Denim Delinquent

Denim Delinquent was an underground rock-and-roll fanzine founded in Ottawa, Ontario, in 1971 by writers Jymn Parrett and Mark Jones. It is generally recognized as the first rock-and-roll fanzine published in Canada. The publication emerged from the early-1970s independent music press, when small-circulation fan publications provided an alternative to mainstream music journalism and offered writers a direct way to document emerging artists, local scenes, and countercultural musical communities. The first two issues were produced in Ottawa. Later issues were published from Los Angeles by Jymn and Dee Parrett, reflecting the publication's growing connection with the Southern California rock scene. Its Los Angeles-era coverage included groups and performers associated with the Sunset Strip, including venues such as the Whisky a Go Go. Across its seven-issue run, Denim Delinquent published interviews and features involving artists including Iggy and the Stooges, Kiss, the Kinks, the New York Dolls, Mott the Hoople, Michael Nesmith, and Monty Python. Its contributor network included writers such as Lester Bangs, Jeremy Gluck, Danny Sugerman, and Jeffrey Morgan, also known as Machine Rock, who later wrote for Creem. The fanzine's influence extended beyond its original publication period. Its fifth-issue cover was later reused as artwork for Bomp! Records' release Wild Love by Iggy and the Stooges. Jymn Parrett also supplied liner notes for California Bleeding, an Iggy and the Stooges CD issued by Bomp! Records. Denim Delinquent was revisited by specialist music fanzines in the late 1990s, including Black to Comm and Back of a Car. The publication also entered pop-cultural reference through Morrissey's etched quotation, “WHAT KIND OF MAN READS DENIM DELINQUENT?”, on the run-out groove of the Interesting Drug 12-inch single; the wording refers to the back cover of the fanzine's third issue and its New York Dolls feature. In May 2016, HoZac Records' book division published a collected edition of Denim Delinquent's issues. The compendium sold out its first edition within a week, and a second edition also sold out. Although the fanzine itself ceased publication in 1976, Parrett continued contributing to Canadian music magazines, including Cheap Thrills, Stagelife, Roxy, and later Ugly Things. Denim Delinquent is therefore significant both as an early Canadian rock publication and as a surviving document of the transnational underground music networks linking Ottawa, Los Angeles, and the wider rock press.

Denim Delinquent began in Ottawa, Ontario, in 1971 as a small independent publication created by Jymn Parrett and Mark Jones. Its appearance marked an important moment in Canadian music publishing: it is described as the first Canadian fanzine devoted to rock and roll. Like many underground fanzines of the period, it operated outside the established magazine industry and relied on direct engagement with musicians, writers, collectors, and fans. The publication produced seven issues in total between 1971 and 1976. The first two were Ottawa-based. Later editions were produced from Los Angeles by Jymn and Dee Parrett, giving the fanzine access to the Southern California rock environment and to artists and venues connected with the Sunset Strip. Coverage included groups playing at or associated with venues such as the Whisky a Go Go, while the wider editorial scope encompassed prominent and emerging acts from the international rock scene. Denim Delinquent's interviews and features included Iggy and the Stooges, Kiss, the Kinks, the New York Dolls, Mott the Hoople, Michael Nesmith, and Monty Python. Its contributors included Lester Bangs, Jeremy Gluck, Danny Sugerman, and Jeffrey Morgan, who also used the name Machine Rock in connection with Creem. This combination of artist access and participation by influential music writers helped give the fanzine importance beyond its limited original circulation. After the final issue appeared in 1976, the publication continued to circulate as a reference point within specialist music culture. Jymn Parrett remained active as a music writer and contributed to Canadian publications including Cheap Thrills, Stagelife, and Roxy, and later to Ugly Things. In the late 1990s, articles about Denim Delinquent appeared in the fanzines Black to Comm and Back of a Car, demonstrating renewed interest in the publication's role in underground rock journalism. The fanzine also acquired a visible afterlife through related recordings and design references. The cover of its fifth issue was used as the artwork for Wild Love, a Bomp! Records release by Iggy and the Stooges. Parrett wrote liner notes for Bomp!'s California Bleeding CD. Morrissey's etched phrase “WHAT KIND OF MAN READS DENIM DELINQUENT?” on the run-out groove of the Interesting Drug 12-inch single likewise referenced the fanzine, specifically the back cover of its third issue and its New York Dolls material. In May 2016, HoZac Records' book division published a compendium collecting the Denim Delinquent issues. The first edition sold out in one week, and a second edition also sold out. The reissue activity confirmed the fanzine's continuing status as a collectible and historically relevant artifact of Canadian and international underground music journalism.

1. 2016HoZac publishes a collected edition

   HoZac Records' book division releases a compendium of Denim Delinquent issues. The first and second editions both sell out.

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2. 1990Publication receives renewed specialist-fanzine attention

   In the late 1990s, Denim Delinquent became the subject of articles in the music fanzines Black to Comm and Back of a Car.

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3. 1976Seven-issue publication run ends

   The fanzine concludes its original run after seven issues, with later issues having been produced from Los Angeles.

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4. 1971Denim Delinquent is founded in Ottawa

   Jymn Parrett and Mark Jones launch the fanzine in Ottawa, Ontario, establishing what is described as Canada's first rock-and-roll fanzine.

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Independent, underground music journalism focused on rock-and-roll artists, bands, venues, and subcultural scenes.

• Denim DelinquentMusic fanzine1971

  A seven-issue underground rock-and-roll fanzine published from 1971 to 1976. It began in Ottawa and later operated from Los Angeles, combining interviews, artist features, and reporting on rock groups and venues. Its subjects included Iggy and the Stooges, Kiss, the Kinks, the New York Dolls, Mott the Hoople, Michael Nesmith, and Monty Python.

• Denim Delinquent compendiumCollected print edition2016

  A book-format collection of Denim Delinquent issues published in May 2016 by the book division of HoZac Records. The first edition reportedly sold out within one week, and a second edition also sold out, indicating continued collector and music-history interest in the original fanzine.

• 2016Denim Delinquent compendium published by HoZac Records

  HoZac Records' book division issued a collected edition of the fanzine's issues. The first edition sold out within a week, followed by a sold-out second edition.

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1. Denim Delinquent