Grim Humour magazine

19/07/2024

The Grim Humour persona in a nutshell...

14/01/2024

Only three copies left of this Grim Humour magazine book deal! Last three copies of GH book 1 here. Once gone, that will be it! No more copies will be printed. Still a number of the second volume left, but the stock is running low there as well. This deal for both books at a bargain price finishes at the end of the month, too.

Grim Humour book 1 (1983 to 1987) and Grim Humour book 2 (1987 to 1990) can be purchased together here for a much lower price than if bought...

07/01/2024

Just a reminder that the first two Grim Humour magazine books can be purchased together for a bargain price until the end of this month. 34.00 GBP + shipping for two hefty A4 books dedicated between them to the first 15 issues of Grim Humour 'zine, originally published from February 1983 until the early '90s. The third and final volume will appear during late spring. Each book includes reprinted original pages as well as reworked content and new and exclusive bonus material. If interested in nascent post-punk music, DIY culture, electronic and post-industrial music, US hardcore, horror films, the work of certain writers and film directors (from Kenneth Anger to Peter Greenaway and David Lynch) and suchlike then these books are great documents of those times. Groups featured in both include Crass, Virgin Prunes, Killing Joke, Wire, The Fall, Sonic Youth, Whitehouse, Soulside, Swans, Bu****le Surfers, Fugazi and far more.

Getting these books together saves almost 10.00 GBP on their retail price. The offer ends on January 31st.

Grim Humour book 1 (1983 to 1987) and Grim Humour book 2 (1987 to 1990) can be purchased together here for a much lower price than if bought...

31/12/2023

Another year down the pan. Managed to get releases out by Blue Statue, Zsolt Sőrés, Ashtray Navigations, JFK, Alternative TV, Edward Ka-Spel and Senestra, as well as three by Kleistwahr and the book on Alternative TV/Mark Perry, but not without the help of those that buy direct, pre-order or even in a few cases simply donate funds! Plenty more releases lined up, too, plus the third and final Grim Humour book and the third (but hopefully not quite final) label event at London's Cafe OTO in May. Given just how much of a mess the world is in right now, and the stark fact there's nothing the majority of us can do about that, the only real way forward is to focus on those tiny things we can (just about) control that might go some way towards being of value to ourselves and a few others. Beyond that, I don't foresee much changing during the next twelve months. Well, things might get worse. I'm happy to continue providing what I can to help soundtrack that, anyway. See you in 2024!

12/12/2023

New deal on the two Grim Humour books so far available! Third and final volume due late spring 2024!

Grim Humour book 1 (1983 to 1987) and Grim Humour book 2 (1987 to 1990) can be purchased together here for a much lower price than if bought...

21/08/2023

Pre-order for the third and final Grim Humour book up and running! If you enjoyed the other two volumes, you will understand precisely why you will also need this to complete the set. These books are bloody HUGE, too, so do not complain about the price OR the shipping (that we can do nada about). This edition is pure vfm and features another wide range of original and reworked features, plus a healthy sprinkling of fresh material to help bind it all together from the (disad)vantage(d) position of being slightly older. Inside are features on Tad, Bitch Magnet, Lydia Lunch, Skullflower, Nick Bougas, Ramleh, Font Line Assembly, Controlled Bleeding, Cindytalk, Nick Zedd, Peter Greenaway, The God Machine, Political Asylum, Fire Party, Pigface, John Waters, Kenneth Anger, horror films, Cop Shoot Cop, Con Demek and a burst dam of music, book and film reviews, plus more besides.

Pre-order here:

The third and final book in the trilogy of volumes dedicated to Grim Humour fanzine, which ran between 1983 and 1993 and lasted a total of eighteen...

10/07/2023

Posted this on Friday but if interested in the Fourth Dimension Records (and related) channel on YouTube, I now have a new one. Cannot seem to add links to the uploads, though. Anyway, this is where you can find updates on new and upcoming releases (Final, Kleistwahr, JFK, Edward Ka-Spel, Alternative TV, Splintered, Mummies & Madmen, Ashtray Navigations, Blue Statue, Senestra and many others), the books (ATV, Grim Humour, Third Mind Records) and so on, as well as tangential nonsense and the occasional shout-out for releases by others or work from other labels. There's also news of the third label event in London next May at Cafe OTO, too, with ATV, Edward Ka-Spel, Splintered and a fourth artist tba.

There's a sampler track from the upcoming Edward Ka-Spel LP on Lumberton Trading Company also on the channel, too. This should be followed by a new Splintered track soon.

Here's the shop link: https://fourthdimensionrecords.bigcartel.com/products

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dH5cQ5PfGjQ&t=652s

The very latest from the labels and news of the third event to be held at Cafe OTO in London on May 18th next year.All releases and pre-orders can be found h...

07/05/2023

Another one of these YT uploads of mine, bring together all kinds of news related to Fourth Dimension Records and the imminent book on Mark Perry/Alternative TV, as well as the fact I've now commenced work on the third and final Grim Humour book.

An overview of the latest at Fourth Dimension Records, including news of work having started on the third and final book devoted to Grim Humour fanzine. Rele...

17/02/2023

Just finished listening to this podcast featuring Alan Rider of Adventures in Reality plugging the two books he's so far published (both on Fourth Dimension). Copies still available but go to his new BigCartel shop and support/buy direct if interested!

BigCartel: https://adventuresinreality.bigcartel.com/

https://shows.acast.com/the-jamming-fanzine-podcast/episodes/ep-11-archiving-a-citys-zine-scene?fbclid=IwAR2JEMYfSMsdDMvMHRhoHkkxjfJ-Aver59pZ26vRW55llE5q_lE-w7pH2rE

with Alan Rider and Graham Burnett

24/10/2022

Reposting this new YT upload on Fourth Dimension Records' channel. I look extremely tired (I am!) in it, but still manage to stumble my way through updates on new/upcoming releases/books by/on Nick Mott, Kleistwahr, Final, Ahah a.k.a. Zsolt Sores, Mark Perry, Blue Statue, etc. Since I posted this yesterday it looks like the remaining limited edition Nick Mott LP/art print sets will go to Soundohm once all the direct orders, etc. have been obliged. Kleistwahr 'Common Values' CD due to arrive any day now, too. I need a holiday.

info

04/10/2022

The very first Fourth Dimension Records' release I was responsible for. This flexi disc was issued with the third Grim Humour in 1984. Between then and the late '80s, the label was somewhat erratic and mostly released compilation cassettes before I cranked things up in the '90s with a number of now long o/p 7"s and 10"s by the likes of Cosmonauts Hail Satan, Stefan Jaworzyn, Richard Youngs & Simon Wickham-Smith, KK Null, Ascension, The Gerogerigegege, Con Demek, Splintered, JFK, Shifts, A.S.P. and Hijokaidan. Struggled by haphazardly ever since!

First release on FOURTH DIMENSION records here. 2 bands from Kent, UK. Epidemic went on to record 2 more demo tapes in 1988 & 1989, which are also both on my...

24/09/2022

Yet another one of these YouTube uploads of mine, mostly focussed on the Kleistwahr reissue LPs on Fourth Dimension Records.

(Not the most flattering of shots from it here, either!)

More predictably rambling advertising bluster about the new Kleistwahr reissue LPs on Fourth Dimension Records. Talk of other releases and books, such as the...

04/09/2022

Uploaded this typically rambling vid of mine on YouTube just over a week ago and it seems to be getting more hits than usual. I never expect much from these uploads and, obviously, the fact they only reach 100 to 200 people amounts to very little next to those who are more dedicated to or serious about such matters. They were only ever done as an extension of my promo drive for the releases and books I do, although sometimes digress elsewhere. The rationale, as I've always stressed, stemming from the fact the labels/releases/books get little attention elsewhere and I feel duty-bound to do whatever I personally can within my limited means. I've always tended to be hands-on not only because that's basically the main option, but because I ultimately also prefer this and even enjoy it (despite often complaining about it), too. My labels aren't hip. The music they are devoted to goes all over the place. I don't like a lot of the bu****it attached to small labels with their overpriced releases by artists whose work is often barely worth giving away for nothing. The only thing 'hip' about everything I do is the one I shoot from. Anyway, here's the upload again, replete with a 'warts 'n' all' approach stripped bare of any pretence whatsoever beamed from my tiny hub where s**t happens.

Some words hopefully making the CD deal clearer, plus some info on upcoming releases by Final, Kleistwahr, Edward Ka-Spel, Zsolt Sőrés, Blue Statue, Splinter...

29/07/2022

Great and insightful talk by Alan Rider here on Crowdcast about Adventures in Reality, Coventry fanzines and his books, plus much more. Of interest to anybody who enjoyed early post-punk fanzines, grew up through that period in music, or enjoys looking back to it.

Register now for FDA Union webinars's event on Crowdcast, scheduled to go live on Friday July 29, 2022 at 11:00 am BST.

26/07/2022

Still shipping these... and probably will be for several weeks yet! All the same, orders always welcome!

The second book in the trilogy of volumes dedicated to Grim Humour fanzine, which ran between 1983 and 1993 and lasted eighteen editions. Following...

25/07/2022

Another one of these YouTube uploads of mine here, this time predominantly devoted to the second Grim Humour book, Sudden Infant 'Lunatic Asylum' LP and Richard Youngs 'New Emptiness' CD besides updates on the Mark Perry/ATV book and upcoming releases by Kleistwahr (two reissue LPs and 'Common Values' CD), Final and Blue Statue. Plus some other nonsense.

Another typical half hour bout of persiflage related to the second Grim Humour book, Sudden Infant 'Lunatic Asylum' LP and Richard Youngs 'New Emptiness' CD ...

07/07/2022

Yet another of these YouTube uploads of mine where I note various delays of releases on Fourth Dimension Records and Lumberton Trading Company, plug some other music and talk about one or two other matters before Laura starts wailing in the background!

Information concerning delayed releases at Fourth Dimension Records and Lumberton Trading Company. Completely forgot to note the upcoming releases by Alterna...

05/07/2022

Review of the second Grim Humour book at Vital Weekly. With the printer now!

"GRIM HUMOUR 1987-1990 (book by Fourth Dimension)
I originally planned to read almost all of this book before considering a review, but after a month, I am still not there. I realized this is not a book to read from A to Z. Just like its predecessor, and this is a 400-page detailing four issues of this UK magazine, this time the issues 11 to 14. Richard Johnson, who still runs the Fourth Dimension label, had established a massive magazine (or fanzine, depending on your love for semantics, but with more than 100 pages per issue, hardly a fanzine anymore), of which these
books are mere 'best-of'. This second book is in the same style as the previous (Vital Weekly 1253), and it is not a collection of scans. There are comments and introductions from 2021-22 about the content to add colour to the background. I found that a bit odd the first time around, but it's most certainly a helpful addition, even when it clouds, at times, the timeline perspective. Also, some interviews are in a new type-setting, enhancing the readability. Sometimes there are scans of pages. The musical focus had shifted by then towards more and more guitars, so we see a lot of heavy guitar bands in reviews and interviews. Bu****le Surfers, Gore, Big Black, Sonic Youth, Swans, Fugazi, Rapeman, Godflesh, and also The Cure, Wire, Chris & Cosey, from a slightly different musical perspective. Music wasn't the only subject as the magazine happily writes about books and films, from Stephen King to David Lynch. I comb through tons of reviews to try and find new names to explore, or maybe
simply as a reminder about artists I forgot about and which are, no doubt, to be found in the crevices of the internet. Keep a notepad ready at times when going through such books. Grim Humour's angry young man style is often hilarious and annoying, but I guess that is a sign of the times. Volume three will complete this series, and we'll have over 1000 pages of underground cultural history. (FdW)"
––– Address:

The second book in the trilogy of volumes dedicated to Grim Humour fanzine, which ran between 1983 and 1993 and lasted eighteen editions. Following...

29/06/2022

I was recently invited to write about some favourite books for this Booker's Dozen column at the Pensive Quill. Probably buy more books these days than music, but don't get a lot of time to read, unfortunately. Not sure if this is that interesting to anybody here (or anywhere else), really, but here it is anyway...

Richard Johnson 🔖answers thirteen questions in Booker's Dozen. TPQ: What are you currently reading?RJ: I am currently reading a George Carlin autobiography called Last Words. Like most (not all) horror fare with my film viewing, I generally go to autobiographies/ biographies to give my brain a ...

21/05/2022

The YouTube upload of mine (about the new Grim Humour book) from two nights ago is back up! No explanation as to why it was pulled, however. I queried it (twice), but never received a response. I was just about to do another to comment on it, but noticed this can now be made public again. I have absolutely no idea why the moderators deemed it should not be shared publicly after being available already in that domain for several hours. Strange and turbulent times. Nothing will ever convince me to back down from my long held stance on censorship and artistic freedom, either. If you think anybody should be 'cancelled' or that certain books, films, stand-up comedians, music or art shouldn't be available to adults capable of making their own minds up about anything, then you are an idiot. Plain and simple.

Samples of the latest Grim Humour book are now here, hence this update before the main run goes ahead.Pre-order: https://fourthdimensionrecords.bigcartel.com...

19/05/2022

Another one of these YouTube uploads concerning the new Grim Humour book:

Samples of the latest Grim Humour book are now here, hence this update before the main run goes ahead.Pre-order: https://fourthdimensionrecords.bigcartel.com...

12/05/2022

Should be news on the sample copies of the second Grim Humour book next week. Not going to be sending out so many freebies this time (as they're just too expensive to both produce and put in the post), unless involved in the actual book, so if you want a copy please pre-order it. Over 400 x A4 pages. A huge beast with plenty of new material. Still some copies left of the first book here, too, or also available from Cargo/Forced Exposure or Soundohm, Italy. And copies of the Adventures in Reality and Tales from the Ghost Town books as well!

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The second book in the trilogy of volumes dedicated to Grim Humour fanzine, which ran between 1983 and 1993 and lasted eighteen editions. Following on from the first one, published in 2020, this book continues the same approach and blends together reprinted original pages with rewritten features, some insightful reflections on them and additional material by both editor/publisher Richard Johnson and contributors including Andy Pearson, Tom Vague, Edward Ka-Spel, Gordon Sharp/Cinder, Wojtek Kozielski and Gary Levermore of Third Mind Records.

With over 400 A4 pages, this softcover book is bigger than the first volume simply because the original fanzines themselves had higher page counts. Features include Bu****le Surfers, Steve Albini, Swans, Wire, David Lynch's films, Clive Barker, Iain Burgess (Naked Raygun, The Effigies, Big Black, etc.), Soulside, Ramsey Campbell, Lydia Lunch, Fugazi, Godflesh, Cindytalk, Gore, Nomeansno, 'video nasties', Skinny Puppy and many more. Coupled to these are countless reviews (Psychic TV, Loop, The Walking Seeds, And Also The Trees, Na**lm Death, books, etc.) and extras that, as with the first book, add up to an overtly hefty document of how things were for those concerned as the 1980s jostled along from their post-punk foundations to embrace US hardcore/post-hardcore, noise-rock and different areas of electronic music. Grim Humour also expanded on its interest in horror to include more in the way of writers and film directors, inadvertently bridging the gap between similarly-inclined music 'zines and other titles around the same time that only focussed on horror/art/independent films and literature.

This book should be ready to ship in late April 2022.

The same as the other book titles now published by Fourth Dimension, Puppy38 is responsible for the incredible design.

Please also note that the books are sent from Poland by air mail (the same as everything else on Fourth Dimension and the related labels) and that nothing can be done to make the postage cheaper. It is out of our hands and, once again, this is is a hefty affair. Also, postage would be far higher if FD was based in the UK! The book, again, is bigger than the first, hence the fact it costs a little more.

RRP will be around 27 GBP minimum once in shops and mail order outlets, so ordering direct is still the most affordable way of securing a copy.

Work on the third and final volume will start later in 2022/early 2023.

Copies of the first volume are still available (see shop for details).

Fourth Dimension has now published a few books. They are all distributed by Cargo (UK) and Forced Exposure (USA), although great outlets such as Soundohm (Italy) and Scream and Writhe (Canada) have also stocked most.

Write if you want to pre-order wholesale copies (3 or more units of any one title).

The second book in the trilogy of volumes dedicated to Grim Humour fanzine, which ran between 1983 and 1993 and lasted eighteen editions. Following...

17/04/2022

Another one of these YouTube uploads just done to shamelessly put on the barrow boy routine for the new Sudden Infant 'Lunatic Asylum' CD on Fourth Dimension Records and other upcoming releases and books. Maybe 10 or 15 minutes too long, but I don't know how to edit these things.

Slightly rambling and overlong talk about the new Sudden Infant album on Fourth Dimension Records, the upcoming second Grim Humour book, the CD deal, future ...