I’d been an admirer from afar of Melbourne psych/prog/garage/fusion/pop/∞ arkestra King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard for some time, before the artistry, conceptual chutzpah and sheer feral, thrashing magnificence of 2019’s Infest The Rat’s Nest dragged me helplessly down their rabbit-hole. So I’m gleefully, ridiculously happy to tell you that the final issue of MOJO this year features my in-depth feature on the group and their seventeen (and counting) albums to date, a tale of grisly Aussie rules football injuries, quixotic creative wilfulness and the imminent extinction of the human race that was an absolute pleasure to write and research. Fair warning, though: I became proper obsessed with the Gizzverse while working on this piece, and there’s every chance that, after reading it, you too will find yourself muttering “Nonagon Infinity, open the door” under your breath all the live-long day and playing the epic, sublime Head On/Pill that closes their new, brilliant live album, Live In San Francisco, on endless loop, until you finally collapse in your bed to dream of crumbling castles, lords of lightning and galaxies engulfed by robot vomit.
The issue also boasts Phil Alexander interviewing Tony Iommi, Mark Blake on Pink Floyd, Dave DiMartino profiling Nancy Sinatra, Ian Harrison exploring the messy implosion of the Stone Roses, and a rememberance of John Lennon, now 40 years gone. PLUS, me wittering on some about the presciently brilliant guitar freakouts Lennon sprayed all over Yoko Ono’s ear-manglingly fab Why?. Get your eyes on a copy HERE.
Stevie Chick 