Some Basic Background Blurb:
Edited and published a fanzine, Grim Humour (I actually printed most of them myself too), between 1983 and 1993, which covered (mostly) music (all from The Virgin Prunes, Death In June, Killing Joke, Portion Control, The Birthday Party, The Fall, Coil, and UK Decay, etc. in the early editions to Swans, Big Black, Sonic Youth, Lydia Lunch, The Butthole Surfers, The Cure, Wire, Henry Rollins, ATV, Whitehouse, etc. in later editions), writers, fiction, (horror/cult/trash/underground/Cinema of Transgression/etc.) films and similarly related areas. Lasted 18 editions, and a number of them also included, between them, flexidiscs, a cassette, split 7" records and even a compilation LP at one point (featuring, between them, artists as diverse as Portion Control, Shockheaded Peters, Sonic Youth, Cindytalk, Splintered, Con Demek and far more besides). This then transmogrified into Adverse Effect magazine several years later, which ran for 4 printed editions and then became available as an online mag during January 2007, which haphazardly continues to navigate the areas of culture I've long been interested in (as indicated or sniffed at via this MySpace profile at certain junctures - C93, William Basinski, Michael Gira, Devendra Banhart, Whitehouse, Francisco Lopez, Andrew Liles, etc.). People involved with both Adverse Effect, and its predecessor, over the years, include(d) Anton Black, Hassni Malik, John Bagnall, Mick Mercer, David Wells,Tom Vague, Stefan Jaworzyn, the late Gerald Houghton, Phil Taylor, Graham Lambkin (The Shadow Ring), Howard Lester, Andy P., Rob Hale, Jim Crosland (now editor of breakcore/techno/etc. mag, Mofo, and a DJ), Gary Levermore, Andrea Johnson, Sascha Colgate, Kate MacDonald and countless others my memory's presently not affording me an opportunity to do justice to.
Grim Humour became an especially popular fanzine as well, and served me many proud moments (Savage Pencil recommending it during an introduction to a sold out audience at a Sonic Youth concert being one massive ego-massaging 'triumph' I'll never forget), courted new friendships and, equally, garnered quite a reputation for its often brutal honesty. If we didn't like something, we said it (and I'm almost ashamed to admit that its bold "No Demo Cassettes, Please" policy led me on several occasions to trample on said objects before returning them to their senders, along with the letters and bios covered in red penned corrections). A position that Adverse Effect continues to take and, at certain junctures along the way, maybe helped lead me to contribute to some other publications (including a couple of national mags), such as Headpress, Chaotic Order, Underground and Spiral Scratch, and continue to get invitations to (but have no time for).
A year after the first GH was published, I also took over Gary Levermore's Third Mind Records' subsidiary, Fourth Dimension. This started very much as a label (somewhat ironically) given to cassettes, flexidiscs and even releases represented by other items (oh, how I yearned to follow Factory Records' example!), but progressed into releasing vinyl (mostly 7"s initially) in the late '80s/early '90s and now functions as, chiefly, a CD and vinyl label. Although a rather more recent catalogue number was reserved for a limited edition Andrew Liles t-shirt and print. Releases over the years otherwise include those by artists and groups such as Cosmonauts Hail Satan, Richard Youngs/Simon Wickham-Smith, Filler, K. K. Null, The Gerogerigegege, Merzbow, Omit, Condemek, Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore, Slugbait, Headbutt, Delphium, Ascension, Hijokaidan, AMP Studio, Tabata, Goem, Stylus, Theme, Andrew Liles, Circle and The Fields Of Hay. Oh, and several by my first group Playground, my second (more recently hopefully reactivated) group Splintered (whose comparative 'success' in the early-to-mid 1990s led to a few European tours, two John Peel Sessions for BBC Radio One and a further radio session for The Netherlands' VPRO, as well as five albums and god knows how many singles and compilation appearances, etc. - see the MySpace link below if interested) and third group, Theme, which is now onto its third album (again, see the link below).
I've been found on other records over the years, for what it's worth, as well. Mostly with Steve Pittis of Band of Pain, such as A.S.P., Slugbait and, well, on his very first Band Of Pain LP (and more recently released comp. CD). Plus my old Husk project, Stephen Meixner/Steve Pittis' Intravene album, and maybe something else now long clogged in (and best kept to) the foggiest regions. A not long released 5CD collection by Delphium also features a few recordings with myself on (as well as other then Splintered members).
It's probably fair to admit there are a number of misfirings tucked away amongst all of these pursuits, but we live and learn. I guess. Everything, at least, would have made some kind of sense at the time.
In 2005 I also co-founded another label with my good friend Hassni Malik (although he parted company in late 2006), Lumberton Trading Company, which operates at a somewhat more sober level than Fourth Dimension, and has releases already out or due out by Experimental Audio Research, Thighpaulsandra, Theme, Michael Gira, Volga, Faust, Andrew Liles, Sion Orgon, Formication, Steven Severin, Human Greed and others. And a Nick Mott (Volcano The Bear) print. A compilation LP is also being discussed/prepared which'll feature artists already on the label as well as exclusive material by some affiliates. Andrew Liles, Theme, Steven Severin, Sleazy (from the now defunct Coil and reactivated Throbbing Gristle), Human Greed, Birds Build Nests Underground, Lawrence English, Sion Orgon, Volga and others should all appear.
Essentially, although there arrives with it an undeniably tedious side and never enough time to keep up with everything, I have never ceased to enjoy these different endeavours, and they have all meant more to me over the years than you might imagine. I just wish there was more money to fulfil everything I'd like to do, really, as there are so many people I'd like to work with still (from all ends of the spectrum, and not just from music).
The websites can be found here, anyway:
www.lumbertontrading.com
www.adverse-effect.co.uk
Beyond all of this, I have been known to help promote concerts as well. I used to do it in England many, many years ago but am also responsible for helping certain artists, along with my good friends at the AudioTong label, to play in various cities in Poland. So far, I have helped with concerts here by Andrew Liles, Faust, Whitehouse, Colin Potter and Steven Severin, plus am helping to bring William Bennett back in late November 2008 and Human Greed over in early December.
As if not busy enough, I have also commenced work on a book collecting highlights and lowlights from Grim Humour. This will include re-edited interviews, reviews and features, additional information, reprinted original pages, and far more.
And Some More Blurb About the Person Behind All of This...
A bit of an only too open and earnest idiot fully capable of dancing myself into life's many corners...
AND PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE do NOT send messages with Friend Requests simply to advertise your own band, label or whatever without at least SOME idea of where my own interests lay with such matters. I'll only accept those by people I either know or whose work I genuinely like or respect (whether old or completely new to me). I genuinely believe most music, labels, bands and artists are a waste of time, with absolutely nothing interesting to offer. As such, I'll only support those I feel actually provide what amounts to an antidote to the rapidly spreading disease that is modern culture. 95% of the stuff on MySpace is retarded, pointless, bland, vapid and little more than part of a very big problem I don't want to support in any way, shape or form. On the other hand, I'm equally here to see what's on offer and try a few new doors out, so you can always try your luck, although I'll contact YOU if I'm interested in working with you on one of my labels or in some other capacity (so please refrain from hassling me). Likewise, I don't want Friend Requests from idiotic industrial-goths, imbeciles whose own profiles are teeming with Loaded mag-type sensibilites, women from faraway lands with marriage proposals, people (once again) who don't actually have the faintest idea where my own interests are (I mean, I can enjoy a Crank Sturgeon concert as much as a performance honouring some of Kilmar's work, for example), and those who are simply seeking to promote themselves or who need to massage their pathetic egos by having an infinite tide of cyber-'Friends'. You can also forget it if you're the type of sad cretin who leaves dumbfuck comments underneath photos of attractive women. Essentially, my real life's already teeming with truly decent and highly stimulating people, so if you're that serious about being in touch with me (and becoming one of my, uh, 'Friends'...), just at least write a message first and prove it, for fuck's sake. I like to see some EFFORT, and always have done. Very simple, really.
