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PDF copies of all 21 issues of the original Reglar Wiglar run are available. Physical copies are available where noted.
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RW#1 1993
The first issue of Reglar Wiglar appeared in 1993. The title comes from the Errol Morris documentary Veron Florida and the tagline, “The Cadillac of Music Magazines,” was a tip of the hat to WKRP in Cincinnati. Yes, a wiggler is a worm, folks, but not your reg’lar kind, this here’s a special kind of wiglar. At any rate, my friend Tom Ziegler and I conceived the idea at a recently opened whiskey bar on Lincoln Ave. Reglar Wiglar aspired to be Spinal Tap meets MAD with a dash of Spy Magazine.
Further inspiration was provided by the increased media attention Chicago was getting as the next music mecca with Smashing Pumpkins, Liz Phair, and Urge Overkill basking in the national spotlight. As well, the rise of Alternative music, thanks to Nirvana, seemed ripe for lampooning. The band interviews were fake as were some of the music and movie reviews and most of the staff too. It was snarky satire and parody and was probably confusing to the few people that bothered to pick it up off the floor of the record stores, bars, and cafes where we dropped it off.
Out of print.
RW#2 1994
This issue also featured more “interviews” with fake bands. This time a New Jersey thrash metal band, Insynuator, and the Caucasian rap duo White Bred and Honky MC.
RW#2 features the debut “Idiotorial” written by co-publisher Tom Z. The rest is pretty standard zine fare comprised of no less than two pages of fake reader letters, a celebrity gossip column (“Tara’s Tattle Sheet”), the obligatory advice column (“Ask Saddhu”), and Celebrity New Year’s Resolutions. There are also music reviews of fake and real bands including a review of the Grifter’s One Sock Missing record which I was positively giddy about in a too-embarrassing-to-read-now kinda way.
Out of print.
RW#3 1994
This issue marks the zine’s entry into newsprint. Once again, the cover teases readers with articles that do not actually appear inside. In the digital age, we call that clickbait, don’t we? The cover drawing depicts what I must have thought the typical Lollapalooza attendee looked like that year. Note the “Sub Pop Jr.” haircut which was worn by people who wanted to associate themselves with grunge, but for whatever reason (unhip employer most likely) wouldn’t grow their hair past their collar.
Also included in this issue are two fake band interviews, letters from readers (3 fake, 2 real), and the debut of my comic @$%!!.
RW#4 1994
The cover photo for this issue was taken by Clyde Wayne Steele III while he was on vacation in Europe. Yes, that copy of RW #4 actually made it to the Eiffel Tower. I did not.
This issue features a fake European tour diary of a thrash band, Insynuator, written by Chauncy Proper (see Clyde Wayne above,).
Also included are the drunken meeting minutes of the Reglar Wiglar‘s fictitious staff, an “interview” with MotherScratcher (a semi-fake band under ordinary circumstances, but completely fake for the purposes of this article). Plus a reprint of White Bred and Honky MC from issue 2—MAD Magazine publisher Bill Gaines would be proud of my use of recycled content. Comics include Lil Bat Dude, Gen X, and Joey Germ’s @$%!!.
There is a smattering of record reviews of both fake and real records and it’s also the debut of “Western Avenue—The Longest Curving Street in the World” which judged how well promo CDs held up after being tossed from the second-story Wiglar office window.
RW#5 1995
My friend and roommate Max DeZutter took the cover photo of the building we lived in. The RW office is the 2nd floor right front window. Local radio station Q101 was going all in with “alternative” music and was running a “This is not for you” ad campaign that included the billboard next to Wiglar HQ.
In this issue: “Cheers & Jeers” — a take-off of TV Guide’s feature of the same name except focused on music, a pretty hilarious piece by Tom Z. on those psychological tests required by certain employers, and another installment of “Western Avenue: The Longest, Noncurving Street in the World” in which the reviewer allegedly threw promo CDs, such as David Hassellhoff’s self-titled album, onto the overpass to see how they held up in traffic. Also, more reviews and comics including a two-page spread of John Crawford’s “Queen of the Scene.”
Out of print.
RW#6 1995
RW #6 dropped to the floors of Chicago record shops, bookstores, bars, and cafes in 1995 and featured another Max DeZutter cover. FYI: it’s a photo of the piles of salt the city of Chicago uses to destroy cars and roads in addition to ice and snow. You can always tell which restaurant I worked at by the ads, in this case, the Chicago Diner in Lakeview. This issue also featured art from Blair Wilson and the polarizing work of T.R. Miller. There was an interview with a fake band, Weenis, and a Hasselhoff CD got a rough ride in another installment of Western Avenue where promo CDs may or may not have been tossed. Zine reviews also debuted as I discovered zine trading thanks to Factsheet 5.
RW#7 1996
RW #7 was published in 1996 and was immediately propelled into the Digital Age by the acquisition of an email address. Yes, ye olde aol.com provided me with what was probably my first-ever email account.
As for the cover, I usually had an idea ready well before the content but not this time. This would be Ramsey’s first appearance on a cover, but not his last. Kind of a last-minute rush job, but there you go.
Around the time of #7’s publication, I started seeing an increase in promo CDs—and from record labels run by folks I didn’t even know, like Epitaph, Lookout!, and Nitro. These big indies also ran half-page ads and that advertising helped a bit, of course. However, the zine was still a freebie in Chicago, so it was always a long way from the breakeven point.
With the increase in music reviews came an increase in the snark from what would be a growing list of pseudonyms that included the likes of Muggsy McMurphy, Joey Germ, and P.C. Jones—they hated everything!
Also included is an Oasis parody interview with a band called Mirage and a full-page Luhey spread!
RW#8 1997
R Dub 8 dropped in 1997. Features in this issue include an “interview” with the Woodrows, a thought-provoking article by David Reed called “Portrait of The Artist as a Neurotic Schizo Freak,” “Making the Least of Your Time” by Tommy Z., and a comic by Simon Gane whose early style is a preview of the great work he would go on to do.
RW#9 1997
RW#9 landed with a thud in 1997. I was as horrified then as I am now by how badly the cover turned out. The photo shot by Lori Kolb features Trip Hill playing bass through a cardboard amp and sporting a vintage Reglar Wiglar tee. Moving on, in this issue: more “Luhey” comics from T.R. Miller (and a letter from Luhey!), comics from Simon Gane and Stepan Chapman, an article on the death of Alternative Rock, more fake band interviews, and real zine and record reviews which include a haiku poem by Chris Wade. Forty pages in all — the page count increased from 24 to 40 with RW#8.
Out of print.
RW#10 1998
RW#10 hit the streets in 1998 featuring a cover photo by Max De Zutter. In this issue: To celebrate the mediocre white boy ska revival, there’s an interview with the dozens of members of the fictitious ska band Skatastrophe as well as a ska band-naming guide by “Rankin’ & Rude” Tim Davison.
Also, an article by Bastige Von Curr called “Down with People,” a gnarly essay by Matt Champagne about a drug-sniffing dog encounter at the airport called “Weeds the Dope Dog”, plus my review of a Bruce Dickinson show at House of Blues that I was denied entry into, and record and zine reviews and comics of course.
RW#11 1998
RW#11 was released to the world in 1998 with an eye-grabbing red cover and with a whopping 48 pages.
This was the first issue distributed by Desert Moon Periodicals which described the zine thusly:
“Imagine a punk rock humor zine. Too difficult for you? Not if you’re the editor of this hilarious zine. The mock interviews with punk bands are the best, meaning this reviewer was laughing so hard tears were running down my cheeks. A great irreverent stab at the poses, personalities, and politics of the music scene.”
It’s also the first issue to feature an interview with a semi-real band, the enigmatic masked singing group The Goblins. Then there are the usual humorous articles, zine and records reviews, and comics by Stepan Chapman, Blair Wilson, T.R. Miller, and Justin Melkmen.
RW#12 1999
RW#12 was published in 1999. This issue features the second-ever actual interview with a real live band, this time it was the Chicago polka addicts, The Polkaholics. The interview took place in September of ‘98 at a bar on Chicago Avenue — or maybe it was Division St. At any rate, during the interview Mark McGwire (misspelled MaGwire) broke Roger Maris’s record for most home runs in a season (and most steroids consumed, perhaps). It caused quite a diversion to the serious polka topics being discussed.
Also in this issue, our Hawaii-based reporter, Travis Fickle (aka David Gill who is still making the rock show rounds), took in a Van Halen show at the Blaisdedale Auditorium in Honolulu. And of course, there were the obligatory record and zine reviews in addition to comics by Stepan Chapman, Hilary Abuhove, and Joey Germ.
RW#13 1999
RW#13 was published in 1999 as the world (the media world anyway) freaked out over the impending Y2K apocalypse (never happened btw). Band interviews with Chicago’s New Rob Robbies, the surf/western instrumental band Booker Noe, and Tuscon, AZ’s own Weird Lovemakers. Comics by Carrie Mcgrinch, Carrie Golus, Hilary Abuhove, and Eric York, a poetic ode to McDonald’s from David Reed plus record and zines reviews galore.
RW#14 2000
This issue’s band interviews include one with the fantastic Cincinnati rock band Fairmount Girls by Tim from Toledo and one I conducted with Chicago band Ether Frolics. That interview took place in a German bar and is probably the most fun interview I’ve ever done. Huge steins of strong German beer certainly helped.
Also included is an interview with the hilarious Sam Henderson which was done via email. For some reason, I decided to say was conducted at a diner called Snacky’s in Brooklyn. There was no such place then, but there probably is now.
And as always, in this issue were the usual snark-filled zine and record reviews plus comics by Hilary Abuhove, Stepan Chapman, Carrie Golus, Jesse Reklaw, Bill Driscol, and more.
RW#15 2001
Published in 2001, RW#15 was the first issue to feature a cover by a guest artist who I know only by the initials MJB.
Judging from the masthead, there was also an Earthlink website during this time [home.earthlink.net/~wiglar].
In addition to the usual reviews, this issue included an interview with the great Dan Clowes conducted via email by Randy McQueen.
There’s also an interview with metal band Lamb of God. I’d known L.O.G. since their days as Burn the Priest when they played Chicago dives like Big Horse and Gallery Cabaret. When the band was in town in 2001, I interviewed them at a Mexican restaurant in West Town. Unfortunately, the noise of the busy restaurant resulted in an unusable recording. However, bassist John Campbell answered my ridiculous questions from the road and saved the day.
There’s also an excerpt from “Get Well Soon” zine, an interview with local label Beluga Records, plus another round of “Haiku Record Reviews.”
RW#16 2001
Published in 2001, RW#16 featured the most colorful and expensive cover yet. To save money on black ink, I added the snake eyes and tongue by hand with a Sharpie. Not a problem, there were only 1,000 copies.
This issue included an interview with Peter Bagge, a huge honor for me as Hate Comics was my introduction to the underground comics world. (Remember when Hate went color and people’s undies got really bunched up? Oh, the ’90s… ).
Also included in this issue are interviews with the prolific garage rock band, Electric Frankenstein and Kansas City’s The Pillows band (not Hokkaidō’s The Pillows) conducted by Star Reporter C. Bales. Also, an excerpt from Sarah O’Donnell’s Urban Hermitt zine.
And of course, there are record and zine reviews and comics by Stepan Chapman, and Hans Rickheit and Jesse Reklaw even made a guest appearance in my $%&#!!! comic. Freaky!
RW#17 2002
Published in 2002, RW#17 featured an interview with Chicago underground comics dude Terry Laban of the hilarious CUD and Eno & Plum comics, an interview with local superheroes Creepy D, a band that Star Reporter C. Bales and I randomly saw play at Phylis’s Musical Inn one night and returned to interview at a later date.
Also, an interview with the heavy Bellingham, WA band Federation X. C. Bales interviewed her roommate, Michah, who once went an entire year without bathing. Soggy Sprinkles turned in a fake band interview with The White Strokes (it was 2002 after all) plus comics, reviews, and more! Front cover by Jason Frederick.
RW#18 2003
Published in 2003, RW#18 featured an interview with Oakland’s Fleshies. Star Reporter C. Bales interviewed long-time Chicago punk rock scenester Sluggo (RIP). Also included were parody interviews with Enemen, Lil’ Dirty Bastard, and the Woodrows plus another installment of “Check…PLEASE!” restaurant reviews featuring the Rock and Roll McDonald’s and Hooters. And of course, reviews and comics by Chris Auman, Stepan Chapman, Hilary Abuhove, Jeffrey Plotkin, Hans Rickheit, and Mike Dixon who also did the cover.
RW#19 2003
Published in 2003, RW#19 was the 10-year anniversary issue and featured an interview with (at the time) Chicago band MOTO. Star Reporter C. Bales interviewed the local bike club Rat Patrol. Also, fiction from author and musician Zach Boddicker, a poem from Soggy Sprinkles plus comics from Mike Hollingsworth, Jeffrey Plotkin, Jesse Reklaw. Cover by Damon Belanger!
RW#20 2004
Published in 2004, RW#20 was a whopping 96 pages — the biggest issue yet! My interviews were with gross-out pro Johnny Ryan and a drunken one with RVA hard-rockers RPG.
Star Reporter C. Bales interviewed Chicago’s deciBators, Mike Dixon interviewed Greg Cartwright (The Reigning Sound, Oblivians, Goner Records, etc.) and wrote up an article with multiple footnotes.
Benny Bongos interviewed the local band The New Constituion and the Sound Opinions duo of Greg Kot and Jim DeRogatis.
Plus a Mad Libs spoof “(College Radio DJ Voiceover”) by Liz Mason, an “Ask the Rocker” advice column, email spam poetry, and the obligatory book, zine, comic, and record reviews.
Comics by Carl Alessi, Mike Hollingsworth, Stepan Chapman (RIP), Jesse Reklaw, Jeffrey Plotkin, and an early (and better drawn, if you can believe it) version of my Sssnakes strip. Cover by Mike Dixon!
RW#21 2005
Published in 2005, RW#21 was the last issue of the zine’s original print run (1993-2005). This issue featured an article written by Mike Dixon based on his interview with the legendary artist Gary Panter (who also agreed to let us use Jimbo for the cover). Mike Dixon also interviewed Craig Finn of the Hold Steady.
Joey Germ interviewed Joey Shithead Keithley of heroic Canadian hardcore band DOA as well as local indie band Lying in States. Star Reporter C. Bales interviewed Chicago’s own garage rock freaks Peelers.
Benny Bongos wrote an in-depth article exploring the at-the-time-fairly-new iPod music-listening device.
Plus the usual zine/book/record reviews and comics from Andrew Cohen, Mike Hollingsworth, Stepan Chapman (RIP), John Knight, Jeffrey Plotkin, and me, Chris Auman.
Reglar Wiglar #22-29
These issues are all still in print and available from the Roostercow Store!
