A Whiff of Flesh & Blood: Distort Retrospective
On the philosopher of insomnia Cioran, the legacy of Throbbing Gristle, on war and debt psych, on Liam Osbourne. Extracts from interviews with Beastianity, NS Mayhem, Omegas and Drew Gates.
Reverse Evolution is writing and broadcasting from life of dilettante: passion, obsession, conflict and leisure. The supremacy of music. WWIII. The Age of Quarrel. Modern Horror. Psychotic Sci-Fi. Television OD. Laughing at The System. Kvlt HC. True Romantic. Kvlt HC. Noir Future. Tekno Acid Beat. Plus a history of Distort mag and other print publications. - DX, Sydney, Australia
This is an extract from a book compiling all the better parts from Distort mag. You can read more from the series below.
Foundation subscribers to the Reverse Evolution substack get a lifetime sub to the Distort PDF Archive, or you can purchase that separately here.
DISTORT #42 (2012) - Features interviews with Omegas, The Throb, Beastianity, Red Red Krovvy, Drew Gates and NS Mayhem.
Writing on E.M. Cioran, Justin Fuller, Oily Boys, Wet Cloth, Soma Coma, Hyperspace Vision, Croation Amor, LR, X-TG / Throbbing Gristle, Lakes, The Clean, Constant Mongrel, U202, Destruction Unit.
This issue written after having my head caved in by Tarkovsky’s STALKER and whilst recovering from this damage fell under the influence of the philosopher of insomnia Emil Cioran.
Just when you think you’ve fallen low, there’s always someone on hand to point out further depths to plummet into … there’s always someone else grateful for the opportunity to give you a push...
Beastianity are one of Australia’s oddest bands, sunburnt and scrub damaged neo-folk.
NS Mayhem were a shortlived Newcastle / Sydney (get it?) hardcore band that my friend Adam Donnelly sung for.
Adam is a fantastic writer, his lockdown zine about film called Savage Bliss was a tonic, and more recently he has published poetry.
I interviewed Drew Gates about his writing. He died last year. He was a true character, a great writer and fantastic company, I send love to his friends and family, I’m sure you’ll enjoy his diatribe here.
The Omegas were a true highlight of the era, pure hardcore.
Here’s a long piece I wrote about the legacy of Throbbing Gristle, I can’t say this record is worth revisiting above Nico’s Desertshore. This is one of my favourite records, produced by John Cale, such a dense mood of emotional vulnerability, deep red wine drunk.
This is the first known use of the sobriquet debt and war psych which caused a great stir internationally.
Liam Osbourne designed this centrespread for Distort. Liam died during the Melbourne lockdown. I was asked to speak at his memorial, and spent a great deal of time meditating on what he meant to me, our relationship, hardcore and punk and noise music and self-destruction.
The memorial was during a particularly heightened state of Melbourne COVID psychosis and it was while driving to the funeral that Greta found out she had been exposed to COVID at work. Aside from the fact we had just experienced soldiers coming past our house to check on us, the thought of being known as the guy who dragged COVID into a memorial for a dead friend made us turn the car around.
I have still got the notes for what I wanted to say on the day, I might publish them one day as I’d like to pay tribute to Liam, he was immensely talented and helped to cultivate the aesthetic of Melbourne underground music for several years, booked heaps of shows and released a ton of music.
A photo of me standing at the edge of the world, I think Southern California:
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This is an extract from a book compiling all the better parts from Distort mag. You can read more from the series below. Foundation subscribers to the Reverse Evolution substack get a lifetime sub to the Distort PDF Archive, or you can purchase that separately here:
Distort Archives: #7 2005 - Integrity, Abraxas Annihilation, Anton Szandor Lavey
Distort Archives: #8 2005 - h100's, Top Ten Unreleased HC records
Distort Archives: #9 Chris Colohan re: Left For Dead / Japanese hardcore rumourmill
Distort Archives: #10-12 10: Interview with Luke Dolan re: Arms Reach / writing on Schism Fanzine and racial politics and hardcore. 11: Masstrauma / Regulations / Thought Criminals / writing on 60's punk, Warning Fanzine, Peter Laughner, Hassan-I-Sabbah 12: Annihilation Time / Formaldehyde Junkies / World Burns To Death / Pisschrist tour photo diary
Distort Archives: #13-14 13: Extortion / The Mormons / Bill Bondsmen / Voices Wake Us / Cardiac Arrest / Out Cold 14: Cold Sweat / Subversion / The State / Distroy / bullshit on Black Flag
Distort Archives: #15-16 #15: Sex/Vid, Voorhees, Smash N Grab, Disclose / GISM collector scum guide by Spider. #16: Fucked Up / Writing on Clockcleaner, Draft Dodger, Poison Idea lyrics
Distort Archives: #17 Gag Reflex, Homostupids, Puncture Wound, Darvocets... and a couple lost notes on Darby Crash
Distort Archives: #18 (Straightjacket Nation US Tour Diary / Interviews with Condominium, Brain Handle
Distort Archives (#19, 21): #19 - Interviews with Lebenden Toten, Blank Stare, Homosexual Tourists, Napalm Hearts / a Hardcore 2008 rundown / RIP Ron Asheton and Lux Interior *** #21 (2009) - Interviews with Sex/Vid, Shock Values (Split with RATCHARGE fanzine)
Distort Archives: #22 (2009), #23 (2010) #22: Writing on the Christian hardcore of Dry Rot / loads of reviews #23: Interviews with Waste Management, Watery Love, Wasted Time / writing on Straightjacket Nation tour of SE Asia (Indo, Malaysia, Singapore)
Distort Archives #24 (2010) – KVLT SKRAPYARD - Ephemera related to AMDI PETERSENS ARME / ROKY ERICKSON/ LIPCREAM / VINNIE STIGMA / STOP AND THINK / NEGATIVE APPROACH / LARISSA STRICKLAND / THE STALIN / CRAIG SETARI / CHEETAH CHROME MOTHERFUCKERS / DISCHARGE / FLESH EATERS / SEX/VID
Distort Archives #26 (2010) Rikk Agnew
Distort Archives #28 (2010), #31 (2011) - #28: Royal Headache, Lou Barlow, Born Bad, Scarcity Of Tanks, Criminal Damage, Video Disease, No Tolerance, Rival Mob, Home Blitz #31: interview with Iron Curtain, Poikkeus / writing on Flesh World, Inmates, FU's, Black Flag, Condominium, Crazy Spirit, Nightprowler, Waste Management, Sweet Tooth, Royal Headache, William S Burroughs, Dennis Hopper, Siltbreeze, Pisschrist
Distort Archives: #32 (2010) & #33 (2010) h100's / Integrity / Left For Dead / Formaldehyde Junkies / Mormons / Lebenden Toten / Sex Vid / Fucked Up
Distort Archives: #36 (2011) Naked On The Vague / Crazy Spirit / Negative Guest List / Puffy Areolas / Rival Mob / Mike Rep / Billy Bao / Boston Strangler, etc.
Distort Archives: #37 (2013) - Interviews with: Eddy Current Suppression Ring / Brainwashed Youth / Lakes / Bloodclot Faggots / the Inmates / Stab / Negative Guest List Writing on: The Stains / the Kinks / Folded Shirt / Iron Age / Degreaser / Kriegshog / Artificial Peace
Distort Archives: #38 (2013) - Writing on Mugger / Ilegal / CCR / Rule of Thirds / Peste / Absurdo / Holy Terror (Gehenna / Catharsis / Inside Front) / Ausmuteants / Discipline Mag / Low Life / Peacebreakers
Distort Archives: #41 (2013) - Featuring interviews with The Hunches, Night Prowler and Aaron Aspinwall. Writing on Harry Crews, Repairs, Lost Domain, Waste Management, Factorymen, Jackman, Harald Grosskopf, Whores, Inservibles, Vile Gash, Schizophasia, Bits of Shit, Salvation, No Balls.