Friday, November 18, 2016

RIP - DON WALLER


I didn’t know Don Waller but he was a pivotal character in my zine upbringing. He and his merry band of maniacs put together a magazine called Back Door Man that could arguably be considered the first ever punk rock magazine. Bomp and the like seemed scholarly by comparison. BDM and Teenage Wasteland Gazette signalled an injection of attitude or swagger to the world of print.

I did have some dialogue and also correspondence with Don. I think Sid Griffin was involved but I can’t remember what it was about. In recent years I’ve suggested to anyone that would listen that a compendium of Back Door Man was long overdue. Jim Parret tells me that he was working on such a beastie with Hozac. I hope that will all come together.

Many of my friends knew Don so this must be a shock to them. In coming days, people will discover the importance of this character in the various avenues of which he served. This week has gone over the score on the condolenceometer and I’m aware that, being we’re at the age we’re at, this could well just run and run. 

But I sure hope there can be a let up. Or that people who deserve to shuffle off this mortal coil might be given priority.