Zine - Smash It Up, February 1981

Smash It Up is a Toronto punk fanzine. Despite the 1980 date on the cover, the part 3 of the Bangkok interview situates the release of this at February 1981. The issues starts out with a page and a half of reviews for recent releases like Nash the Slash's "Deadman's Curve" and the Clash's "Hitsville UK". Other reviews included Spandau Ballet's "the Freeze" and the Au Pairs "Diet". An odd review is Phil Collins "In the Air Tonight". There is also a Stranglers ep that I don't know about but most have come out after "Raven" which came out in 1979.

Interestingly this issue tucks in an interview with Sector 27 which was Tom Robinson's band who is most well known for the "Glad to be Gay" anthem.

There is another interview with Jean Jacques Burnell of the Stranglers. JJ tells the back story to a riot at a gig of theirs at a University in France, which they were about to go to court for. There was a slso a riot at a gig in Queensland Australia,which has even mre nefarious undertones associated to a local politician who was carrying out a campaign against punks and punk clubs. The song "Nuclear Device" was written about said politician.

There is an interview with Fred Frith about his record contract and had an appeal to punks for his Zappa meets Cage approach to guitar.

A reggae band by the name of One Love is interviewed. This band was a band made up of Ishan People (who were in the Last Pogo) and Mystics.

There is an interview with L'Etranger when they were a four piece. I found it intersting to learn about their appreciation of the Mods and that scene.

There is an interview with Drastic Measures who I remember seeing on the video shows and getting some radio airplay back in the day. I didn't realize that one of the members was in the Dishes.

There is a hilarious write up on the U-Knows which was an award show for alternative bands used to make a statement about the Junos. Sounds like it was just as bad as the ceremony it set about parodying.

Part 3 of the Bangkok interview appears here but it looses something from the absense of the other two parts.

 

This issue is here thanks to the archives of Dhaibid James, host of Moondog Ballroom on CIUT.