Outasite #1

For me, the name “Greg Prevost” had mostly meant one, or rather two, things of consequence: the amazing, blown-out 1978 Distorted Levels single, and its belated and even more over-the-top Mean Red Spiders follow-up, which wouldn’t come out until 1990. Truly one of the all-timers for catastrophically ridiculous gargle-mouth vocals, unnecessary male screaming, violent lyrics, and blitzoid, sped-up Stoogified guitar worship. That’s my Greg Prevost. Turns out he was in some other bands as well and did a ‘lil fanzine called Outasite, an early 80s issue of which just crossed my transom. 

Now I know this is from the early 1980s because Greg mentions his favorite band are The Zantees, but his opening editorial and highly-believable copyright symbol tries to mark Outasite #1 as being a fanzine from “1966”. The advertisements and clip-art from various teen mags are lined up accordingly, but his heart’s not really into the joke. A thing pops up about The Nazz; records are reviewed that came out in 1967; The Byrds and Chocolate Watchband (who he really interviewed!) talk about post-’66 stuff and so forth. I didn’t intend to hold him to the conceit as I read it.

I will hold him accountable for entertainment and educational value, however, and on that front Outasite #1 is a bit mixed. It might be that his taste in “outasite 60s psychedelic” stuff runs a bit more pedestrian than I’d have hoped. I mean, even in 1981 or whenever this was truly out there, page-filling photo features on The Rolling Stones, Yardbirds and Paul Revere & The Raiders really didn’t add much to any conversation that was happening or to any furthering of wild, underground 60s garage punk. It’s only those interviews, especially the one with Groop Ltd. – that really have any heft, and even those are little more than name/rank/serial number Q&As. There’s too much teeny bopper diddling, and not enough of the raw meat I so desperately crave.

Some of the reviews near the back get at the true fanzine qualities that might take this one into a higher strata. Prevost is a record collector, see, and his passion for 45s he’s found on record excursions is immense, clear and fetching. Love the devotion to uncovering every 60s jot & titter by any band connected with Rochester NY, his hometown, but he’s also a huge fan of the mind-melters from 1965-68 Texas, including Knights Bridge’s “Make Me Some Love” – a major favorite here at the ‘Hemorrhage. Somehow in the course of clicking around the internet I learned that this is the same Outasite mag that eventually put out this and this, too. Those definitely might be worth a flip-through some sweet day.