The first "band" I ever played in was called Royal Flush. We were twelve years old, only one of us really knew how to play an instrument (hint: it wasn't me), and "practice" generally consisted of taking the bus to the Century City shopping center, where we tried to look cool while browsing the sheet music on display at the local record store.
(We failed miserably at this, as it's pretty damn hard to look cool when you're buying folios of Eddie Money's "Two Tickets to Paradise" and "Ease On Down the Road" from The Wiz, and paying for them with pooled fistfuls of loose change.)
Royal Flush broke up before we ever played a gig — before, in fact, our drummer ever even acquired a drum set. But I still remember that brief, mildly ridiculous chapter of my life with great affection.
It only figures, then, that I would have a soft spot for a 'zine called Royal Flush, though trust me when I tell you that this mag is much, MUCH cooler than my band of the same name. Edited and published by my old Revolver colleague Josh Bernstein, the last two issues of Royal Flush were veritable pop culture feasts for the eye and the mind, and the new one looks like it's gonna be even better — and not just because it includes a celebration of Dave Kingman's "colorful" career, penned by me and illustrated by the talented Mr. Bernstein. There's also interviews with Patton Oswalt, Mindless Self Indulgence, Glenn Danzig, Henry Rollins, Ian MacKaye, Jello Biafra and Chuck Dukowski; pieces on the MC5, Iron Maiden, Slash, Ministry, Michael Jackson’s Thriller, Phil Hartman, and pro-wrestler Jerry “The King” Lawler; and a whole lotta killer comic artwork and general freaky shit.
If your local newsstand doesn't carry it (and I'm guessing it doesn't), you can order your copy die-rect from the Royal Flush store. You won't be sorry.
i had a dream about ol' glenn the other night. it was like we were neighbors getting together over lunch or something.
Posted by: Greg Barbera | June 24, 2008 at 05:33 AM