Chairman Ralph's Ministry Of Truth

For six intense years, Sonic's Rendezvous lit up the Detroit rock scene, after the demise of its flagship bands, the MC5, the Rationals, and the Stooges, among many others. Follow the narrator, Taper Tom, and author Chairman Ralph, as they retrace the ups and downs of Fred "Sonic" Smith's post-MC5 musical adventures, in comic form!

It's all here, from the group's formation in 1974, to the creation of its best-known song, the Detroit rock anthem, "City Slang," the summer '78 Eurostrike Tour with Iggy Pop, the group's breakup in 1980, and its last hurrah -- coming, appropriately enough, in Ann Arbor!

You'll hear from the principals themselves -- Fred (lead guitar, vocals), Scott Morgan (vocals, rhythm guitar), Gary Rasmussen (bass), and the late Rock Action, Scott Asheton (drums) -- as well as the colorful local characters they meet along the way, including Cover Band Carl, Metal Mike, and Second Chance Sammy.

Forty-five years after its release, that seminal single, "City Slang," and the band that recorded it, remain the object of vivid rumor, speculation and street talk, as larger than life now, as they were back then. Now you can revisit those days, and that era, thanks to this DIY comic book release! (70 pages, black & white, w/spot color)

A fog glowing through the ember of apathy. A voice for music and culture on the margins.

This is my 'zine, DESPERATE TIMES, which offers a special focus on '77-era punk, postpunk, and garage music, along with cultural/political essays, 'n' live reviews, as only the Chairman and his cast of conspirators can! In short, go elsewhere, if you believe those media cliches of "elevator speeches," "media platforms," and "staying on message."

ISSUE #1: Features on "The Secret Of Hemliga Bosse," and his 1978 single ("New Image Every Day"/"Aldrig Mara Ensam"...New York Dolls stories, told live and unplugged, by the band's late guitarist, Sylvain Sylvain...A personalized look at the Jam's second album, This Is The Modern World (1977), through my late friend, who taught me how to play those songs...My search for the '77-era Killed By Death outfit, The Numbers...A lin-depth account of embezzlement on the job...and a Don Hargraves essay, on the geopolitics of northwest Indiana! Plus, front and back cover artwork by our house artist, Lisa D. Quinlan (45 pp., black and white, w/spot color)!

<REVIEWS>
<UGLY THINGS #40:> "....A throwback to the classic cut 'n' paste style of the '70s and '80s with collaged Xeroxed images, hand-drawn graphics, and -- ah, yes, I remember them well -- paste-up lines." "Written, assembled and stapled by UT writer Ralph Heibutzki, Issue #1 has articles on Swedish Killed By Death favorite Hemliga Bosse, a reappraisal of the second Jam album, and Sylvain Sylvain stage banter, and some personal commentary pieces." 

<MAXIMUM ROCK 'N' ROLL #391>: "Mostly punk oriented, Chairman Ralph is putting in work to dig it up; digging through clues in comment threads in old KBD blogs to contact the old '77 punks behind classic singles or making the two-hour drive for a 'storytellers'-style session with Sylvain Sylvain. It's good to know that someone is hoofing it to dig up and preserve the gritty details....Curious to see what gets turned up for #2."

<POSITIVE CREED #28 (UK)>: "All the way from the States, Desperate Times is a new 'zine with a difference. Ralph has done a good job with this debut effort, and put it together in a Dada kind of way, which gives it an old look, which takes me back to a time when 'zine editors relied on imagination, not modern technology.

"Inside this issue, you'll find an interesting piece on the New York Dolls, an article on the Jam which goes back over their This Is The Modern World album, a brief chat with Paul Shand from The Numbers, a really nice piece of writing regarding theft at work, and various other things which have been thrown into the mix.

"For a first attempt, I'm impressed with what's going on here, and my only criticism is that each page is only printed on one side, which makes it a bulky read...and I think it would not only be cheaper to distribute, but easier to follow if both sides were used. Nice work, Ralph, and I look forward to seeing issue #2 soon, my friend." 

<XEROGRAPHY DEBT>: ""Pure old-school vibe and I love it. This one takes me back to the times when 'zines in punk were a very essential part of communications on the scene. This publication has a lot to read, but is also very artistic with its words and images. It is both interesting to read and look at it. The 'zine talks about music in a way that makes you want to read more and more about the topics. I cannot wait to see what is coming next from this publication. I am very sure that I will not be disappointed."

"Roll the credits in your mind for this story, which has played out since the dawn of DIY (in general), and punk rock (in particular): Anykid in Anytown USA doesn't like what's happening there. Maybe they don't hear their type of music, hope to carve out room for something else...or simply want something else besides the standard issue profit-mongering water hole.

"Whatever the reason, Anykid gets Anyclub up and running. Anyclub survives the initial growing pains (hit or miss bookings, spotty audiences, official and unofficial sabotage). For awhile, everyone has a more interesting place to go. Then, sadly but surely, the obstacles start piling up -- too many to overcome in short order.

"The doors slam shut, and the lights go out, leaving Anyclub to live on, in people's memories, and a big black hole in the local scene once more. Roll the credits: wash, rinse, repeat."

Featuring extended interviews with four of the principals who were there: co-owner, Gil Fuhrer, musicians Jeff Beals, and Dee Madden, and spoken word regular/author Holly Day! Plus, the usual front/back cover, and inner illustrations by our house artist, Lisa D. Quinlan (95 pp.).

<REVIEWS>
<UGLY THINGS #55>
"Ralph Heibutzki, a.k.a. Chairman Ralph, pays homage to the classic DIY fanzine format of olden tymes here with a haphazard scissors-and-glue-stick collaged layout, complete with paste-up lines, blurry photocopied photos and newspaper clippings, hand-drawn illustrations, and the pages all held together with a single staple in the top left corner.

"The throwback format is appropriate as the issue tells the story of Safari Sam's, a Huntington Beach venue that was one of the hot spots for the underground music scene in California's Orange County in the 1980s. The 'zine charts the rise and fall in a scrappy oral history format..." (Mike Stax, Winter 2020)

<POSITIVE CREED #44>
"A big chunky 'zine all the way from the States that investigates the rise and fall of Safari Sam's, a music venue in Orange County. From what I can gather, it sounded like a pretty happening place in its day, hosting the Minutemen, Fire Hose, Social Distortion, the Jesus and Mary Chain, and a whole bunch of others who were all involved in the eighties punk movement.

"There's interviews from individuals who were about at the time giving a good insight into how things were and it sounds like a tough time for some with police harassment cropping up regularly along with business and licensing issues. I have to say that I found this a really fascinating read into a world of pissed off teenagers getting creative by forming bands and writing poetry and creating their own reality whilst trying to make a difference. It's this sort of thing that hits the home of impact that punk rock made on people and continues to do so."

Acrylic painting of a white flower. Framed and wired and ready to hang. Painted by my wife Lisa Quinlan-Heibutzki

Still life painted on board and framed and wired ready to hang. Painted by my wife Lisa Quinlan-Heibutzki

Blossom Painting. This is a painting of a large and bold flower that stands out. Acrylic on canvas. Painted by my wife Lisa Quinlan-Heibutzki

Fall Garden. A painting of a fall garden that will bring you peace and serenity. Acrylic painting on board, framed and wired: ready to hang. Painted by my wife Lisa Quinlan-Heibutzki

Crow Painting. A painting with a strong portrait of a crow. Don't miss out on this one. Acrylic on canvas, wired and ready to hang. Painted by my wife Lisa Quinlan-Heibutzki

Natural Life Painting. A vibrant painting of flowers. Acrylic on canvas. Painted by my wife Lisa Quinlan-Heibutzki

CHAIRMAN RALPH: BUDGIE IS AN ART LOVER
1) Budgie Is An Art Lover (2:35)
2) Schulz & Peanuts (2:30)/Coda (0:40)
3) Budgie Versus The Art Jury (1:22)
4) The Art Jury (4:35)
5) Don't Start The Revolution Without Me (5:25)
6) Sarah's Such A Fascist (4:23)
7) (Super) Sonic Budgie (5:43)
8) Budgie's Garden (4:00)
9) Budgie's Garden II: Ad Overture (4:48)
10) Budgie Is An Art Lover (Slight Return) (2:11)

Move over,Tommy, and make way for...Budgie! Punk, postpunk, and spoken word all collide on this loose concept album, of one ooutsider artist, Budgie, and her run-ins with the art world. What will happen to Budgie, as she butts heads with the whooshing of thumbs up, and thumbs down ("The Art Jury"), and searches to assert her own original voice ("Don't Start The Revolution Without Me")? Take this trip through her back pages ("Schulz & Peanuts"), and find out! Try before you buy -- in Featured Songs -- and follow Budgie on her artistic journey home.

Chairman Ralph
Vocals, five-/six-string electric lead/rhythm guitars,
rhythm box, rice box, scratches/effects

Produced, Assembled, Mixed By: Chairman Ralph
All words/music (except Track 4: Words by Lisa D. Quinlan)
Lisa D. Quinlan/Album artwork, dialogue (Track 5)

Recorded @ Home: 8/23-9/10/23