A Rockin' Good Read...Or Not? - Part 2

Bo Diddley was wrong. Sometimes you can judge a book by its cover. This one looks shit and surprise...it is shit. Of course the intentions of the artist were only the best, but the result is not. If you wonder what this book has to do with music, that my friends is a legitimate question judging by the cover. It actually is a photo book about the Psychobilly scene. Or let me say, that is what the book was supposed to be. A partly blurry picture of a human skull can symbolize all kind of things but Psychobilly isn't one of them I'd say. Unless of course that skull has a silly haircut. To call the book 'Das Zeiko Bilderbuch'(The Zeiko Picture Book) doesn't help understanding that it's about Psychobilly and not about swiss watches and the title includes a typo. I mean, it can be funny for a second, or two, because many Germans pronounce Psycho Zeiko, but hey come on. Latest another minute later anyone with a little sense of what ever left would have realized that it's probably the most stupid name for a  Psychobilly picture book. The subtitle says 'Die Bands und ihre Fans. Erinnerungen an eine wilde Zeit'(The bands and their fans. Memories of a wild time). This sounds more dramatic and nostalgic than it is. Not many bands are featured and the Meteors are missing at all. But photographer and publisher Michael Overbeck (he released this book, 32 numbered full color pages, by himself 2003 in an edition of 500 copies) included a few live pictures of budget-rock kings the Mummies taken at a Psychobilly festival they played in Bielefeld, Germany in the early 90s. On the book's first page Overbeck writes 'Ein Ausflug in die Psychobilly Szene'(A visit/trip to the Psychobilly scene), so maybe that explains why the book has so few pages and not many bands are featured. You'd think that someone who has been in the scene for a longer time would come up with more and better pictures. The book features photos of Mad Sin, Nekromantix, Klingonz, DAG, Batmobile, Broncats, a few fans AND the backstage girls. They actually get an own chapter. But hardly any of them looks Psychobilly or underground or counter-cultural at all. So why they are included is a mystery to me, just like the purpose of the book itself. But if you think you'd want a copy for yourself have a look at Ebay Germany. That's where I got my copy just a few weeks ago. As the cover of the book is so unbelievable ugly I need to end this post with something much much better looking, otherwise I'd feel bad. Enjoy the beauty of the King: