So far we’ve reviewed every issue of the Sock and we have no apologies to make or shame to be ashamed off. Sockamagee’s blithe revisiting of the cultural oddities of a not so distant pop past make for great reading. And this issue, with its lengthy investigations, is the best yet. The mag starts of with a retrospective look at little known Hollywood vamp Barbara Payton who became know as “the queen of the nightclubs” due to her love of booze and partying. Next, a lively interview with the band Psychomania. Find out why their first show ever was one you’ll wish you had seen. Okay, here comes my favourite article, a panorama of the bizarre German producer James Last. He made quick cash by putting out albums in the sixties with titles like “’66 II Non Stop Dancing.” The idea here was that his German studio bands would sing snippets of popular songs and sing choruses that went lalala to avoid revealing their accents and turning off English speaking buyers. The image here is of strange Germans crooning pop tunes to a background of fake beerhaus reveling polka noises. Nice huh? Sockamagee: Where pop culture goes to die.
zine / #3, 28 pages / main creators: Steve Richards and John Rzeczycki / $2 plust post / 2037 Stainsbury Ave., Vancouver, BC V5N 2M4