Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the envelope… Trash City 1!! Hello again. Here’s the second installment (new readers should send off IMMEDIATELY for Issue 0) of, well, whatever you got last time. You’ll have noticed the new format, A5 rather than A4, but the extra pages and the smaller type mean that you’re getting the same amount of text. The only problem is that I can no longer use my beloved BOLD TYPE – I’ll have to make do with CAPITALS & underlining.

At least it’s on schedule (more or less). The same will NOT be true of Issue 2. Instead of appearing mid-July, I’ll hold back on it until the start of August – Shock Around the Clock III is due the last weekend in July, so instead of you reading about it in Issue 3, three months after every other publication has had it, you’ll find out all the gory details pretty much as they happen. The SAtC report will be a supplement (at this rate we’ll be getting as bad as the Sunday Times) and we should be back on schedule with Issue 3 which will ooze out in October. Right, enough of getting-your-excuses-in-early, on with the news.

Thanks for the feedback on the first issue – some roses, some brickbats, but always constructive and interesting. We’re a bit close to things, can’t see the wood for the trees as it were, and we rely on you to tell us how we’re doing! Keep the letters coming – this time, especially on the “Film Blitz” section. Do you like lots of little reviews, or would you prefer longer articles on fewer films?

What have we got in this one? More artwork, as you’ll have seen already. More contributors. More topics – in addition to the second part of the Kinski article, film reviews, books, an expanded Incredibly Bad Film Show section, more lists and the latest Weekly Weird News, there’s a report on Black Sunday, a what-I-did-on-my- summer-holiday piece, a bit on banned films, and a lot of stuff not written yet…

In case you were wondering where the Cicciolina film review went to, turns out it was a misprint in the paper, and it was an entirely different film that was on. Also several people thought that ‘cos I worked at a stockbroker’s, I WAS a stockbroker – not so! I’m just a computer programmer who’d be quite happy if the Stock Market crashed tomorrow (anarchist tendencies coming out again…).

Thanks for this issue go to all our subscribers, contributors and correspondents, without whom etc, Rough Trade (thanks for trying!), the Scala, Samhain (for a ‘Zine Zone mention even though we missed the dead-line), Igor (for forthcoming Ferox) and Clive Barker (well, if you’re going to name-drop, name-drop big!).

“The rules are, there are no rules.
Especially copyright laws.”

TRASH CITY – Issue 1
April 1989

‘Trash City’ is a ‘zine devoted to life, liberty, pursuit of happiness, exploitation in entertainment, beauty, death, splatter movies, computer games, Inter-rail holidays, UFO’s, general weirdness and anything else the editors see fit to print. The style is best described as ‘conversational’ and ‘informal’ – the emphasis is very much on the words, since our method of production makes art tricky and photos almost impossible, save the special embarrassing-to-read-on-the-train back cover!

It is most easily available from me, and it is a good deal cheaper to subscribe, at least if things stay as they are at the moment ; you’ll only pay the postage, plus an almost nominal fee. If you bought this from a shop, you’ll have had to pay more for it – understandably, shop-keepers aren’t keen to stock things there’s no profit in!. If you want to be sent future issues, send us 40p per issue in cheques/p.o./ cash ( made payable to Jim McLennan where appropriate ) along with your name and address – we’ll then send them to you until your money runs out. This offer expires and goes to heaven whenever we decide.

Articles, artwork,etc are also extremely welcome – get in touch or see Issue 0

* NOTE * There will be a change of address before the next issue, but at the moment I don’t know what it will be! Letters to the old one will be forwarded (but NOT if sent to “Trash City”, ONLY if to “Jim McLennan”!!) – apologies in advance for any resulting delay in my replies.

• Texts: in alphabetical order; Peter Evans, Jim McLennan, David Oliver, Per Porter. Steve Welburn and Simon Wood.
• Artwork: Frank C. Rhochs (from clip art by Jim, Per and Steve Welburn).
• Back Pic: “Nastassja’s taking her clothes off again!” – this rare archive pic shows Nastassja Kinski auditioning for the role of Trash in ‘Return of the Living Dead‘…

The views expressed in this ‘zine are not necessarily those of the editor or publisher, and may well be an attempt to achieve notoriety through being seized by the Customs, condemned by a Conservative MP or banned by a leading newsagent.