Coolest Retard, No. 13, April/May 1981
Chicago: Self-published, 1981. Side-stapled in wraps. Item #4273
4to (8 ½ x 11 in.) Offset. 22 pp. Missing back cover. Minor shelf wear, near fine condition.
One of Chicago’s earliest punk and new wave fanzines, The Coolest Retard ran for 23 issues between 1979 and 1983. Issues featured stories, interviews, columns, record reviews, and live show reviews, with an emphasis on bands and artists from the Chicago area. Packing issues with features on some of the popular bands emerging from the era, The Coolest Retard provides a vivid portrayal of Chicago’s early punk. Its cut-and-paste collage style makes it definitive of the punk zine aesthetic that has lasted to this very day.
Features interviews with Bauhaus and Strike Under, as well as an interview-story with Naked Raygun. Also contains an article on Milwaukee’s budding punk/new wave scene.
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