A well-researched and engaging account of the radical bookselling community in Berkeley in the 1960s and '70s. Aaron Cometbus interviewed everybody and captures hilarious and tumultuous tales about the Codys and the Moskowitzes behind Cody's and Moe's. Read this zine for a subjective insider's account of the legendary Telegraph Avenue booksellers.
—Recommended by Paul, City Lights Books
Cometbus is a punk zine started in Berkeley, California in 1983 by Aaron Elliott. Writing under the pen name Aaron Cometbus, Elliott has self-published his usually handwritten zine for about 25 years. The name "Cometbus" was coined by Gregg Turkington during the early days of the magazine when the name changed from issue to issue. Cometbus consisted of band interviews, personal diaries, artwork, and observations on the punk subculture in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond.
Cometbus has a very identifiable aesthetic. Almost always black and white, using the photocopier as a tool for distorting and manipulating images and text. Aaron's handwritten print is very identifiable, and is often closely associated with the zine. The use of this aesthetic also follows Aaron to his bands, where he often does the layout.
In "Cometbus #51: The Lonliness of the Electronic Menorah," Aaron has delved into East Bay history to produce this complex set of interweaving stories. He has done a ton of work on this issue, combining information gleaned from over 40 individuals. The stories are as obscure (to most people) as they are engrossing, and a whole secret history of Berkeley's Telegraph Ave. is revealed. Entrepreneurial booksellers and their long-standing feud, street vendors, and the Symbionese Liberation Army all make appearances. There's also back-story on Cody's Books, Shakespeare and Co., and Black Oak Books. And of course Aaron still manages to personalize it, with a pervasive sense of sentimentality and charm. Although the zine's central focus is on Telegraph, the underlying story is of the complicated relationship we often have with place.
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