There Was a Time

Great ideas, like pizza and bar-b-que wings, always arrive in the nick of time.
Cancer's Horrorscope June 1995

Well as the holiday comes barreling in like an Axl Rose cat howl (I promise, I'll get off the GnR kick...), I am trying a new approach from my usual 'holiday duck and cover'. I am actively trying to shop NOW instead of at the last minute. Not always successful (I bought myself 2 presents already...), I am really trying to embrace the season. Today's December Rain (Sorry, again...) has put a bit a damper of the brief snow dropping we received over the weekend. Yesterday it was 20 something degree-- as I type this, it is forty-freakin-seven degrees! Weird, for sure. But we got some of the holiday decorations up, some lights strung inside and the evergreen tree will be bringing the outdoors in in matter of days. The kids love the holiday, so it is tough to be my usual scroogey self.

So then, what better way to 'salebrate' the holidays? A Summer Slack! You know when it's snowy, ya get nostalgic for the Summer and visa-versa. So I give you:

Slack issue #16- The Summer Fun Issue (#2) June 1995
(published 06.09.95)

Like the mysterious photo below of the 3 great record stores that once graced Elmwood Avenue that are no longer around, this issue of Slack signaled a riff in the time space continuum. There was a 6-month gap between issue #15 and this one and the signal of the end drawing near was starting to be heard. There was going to be four more issues after this one, stretching out until March 1996, the following year.

But anyway... this issue has some good writing in it, strangely overwhelmed by ads, which was never a thing with the Slack. The advertising, in truth, barely paid the printing bills as I was spending my own cash at the copy store often. But the kids trudged on, drank beer and reveled in being different, eh? Square Pegs (thank you Waitresses), misfits, outcasts, weirdos, smokers, heavy drinkers, all of ya... well you get the picture.

The Summer issue includes a boxy photo essay of Elmwood Avenue, which looks in these photos, exactly like it does today with the Poster Art, the 24 Store, the Elmwood Lounge (mentioning Lance), and the Towne Restaurant. In fact, the only businesses referenced that have gone missing are the 3 records stores-- and it is a crying shame. RIP- Home of the Hits, the old NWR up by Utica and the Apollo Records, where I bought a lot of my hip-hop 12"s that I am still playing today. Paid in Full- Six Minutes of Madness, anyone....?

This issue includes the start of a new Slacker in Space (which we never got to see the end of 4 issues later), a Raisin Blowme story on Drive-Ins, a Tony B Grateful Dead Summer Vacation story and some Bitter Boy Summer in Buffalo Tips. The Cool Like Dat music section features a big story on the Scott Carpenter and The Real McCoys 2AM Tragedy record-- the band maybe at its high point?, the 1st Tricky LP, and a Scotty piece on local space-rockers Spawn.

Another interesting thing in this issue is ad for the Friendship Festival 4-day rock-n-roll show put on by ICONcerts featuring a stunning who's who in 1995 Canadian rock. And believe you me, there was a time, mmmm around 1995 I believe, when the Canucks up North supplied this fair Queen City which a good dose of musical talent. A time when CFNY gave us all we needed. I am not kidding. Days 3 and 4 of this 4-day rock fest included 26 mostly Canadian bands- a few that you might remember: Barenaked Ladies, Moxy Fruvus, The Waltons, the Wild Strawberries, Rheostatics, 54-40, The Watchmen, I Mother Earth, Pure, Odds, The Gandharvas, the Tea Party, hHead, Headstone and click on the ad (to the right -->) for a full page version to see for yourself. Meanwhile the US contributed day 2 with Ted Nugent and Bad Company. I should mock them, right? I have been listening to GnR for days, what is wrong with me?!?!

Download PDF here:
Slack Magazine n. 16, the Summer Issue (4.1 mg)

Don't forget these issues already up (3 more to go)!:
Slack Magazine n. 18, The Two-Year Anniversary! issue
Slack Magazine n. 15, The Local Music Issue
Slack Magazine n. 14, The Cartoon Issue
Slack Magazine n. 13, The Food & Beverage Issue
Slack Magazine n. 12, The One-Year Anniversary Issue
Slack Magazine n. 11, The True Crime Issue
Slack Magazine n. 10, Summer Fun Issue
Slack Magazine n. 9, The Dead Rock Stars Issue
Slack Magazine n. 8, The Beer Issue
Slack Magazine n. 7, Slack Goes to The Movies Issue
Slack Magazine n. 6, The Buffalo Issue
Slack Magazine n.5, The Slack TV Issue
Slack Magazine n. 4, SEX in the '90s Issue
Slack Magazine n. 3, The Politico Issue
Slack Magazine n. 2, The Travel Issue
Slack Magazine n. 1, The Debut Issue