25 May 2026 13 min read

Rag Mag 42

Flyer by Jeff Poot

What's up punks? We are throwing a party next Saturday afternoon (May 30th from 12-5) at Myrtle in East Providence and collecting food donations for the RI Food Bank. Gonna be a blast with local vendors, music by DJ It's Casual, and live music from Tigers on Vaseline, Cigarette Camp and Whyte Lipstick. Hope you make it out! Vendors include: gutrot, lilchamp, alchemy hair, trash bop, lexi's tree fort, stabitha bitchley, knucks and rag mag. We made another physical zine for the show, so grab one of those too.

This week we have The Fight Report with Chessy Renee, Hooked on Sonics with Velvet Deluxxx, Wasteland Chick, and Creature's Double Feature.

Hello Rag Mag Readers. On behalf of Rag Mag we just want to say our Hearts go out to all that Loved Ben Tan. He touched so many in the Boston music community and was a ball of positivity, humor and talent wherever he went. Play music with your friends. Go to their shows. Tell them how much you care. send them mixtapes . tell them jokes. Long live Johnnie and the Foodmasters. Rest in Rock N Roll Ben. FUCK CANCER - Coco

Soundtrack to this week's issue: Not a lot of time for records this week, so this is a stack grabbed from the unsorted/unfiled now playing/recent(ish?) arrivals 45s boxes: The Fells - I don't need you / I just wanna go back to sleep 7" (is bag of hammers the best 90s garage label?), Worst Worry - Piece of My Art / Nice Gone - 7" Lathe (weirdo solo gragey/folky/experimental tunes from Janie Too Bad from Black Time!), The Futures - Broken Roll for Junk Boys and Scum Girls 7", Neptune's Car - Baking Bread/Lucky Charms - 7", Monoshock - Primitive Zippo (like all of their records, the best), Hazard - Free From It! 7" E.P. (their Hate Hate Hate 7" rules as well), Jorgen Disgusting & The Riot - Musikens Makt 7", Les Sexareenos - Finger Party 7", Troyce Key - Drown in My Tears / Baby Please Don't Go 7" (rockabilly but maybe some punk cred because he owned Eli's Mile High Club at some point?), and The Heck - R.I.P.S. 7" (killer all female 90s punk trio on the great rebelabel - one of them now sings for Eiefits with members of liprcream, evance, slowmotions, extinct government, the comes, and so many more killer bands - I need to check out their new record)

Hit us up at ragmagclub@proton.me with flyers, art, feedback, column idea, or just to say hi and let's talk about PUNK! We archived columns and music reviews on the new site (rag-mag.ghost.io), so check it out.

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I don't have a lot to say this week. So in honor of Ben Tan I wanted to share a few Johnnie and the Foodmasters songs. I think making music / art with your friends is the coolest thing you can do. and a lot of times the most healing. So , enjoy these covers from Johnnie and the Foodmasters and G.Gordon Gritty and Ben.

I couldn't decide so here's the whole record

Newest single from Gossip Collar !

Official music video for GOSSIP COLLAR "scavengers" Upcoming album “Eaten of Worms” to be released by Bat-Cave Productions Directed /Edited by Coco Roy, Coagula Films

Bandcamp: https://gossipcollar.bandcamp.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram/gossipcollar

The Fight Report by Chessy Renee

In the event of an emergency !! uh… who will you be?

WHAT THE HELL IS UP RAG(E) MAG? Been a minute. I’ve missed you. It’s been an innnnteresting month… strange times, but I’ve been learning (...i think?). Have you?

This week I’m curious about emergency responses, as they have been popping up recently: Today I was at work and someone passed out in the bathroom. I heard that two things happened - something fell off of the wall, cracking a urinal as it went, and a man (at said urinal) passed out. Hard to say which happened first or what caused either.

And, just like a tree falling in the woods, no one was there to see it - but it was heard and another man in the bathroom sprang into action. He alerted my coworkers, and we all began to trickle into the scene.

It’s moments like these that make me see my coworkers for who I think they essentially are - competent, capable, and emotionally aware humans. Everyone was communicating and checking with each other about how to best handle each of our parts of the puzzle to get this man the help he needed. Some things were obvious next steps - like calling the EMT’s and other things were bigger questions: do we evacuate the building of other patrons? Who should call our bosses and how soon/where? Who should be in the bathroom and with the injured man to keep him company? How do we direct other patrons to the bathroom, or another bathroom?

Eventually the EMT’s came and then a while later they scooped him up and got him out the side door (closest to the bathroom) and on the way to the hospital.

It was a success, and I freakin hope that guy is okay. The projectile from the wall fell on him and also onto the urinal he was using, cracking it in half. So, hopefully, the urinal got the brunt of the force.

But it goes to show - knowing who you are and what your skills or talents might be in (a fight with a urinal!! OR) an emergency is so important and valuable. And knowing that shit about the people you are around too - very valuable.

Another wild fucking time: a few weeks ago my mom texted me that there was an active shooter on a main road in her neighborhood. Just a man, with a death or a returning-to-prison wish, who decided to take an automatic weapon outside and start shooting at people. My mom was planning that day to walk down that way to the grocery store and get her steps in, but she’s a chronic procrastinator so she was leaving the house late and heard helicopters in the sky which made her turn back. Her neighbor also texted her to stay in the house because she had heard about the shooting either from local news or social media.

Thank god for nosy old lady neighbors having each other’s backs. Makes me weep for all of the neighbors I have who I don’t yet know. One day…

Anyway - Yeah. It’s nutsssss out there, son. I really just feel so grateful for the community of people I am around and who I know. I want to be as brave as my bravest friends. Remembering that being brave is not like not being scared of the reality of what our crazy world has in store for us - but rather it’s knowing what the possibilities are and still finding the courage to do the right thing regardless… even when you don’t know what the fuck the right thing is, still trying to figure it out and then actually doing it in spite of your fears.

Today (May 25) is the anniversary of another emergency from 6 years ago - the death of George Floyd at the hands or knee of Derek Chauvin. Darnella Frazier is the name of the 17 y/o girl who filmed this murder. In the face of such heinousness, she chose to stay and bear witness. Something many of us probably would not be able to stomach. I thank her for what she did, though. And I hope that if I am ever in a situation where I have something powerful, like a recording device, or whatever it may be, that I can wield to somehow stand up to wicked wicked power or force - that I will use it.

So go out there, lil punkie mugs, use what you’ve got! Be the capable and caring motherfucks that you are!! Do good - cuz the world is just cranking out one fucking emergency after another.

You know what it is:

Support a Union - like the Coolidge Corner Theater Union

Join the Quakers to talk peace and shit? - I went to one of these meetings this past week, and it was a little underwhelming but learned a few things from the speakers and got to ask some questions - check it out if you want!

Get involved with feeding your neighbors - COME TO THE RAG MAG PARTY it’s also a food drive for the Rhode Island Food Bank. And here is their page about ways to give, if you can’t make it to the party. BUT COME TO THE PARTY.

Check out the events with Boston Jewish Voices for Peace

And make a plan for how to deal with an emergency when one pops up in front of you - I found this resource/list of steps (its from some corporate consultant company, boooo, but it seemed useful and cohesive so whatever)

Stay weird and take care, y’all. Till next time ~~

Wasteland Chick

Greetings and Salutations, fellow Wasteland Chicks! No meme today, as my internet says no (heathers reference haha i got you), but it is time for Part 2 of the Heathers review! Anyway, we cut back to “we did a murder, and that’s a crime,” and jump straight into the fake suicide note, where J.D. never answers whether he’s written fake notes before (?!), and we head to the school board. This scene is the first slice we get into seeing how everyone in Westerburg and Sherwood, Ohio as a whole makes the “suicide(s)” about their own problems or ideals, as the entire board of school staff notes their own problems within Heather C’s suicide. It’s here where we meet the character of Mrs. Pauline Flemming, as at first, she seems like the classic “only one who cares” teacher, but in her next scene, the class discussion scene (yes I’m skipping over the swatches in the shower because there’s nothing much to analyze) which is also increbible. In this scene, we see how everyone reacts in the frame of the theme, as Mrs. Fleming has MADE COPIES OF HEATHER C’S “SUICIDE NOTE” and is SHOWING IT TO THE CLASS, and Mrs. Fleming uses it to explain the “profound emotion of which a human animal is capable of”, and the other kids just use it for their own personal goals like validating an experience. How very.

Anyways, we cut back to the funeral for Heather Chandler, and I absolutely love this scene! Firstly, we have the minister (who F.Y.I is Otho in Beetlejuice, which Winona Ryder is also in), who literally just uses the sermon to not talk about Heather C, but instead talk about the “righteous dude” and the dangers of MTV. Meanwhile, I absolutely love the prayer scene, as each character, even Veronica (but not J.D. for some reason), says a “prayer” for Heather based on their own wants. I.E., Heather D excitedly praises God for killing Heather (J.D. would be either proud or offended), Heather C has the most normal one which represents her innocence kinda sorta, Veronica tries to assure herself she isn’t responsible and has the best quote afterwards (“Did that sound bitchy?), and the others just kinda say stuff similar to the class discussion scene. This really hammers in my favorite theme in Heathers: That society just nods its head at any horror the American teenager can think to bring upon itself and just will make it about themselves and their problems. Ahh, how I adore it. That’s all for Part 2, fellow WC’s, I guess when you love something, it takes you 4 weeks to write about. Bye!!

Sincerely, Wasteland Chick

Been a tough few week's here at Rag Mag HQ, so going to be a quick one from yr ol' pal Creature. Our beloved dog Thor got injured a few weeks back in a dog attack and is now dealing with a (most likely) unrelated new illness, so keep this good boy in your thoughts.

The latest exhibit at Fuller Speed Shop here in Providence is from sam "blip" m-h. On Mother's day, we spent some time in the gallery and the light was shining through the windows. The color and movement in these pieces really shined. Peter described the show as feeling like standing in the middle of a heart and truly felt what he meant that day. Up until the end of the month!

Art by Sam "blip" m-h - photos by Creature

Next up is a new track "Suffocation" from Devil Honey, Coco from Whyte Lipstick's solo project. This time featuring Matt Z (Funeral Cone/Out of the Blue) on guitar and backing vocals. Cool song with a great driving post-punk bass line, haunting vocals and some nice guitar work from MZ. Check it out!

Records of the Week

Ignorantes - No Hemos inventado nada ni nos interesa bacerlo - 12". Latest 12" from these Chilean punks recorded back in 2021, but finally put onto wax by the fine folks at General Speech. The title translates to "We have invented nothing, and are not interested in doing so.” and sums up this record. This is the tupa tupa raw punk we need. Best possible review is that the first time I played it, when Chiguagua started playing (perhaps Ignorantes finest moment so far and at 4 minutes, an epic for them?), Mr. Mittens immediately yelled from another room, "who is this? this track's a banger" and now I hear it blasting from her studio every day. Killer record.

Disket - Running b/w Vamos A Ganar - 7". Another new one on General Speech that I can't stop spinning. Featuring members of the Baby Shakes, Vaxine, and Mala Vista. Catchy, 70s punk/powerpop sounds with fantastic vocals, and hooks galore. Two songs, both bangers, and I can't get either of them outta my head. Put out an LP now!

Soul Song of the Day

Mr. Mittens wanted to go thrifting for a little bit on Mother's day and I spied a small stack of 45s on the way in and ended up grabbing a small grip of some conditional, but killer soul 45s. Luckily they all cleaned up pretty nice. The second 45 in the stack was Arthur Conley's - Who's Fooling Who and it is a excellent, uptempo track with undeniable energy and just makes you want to dance. He's best known for Sweet Soul Music, but this is my favorite track he did. Hell Otis Redding put it out, so who am I to argue.

That's it for this week's Rag Mag. Here's some flyers and keep sending stuff in (ragmagclub@proton.me).