Plastic Crimewave is Steve Krakow, a visual artist, musician, writer, and all-around chronicler of all things psychedelic, retro, and futuristic. It’s hard to say what someone with such a diversity of talents is best known for, but I’ll take a crack and say that his occasionally produced Galactic Zoo Dossier magazine (eight issues in fifteen years) is at least partly responsible for his cult notoriety. Among its many particularities, this free-form art ‘zine is completely hand-lettered by Mr. Crimewave himself — no small feat considering that its page count usually runs into the triple digits. Each issue contains pithy think pieces, unusual readings of pop-cultural phenomena (i.e.. the psychedelic qualities of the Four Tops), long-form interviews, record reviews, and an accompanying CD. Galactic Zoo Dossier is an essential underground document; if you see it, buy it, and don’t think twice.
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Posts Tagged ‘As Above So Below’
Sightings: Checking In with Plastic Crimewave (and Michael Yonkers)
Saturday, March 13th, 2010Reviews: Douglas Mesner, “Good and Bad UFOs” Cassette
Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010
As a child, I had a strong interest in the history and mythology of UFOs and aliens. Despite the many phobias that can afflict a young kid, I was never afraid of ghosts, bogeymen, or monsters — or even the supposedly very real threat of child predators, kidnappers, and serial killers. Instead, I was fascinated and terrified by the prospect of being abducted by aliens and experimented on. Why this terror developed — leading to many sleepless nights and pleadings with my parents to sleep in their room — is not clear to me. Probably a combination of the countless hours I spent watching syndicated episodes of “Unsolved Mysteries” and my youth reading list, which leaned heavily on science fiction. My appetite for material relating to UFOs was as insatiable as it was damaging to my young psyche; and to this day, although I’m a well-adjusted adult, the prospect of alien abduction still stirs deep emotions.
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