George Lawrence Petros (born 11 January 1955) is an American

art design Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas. There is no generally agreed definition of what ...

er,

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, or ...

interviewer An interview is a structured conversation where one participant asks questions, and the other provides answers.Merriam Webster DictionaryInterview Dictionary definition, Retrieved February 16, 2016 In common parlance, the word "interview" r ...

and

illustrator An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complic ...

. From 1984 through 1992 he published and edited ''EXIT'', a punk-inspired art and science fiction magazine he founded with

Adam Parfrey Adam Parfrey (April 12, 1957 – May 10, 2018) was an American journalist, editor, and the publisher of Feral House books, whose work in all three capacities frequently centered on unusual, extreme, or "forbidden" areas of knowledge. A 2010 '' S ...

and Kim Seltzer. From 1992 through 2000 he edited and art-directed ''Seconds'', an all-interview music and culture magazine founded by

Steven Blush Steven Blush is an American author, journalist, record collector and film maker who is best known for his book ''American Hardcore'' and the movie of the same name. Blush has written five books, is the founder of ''Seconds'' magazine and has w ...

. From 2000 through 2005 he was a contributing editor of ''

Juxtapoz ''Juxtapoz Art & Culture Magazine'' (pronounced ''JUX-tah-pose'') is a magazine created in 1994 by a group of artists and art collectors including Robert Williams, Fausto Vitello, C.R. Stecyk III (a.k.a. Craig Stecyk), Greg Escalante, and Eric ...

'', the low-brow art magazine founded by Robert Williams, and the senior editor of ''Propaganda'', a goth/industrial music and style magazine founded by Fred H. Berger. He is the author of ''Art That Kills: A Panoramic Portrait of Aesthetic Terrorism 1984-2001, The New Transsexuals: The Next Step In Human Evolution,'' and the editor of ''American Hardcore: A Tribal History.'' His art and writing have appeared in '' ''Heavy Metal'''', '' ''Thrasher'''', '' ''Paper'''', '' ''Screw'''', '' Apocalypse Culture II'', ''ArtSync'', and on

DEVO Devo (, originally ) is an American Rock music, rock band from Akron, Ohio, formed in 1973. Their classic line-up consisted of two sets of brothers, the Mothersbaughs (Mark Mothersbaugh, Mark and Bob Mothersbaugh, Bob) and the Casales (Gerald ...

album covers.

Early life

Petros was born in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rock ...

. His father, uncle and grandfather were plumbers and mechanical engineers. The family moved to

Clearwater, Florida Clearwater is a city located in Pinellas County, Florida, United States, northwest of Tampa and St. Petersburg. To the west of Clearwater lies the Gulf of Mexico and to the southeast lies Tampa Bay. As of the 2020 census, the city had a popu ...

, in 1968. Petros returned to Chicago in 1978, where he studied commercial art at Ray-Vogue Institute of Design and worked as an

engineering technician An engineering technician is a professional trained in skills and techniques related to a specific branch of technology, with a practical understanding of the relevant engineering concepts. Engineering technicians often assist engineers and eng ...

for the City of Chicago. In 1982 he moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

Magazine work

''EXIT''

''EXIT'' was a New York City-based large-format alternative comic art,

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

and graphics magazine published from 1984 through 1992. It was founded in 1983 by Petros,

and Kim Seltzer, with R. Bruce Ritchie joining shortly afterward. Five issues were released; a sixth was partially completed. Parfrey left in 1987.

''Seconds''

''Seconds'' () was a New York City-based all-interview music, culture and true crime magazine founded in 1987 by promoter and DJ

. The magazine was a fusion of punk rock and heavy metal sensibilities. It also covered R&B and hip hop. The final issue appeared in 2000. Petros began writing for ''Seconds'' in 1987; in 1992 he became editor and occasional

art director Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and unify the vis ...

. The magazine expanded its coverage to include individuals involved with science and science fiction.

''Propaganda''

Propaganda Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded ...

'' was a

Gothic subculture Goth is a music-based subculture that began in the United Kingdom during the early 1980s. It was developed by fans of Gothic rock, an offshoot of the post-punk music genre. The name ''Goth'' was derived directly from the genre. Notable post-p ...

magazine founded in 1982 by New York City-photographer Fred H. Berger. It focused on all aspects of goth culture, including

fashion Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fash ...

sexuality Human sexuality is the way people experience and express themselves sexually. This involves biological, psychological, physical, erotic, emotional, social, or spiritual feelings and behaviors. Because it is a broad term, which has varied wit ...

music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspe ...

, art, literature,

body modification Body modification (or body alteration) is the deliberate altering of the human anatomy or human physical appearance. In its broadest definition it includes skin tattooing, socially acceptable decoration (''e.g.'', common ear piercing in many so ...

BDSM BDSM is a variety of often erotic practices or roleplaying involving bondage, discipline, dominance and submission, sadomasochism, and other related interpersonal dynamics. Given the wide range of practices, some of which may be engaged ...

paganism Paganism (from classical Latin ''pāgānus'' "rural", "rustic", later "civilian") is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Judaism. I ...

role-playing Role-playing or roleplaying is the changing of one's behaviour to assume a role, either unconsciously to fill a social role, or consciously to act out an adopted role. While the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' offers a definition of role-playing a ...

vampirism A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mischief or dea ...

, and

fetishism A fetish (derived from the French , which comes from the Portuguese , and this in turn from Latin , 'artificial' and , 'to make') is an object believed to have supernatural powers, or in particular, a human-made object that has power over o ...

. Petros began writing for the magazine in 2000 and in 2001 was appointed senior editor.

Books

*''Exploding Hearts Exploding Stars: The Serial Art and Propagandart of George Petros'' by George Petros (Norman Gosney Publications, 1992, ) *''The EXIT Collection'' edited by George Petros, Michael Andros, associate editor (Tacit, 1998, ) *''American Hardcore: A Tribal History'' by Steven Blush, edited by George Petros (

Feral House Feral House is an American book publisher founded in 1989 by Adam Parfrey and based in Port Townsend, Washington. Early history The company's first book was '' The Satanic Witch'' (1989; originally published in 1971 by Dodd, Mead & Company) by ...

, 2001, ) *''.45 Dangerous Minds: The Most Intense Interviews From Seconds Magazine'' edited by Steven Blush and George Petros (Creation Books, 2005, ) *''Art That Kills: A Panoramic Portrait of Aesthetic Terrorism 1984-2001'' by George Petros (Creation Books, 2006, ) *''Les Barany's Carnivora'' edited by George Petros (Scapegoat Publications, 2008, ) *''The New Transsexuals: The Next Step In Human Evolution'' by George Petros (PetrosIdeas, 2012, )

Musical compilations

*''Black Sunshine: The Tampa Underground and Beyond'' compiled and produced by George Petros (Cleopatra Records, 2003) *''New York City Rock N Roll'' compiled and produced by Steven Blush; project coordinator etc.: George Petros (Radical Records, 2004) *''Easy Listening Acid Trip'' compiled by George Petros, 1987-2007

External links

georgepetros.comExitmagazine.netSecondsmagazine.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Petros, George American magazine editors Living people 1955 births Artists from Chicago