Punk Magazine was a fanzine started by cartoonist John Holmstrom (b. 1954) and Legs McNeil (b. 1956) in 1976 that showcased the New York punk rock scene. The term “punk” was previously used by Creem Magazine to describe the kind of music that was developing parallel to the excessive arena rock bands that developed following the late 1960’s. Punk Magazine came out just as The Velvet Underground, MC5, and Iggy & The Stooges had broken up but just in time for The Ramones, The Dictators, and Television.
Using photographs taken by staff photographers Roberta Bayley and Bob Gruen among others, the magazine’s layout was like a comic book, with panels overlaid with text bubbles. After fifteen issues, the publication came to an end in 1979. John Holmstrom would go on to publish several other underground comic magazines including Stop! and Comical Funnies and was a regular contributor to High Times.
The John Holmstrom & Punk Magazine Lot contains an entire run of the original Punk Magazine as well as the D.O.A. Film Book and the revived Punk issues of the 2000s. Also included is a complete run of Stop! and Comical Funnies, Holmstrom’s comic-focused publications and S.V.A. publications that he contributed too. This lot also contains an original ticket and poster to the Punk Magazine Awards in 1978 that were overshadowed by the death of Nancy Spungen, allegedly, at the hands of Sid Vicious just a few nights prior.
And here´s one of the last issues of this short-lived Punk magazine.
Punk was never a favorite sound for me … but Punk is without any doubts an important part of the history of music. So, this magazine can or must be a part of this crazy little blog …
Enjoy the very special design of this era …
Believe it … or not: in this issue you´ll find an articale about The Bay City Rollers !
The backcover of this issue
ManyFantasticColors 