In an odd change, Texas has not quite been a typical, searing, yellow blast-furnace of heat this August, due to some storm fronts that have cooled things into a muggy gray morass. This has left me time to complete some projects, like a brand spanking new interview with blues-punk countercultural gay hero Gary Floyd of the Dicks and Sister Double Happiness, which was done live in front of cameras in June, but I transcribed it for Razorcake, who generously published it on-line this week here. It will be also featured in a Chicago-area fanzine soon, so I will let you know when that is available.
On Friday, here in Houston, we will be celebrating the release of my new book Punk Women, a 100-page compendium featuring an incredible array of powerful, potent, and and particularly inventive women, from off-the-radar local acts to legacy bands of all stripes, from first wave punk to melodicore and garage rock. It includes my profiles of many, but it also features several women discussing their own lives, histories, and band anecdotes, including members of 45 Grave, the Muffs, the DT’s, Mydolls, the Epoxies, Jawbox, Ultra 5, and more.
It utterly teems with flyers and photos, and it can be yours, for 13.00 postage paid in the U.S. Just email leftofthedialmag@hotmail.com for details. Only 400 copies were made, so this is scarce, cool, and a game changer, I hope.
Next up, look for my interview with underdog Canadian punks ZEX, a female-fronted unit that combines the savvy hooks of Chelsea and Gen X with the politics of bands on labels like Profane Existence. It will be in an upcoming print edition of Razorcake. Plus, I am finishing a manuscript for a university press, my secret right now, plus wrapping up a chapter for an academic anthology on comedy and music, in which I tackle notorious underground hardcore punk satire and saga Repo Man. Will share more once things get cookin’!
The Center for Punk Arts 