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.