Cripple Nation

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Summary: NY meets LA: Henry Rollins publishes Alan Vega
Review: This is a scrapbook of Vega's lyrics and poems accompanied by his own charcoal and pen-and-ink illustrations, edited by Henry Rollins and published by Rollins's 2-13-61 books. It's a real labor of love, as these two musicians -- one east coast, one west coast -- have a great respect for each other. Vega, one-half of the electronic music duo Suicide (with Martin Rev), has an extremely dark vision of life in the city; his lyrics are grim but not without hope, and descriptive without being judgemental. His art, quick and sketchy, is an effort to translate that urban feel into black-and-white. The result looks sloppy, rushed, and incomplete, as if the next thought might complete the picture; but there's no resolution, just pieces of the puzzle. "Cripple Nation" is not a book for the faint-of-heart, or whose sensibilities lay in admiration of pretty pictures. Vega has been making challenging art for thirty years, and this book is no exception.