Back when I was in college, I wanted so much to write about what I was seeing. Often, with Bernie Kugel (who used to lead Buffalo seminal bands The Good and Mystic Eyes) and Alan Abramowitz (producer and creator of New York City-based cable access show Videowave), I'd hear amazing music played by ever-interesting bands.
It started when Bernie dragged me to CBGBs in June of 1975, where we saw Talking Head opening for the Ramones at CBGBs. There were 12 people in the audience for both sets, most of them at the bar. After that, we saw literally hundreds of show there, Max's Kansas City, or other venues.
My college newspaper was just not interested in publishing anything that wasn't disco or what is now called "classic rock", so I said to hell with it and I started my own fanzine, FFanzeen, which ran from 1977 until 1988. It started out as a xeroxed 15-pager (the back cover has recently turned up - uncredited - in a book titled "The Cramps: A Short History of Rock'n'Roll Psychosis" by Dick Porter [p. 45]), and ended up a typeset half-tabloid with tons of text and pix. Also, around this time, I started taking pictures of the bands.
After the mag folded out of lack of funds and time, I went dormant. Some time in the 1990s, I was anxious to hear some new music. My tastes included folk/singer-songwriter, as much as punk. I contacted a few magazines and fanzines, and started writing regularly for a few of them, such as Oculus and Shredding Paper. Around 2001, I started writing for Jim Testa's excellent Jersey Beat, and took over the "Quiet Corner" column, while continuing to review and see punk shows.
Still, I want to write more and have some control over when it will be published. Hence, the start of this blog. If bands/singers/musicians/etc. are intersested in my reviewing their CDs, DVDs, LPs, 45s, live shows, just let me know. Or send them to me at:
Robert Barry Francos
PO Box 109
Parkville Station
Brooklyn, NY 11204
Let's hope this blogging works well for this early member of the blank generation.
Through the writings and photography of Robert Barry Francos, a view of the arts and culture, including everyday life.
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- Robert Barry Francos
- Currently living in Saskatoon (email at RBF55@msn.com for address). From 1977-88, I used to publish a print version of a music magazine in New York called FFanzeen, which dealt with the wide-ranging independent music scene. I also photographed many bands from the period (and since). Now I write this blog. And the beat goes on.
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