Kicks. San Diego's Only Rock 'n' Roll Magazine. No. 1 (September 1979) through No. 19 (March 1981) (all published)
- SIGNED
A complete run in 19 issues, most approximately 18-28 pp., of the free Southern California rock music magazine. Tabloid-size (14 x 11 1/4 inches). Original photo-illustrated wrappers. Light toning, extremely minor chipping and edgewear, overall very good. San Diego: In Your Ear Productions, 1979-1981. A complete collection of San Diego's "first and only" rock 'n' roll magazine, founded and edited by Thomas K. Arnold and Albert Carrasco, both students at the time at San Diego State. While still in high school, Arnold started writing a music column for his school newspaper, coinciding with the rise of punk and new wave music. "I was one of those guys who, at 17, would go to Licorice Pizza in Pacific Beach every week and pick up copies of Billboard, CREEM, Circus, and Rolling Stone...I really educated myself about music. And through my writing, I was able to get on PR lists for a number of different record companies. I still remember getting the first Ramones album in the mail and hearing the Stranglers for the first time...And then things started happening in San Diego...Hearing these wild sounds and seeing all of these people was a real awakening for me...it really started taking off in San Diego in the late '70s. I saw a magazine called BAM - Bay Area Music up in San Francisco, and I decided that I could do this here in San Diego." (Interview with the San Diego Troubadour, June 2015)
During the two years of its publication, Kicks covered small local bands alongside the bigger mainstream names, from arena rock to new wave and punk. The issues included feature profiles, record and concert reviews, letters, concert calendars, interviews, other feature stories on related topics, and club and musician listings. The writers who contributed to Kicks were essential to the San Diego music scene, including George Varga, Mikel Toombs, Steve Thorn, Barry Alfonso, Clyde Hadlock, and Stephen Esmedina.
Some of the acts featured in Kicks included Blue Oyster Cult, Pat Travers, the Penetrators, Black Russian, The Talking Heads, Todd Rundgren's Utopia, Rick Derringer, The Dinettes, Pat Benatar, Jefferson Starship, Black Sabbath, Rush, John Cale, Peter Gabriel, Sammy Hagar, Joe Perry, Devo, The Ramones, The Buggles, Gary Numan, Bobby Bare, Steve Forbert, the Firesign Theatre, and X. There are reviews of records and concerts by Blue Oyster Cult, Chicago, Led Zeppelin, Randy Newman, Kinks, Blondie, Bob Dylan, Frank Zappa, Van Morrison, the Clash, Fleetwood Mac, Elton John, Cheap Trick, The Eagles, Bob Marley, Dead Kennedys, Pink Floyd, Aerosmith, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Iggy Pop, Styx, Stevie Wonder, Leonard Cohen, The Clash, The Ramones, Heart, Elvis Costello, Billy Joel, Warren Zevon, Van Halen, the Beach Boys, Rachel Sweet, Lou Reed, Paul McCartney, The Who, Queen, the Rolling Stones, Paul Simon, Jethro Tull, and many others. Many are written by noted rock critic Steve Esmedina, who was known for his snarky, cutting reviews. He pans Iggy Pop, Paul McCartney, Queen, and countless others in scathing critiques. According to T.K. Arnold, many hated Steve but everyone knew him.
Some of the other feature articles cover things like stadium concerts, San Diego County recording studios, the history of San Diego Rock 'n' Roll, concert promoting, San Diego clubs, record production, rock 'n' roll collectibles, ska, local vinyl, alternative radio, and Bay Area music. Issue 17 from January 1981 features a full page eulogy for John Lennon, who was murdered the month before.
A fascinating and wide-ranging rock magazine which helped to establish a legitimate music scene in San Diego. Very scarce; as of February 2025, OCLC locates only two holdings of this magazine in North American libraries.
During the two years of its publication, Kicks covered small local bands alongside the bigger mainstream names, from arena rock to new wave and punk. The issues included feature profiles, record and concert reviews, letters, concert calendars, interviews, other feature stories on related topics, and club and musician listings. The writers who contributed to Kicks were essential to the San Diego music scene, including George Varga, Mikel Toombs, Steve Thorn, Barry Alfonso, Clyde Hadlock, and Stephen Esmedina.
Some of the acts featured in Kicks included Blue Oyster Cult, Pat Travers, the Penetrators, Black Russian, The Talking Heads, Todd Rundgren's Utopia, Rick Derringer, The Dinettes, Pat Benatar, Jefferson Starship, Black Sabbath, Rush, John Cale, Peter Gabriel, Sammy Hagar, Joe Perry, Devo, The Ramones, The Buggles, Gary Numan, Bobby Bare, Steve Forbert, the Firesign Theatre, and X. There are reviews of records and concerts by Blue Oyster Cult, Chicago, Led Zeppelin, Randy Newman, Kinks, Blondie, Bob Dylan, Frank Zappa, Van Morrison, the Clash, Fleetwood Mac, Elton John, Cheap Trick, The Eagles, Bob Marley, Dead Kennedys, Pink Floyd, Aerosmith, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Iggy Pop, Styx, Stevie Wonder, Leonard Cohen, The Clash, The Ramones, Heart, Elvis Costello, Billy Joel, Warren Zevon, Van Halen, the Beach Boys, Rachel Sweet, Lou Reed, Paul McCartney, The Who, Queen, the Rolling Stones, Paul Simon, Jethro Tull, and many others. Many are written by noted rock critic Steve Esmedina, who was known for his snarky, cutting reviews. He pans Iggy Pop, Paul McCartney, Queen, and countless others in scathing critiques. According to T.K. Arnold, many hated Steve but everyone knew him.
Some of the other feature articles cover things like stadium concerts, San Diego County recording studios, the history of San Diego Rock 'n' Roll, concert promoting, San Diego clubs, record production, rock 'n' roll collectibles, ska, local vinyl, alternative radio, and Bay Area music. Issue 17 from January 1981 features a full page eulogy for John Lennon, who was murdered the month before.
A fascinating and wide-ranging rock magazine which helped to establish a legitimate music scene in San Diego. Very scarce; as of February 2025, OCLC locates only two holdings of this magazine in North American libraries.