I've generated a lot of dross in my day, and reckon that eventually I'll have to get it sorted out: this page is the first attempt. The overriding principle here is that anything older than 2004 will get packaged, sealed, and shuttled into these archives where it'll (very likely) never see the light of day again. Until that time comes, please excuse the half-assed organization and counter-intuitive structure of this rat-infested warren. More will be added as time allows.

Epicenter Zone, 1990-1999 is a eulogy (of sorts) for San Francisco's long-running not-for-profit punk record store/community space at 16th and Valencia in the Mission District. Run entirely by volunteers and aided by financial contributions from Maximum Rock 'n' Roll editor Timmy Yohannon, it eventually fell victim to changing times, staff attrition, and consumer indifference. I volunteered there from 1992 to '96, though "volunteering" often meant "hanging out behind the counter and making fun of customers from Walnut Creek." In retrospect, this piece seems embittered and dismissive of the good that came out of Epicenter Zone.

17%: Hendrix Was Not the Only Musician by Billy Childish is a multimedia package including a Headcoats CD and little book filled with Childish's paintings, engravings, and off-kilter poetry. It must tie in with an "artists' manifesto" he was pushing at the time of its release...anyway, here's the exteremly non-committal review I greeted it with.

The Cornelius Quartet by Michael Moorcock is a great, heavyweight collection of four novels any self-respecting boho science fiction fan must read. I dig 'em more now then when this review appeared in Maximum Rock 'n' Roll: should I post a formal correction? I read the book, saw the movie, and attempted to live the lifestyle.

The Difference by Charles Willeford is a Western written by one of the preeminent hard-boiled California noir authors of the 1950s. Sadly, his deadpan existentialism doesn't work as well when filtered through a dusty Old West aesthetic. Cormack McCarthy works the angle far more successfully with Outer Dark and All the Pretty Horses, but those are other books and other reviews.

Evolution's Darling by Scott Westerfield is all about robot sexuality described in lovingly-rendered violet prose. Another one of those current science fiction novels desperate to find its way out of the Young Adults section, sacrificing readability in the process. The used bookstores wouldn't take it, either--my copy eventually found its way to the thrift store.

Frenzetta by Richard Calder shares many elements with Evolution's Darling, but works a lot better as an entertaining read. Instead of a hypersexual android the "male lead" is an impotent zombie: is one book an answer to the other?

Got to Land Somewhere by Anne Ullrich & Lee Hollis is a hardcover, coffee-table book that presents 1980s-vintage hardcore punk show photograpy, mostly snapped at German gigs. I dig the Spermbirds as much as the next guy (meaning that I don't at all), but draw the line well before Jingo de Lunch. If you don't know who these bands were, please don't bother finding out. Witness Jeff's literary pretensions achieving a state of critical (pun) mass.

The Lives and Times of Jerry Cornelius by Michael Moorcock was published as a very, very delayed sequel to the Jerry Cornelius series. Less fun than the original books, it still captures some of the anarchic spirit of The Final Programme and offered Moorcock a platform to vent his ire at the post-September 11th world.

The Losers' Club by Richard Perez Join the club, Richard. The 90s are over, and despite what VH1 might be telling you, it's too early for nostalgic remebrances of pagers and Tribe 8. There's a landfill crammed with Generation X novels out there, somewhere (I can sense it).

Punk: The Original edited by John Holmstrom is a pretty cool little collection of stuff that appeared in New Yorker Johnny Holmstrom's Punk magazine during its 1970s heyday. Sort of an answer to the Re/Search collected editions of Search and Destroy that appeared around the same time, but with the emphasis on cartoons and junior-high locker-room humor. The Ramones should have been the cover stars of this book: the Sex Pistols had nothing to do with New York!

Maximum Rock 'n' Roll Reviews are being moved from the Features page to here. It figures: they're stale by anyone's standards. This is a random assortment of rec reviews written for Maximum Rock 'n' Roll in the ten years since I started the gig: obviously not everything is here, since these were transcribed from moldering back issues and tattered scraps of yellowing newsprint--and I only have so much time. Did I give your band a bad review? Did I give any band a bad review?

Single Life in the 90s: The Decade's Best 45s At least that's what I thought in 2000. My list would be considerably different these days. Live and learn, or die trying. I don't know if I'll be able to write a similar list at the end of this decade.

Sonic Cool: The Life and Death of Rock 'n' Roll by Joe S. Harrington is another one of those books that attempts to tell the grand history of everyone's favorite art form--and can't keep all the details straight. I once thought that these guides were useful, until I started writing about music myself. Sadly, most music writing is produced by recluses driven by tight deadlines and fueled by Mountain Dew and self-doubt. Who'd win in a fistfight: the Beach Boys or Arthur Lee's Love?

Turquoise Days by Chris Adams Echo & the Bunnymen + Jeff Heermann = disappointment. Proof that not every band needs a book written about 'em, and even if they do it should be someone other than a fan doing the writing.

Unknown Legends of Rock 'n' Roll by Richie Unterberger isn't any more on the money than Sonic Cool (above), though it does at least come with a CD of the bands described in its pages. Not a particularly well-written review, here--I may have been nervous because this book was published by the company that I was working for at the time. Maybe I oughtta give it a second scan?

Capitol Punishment at the Chateau de Ville, 1990 It was a fun gig, man, and I still have scars to prove it. This account was written for a 'zine that never happened, though I might have finished layout on a couple pages. I don't recall the title I was going to use: my erstwhile co-editor Andy Shoup was keen on Inflatable Girlfriend while I favored Chowderhouse. I can remember when 'zines were fun, instead of computer-driven chores. Capitol Punishment are still chugging away in 2004, I believe.

The Not-So-Distant Past: Journal Entries from 2003 I moved out of the Tenderloin and into the clammy, welcoming arms of the Sunset district. Fortunately, I have love and home-cooked meals to ease the chill.

The Year that Was: Journal Entries from 2002 in case you weren't paying attention the first time around. Jeff moves from the mellow haven of Cole Valley to SF's most colorful, vibrant neighborhood (namely, Lower Nob Hill!).

Really Old News: Journal Entries from 1991 You need to know more? It oughtta be self-explanatory. Only partially expunged. This was the year that life in Modesto really, really started getting to me. At least I had friends to hang out with and a (ha!) job.

Back Even Further: Journal Entries from 1990 are being transcribed and posted for your amusement. Be warned: I can come off like a totally-different person at times.