SKUM Issue No. 3 was published in England in May 1977 for 25p

SKUM Issue No. 3 – review of The Clash ST

Mark Jay

Punk: 'Skum' No.3 fanzine original artwork, 1977, comprising mixed-media artwork by Mark Jay with Johnny Rotten Doll/Seditionaries featured on back cover, ('Sex Pistols Story' cartoon a later reprint), together with an original 1977 issue, 6in x 8 1/4in (15cm x 21cm)

Footnotes: The back cover advert for 'Seditionaries' was commissioned by Vivienne Westwood. Mark does not recall the shop ever doing any other press, fanzine or otherwise, so he took this commission as quite an honour. The Clash live review at The Rainbow is by early Punk fan Gary Kemp, later of Spandau Ballet.

Provenance: The Mark Jay Collection. Lots 172-232. Saleroom notices Please note this lot is sold without Copyright. THE MARK JAY COLLECTION OF PUNK MEMORABILIA

Lot 172-232 The collection represents a very personal record of an extraordinary and incendiary eighteen months from mid-1976 to early 1978 when Punk Rock exploded across the UK music scene. Mark's involvement in the movement came very early – before the notorious Bill Grundy interview with the Sex Pistols, before any of the groups had record contracts and before the movement even had a proper name.

Growing up in Hammersmith, west London in the mid-1960s, Mark had watched immaculately-attired Mods parading along the streets, wishing he was old enough to be part of whatever they were getting up to. Eventually, it was David Bowie who provided Mark with a portal into a youth culture that he could finally call his own. Totally smitten since the incarnation of Ziggy Stardust, Mark had followed Bowie's every move, and at Wembley in May 1976, Mark witnessed the first flowerings of embryonic 'spike-tops' who were soon to become some of the major players on the Punk scene. Although this gig was perhaps one of the finest moments in Bowie's career, Mark was as equally mesmerised by a certain core of the audience, as by the Thin White Duke himself.

Armed with the brashness of a fourteen year-old, Mark got talking to some of the exotically-dressed creatures sporting rubber, zips, ripped T-shirts with graphic imagery and safety pins. He became aware of a band called the Sex Pistols who were currently playing around London and felt he just had to go and see them.

It was at a Pistols' gig a little later that year, where he picked up his first copy of the fanzine 'Sniffin Glue', which urged other would-be fanzine editors to go out and do likewise. Spurred on by this rallying call and the daily increasing buzz of the scene, Mark co-opted a couple of like-minded schoolmates and did just that. The result was 'Skum', amongst the very first wave of fanzines in the UK. It lasted for seven issues and included interviews with many seminal Punk figures, including a pre-Pistols Sid Vicious (his first ever interview), a pre-Pogues Shane McGowan, reviews of The Clash by a pre-Spandau Ballet Gary Kemp and lots of content either directly related to, or commissioned by, the Sex Pistols' camp.

Mark's cartoons and artwork for the fanzine were noticed by Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood and they commissioned him to design a poster, entitled 'The Story So Far', to promote and accompany the Pistols' debut LP.

In June 1977 Mark was one of the few fans lucky enough to attend the Sex Pistols' legendary 'Boat Party' concert on Jubilee Day, an invitation that was part-payment for the production of the poster, along with the printed material, flyers and some of the T-shirts that are now offered in this auction. The bulk of the collection was therefore obtained through Mark's close association with the groups at the time, their offices and their entourage. It was totally normal for the likes of Joe Strummer, Mick Jones or Johnny Rotten to take the time to stop and talk to their fans and ask about their lives and feelings. This is what made the movement so special and made people feel so involved.

Being a fanzine editor in 1977 meant that you could be part of the dialogue that Punk was creating and be involved in it on a day-by-day basis. There was a unique egalitarianism which allowed teenagers 'from nowhere' like Mark to express themselves through music, print, design and fashion and, most importantly, be seen and heard by a wide and ever-expanding audience.

Mark admits that he spent an inordinate amount of time hanging around McLaren and Westwood's shop in London's Kings Road, where he also had a Saturday job in a Beaufort Market record stall, and was totally immersed in Punk. As with some other items in the collection, the fanzine collection offered here was amassed through a barter system, whereby people exchanged copies of their work along with information and ideas.

Looking at the collection as a whole some forty years later, it seems incredible that so much work, bursting with so much passion, ideas and expression, was produced in such a relatively short space of time.

SKUM FANZINNE No3

Bonhams : Punk: 'Skum' No.3 fanzine original artwork, 1977
https://www.instagram.com/rocknrollpl

Page 1: Front Cover

• Header Section: DON'T BUY THIS NOW . WRITE TO ME, AND I'LL SEND YOU ONE FREE!

• Central Graphic: Stylized illustration of Humphrey Bogart smoking a cigarette.

• Speech Bubble: "THIS ISSUE IS REALLY BORING... WAIT TILL NO. 4 COMES OUT... PISTOLS SPECIAL I MEAN IT MAAAN!"

• Footer Section: SKUM (In large, jagged, dripping block letters). PRINTED IN ENGLAND . MAY 1977 . ISSUE .3 . 25p .

Page 3: Johnny Rotten Doll

JOHNNY ROTTEN DOLL . INSTRUCTIONS: CUT OUT FOLD TABS OVER AND STAND BACK AND REVEL IN ALL MY CREATIVITY. ALSO COLOUR THEM IN AS COLOURS SUGGESTED . SHOES , BERET , SHADES , BLACK 'BONDAGE' SUIT , WRISTBAND , DIGITAL WATCH . MORE NEXT ISSUE! FOLD BACK MB '77 . ALL CLOTHES AVAILABLE FROM... SEDITIONARIES , KINGS RD - CHELSEA .

Page 2: Singles

SINGLES . The Adverts : Side 1. One chord wonder ; Side 2. Quickstep ( Stiff ). The first time I saw this band, I liked them, the second time I hated them and the fourth time I loved them....that's how changeable The Adverts can be . As you can imagine, I approached this single with some indifference, but I can gladly say that it brings back a flash of that night at The Roxy .... the best night... with Gaye Advert bumping ahd grinding on the stage in her "oh so nasty" black leathers, screaming out the tale of 'The Wonders' , who are, in fact, The Adverts .... an autobiographical single OK! . "I wonder what we'll play for you toningh-t, something heavy, something light, something to set your soul alight. I wonder how we'll answer when you say, 'We don't like you go away! Come back when you learn to play!'" ( One chord wonder ). It ends up with a resounding scream from a hoard of teeny-boppers... I wonder if that's what The Adverts are after .

The Jam : Side 1. In the city ; Side 2. Takin my love ( Polydor ). Ready Steady Go! And here's the fab faces of beat in their swingin' zoot suits and cool hair do's.. wow! . Their number is called 'In the city' , and these snappy dressers are all the rage with the kids today. They've been experimenting with a neww pop art concept called 'feedback' in their music, and it seems to be hip to use it, as other mod groups are copying this trendy sound, such as a cool group called 'the Who' , who've just cut a disc called 'I can't explain' . Check this one out swingers . The Ramones : 'Sheena is a Punk Rocker' ( Sire ). Sheena is a Punk Rocker . The Ramones are the Beach Boys .

Page 4: Singles (Continued)

SINGLES . Venus and the Razorblades : Side 1. Punk -a- Rama ; Side 2. Press conference ( Bomp 107 ). Side one sounds like Led Zepplin , but before you fall asleep, a short summarization of the 'punk rock scene to date, is drawled out in a Detroit accent. Side two is exactly what it says...a bloody press conference. Don't buy it, it's a waste of money .

The Suicide Commandos : Side 1. Emission Control / Cliché Olé ; Side 2. Monster Au Go Go ( P.S. Records ). I have never heard of this band, and I don't know whether they are U.S or U.K , but whatever they are, one thing's for sure, and that is that they're a good, raunchy Rock n' Roll combo and have nothing at all to do with the new wave .

The Boys : Side 1. I don't care ; Side 2. Soda Pressing ( Nems ). If they don't care about Rock n' Roll , why use the traditional R&R chord progressions and fills. Predictable Johnny Rotten style vocal on side 1 .

The Boys : Side 1. ( She's my girl ) She's all mine ; Side 2. I'm not satisfied ( Outrage ). What the hell is this? It can't be the group I've just reviewed, cos they don't sound like the monkees at 100mph. Falsetto harmonies as well.....very weird .

The Count Bishops : Side 1. Baby you're wron ; Side 2. Stay Free ( Chiswick ). Chiswick's premier band have a lot to live up to after the sensational Speedball EP , and I don't think this one quite does it .

Of course, all this lot were supplied to us by;- Town Records , SITUATION 1 , 402 , Kings Rd , BEAUFORT MARKET , Chelsea ..

Page 5: The Clash Review

The Clash Review : WHITE RIOT! . ... now out + THE LP + The CLASH . "What's my name?" , a tale portraying dissolutionment; "Gareageland" , "Deny" , "Remote Control" etc..allrelating the same message...BOREDOM IN THE UK OK . If you saw the film "Up the junction" on ITV recently there was a working class lad,who, to impress his bird, stole a sporty car for their weekend away. He asked her to marry him, but she declined as she thought he was only after her money. He partly was but he did love her. He told her so after she had called him a parasite .

When you are rich, you often want to get away from it, but when you are working class, you dream of a higher standard. "Can't make no money, Can't get no progress" ( REMOTE CONTROL ). Being middle class (I think), I can't honestly identify with the lyrics, although The CLASH , or more specifically Joe Strummer don't realise that it can be just as depressing staring out of a bedroom window of a house than a council flat, with nothing to do .

Lyrically the album is basically Joe's time spent on the dole, and how they tried to put him in a home, so if you are fed up with Status Quo pretending to be on your level, here is a band who, (at present) are sympathetic to your cause. To categorise this album, I would say that it is a pop record, borrowing many influences from the sixties. Every tune is different, but remote from the style of any other New Wave band, although Joe does, at times, use the J. Rotten style vocal interjections .

They have been adventurous, and covered Junior Murvins' big reggae hit, "Police and Thieves" , which is interesting, but somewhat out of place with the rest of the LP . If only this stuff had come along when I was 13, and still naive to the music world. Anyway I still like it, and can't wait to see them live, again .

Incidentally, don't expect Joe to keep writing about the dole queue for much longer, for when asked by Janet Street Porter ; "If your fans weren't on the dole, would they still come to your gigs?" He evaded the question, but gave an insight into his intelligence by saying: "If there were jobs, then maybe we'd be singing about love and kissing" . By Paul Brooks (17) .

Page 6: Culture Time

CULTURE TIME . New Wave - Punk , How original is it? Is it for white or black? For one or for all? If we could begin to understand it, then, as philosophy tells us, We could begin to understand ourselves .

The overall image for the punk can be described in many different ways, but can you call it original? Attitude and behaviour can best be understood and explained by the individual. So what's new about black leather, chains, coloured hair in unusual styles? ...The most original of the ideas is to do what has already been done and take it to the extreme .

Punk - How original is it? How do we look at the black 'BONDAGE' suits heavily laden down with metal? Bondage indicates slavery. The hair cut, colour, yes... Brighter and more dazzling than ever, but some of them can be related to the very old African tribal headress .

So what's new about it? Can you honestly say that you understand it? T-Roy 1977 . Please send in your comments .

Scabs & Slime , Issue No. 2, published in 1977. instagram.com/

THE CLASH: Remote Control / London's Burning

Front Cover

• [Title - Large, Cut-Out Lettering]

SCABS & SLIME 2

[Central Feature List - Handwritten]

FEATURING THE :-

RAMONES

JAM

PISTOLS

CLASH

AND GOD KNOWS WOT ELSE.

[Graphic Elements & Text Snippets]

"CRAZY IDIOTS!" (Speech bubble by singer)

"A REAL LOAD OF RUBBISH, JUST FIT FOR SCRAP." (Comic snippet top right)

"FIRST 10,000 PRESSED IN PINK VINYL"

"THEY SHOULD BE HORSE WHIPPED!" (Comic snippet center)

"SEX Pistols" (T-shirt text)

Page 2 Transcript (Handwritten)

CHELSEA: Right to Work / The Loner. I really like this single. It opens with some really good guitar power and then in comes good old Gene October with great vocals and strong lyrics over good, solid playing. "Standing around just waiting for a career", he sings, which typifies a lot of todays kids, who think all they have to do is stand there and work, life and everything else will just come to them. The B-side, "The Loner" is not quite as strong but still better than a lot.

JOHNNY THUNDER'S HEARTBREAKERS: Chinese Rocks / Born to Lose. The Heartbreaker's anthem, and fucking great it is to! But at first listen I was disappointed, because the production not too hot, and makes the sound drag. But play it more, and the better it gets, untill its bloody incredible!

THE CLASH: Remote Control / London's Burning The reason I bought this was for the B-side, a live version of London's Burning. Great, The Clash live, fantastic, but it's a bloody letdown, the sound is disgusting, as though it was recorded in a tin can. Don't bother. Everybody knows Remote Control anyway, and has the album, too.

RAMONES: Sheena is a Punk Rocker / Commando / I Don't Care This is great fun. "Sheena" is a happy, funny, surf-style number which is commercial, bubbly and really enjoyable. "Commando" is on the "Leave Home" album, and is true Ramones, and "I Don't Care" is a right curiousity.

THE CORTINAS: Fascist Dictator / Television Families A good debut single from a young band, which shows lots of promise.

SEX PISTOLS: God Save The Queen / Did You No Wrong. At last it's out. The best record since "Anarchy". It really is bleedin' marvelous. It really is great, gut-level rock 'n' roll the way it should be played. It's taken a long time, and we've had a lot of rubbish in between pretending that they're it, but it takes one listen of this and you remember that the Pistols are the best, no … (missing text)

Page 3 Transcript (Collage Page)

Header/Top Text:

"IN RUSSIA HUMANS WOULD HAVE NO RIGHT TO SAY THAT!"

THE DAMNED DISCUSSING MELODY MAKERS LATEST GODFARTHER OF PUNK.

Central Collage Snippets:

Graphic: "LOOK! A HERD OF 'PIN HEADS' THREE MILES DUE NORTH!"

Speech Bubble: "WHY, TIS A COLLECTION OF YOUR BEST SONGS, OF COURSE!"

Speech Bubble: "BUT WHAT BE THE PURPOSE OF SUCH A BAND OF MERRIMENT?"

Handwritten Labels: "THE SLITS" | "SEX PISTOLS" | "SUBWAY SECT"

Clipping: "NAMES IN MY LIFE..." (featuring a grid of faces including Princess Margaret and others)

Caption: "EVEN YOU ARE POWERLESS TO STOP THEM FROM DESTROYING LONDON!"

Bottom Left Document (Telegram Clipping):

Title: And now, a word from their sponsor...

Text: SEX PISTOLS, RECORDING DEAL £150,000 OVER TWO YEARS EXCLUSIVE OF RECORDING COSTS NORTH £50,000 AS REPORTED EARLIER MALCOLM MCLAREN

Secondary Text: The Pistols deal is unusual in that it's not specifically geared towards albums... Eight sides have already been cut at the Pistols' own expense, partly at Wessex Studios, with Chris Thomas producing... 'God Save The Queen', will be released on May 25.