Yip!*: Back Issue

If you read comic books in the late 20th Century, then you'll likely also enjoy this magazine, which covers comics from that era.  Similar to what Roy Thomas does for mid-20th century comics in Alter Ego, Back Issue's writers examine comics in a critical and enthusiastic light, so you get interviews with creators, retrospectives of various series, and other features that illuminate the subject.  Founding editor Michael Eury has retired, but with luck the magazine will continue to be fun.  There's some danger that after more than 150 issues that they may have exhausted the subject, but they could always expand into the early 21st-Century at this point seeing how we're a quarter-century in now.  Every once in a while, the publisher will have a crazy sale.  I picked up a number of "back issues" of Back Issue for $5 a pop each.  There are very few ads, so the magazine is dense at 80 pages or so.  They also keep their eversions available, so one can read the entire run electronically if one were so inclined.  I found it better to dip into the issues where the comics covered were of particular interest to me, but the magazine is very good, so I am more likely now to read it regularly even when that issue's theme doesn't strike me as particularly interesting.  If, like me, you deplore much of what passes for contemporary comic books (variant covers, recycled storylines, cramming everything into 6-issue arcs, horrible computer-assisted art, too many unnecessary staffers causing the comics to be too expensive, and I'll stop ranting now, though I could go on and on and on), then Back Issue is a good way to still enjoy comics as it can point the way to overlooked gems from the past and get one to reappraise works one has read before.

*Yips! are good things!  So is my latest novel, Fast Guy Slows Down!

What Wred's Reading: Despite Everything: A Cometbus Anthology By Aaron Cometbus

I used to have a large zine book collection.  I also used to have a large zine collection, but that's another story.  In any case, at some point, I tired of lugging boxes of books I would probably never reread again around and decided just to reread them and dispose of them.  There is not much left of the zine book collection, only a few books.  This is a big one, so my muscles thank me in advance for finally getting it out of my life.  Cometbus is a fun zine, but reading this all in one large chunk gets a bit numbing.  Best taken in shorter doses, Cometbus's stories of punk life are charming.  Some of them even made me laugh out loud.  If even only half of the events are true, Aaron Cometbus, the editor and main writer of the zine, is lucky to have survived some of his crazy exploits.  The book now looks to be out of print, so maybe I can sell it on eBay (say, have you been checking out my eBay listings lately?--if not, then you're just like the rest of the world as eBay appears to be near-comatose, but maybe it's just the economy in general).  I don't know if Aaron is still publishing the zine itself as it's been a few years since I stumbled across a new issue, but it might still pop up again as zines are wont to do.  If so, I'd probably read it.  I just won't hang onto it for 22 years like I did this book.

If you want to read, but you're going to pass on reading about punks dumpster diving, then please read one of my novels.  My new novel, The Front Yard War, isn't out yet, but the previous Wred Fright novel is!  You can read the others also!

Music Video: Hey, Honey!

 

The latest music video is for another track from What's Your Flow Setting, Baby?  It's a fun, happy little song, and the video was fun to make as well.  Some of it was filmed at Dominic's in Wickliffe, Ohio USA, and my buddy Shawn helped out, so thanks to him and Dominic's.  Thanks to Shawn, I actually get to appear in my own music video, which is rare, usually you just see my hand or something if you see any part of me.  I saw some videos by local bands recently and they were boring (of course, they get hyped by the local media, which is how I found out about them).  Mainly, they were performance shots with the bands lip-syncing or something.  I actually don't mind videos like that, but I prefer they be live performances.  It's cool to see how a band rocks out in person albeit by video, but if you're going to make a non-live video, I usually find the lip sync stuff boring.  That's why I try to make weird little films that fit the subject matter but are visually interesting (at least to me; others may not find billiard balls bouncing off pool table walls as appealing as I do).  

For more Wred Fright music, listen to the Yeast? 7" or give his latest album a listen or download at your favorite digital music site such as Soundcloud, Spotify, or Bandcamp!

Review Copies Of The Front Yard War

 

If anyone wants a review copy of the new novel, then please get in touch (leave a comment with your contact info or email me at wredfright Where it's at yahoo dott com).  I don't care where you review it.  It could be in a large city newspaper, your Facebook page, or even the bulletin board at the bagel shop.  I don't care.  As I have noted before, reviews are hard to come by these days.  I've done four albums in the past four years, and I don't think I've gotten a single actual review of any of them (maybe people think they suck and are just being polite, but it seems as if an awful lot of culture just passes by these days unnoticed).  The last novel had a couple of reviews, but that was it.  The corporate publishers can afford advertising.  For us indie lit types, it's all about word of mouth, so if you want a free book, just please agree to write a review.  You can even hate the book (though I'd be surprised if you were--so far, I'm enjoying the proofing and suspect that most other folks will enjoy the read as well); I don't care, just share your thoughts and spread the word if you would be so kind.

The Front Yard War isn't out yet, but the previous Wred Fright novel is!  You can read the others also!

New Single!: Forget Me Fondly

wredfright · Forget Me Fondly

This is a bit of a strange track (of course, to people who listen to American Idol or whatnot, all my tracks are probably strange).  Originally, I had a short song and decided to use it as the "third input" in another song (the third input being the bridge or middle eight that breaks up the monotony of the verse and chorus repeating ad infinitum), something I've never done before.  Then during the editing process, pretty much all of the main song disappeared, so you get this really weird short song.  Musically, it's an oddball as well.  I am drumming on a book, specifically Why You Like It:  the Science & Culture Of Musical Taste by Nolan Gasser, which is no doubt interesting to read maybe, but does work great as a percussion instrument since it's a thick hardback book.  Then the guitar part is played with a vintage toy Matchbox car.  Fake bass on guitar completes the process.  Lyrics are below (lyrics I ended up using anyway):

A pair of dentures.
A ratty knit hat.
A can of ginger ale.
A picture of a dead cat.

An old man's things. 

A black cane.
A paperback about World War II.
Last month's newspapers.
An empty can of beef stew.

If you forget me, forget me fondly.

For more Wred Fright music, listen to the Yeast? 7" or give his latest album a listen or download at your favorite digital music site such as Spotify or Bandcamp!

Cover For The Front Yard War

Here's the cover for the new novel.  It's in the proofing stage, so it's moving towards when you can read it.

The Front Yard War isn't out yet, but the previous Wred Fright novel is!  You can read the others also!

The Front Yard War

So what's the new novel about?  Here's a description:

"Jane Carcrashski is getting a divorce.  Jane Carcrashski is looking for a new career.  Jane Carcrashski is getting good at hiding her nervous breakdown. But one thing Jane Carcrashski is not doing is cutting the grass. You see, her estranged husband says he'll do it, and she's making sure he keeps his word.  Unfortunately, he's real busy, so he hasn't had time to do it, but he says he'll be over tonight.  If not tonight, then the next day.  OK, maybe this weekend.  Well, something came up, so next weekend?

In the meantime, the grass is growing, and we're past No Mow May into Angry Neighbors And Government Code Violations June, and Jane is thrust into an armed standoff with local government goons fueled by a group of misfits drawn to her growing grass including a property rights extremist who maybe only loves his rights slightly more than his guns, a native plants enthusiast who feels guilty about finding dandelion sandwiches so damn delicious, a yard artist who thinks Jane's yard just needs a few more inflatable flamingos and it would look better, and a digital druid who dislikes clothing and insists on live streaming his intense naked conversations with the plants in Jane's yard.

Remember the Alamo?  Remember Waco?  Remember Attica?  Remember how the Harpers Ferry raid ended?--Also, remember when Harper's Ferry used to have an apostrophe?  OK, enough digression, let's get back to the main point--Remember when Philadelphia dropped a bomb on a bunch of militant vegetarians?

No?  Well, none of those had happy endings.  Jane's still hoping for one here, but that's only probably because she's drunk.  If you like novels such as The Monkey Wrench Gang, then you're probably on a government watchlist, but you'll also likely enjoy reading The Front Yard War!"

The Front Yard War isn't out yet, but the previous Wred Fright novel is!  You can read the others also!

New Wred Fright Novel!

I wrote another novel.  It should be published this fall.  It's in the proofing stage.  It's called The Front Yard War.  Provided I don't get run over by a bus or something, more info will be forthcoming, so please stay tuned!

If you haven't read the last Wred Fright novel yet, it is still available!  You can read the others also!

Music Video: The Calling

I like music videos, but I generally dislike the usual MTV quick cut style where image poured upon image and the viewer never really got a good look at anything (which is probably why I was one of the few who liked the "Bastards Of Young" video by The Replacements).  For this video, I tried to catch some wildlife and other nature by the lake and in the yard, and I tried to keep some extended shots going as usual while still keeping it visually interesting.  I think it came out pretty well.  See what you think.

For more Wred Fright music, listen to the Yeast? 7" or give his latest album a listen or download at your favorite digital music site such as Spotify or Bandcamp!

drinkdrankdrunk: "EXIT THE HANDSOME" by The Midnight Rider

i realize that the focus of this story is cashpoint, but i’ve never written a novel without mentioning the big handsome (who is perhaps my most mentally ill friend) … the big handsome’s family is rich-as-shit, but he’s fallen on hard times in 2017 and had to move back in with his mom in kentucky … in the span of about 9 months, big handsome’s father and cats died, plus he was fired from another teaching gig in colorado (and i think the death of his beloved cats hit him the hardest) … we kinda lost touch over the years, and the only reason i know anything about him now is through his internet podcast … the disconnect certainly wasn’t my fault--i flew out to denver on spring break to stay with him in 2014, and the big handsome was too high to pick me up at the airport … i called and called, and he was ultimately too fucked up to drive the hour from colorado springs, and i wound up staying with another friend, alaska dave, in boulder … i haven’t seen the big handsome since 2013, and it’s entirely possible that i’ll never see him again (and that makes me sad) … per the podcast, big handsome is seeing a psychiatrist in 2017, but i don’t necessarily know what’s wrong with him (other than being high every moment of the day from 1990-2015) … other stories from other novels dealt with big handsome calling me a “republican” for not wanting to sit in 6-month-old puke while driving to a party, and his cats using his bathtub as a giant litterbox, but this particular paragraph will deal exclusively with the life/times of big handsome while teaching at a college in louisville from 2008-2010 … there’s no real connection to cashpoint other than they paid my salary, and i came back to iowa with some fucked-up stories to tell my students … this might seem like a diversion, but i promise that the big handsome is always worth it … at the time, big handsome was teaching english at government cheese university…..i don’t know how he got the job, but he only lasted 2 years … big handsome went to colorado to party the summer after his 2nd year and never returned … as the story goes, the head of the english department started calling big handsome’s friends/colleagues/former professors in september after the big handsome failed to show for the first 3 weeks of school--there was no official resignation or notification of any kind--big handsome simply decided to go smoke doobies and assumed his job would be waiting for him when he returned … i was only on their campus once, but government cheese was a helluva nice school--100 times classier than cashpoint and the kind of place where i would give my left nut to teach … my one visit to their campus was to see a play that big handsome had written about his cats as part of some “galileo festival” (and i have no idea what the connection to galileo was other than big handsome’s life revolved around his cats the way planets revolve around the sun) … i was high-as-a-bat, but big handsome played himself, and his cats were played by 2 hot coeds in slinky cat-suits complete with ears/tails … instead of smoking doobies, the character was a writer who drank scotch and played with his cats (who would perch on the furniture while sticking their asses in big handsome’s face wanting to be petted) all day--nice work if you can get it, yeah? ... big handsome even got a stipend from the university for writing the play (which seemed to be nothing more than his own life, but with hot coeds playing the parts of his cats) … i sat with one of big handsome’s students, and she seemed to think he was some kind of eccentric genius … she seemed to like me too--until i asked her if she wanted to go outside to get high (and then she seemed terrified of me) … after the play was over, we went to a local pub where big handsome let his students buy us drinks for the remainder of the evening … i didn’t have my car and big handsome was out-of-his-mind, so one of his students offered to drive us home (and, of course, big handsome paid the kid back by getting him so high that he wound up crashing on the floor next to me) … if you’re curious, big handsome’s apartment was just like you remembered it … there were 5’ tall stacks of dirty clothes in each room (complete with q-tips, dental floss or whatever other piece of garbage big handsome decided to throw into the pile) … big handsome was 38 at the time and had no idea how to do laundry--whenever he needed new clothes, he would simply charge them to his mother’s credit card … there was no toilet paper or cleaning supplies whatsoever, and i think big handsome shat at work and showered at the government cheese gym … the only food big handsome knew how to make was pizza, so his fridge was an assortment of (dripping-out-of-the-can) sauces, pizza dough, and assorted designer beers … whenever big handsome drank a beer, he simply left the bottle wherever he finished it (and there must have been thousands of empty beer bottles strewn across his apartment) … one time, big handsome’s alarm clock buzzed and woke him up, so he smashed it with his fist and the broken glass stayed on his nightstand until i returned again the following year … big handsome didn’t like junk mail, so whenever it was delivered to his mailbox, he immediately threw it on the front steps leading up to his apartment--the pile was 2’ high during my first visit and 4’ high for my second visit (and never forget that big handsome has a phd and his grandfather had once been the attorney general of kentucky) … during my second visit in the spring of 2010, i got to meet some of big handsome’s friends from undergrad … the most interesting of the pack were the son and daughter-in-law of one of big handsome’s english professors at the university of louisville … i don’t remember their names, but the dude had worked as a male stripper to put himself through college, and the chick had been a jockey at churchill downs until she failed a drug test (meth) … the groom’s go-to story was about once stripping for jeffrey dahmer at a private party in milwaukee whereas the bride’s had to go with doing lines off the winning horse’s saddle after winning a $1,000,000 handicapped race … the couple had 3 kids, lived in a victorian mansion full-of-books, and both worked as nurses as the local hospital … they were also huge cokeheads and hooked me up with their dealer in the bathroom of a dilapidated bar in the seediest section of town--then we went to the graveyard across from their house and did lines off the headstone of colonel harlan sanders (i thought it was disrespectful, and it made me uncomfortable, but party etiquette dictates that the needs of the drug dealer takes precedence over everyone else) … (daytripper) big handsome actually refused because of what happened to len bias and because doing lines off the grave of colonel sanders would be disrespectful to the great sport of basketball--hey, i guess we all have to draw the line somewhere

The Midnight Rider prefers to remain mysterious.  You could visit his website, but he won't say where it is.  You could read his books, but he won't say what they are.  You could email him, but I'm pretty sure spam@gofuckyourself.gov is not a real email address.  In a world where everyone is repping their Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, sex tapes, line of clothing, new microbrew, virus panic vaccine status, and overall brand, I find that refreshing.  I am happy to have The Rider ride on drinkdrankdrunk.