Deke Nihilson
Encyclopedia
Daniel "Deke" Frontino Elash (born January 2, 1968) is an American zine
editor, musician, actor, activist and historian.
In 1988, he and co-editor Tom Jennings
began publishing Homocore
zine out of San Francisco. One of the earliest queercore
zines, it followed in the wake of J.D.s
and was instrumental in the expansion of the queer
punk
scene; its readership was international. The name "Homocore" came from the pages of J.D.s and from 1988 to 1991, seven issues were produced. Contributors included musicians and writers such as The Apostles
, Steve Abbott, Donna Dresch
, Larry Livermore
, Daniel Nicoletta
, and G. B. Jones
. At the same time, Nihilson and Jennings set up Homocore shows where bands such as Fugazi, Beat Happening
and MDC
played, and did much to popularize the queercore scene on the west coast of the U.S. Nihilson began his own band around this time, called Comrades In Arms. One of the earliest queercore bands, they played at Homocore events and issued one cassette
release.
Nihilson appears in the film The Yo-Yo Gang
by G.B. Jones, released in 1992.
Nihilson was also involved with the Industrial Workers of the World
(IWW). On 1 September 1992, Nihilson and other IWW members called a press conference for four workers who had been fired from the gay bar "End Up". They had joined the IWW in the midst of ongoing labor disputes with the bar, prior to their dismissal. During the conference, Nihilson burned the rainbow flag
, a gesture designed to refute the supposed unity the flag symbolizes for the gay community, due to class divisions. The event was featured in San Francisco media such as San Francisco Bay Times
, Bay Guardian
and Bay Area Reporter
. During the 1990s, Nihilson remained active in IWW as well as Food Not Bombs
.
At present, Nihilson is a Marxist-Leninist filmmaker working in New York City.
Zine
A zine is most commonly a small circulation publication of original or appropriated texts and images. More broadly, the term encompasses any self-published work of minority interest usually reproduced via photocopier....
editor, musician, actor, activist and historian.
In 1988, he and co-editor Tom Jennings
Tom Jennings
Tom Jennings is a Los Angeles-based artist and technician. He is the creator of FidoNet, the first message and file networking system for BBSes...
began publishing Homocore
Homocore (zine)
Homocore is an American anarcho-punk zine created by Tom Jennings and Deke Nihilson, and published in San Francisco from 1988 to 1991. One of the first queer zines, Homocore was directed toward the hardcore punk youth of the gay underground...
zine out of San Francisco. One of the earliest queercore
Queercore
Queercore is a cultural and social movement that began in the mid-1980s as an offshoot of punk. It is distinguished by being discontent with society in general and its rejection of the disapproval of the gay, bisexual, and lesbian communities and their "oppressive agenda"...
zines, it followed in the wake of J.D.s
J.D.s
J.D.s is a queer punk zine founded in Toronto by G.B. Jones and co-published with Bruce LaBruce, that ran for eight issues from 1985 to 1991....
and was instrumental in the expansion of the queer
Queer
Queer is an umbrella term for sexual minorities that are not heterosexual, heteronormative, or gender-binary. In the context of Western identity politics the term also acts as a label setting queer-identifying people apart from discourse, ideologies, and lifestyles that typify mainstream LGBT ...
punk
Punk subculture
The punk subculture includes a diverse array of ideologies, and forms of expression, including fashion, visual art, dance, literature, and film, which grew out of punk rock.-History:...
scene; its readership was international. The name "Homocore" came from the pages of J.D.s and from 1988 to 1991, seven issues were produced. Contributors included musicians and writers such as The Apostles
The Apostles
The Apostles are an experimental punk rock band who developed within the confines of the 1980s Anarcho Punk scene in the UK, but did not necessarily adhere to the aesthetics of that movement.-History:...
, Steve Abbott, Donna Dresch
Donna Dresch
Donna Dresch is an American punk rock musician, perhaps best known as founder, guitarist and bass guitarist of Team Dresch and the Queen of Grunge....
, Larry Livermore
Larry Livermore
Lawrence "Larry" Hayes , best known by the pseudonym Larry Livermore, is an American musician, record producer, and music journalist. He is best known as the co-founder of Lookout! Records.-Biography:...
, Daniel Nicoletta
Daniel Nicoletta
Daniel Nicoletta is an American photographer, photo journalist and gay rights activist.-Biography:Born in New York City, Daniel Nicoletta was raised in Utica, NY. In his late teens he left New York to attend San Francisco State University, later graduating from the Bachelor of Arts program...
, and G. B. Jones
G. B. Jones
G. B. Jones is a Canadian artist, filmmaker, musician, and publisher of zines based in Toronto, Canada. Her drawings have been featured at galleries around the world, and her films screened at numerous film festivals, both in Canada and abroad...
. At the same time, Nihilson and Jennings set up Homocore shows where bands such as Fugazi, Beat Happening
Beat Happening
Beat Happening is an American punk band formed in Olympia, Washington in 1982. Calvin Johnson, Heather Lewis and Bret Lunsford have been the band's continual members...
and MDC
MDC (band)
MDC is an American hardcore punk band formed in Austin, Texas in 1979. The band were subsequently based in San Francisco, California, and are currently based in Portland, Oregon. MDC originally formed as The Stains before changing their name...
played, and did much to popularize the queercore scene on the west coast of the U.S. Nihilson began his own band around this time, called Comrades In Arms. One of the earliest queercore bands, they played at Homocore events and issued one cassette
Compact Cassette
The Compact Cassette, often referred to as audio cassette, cassette tape, cassette, or simply tape, is a magnetic tape sound recording format. It was designed originally for dictation, but improvements in fidelity led the Compact Cassette to supplant the Stereo 8-track cartridge and reel-to-reel...
release.
Nihilson appears in the film The Yo-Yo Gang
The Yo-Yo Gang
The Yo-Yo Gang is a thirty minute 'exploitation movie' about girl gangs released in 1992 that has become a cult film.Directed by G.B. Jones, this 'no budget film' follows the exploits of two girl gangs, the "Yo-Yo Gang" and the "Skateboard Bitches", as a gangwar erupts between them...
by G.B. Jones, released in 1992.
Nihilson was also involved with the Industrial Workers of the World
Industrial Workers of the World
The Industrial Workers of the World is an international union. At its peak in 1923, the organization claimed some 100,000 members in good standing, and could marshal the support of perhaps 300,000 workers. Its membership declined dramatically after a 1924 split brought on by internal conflict...
(IWW). On 1 September 1992, Nihilson and other IWW members called a press conference for four workers who had been fired from the gay bar "End Up". They had joined the IWW in the midst of ongoing labor disputes with the bar, prior to their dismissal. During the conference, Nihilson burned the rainbow flag
Rainbow flag (LGBT movement)
The rainbow flag, sometimes pride flag, LGBT pride flag or gay pride flag, is a symbol of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender pride and LGBT social movements in use since the 1970s. The colours reflect the diversity of the LGBT community, and the flag is often used as a symbol of gay pride in...
, a gesture designed to refute the supposed unity the flag symbolizes for the gay community, due to class divisions. The event was featured in San Francisco media such as San Francisco Bay Times
San Francisco Bay Times
The San Francisco Bay Times is a free weekly LGBT newspaper in San Francisco, California that started as COMING Up! in October 1979 as "the gay lesbian newspaper and calendar of events for the Bay Area."...
, Bay Guardian
San Francisco Bay Guardian
The San Francisco Bay Guardian is a free alternative newspaper published weekly in San Francisco, California. The paper is owned mostly by its publisher, Bruce B...
and Bay Area Reporter
Bay Area Reporter
The Bay Area Reporter is a free weekly newspaper serving the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered communities in the San Francisco Bay Area; it is the oldest-continuously published, and one of the largest LGBT newspapers in the United States....
. During the 1990s, Nihilson remained active in IWW as well as Food Not Bombs
Food Not Bombs
Food Not Bombs is a loose-knit group of independent collectives, serving free vegan and vegetarian food to others. Food Not Bombs' ideology is that myriad corporate and government priorities are skewed to allow hunger to persist in the midst of abundance...
.
At present, Nihilson is a Marxist-Leninist filmmaker working in New York City.
External links
- Comrades In Arms YouTube page
- Website for Deke Nihilson's band Comrades In Arms
- Deke Nihilson's and Tom Jennings' Homocore at ZineWikiZineWikiZineWiki is an open-source online wiki devoted to zines, fanzines, small press publications, chapbooks, and independent media. It covers the history, production, distribution and culture of the small press.-History:...
- Deke Nihilson's zine Pavement of Surface at ZineWikiZineWikiZineWiki is an open-source online wiki devoted to zines, fanzines, small press publications, chapbooks, and independent media. It covers the history, production, distribution and culture of the small press.-History:...