Seymour Glass started Bananafish magazine in San Francisco, California, in 1987. The name was inspired by J.D. Salinger’s 1948 short story A Perfect Day for Bananafish, one of several stories of this period including a character named “Seymour Glass”. The Bananafish zine (1987-2004) included articles on weird artists, experimental and far out music, found art (like leaflets, handbills or grocery lists) collected in the street, telephone interviews, correspondence with artists, as well as record reviews and complimentary record. But the writing was certainly the most striking feature, somewhere between stream of consciousness, psychotic digressions and plain nonsense. For its keen ear towards Japanoise, American mavericks and general Absurdism, Bananafish is somewhat comparable to Patrick Marley’s Muckracker magazine (ca.1993-98) to which Seymour Glass was also a contributor/reviewer, but also to some of Al Ackerman‘s strangest publications. The last issue of Bananafish, #18, appeared 2004. In 1992, Seymour Glass formed Glands of External Secretion, his duo with Barbara Manning, formerly of The World of Pooh, 1989-93.
♫ The compilation CD is anything if not varied, but 2 major genres emerge throughout. Low fi noise explorations, on the one hand, include free improvised noise by the Nihilist Spasm Band, freaking noise by Justice Yeldham, Witcyst , Crank Sturgeon, and free noise-rock by Sufi Mind Games and Mike Boner. Ambient tracks, on the other hand, include: wonderful Asian field recordings by the Climax Golden Twins, Kosmische Musik a la Tangerine Dream by Japanese Monde Bruits, electroacoustic-cum-harmonium by Stilluppsteypa. Iancu Dumitrescu‘s amazing electroacoustic composition Ouranos belongs to both genres. The disc ends with a Neil Hambuger prank phone call.
See also:
Selections from Bananafish #1-4 >
Bananafish #7 >
01 Climax Golden Twins Locations (4:02)
02 Nihilist Spasm Band No Bananafish (5:26)
03 Justice Yeldham and the Dynamic Ribbon Device Funky Love Blast vs. Funky Anal Humor (8:45)
04 (In Spite of Flaming Creatures) & Deepkiss Branches of Contortionism (3:30)
05 Monde Bruits Do (4:47)
06 Stilluppsteypa An Example of Measurements Stated First (6:58)
07 Iancu Dumitrescu Ouranos (10:09)
08 Sufi Mind Game Blue Kachina (6:38)
09 Witcyst Excerpts From Missing! (4:38)
10 Crank Sturgeon Footpocked y Kettlehole: The Story of My Drink (4:45)
11 Mike Boner Figure Skating Dog (3:32)
12 Neil Hamburger Comedy Fated From The Stars (4:41)
Total time 67:00
Magazine+CD released 1998, San Francisco, Ca.
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I would love to read Bananafish but i have no idea where to get it or if i can get it, would you mind helping me?
Bananafish older issues are not impossible to find items. Some issues pop up now and then on Discogs and eBay. Good luck.
You can also order some of the later issues from Tedium House.
Hi Its Dame Darcy, trying to reach Seymore Glass also known as Chaz, someone contacted me trying to get in touch with Grux but I don’t have his contact info any more, I thought Chaz might? Heres the message they sent ,
Hey Chaz BTW, please call me some time heres my info damedarcy@damedarcy.com
Hi Dame,
I’m the publisher of the Austrian mag Rokko’s Adventures, mainly dealing with noise, art, and crime. Right now I’m in San Francisco and I wanted to do an interview with Grux. As you were active in Caroliner for some time too I wanted to ask you if you could connect me to him?
That would be great!
Thans n best from the West,
Rokko
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