Tony D. – Tony Drayton to his parents - was founder, publisher and editor of the archetypal, seminal, influential punk fanzine, Ripped & Torn, which ran from 1976-79. Tony F. – who prefers to go by his full name, Tony Fletcher – was founder, publisher and editor of Jamming, which ran from 1977-86. Remarkably, and despite both being so prominent in the London fanzine scene, the pair had never spoken before setting up this podcast interview. That will explain why this episode runs over an hour long, because there was so much to talk about. Included in the conversation, from Tony D.’s perspective:
· Taking the Central Line out to Essex to interview Crass
· Playing “Mods and Rockers” in the primary school playground
· How Tony D. was perceived as Glaswegian but has an English accent
· Growing up in a tiny fishing village
· The mid-70s Scottish music scene
· Tony D’s seminal trip to London to witness the punk scene
· Mark P. of Sniffin’ Glue convincing him to start his own zine
· Ripped & Torn graphics
· Contributors Sandy Robertson and Slip Kid
· The importance of Compendium Books and the Rough Trade record shop
· “Can Rich Stars Rock?”
· A night at the Roxy, circa height of punk rock
· The Ripped & Torn v. Jamming! feud
· Why Adam & The Ants were once the greatest thing ever, and whether we were fooled again by Adam’s ultimate sell-out
· The Public Image cover: “John Lydon… you pathetic little puppet”
· The perils of printing and distribution
· And why Tony D. stopped publishing
Tony went on to start Kill Your Pet Puppy and will be back on the Podcast in the future to talk about that zine and running away with the circus. In the meantime, the book Ripped & Torn 1976-79: The Loudest Punk Fanzine in the UK is available through Omnibus Press at https://omnibuspress.com/products/ripped-torn
And you can find Tony D. on FB if you look for him under his real name.
The Best of Jamming!: Selections and Stories from the Fanzine That Grew Up 1977-86is published by Omnibus Press
OmnibusPress.com
Tony Fletcher can be found at https://tonyfletcher.net/
Tony's latest music, writing and social media can be accessed from https://linktr.ee/TonyFletcher
One Step Beyond podcast is at https://shows.acast.com/onestepbeyond
'The Jamming! Fanzine Podcast Theme'is by Noel Fletcher.
Logo by Greg Morton.
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