Haircuts: News in Brief

Above: The first haircut of 2012

Fresh from a trip to The Chicago Zine Fest, as a weirdly warm winter turns into a suspiciously summery spring here in Milwaukee, layout has begun on the long-promised seventh volume of The Famous Hairdos of Popular Music. Volume Six was more jam-packed than any previous volume in the series, and Volume Seven is going to have even more of the great drawings that comprise this project. This one will be dedicated to all the beautiful, weird, profane, silly, sweet renditions of Loretta Lynn that our contributors have created. Stay tuned for more information.

Meanwhile, if you haven't already done so, please check out the new Lemon o Books website, which collects all our freshest completed projects in one tidy place. Lemonobooks.com

Drawings from The Chicago Zine Fest

"Milwaukee is to Chicago as the Moon is to the Earth-- nearby, lifeless, and ultimately inhospitable." Steven Blush, American Hardcore: A Tribal History

Above: Returning from The Chicago Zine Fest by train.

This weekend I traveled from Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Chicago, Illinois to debut a new zine and CD inspired by the moon at the third annual Chicago Zine Fest. As in the last two years, it was a blast, a welcoming, well-organized, inclusive festival, but I'm glad to be home. Thanks as always to the organizers, attendees, and my fellow exhibitors. Thanks to the staff at Quimby's Bookstore in Wicker Park, and big thanks to Jeff Prokash and his roommates for the couch to crash on and some much needed post-festival unwind time.

Below are some of the great drawings I collected for the Famous Hairdos of Popular Music project on Saturday. Heartfelt thanks go out to the drawers who make this project real. When I started The Famous Hairdos of Popular Music four years ago, I dreamed that I would get submissions as great as these, but I am continually thankful that my dream has come true. Finally, to Ron, I decided your drawing was a little too saucy for this website, but thank you nonetheless. Without further ado, the drawings:



The artist who created the above portrait said, on handing me the completed drawing, "Happy Danzig." When I said thank you, I should have added, "And Happy Danzig to you, too." I apologize for my rudeness.







Until next time, thanks for looking.

New Website

Lemon o Books, the publisher and instigator of The Famous Hairdos of Popular Music, now has its own home on the Internet. Lemonobooks.com will feature individual pages dedicated to the newest Lemon o publications, hair-related and otherwise, collecting them all in one tidy place with the least possible fuss and distraction.

This website (the one you're reading right now) will continue to chronicle the ongoing Famous Hairdos of Popular Music project and will continue to fulfill your Lemon o news needs.

Come check out my new place.

Our Moon

New from Lemon o Books!

With one week until the third annual Chicago Zine Fest on March 10, Lemon o Books is pleased to announce its newest publication, a short booklet and CD entitled Our Moon.

Following hot on the heels of Actual Bird Song last October, Our Moon is the second in a series of art booklets masquerading as field guides. It once again comes packaged with a CD focused on the same theme. Actual Bird Song dealt with all things avian, but for Our Moon we've turned our gaze even further skyward to contemplate the moon.

The CD features four tracks, the first of which is a heartbreaking, fifteen-minute piece by Adam Krause and Marielle Allschwang featuring guitar, violin and crackly snatches of ham radio conversation intercepted by walkie talkie. This might be the song that was in Michael Collins' head on the far side of the moon. The remaining tracks on the CD were recorded by Gen Ken Montgomery in New York City. His suite of three tracks commences with collaged audio from the Appollo 11 mission and ends, twenty minutes later, with a joyful section that reminds me of The Residents at their most beautiful. It's a great listening experience, and, really, the whole cross-country collaboration hangs together beautifully. I'm proud to have played a part in it.

Below are photos of the project. Anyone interested in obtaining a copy of Our Moon can mail $5 well-concealed cash to:

Lemon o Books
P.O. Box 11872
Milwaukee, WI 53211

Shipping costs are included in the price for anyone living in the contiguous United States. International friends should email for more information. Update: This title is sold out.