basically got her start in Parish’s Automatic Dlamini. (Harvey once introduced him onstage as “more a god than a man,” which probably made him blush a little.)
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Wounds Of Love: Ten Reasons I’ve Seen Tuff Turf Over 100 Times

By Less Lee Moore

Screencap by megacaps

If you’ve never seen Tuff Turf, the 1985 film starring James Spader and Kim Richards, then this list of reasons I’ve watched the movie over 100 times might pique your curiosity and prompt you to watch it. Maybe not over 100 times, but at least once. If you have seen the movie, this list will probably be at best, comical, and at worst, puzzling. Hopefully, however, this list will explain why I was thrilled when this movie was released on a (markedly bare bones) DVD a few years back. It meant that my original, recorded-from-HBO VHS tape could finally get a break.

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It’s Finally Here: Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains on DVD

By Noreen Sobczyk

Misfit youths who happened to catch a late night airing of Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains have been rubbing their magic lamps for years, fully willing to trade one wish for a good quality copy of this film. Now the wait is over, thanks to the folks at Rhino who’ve released it as the debut title in their Rock ‘N’ Roll Cinema Series.

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10,000 Maniacs, Blind Man’s Zoo

By Chelsea Spear

You are twelve years old. In your pocket you have some jangly change and a wilted sawbuck, heavy with sweat from your clammy hands—money you earned from babysitting your snot-nosed brother while your mom went out on another pointless date. You enter the Tape World at the mall—a store smaller than your bedroom at home—with the intent to buy the first album you’ll purchase with your own money.
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Fuck You, I Like Tin Machine

By Christian Lipski

“The Irish are the blacks of Europe,
and Dubliners are the blacks of Ireland,
and the Northside Dubliners are the blacks of Dublin.
So say it once, say it loud, I’m black and I’m proud!”
The Commitments

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Antics In The Forbidden Zone: Adam Ant On VHS!

By Less Lee Moore

The Four Rules Of Loving Adam Ant:

• 1. Love Adam.

• 2. Love Adam some more.

• 3. Love Adam as much as you can.

4. Marry Adam.

As composed by me and my sister in the early ’90s.

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Tom Verlaine Is My White Rabbit

By Chelsea Spear

The last week of June 2008 found me in New York City. I’d been trying to escape the obligations and responsibilities that awaited me in my hometown: the whoosh I still heard in my ears as a birthday with a zero on the end passed me by, and the dozens of hours I suddenly had free. My life was about to change, and I had no idea what to do next. So far I’d attempted to distract myself with a free concert at which two of my favorite bands played, and a stage play written by a playwright and musician whose work I found intriguing, if not always successful. The poignancy and significance and melancholy of these works had not merely sated me, but left my brain feeling bloated and heavy and unable to even process the idealistic notes of hope they sounded.
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Nobody Takes Me Seriously, Anyway: Split Enz

By Less Lee Moore

[This piece was originally published in Smack Dab Fanzine #5, April 1996. With the exception of typos I may have corrected, all of the original text and formatting remain the same. I have also scanned the original artwork.—Ed.]

The first pop star I had a crush on was Barry Manilow. Looks aside, I was dazzled by his rhinestone-studded costumes and silly medleys. I cherished my monthly fan club letters for years until I turned on MTV in 1981. Then I discovered New Wave and the weirdest, most endearing brothers next to Jeff and Steve McDonald. Neil and Tim Finn from Split Enz.
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Teach Yourself Stevie Riks: Q & A

By Hanna

Wikipedia calls Stevie Riks a “British comedian and musical impressionist,” but that hardly does him justice. Since he seems to believe that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I’ve put together a short guide to Stevie Riks fandom.
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The Staff Of Popshifter‘s Halloween Issue 2008