The Formative Years - Nomeansno 

For the longest time, I have had a love/hate relationship with Nomeansno. While I always loved their fiercely intelligent lyrical emissions which transcended angry sloganeering and could appreciate their willingness to experiment and incorporate progressive rock and jazz influences into their very own brand of punk, the complex instrumentation and borderline mathematical arrangement was more of a deterrent than it reeled me in as a teenager.

I was first introduced to them via a mixtape of Canadian bands that friend of mine compile for me, which included D.O.A., SNFU, Day Glo Abortions and well, Nomeansno. 

It took a couple of years to understand the depth and brilliance of Nomeansno’s oeuvre, which due to the fact of the band starting out as a two-piece, deviated from the standards other full-equipped punk bands were providing. 

With emphasis put on bass, drums and vocals, Nomeansno created their own earthy, unique sound and my favourite period of the band was when Andy Kerr joined the Wright brothers to complete the band with his idiosyncratic guitar tone to record the classic album Small Parts Isolated and Destroyed, which I acquired in form of the CD released via Jello Biafra’s Alternative Tentacles label.

By the time Nomeansno released the fantastically intense Wrong album, I was hooked and travelled far and wide to catch them live when they incarnated in Germany in a live environment, which was never not a mind-blowing experience witnessing them channel their punk roots via noise, prog rock, improvisations and avantgarde rock and performing for hours on end.

Nomeansno redefined what a punk rock could do and have a special place in my personal musical pantheon. The current lockdowns on terra australis gave me time to revisit their entire catalogue and I dare you to dig in as there are so many gems to be found.

Rock ’n' Roll, Sunglasses and Sustainability  – Ozeano Vision

No matter what variant of music or art form you are into, as far as accessories are concerned there is hardly anything as omnipresent and relevant to conveying and reinforcing a certain style than a pair of sunglasses.

From early blues legends via icons like Miles Davis and Keith Richards, sunglasses can emphasize the wearer’s style and catapult things into a new dimension as they instal another barrier, an effortless cool – if done right -  and an intriguing sense of mystique.

There are few everyday carry essentials where tiny details play such a dominant role, especially within the realm of music, some of which have aided in creating a timeless appeal and a thrall that generation after generation falls prey to.

Needless to say, sunglasses also imbue the aforementioned qualities outside the confines of music or stardom and infuse the dreary day-to-day with both a bit of fun and style.

Having meandered through different styles of glasses throughout the years from respectable to the novelty end of the spectrum, if I was to determine my current favourites it would be a melange of classic designs (seasons might come and go but CBGBs era Blondie and Rebel Without A Cause shades have yet to go out of style) mixed with the occasional metal framed model and every now and then a tinge of 1960s psychedelia.  Getting older, ones with chunkier frames and the good ole brow bar metal framed model seem to be exerting an appeal.

All of the aforementioned make a statement and serve as an extension of one’s sense of style and individuality. All the better, if commodities like eyewear can be combined with sustainability, an appreciation for the natural world and a commitment to protecting it, which is where Ozeano Vision enters the picture and found its niche.

In essence, Ozeano Vision is a brand that does not merely pay lip service to being environmentally-friendly, but has its focus firmly set on not only on designing ethically handmade sunglasses using a one hundred percent biodegradable plant-based bio-acetates and extending its efforts to making all ingredients, accessories and packaging organic (even the waterproof case is made of Portuguese cork) and PETA-approved vegan. 

The fact that from the proceeds, Ozeano Vision funds the removal of marine litter and the restoration of vision for people in need in less fortunate regions of this earthround by partnering with relevant charities, adds further communal benefits to its appeal.

I cannot count how many times I have broken glasses, be it by dropping them during a run, sitting on them or causing damage in transit while travelling. The merit of Ozeano Vision’s emissions, however, lies in the fact that they create durable, artisanal shades, which not only feature stylish Australian-made frames but come with a solid metal double hinge with Teflon-coated crews that avoid breaking under impact so that they can be taken on the road with confidence.  Especially the latter is what you want if you make an investment in high calibre polarised sunglasses that are meant to last a lifetime.

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image from company website

The Formative Years - Italian Hardcore 

Not claiming that Italian hardcore comes close to the US, UK, German and Scandinavian bands in terms of the impact it had on me, but when it comes to the formation of my first band, Italian punks from the middle and underclass and the expression of their dissatisfaction with the status quo was instrumental.

Take for example Negazione, founded in 1983 and disbanded nine years late, was one of the earliest Italian punk bands who not only became one of the most important bands for the European movement at large, but whose monumental and classic “Lo Spirito Continua” album from 1986 caused a wave the ripples of which were felt in the new world as well. 

Raw Power is another early Italian band that remains active to this day. I vividly remember the first time I was exposed to the fulminant brilliance that is “Raw Power / Fuck authority” via the Maximum Rock’n Roll compilation “Welcome to 1984” and I could not believe the mind-blowingly sheer and desperate intensity. Their first two more refined long players remain classics in their own rights, with the “Screams from the gutter” album released on Toxic Shock Records following their tour in the US with Dead Kennedys selling close to 50k units. The influence of Raw Power’s US invasion could be heard for years to come in the sound of the second wave of US hardcore bands.

Another all-time favourite band of mine is CCM, an acronym standing for Cheetah Chrome Motherfuckers. The name alone and the fact that they were a punk band from Pisa was enough to intrigue me. With their sound being on the dirtier and darker side of things, an intense frontman going by the name of Syd and their live incarnations being the stuff of legends, I invested quite a bit of my allowance money to track down the original versions of not only their first two 7”s, which are to this day some of my favourite slabs of vinyl from that era, but also their demos.

Enjoy – 

The Formative Years – Skateboarding, Punk and Globe

Skate culture and the niche it has created for itself as part of punk rock culture has always been an interesting sub-genre of the movement.

Musically, especially the early skate core bands infused the scene with a refreshingly high-energy, fast, and melodic tinge, which took hold instantaneously via bands like Circle Jerks, Descendents, Big Boys, Jodie Foster Army and Suicidal Tendencies, which created fertile ground for a myriad of pop punk bands that were to blossom over the next two decades until the genre infiltrated mainstream territory and eventually had Avril Lavigne serenade us about her “skater boy”.

Aesthetically and as far as fashion was concerned, the connection between the vehemence of punk and the aerial stunts skateboarding added an interesting facet to the mix with innovative and fun couture.

An entity that captured my imagination in the early 1990s was an Australian one that by that time already had evolved from the underground Melbourne skate scene to a company with a global footprint in the realm of skate, street, and surf culture, graced with the befittingly telling name Globe International. While my peers decked themselves out in Thrasher and Vans gear, my trusted go-to was Globe.

Ever since the days of appearing on the scene with its debauched skate tours, Globe International became synonymous with skate and later surf- and snowboarding culture in the 1990s and by never having not been disconnected or out of touch with the enthusiasm that drives skate enthusiasts has remained relevant to this day.

While specific styles and fashion has undergone ebbs and flows, I was reconnected with Globe International again recently because of their Living Low Velocity approach to sustainability.

With the core interests of Globe being closely associated with outdoors activity and nature not unlike mine, they made a deliberate effort and took the logical next step off the fast fashion treadmill and transitioned to using more sustainable fibers in their fabrics with less impact on the environment while creating more durable products to eliminate waste, e.g., by using recycled polyester made from plastic bottles and certified organic cotton to limit the use of pesticides.

While remnants my days of actively skating cannot even be seen in the rear mirror anymore, it has been replaced with hiking, running and other outdoor activities, with the ambition to not let the implications of seasons, terrain, or adverse weather conditions hinder my undertakings, which means that proper gear to weather the elements is crucial, especially in countries and territory where fashionable and flimsy gear won’t cut it.

In those moments it feels reassuring to be able to fall back on a reliable entity like Globe, who deliver with the recent collection including a versatile waterproof-breathable Breaker Spray rain jacket, which is not only breathable, suitable for sweat-inducing activities and made in an eco-aware manner but also designed in a way that does not hurt the eye.

I still dig their utilitarian staples like e.g., the timeless old school Foundation pant, which in terms of versatility has yet to see an occasion that it would prove to be completely out of place for, no matter if you are channeling your inner Tony Hawke or going for a smart casual look. 

Having just lived through the Australian winter months, Globe’s flannels, some of which come in enhanced jacket (“shacket”) varieties, do a perfect job of keeping me warm without bulky layering.

Skateboarding shoe-wise, Globe’s Los Angered boots are testament to things having evolved quite a bit over the years in terms of fit and features, specifically when it comes to the use of long lasting Nuback eco-leather, ollie protection for durability and shockbed insoles for impact control. An added bonus is that Globe gives lifetime guarantee for its Low Velocity products, so grind away confidently.

Good to see entities that started it all still have a connection to what it was all inspired by at the core, i.e., being compelled by the possession to skate.

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image from company website

Prestel Publishing

A Visual Protest: The Art of BANKSY

There is no shortage of books on Banksy and his art and no vestige of dwindling interest with the anonymous street artist still being active, popping up around the world to grace our urban surroundings with performative commentary and visual protest.

I must own close to ten books on the subject with some going more in-depth than others and if I were to recommend a single one on Banksy, it would be this one as it spans his entire career and does a great job at illuminating how he works and why he does what he does. Close to eighty of his works are carefully examined and portrayed in an opulently illustrated manner, conveying the vibrancy and context of where they eventuated.

With the author Gianni Mercurio being a luminary in the realm of pop art and graffiti, the recipient is guided through the stages of Banksy’s approach and his artistic process while highlighting what must have influenced the man and how movements like e.g. situationism must have coined his commitment to the subversion of violent protest.

Embedded in essays and contextualising documentation, this is an excellent and timely appreciation of Banksy in a coffee book format and an ode to an essential artist who continues to push boundaries in a bid to challenge the status quo and expose oppression in a manner that resonates with all facets of society with the acute awareness of both the agenda of the oppressor as well as the impact on the oppressed.

A Visual Protest comes as close to being a Banksy encyclopaedia as can be.

The Unseen Archive of Idi Amin 

Idi Amin is arguably one of the most brutal despots in the history of mankind with his dictatorship rampant of human rights abuses and oppression leaving close to half a million causalities in its wake.

As the title suggests, The Unseen Archive of Idi Amin offers unprecedented access to a collection of the Uganda Broadcasting Corporation, which are comprised of photographs taken by his personal staff in a bid to portray his regime in the brightest of colours. Contextualised and arranged thematically, the photos show how Amin tried to secure support via orchestrated propaganda and how he tried to change the public perception of his persona by staging arts and communal events.

Contextualised by essays of experts in the field and archival documentation, the book offers thought provoking and fascinating insights into a dark historical chapter of humanity, which culminates in a portrayal of the lessons learned and how the knowledge can be used for the betterment of Uganda at large and the circumstances of its people.