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BOOK REVIEW! WRITING FOR SLASH 1977-1981, THE KNOW-IT-ALL YEARS; REVIEWS BY CHRIS D. (Poison Fang Books, 2022)

Depression-era waged suburban slobs such as I weren't always privy to the vast amt. of knowledge that even a single issue of SLASH could dispense to just the kinda kid who needed dispensing to. In fact I remember that December day at the Record Revolution in Cle Hts. contemplating whether to snatch up the final ish of this famed publication proudly on display or use my ill-gotten to purchase two (or maybe even more) 12-inchers available in the used record section found in the basement. Naturally the used recs won out, and although at the time I thought I made the correct choice with regards to being a fool parting with his money, all these years later there's this nagging little voice way way inside that continues to tell me "Chris, you missed out on a chance of a lifetime!"

Maybe not a chance of a lifetime, but missing out on SLASH also meant missing out on the contributions of Chris Desjardins aka Chris D. aka Half Cocked or Bob "Yo Yo Youth" Clone or Mr. OK, not to mention other nom de's that the man was utilizing during his three-year stay at the famed El Lay publication. His group the Flesheaters' big "breakthrough" A MINUTE TO PRAY, A SECOND TO DIE was months in the future and at this time (Dec. '80 to be exact) I wouldn't be able to tell Mr. Desjardins from any of his aliases in a police lineup. As the band's standing in the underground grew to quite admirable proportions so did the knowledge of Desjardins' tenure as a rock writer (as opposed to "critic" which is a term I would use to describe Anastasia Pantsios but not him!) for SLASH and well, as time crept on I eventually began to encounter Desjardins the scribe as well as Desjardins the overpowering vocalist leading one of the strongest bands coming outta Southern California at the time. As they say, the rest is history.

The history being this collection of most (not all since his interview with Mary Woronov, and maybe others, were left out) of Desjardin's contributions to SLASH. It's a magnificent read that (at least for me) sure dredged up them GOOD feelings of rock writing past, a time when the underbelly side of what used to be called "rock 'n roll" was teeming with taut talent aimed directly at the o-mind of a special breed of youth, and the people documenting these performers in the pages of fanzines and those few promags with a conscience were just as big as the acts they hosanna'd, right?

As evidenced by the assortment of reviews and whatnot found within these pages, it's more'n just obvious that Desjardins clearly is an intellectual punk, one on the same plateau of naked honesty and perhaps even under-the-skin irritation (if you happen to disagree) with the likes of HYPE's Mark Jenkins or even Wayne McGuire, a man who was once (jokingly I hope) described as "the Earl Wilson of Nazism". Desjardin's (I shall use his preferred "D." from hereon in) writings had a particularly sharp, curt and subdued wittiness to them that sure makes a refreshing respite from the usual rockscreed banality seen not only then but today (and that unfortunately includes my own feeble efforts as you can tell by merely reading this). In fact, after giving this collection more than just the "once over" I'd surmise that had the guy focused his sights on rock writing as an (a)vocation he might have been as noticed and as namechecked in the annals of under-the-underground gonz as all of those guys in the original early/mid-seventies CREEM who, thank goodness, proved that there was an alternative to the once-prevalent West Coast whole wheat approach to understanding music. That is, not the breed of "gonz" as once perpetrated by the likes of ROLLING STONE and their sickening ilk --- more like the free splat as journalism slice of post-Kerouacian reality found in the efforts of the Bangs/Meltzer school not forgetting Gene Sculatti and of course the rest of the Kickboy-helmed SLASH cadre. True visionaries who were up 'n above those who defined eighties/nineties rock writing as literary analingus. The free weekly types we all had to suffer through, and would continue to had we not cut contact with all professional efforts these last thirtysome years.

Early writings show somewhat of a feel 'round with D looking for that "just right" journalism hook. Reviews of early Pere Ubu and Iggy's KILL CITY have the same critical and perhaps even jaded look as what one would have found in a good portion of fanzines at the time, and his takes on the budding Britsters thankfully avoid the nauseating fawn overs that even affected a good portion of my output (I should be embarrassed but am not figuring that rock writing is kinda like bowel movements --- some just come out a little smoother than others but the roughies shake you up). I appreciate D.'s caustic approach which he'll even apply to a positive writeup, proving that maybe a sour outlook on not only music but life in general might be, at the conclusion of it all, a whole lot more beneficial than prima facie analyzers would lead you to believe.

If I hadda put it to you like one of those many compact reviews the guy did for SLASH I'd say something like "Great slab of pre-cut 'n paste brass tacks writing from a guy better known for his counter-countercultural musical escapades which proves that, with the right wordage and Hi-Q approach, you can say much more in one paragraph that lesser minds could in ten!" Don't tell me I didn't learn anything from this book (as if I'll retain any of it)!