Coolest Retard, No. 14, June 1981
Chicago: Self-published. Side-stapled in wraps. Item #4274
4to (8 ½ x 11 in.) Offset. 27 pp. Some noticeable shelf wear and some foxing to front cover, otherwise near fine.
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 Adam And The Ants, Echo And The Bunnymen, and The Effigies. Contains artist profiles on Scraps and The Embarrassment. Also contains an article discussing the modern use of the saxophone in punk, new wave, and funk music, and a negative review about night clubbing in New York City over a weekend.
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