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Sonic Iguana Issue 1

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erica at A=, AAU d= BSP O°) RO) SL RICK BLAZE - SMACK - TRASH BRAT'S RICKY RAT CCA oY OGY aa eked Lela ed aia TM me Ue Oe Tae ecm T arta soo Bi tata TODAY'S L - oe STIS ea aS il Baw iJ ee SA GH-1052 LP/CD 5 2 COSC mca kg Eietaoitas) (TU) le 70s PUNK GEMS re f Na YySASS Ss put aS ek OTe Te UU aaa Carag GH-1041 CD ONLY CSG ge il VENORAG | sszormmerso Fi oa oe = TU a TM ay OCC eae Sec ae OS GET HIP DISTRIBUTION “DISTRIBUTION *WHOLESALE *MAILORDER COLUMBUS & PREBLE AVES. ASk for catalog or Order Now! Mailorder Prices: UERY Je PAE D D e 24-HOUR FAX: (412) 231-4777 USA Add $4 Postage - FOREIGN Add $12 Postage a3 a BH Pt S ol 4 ey et 3 ad ord “to & 1 AIN’T PART OF YOUR MTV G RATION! © TABLE OF CONTENTS: 2.-DEAL WITH THIS Editorial by Jeff Dahl + HEARTBREAK GIN by Chaz Matthews 3 - ADVENTURES WITH TONY by Tony Reflex 4 - A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS by Tim Stegall 6 -THE BEAT ANGELS... DON’T BEAT ON ME, 7-WOULD YOU LET YOUR SON MARRY FLUFFY? by Tim Stegall 8-BEBE BUELL... AIN'T NOBODY'S BABY 13 - JOAN JETT... drawing by Michael Shuter 14-DENIZ TEK... ON THE GOOD ROAD 18 -ANDREA BELTRAMO OF SNAP-HER 22 - L7: SLAPPING’ & STROKIN’ WITH DONITA SPARKS. © L7CENTERFOLD 30 - REFLECTIONS ON JOHNNY THUNDERS by Nikki Sudden 37 -RECORD REVIEWS 40 - SHORT AN’ SWEET REVIEWS 44 - CHEETAH CHROME + RICK BLAZE 45 - KEVIN K + TRASH BRAT RICKY RAT 48 - BLAST FROM THE PAST PHOTO PAGE: SMACK ‘SONIC IGUANA MAG - ISSUE #1 PHOTO CREDITS: Cover: Donita Sparks by Yelena Yemchuck; Johnny Thunders by Shigeo Kikuchi; Deniz Tek courtesy of ‘Vicious Kitten Mag; Bebe Buell froin Covers itl LP courtesy of Rhino Records. Page 6: Beat Angels courtesy of Epiphany Records. ‘Page 7: Amanda Rootes/Flufly by Dahl. Page 15: Deniz Tek courtesy of Vicious Kitten Mag, Page 18: Andy/Snap-Her by Dahl. Page 23 ‘& Centerfold: Donita/L.7 by Dahl. Page 29: Zebra Stripes by Dahl. Page 31: Johnny Thunders by Shigeo Kikuchi. Page 44: heetah ‘Chrome by Dahl. Rick Blaze courtesy of Rick Blaze. Page 45: Kevin K courtesy of Kevin K. Ricky Rat courtesy ofRicky Rat. Page 46 “Helen Storer/Flufly by Dahl. © 1997 All rights reserved by the photographer. SONIC IGUANA MAGAZINE (©1997 ULTRA UNDERGROUND Jeff Dabl, Editor & Publisher ‘and aubor of everything unless otherwise credited [No part may be reproduced without written permission. Sonic Iguana Magazine isnot in the least bit associated with ‘anything or anyone else also sing the name Sonle Iguana, (anything remotely similar. ‘There are no subscriptions at this ime. Don't write, don't atk. Expect Issue #2 about 6 months dow the line, round late “7. ‘We'll havea regular publishing schedule setup by Isue #2 and subscription info at that time. ‘Writers, please donot send stuff. Absolutely NO unsolicited contribution are needed or sought. And for go's sake: no fucking poetry. Tisis a small mag and we've got alt to say. There ain't space for you bombastic raving assholes also, Start your 6wa magor contact Max RnR, they'll take anything. ‘Advertsing rates are available upon request. Faxor write, ‘Space is limited and available for raucous-ol shit only, Trendy crap eed not apply. SONIC IGUANA MAGAZINE PO BOX 1867 - CAVE CREEK, AZ 85327 USA - FAX 602 585 9713 Editorial by Jeff Dat Ue MAGAZINE! Let’s get this straight, SONIC IGUANA, first and foremost, is a punk, pop, trash, garage, rock-2- billy, glam, blues FANzine. Note the word: FANzine. ‘That means I'll be writing about music that tums me on. © Life, not to mention print space, is too short to be whining about shit that I don’t like or that bores me. To me, the whole reason to do a fanzine is to focus on the ‘cool stuff. So that’s what I'l be doing, And all ideas, ‘content and attitudes are purely my own, Do not expect politics, art, poetry, computers, philosophy, hemp, or culture in any way, shape or form, Just music stuff, Cool? Deal with it. ‘As for the other writers in this issue, they're people who I respect without question. That doesn’t mean I agree with everything they might have to say. Or any of it for that matter. But I do like the way they say it. Their point of view is their own. Let’s get to it. While there are more than a few good, solid zines out there, more and more I find myself feeling like the disenfranchised, alien boy when it ‘comes to music and the music/punk press. I'm bored shitless with the drunken “dude-you-rock”/“sorry but I missed the first 2 acts"/“lemme tell ya all about my penis” yuppie-punk journalism currently being served up in steaming shit heaps! My taste in; and passion for music, I'll make no apologies for. Just gimme a straight forward beat and a melody with some energy and soul ‘and I"! be a happy man. Simply put, I love good ol” rock n roll and if I'm gonna write about it ll try my best to do so with some intelligence and all my heart. ‘And I don’t give one single flying rip what anyone else says or what is conceived as curently being hip. This magazine WILL most definitely reflect my tastes and WILL be permeated with my snotty wit and crappy attitude. I in’t trying to appeal to everyone (or ANYONE for that matter). Trends and styles-o-the- ‘month mean nothin’ to me. I've been listening to the ‘Stooges since I bought their first album in 1969 and UI probably be listening to that same record on the day I die. I'm hopeless. You can deal with this as well. ‘And I won't be trying to win any “converts”, Ifyou ‘wanna be part of some trendy MTV/Maximum RnR cool little scene: go elsewhere! But if you love bitchin’ amped-up RnR that runs from punk to blues to trashglam to rockabilly, you ain’t the only one. There's a small, cranky pack of us out here. You are not alone. So check us out, we got ya covered! There are tons of awesome bands out there in this hard, cruel world. ‘Some you'll have heard of and some you'll probably never hear of elsewhere. And we're gonna track ‘em all down sooner or later! ‘The records/CDs that'll get reviewed will be the cones I’ve actually spent my own money on, or would have if I'd not gotten a promo copy sent to me first. I don’t have space or enuff fortitude for mediocrity to review every record I get sent and I don’t wanna try cither. Only the very coolest will get written up, so don’t expect a lotta bad reviews. So if you're in a band, feel free to send your latest release but don’t get offended if it doesn’t make it to newsprint. Time and space are limited. ‘Advertising space is also going to be limited will not bbe made available for shit outside the narrow bounds of my interests. At any price. Don’t expect to see wall-o- wall ads for major-label rave and industrial acts. Ads are a fact of life and indeed a necessity to financially ‘make this rag possible. But is it my imagination or are ‘most mag’s 50%, or more, advertising? Here’s a really funny joke for you... Q: what's the difference between Maximum RnR, Flipside, Rolling Stone and Spin? A: rot much! There's that zany sense of humor telling you about a few paragraphs back. ‘There ain’t gonna be no crummy “tters to the editor” section either. This section is usually just the rantings of illiterate half-wits who can’t get girlfriends. Space filler supreme. You wanna make your views know? Start your own zine, or better yet start a band, Consider that a challenge. ‘Oh, and expect tons of typo’s. They rule and I love SEARCH & DESTROY! Geffis 13 years old and lives with his mother and three older sisters. He is thinking of starting is first ‘band this summer) HEARTBR by Chaz Matthews AK GI ‘They die in threes, always in threes. I'm sure you know all about 50s, 60s & 70s icons who croaked in groups of three, I don’t have to go into it. What should concem anyone reading this rag more is certain 1990's, deaths that have depleted the ranks of real rock ‘n’ rollers in a decade that needs them more than ever, The early 90s saw Stiv Bators, Johnny Thunders and Jerry Nolan all check out before their times, and we've just now seen the completion of another death cycle that began with Jeffrey Lee Pierce's brain hemorrhage last year and rounded off with Tony Coiro (The Waldos) liver cancer and Claude (Smack)’s heart failure, ‘Why is it that people like Iggy Pop and John Lydon are still around, making mediocre rock ‘n’ roll & displaying embarrassing traits (ranging from Lydon’s paunch to Iggy’s horrid “120 Minutes” MTV hosting, ass kissing attempts at Generation X (We ain’ ‘alkin’ ‘about the band here.] slacker grunge-hood) while people who have lived their entire lives under the influence of rock ‘n’ roll, never compromising or licking ‘boots for success, have to bite the bullet so young? Don’t bother hurting yourselves thinking that over, it’s the 90s and convenience is the new Christ. I've supplied you with the answer: most real rock ‘n’ rollers don’t live Jong because they're FUCKED UP. Pause for reflection. Rock ‘n’ roll, lyrically, musically, emotionally, is one ‘of the most extreme forms of music ever inthe history of history. “Normal” people like it because through these insane rock ‘n’ rollers they live vicariously. And then there’s the “pain” factor. Just like the blues, rock ‘n’ roll must not only be heard, but felt. A good rock ‘n’ roll band appeals to the ears, eyes, brain, and soul ‘There is no happier happiness than that of someone who has come up after being down for too long. And few more melancholy melancholies than an artist suffering ‘through an addiction —to a drug, to a life-style, to a Jover, Face it, pain makes the best art, which is why ‘your local college kid altema-grunge band sucks. You new they sucked, now here's why: they're well adjusted, silver spoon, mommy's credit card pieces of arrogant shit who have never starved or slept on @ floor. ‘They prefer drugs that don’t normally kill you like pot ‘and God forbid, Ecstasy. They don’t wanna die because their futures are bright. Their relationships are as boring and painless as their life-style. That’s wity they suck, ‘And that's why they'll be hugely famous, Because they can PRETEND to be self-destructive rock ‘n’ rollers ‘without suffering any ill-effects. Example: Eddie Vedder. ‘Thunders, Bators, etc... were the “real thing” because they lived it, and I'm not specifically targeting drug use or promiscuity as the only ingredients to the “real thing”. Some people are just messed up from birth, outcast, abused, mistreated, prone to bad relationships, broken dreams and heartache. These people will often tum to drugs and alcohol to numb the pain, but even if not they don’t always live very long. ‘Some people just see the injustice in the world and are perpetually pissed off. Others just want to continue & proud tradition of vital rock ‘n’ roll. Nevertheless, it’s a ‘dangerous business if you’re real, and lucrative if you're fake. I don’t know who can replace Stiv, Johnny, Jerry, ‘Tony, Jeffrey Lee and Claude, but I bid them fond adieu (always wanted to use the word “adieu” in a sentence). ‘Some people burn too brightly to last, when the highs ‘are too high and the lows are too low. “Beiter than some factory, that’s no place to waste your youth” the Clash, ‘That’s all for now. Poundin’ heartbreak gin all night. (Chaz Matthews also writes for Machine Gun Etiquette Magazine and sings & plays guitar with the Dimestore Halos who have releases on Junk, Pelado & VML Records. He also is one stylish devil) ADVENT TONY by Tony Reflex JRES WITH 1m not sure, to this day, what the hell I was doing there. The school year had already started, and here I ‘was om the parkway in New Jersey, already missing work in the first week back. Nothing quite like the air of responsibility! landed earlier that day at Newark Airport and spent the first ten minutes there trying to get the fifteen dollars in my pocket translated into the Jocal currency,... “You're still in the United States, sit”... ADZ had set up a show at Coney Island on Sunday night and we were invited by Electric Franken- stein to do a pair of shows on the east coast just prior to that in Baltimore and Boston. I saw this as a great ‘excuse to see my favorite band a few more times for fre, though I admit that I didn’t bother to chook in first at the front door. T figured 1 would just sneak in the back ‘when I was ready to go inside... What can I say? I'ma cheap date. 1 spent the better part of the day listening to Lee Harvey Oswald Band (for about two months I listened to “Blastronaut” five or six times a day) at the EF guitarist’s Sal and Dan’s house in a sleepy New Jersey town called Boonton, They told me to go ahead and crash in Rick the roadie’s room but it smelled like foot ‘cheese and hangovers so I slept on the kitchen floor reading a bondage magazine for a little while and began ‘watching a marathon of “Lost In Space” ...yee-haw danger Will Robinson ...and then walked over to buy a ham and egg bagel sandwich, Talk about contradic- tions... by early evening we were ready to descend on Baltimore... begging the infinite Duff question: Baltimore, do you have any idea how you are about to be rocked? ‘As we were moving down the parkway, Bob Seger ‘System comes on the radio. This started a conversation between Sal and ADZ, bassist Bruce about Detroit. bands. I listened kinda hazed cuz I was nodding out, and then snapped awake cuz Sal kept tuming around from the driver's seat to talk to Bruce who was wedged ‘comfortably between band junk and equipment. Since I was riding shotgun I figured one of us had better keep ari eye on the road so I tried to open one... I'm s0 paranoid when I'm a passenger, so careless when I'm /#-3NSSI- OVNYNYNOI DINOS SI- So he’ (laughter) be broke when he gets back... His wife will be hollerin’ for a new TV or a new car, ‘or somethin’. He'll have to do a paying gig (more Jaughter). But in all seriousness, 1 don’t see anything to stand in our way from doing it again. On the last tour, T told the guys I really didn’t wanna do it again in ‘Australia unless we had some new material. And that’s ‘gonna mean writing some songs and getting into the studio, SI -That’s motivation! ‘Yeah. To me there’s no point in doing nostalgii have to move on as a band. Did you hear the new live album, Ritualism? SI- Nope, haven’t been able to find it yet. ‘That’s got a couple of new songs on it that we wrote for the reunion tour. So there you are. It’s mailorder only, a do-it-yourself album. The first thing we've ‘owned in all this time, We decided not to let any record ‘company get their hands on it and just do it mailorder for cheap, s0 the middlemen won’t be able to profit off of it. We haven’t been real happy with record compa- nies. You can get it through Citadel Mailorder. SI- After Radio Birdman you ended up playing in the New Race with Ron Ashton and Dennis ‘Thompson, people from bands who you grew up watching. How was that? Like you say... kinda idolized these guys when 1 ‘was growing up. And they were, at the very least, mentors of mine as far as what I’ve done in music. I had the good fortune to meet Ron, sorta toward the later stages of Birdman, right around "76, I guess. I was back in Detroit, visiting my parents, and I started going out to Sonic's Rendezvous Band gigs and was really taken by that band, Just sort of hangin’ out. And Ron was going to alot of those shows too. So we got to know each other at those gigs and became friends, I knew him pretty ‘g00d by the time Birdman split up, so it was pretty easy to get him to want to do some work with me, Rob and ‘Warwick. We were initially gonna do it with Ron and Scotty (Ashton, Ron's bro and Stooges & SRB drum- ‘mer), but there was some problems and Scott couldn't do it. So Ron asked Dennis and that was how he got involved. I'd met Dennis once or twice before but didn’t really know him that well. So we were delighted to get anyone, ya know, from that cadre or tradition. He’s a wonderful drummer to have in a band. Really powerful and right on. The guy has power and chops. I got to play with Dennis again about a month ago... ‘SI - Dodge Main! That’s what I wanted to talk. about next. It’s a great record. I expected it was going to be a complete lead guitarslinger, pyrotech- nic type of thing with Deniz Tek and Wayne Kramer... together! But it’s very “song” oriented, a pleasant surprise. There’s still plenty of fireworks... Is this a one-time-only thing or are there any plans for a tour or second record? ‘We're sorta taking it one step at atime, It depends ‘mostly on Wayne's career: As you know he has a successful career going and he sells a lot of records with Epitaph. I want Wayne's next record to succeed, but i doesn’t the bright side of that cloud will be the Dodge Main will probably do some more stuff. Itjust depends con what Wayne and the others have time to do. SI- Pve heard his new record is absolutely “out there”. ‘Yeah, I didn’t expect that from him either. There's a Jot of loops, strange stuff. I like it actually, but I think a Jot of his hard rock fans will be a litle bit... SI- Confused? Yeah, confused. SI-I thought that was a neat twist to cover the Radio Birdman tune I-94 with a reggae feel on the Dodge Main CD. Whose idea was that? “That was Wayne. I picked the MCS songs for that ‘album and he picked the Birdman songs. I wasn't real keen on doing it (I-94). It’s been done on a couple

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