Cheap Thrills Magazine (book?)

I've been buried in *other things* things lately and motorcycles haven't had a look in, as they say. Tried to get my norton tank sorted for the Smash Palace show but failed when at about 3am the night before I realised that the tank cap I had wasn't gonna fit. Anyway I thought I'd chuck this project up here cause it's what I've been busting my chops on lately...

This is Cheap Thrills, essentially a music zine/journal which was proposed to me by Erin Kimber and which I've (probably foolishly) jumped on board with as sort of an editor, but more designer/printer... and also somehow; collator, binder, trimmer... sheesh, good idea!? Nah it's been awesome, even though it almost killed me getting it ready for the launch on Saturday! One of my students, Luke Shaw, has worked tirelessly on this with me also and he deserves a decent handshake and a few free beers.

Article on 'Colors' magazine

Found this fairly informative write up on 'Colors Motorcycle Magazine' here today. It was a very short-lived (1970–71) thing and is really hard to find these days. I've cited this publication before in terms of precedents for Head Full Full of Snakes. In particular the use of color, the kind of dilettante compositional quality, but also the fact it was a very grass-roots publication that aimed to document something that wasn't going to be dealt with elsewhere, and was made by the people who it was also essentially aimed at... rather than a larger publishing company. It didn't last long but was, I believe, influential in 'Easyriders' being started, and obviously that became fairly huge (while turning into something quite different too, in my humble opinion!).

Fragments 2

This has been sitting here for a while 'cause I've been wanting to write something decent about it, but I thought I better photograph it and give it back to Jimi, who got it from Trademe recently.

What it is is a photography/poetry magazine published in Christchurch in the late 60s or early 70s I'm guessing, there's no date on it. At the back it says "Published by Fragments and printed by Designprint Press Limited, Christchurch", and that's it for info really.

Jimi's dad may know one of the photographers involved and I was kinda keen to see if I could talk with him about it.

Initially I thought it was a bike mag when Jimi told me about it, but yeah it's not, it's just this issue – issue #2. The first half of the issue is this "photographic essay" of what appears to all be the same MC. Mostly patches aren't shown but there's an Epitaph Rider in there on the fold out poster that comes with it. I presume they're all Christchurch based?

It'd be cool to know more about this as the design and printing are noteworthy for it's time too. I have to admit I'm not as interested in the poetry part (which I haven't reproduced here), but it is interesting that someone wanted to put all this stuff together? I've been reading the new book on gangs here, 'Patched', and in it the author talks about the relationship between the early MCs here and the hippy counter-culture movement. I wonder if this is an example of that kind of cross-over? It'd be good to get a date on this sucker!?

Motorcycho

I just received this far out little package in the mail the other day from Canada, and I just have to say something about it here. 'Motorcycho' is a motorcycle zine like I always imagined a motorcycle zine should be. In my mind it kicks every other zine/magazine's butt. Why? Because it's content heavy. Well actually each issue is pretty slim, clocking in at 36 pages, but it is full to the brim with writing! Yes. Shit I want to read. Sure I love flicking through any glossy motorcycle porn rag, but I always find it's over way too quick! Motorcycho is a lady who needs time, needs woo-ing, needs to be read. Fuck that's up my alley anyway. Especially when the writing is as hands-down fucking funny as a lot of it is in here – "This bike has got to get not on fire, and I guess it's gonna hafta be us what does it." (Issue #24 page 13)

Motorcycho is a bit like HFoS in that there's no preoccupation or snobbery around any specific sort of bikes, there's plenty of cheap Jap bikes in there with your Harley's and your Brit shit. Everyone in Motorcycho is having fun... with bikes, and writing about it from the heart. There's also a bunch of music cross-over stuff, and it's all up my alley as well – issue #25 has a story about a guy riding a piece of shit CB350 to Portland to see The Mummies play! Holy fuck!

Norman McFuzzybutt is the man behind the madness and he's been doing this for 15 years! Now I've never met the dude but he's obviously a righteously good chap, and I'd highly recommend ya'll to order up any back issues he might happen to still have available. See all issues here – although I don't know what's still available? Norman also runs a blog here. Check it all out and order some issues. They're small, so good for on the bus when your piece of shit Norton lets you down yet again, or keep them right next to the toilet for some quality quiet time.

Cheers Norman!