Art Terrorism in Ohio: Cleveland Punk, the Mimeograph Revolution, Devo, Zines, Artists’ Periodicals, and Concrete Poetry, 1964-2011
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Art Terrorism in Ohio: Cleveland Punk, The Mimeograph Revolution, Devo, Zines, Artists’ Periodicals, and Concrete Poetry, 1964-2011. The Catalog for the Inaugural Exhibition at Division Leap Gallery. Part 1: Cleveland Punk [Nos. 1-22] Part 2: Devo, Evolution, & The Mimeograph Revolution [Nos. 23-33] Part 3: Zines, Artists’ Periodicals, The Mimeograph Revolution & Poetry [Nos.34-100] This catalog and exhibition arose out two convictions; that the Cleveland Punk movement in the 70’s is one of the most important and overlooked art movements of the late 20th century, and that it is fruitful to consider it in context of its relationship with several other equally marginalized contemporary postwar Ohio art movements in print; The Mimeograph Revolution, the zine movement, concrete poetry, and mail art. Though some pioneering music criticism, notably the work of Heylin and Savage, has placed Cleveland as being of central importance to the proto-punk narrative, it remains largely marginalized as an art movement. This may be because of geographical bias; Cleveland is a long way from New York or London. This is despite the fact that the bands involved were heavily influenced by previous art movements, especially the electric eels, who, informed by Viennese Aktionism, Albert Ayler, and theories of anti- music, were engaged in a savage form of performance art which they termed “Art Terrorism” which had no parallel at the time (and still doesn’t). It is tempting to imagine what response the electric eels might have had in downtown New York in the early 70’s, being far more provocative than their distant contemporaries Suicide. Yet it seems impossible to imagine the eels playing a Soho loft, or for that matter to have come from anywhere but Cleveland. In this regard this exhibition also became a geographical investigation. What is it about Ohio that has led to so much great postwar art in a variety of interconnected mediums? As we assembled this material and rearranged it we found numerous connections. Zines of the region were informed by the precedent of d.a. levy and the Mimeograph Revolution. Band members published and contributed to zines and little poetry magazines. rjs published the foundational text of Devo [item 24], and members of Devo contributed early work to Shelly’s Magazine[#25]. Zines published advertisements for mail art shows. Ohio in this period is a prism in which to examine how these movements can work together and produce an important body of work with almost no support or recognition apart from fellow artists. As such, it belongs to that secret history of artists’ in the latter half of the 20th century working outside of the mainstream, which continues to inspire us. Division Leap Member ABAA, ILAB Adam Davis & Kate Schaefer, Proprietors 917 SW Oak St. #314 Portland, OR 97205 917 922 0587 [email protected] Please note our new address. After many years in New York, we have returned to the Great Northwest. The new home of Division Leap is on the third floor of the North Pacific Building, in downtown Portland, near Powell’s. In addition to hosting our office and selections from our inventory, the new space will host a small gallery which will exhibit both historical and contemporary material. We will continue to publish from this location as well. We welcome visitors by appointment. Terms: All items subject to prior sale. We recommend reserving by email or phone. Shipping is additional and at cost. Payment due with order unless prior arrangements have been made. Payment can be made by check (drawn on a U.S. bank), Visa/Mastercard, or Paypal. All items are guaranteed to be as described and may be returned for any reason within ten days of receipt provided advance notice is given. We are members of the ABAA (Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America) and ILAB (International League of Antiquarian Booksellers) and adhere to the strict ethical codes of both organizations. Upcoming Fairs: RBMS Conference Hilton Baton Rouge Capitol Center June 21st The New York Art Book Fair September 30-October 2nd P.S. 1, Queens The Seattle Antiquarian Book Fair October 8-9 Seattle Center Exhibition Hall The WFMU Record Fair October 28-30 Metropolitan Pavilion, New York City 1. [Akron]. Archive of Akron Punk Flyers. [Akron]: 1980- 1986. Mostly 8 1/2 x 11" sheets, xeroxed or offset printed on various colors and thicknesses of paper stock. The occasional crease or short edge tear, but easily very good. $450 An archive of 23 flyers documenting the thriving underground and new wave music scene in Akron in the early to mid 80's. Most of the shows advertised here were held at the Bank, the punk club located in a ten story former bank building whose dilapidated splendor hosted the Akron new wave scene. The club was later immortalized in Derf’s graphic novel “Punk Rock and Trailer Parks.” There are also a couple of posters for shows at The Dale, which was near Akron University. The lot Includes posters for shows by Tormentors, Zero Defex, The Action, The Vapors, The Psychotics, F-Models, Teacher’s Pet, and a show for the Boredom Magazine Night (for the zine Boredom, see item #88) 2. Black Orchid Society. Original Business Card for the Black Orchid Society. Cleveland: Black Orchid Society, nd [c. 1974]. 2 x 3 1/2" sheet of card stock printed in raised black lettering on white card stock. Fine. $125 An original example of this artists’ multiple as business card, and a fascinating example of artistic “incorporation” and the appropriation of corporate strategies. The Black Orchid Society was the name given to the organization run by Peter Laughner and Charlotte Pressler, to promote the activities of Laughner’s musical projects and related acts, including Rocket From the Tombs and the early stages of Pere Ubu. The card bears a symbol of a family holding hands in a house, with rays of energy moving outward, and the legend "Live Better Electrically.” This was the name of a comprehensive advertising campaign by General Electric, primarily aimed at rural communities – perhaps a commentary on the cultural isolation of Ohio. The card bears the address of The Plaza, the building co-owned by Allen Ravenstine which became the epicenter of the Cleveland punk scene. "it was a really nice old building in a terrible neighborhood. .we were into this urban pioneer thing, which was a bunch of kids born in the suburbs moving back into the city, because they though the city should live." [David Thomas, quoted in SPIN July 1999]. 3. [CLE Magazine] Promotional Poster for Cle Magazine and The Drome. Cleveland: 1978. 13 x 6 1/2" sheet, xeroxed in b/w on glossy paper, with holograph notations in pink colored pencil. folded once, with creasing, pinholes at corners, still about very good. $200 An original poster put out by the Drome and Cle Magazine, urging bands to be interviewed for CLE and to avail themselves of the space above the Drome for photos and interviews. Possibly a mockup, given the holograph captions. CLE was the longest-running and most famous of the Cleveland punk zines. The Drome was the Cleveland Heights record store where Ellis, and at one time Peter Laughner, worked. Much as Jim Lowell’s Asphodel Bookstore had acted as shelter to Cleveland’s Mimeograph Revolution, the Drome fostered the Cleveland Punk scene. 4. [CLE Magazine]. Friday The 13th - 9 PM. Welcome Back Skylab! CLE Magazine Benefit Starring Nuclear Records' Chronics Veland's Handsome Backdoor Men Drome Records' Bernie & The Invisibles Mustardrecordingartist Andrew Klimek Brian Sands Very Special Guests Pere Ubu. Cleveland: [1979]. 8 1/2 x 11" sheet of yellow card stock, offset printed. Ink notations [see description], 5" crease to upper right tip, still about very good. $75 The original flyer for this 1979 CLE Magazine benefit at the Real World Niteclub, which was the club situated above the legendary record store The Drome. Various band names are crossed out in blue ball point, and the price is revised downward several times, leading us to believe that this was the flyer at the door that night, with the price dropping as different bands finished their sets. 5. electric eels. Two Photographs of the electric eels. [Cleveland]: c. 1973-4. Two unattributed photographs, one 6 x 8", the second 5 1/2 x 7". Both photographs with strong creases, and a single pinhole to one; good only. $5000 Two original photographs of America's greatest proto-punk band, one of which became the defining image of the group after being reproduced in CLE #3A. The first shows singer Dave E. wearing a mask, while Johnny Morton reaches across to adjust something behind his back. Nick Knox (later of Cramps fame) is in the center of the photograph, looking intently at the photographer, with Brian McMahon in the background. The verso of the photograph bears reproduction notes in ink, and this is the same copy that is reproduced in the aforementioned issue of CLE, as can be determined by comparing the crease marks on the print to the reproduced image. The second photograph shows the singer Dave E. wearing a manic smile, hands held to head, with wire wrapped around his hands. This photograph, to the best of our knowledge, has not been published. We believe that these are the only extant prints of either photograph. The electric eels were the most provocative and nihilistic of all proto-punk bands. Despite never having released an LP while active, and having a performance history that only included five shows, their influence is still being sorted out to this day, with rock scribes such as Savage and Heylin placing them as an influence of central importance to the punk narrative.