Robert Eggplant
Encyclopedia
Robert Burnett, better known as Robert Eggplant, is a writer, publisher, musician and activist from California.
fanzine
since 1987. The zine has documented the East Bay punk subculture
from a 'front-lines' point of view, due to Eggplant's intimate involvement with this scene. Contributors have included Aaron Cometbus
, Larry Livermore
, Jesse Michaels
and Billie Joe Armstrong
. The zine has been compiled and released in a paperback edition entitled Absolutely Zippo!: Anthology Of A Fanzine 1988-1998.
Robert Eggplant was one of the founding members of the seminal East Bay punk rock
band, Blatz
, in which he played guitar. The band released a number of recordings on Lookout! Records
that are regarded as integral representations of the East Bay punk sound. They often released split recordings with Blatz on one side and notable bands like Filth
and Tribe 8
on the other. During the time Eggplant was also a volunteer at 924 Gilman Street Project
, where Blatz frequently played. The band existed from 1989 till 1992. His next group was The Hope Bombs
which existed from 1994 til 1996, which proved influential. In 1995, he became a member of the S.P.A.M. Records collective and helped organize Geekfest
, the free festival
that helped introduce a new sensibility into the punk rock scene. The Hope Bombs frequently played at Geekfest. He has played in Harbinger
with Aaron Cometbus
and John Geek, a fellow member of the S.P.A.M. Records collective and organizer of Geekfest, who also performs with his own band, Fleshies
. Recently, he has formed a band with members of Absolutely Zippo
called Fugitive Kind
. All the groups he has been a member of are noted for their DIY ethics, working with independent record labels and playing all-ages shows. He is well known for holding memorable shows in his backyard in Pinole
, California
, USA including the very last show ever of Operation Ivy
. His vocals are also in the Green Day
song "Longview
": during the lyrics "Call me what you will," he sings "What you will," a line he used to shout out at shows before bands would begin to play.
Robert Eggplant is also an activist and works with many peace and anarchist
groups, including the Slingshot collective. His writings on various topics can be read in his ongoing fanzine, Absolutely Zippo as well as on the Slingshot website.
background
Born in 1973, Robert Eggplant has been the editor and publisher of Absolutely ZippoAbsolutely Zippo
Absolutely Zippo is a punk rock fanzine created by Robert Eggplant to document the happenings of the East Bay Berkeley punk scene during its heyday in the late 1980s/early 1990s...
fanzine
Fanzine
A fanzine is a nonprofessional and nonofficial publication produced by fans of a particular cultural phenomenon for the pleasure of others who share their interest...
since 1987. The zine has documented the East Bay punk subculture
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:...
from a 'front-lines' point of view, due to Eggplant's intimate involvement with this scene. Contributors have included Aaron Cometbus
Aaron Cometbus
Aaron Elliott , better known as Aaron Cometbus, is an American drummer, lyricist, self-described "punk anthropologist," novelist, and author of punk rock zine Cometbus.-Personal life:...
, 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:...
, Jesse Michaels
Jesse Michaels
Jesse Michaels is a songwriter, vocalist, guitarist and artist from Berkeley, California. He is the son of the deceased author Leonard Michaels. His lyrics deal with politics, racism, and general social issues.-Musical overview:...
and Billie Joe Armstrong
Billie Joe Armstrong
Billie Joe Armstrong is an American rock musician and occasional actor, best known as the lead vocalist, main songwriter and lead guitarist for the American punk rock band Green Day...
. The zine has been compiled and released in a paperback edition entitled Absolutely Zippo!: Anthology Of A Fanzine 1988-1998.
Robert Eggplant was one of the founding members of the seminal East Bay punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band, Blatz
Blatz (band)
Blatz was a punk band formed in 1989 in Berkeley, California. Blatz came out of the 924 Gilman Street Project scene during the late '80s, and early '90s along with bands like Operation Ivy, Filth, and Green Day.-History:...
, in which he played guitar. The band released a number of recordings on Lookout! Records
Lookout! Records
-History:Larry Livermore and David Hayes formed the label in 1987. From the start, Lookout released punk rock records, but over time expanded its scope to include various types of pop rock, reggae fusion, acoustic rock, pop punk, and indie rock...
that are regarded as integral representations of the East Bay punk sound. They often released split recordings with Blatz on one side and notable bands like Filth
Filth (band)
Filth is a hardcore punk band from East Bay, California.-Biography:Formed in the East Bay in 1989, from the ashes of Isocracy, the Vagrants, and Crimpshrine; Filth was a crustcore band that would help define the later "East Bay Hardcore" style...
and Tribe 8
Tribe 8
This article is about the San Francisco based lesbian punk band Tribe 8. See Tribe 8 for Dream Pod 9s post-apocalyptic fantasy role-playing game.Tribe 8 was an all-women outspoken dyke punk band from San Francisco...
on the other. During the time Eggplant was also a volunteer at 924 Gilman Street Project
924 Gilman Street
924 Gilman Street is an all-ages, not for profit, collectively organized music club usually referred to by its fans simply as "The Gilman." It is located in the West Berkeley area of Berkeley, California about a mile and a half west of the North Berkeley BART station and a quarter-mile west of San...
, where Blatz frequently played. The band existed from 1989 till 1992. His next group was The Hope Bombs
The Hope Bombs
The Hope Bombs were a self-proclaimed "geekcore" band, existing from 1994 to 1997. They helped pioneer the development of alternative punk scenes in the San Francisco East Bay.-History:...
which existed from 1994 til 1996, which proved influential. In 1995, he became a member of the S.P.A.M. Records collective and helped organize Geekfest
Geekfest
Geekfest is the name of a series of free, all-ages concerts organized by California indie label S.P.A.M. Records during the 1990s. The first Geekfest was held in June 1996 on the shoreline at Point Molate in Richmond, California...
, the free festival
Free party
A free party is a party "free" from the restrictions of the legal club scene, similar to the free festival movement. It typically involves a sound system playing electronic dance music from late at night until the time when the organisers decide to go home. A free party can be composed of just one...
that helped introduce a new sensibility into the punk rock scene. The Hope Bombs frequently played at Geekfest. He has played in Harbinger
Harbinger (band)
Harbinger is a band formed in 1997 in Berkeley, California featuring three prominent members from the East Bay punk scene:* Robert Eggplant , formerly of Blatz, The Hope Bombs, and editor of the zine Absolutely Zippo....
with Aaron Cometbus
Aaron Cometbus
Aaron Elliott , better known as Aaron Cometbus, is an American drummer, lyricist, self-described "punk anthropologist," novelist, and author of punk rock zine Cometbus.-Personal life:...
and John Geek, a fellow member of the S.P.A.M. Records collective and organizer of Geekfest, who also performs with his own band, Fleshies
Fleshies
Fleshies are a band from Oakland, California signed to Jello Biafra's Alternative Tentacles. They are known for their outlandish stage presence, their left-wing politics and their non-stop world touring schedule...
. Recently, he has formed a band with members of Absolutely Zippo
Absolutely Zippo
Absolutely Zippo is a punk rock fanzine created by Robert Eggplant to document the happenings of the East Bay Berkeley punk scene during its heyday in the late 1980s/early 1990s...
called Fugitive Kind
Fugitive Kind
Fugitive Kind is a 1937 play written by Tennessee Williams. The play is evocative of a Clifford Odets Depression era play. The action takes place in a flophouse in Two Rivers, Mississippi during the waning days of 1936, as the New Year 1937 is imminent...
. All the groups he has been a member of are noted for their DIY ethics, working with independent record labels and playing all-ages shows. He is well known for holding memorable shows in his backyard in Pinole
Pinole, California
Pinole is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States. The population was 18,390 at the 2010 census. It is one of many small “bedroom communities” along the I-80 corridor in Western Contra Costa County. It is located about northeast of San Francisco, and approximately a half-hour...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, USA including the very last show ever of Operation Ivy
Operation Ivy (band)
Operation Ivy was an American ska punk band that formed in Berkeley, California, and was often credited with spurring the 1990s punk revival in California. It is well-known as one of the first bands to "mix" hardcore punk with elements of ska, known as ska-core...
. His vocals are also in the Green Day
Green Day
Green Day is an American punk rock band formed in 1987. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tre Cool...
song "Longview
Longview (song)
"Longview" is a song and the first major-label single by the American punk rock band Green Day. It is the fourth track on the band's third album, Dookie . The song was the band's first single to top the Modern Rock chart in the U.S...
": during the lyrics "Call me what you will," he sings "What you will," a line he used to shout out at shows before bands would begin to play.
Robert Eggplant is also an activist and works with many peace and anarchist
Anarchism
Anarchism is generally defined as the political philosophy which holds the state to be undesirable, unnecessary, and harmful, or alternatively as opposing authority in the conduct of human relations...
groups, including the Slingshot collective. His writings on various topics can be read in his ongoing fanzine, Absolutely Zippo as well as on the Slingshot website.
Publications
- Absolutely ZippoAbsolutely ZippoAbsolutely Zippo is a punk rock fanzine created by Robert Eggplant to document the happenings of the East Bay Berkeley punk scene during its heyday in the late 1980s/early 1990s...
1989 - - Absolutely Zippo: Anthology of a Fanzine, 2006
Blatz
- Cheaper Than The Beer, Lookout! RecordsLookout! Records-History:Larry Livermore and David Hayes formed the label in 1987. From the start, Lookout released punk rock records, but over time expanded its scope to include various types of pop rock, reggae fusion, acoustic rock, pop punk, and indie rock...
(1991) - Stranger Fruit, split LP with Tribe 8Tribe 8This article is about the San Francisco based lesbian punk band Tribe 8. See Tribe 8 for Dream Pod 9s post-apocalyptic fantasy role-playing game.Tribe 8 was an all-women outspoken dyke punk band from San Francisco...
, Lookout! Records (1992) - Bitches and Brew, split single with Tribe 8, Lookout! Records (1992)
- A Touch Of Blatz/Filth, split LP with FilthFilth (band)Filth is a hardcore punk band from East Bay, California.-Biography:Formed in the East Bay in 1989, from the ashes of Isocracy, the Vagrants, and Crimpshrine; Filth was a crustcore band that would help define the later "East Bay Hardcore" style...
, Lookout! Records (1992) - The Shit Split, split LP with Filth, Lookout! Records (1992)
Harbinger
- Challenging The Prevailing Judeo-Christian Doomsday Mentality, LP, Riisk (2005)
See also
- Absolutely ZippoAbsolutely ZippoAbsolutely Zippo is a punk rock fanzine created by Robert Eggplant to document the happenings of the East Bay Berkeley punk scene during its heyday in the late 1980s/early 1990s...
- BlatzBlatz (band)Blatz was a punk band formed in 1989 in Berkeley, California. Blatz came out of the 924 Gilman Street Project scene during the late '80s, and early '90s along with bands like Operation Ivy, Filth, and Green Day.-History:...
- GeekfestGeekfestGeekfest is the name of a series of free, all-ages concerts organized by California indie label S.P.A.M. Records during the 1990s. The first Geekfest was held in June 1996 on the shoreline at Point Molate in Richmond, California...
- HarbingerHarbinger (band)Harbinger is a band formed in 1997 in Berkeley, California featuring three prominent members from the East Bay punk scene:* Robert Eggplant , formerly of Blatz, The Hope Bombs, and editor of the zine Absolutely Zippo....
- The Hope BombsThe Hope BombsThe Hope Bombs were a self-proclaimed "geekcore" band, existing from 1994 to 1997. They helped pioneer the development of alternative punk scenes in the San Francisco East Bay.-History:...
External links
- The Hope Bombs
- Absolutely Zippo 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:...