who is? it is! plastic crimewave!

I think I first met Steve Krakow like 12 years ago or something. I had just started working at Chicago Comics and was going to Columbia College and freaking out about music, the city, my new life all the stuff that you freak out about when you’re 20. At the time Steve was a regular customer of ours, I’d see him every week, but didn’t talk to him at first cuz he truly seemed like this psych glam rock star from mars – always dressed to the nines in his fancy pants and vintage clothes. Also he had fabulous hair. This is what I first noticed about him. I was a bit intimidated. But one day we got to talking a little bit about the Camp Skin Graft comp that was playing in the store and I realized he was all right. A little affirmation after getting ragged on by my co-workers for the obnoxious nature of the comp was nice.

Over the years we talked a bit more at the store. I learned he was a huge nerd for the comics of the 60s and 70s, particularly Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko. And I always liked the fact that where a lot of the back issue bin prowlers would search for the uber rarities and high priced finds, Steve would search for the $5 silver age steals. The more weirdo psych-ish/mod-ish the better. He contributed a comic to an issue of my zine Flotation Device that featured other people drawing comics about me. That was the only rule, make anything up, but it had to feature me. I’m embarrassed to think about it now and I would also never do such a thing now, but at the time I thought it was conceptual gold. His comic was awesome, but unfortunately not too many people saw it.

Most of the rest of his cv you probably already know. Plastic Crimewave Sound, Guitarkestra, Moonrises, Solar Fox, Million Tongues Festival, Galactic Zoo Dossier, etc. Hopefully this interview will help you get to know the person behind all this stuff. Maybe a little bit. Continue reading “who is? it is! plastic crimewave!”

reading, watching, listening

let’s get caught up. nerd stylee.

what i’ve been reading –

iggy pop: open up and bleed
by paul trynka. if you ever think you’ve made some bad decisions in yr life. read this. other people have made worse. every time you think, good god can it get worse for iggy? yes. yes it can.

uptight: the velvet underground story
by victor bockris.

bowie in berlin: a new career in a new town
 by thomas jerome seabrook. nerdy revelations revealed!

handwriting
; and the cinnamon peeler both by michael ondaatje.

what i’ve been watching –

my winnipeg
by guy maddin. i love guy even more now that he’s revealed himself to be a labor loving, for the worker type. also, dude loves hockey. loves it. and aside from being an amazing director. he’s a genius with title cards.

solaris
by andrei tarkovsky. slow and awesome. as opposed to aranofsky’s the fountain which was slow and fucking boring! i’m still waiting for that plot to start.

some awesome kraut rock performances on dvd. why did kraftwerk ever become robots? they ruled with a flute. seriously.

buffy
again.

fishing with john
.

and listening to –

pauline oliveros and joe mcphee – unquenchable fire.

tubeway army – replicas.

the ex – instant.

plastic crimewave sound – live at subterranean on june 21 2008. nick’s last show, which is sad. but it was a righteous show!

killer whales – live at pritzker pavillion on june 30 2008. a good lunch hour.

the partydowners – live at the empty bottle. fucking rock and roll party down! you call that a sport!