Saucer Attack!

Here's the cover art for the ultra cool, long awaited Roctober interview compilation tome, Flying Saucers Rock'n'Roll! This astonishing volume features in depth interviews with amazing musicians like our three cover stars, Sam The Sham, Zory Zenith (the singer of Zolar X) and Sugar Pie DeSanto. Also included are 10 interior illustrations by your old pal King Merinuk! I'm not sure of the exact release date but it should be out by this summer. Stay tuned for MORE ACTION!

News Of The Saucers

Latest word is that Flying Saucers Rock'n'Roll, the amazin' compilation volume of wigged out interview action from the august pages of Roctober magazine which I have been blabbin' about since the very beginning of this here blog will finally be hitting the streets sometime in the spring or summer of 2011. In fact I have just agreed to draw the cover art for this epic tome to go along with the 10 interior illustrations that I drew back in 2009. To celebrate this thrilling news flash, here's another illo from the book featuring outlaw country legend David Allan Coe. This career spanning DAC interview is probably the single best and most astonishing conversation in Roctober history. In fact, it's actually the thing that made me the huge DAC fan that I am today, so I was super-stoked to get to do this illustration to accompany its reappearance in FSR&R. More info on the book (and maybe a sneak peek at the cover art) as we get closer to the street date. Stay tuned for MORE ACTION!

Hamzig IV

The current issue of Roctober has been out for a couple months now so I guess it's okay to post up this latest Hamzig installment as published therein. If you haven't picked up Roctober #48 yet, get over to www.roctober.com and grab it, cuz it's yet another king-sized cornucopia of the wildest weirdness (un)popular culture has to offer. Should have some more new stuff to post in the next few days so... Stay tuned for MORE ACTION!

Stay Sick

This cryptic bit of Crampage was drawn for Roctober magazine's 2007 spinoff publication Chic-A Go-Go Comics. It's based on a frame from a video interview with The Cramps conducted by puppet mascot Ratso which was aired on the Chic-A Go-Go cable access TV show. This drawing also appeared in Roctober #47 as part of their tribute to Lux Interior following his tragic death. Stay tuned for MORE ACTION!

Coffin Nails

This lovable character is Smokin' Dick, subject of a song by Chicago's Goblins that appeared on a 7" flexidisc issued by Roctober magazine way back in 1995. There was some talk of building a Muppet-style Smokin' Dick puppet to help get the song's anti-smoking message across to the kids, but I don't know if that ever actually happened. Anyway this is to date the only flexidisc release to feature Merinuk artwork on the sleeve. Stay tuned for MORE ACTION!

Sugar Sugar

This drawing of R&B/soul goddess Sugar Pie DeSanto is yet another excerpt from the forthcoming Roctober interview compilation volume Flying Saucer Rock'n'Roll. I'm still waiting for news on when this epic tome will hit the street but rest assured that you Rubber Room readin' reprobates will be the first to hear about it when the word comes down. Stay tuned for MORE ACTION!

Back On The Crack

Here are a couple of funny li'l comical strips featuring that beloved mentally deficient character, Crack Head. These have been running occasionally in good old Roctober magazine. Stay tuned for MORE ACTION!

Hamzig III: How The Gods Kill... Time

This completes the run of Hamzig strips to date. I'm working on a new one for the next issue of Roctober right now, and they will continue to appear in each issue of that excellent zine as long as editor Jake is willing to put up with me. Stay tuned for MORE ACTION!

Hamzig II: I Love Lucifuge

By Crom, here are a couple more Hamzig strips whether you want 'em or not. Stay tuned for MORE ACTION!

Hamzig

For the past couple of years I've been doing a li'l comic strip for Roctober chronicling the adventures of diminutive Goth rock warrior Hamzig. Here are the first 2 strips. I'll post the rest of 'em over the next couple of days. Stay tuned for MORE ACTION!

Fast Cars

Here's another teaser from the forthcoming Flying Saucers Rock'n'Roll book, compiling the wildest r'n'r interviews from the frantic pages of Roctober magazine. Still waitin' for word on the release date of this mighty tome but it should be happenin' pretty soon. Stay tuned for MORE ACTION!

TV Casualty

Here's a real moldie oldie for ya from way back in 1990. This one was first published in Winnipeg alt music mag Friction and later in the Mad magazine tribute issue of Roctober. Stay tuned for MORE ACTION!

Let's Have A Party!

Here's my comic strip tribute to rockabilly/country legend Wanda Jackson, drawn on the occasion of her induction into Roctober magazine's Hall Of Dynamic Greatness back in 1999. The drawing appeared as part of an elaborate 32 page calendar insert in issue #26 of Roctober. Stay tuned for MORE HOT DOG, THAT MADE HIM MAD ACTION!

Gettin' Plenty Lovin'

Probably the wildest obscure '50s rocker of 'em all, piano poundin' loony Esquerita is the guy who taught Little Richard how to get the savage sound outta those 88 keys. Somehow or other this outta space maniac got signed to Capitol Records and unleashed a monster LP and a batch of 45s in the late '50s, a crash course in the kinda incomprehensible mad ravin' that embodies the true spirit of rock'n'roll at its wildest. Lots of his wild sides are available on Norton Records who have been keepin' the flame burning for this guy since the '80s, and you can look around on the net for the story of his personal life which is even more way out there than the musical offerings he left behind on his rocket ride outta this world. I made this drawing for Roctober #19, part of the "Rock'n'Roll AIDS Quilt" cover feature in that issue. Stay tuned for MORE ACTION!

Rockin' In The Graveyard

Although in those early days Roctober magazine was not yet the mighty institution it has since become, I was still pretty thrilled when ace editor Jake Austen asked me to do the cover for the 14th issue. The issue was a tribute to Jake's cool comic strip character Punk'n'Head (a sort of Archie Andrews of the all-ages scene), so I extrapolated from pumpkins to a Halloween graveyard scenario and in keeping with Roctober's motto of "Comics and Music" I decided to throw in a tribute to some of the pioneering greats of horror rock as a background bonus for attentive perusers. In retrospect I am struck by the fact that I neglected to include the great Roky Erickson in my pantheon of rocking horror. What the hell was I thinking? Anyhow Roctober has since gone on to legendary status in zinedom and I am inordinately proud of my ongoing association with this fine publication. More stuff coming soon. Stay tuned for MORE ACTION!

Hey, Weirdo!

This arcane artifact from my early daze was first printed in one of my self-published xerox mags (can't remember which one just now) and later appeared in Roctober. It was also colorized and printed on a mouse pad (?!!) at one point, carefully cropped to eliminate the two swastikas. More weird looking weirdness for weirdos coming soon. Stay tuned for MORE ACTION!

International Robots

Speaking of The Saints, here's a cute li'l tribute I did to their great song International Robots. This was published back in 2001 in Roctober #30, the issue featuring their invaluable encyclopedic reference guide to robot-themed rock'n'roll. Stay tuned for MORE ACTION!

Flying Saucer Rock'N'Roll

Here are a couple more selections from the stack of illustrations I did a few months back for Flying Saucer Rock'N'Roll, the forthcoming compilation volume of wild interviews with undeservedly little-known rockers from the pages of Roctober magazine (see Billy Lee Riley post way down below for another taste from the same combination plate). First up is Sam The Sham, one of my all-time fave rockers with deep Tex-Mex musical roots and the all-important sense of style that made early rock'n'roll so great. Also on tap today is my drawing of The Good Rats, who have an interesting '70s rock story even though their music is mostly not to my taste. I'll post more of these soon, hopefully with some updated info about when the book will be hitting the street. Stay tuned for MORE ACTION!

I'm Bugged At My Old Man

Another computer cut'n'paste quickie, this strip was inspired by reading Steven Gaines' Heroes & Villains, The True Story Of The Beach Boys. I guess you'd have to know a bit about the Wilson brothers and their lovable dad to really get the joke. Anyway this one was published in Roctober #44. Stay tuned for MORE ACTION!

Granny Groper

The Granny Groper was a wigged-out Native American kid who, during a months-long spree back in 2002, terrorized a number of little old ladies here in Winnipeg by suddenly rushing up to grab a quick feel of their geriatric naughty bits. The cartoonish sobriquet (pinned on him by the local news media) along with the combination of hilarity and disturbing grotesquery inherent in his little hobby seemed to indicate that he should have a place somewhere in my wacky cartoon wonderland. He was still on the loose when I penciled this out (based on the official police sketch and description) in 2002 but if I remember rightly they had apprehended him long before I finally got around to finishing it in 2005. Published in Roctober #42. Ya gotta wonder what would happen to a mixed-up kid like this. Perhaps he is a regular reader of this very blog. If so I suggest that he, like all of you... Stay tuned for MORE ACTION!