Welcom to Zapf.Punkt number twelve, where the Metaverse is revealed as a Meta Farce. Zapf.punkt 12 (Winter Solstice)Download from Diamond Bay Press In this issue, we take a look at the launch of Lond
The eleventh issue of Zapf.Punkt looks into the late 1960s science fiction and music scene of Japan. Zapf.punkt 11 (Autumn Equinox)Download from Diamond Bay Press In this issue, we investigate the ra
Ted White on Rogue MagazineLISTEN TO THE PODCAST [on diamond bay radio] Special guest, Ted White, joins Diamond Bay Radio to tell the story of his early career as a jazz writer, when he was hanging a
There is a whiff of something strange going on when the Beinecke Library at Yale University hosts an interview with the translator and activist Donald Nicholson-Smith. Is it just an anomaly? Nope.
The recent interview of Ted White, organized by the heroic people at the Fan History Project, got me thinking about White’s early career with Metronome. By his own account, White’s move to New York i
Happy Summer Solstice of 2019! The second issue of Zapf.Punkt can be downloaded from Diamond Bay Press: Zapf.punkt 2 (Summer Solstice 2019)Download PDF Did you ever ask yourself, what was that crazy
On Situationism A conversation between Lex Berman and Derek Murphy.Recorded in Cambridge, MA on 28th March, 2019. In this podcast, Lex and Derek talk about how they found out about Situationism and wh
“The Worm Ouroboros”, Cover art by Barbara Remington. src Regards to everyone on this Super Worm Moon, the Spring Equinox of 2019! The Farmer’s Almanac tells us that the “worm moon” has something t
The streets of Toronto in 1965 provide the backdrop for this punk / delinquent short film (28min), featuring a 25 year old Michael Sarrazin as a bored, alienated youth. Filmed as a strai
Reading Jennifer Szalai’s article on Dwight MacDonald’s _Masscult and Midcult_ in this week’s Nation, gave me pause to reflect on that seemingly outmoded way of characterizing the tension between high culture (the art of museums and mid-town cinematheques) and the kibble for the rest of us low-lifes, otherwise known as kitsch. When I first encountered MacDonald’s book (in the mid-70s), there still seemed to be an impermeable wall of broadcast television and “mainstream” publishers between the zines of the samidzat press and the greater public. Although a visit to Silver Scarab Press seemed incredibly important to me, to the outside world it was just Harry O’s basement in Albuquerque, and didn’t mean a damn thing to the churning presses of Random House in New York City. From an objective point of view, midcult certainly seemed to be reigning triumphant! But from my point of view, it was the hard-scrabble avant-garde who were the only worthy contributors to and creators of culture. The clarity of my position was both reinforced and at the same time shattered when I moved to New York City on 1978, and found myself in a cultural battle zone — Sid Vicious would barely outlive the Sex Pistols, but the night scene was a mind-numbing cacophony of voices: the Plasmatics, the Talking Heads, the Ramones, the Specials, the Lounge Lizards, John Shirley’s Obsession. As fast as the record labels could buy and co-opt the rebellious new wave, another wave of furious, almost insanely self-destructive performers hurled themselves onto the ramparts. Following them were a new generation of fans, who transmitted streams of punk news through any and all channels. As much as I couldn’t actually stand listening to these punks and their continuous howl of mindless rage, they did validate my own state of war with the brainwashing of the establishment’s media.