Thanks, David. I appreciate it.
July 2, 2009Manchild 4/by Brian Walsby: Bifocal Media
Filed under: Reviews — leftofthedialmag @ 8:45 am
Senor Walsby is back to the front with his newest collection of black and white pandemonium, which revisits familiar territory, so expect his usual bucket loads of sly and sardonic wickedry, no-bullshit scene slicing antics, and insistent leveling of all icons and “punk stars.” Though he has been busy as the skin pounder behind the better-late-than-never 40-something year old thrashcore soldiers Double Negative, who charge through replica formats of early Corrosion of Conformity meets Discharge meets Void, he also has time to be tour dude/comrade/fellow traveler to the Melvins, and even has a diary in this issue to document the ups and downs of being on the road in the Ipod era. In other segments, he pokes holes in the lame history of Emo, creates fictitious girl superheroes like Jailbait Girl for those bald men with sweltering adolescent fantasies, details the origins of his early bands, such as fresh-from-the garage Zombie Clergy and posicore pioneers Scared Straight, takes side-swapping stabs at faux punk “reunions” – Minor Threat babbling about Saabs and SUVs — and takes time to relish reaming pop culture figures from Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin to Jessica Simpson and Bono. No one is off limits, and no elements within the scene escape him either, from the never-ending punk house parties with a million cookie cutter bands, or the scene politics that stymie dissent as ‘uncool’ and pump up “uniform thought” – lame codes that make punk seem extra enclosed and hermetic. Sure, not everyone cares about these trails and tales, but for those of us raised on punk fanzine gossip, in-fighting, and territorialism, not to mention the comic work of Jaime Hernandez and Shawn Kerri, Walsby’s confessionalism, wit, and down-to-earth raps will be as engrossing as ever. PS This comes with a free monster mash CD of Melvins music as well!
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