Fluke 13: The 25th Anniversary

A love letter to Little Rock, the 25th Anniversary Issue looks back on that city's early '90s punk rock scene.

Fluke #13 opens with a story from the editor, about discovering this scene while in high school. This is full of interviews with those who played a big part of early Little Rock punk—James Brady (Trusty), Fletcher Clement (promotor), Colette Tucker (she hung the flyers around town), Andy Conrad (Numbskulz, Five-O, 12ft6) and Colin Brooks (Numbskulz, Substance). Mitchell Crisp returns with "Mitchell Crisp's Rainy Day Playlist," as does John Pugh with Zomby Fun Pages.

This issue also features Arkansas native and rock n roll legend Tav Falco, with a 12-page spread on the leader of Panther Burns. 68 pages of Arkansas underground music history!

"In the late ‘80s, a punk rock scene began to grow out of an art space on the corner of 7th Street and Chester in downtown Little Rock, Arkansas. It switched hands and names, from Urbi et Orbi to DMZ to Nemesis then Mandrake’s before Henry bought the place, built a pizzeria and named it Vino’s. Most people outside of Little Rock won’t recognize most names within this issue, but the names are insignificant. What matters is the connection that was made between teenagers all over the city who found each other at the only “alternative” space Little Rock had at the time. I believe that’s what we all truly crave - a common bond. Something to grab onto and call our own. This bond that was formed on that corner has stuck and what was once a scene is now something much deeper and more meaningful. To me, punk rock has always been about building something and the greatest structure erected from it has been the friendships we’ve made, and we continue to make. It was built from the ground up. Fletcher Clement booked the shows, Colette Tucker hung the flyers and John Pugh and others published fanzines. James Brady, Andy Conrad and Colin Brooks played in the bands. Dozens of others did their part, from working in copy shops to taking out the trash at the end of the night.

And then there’s the enigmatic Tav Falco! Rogue male, Falco grew up in Arkansas and transitioned to Memphis, where he formed Panther Burns in the ‘70s. Their first show outside of Memphis was at Burns Park in North Little Rock, Arkansas in 1979. Tav Falco is one of the truly original and romantic forces in American music - the voice that America lost and found. Not just a musician, Tav is a performance artist, actor, filmmaker, and photographer. He is presently living in Vienna and sometimes Paris."

68 pages, half size