Absolutely Zippo
Encyclopedia
Absolutely Zippo is a punk rock
fanzine
created by Robert Eggplant
to document the happenings of the East Bay
Berkeley
punk scene during its heyday in the late 1980s/early 1990s. Contributors included Aaron Cometbus
of Cometbus fame (writing under the pen name "Skrub"), Billie Joe Armstrong
of Green Day
(who wrote 2 brief articles about how to be a couch potato) and Larry Livermore
of Lookout! Records
.
Absolutely Zippo was known for scene reports, record and show reviews, band photos (often grainy and low-quality due to cheap photocopying), stories, comics, rants, editorials, artwork and more. The 16th issue, released in 1992, was accompanied by the cassette
tape compilation Later The Same Year, which included songs by bands such as Filth
, Gru'ups, Spitboy
, Jack Acid, Good Grief, Downfall, Grimple, Monsula, Chicken Head and many others. It was later reissued on SPAM Records in CD format. Absolutely Zippo was unique in that Robert Eggplant was a member of the bands Blatz
, The Hope Bombs
and more recently Harbinger
, as well as a volunteer at 924 Gilman Street
, and so offered an inside, on the frontlines view of the punk scene.
In 2000, Absolutely Zippo was complied and released in paperback form. This volume is entitled Absolutely Zippo: Anthology of a Fanzine 1989 - 1998. Since that time over ten issues have been released including one issue made from paper rescued by 'dumpster diving
'.
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
fanzine
Fanzine
A fanzine is a nonprofessional and nonofficial publication produced by fans of a particular cultural phenomenon for the pleasure of others who share their interest...
created by Robert Eggplant
Robert Eggplant
Robert Burnett, better known as Robert Eggplant, is a writer, publisher, musician and activist from California.- background :Born in 1973, Robert Eggplant has been the editor and publisher of Absolutely Zippo fanzine since 1987. The zine has documented the East Bay punk subculture from a...
to document the happenings of the East Bay
East Bay (San Francisco Bay Area)
The East Bay is a commonly used, informal term for the lands on the eastern side of the San Francisco Bay, in the San Francisco Bay Area, in California, United States...
Berkeley
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
punk scene during its heyday in the late 1980s/early 1990s. Contributors included Aaron Cometbus
Aaron Cometbus
Aaron Elliott , better known as Aaron Cometbus, is an American drummer, lyricist, self-described "punk anthropologist," novelist, and author of punk rock zine Cometbus.-Personal life:...
of Cometbus fame (writing under the pen name "Skrub"), Billie Joe Armstrong
Billie Joe Armstrong
Billie Joe Armstrong is an American rock musician and occasional actor, best known as the lead vocalist, main songwriter and lead guitarist for the American punk rock band Green Day...
of Green Day
Green Day
Green Day is an American punk rock band formed in 1987. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tre Cool...
(who wrote 2 brief articles about how to be a couch potato) and Larry Livermore
Larry Livermore
Lawrence "Larry" Hayes , best known by the pseudonym Larry Livermore, is an American musician, record producer, and music journalist. He is best known as the co-founder of Lookout! Records.-Biography:...
of Lookout! Records
Lookout! Records
-History:Larry Livermore and David Hayes formed the label in 1987. From the start, Lookout released punk rock records, but over time expanded its scope to include various types of pop rock, reggae fusion, acoustic rock, pop punk, and indie rock...
.
Absolutely Zippo was known for scene reports, record and show reviews, band photos (often grainy and low-quality due to cheap photocopying), stories, comics, rants, editorials, artwork and more. The 16th issue, released in 1992, was accompanied by the cassette
Cassette culture
Cassette culture, or the cassette underground , refers to the practices surrounding amateur production and distribution of recorded music that emerged in the late 1970s via home-made audio cassettes...
tape compilation Later The Same Year, which included songs by bands such as Filth
Filth (band)
Filth is a hardcore punk band from East Bay, California.-Biography:Formed in the East Bay in 1989, from the ashes of Isocracy, the Vagrants, and Crimpshrine; Filth was a crustcore band that would help define the later "East Bay Hardcore" style...
, Gru'ups, Spitboy
Spitboy
Spitboy was an American anarcho-punk band founded in San Francisco, California in the early 1990s by four women. Within their music they aggressively criticized patriarchy and gender roles.-History:...
, Jack Acid, Good Grief, Downfall, Grimple, Monsula, Chicken Head and many others. It was later reissued on SPAM Records in CD format. Absolutely Zippo was unique in that Robert Eggplant was a member of the bands Blatz
Blatz (band)
Blatz was a punk band formed in 1989 in Berkeley, California. Blatz came out of the 924 Gilman Street Project scene during the late '80s, and early '90s along with bands like Operation Ivy, Filth, and Green Day.-History:...
, The Hope Bombs
The Hope Bombs
The Hope Bombs were a self-proclaimed "geekcore" band, existing from 1994 to 1997. They helped pioneer the development of alternative punk scenes in the San Francisco East Bay.-History:...
and more recently Harbinger
Harbinger (band)
Harbinger is a band formed in 1997 in Berkeley, California featuring three prominent members from the East Bay punk scene:* Robert Eggplant , formerly of Blatz, The Hope Bombs, and editor of the zine Absolutely Zippo....
, as well as a volunteer at 924 Gilman Street
924 Gilman Street
924 Gilman Street is an all-ages, not for profit, collectively organized music club usually referred to by its fans simply as "The Gilman." It is located in the West Berkeley area of Berkeley, California about a mile and a half west of the North Berkeley BART station and a quarter-mile west of San...
, and so offered an inside, on the frontlines view of the punk scene.
In 2000, Absolutely Zippo was complied and released in paperback form. This volume is entitled Absolutely Zippo: Anthology of a Fanzine 1989 - 1998. Since that time over ten issues have been released including one issue made from paper rescued by 'dumpster diving
Dumpster diving
Dumpster diving is the practice of sifting through commercial or residential trash to find items that have been discarded by their owners, but that may be useful to the dumpster diver.-Etymology and alternate names:...
'.