What A Nice Way To Turn 17

There was a good degree of camaraderie between fanzines back when we were "in our pomp" (coughs....) and planned for the issue that never happened was this English translation of an article on Suicide which originally appeared in Finnish magazine Ripple. Whilst it borrows from (uncredited) previously published interviews with Rev and Vega, if you know little of the history of this massively influential New York duo, it remains an excellent introduction to the origins and art of Suicide. As an introduction to Suicide, a snatch or two of cheap melodrama couldn't be much worse than any other way. So, who could know what Suicide really is? “Suicide is painless” No, it is a desperate, painful act. “An act like Suicide is prepared with the silence of heart” (Camus) Pathetic, unverified. “Suicide interviewed in 1971; “What is your message to the youth of America?” “Shoot up, man. Just shoot up.” Stinking Black Humour. “Suicide is like coming in off the street and fin...

Late 1995 and through the post comes a package from Epic including a photocopy of his contribution to Rolling Stone magazine's "Alt-Rock-A-Rama" which was eventually published in 1996, and a note.... "Hey Chris Here's my piece Dig it Man! Epic" And here is that piece, together with "videos" of the tracks he selects....all bar one. If anybody has a copy of  Harold Smith's Majestic Choir - “We Can All Walk A Little Bit Prouder” single from 1968, it would be pretty cool if you could rustle me up an MP3 of it. Thank-you. And with that, we're back.... Music That Moves Me by Epic Soundtracks Epic Soundtracks (aka Paul Godley) began playing music in 1972 and made his first record in 1977 as drummer with the influential Swell Maps, which also included his brother Nikki Sudden. More recently Epic has re-emerged as a singer, songwriter, and piano player, recording solo albums that reflect many of the influences discussed below. The...

As I've just started a new job, one which requires a degree of focus, I'm taking a couple of weeks break from the blog. I think folks will get by without us. Hank by Adam Turkel

Mercury Rev cover Nikki Sudden's "Silver Street" to exceptional effect.

Johnny Thunders & Jerry Nolan Back in 1985, I was put in touch with Nina Valez Guidio (aka Nina Antonia) to discuss a proposal that we should do a special issue of what A Nice Way To Turn Seventeen dedicated to Johnny Thunders. Nina was working on what would become “Johnny Thunders; In Cold Blood”, the official biography, that was eventually published in 1987 by Jungle Books. I was a fan of The Heartbreakers especially and held a slightly morbid fascination of the self-destructive tendencies of Johnny Thunders. More importantly, I loved the “Hurt Me” album that had come out in 1983 and I'd been at the Heartbreakers' March 1984 reunion shows in Nottingham (still one of the best live shows I ever saw) and London (as described below – an interesting show shall we say – glad I'd seen them in Nottingham though......). He'd appeared in issue 1 and issue 2 of WANWTTS with both pieces, “Heartbreaker! Hipshaker! Troublemaker! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!” and “My Guitar Never...