Aaron Cometbus has been self-publishing the Cometbus zine since 1981. These slice-of-life writings became a way to document the East Bay punk rock scene with band interviews, artwork, and personal diaries. Indie book publisher PM Press has started reprinting some of the back issues and other writings by Aaron, starting with The Loneliness of the Electric Menorah and Downtown Locals.
Originally released as Cometbus #51 in September of 2008, The Loneliness of the Electric Menorah chronicles the history of businesses on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley, California. Known as a somewhat sketchy side of town due to its location being a haven of poverty and drugs. Cometbus personalizes the area with a story of rivaling bookstores that would go on to make some controversial books available to their customers for the first time, starting a revolution of sorts. Mostly focusing on the bookstore Rambam and the fall out between its two owners, this book catalogues the history of Telegraph Avenue, along with the scenes and zines it created.
Mentions of pioneering comic figures like Robert Crumb and Art Spiegelman who were a part of the underground comix scene in the Bay Area during the late 1960s and connections to the Symbionese Liberation Army including its remaining members Emily and Bill Harris and Patty Hearst make this a counterculture historian’s wet dream. Cometbus also discusses his possible participation in the 1989 riots with his lawyer and the opening of Amoeba Records, a California indie record store staple that has grown over the years. Cometbus’s text gives skin and bones to an area that was demonized for its inhabitants rather than celebrated for giving them something to think about rather it be socially, economically, or academically
Compiling articles that appeared in other issues of the Cometbus zine and other smaller publications, Downtown Locals is a different beast altogether. It offers more of the same slice-of-life stories, but these are more bite-sized pieces set in New York City. There are personal stories such as “When The Cat’s Away,” “Mary,” and “Skip,” which focus on one person, but also broader narratives like “Three weeks in the Epicenter,” where Cometbus details his experience in NYC during the first three weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic. The most humorous entry in the book is “The Monster” referring to the nickname he called his girlfriend in front of a friend at one point who now feels inclined to do the same. There’s an interview with Punk magazine co-founder John Holstrom. It’s a fantastic conversation with one of the early constructors of punk rock and independent comics scenes.
These stories show a different part of New York City; not the touristy part you’re expected to see when visiting on vacation, or the hyperbolized mugging-and-murder side from an episode of Law and Order. This is a depiction of people under the radar no one notices as they go about their day. I don’t want the tourist’s version of New York; I want Aaron Cometbus’s version.
If you know the name Aaron Cometbus as a drummer, you would know his body of work in punk rock is revered. One could argue that he plays drums in bands in between working on his writings. While these may not be everyone’s cup of tea, they are interesting and give perspective on an often-missed part of life. If you can’t track down old issues of Cometbus, these books from PM Press are a good start.