I Wanna Be Your Dog #7

My understanding of the 1970s fanzine I Wanna Be Your Dog doesn’t travel particularly far, but here’s where it goes: I believe it started as an Iggy-obsessed French proto-punk fanzine, which then lasted into the punk era, with November 1977’s I Wanna Be Your Dog #7 being the final issue. It was actually an offshoot of the Iggy Pop fan club, no less. This final issue is in English, and they’ve opened a US “office” in Hollywood, ensuring that most of the content here is focused around US-based bands (which, frankly, it was previously, even whilst written in French).

Big-time punk rocker Eddie Money is on the cover. He’s interviewed and sounds absolutely coked to the gills. He keeps talking about Blondie, saying “she’s very beautiful”, and even when corrected by the interviewer, keeps referring to Blondie and “her band”, and rambles on about how bad they are for a backing band. It’s a pretty typical interview of rocker guys getting their first taste of Top 40 fame during the early punk era; they’re wanting to praise it all for being “from the streets”, but they’re also working to backhandedly distance themselves from it at the same time. I’ve seen a half-dozen similar interviews; at this time, ‘77/’78, one of the opening questions of virtually any interviewer in a punk mag was “What do you think about punk?” and/or “Do you see yourself as part of the punk movement??”. 

There’s an interview with and some lavish praise thrown at Devo, as well as features on Mink Deville, Deaf School and Cheap Trick, the latter of whom come off as exceptionally affable goofballs. Of course, I’m most excited about I Wanna Be Your Dog #7’s early forays into the Los Angeles punk underground, and there’s a big LA scene spread near the back. It’s said that “the scene revolves around the bands and their performances. Three bands stand out: The Weirdos, Backstage Pass and The Screamers”. Two out of three ain’t bad! About Backstage Pass, they say, “They’re not ‘punks’ but they’re definitely part of the new wave”. Genny Schorr from that band is still active and she put quite a rock career behind her – all documented here.

There’s also a short piece on The Weasels, creators of “Beat Her With a Rake and Make Her Pay For Her Mistake” fame, along with a photo of creepy Kim Fowley with his arm around one of The Runaways. The Dogs from Detroit, now in LA, are interviewed, and they really were just about the perfect band for this fanzine’s Iggy-fied aesthetic. Crime from San Francisco are interviewed by Vale, and they come off as being kind of “silly”, which I like! They left all bogus attitudes at home that day. Phast Phreddie reviews the excellent first Human Switchboard 45 and says “If this kinda record sounds interesting to you, please, keep far away from me”. Finally, The Germs’ first 45 is reviewed by “Al and Pooch” (Flipside!) and they review it as if “Sex Boy”, and not “Forming”, had been the A-side. Strong move!

There appears to be a book about and possibly even collecting the I Wanna Be Your Dog fanzine, written completely in French, available here.