Cometbus Cover

Aaron Cometbus, Cometbus

Age: 27

Selection:"This Ain't No Fucking Zoo" (page 90); "Punk Rock Love Is..." (page 111)

Recent review(from Monk Magazine): "Aaron Cometbus has published this flip-lit masterpiece for years, and his voice has settled into a taut and tough delivery that belies the sensibility of a sage." (From Preparation X): "Cometbus is like getting a jolt of creative energy, a kick in your ass to get up and start making art, or talking to strangers, or hitchhiking somewhere with only two dollars in your pocket—you know, to start taking risks with yourself again."

Sample:$2.50 cash from P.O. Box 4279, Berkeley, CA 94704

When did you launch your zine? What inspired you to do so?

I started it in October 1983, just after I turned 13. I printed 500 copies after hours at a friend's work. It was a way to plug into punk music. It has evolved to include interviews, essays, travelogues, articles, observations and short stories. It's also went through a few name changes before settling on Cometbus. As you get older, you realize that punk is folklore and oral tradition and myths. That's never written about. I went from that to writing about people's lives, but I still see the zine as part of a looseknit community.

Why publish a zine?
I publish because I don't know anything else. I grew up with it, and I don't know how you stay sane without some kind of creative outlet and connection with other people.

What can you tell us about the selection you provided for "The Book of Zines"?
"Punk Rock Love Is..." is a collection of those pure moments you remember no matter what happens the morning after. The end of the story isn't always the most important part. I think it's a relationship stripped to its essentials.

Cometbus: Despite Everything
Cometbus: Double Duce

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