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!”