So what was the greatest L.A. fanzine in the 80’s? Hands down, motherfucking FLIPSIDE. I remember the first copy I got, which I know I read a least 150 times before the next issue hit the newsstands. The mainstream had Rolling Stone magazine, but punks nationwide swore by this fanzine, put out each month by a bunch of Los Angeles weirdos. I have spoken to other punks from different parts of the country, and they all have told me they that read it every month – go figure, I thought it was just an L.A. thing. One thing about FLIPSIDE is that you never felt that they took themselves too seriously, which was awesome because when I read SLASH magazine, I never felt like I connected with where they were coming from. FLIPSIDE was the fanzine for the up & coming hardcore scene that was taking place nationwide. What was also really rad was that they would do these cool issues that were dedicated to artists only. I know for a fact that since no one else gave a fuck about covering the punk scene in print, the FLIPSIDE crew saw it as their D.I.Y duty to create a fanzine that would cover the needs of this growing scene! They really took their vision to the next level when they started Flipside Video Fanzine, where they started documenting Southern California punk shows of local & touring bands. Looking back on it now, I’m glad that they did, because if they didn’t we might not have a visual reference of the mayhem we were a part of. Also, keep in mind that in order to film back then it was a big task – they had to carry around huge cameras in order to get the footage they wanted, this was way before digital cameras. For issue #4 of their video zine it’s all about the almighty G.B.H.. They captured crazy sick footage of the band on their ’83 & ’84 tour. Why is this video important? Because the FLIPSIDE crew caught history on film without even knowing it. People in 2011 get to see what the kids in 80’s looked like & how we took over stages. Trust me, this footage is so fucking rad, G.B.H. was top form performing some of their gnarliest tunes. So after the jump, get your city babies attacked by rats on video styles – now you can see how the 80’s babies wrecked shit!
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