6-7-11
Magazine – The Biography by Helen Chase
I saw Magazine 4 or 5 times from ’79 – ’80; I saw their “Urgh” show in San Francisco at the Warfield Theatre. I saw them at the Whisky A-go-go at the time of “Secondhand Daylight”. I got most of their autographs on my copies of their first two albums.
Some useful Magazine trivia:
Howard Trafford = Howard Devoto
Dave Tomlinson = Dave Formula
I later saw Howard’s other band, Luxuria – live, quite good. Nobody was more surprised than I when Magazine re-formed for shows, over the last couple of years.
I have Howard’s book, “It Only Looks As If it Hurts” – and now there’s this book, “Magazine – The Biography by Helen Chase”.
Seems like she interviewed pretty much everyone possible, re: Magazine. I guess that’s about what one could hope for. Too bad about John McGeoch. He was a great guitarist and songwriter.
Magazine remain my favorite band of that ’78 – ’81 era, even over XTC and Ultravox (with John Foxx) – I saw all three bands play live. Never as amused with Visage, a band that seemed to gobble up Magazine members.
So, I recommend this book to Magazine fans. Always nice to have some illumination on a topic previously thought to be ‘closed’.
Need. This. Book.
$18 at a bookstore in Hollywood, CA