Oh So Pretty: Punk in Print 1976-1980

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Toby Mott: I remember clearly leaving a UK Subs gig before the end, as I became disenchanted with punk and it had developed into a cliché of itself. Broaden(s) the conversation from punk as a musical movement to an exploration of the distinctive visual art style and approach to art-making that emerged from its urgent anarchism."— i-D.Vice Some flyers, like Biafra for Mayor, are both absurd and sincere at the same time. Jello Biafra (a name derived from a combination of the nutritionally void dessert and the region of Nigeria which had just experienced a devastating famine) was frontman for punk band Dead Kennedys, and did in fact run for mayor of San Francisco in 1979, playing a benefit show at the Mabuhay to raise campaign funds. 3 Biafra’s platform included the silly (forcing businessmen to wear clown suits) and the sincere (requiring police officers to run for election in the neighborhoods they patrolled). While he lost to Dianne Feinstein — coming in 4th, with 3.79% of the vote — he went on to become an active member of the Green Party and ran for President in 2000 with VP candidate Mumia Abu-Jamal. 10 Winston Smith, Paste-up for Dead Kennedys at Mabuhay Garden, San Francisco, 1980. This original artwork was part of Letterform Archive’s collection long before the new flyer collection arrived. Smith’s collages helped define San Francisco’s punk art style. Can he help it that his version of the teenager’s bedroom wall now constitutes MoMA-worthy inspection? Or at least the Museum of Sex, who recently founded their amazing “Punk Lust” show on a thumbs-up from Mott to use many of his original pieces. We asked him about “Punk Lust,” living in the two big punk hubs, working in hip hop, and more.

Ken Garcia. S.f. Punk—Those Were the Days. SFGATE. San Francisco Chronicle, Accessed on February 4, 2012. Punks tore up the rule book and more specifically newspapers to achieve their iconic ransom note look. Graphic and social revolution on the brain."— Love magazine Being presented in book form doesn't take away the rawness of these simply created materials, and even the paper mirrors the designs of the originals."— It's Nice That Toby Mott: Adam Ant’s early punk identity has been lost in memory because of his success as a pop star in the ‘80s. His punk identity was exciting and dangerous.

Smith and Biafra took another shot at decorum with the album In God We Trust, Inc., whose cover shows Jesus on a cross, covered in dollar bills. It was a response to the money-hungry televangelists that had become popular at the time, but it also poked fun at the recording industry and capitalism in general. The early 1980s was one of the least profitable periods for large record companies. Sales were declining rapidly, thought to be due to home record taping and music piracy. 3 Released as a cassette, In God We Trust Inc. poked fun at corporate music’s panic. Purposely made with a blank side B, it read “Home taping is killing record industry profits. We left this side blank so you can help.” 3 A flyer with a similar line, “Home Taping is killing the record industry…and it’s about time!” may have also been designed by Smith.

One of the most rare and comprehensive collections of punk artefacts and graphic artworks in Britain."― Hero Forty years on from the birth of punk [...] it can be difficult to gauge the impact that the movement's visual language had in its early days. Which is where something like The Mott Collection comes into its own... These examples [...] show the emergence of a dynamic and participatory movement in its purest form."— Creative Review online Digitization Librarian April Harper and Associate Curator Stephen Coles leaf through the recently arrived collection. Hence the ephemera collection, Oh So Pretty: Punk in Print 1976-80 (Phaidon Press) arrives as refreshing as a mid-mosh bar break. Instead of the sometimes vague reach for historical context, Toby Mott is first and foremost an ultra-fan who just started grabbing fliers on the way out of shows as a wayward teen in 1970s England – and kept it all. His collection remains focused around that era, the center folds and corner tears still there. And his recollections throughout the book are peppered with stories of the shows and the bands like only such a fan can express – extra interesting, considering he eventually went on from punk kid fandom to helm a globally successful fashion brand. Content warning: some items in this collection contain strong language, nudity, and depictions of violence.The appeal of punk ephemera is growing among wealthy collectors... Mott points out another reason to carry on collecting: in the internet age the physical evidence of punk is even more precious."— Financial Times Wealth

Being presented in book form doesn't take away the rawness of these simply created materials, and even the paper mirrors the designs of the originals."― It's Nice That Another featured venue is The Temple (aka Temple Beautiful) at 1839 Geary. The stunning synagogue built in 1906 turned into a music venue in the 1970s (intact architectural features like pews and Stars of David included). Adding to the anachronistic setting was the fact that The People’s Temple (of Jim Jones fame) was next door. 5 Temple Beautiful’s glory was short-lived, as ownership changed hands throughout the 1980s and the building was destroyed in a fire in 1989. Punk has always been anti-establishment, and that includes the traditional design establishment. Its ethos is DIY; make do with what’s available, and figure it out. Don’t have the necessary supplies? Doesn’t matter; you can make paste from flour and use a public library’s xerox machine. Punk thumbs its nose at the polished. It embraces the messy, the handmade, and the authentic. It is a state of mind reflected both in the sound of its music and the look of its promotional graphics.An unrivalled collection of rarely seen, visually fantastic ephemera from the punk era... [Toby Mott's] collection has been described as 'raw, messy and seething with life'. We couldn't agree more."— Tatler.com Toby Mott: We would visit the record company offices in the center of London. The receptionist would give us badges and posters. Once when visiting the offices of Polydor, Jimmy Pursey from Sham 69 threw badges down at us from the office window.

An unrivalled collection of artefacts and ephemera... The graphic anarchy and DIY spirit that caused a seismic shift in UK culture."— i-D online An unrivalled collection of rarely seen, visually striking ephemera of Britain's punk subculture... Gives a vivid impression of punk's abrasive and uncompromising style."― Seventh Man Toby Mott: In 2010, I was invited to show my collection at an art museum in Spain – “Loud Flash: British Punk on Paper,” The Mott Collection at MUSAC, Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Castilla y León. And during the process of archiving it, it became apparent how important this material was.Toby Mott: My favorite zine is still Sniffin’ Glue, as it got the whole thing started. Sniffin’ Glue #3½, 28 September 1976, Courtesy of The Mott Collection Heart-warming personal recollections, accolades and unseen photos, including Virginia Turbett, Jill Furmanovsky and Martyn Goddard, this really is a must read for any music fan. The appeal of punk ephemera is growing among wealthy collectors... Mott points out another reason to carry on collecting: in the internet age the physical evidence of punk is even more precious."― Financial Times Wealth