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Aaron Elliott (born May 20, 1968), better known as Aaron Cometbus, is an American musician, songwriter, roadie, and magazine editor, best known as the creator of the
punk zine A punk zine (or punkzine) is a zine related to the punk subculture and hardcore punk music genre. Often primitively or casually produced, they feature punk literature, such as social commentary, punk poetry, news, gossip, music reviews and art ...
''Cometbus''.


Career

Born in
Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and Em ...
, Cometbus started writing
fanzine A fanzine (blend of '' fan'' and ''magazine'' or ''- zine'') is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon (such as a literary or musical genre) for the pleasure of others who share ...
s in 1981 with Jesse Michaels (later of Operation Ivy and Common Rider) and started his own after Michaels moved to
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; (Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
in October 1981. He became an active participant in the Gilman Street Project and was a founding member of
Crimpshrine Crimpshrine was an American punk rock band from Berkeley, California. The group was formed in 1982 by Aaron Cometbus, founder of the seminal punk rock zine '' Cometbus'', and future Operation Ivy vocalist Jesse Michaels. They grew out of the Ea ...
, a highly influential East Bay punk rock band which also featured
Jeff Ott Jeff Ott (born June 24, 1970) is an activist, musician, author, and longtime member of the Berkeley punk community, best known for playing guitar and singing in the bands Crimpshrine and Fifteen. Early life Ott was born on June 24, 1970 in Oakla ...
. In a September 2016 interview Cometbus described how his personal life is not necessarily reflected in his zines stating, "Growing up, I was just really, really restless. I felt cooped up. Every band interview I did was about being on the road. When I finally got to cut loose, I went on three tours in two years, then had the band drop me off in the first city where I could find a room. So I’d made it out, but then came the news: my mom had cancer. I spent the next fifteen years going back and forth—caretaking first her and then my dad when they were doing badly, and when they were in remission, I’d get as far away as I could. When both were dead, I moved to New York, where I’ve lived ever since. That’s my life, in a nutshell. Which answers your earlier question about how much the fanzine reflected my personal life. Not so much." After the demise of Crimpshrine, Cometbus formed Pinhead Gunpowder with a handful of people from the East Bay punk scene, including Sarah Kirsch (later replaced by Jason White), Bill Schneider and
Billie Joe Armstrong Billie Joe Armstrong (born February 17, 1972) is an American musician who is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of the rock band Green Day, which he co-founded with Mike Dirnt in 1987. He is also a guitarist and vocalist for t ...
of
Green Day Green Day is an American rock band formed in the East Bay of California in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, together with bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt. For most of the band's career, they have been a pow ...
. He toured as a roadie with Green Day for many years and played drums for a few shows after the departure of John Kiffmeyer; he was subsequently replaced by another temporary drummer, Dave "E.C." Henwood, before Tre Cool joined. He has played in a multitude of short-lived bands that generally release just a seven-inch or two before breaking up. He is a co-owner of a used bookstore in
Williamsburg, Brooklyn Williamsburg is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, bordered by Greenpoint to the north; Bedford–Stuyvesant to the south; Bushwick and East Williamsburg to the east; and the East River to the west. As of the 2020 United ...
, called Book Thug Nation and a used bookstore in Bushwick called Human Relations, as well as Codex Books in NoHo, Lower Manhattan.''


''Cometbus'' zine

Cometbus is most famous for publishing the
zine A zine ( ; short for ''magazine'' or ''fanzine'') is a small-circulation self-published work of original or appropriated texts and images, usually reproduced via a copy machine. Zines are the product of either a single person or of a very sm ...
''Cometbus'', which he began in Berkeley, California in 1981. Cometbus has self-published the usually-handwritten zine ever since, despite a few breaks. The name ''Cometbus'' was coined by Gregg Turkington during the early days of the magazine when the name changed from issue to issue. ''Cometbus'' consisted of band interviews, personal diaries, artwork, and observations on the
punk subculture The punk subculture includes a diverse and widely known array of ideologies, fashion, and other forms of expression, visual art, dance, literature, and film. Largely characterised by anti-establishment views, the promotion of individual freedo ...
in the
San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Gov ...
and beyond. The zine captured a slice of life in
Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay ...
and Berkeley from the late 1980s through the 1990s. From 2004 to 2006, Cometbus took a hiatus from writing ''Cometbus'' to pursue publishing his writing through other channels. ''Cometbus'' came out of retirement in 2006 with the release of ''Cometbus #50'', the 25th anniversary issue of the magazine. Originally planned as a letters only issue, it features band interviews (for the first time since issue #24), short stories, and book store reviews. ''Cometbus #51, The Loneliness of the Electric Menorah'', was released in September 2008. It chronicles the history of Moe's Books and other longtime businesses on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley, California. ''Cometbus #52, The Spirit of St-Louis, Or, How to Break Your Own Heart, A Tragedy in 24 Parts'', was released in 2009. Cometbus says in his blurb: "It all starts with the story I've told so many times it's turned stale and tired from overuse. There I was, dropped off in a city far from home. I didn't know a soul or have a hope, and so on..." Both issue #52 of ''Cometbus'' and the novel ''I Wish There Was Something That I Could Quit'' are rumored to be about his stay and relationships in
Pensacola, Florida Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principal ...
. ''Cometbus #53'' features contributions from Maddalena Poletta and a cover by Eisner Award winner Nate Powell. Released in 2009, it features a lengthy piece on art, comics, and the early days of punk in NYC in the mid-1970s that is largely derived from an in-depth interview Cometbus conducted with John Holstrom, the co-founder of the legendary Punk Magazine. ''Cometbus #54, In China with Green Day?'', released in February 2011, is about Cometbus' and Green Day's tour of Asia in 2010. ''Cometbus #55, Pen Pals'', was released in February 2013 (cover by Jordan Crane). ''Cometbus #56, A Bestiary of Booksellers'' details the NYC used book trade. ''Cometbus #57, 35th Anniversary Issue: Cartoonists'' (2016) interviews with comics creators
Kim Deitch Kim Deitch (born May 21, 1944 in Los Angeles, California)Donahue, Don and Susan Goodrick, editors. Deitch bio, ''The Apex Treasuet of Underground Comics'' (Apex Novelties, 1974), p. 127. is an American cartoonist who was an important figure in ...
,
Gary Panter Gary Panter (born December 1, 1950) is an American cartoonist, illustrator, painter, designer and part-time musician. Panter's work is representative of the post-underground, new wave comics movement that began with the end of '' Arcade: The Comi ...
,
Al Jaffee Allan Jaffee (born Abraham Jaffee; March 13, 1921) is an American cartoonist. He is notable for his work in the satirical magazine '' Mad'', including his trademark feature, the ''Mad'' Fold-in. Jaffee was a regular contributor to the magazine ...
, Drew Friedman, Ben Katchor,
Paul Levitz Paul Levitz (; born October 21, 1956) is an American comic book writer, editor and executive. The president of DC Comics from 2002–2009, he worked for the company for over 35 years in a wide variety of roles. Along with publisher Jenette Ka ...
, et al. ''Cometbus #58, Zimmerwald'' (2017), is a novella about a teenager who "finds solace in a diner full of grumpy seniors during the heyday of San Francisco punk." ''Cometbus'' ''#59: Post-Mortem'' (2020), a series of interviews about the punk scene. The extremely limited print runs of the zine have been somewhat ameliorated over the years by a number of collections. ''Despite Everything: A Cometbus Omnibus'' ( Last Gasp Publishing 2002, ) a 608-page compendium of selections from 43 early ''Cometbus'' issues which are long out of print and often difficult to find. ''Double Duce'' ( Last Gasp Publishing 2003; ) a novel based on life in a punk house called Double Duce that collects material from issues 32, 35, 37, 38, 41, 42, 43, and 45. ''Add Toner'' ( Last Gasp Publishing 2011, ) compiles issues 44, 45, 46, 46 1/2, 47 & 48 in full, along with a collection of stories entitled "8 out of 10 days" .


Other writing

In addition to writing for his own zine, Cometbus has contributed stories to several other zines such as '' Absolutely Zippo'', '' Maximumrocknroll'', and ''Tales of Blarg'', occasionally writing under the
pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individu ...
Skrub. His work is easily recognizable by his distinctive, block-lettered handwritten script. His handwriting also appears in the liner notes of early Green Day albums and Jawbreaker's '' Etc.'' compilation. A novel titled ''I Wish There Was Something That I Could Quit,'' was published on March 15, 2006. This novel was loosely based on his experiences in Pensacola during the start of the Iraq War and is arguably his most political work. He released a few smaller collections of short stories, ''Mixed Reviews'' and ''Chicago Stories'' (self published, 2004), a small collection about
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
originally published in "Cometbus" issues 35, 37, 38, 41, and 45. Cometbus also released a book of poetry entitled "Last Supper" in 2014 through ARP Books. Two collections have been translated into French, including ''En dépit de tout'' (1997). A French version of Cometbus issue 54, titled ''En Chine avec Green Day'', has also been published by Editions Chat Chuffit in 2013. ''Double Duce'' has been translated into German and was published by Lautsprecherverlag as ''Doppelzwei'' in 2004.


Discography

Crimpshrine *''Lame Gig Contest'' (1989) Extended plays * ''Sleep, What's That?'' (1988) * ''Quit Talkin' Claude'' (1989) Compilation albums * ''Duct Tape Soup'' (1992) * ''The Sound of a New World Being Born'' (1998) Split albums * Crimpshrine / Mutley Chix (1988) * Crimpshrine / G-Whiz (1989) * Jawbreaker / Crimpshrine (1993) Other appearances * "Another Day", "Rearranged" on ''Turn It Around!'' - ''Maximumrocknroll'' (1987) * "Trying Too Hard", "Construction", "Sanctuary" on ''Caution'' - Skene! Records (1988) * "Pick Up the Pieces" on ''The World's in Shreds: Volume 1'' - Shredder Records (1988) * "Pretty Mess" on ''The World's in Shreds: Volume 2'' - Shredder Records (1989) * "Summertime" on ''The Thing That Ate Floyd'' - Lookout! Records (1989) * "I Just Don't Know" on ''Bay Mud'' - Very Small Records (1989) * "Rearranged" on ''Lethal Noise, Vol. 2'' - Very Small Records (1989) * "Free Will" on ''Make the Collector Nerd Sweat'' - Very Small Records (1990)


Band history

* S.A.G. (East Bay CA; 1982–1984) *
Crimpshrine Crimpshrine was an American punk rock band from Berkeley, California. The group was formed in 1982 by Aaron Cometbus, founder of the seminal punk rock zine '' Cometbus'', and future Operation Ivy vocalist Jesse Michaels. They grew out of the Ea ...
(East Bay CA; 1984–1989) * Screeching Weasel (Chicago, IL; 1988 (two shows)) * Sweet Baby (a.k.a. Sweet Baby Jesus) (East Bay/Northern CA; 1989–1990) * Pinhead Gunpowder (East Bay CA; 1990–present) *
Green Day Green Day is an American rock band formed in the East Bay of California in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, together with bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt. For most of the band's career, they have been a pow ...
(East Bay CA; 1990) * Mundt (Olympia, WA; 1992) * Strawman (San Francisco, CA; 1993?) * Shotwell Coho (San Francisco CA; a.k.a. Shotwell Coho) (1994) * EFS (Berkeley CA; 1995) * Cosmetic Puffs (Eureka, CA; 1995) * Redmond Shooting Stars (Eugene, OR; 1995–1996) * Cleveland Bound Death Sentence (Minneapolis MN; 1997–1998; 2004) * The Retard Beaters (Chattanooga, TN; 1997–1998) * Harbinger (with Robert Eggplant, formerly of Blatz, and John Geek of Fleshies) (East Bay CA; 1997–2001, 2010) * The Blank Fight (with Rymodee of This Bike Is a Pipe Bomb) (Pensacola, FL; 1999–2000) * Astrid Oto (Asheville NC; 1999–2001) * Colbom (San Francisco CA; 2001) * End of the World News (New York; 2002–2003) * Crybaby MacArthur (Brooklyn NY; 2004–2006) * The Thorns of Life (Brooklyn NY; 2008–2009) * Sub Rosa (Brooklyn NY; 2020-2022)


References


External links


Flipside Interview
- Cometbus interview from 1986

- Cometbus interview from 2000
Punk Planet Interview
- Cometbus interview from 2002

- Library Archive at Cornell University {{DEFAULTSORT:Cometbus, Aaron 1968 births Living people American rock drummers American short story writers American punk rock musicians American lyricists Writers from Berkeley, California Musicians from Berkeley, California Jewish American writers Punk zines Jewish American musicians Berkeley High School (Berkeley, California) alumni Jews in punk rock Songwriters from California 20th-century American drummers American male drummers 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American Jews American male songwriters