The Four Color Media Monitor

The Press Telegram in southern California says the Sublime music band will be the focus of a comics biography:

For Bud Gaugh, one of the founding members of Sublime, there’s a perfect way to share the story of the Long Beach-born band that rose to stardom playing a mix of ska and reggae music with punk and hip-hop influences while partying hard all along the way: A comic book.

“For us this was a no-brainer. In order to get out some of these crazy stories, what a better way than a comic book? It was comical; there were some seriously funny, challenging situations that we were in,” the drummer said in a telephone interview before the release of the 120-page “Sublime: $5 at the Door” graphic novel.

Set to be released in July by Z2 Comics, the book traces the history of the band, from the summer of 1979 when Gaugh met bassist Eric Wilson as kids in Long Beach to meeting singer Bradley Nowell as they formed Sublime in 1988.

It chronicles the rise of the trio, which gained international fame after the release of their 1996 self-titled album, which sparked multiple hits and has sold millions of copies, which came out two months after Nowell died of a heroin overdose at age 28 while on tour.

On this note, I hope the comic in production doesn't gloss over the negative effects drug abuse can have on a person's health. It says here:

The book touches on stories ranging from the band’s drug-filled vacations in San Miguel, Mexico, to playing backyard parties in Long Beach to selling demo tapes to the regular gigs they played at Cal State Long Beach’s on campus bar and grill called The Nugget.

That is quite honestly a shame they had to go out of their minds over heroin usage. This, if anything, was a serious downside to the whole rock and roll industry, and no doubt, there's still cases of drugs going about even today in the music industry. I think conception of graphic novel biographies is a great idea, but drugs are a topic that can't be fluff-coated, since it's one of several matters people should learn can be hazardous to our health.

Labels: history, indie publishers