Ugly Things Issue 54 (Summer 2020)

In this issue we pay tribute to Phil May of the Pretty Things who passed on May 15, including heartfelt interviews with friends and collaborators Dick Taylor and Wally Waller, and an array of other stories, as well as rare and previously unseen Pretty Things photos. Also this issue, the story behind the Electras' gnarly sixties punk masterpiece "Dirty Old Man," the tale of Midwest psychedelic masters the Paisleys (Cosmic Mind at Play), Southern California garage-psych combo the Search, guitarist Craig Tarwater (Hawk & the Randellas, Sons of Adam, Arthur Lee & Love), and an unforgettable night of music and mirth with Hasil Adkins. We also explore the world of jazz guitarist Gabor Szabo and its intersections with pop and psychedelia in the 1960s, and tell the strange story of the San Jose garage pop group People, who recorded a hit version of the Zombies "I Love You," only to become enmeshed in the sinister world of Scientology. All this and a lot more, including as always our expansive review sections covering all the latest reissues and rock & roll-related books.