UK based publishing house Headpress is doing a good job spreading odd subculture to the masses. Their books are beautifully produced and thematically relevant in a contemporary terrain noir, dealing with eccentric people (a review of their phenomenal Eccentropedia is forthcoming here), movies, politics, pornography and many other subjects in an intelligent and eloquent manner.
The backbone of their operation is the magazine/anthology Headpress. The most recent issue is version/issue ”2.6” and it’s as good as any of the previous ones. About half of the issue consists of a Grand Guignol special, followed by articles on Philip K Dick and the Germanization of high culture, Cracked Magazine and interviews with Adam Parfrey of Feral House and V Vale of RE/Search.
One could argue that this is all ”old hat” and that it has been delved into many times before. Headpress and its headpressers do something intelligent with it though: they produce nice books that will last and that are a joy to read. Good material can – and should – be regurgitated for new generations, as the attention span of kids these days seem to be on par with the time it takes to say ”Game Over.” Parfrey, Vale and Dick should be presented again and again, over and over, so that youngsters are continuously encouraged to look them all up.
The Grand Guignol special brings back memories of my own puerile youth, in which gore films were a crucial part. The emphasis on the film Bloodsucking Freaks (Joel Reed, USA, 1976) makes me remember how much fun it was to do hazy all-nighters with second generation VHS tapes, filled with non-existent narratives, bad acting and plenty of splatter. I doubt that I would watch Bloodsucking Freaks again today though – some films are undoubtedly best just remembered.
The Grand Guignol section ambitiously delves into the history of the famous French theatre and also presents newer theatre companies and their efforts to keep this tradition alive and well (bad pun!).
Despite its gruesome cover (that has to be admired for its decidedly non-commercial attitude), Headpress 2.6 is a genuine pleasure to read. It carries on a tradition of highbrow sleaze culture, and it’s all done in the best possible ways: intelligently, elegantly and, not at all least important, in book form.
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