Flashback to Backlash
by Debra Persons
My hubby Grey Persons was recently going through some of his old college files and came across this copy of the Backlash 'zine that was put out in 1988 by his then-roommate Luke Palermo, with photos by Alan Wiggs and a Fleshtones interview by some of the WODU DJs, including Sean Epstein. I figured you guys would enjoy checking this out as much as we did, and I reached out to Luke and Sean to dig through their memories about making this totally DIY project. We all three enjoyed the reminiscing that ensued and hope you do as well!
DP: So. Luke Palermo, Grey (your old roommate!) was going through some of his old shit recently and came across this issue of Backlash. What can you tell us about this 'zine in general? I know we're asking you to get in the time machine.
LP: Backlash begins with Alan Wigg's intense photo archive of local bands. I had been doing 'zines with other people when Alan approached me to help him put something together. I remember we did things very quickly because he was getting ready to roll. No time, no budget, and a six-pack later Backlash was on.
DP: I definitely remember Alan Wiggs and seeing him at so many shows with his camera. He was on Facebook in the early days but seems to have dropped out of sight. I sure hope he ends up seeing this! One thing I've always loved about our scene is the abundance of talent, other than musicianship, that people brought to the table. We still have wonderful photographers/videographers who are out there documenting the shows around here (Danna Cullen, Paul Unger, Mitch Kirsner, Jeff Hewitt - who was tragically killed in a traffic accident earlier this year), and then there are the painters, graphic artists, writers, poets, chefs, skateboarders, etc. etc. I know you and Grey bonded heavily over your mutual love of skateboarding. And I know you make your living with your art, and still skate! I think this overall interest in creating must have been a big reason why you created Backlash.
So, let's get into the meat of this thing. Eighteen brilliant pages that start off with a cover montage of photos and a price of $.50. Of course, you used the "cent" mark, which isn't available on keyboards these days. Who did you sell this to, where was it available? Do you remember if very many of them were sold and how many were made? I know you mentioned you can't find your own copy; I'm so happy (for once!) that Grey is a packrat and still had his! Wonder who else might have a copy buried away somewhere.
LP: Backlash is sort of a snapshot of creativity in action. From the bands to the artist and artist to band, a circle of inspiration that is at the heart of any scene.
We sold them at shows, dropped ‘em at record stores (which we would never get anything for in the end), word of mouth - probably gave a bunch away for free. Can’t remember how many were made, probably between 50 and 100. All poorly photocopied by us.
DP: After an opening page with a shot of John Stabb of the DC hardcore band Government Issue, you start with your main feature, an interview with members of the Fleshtones. The interview was done by Sean Epstein, Paul Phillips, and Jill Passmore, who were all working with WODU at that time. I asked Sean to answer a few questions about the interview.
I'm happy that there is a timeline mentioned in the Fleshtones interview that allows us to date this 'zine! Looks like this took place in 1988, in conjunction with WODU. Can you tell us about the WODU scene in those days? Any memories of whose idea this interview was and how it took place? I see a note at the end that it was transcribed from a tape. Did you interview them (Keith Streng, vocals, and Gordon Spaek, guitar) over the phone?
SE: A good starting point was what was WODU or probably any college radio environment like - especially a carrier current station. WODU for those who don't know was operating at AM 640 only available at the ODU campus. How the station attracted as many DJs as it did is in itself miraculous. But that first true experience of freedom from the parents also made for some personal goals to be achieved and as this 16-17-year-old who thought his limited knowledge of the underground made him uniquely qualified to not only DJ but catch up with the (Roman) Gods - 1988's Fleshtones interview (held in a back part of the club pre-gig) was just another brazen move by a young bull in a china shop. I'd seen them by this point, knew Zaremba from MTV, had heard some small parts of the catalog, understood their importance as a club band that not only trailblazed in NYC but was quite active. But I had no business doing anything other than explaining how to do a station I D and pressing record, but yeah, there I was like I'd been many times before with not just seasoned artists, but potentially one of the greatest bands ever. Zaremba, to be clear, was the main vocalist, Keith the sole guitarist. I'm pretty sure I'd caught wind Fleshtones were coming to KHI and went thru some station channels to get time out of them, as was common practice. Station rep calls label, label might call tour manager OR band itself. We did LOTS of these - or least got together with acts to get station IDs, officially via the proper channels. I, however, did a fair amount of station ID grabs from acts when I saw them on the spot, all obliged back then, even the Beastie Boys. There's a sweet RHCP id I didn't personally obtain. As for the interview - I instantly recalled I'd done one & vague details of the gig, but more etched in my memory is an after-party where I still didn't booze and got an endless amount of time with Zaremba talking music. If my response is going down the right track, sure hit me with some more. I just struggle to remember who was with me for the event and much about the interview other than I'm sure someone else contributed a lot of questions. God bless the Fleshtones, they truly were compassionate. As an aside, I've played them a bunch on my FM show, including this past Saturday night - they have a new LP coming out this week (week of Oct 19).
DP: I love that you are still doing college radio! You guys can catch Sean on his show at University of MD, wmuc.umd.edu at 10 pm on Saturday nights. It makes me happy to know how wide open we all were as youngsters, mostly willing to do anything, unafraid of failure. Great work Sean! And I sure wish we had photos and cognizant memories of that afterparty!!! Ok, let's move on to what comes next in Backlash with Luke.
Next up, there is a strange little one-page short story called "Spet," about a dude stuck in an endless time warp repeat of waking up after a night of partying and finding himself in some kind of endless loop he can't get out of. Sort of perfect for Halloween! No author name is given. Care to share with us who wrote this story Luke, or any other details about it?
LP: Don’t know who wrote Spet, but the illustration is a sketch from the infamous House of Hell...
DP: Grey’s place with the quarter pipe in front?! That was before I met him.
LP: Yep, Grey's place on 42nd St. Here's a few shots of me on the halfpipe.
LP: In the first pic, House of Hell is on the right. Second pic, guess who is in the background?! Young Grey Persons!
DP: Thanks so much for sharing those photos of you on the ramp! Give us one of you still skating in 2020! So, on page 7 we have some photos of a Fishbone show. Any clue when or where this was? (Too bad we can't bring Alan Wiggs in on this!)
LP: Here’s a pic of me from the “modern era.”
LP: If I had to guess Fishbone was Kings Head, but not sure - most pics in the zine are Norfolk, but some look like D.C.
DP: The next 2 pages feature copy from some kind of National Enquirer kind of tabloid, with various bizarre "news" items and then 2 sketches, one yours and one by "kb" with the quote ..."if God were human would he put up with this shit..."
Who was KB? and where did you get that crazy tabloid print?
LP: kb is really jb, my friend Joe I used to skate with - the tabloid print is a bunch of clips that we liked and smashed together. I always liked the absurdity of tabloids.
DP: The next six pages are photos from Alan Wiggs, a section he calls the "Best of Norfolk's Finest Hour of Music" and I wouldn't disagree. He apologizes for the quality of the copy and blames Copytron, so we know where you guys made the copies! We see images of Marginal Man and Government Issue (DC), and Norfolk bands Squinty Vincent, Thin LadsX, She-Males, Elvis From Hell, Starving Artists, and touring bands (I think) King Face, Toxic Reasons, Fishbone, and GWAR. These truly were amazing years to be in the music scene in Norfolk....did you have a favorite band among this grouping?
LP: I grew up on DC hardcore, GI are a blast to skate to. Elvis From Hell stands out in my memory as a lot of fun, as does the first time I saw GWAR at the Corner. So many great local and touring bands, it was an amazing time for live music in Norfolk.
DP: Indeed. After the photos, we have a page titled "Poems and Stuff," along with a sketch that I believe is yours. Some weird and wonderful stuff here, including this line that gave me chills:
I close my eyes
crosses I see
rows and rows
fields of disease
Please tell me you know who wrote this! And if it was you....wow, it appears you could see into the future!
LP: Yep, that one was mine... can’t remember who did the others, but that was me. I always loved words and how they can take on new meaning over time... I thought it a bit eerie reading it again too. Of all the music to paint what the future would be like, the punks had it right.
DP: On your final page, Allen says goodbye to Norfolk as he heads home to Vienna, VA and you mention that you may be doing another Backlash in the future. Did that ever happen?
LP: No, that was it...bummer too, Allen had a book full of film negatives. Maybe one day he’ll see this and decide to do something with them. I’m sure a lot of people would be interested in seeing more.
DP: We'll definitely try to find him. We would love to see some of his library. I can't thank you enough for walking us through your 'zine, Luke. It's been a fun trip! Before we say goodbye, would you please share with us a little about where you ended up in life?
LP: After Norfolk, I ended up in NYC for the next decade. I’m currently living in NJ with my wife and two kids. Art and skateboarding fill my days, to see what I’ve been up to check out www.lukepalermo.com
Finally, I’d like to thank Norfolk for so many great memories... and for what it’s worth, I always thought the Norfolk bands were way better than what would later be sold to the kids as “alternative.”
Here it is
Backlash magazine, circa 1988. Please peruse at your leisure. Use the arrows to navigate. On mobile? Pinch to zoom, tap page to view the next page.
