“A Night at the Sorrento and Other Stories” collects the work of a longtime cartoonist of the Seattle School, yours truly, Henry Chamberlain. We cartoonists grew up in the Generation X ethos of DIY, small press, and a pride for a certain alternative comics aesthetic. Make no mistake, just like alternative rock from the 1990s, there is something specific that is meant by alternative comics. To the point, these are comics that favor the offbeat and idiosyncratic. This spirit rings true today as it embraces an independent vision. Stay tuned. This collection will rock your world, very alternatively, in 2014.
Okay, it’s December, Black Friday craziness behind us, and now we consider thoughtful gifts. How about the fully remastered classic from The Smashing Pumpkins, the career-defining 1995 double album, “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness” as the number one gift this holiday season? Sure, we’ll get a lot of gifts but, oh, that gift of music. Do you remember where you were that summer when the song, “1979,” was the darling of alternative rock? Well, if you weren’t even born yet, that was the song you heard repeatedly on the radio, just like The Breeder’s “Cannonball” in 1993. The Smashing Pumpkins’ “1979” was more than just a song. It was a youth anthem. It was truly the background music, like the entire “Mellon Collie” album, of your life back then. And it deserves to be remastered for a whole generation and those of us who loved it the first time around. You can buy it here. There is the option of getting it as a CD or LP set.
EMI’s reissue of “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness” begins as of today! Go buy it as gift, even if that gift is for yourself. And don’t stop there. This reissue is part of EMI’s extensive campaign to reissue all of The Smashing Pumpkins’ pre-“Oceania” discography that will continue through 2013 and encompass all of the band’s albums and B-sides from 1991 thru 2000.
