|
MUSIC COLUMN BY RICHARD MARTIN
If corporate rock magazines still suck, as the saying goes, it has more to do with their dwindling music coverage than with the now-quaint notion that Rolling Stone and Spin should assess a hyped major-label band and a deserving indie artist on equal terms. These and other publications have shifted the focus away from all musicians--unless they happen to moonlight as models--to devote more space to general-interest features on fashion, sex and the latest development in shaving. The growing competition, consolidation and consumerism in the publishing world has necessitated such an evolution in order for the glossies to survive--one longtime music magazine that resisted change, Option, ceased operations last month. Where does this leave the music fan who'd like to read about a favorite band or discover something new? There are other steadfast music magazines worth reading, such as Magnet and England's The Wire, but new issues of three periodically published underground 'zines hint at another palatable outlet. The third installment of Badaboom Gramophone contains the usual assortment of obscurist record reviews, term papers masquerading as articles, wacky charts and the requisite CD compilation and Q&A with a virtually unknown "genius" (New Zealand avant-garde rock artist Peter Jefferies). But the New Jersey publication concludes with an incredibly ambitious 130-page follow-up to the alt-music fan's reference bible, The Trouser Press Guide, entitled "The Bands Not in The Trouser Press Guide Guide." Using the same typeface and format as the original (with permission from TP publisher Ira Robbins), Badaboom's 32 critics provide commentary on albums by under-the-radar artists like Portland's Irving Klaw Trio, the Crabs and Bugskull, as well as notable indie and experimental acts like Neutral Milk Hotel and Climax Golden Twins. Badaboom provides a service for discriminating fans, analyzing a cornucopia of bands that rarely receive coverage. The Portland-produced Osmotic Tongue Pressure skewers traditional rock writing in its fifth issue, which also serves as a flamboyant epitaph for publisher Mike Kinney, who passed away last year before his 'zine had gone to press. Some friends (including WW contributors Brooke DeNisco and Jeff Fuccillo) assembled the confrontational feature interviews, experimentally written record reviews and visually arresting collages into a cantankerous and wildly enjoyable read. Kinney and collaborators such as Cat Power's Chan Marshall and Trumans Water's Kevin Cascell wrangle with enigmatic rock bands like Royal Trux, Smegma and Dead Moon and controversial authors William T. Vollman and Richard Meltzer, needling their subjects into unorthodox discussions. In one interchange with the Trux's Neil Hagerty, Kinney challenges the musician to explain why the band's live performance differed glaringly from the presentation of songs on the albums, eventually provoking Hagerty to rebuke Kinney thusly: "You should get into a new line of work." Osmotic is by turns hilarious, poignant, irreverent and, for readers who'd prefer a break from the usual obsequiousness of most 'zines, essential. The 14th outing from Athens, Ga.'s Chunklet employs a tired tactic, adopting the much-parodied MAD magazine style, but much of the writing is inspired and uproariously funny. Besides the record reviews and compilation CD (which features the purportedly final track from Irving Klaw Trio), the 68-page zine features a satirical application for the "Indie Cred Card"; a chart comparing Star Trek's obsessive fans with Guided By Voices' obsessive fans; a vicious kamikaze interview with deposed MTV princess Tabitha Soren; a list of 50 overused sample sources (e.g. "Tracey Lord's groaning"); and a brilliant fictionalized "day in the life" comparison of Perry Farrell, Billy Corgan and Henry Rollins. Chunklet is the best zine for self-deprecating and high-jinks-minded rock fans since the Motorbooty issue that rated bands' credibilities based on the amount of Sonic Youth members in attendance at their shows. Portland Postscript: This week, the Mark Woolley Gallery (120 NW 9th Ave., Suite 210, 224-5475), hosts a couple of events to kick off a month-long exhibition by the Pander Bros., Secret Broadcast--Transmission, a presentation of the local artists' comic-book art, paintings and videos. The preview party takes place Wednesday, Sept. 2, at 6 pm, with DJ Eko spinning ambient groove music to accompany the food- and drink-fueled mingling. The following night, in accordance with First Thursday and the start of the ACLU's Uncensored Celebration, the Multnomen and DJ Schmeejay will perform in the gallery for broadcast on Subterradio, 104.1 FM. Sleestak Belle and Sebastian
originally published September 2, 1998 |
