by JOHNSON CUMMINS

With a prime directive of simply netting free drinks, in 1976, New York's Legs McNeil, Ged Dunn and John Holmstrom cooked up a magazine called Punk, largely focused on the early New York punk-rock scene. It was Holmstrom's freakish cartoons and undying love for the music, however, that would make it one of the most important rock 'n' roll magazines ever. Although the term "punk rock" was borrowed, Punk helped give it an identity outside of the musical idiom and turn it into a cultural revolution. Holmstrom would also go on to illustrate album covers for his beloved Ramones, create his signature character Bosko and contribute to magazines like High Times. The Mirror talked to Holmstrom from his home in New York City, in anticipation of his appearance at Fantasia's comic-book weekend.

Mirror: How did you start as an artist?

John Holmstrom: I gravitated to comics really early on, like the funnies in the newspaper like Blondie, Beetle Bailey and Nancy. I think when I really got into it was the early Marvel comics like Spider-Man and Jack Kirby's Fantastic Four. Those really blew me away.

M: It seems that Mad was a big influence in your work.

JH: Oh yeah, I actually got into Mad before I was into Marvel. When I went to the School of Visual Art, I had the great fortune to study under [Mad editor/writer/artist] Harvey Kurtzman and [Spirit creator] Will Eisner. Kurtzman and Eisner always taught us to strike out in new directions, be totally original, really critical of your work and do the best you can do.

M: Could you describe the early days at CBGB's?

JH: They were the most fun you could have. If you were following rock 'n' roll for a long time you knew that musically, the bands were the best. The big shock was when it didn't happen after a few years. It just flopped. Everybody's first records didn't make it until Blondie hit it with "Heart of Glass," and by then the CBGB scene was over with.

M: In the beginning, everybody thought the Ramones were going to be the biggest pop band since the Bay City Rollers. Were you surprised that they didn't take over the mainstream?

JH: I couldn't believe it. I thought the Ramones would be playing Madison Square Garden within a few months and be the new Beatles. I guess they just looked too weird to make it big. By 1975, there was a pop sensibility that had taken over the U.S. and they expected people to look like the boy next door and wanted ballads. The Ramones, of course, proved to be like the Velvet Underground and didn't sell a bunch of records at first, but everybody who bought their album started a band.

Beat on the brats

M: Did you feel a swell of pride when they finally made it into the rock 'n' roll hall of fame?

JH: A huge sense of pride. Punk rock had to be created because bands like Simon and Garfunkel were being called rock 'n' roll. You had to create a category to differentiate yourselves from what was being called rock 'n' roll at the time. We knew we needed a word for the movement, even though everybody hated the words "punk rock" at the time.

M: Are you surprised that you are still talking about Punk magazine almost 30 years later?

JH: Not really. That's why we printed the magazine on really good paper, because we wanted people to appreciate it 20 or 50 years later. We didn't want to put it on newsprint where it would crumble. When Creem magazine wrote about Punk, the headline was "Punk is forever," and I think they really got it right.

M: What do you think about what is being called punk rock now?

JH: Actually, I'm really excited about punk again. Punk changed as soon as it went over the Atlantic with the Pistols and the Clash, but there's a bunch of really exciting bands now that are distilling the best stuff from the rock 'n' roll scene of the last 50 years. It's really feeling like 1976 again.

At Fantasia's Komikstok, on the mezzanine of Concordia's Hall Building (1455 de Maisonneuve W.) on Sunday, July 18, 3pm, free