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Still Thinking was initially a zine that published three issues and then became a label that put out two releases. And although that doesn't sound like much there was a lot of unique things about this zine and label. The zine was the combined efforts of some regular and one off contributors which evolved around these kids who went to the same high school in Port Credit. I interviewed Shawn Chirrey (Tomorrow is Too Late) and Vik Adhopia (CBC radio reporter) who were two of the main contributors about the issues and the interviews that appeared in them. Vik worked at the school's yearbook and brought his early journalism and layout skills to the zine. And Shawn had a familial hook up to a printer and the zine was a four page saddlle stiched booklet that made the zine looked pretty professional. The zine stood out not only for their looks but for their coverage which was a mix of hardcore, industrial, metal, and other sounds that made up the alternative scene at the time. Then we talk about the label departure which started out with a local compilation that doubled as a benefit for Nicaragua. And finally the North American licensing of the Heresy "Face Up To It" LP that was not exclusive and basically sunk the label. A music playlist gets developed around our conversations that was not what I expected. Here is their story.
DESCENDENTS - Suburban Home (SST)
Still Thinking interview (CIUT)
THE CURSE - Shoeshine Boy (Hi Fi)
Still Thinking interview (CIUT)
7 SECONDS - Walk Together, Rock Together (BYO / Positive Force)
Still Thinking interview (CIUT)
HYPE - It's All Hype (Reuben Kincaide)
Still Thinking interview (CIUT)
THE CRUCIFUCKS - Hinkley Had a Vision (Alternative Tentacles)
Still Thinking interview (CIUT)
CORROSION OF CONFORMITY - Technocracy (Death / Combat Core / Fringe / Metal Blade)
DIRTY ROTTEN IMBECILES - I Don't Need Society (Death / Enigma)
Still Thinking interview (CIUT)
DAYGLO ABORTIONS - Religious Bumfucks (Fringe / Toxic Shock / God / Beer City / Unrest)
Still Thinking interview (CIUT)
SONS OF ISHMAEL - Slow Children Playing (Still Thinking)
Still Thinking interview (CIUT)
MINUTEMEN - The Only Minority (SST)
Still Thinking interview (CIUT)
DAG NASTY - One to two (Dischord)
Still Thinking interview (CIUT)
DEZERTER - Ku Przyszlosci (MRR)
Still Thinking interview (CIUT)
HERESY - Network of Friends (Still Thinking)
NUNFUCKERS - Be yourself (Still Thinking)
Shawn has been involved in a lot of important things in Toronto which are too numerous to mention here, but involve vegetarian stores, public health and the Tomorrow is Too Late book. And Vik does some important reporting on CBC radio and tries to work in band lyrics into his headlines so if you catch his stories play name that tune with him.
Part two of the Tomorrow is Too Late series is More Stupid Initials, more commonly known as M.S.I. This is a band that was very close to me and by that I mean they were a group of kids that I got to hang out with. They were group of friends in the scene, so they mean a lot to me. But they also played an important part of the Toronto Hardcore scene. They were Toronto's first straight edge band, but they didn't sound like a typical straight edge band. As a result they caught a lot of people off guard. So we try and get at the essence of this band decades later. Tim, Paul, Derek and Glen were in on the interview. John couldn't make it. And this interview was editted and produced by Rob Ferraz for radio. Photos by Kim Glaholm. If you listen to these on an MP3 player here is a download for an MP3 file of the show.
MORE STUPID INITIALS - You (Bring Your Own Bands / Schizophrenic)
MORE STUPID INITIALS - Interview (CIUT)
MORE STUPID INITIALS - Forced Beliefs (Bring Your Own Bands / Schizophrenic)
MORE STUPID INITIALS - Interview (CIUT)
MORE STUPID INITIALS - Army Mentality (Bring Your Own Bands / Schizophrenic)
MORE STUPID INITIALS - Interview (CIUT)
MORE STUPID INITIALS - Back in Control (Bring Your Own Bands / Schizophrenic)
MORE STUPID INITIALS - Interview (CIUT)
MORE STUPID INITIALS - Choke / Fighting for Nothing (Bring Your Own Bands / Schizophrenic)
MORE STUPID INITIALS - Interview (CIUT)
MORE STUPID INITIALS - Choice (Bring Your Own Bands / Schizophrenic)
MORE STUPID INITIALS - Generic Straightedge Song (Bring Your Own Bands / Schizophrenic)
MORE STUPID INITIALS - Interview (CIUT)
MORE STUPID INITIALS - Generic Straightedge Song (Schizophrenic)
MORE STUPID INITIALS - Interview (CIUT)
MORE STUPID INITIALS - Addict (Bring Your Own Bands / Schizophrenic)
MORE STUPID INITIALS - Interview (CIUT)
MORE STUPID INITIALS - Infection (Still Thinking / Schizophrenic)
MORE STUPID INITIALS - Interview (CIUT)
MORE STUPID INITIALS - The Border Song (Bucko-5 / Schizophrenic)
MORE STUPID INITIALS - Interview (CIUT)
MORE STUPID INITIALS -Rear View Mirror (Bucko-5 / Schizophrenic)
MORE STUPID INITIALS - Interview (CIUT)
The last issue of Still Thinking to come out although there was a fourth issue that they were hoping to publish. Looks like this came out after the "Progress?!" compilation written about elsewhere on the blog. Still Thinking interviewed C.O.C. in their first issue and the familiarity with them helps the interviewer cut straight to the chase with getting to label mismanagement from the outset. They talk about political action and peace and boxer shorts...... It is a pretty good interview. At least better than the first one.
A mail interview with CONCRETE SOX follows this up. This was the first mail interview I read in Still Thinking. Usually they interview bands that have come through town. This interview is with the bass player, Les. This is one of the best interviews I have read in this zine. The interview starts out with he various line up changes that bring them to the line up at the time. They talk about the lyric absences with the HERESY split, specifically the lack of animal rights songs. There is a discussion about anarchism and how to bring it about, similar to Marx evolution from capitalism to communism. There is a discussion about their scene in Nottingham and their loss of their club. They talk about the metal influence on hardcore and they bring up the VARUKERS offshoot band ARBITRAITOR. The song "Speak Siberian or Die" comes up with CONCRETE SOX critique of the racist sentiments behind "Speak English or Die" by S.O.D. They talk about their views on Religion with a few songs.
A phone interview with Alec Mackaye is done about IGNITION. This was the period just after the first two singles. IGNITION were working on their first full length. There is talk of reviews, talk about DAG NASTY and talk about touring up in Toronto, which never happened.
The next interview is with Mike Watt of FIREHOSE and they start out by talking about how MINUTEMEN formed which was fascinating. Then they dig back further with talk about the REACTIONARIES. They talk about how MINUTEMEN formed out of that, what the scene was like and what role Raymond Pettibon played in the band. But this talks into how important Raymond Pettibon's artwork is and how protecting Jello was actually protecting Raymond. And eventually they get into how FIREHOSE came to be with Ed from Ohio coming down to audition. There is a number of songs explained through the interview which you don't see in a lot of interviews.
And this must be one of the first FUGAZI interviews as well. This is with Ian Mackaye and like most interviews I have read with Ian you come out feeling inspired. The interview covers the lineage of the band, how the PAILHEAD project came together, how Revolution Summer came together, some MINOR THREAT gossip, Positive Force DC, some compilations about to come out, and the need to be active. "Always outraged and never discouraged".
There is an incredible scene report on the Polish scene which talks about some of the difficulties of being a punk in Soviet Poland. Particularly getting jailed or sent to do mandatory military service. And bands having problems getting past censors or being able to afford equipment or riding a place to practise. There is a great list of bands that were active past and present. Just a unique time capsule of punk behind the iron curtain. And they were also starting to make contact with bands from East Germany, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and Russia. Good to see these scenes networking.
And then there is a DC holy trinity interview with Brian Baker about DAG NASTY. Brian starts out talking about the early days of MINOR THREAT. There is some great insight into the band dynamics specifically with Lyle Preslar. There is a part two of this interview that is supposed to be for the next issue, but the next issue didn't come out as far as I know.
The second issue of Still Thinking starts out with an interview with Alice from CHUMBAWAMBA (pre-Tub Thumbing days). Alice provides into Chumba`s approach as punks and asks the important question `Where are the women at in the punk scene?"
MALHAVOC are interviewed in their horror metal phase. James talks about influences which includes Flemish painters and industrial music. So this is insight into what the direction they would start going. And at the time they were working on a release with Diabolic force, which never came out.
DEATH OF GODS were a hardcore band from Mississauga, also known as D.O.G. The band split right when their cassette came out and half the band left to form M.S.I. The group that stayed recruited new members and would go on to self release an ep. They had a New York hardcore sound at a time when that sound was being carved out by Straight Ahead and Youth of Today. Locals liked them for that. But this interview has them not taking the interview too seriously and you miss the appeal of the band. Nonetheless one of the few interviews they would do before calling it quits.
There is a scene report from Arizona on the Pheonix scene. The report is written by the drummer of YOUTH UNDER CONTROL. He writes about the bands at the time which included DESECRATION and LAST OPTION. And he writes about some of the zines, but Hippycore, which was the most well known zine to come from Pheonix, was not in that list. Odd because Jack from Desecration was a big part of the zine and Joel would go on to work for Profane Existence.
ANOTHER DESTRUCTIVE SYSTEM, from L.A., get interviewed. This anarchist band were in the process of releasing a 12" on Mortarhate. They talked about how direct action can work and were advocating for an anti ripoff promotion collective which targeted Goldenvoice.
DESPERATE MINDS from Kamloops played in Toronto and had just released an ep. Sean, the singer was interviewed and talked about an organizing collective called K.I.D.S. which sounds like it was inspired by B.Y.O. and Positive Force.
There is an interview with an industrial band called VAROSHI FAME. And that was followed by an interview with DARREN COPELAND, a teen from Mississauga who did experimental music. This started reflecting the DIY alternative scenes and the influences of the zine contributors at the time. Even industrial reviews started showing up in the review section.
One of the only interviews I read with DEAD MILKMEN and one of the funniest. The jokes about the Philly scene are hilarious. DEAD MILKMEN have great insight into politics. This was at the time when they were working on their second album. And they didn't do well on their Canadian punk trivia.
There is a few fun pieces too like the "Radio Moscow" piece which is a made up story of spins and conspiracies reflecting Cold War mentalities at the time. There is a mock interview with DURAN DURAN which is also pretty funny.
More humour and more industrial coverage.
Still Thinking was a great zine from Mississauga and this was the first issue. The zine was put together by a group of friends the core of which went to Port Credit Secondary School. In reading the review section of this issue I realized that there were quite a few really good zines to come out of Mississauga and at this time some of those included Subject to Change, Tunga Tunga, and Photodrome. Still Thinking also involved a large group of people while most zines were usually the effort of one individual which makes it unusually. Out of the group of listed creators quite a few of them have gone onto do some amazing things, but I won't get into that here. This first issue is 36 pages in length and is a professional looking print job with heavier than normal bond paper and saddle stitching which is the staples in the middle. The zine is 8-1/2" x 11" size and they used a computer to type up most of the transcripts, but the design is also unique. The design was a departure from the cut and paste method of zines prior to this, but the zine was also prior to desktop publishng so pictures and photos appear at the end of interviews and not mixed throughout. However the zine also had a lot of artists and they hand drew a lot of pieces on the interview pages and as a result the design elements were above and beyond what I had seen in zines before. This zine stood out from many zines that have come out of Toronto.
This issues starts out with an interview with Kevin Seconds (singer) and Troy (drummer) of 7 Seconds. 7 Seconds played Rochester the night before a bunch of folks from Toronto went to the show because this was the band's only regional appearances. One of those persons was Jill Heath and she had a show booked the next night with Christ on Parade and Slapshot if my memory serves me. The show had fallen through. As Jill got to talking to 7 Seconds they had a night off, jill convinced them to come and play Toronto. They agreed and they brought up the band they were on tour with which was Youth of Today. Youth of Today had not released their single yet because most of their set consisted of songs from that which culminated in what I feel is their best song to date "Youth Crew". But what was more inspiring was that at least 200 kids showed up to this unannounced show purely based on a punk rock phone tree that just happened of its own accord. None of that is in the interview. But we learn that the band has a new line up and they are supporting the "New Wind" record so it was at that period when U2 was a big influence on them.
There is a great interview with Hype who were an incredible hardcore band from Oakville. Hype lived in a house and there was a fire that burned most of the band's equipment and I believe a reel tape of their new recording. This story actually becomes the name for their second album, but they were still writing for this LP. The band had just had the Barbisan brothers join them so it was their second line up. And an editted version of this interview appears in MRR #40. What I like about this interview is it captures some of the hardships of a band from a suburb trying to break into the Toronto scene which I have often heard as being very clique-ish.
This also contains one of the few interviews I have read on the Crucifucks. The Crucifucks were from Michigan and they played Toronto with a new line up but prior to writing "Wisconsin". Doc Dart is an interesting character regardless and he talks about the first album, about the Rock Against Reagan tour that they played. He also talks about his lack of faith in democracy which i think he is right about and he talks about cops. All of it is super insightful.
There is six pages on skating, two of whhich are an interview with a local skater. There are some photo pages of kids doing aerial tricks which is pretty spectacular. And then there is an article on underground garages and that they should be used in the winter when outdoor places are unavailable. There are tips on how to access them and tips on how to get security guards on your side. All very helpful.
DRI and COC toured up here and this issue has both crossover legends in the same issue. Spike from DRI talks about their "Argument then Tour" tour and the guys from C.O.C. elude to how this is how the band actually operated. The band was playing two songs from "Crossover" at the time but mostly the set was filled with "Dealing With It" material. Mike Dean (bassist) and Woody (guitarist) for C.O.C. are interviewed with Simon Bob making a late appearance. This was prior to "Technocracy" being written and "Animosity" had bene out for a while. C.O.C. makes comparisons between Toronto and Raleigh and express some frustation in working with Metal Blade.
There is an interview with Resistance from Victoria, BC which is one of the only interviews I have seen with this band. They played here and I remember buying the tape which also gets reeviewed in this issue. I think it was called "Irresistable". I do remember them sounding very oi like even though they deny that sound in the interview.
The review section is a real snapshot of the time and I was also gald to see the review of the Death of Gods tape "The Great Omnipotent Deceiver". 21 song tape that laso has a full page add on the inside back cover. One of Toronto's great underrated bands from the Mississauga area. tere is also reviews of the last One Solution zine and the Random Killing single and a Malhovoc demo.
Milo, Bill and Tonyfrom the Descendents are also interviewed and they played up here in support of the "Enjoy" LP even though you couldn;t find that record up here. They talk about the joys of farting, previous releases, Black Flag, and their raison d'etre, which is friendship. Milo and Bill Stevenson were childhood friends and that is how this band came together and stayed together.
Lastly the zine has an interview with Sons of Ishmael as a four piece. Paul Morris had just joined the band and Tim was playing bass at the time. Tim talks about Meaford, which explains a lot about the inpiration behind "Small Town Mentality" which is the song that they are best known for.
The zine ends with a section on animal rights which contains some list of products tested on animals. There is also a vegan recipe. But they promise to improve on the section in the next issue so they didn't feel good about what was in there.