Zine Review: Plastic Crimewave’s Galactic Zoo Dossier #7 (2007)

If you’re a fan of psychedelic delicacies, acid-washed rock, stoned blues and other musical obscurities from the hallowed ‘60s and early-70s, then Galactic Zoo Dossier is a zine made with you in mind. Created by musician/artist “Plastic Crimewave” (a/k/a Steve Krakow) with a little help from friends like Byron Coley, Scott Wilkinson, Kit Moore, and others, Galactic Zoo Dossier is a delightful compendium of rock music history, with a fanatical focus on the wild and wacky tunes of the past.

Plastic Crimewave’s Galactic Zoo Dossier #7

First things first, however: Galactic Zoo Dossier is not your typical music zine in that its pages are almost all entirely hand-drawn and lettered by the skilled Mr. Crimewave. Yeah, there are a few photos scattered about, and in keeping with the Plastic one’s long-standing obsession with funny books, a handful of scanned-and-pasted strips from vintage comics are accompanied by the artist’s comments. The amazing and impressive bulk of the 100+ pages of this seventh issue of Galactic Zoo Dossier, however, were hand-crafted by Crimewave, with articles often illustrated by his unique, thick-lined portraits of the artists; the issue also includes several pages of the artist’s original collector’s cards.

The crude, penultimate D.I.Y. vibe of the zine takes getting used to, but like a favorite record that you at first hated and couldn’t understand, but later grew to love, the hand-lettered pages become easier to navigate with every article that you read. And this issue of GZD has a hell of a lot of reading for the dedicated follower of fashion. Band/artist features include early ‘70s psychedelic soul outfit Rasputin’s Stash, pop star-turned-folkie Dion, prog-rock forebears the Nice, proto-punkers Crushed Butler, British rockers Manfred Mann, and a slew of long-forgotten psychedelic-era wonders like Sam Gopal, H.P. Lovecraft, Arthur Brown’s Kingdom Come, and others. Interviews in this issue include fascinating conversations with Dave Lambert of the Strawbs, Clive Palmer of the Incredible String Band, Kevin Coyne, and cartoonist Gary Panter.

Pioneers of Distortion & Patriarch Hippies

Every issue of Galactic Zoo Dossier is a treat, but along with the expanded page count of this issue comes several impressive works of criticism, art and academia. Scott Wilkinson’s “Pioneers of Distortion & Patriarch Hippies,” which emphasizes the influence of the blues on psychedelia, garage, and folk-rock, is simply fascinating, a well-researched-and-written piece that further broadened a subject that I was already quite knowledgeable about. Kit Moore’s piece on hippie horror films is both informative and entertaining for an old psychotronic film buff like the Reverend, while Crimewave’s “catch-all” articles, like this issue’s pieces on “The British Underground” and Motown’s “psychedelic soul,” are both informative and introductory, leading the reader to find out more about the (often obscure) bands/artists featured. 

From an artistic perspective, Crimewave’s collector’s cards are simply amazing works, each sheet of nine cards featuring portraits and information on the featured artist. Issue #7 comes with two very different but equally impressive sets of cards. The first is actually the third set in the “Damaged Guitar Gods” series and features such underrated and obscure six-string geniuses as Rory Gallagher, Phil Manzanera, bluesman Skip James, R&B legend Ike Turner and others, a total of 45 collector’s cards (yes, the sheets are perforated if you want to separate your cards). The second set of cards that comes with this issue is the first grouping of “Astral Folk Goddesses” featuring artists like Nico, Judy Henske, Vashti Bunyan, Sandy Denny, and 23 other distaff songbirds.  

Galactic Zoo Dossier doesn’t come cheap, with this issue running $16.00 from Drag City Records mail order. But the zine and accompanying collector’s cards also come packaged with a free CD of some of the most whacked-out music that you’ll ever hear, compiled by Plastic Crimewave. This issue features Teenage Meadows of Infinity, a two-disc set that includes tunes from folks like the Stooges, Blossom Toes, Michael Yonkers, Ed Askew, Devendra Banhart, Vincent Black Shadow and, yes, Mr. Crimewave his own bad self. These rare and exclusive tracks are guaranteed to get your toes tapping and start your head spinning. For the cost of a CD at that obnoxious mall chain store, you can have a copy of Galactic Zoo Dossier #7, eight pages of rock ‘n’ roll collector’s cards, and two full CDs of music – enough psychedelic swag to scrub your brain, feed your soul and drastically expand your musical horizons.

The Reverend’s Bottom Line

Lauded in the pages of hipster publications like Spin, Mojo, Fader, and Blackbook as “the premier hand-drawn underground psychedelic journal,” hopefully the increased notoriety of GZD has also led to increased sales. A labor this intense, passionate and, dare we say it – insane – deserves more than mere unrequited love in return. (Drag City Records, published July 17th, 2007)

Review originally published by Alt.Culture.Guide™ zine...

Book Review: Steve Krakow's My Kind of Sound: The Secret History of Chicago Music Compendium (2016)

He may not be a household name, but writer, artist, and musician Steve Krakow (a/k/a Plastic Crimewave) is one of the most important and engaging music historians working in the field today. A self-taught expert on psychedelic rock and esoteric music, Krakow – under his ‘Plastic Crimewave’ nom de plume – launched his Galactic Zoo Dossier music zine in 1995. Published by the Chicago-based Drag City Records label, Galactic Zoo Dossier is a joyful celebration of the musical and pop culture flotsam and jetsam of the 1960s and ‘70s. Most notably, every issue of the zine (published roughly once a year to date) is hand-drawn by Krakow in his unique, psychedelic-tinged style.

Krakow’s bona fides extend beyond the publication of Galactic Zoo Dossier, although his eclectic tastes have led to interviews in those pages with such interesting talents as the Clive Palmer (Incredible String Band), Simeon (Silver Apples), Dave Lambert (Strawbs), Dick Taylor (The Pretty Things), and Arthur ‘Hellfire’ Brown (the zine takes its name from an album by Brown’s band Kingdom Come). As a musician, Krakow fronts Plastic Crimewave Sound, the avant-garde psychedelic outfit releasing half a dozen albums to date and, as a visionary, Krakow is promoter of the Million Tongues Festival in Chicago, exposing fringe and cult artists to a new audience.

Steve Krakow’s My Kind of Sound

Most importantly for our purpose here, Krakow is the creator of The Secret History of Chicago Music. Krakow’s hand-lettered and hand-drawn column has been published by alternative newsweekly the Chicago Reader since 2005. An outgrowth of Galactic Zoo Dossier, the single-panel strip was meant to showcase “pivotal Chicago musicians that somehow have not gotten their just dues,” and it runs as a semi-monthly feature in the paper. Krakow also hosts a regular “Secret History” segment on WGN-AM radio, taking phone calls related to the featured artist, some of whom join the conversation. Now nearly 200 of Krakow’s “Secret History” columns – more than a decade of his work – have been collected by publisher Curbside Splendor in a gorgeous hardback book.

Ostensibly an odd-shaped (6.75” x 8.75”) art portfolio with matte B&W covers and thick, semi-glossy paper, My Kind of Sound: The Secret History of Chicago Music Compendium is an invaluable, groundbreaking work of original research and hell of a lot of fun to read and pore over. Krakow’s enthusiasm as a fan comes through in every artist profile he presents, and his familiarity with the bands and their music is complimented by personal interviews whenever Krakow is able to track the down an artist or band member. Every pen-and-ink panel features a sketch of the band or artist (some more effective than others, but all of them enchanting) along with an insightful, informative hand-lettered bio that captures the essence of the subject, providing a bit of back story, the reasons why we should care about them and, when possible, where the musicians are today – no little feat for any writer.  

The Reverend’s Bottom Line

The scope of Krakow’s achievement with My Kind of Sound is remarkable by any standard, and the range of artists he covers is impressively diverse. From lesser-known Chicago bluesmen like Blind Arvella Gray, Fenton Robinson, and Mighty Joe Young to obscure rockers like Mason Proffit, the Ides of March, and Starcastle, Krakow gives ‘em all the deluxe treatment. Throughout the book, Krakow frequently covers more prominent artists like Bo Diddley, Rufus, and ‘Magic’ Sam Maghett, but he also gives a lot of love to true cult musicians like Skafish, Ken Nordine, Phil Upchurch, and the Illinois Speed Press, among many others.

It’s a heavy load to carry, but Krakow skillfully documents Chicago’s rich musical history in all its hues and facets, preserving it for the future. If you’re anything like the Reverend, Krakow’s My Kind of Sound will have you filling up your Amazon wish list and digging through vinyl listings on Discogs – and that’s the highest praise I can think of… Grade: A+ (Curbside Splendor, published January 5, 2016)

Buy the book from Amazon.com: Steve Krakow's My Kind of Sound: The Secret History of Chicago Music Compendium