I am about to turn 57 years old. It feels like a couple of months ago when I was running around a movie theater wrapped in toilet paper, playing Dr. Frank N Furter’s creation at my local midnight screening (which took up three years of my high school days). And it seems like a few weeks ago, when I was 16, that I stood with a couple of buddies at Roseland Ballroom in NYC, watching three underground bands, two who would go on to become legends and are still conquering the world (that would be Anthrax and Metallica). I can still feel the late great Cliff Burton’s sweat hitting me in the face when he blew everyone away with his iconic bass solo. Yeah, kind of gross, but when you plowed up to the stage to see your hero’s, you didn’t care at the time.
I’ve been thinking a lot
lately of these older bands who are still doing it. Not just the metal
bands, but the countless punk/hardcore bands still out there, gigging around
the globe night after night, some of the members well into their 60s and 70s.
Just a couple months ago, my wife and I met the great Vinnie Stigma from
Agnostic Front, who was taking a break from his current world tour to sign
copies of his new book at my local movie theater (of all places). Agnostic
Front was the first band I saw perform at CBGBs in 1985-6, along with the
Crumbsuckers and Carnivore. Vinnie just turned 69 this past December, and still
has the same (if not stronger) zeal and passion for what he has been doing
since he was a kid. I think more so than any other form of entertainment, it’s
guys like Vinnie, and Lee Ving from FEAR, and all those older bands still
bringing it, who continue to inspire me in what I do, which is primarily
writing.
That’s not to say there
aren’t older writers I look up to. There are plenty. But there’s something
about the zeal I see in these bands when they play live, and when they
give spirited interviews, that fuels my fire.
From 1981-1991, I
published a cult film fanzine titled STINK, that often-included mini reviews of
punk shows I attended, as punk fanzines were also a big influence on me.
Horror/cult film zines thrived in the 80s, and while they have existed since,
seem to have exploded again over the past 10 years or so. In 2024, I started
doing a steady zine again, releasing 3 well-received issues and further helping
to fuel my fire with my fiction and nonfiction book projects. Along with seeing
live shows, fanzine publishing is a way to keep my creativity alive, even more
so than my regular writing.
In 2025, especially if
you’re an old goat now like me, do what you need to do to stay creative. If
that means sacrificing sleep to see your favorite band or movie on a weeknight,
bite the bullet and do it. If that means going out of your way to meet a
childhood hero, do it. If that means getting rid of those in your life
who bring cancer to your creativity, avoid them and cut them out. If you
feel down, that no one is reading your stuff, or you haven’t sold anything in a
while, keep going. Find what inspires you and embrace it.
I have seen older writers
openly mock the success of the newer generation, chances are without reading
anything said author(s) have written. Some of you people in my age group need
to read what’s being bought and published today and stop worrying about
the age of the writer. Over the past few years, some fantastic novels have been
released by new generation writers, and like the musicians of old I look up to,
they have helped fuel my fire and reassess what I’m doing. Without youth, rock
and roll would’ve died a long time ago. I believe that goes for writing as
well, particularly within the horror genre. We need to embrace and encourage
the newbies, whether they are popular or trying to get off the ground.
My latest novella, being
released this month, is my first new book in 5 years, and it was partially
fueled by things I’ve recently been inspired by, despite the story being based
around things my co-author (Andre Duza) and I grew up on.
This year will see the
release of my latest novella, as well as my second non-fiction film book titled
DARK DREAMS, and I’m hoping to announce, at long last, some good news
concerning my second novel. This June, I’ll also be publishing the biggest
fanzine I’ve ever done, a total celebration of cult film culture, with articles
contributed by some of my film commentating heroes, as well as newer film
writers I have come to recognize as the best in what they do. I also hope to
finish or at least make a big dent in my third film book, and hopefully finish
another novel and two novellas (I’m more than halfway done with each). Also
hoping to collaborate on a novel with my wife Shannon, whose writing is miles
ahead of my own.
In 2025, let’s get off our asses and do it. Go see some shows. Keep watching movies. Keep reading your favorite writers but see what some of the hype is about with the newer generation. And use these things to fuel your own creations, whatever the medium.
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