Top 5 (or so)

This year is moving right the fuck along. Making plans and all of that, waiting for them to materialize. Anyway, I was looking over Maximum Rocknroll's Top 10 of 2012, which of course led me to start making my own list. Now, I also decided to not limit the list to shit from 2012; instead, I am gonna do a top whatever list of stuff I have been into as of late, not necessarily that from last year. So, here is a list of Top However Many of Shit I've Been Enjoying Lately (And In No Particular Order)

1. WRETCHED/INDIGESTI Split 7" Reissue  - Thank you to whoever decided to do such an excellent job of reproducing this fine piece of Italian hardcore. In fact, this split 7" is the answer to the question, "How would you describe Italian hardcore?". Fast, sloppy, and urgent. The vinyl doesn't have a cover per se, instead the dust jacket has been silkscreen with the release information/band logos. True DIY style.

2. SCAM #9 Zine - This time, Erick Lyle fully explores the story behind Black Flag's monumental LP, Damaged. For so many people my age, this was the album that made us punks. I was in middle school when I discovered Black Flag. "I don't want to live, I wish I was dead" were lyrics I could relate to all to well at that time in my life, as I am sure so many others have as well. Anyway, this zine has the stories, interviews, and research that only true passion can create. Rolling Stone magazine couldn't handle something like this. It would overshadow everything else they have done in the past so greatly, that the whole thing would implode.

3. SHIT-FI.COM - This has to be one of the best music blogs I have ever found. Exactly the kind of music I love, yet have a hard time penning down exactly what it is. Shitty, lo-fi, poor musicianship, yet somehow all of these elements come together perfectly.

4. STAR WARS 3 3/4'' FIGURES - Anybody else who is a collector of Star Wars figures will know exactly what I am talking about here. The extreme advancements in technology that have occurred since I was a kid in the 1980's has greatly improved the quality and detail of modern figures over those of my childhood.

5. TERCER MUNDO S/T 7" - Are you fucking kidding me?!? This is one of the best punk 7''s I have heard in, well, ever. Holy shit does this slay. First off, the cover depicts a Mexican police officer who has obviously been brutally murdered. The Mexican drug war has greatly affected these band members' lives, and it reflects heavily in this record. All lyrics and insert are in Spanish, a language I am only slightly familiar with, yet even when I cannot fully understand the lyrics, the anger and emotion comes through clearly.

Nerd Stuff

As you may have guessed by my name there, I am sort of a nerd. I am pretty nostalgic about toys from the '80s, especially Star Wars and Transformers figures. Here is my collection of Generation 1 Seekers (that was the name of the Decepticon jets).  Clockwise from top left: Starscream, Thundercracker, Skywarp, Sunstorm, and Dirge.

And here are a few of my boxed G1 Autobot Cars, along with a few Decepticons and other things...

I started collecting Transformers a few years ago, Star Wars figures a short while after. Before that, I collected records. I still do, though my collection budget has to be split between several different vices. Since so much of this site has to do with punk rock, I figured I would show something non-punk related that I waste my time with.

Scam: The First Four Issues!

Here we go. I was very excited when I heard that this was coming out. Having first discovered Scam #5, Scam has become one of my favorite zines of all time, comparable maybe only to the mighty Cometbus. Every time I read Scam, it puts me in a good mood. Iggy Scam is a master at making something out of nothing. Inspirational how-to guide for living the squatter lifestyle, and how to get by without the need for money through the art of Scamming. Above all, how to have fun while doing it. Truly great stuff here. Most takes place in South Florida during the early '90s, a time when the Florida punk was very small but very devoted and tight-knit. Although somewhat regional by nature, Scam's Iggy manages to travel, either by hitchhiking or train hopping, and retells the stories here in all of their underhanded, Scam-worthy details. Highly, highly recommended, along with the other issues 5-9.

                                                           Scam: The First Four Issues