Smegma The Magazine (1978-1981) 4 issues - rare art collectible, MINT

Description: a very rare opportunity to own a bit of art history . . . Smegma the Magazine (1978-1981)Smegma the Magzine was published in New York City between 1978 and 1981. It is archived at the permanent library collection of the Museum of Modern Art as well as numerous other museum and university libraries. As the punk music scene exploded, this New York City publication burst onto the local art world seeming to express the same creative, anarchic, playful art-for-art's-sake energy in print. Devoted to recent developments in the New York avant garde art scene including Mail Art, Stamp Art, photography, collage, Xerox Art, etc., with contributions by dozens of artists, profusely illustrated throughout each issue with Xerox montage images, photographs, drawings, and cartoons. Issue no. 3 includes Cavelini 1914-2014 sticker and Smegatronics flexidisc. The ephemeral serial is rare and includes contributions from Buster Cleveland, John Evans, E.F.Higgins III, G. A. Cavellini, Tuli Kupfergerg, Lance Loud and a host of others. The audio-montage flexidisc included with issue no. 4, titled "Hot Dog, You Bet!", was cited as a favorite by Lester Bangs in the November 1980 "Village Voice Pazz & Jop" survey. Wildly anarchic in layout, design and editorial vision, SMEGMA pre-figured the photocopy montage aesthetics of later punk fanzines and explicitly acknowledged its own historical antecedents in Dada and Futurism. It offers a fascinating window into an overlooked avant-garde movement of lower Manhattan in the late-70s-early-80s with clear links to the international correspondence art movement of the same period. While it certainly would be listed among the very first montage-style punkzines, it’s creativity, innovation and scope went far beyond the others – with artwork contributions including original drawings by Tuli Kupferberg (of the Fugs), an exclusive interview with Lance Loud (star of the first reality TV show “An American Family”), poetry, and original works by many know, and at that point still unknown, artists – including John Evans, BillyBoy*, Buster Cleveland, E. F. Higgins III, and somany others.The first issue was printed in a very limited edition of only 500 copies (now extremely rare), the others in editions of only 1000.THIS EXCEPTIONAL SALE INCLUDES ALL 4 ISSUES IN PRISTINE CONDITION - INCLUDING THE FLEXI-DISC RECORDING, STICKERS, AND OTHER VERY RARE INSERTS. PLUS THREE SMEGMA SUPPLE-MINTS, THREE CALENDARS, AND OTHER VERY RARE and VERY FUN RELATED PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS AND PUBLICATIONS. NOT ONLY A PLEASURE TO READ AND VIEW,BUT ALSO A SUPERB INVESTMENT! You won't find these four issues cheaper anywhere else! And nowhere else with all the bonus materials!! An archive treasure. >> Only two sets like this remaining << ________________________________________________ The third issue included a 2-sided flexidisc recording, an audio montage called “Hot Dog, You Bet!“, which was voted as a favorite in November 1980 by music critic Lester Bangs in the Village Voice Pazz & Jop poll. (see photo) Among the sound treasures included in this piece are: a dada sound-poem by Raoul Hausman read by the late artist Buster Cleveland, an entire song by the local New York City band Tina Peel, Theodore Chipmunk manually “sampled” chanting the title, bits of a Beatles’ Xmas record, choice lessons from a sexual hygiene recording, a reference to writer Thomas Pynchon, a fragment from a multi-album vinyl recording of somebody’s actual wedding found in a trashcan in NYC, Hayley Mills providing feminine laughter etiquette, and ~ the audio kitchen sink. (Eva-Tone, at that time the only domestic manufacturer of flexi-discs, refused to produce the disc because of its content. Thus, the flexi-disc had to be pressed in England and shipped back to the U.S., risking problems with importation. Thankfully, all went well.) Notes: Returns accepted only if item is damaged in transit - a photo must be sent to seller immediately upon receipt.

Price: 1300 USD

Location: New York, New York

End Time: 2025-01-09T13:00:25.000Z

Shipping Cost: N/A USD