The COMP Magazine Plastic Crimewave - Galactic Vision

Upon entering the lair of Plastic Crimewave (aka Steven H. Kraków), one is immediately teleported to another place, time, and being. The space is covered from floor to ceiling with vintage posters of 1970s icons like Burt Reynolds to first printings of Marvel Comic’s Daredevil dating back to 1964. Plastic Crimewave’s abode is part museum, part comic and music archive, and a vast repository for long lost games, toys and pulp readings. The COMP Magazine recently visited Plastic Crimewave’s home and studio to discuss the importance of making and remembering music, his love of Silver Age comics, and his ongoing project: The Secret History of Chicago Music, due to release in book form later this year.

Plastic Crimewave (self-portrait)

Lets start with a look at your interest in early seminal comic creators like Winsor McCay and George Herriman. What drew you to these classic comics? Why are they still relevant? What type of influence did they have on you?

I got into serious comic collecting in 5th grade, but was into superheroes since age 3 or so. I checked out as many books as possible from the library on comics and somehow was drawn to the history of it all. Krazy Kat and McCay jumped out at me as both historically important and as beautifully drawn and unique visions. I think they are more relevant than ever, and a standard very few can ever meet. I think both warped my young brain without me directly knowing it.

Book and Record Set: Speed Guru of Acid Mothers Temple vs. Plastic Crimewave
(cover illustration), Prophase Records, 2014

Can you share with us where the name and aesthetic practice of Plastic Crimewave originated?

Well, I liked rocker names like ‘Aladdin Sane”, “ mars Bonfire” , “Helios Creed” and “Android Funnel” and wanted a name for both stage and for my artwork. I think I technically took the “Crimewave” part from an obscure 70s Daredevil villain who has a sweet purple/green costume scheme (my fave), and the even more obscure Canadian garage-psych band Plastic Cloud. I liked the idea of something being plastic that wasn’t an actual physical form, like a gaseous cloud or concept. I was definitely into the idea of the synthetic or plastic around then, as my art installations at the time were all about excessive and unnecessary cheap products churned out by machines.

Plastic Crimewave, Johnny “Big Moose” Walker
from The Secret History of Chicago Music, 2015

You are one of the truly most obsessive collectors I have met. I believe you have around 7,000 albums, 30,000 comics, assorted ephemera, and a massive library of obscure to popular culture readings. Your place reminds me of a mix between the photos I’ve seen of Henry Darger’s former home and a 1960-70s psychedelic carnival. The amazing aspect is that you have all of this highly organized. How do you tame your madness?

I just have to tame things out of utter necessity, as I often refer to my collection as “the archive”, as I need to refer to various comics, LPs, etc for research purposes for my Chicago Reader strip and my Galactic Zoo Dossier magazine. So I try to file away things in order as soon as possible, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to move around in my place much! Sometimes piles do build up, and I am seemingly out of room to file away more items, but I always find a way to get creative and expand.

Plastic Crimewave, Churchill Moor from The Secret History of Chicago Music, 2015

You don a number of hats – illustrator, writer, artist, musician, historian, etc. Where do you see the intersection or semblance of these varied practices?

I suppose I never really thought about it, all these roles you mention seem to be natural extensions of another, i.e., I love comics, so I tried to draw comics at an early age and just stuck with it. I like music, so of course I’d try to play music. To play music live I need to book shows, then book tours, then why not book other bands I like? Then suddenly I’m booking music festivals. I always like a challenge and am fascinated by even the most banal inner workings of the things I love and I’ve always been drawn to know the history of things I’m passionate about too, so…there you go.

Plastic Crimewave Syndicate: Dawn Aquarius, Plastic Crimewave
(Steve Kraków), Anjru Kieterang, and Jose Bernal

Why do you see Chicago as such a fertile environment for artists, comic creators, and musicians working on the fringes of the mainstream?

Some of it is pure economic/environmental. Long, painful winters equal a lot of indoor time to actually work on projects, and a relatively cheap cost of living for a major city means bands/artists can tour/travel and not go broke trying to pay their rent. Also I think the Midwest seems to be populated by grounded yet out-there people, who are not as pretentious or “creating work for their field” as artists on the coasts. I think Midwestern people are genuinely driven to create out of utter love for what they do, not to gain gallery placement or to go to fancy parties.

Plastic Crimewave and Dawn Aquarius of Werewheels

What do you have planned for the remainder of 2015?

My band Plastic Crimewave Syndicate is shopping around our recently finished LP to labels, we have a few festival appearances booked, and we will do a short tour backing legendary musician Djin Aquarian of 70s LA cult the Source Family and devotional musical group Ya Ho Wha 13 in August.

My musical duo with Dawn Aquarius, Werewheels, is also trying to find a home for a recently completed LP and we are touring Japan in June.

I am conducting 2 of my “Plastic Crimewave Vision Celestial Guitarkestras” (where up to 70 guitarists jam on a single chord, and I loosely conduct) this summer, one at the Hideout Block Party and one at the MCA.

A book collection of my Secret history of Chicago Music “info-strip” that has appeared in the Chicago Reader for a decade is finally due in November.

Working on a new Galactic Zoo Dossier magazine for Drag City, which may see print this year, if all goes well.

I have multiple archival LP releases due on a few different label imprints, Galactic Zoo Disk (with Drag City manufacturing/distributing) and Galactic Archive, which is a roving label I do myself and with local record shops like Logan Hardware and Permanent Records.