BLOG TO COMM

BOY IT'S REALLY TIME FOR YET ANOTHER BLACK TO COMM BACK ISSUES UPDATE!

I thought I tried it all, hard sell. soft sell, appeals to the innate rockism in each and every one of us, but it hasn't worked. I'm still stuck with thousands of BLACK TO COMM back issues cluttering up my closet, my boudoir, my basement and even some special hiding places you'll never know about and what's worse is that there seems about as much interest in people reading this historical fanzine as Jay Hinman has in humility! So, in yet another vain attempt to reach out and move some of these VASTLY UNDERRATED fanzines of mine created twist the years 1989 and 2003 (not exactly top booming years for fanzines or rock fandom for that matter!) here's yet another approach to soften even the hardest of hearts and heads out there in rock fandom land, like maybe the LCD of 'em all, emotion.

Y'see, I've been doing this rag long before I got into the blogging game, and even though I have met with more headkicks and groinstomps than any other fanzine editor out there in the wild and woolly world of rock fandom I've continued doing this mag not only because it's a "labor of love", but its the only way that I could "express" my deeply-set obsessive/compulsive attitude towards this thing called rock & roll or punk or garage or what-have-you without totally flipping out in abject frustration. Oh yeah, expressing my "love" for this music has gotten me stomped on even by erudite yet seemingly bipolar college professors teaching in rural Montana universities as well as ineffectual San Franciscan white-collar professionals slumming in the gutter world, but I've plucked the final knife from my back and sorta curse the idea that I've somehow managed to upset even people I didn't want to in the first place ll I can say is that the whole trip was worthwhile. If I had to do it all over again I would only start earlier in my life, put a lot more effort into my writings and hey, maybe I would go out of my way to piss off even the people who are supposed to be my "buddies" anyway!

One of the most unfortunate things about doing a fanzine, at least for me, was trying to get these rags out to a hopefully eager public. Distribution was always a hassle especially when the people who were circulating the rags, like the Dutch East India Trading Company, pretty much loathed my guts. It's their prerogative to do so I guess, though I sure wish they didn't cheat me outta the money they owed (not much, but I wasn't gonna complain since I wasn't gonna deal w/'em ever again). Ted Gottfried at See Hear was a saint and savior rolled into one package, and when his efforts eventually capsized a big void certainly entered into my life not to mention my pocketbook. As for Get Hip, if it weren't for them I'd have to sell these things door-to-door like freckle-faced boys do GRIT! But for every See Hear or Get Hip there were dozens of distributors like that Nick guy in Chicago who kept changing his aliases in order to avoid paying me what was due, and though I thankfully was spared the big losses that everyone else who used Systematic back in the late eighties encountered (mostly because they too would not handle my mag!) there were way too many cheats and scoundrels who decided to take advantage of me in any way possible, and one can only hope that they all will face an eternity of hellfire and damnation or maybe even the next few years living in Melbourne...same thing!

So here I am years afterwards with tons of BLACK TO COMM back issues, and even though I do have an "audience" that I guess tunes in once in awhile frankly these mags are not flying forth from the tool shed like they oughta. And in these tough financial times I need the moolah to buy essentials like Steve Ditko political comix and maybe even a subscription to CHRONICLES. so I'm begging ya...why dontcha help your Unca Chris out and buy a buncha these magazines out which not only will benefit me but yourselves given how jam-packed with pertinent high energy information they are! Prices postpaid in the US of Whoa too (furriners please write me via a blog comment which I will NOT publish if you so desire!). If you wanna use Paypal, that can be arranged. I even take well-concealed cash! Please buy some fanzines...did I tell you that some of these issues were produced under a heavy strain due to real-life pressures and were a miracle that they even came out under such crushing circumstances? Gee, you people have no heart!

But if you do have heart and wanna buy directly from me via the snail route, why dontcha just send payment to Christopher Stigliano @ 701 North Hermitage Rd., Suite 23, Hermitage, PA 16148 USA and make the checks out in my moniker and not to BLACK TO COMM!

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BLACK TO COMM #14-Early 1989. Featuring part one of the Ron Asheton interview, a nice though could be much better given all the information discovered since piece on the Deviants, an article on Peter Laughner's Cinderella Backstreet, the Seeds and Charlemagne Palestine. $6.00

BLACK TO COMM #16-From summer 1989. This one has the Rudolph Grey interview, some reprints of Peter Laughner things I copped out of old issues of ZEPPELIN and elsewhere, more Electric Eels lyrics with a pic, Laughing Hyenas and of course tributes to the recently departed Lucille Ball and Jim Backus. The first, cruddy version can be had for $3.50, though the better take will cost an extra buck ($4.50 in case you can't add). I also have some "damaged" in a basement flood but still readable (they may either be wrinkled a bit and/or have rusty staples) I'll part with for a mere two dollah!

BLACK TO COMM #17-Early '90. The first of the "big" issues has a cover story/interview with Scott Morgan and Gary Rasmussen from the old Scott Morgan band, also inside's an interview with Borbetomagus' Donald Miller as well as one with Maureen Tucker, not to mention pieces on Fish Karma (who I liked until hearing his overly-preachy kiss kiss moosh anti-gun song entitled "God Bless The NRA"), the Dogs (from Detroit, not the French ones or the Flamin' Groovies for that matter!), Rocket From the Tombs (with loads of old photos and the like, some never seen before or since!), the top 25 of heavy metal, METAL MACHINE MUSIC, a piece on the then-new proto-punk reissues and archival digs of the day and the usual reviews and news. $7.00.

BLACK TO COMM #21-From November '94. A VON LMO cover story and interview grace this ish, as do interviews with Metal Mike Saunders, Brian McMahon (Electric Eels) and rockabilly star Ronnie Dawson, plus you can read much-desired items on the Trashmen, Velvet Underground and Hawkwind like I knew you would! Not to mention a piece on the infamous TEENAGE WASTELAND GAZETTE fanzine! $8.00.

BLACK TO COMM #24- From spring 2001. This issue's cover feature's a nice interview with Doug Snyder of DAILY DANCE/Sick Dick and the Volkswagens fame, plus there are interviews with the Dogs (Detroit) and Greg Shaw, a piece on the old CAN'T BUY A THRILL fanzine and the usual feature-length reviews and the like. $9.00.

BLACK TO COMM #25-The latest (December 2003), 162 pages brimming with such goodies as a New York City Scene history (featuring interviews with Max's Kansas City's Peter Crowley and Ruby Lynn Reyner from Ruby and the Rednecks plus pieces on coverboys the New York Dolls and VARIETY scene-booster Fred Kirby), an interview with J. D. King (Coachmen, comix) plus one with guitarist Lou Rone, who would probably be best known to you as leader of the early CBGB-era band Cross as well as one-time guitarist for both Kongress and VON LMO, the Screamin' Mee-Mees, CRETINOUS CONTENTIONS, Simply Saucer rare photos, family tree and gigography, rare fanzines of the Golden Age (and more), tons of book and record reviews (which make up the bulk of this ish!), plus a CD with live Simply Saucer 1975, the Coachmen, The Battleship, Ethel with David Nelson Byers and Ruby and the Rednecks. $12.00