03.Mar.2010 Big Shot #6
The 6th issue of Big Shot, a fanzine dedicated to Jamaican music, soul, and skinhead subculture, was released at the close of 2009. This glossy zine is packed with articles, photos, and reviews. The majority of the features are in German, but several English language pieces appear in the latest issue.
English Features:
The striking color cover highlights the artwork of Chema Skandal, an illustrator and graphic designer from Mexico City. Plenty more illustrations are included alongside the interview with Chema, providing insight into his influences, art methods, and the Mexico scene.
Agent Jay discusses his work with Crazy Baldhead, The Slackers, The Stubborn All Stars, and other projects in a lengthy interview. LA’s own DJ Boss Harmony gets a shout out for his work mixing the tracks for the Slackers “Deep Boss Harmony” album.
A nice photo essay from John South, who put together the “Time Longer Than Rope” ska and reggae fanzine for many years, is featured in this issue’s “Style Museum.” He shares photos and memories from the start of his skinhead days in the late 70s/early 80s.
There is also a nice photo spread from a recent Heptones concert, with lovely photos of Leroy Sibbles and Barry Llewellyn performing.
***
The remaining articles are in German, and I wish I could read them! The Merritone feature looks particularly fascinating (there are some English bits from interviews with Keith Scott and Lynn Taitt…and record labels, song names, etc. stand out). The fanzine also contains a Jackie Opel feature, interviews with Pat Kelly and Toots Hibbert, and plenty of band, album, film, and magazine reviews.
Fanzines are becoming a rarity in the age of the internet, and it’s fantastic to see people dedicating their time and effort to put the subjects they love into print. Big Shot is packed with information, well laid out, and visually appealing. Definitely order your copy before #6 is out of print!
