Tom Vague

Vague

Housmans are able to describe Tom Vague as a close colleague and aficianado. The relationship goes back almost as long as 'Vague' itself - Tom and Housmans have collaborated on a number of projects over the years...not least of which was Dark Star Publishing, a joint venture between Tom and members of the Housmans team. If you are still curious, and want to find out more about Vague Publications or current Vague projects drop by the shop!

‘Even though Vague magazine has been around for a while now, it’s such a good thing that every new one is worth getting excited about. Vague is a massively self-indulgent project, as obsessive and naïve as its maker is. It spreads its net wide, and so catches many great things otherwise lost to us and to history.’ Jenny Turner City Limits Read more Reviews

A Vaguely definitive bibliography of Tom Vague.

50 Years of Carnival 1959 - 2009

Vague #54

Tom Vague

(Kensington & Chelsea Community History Group, 2009)

Portobello Film Festival 2009

Beat Programme

Vague #53

Tom Vague

(Portobello Film Festival)

Notting Dale Urban Studies

Vague #52

Tom Vague

(Kensington & Chelsea Community History Group)

Notting Hill Sport History

Vague #51

Tom Vague

(Kensington & Chelsea Community History Group)

Notting Hill 1958

Vague #50

Tom Vague

(Kensington & Chelsea Community History Group)

The Boy Scout Guide

to the Situationist International

Paris and London 1968

Vague #49

Tom Vague

(Active Publishing, 2008)

£1.00

Portobello Film Festival 2008

Carnival Programme

Vague #48

Tom Vague

(Portobello Film Festival)

Download [pdf]

Getting it Straight

in Notting Hill Gate CD

Vague #47

Tom Vague

(Agit Pop Disco, 2008)

1958 Riot Tour [Film]

Vague #46

Tom Vague

(Westway TV, 2008)

Notting Hill History Timeline

Vague #45

Tom Vague

(Kensington & Chelsea Community History Group, 2008)

Entrance to Hipp

Notting Dale

Vague #44

Tom Vague

(Kensington & Chelsea Community History Group, 2008)

Download [pdf]

Bash the Rich: Class War

Radical History Tour of Notting Hill

Vague #43

Tom Vague

(Class War Publishing, 2007)

£1.00

Download [pdf]

London Psychogeography

Pop History

Vague #42

Tom Vague

(Kensington & Chelsea Community History Group, 2007)

Portobello Film Festival 2007

Magic Programme

Vague #41

Tom Vague

(Portobello Film Festival)

Getting it Straight in Notting Hill Gate

Vague #40

Tom Vague

(Kensington & Chelsea Community History Group, 2006)

iPod Pop History Walks

Vague #39

Tom Vague

(RBKC Arts Service)

Listen

The Grove

Vague #38

Tom Vague

Programme for Portobello Film Festival

Counter-culture exhibition featuring John Hoppy

Hopkins photographs at the Westbourne pub

(Westbourne, 2006)

now out of print

Portobello Film Festival 2006

Counter Culture Programme

Vague #36/37

Tom Vague

(Portobello Film Festival)

Notting Hill Pop History

Vague #35

Tom Vague

(Kensington & Chelsea Community History Group, 2003)

Hollywood W11

Vague #34

Tom Vague

(Portobello Film festival)

HM King Mob

Vague #33

Tom Vague

Download [pdf]

King Mob Echo

From Gordon Riots to

Situationists and Sex Pistols

supplement

Vague #32

Tom Vague

(Dark Star Publishing, 2000)

King Mob Echo

English Section of the

Situationist International

Vague #31

King Mob

(Dark Star Publishing, 2000)

London Psychogeography

Rachman Riots and Rillington Place

Vague #30

Tom Vague

(Vague Publishing, 1998)

Entrance to Hipp

An Historical and Psychogeographical

Report on Notting Hill

Vague #29

Tom Vague

(Vague Publishing, 1997)

now out of print

for a closer perspective see

Notting Hill History Timeline

Wild West 11

Grove Massive Psychogeography Report

Vague #28

Michael X – Performance

The Clash - Trellick Tower poster

Tom Vague

(Vague Publishing, 1997)

Anarchy in the UK

The Angry Brigade

Vague #27

Tom Vague

(AK Press, 1997)

£6.95

Televisionaries

The Red Army Faction

Vague #26

Tom Vague

(AK Press, 1994)

The Great British Mistake

Vague 1977 - 1992

Vague #25

Greatest Hits The Ramones - The Clash

Adam and the Ants - Siouxsie and the Banshees

Crass - Viz - Situationist International

Angry Brigade - Sex Pistols

Tom Vague

(Vague Publishing, 1994)

The West Eleven Days of My Life

Notes from the Portobello Underclass

Vague #24

English Psychogeography - Rotting Hill

Happy Mondays - Stewart Home

Tom Vague

(Vague Publishing, 1993)

God Told Me To Do It

Vague #23

Donald Cammell - Twin Peaks - Hype

Steam-Punk - 23 Skidoo

Tom Vague

(Vague Publishing, 1991)

Media Sickness

Vague #22

Jamie Reid – Margi Clarke – Ralph Rumney –

Stewart Home - Situationist exhibition

Cheap Holidays Paris/Berlin/Prague/Budapest

Tom Vague

(Vague Publishing, 1990)

Cyber-Punk

Vague #21

Jamie Reid – Jon Savage England’s Dreaming interview

Sex Pistols – Cyber-Punk by Mark Downham

Stewart Home – Blast 88

Tom Vague

(Vague Publishing, 1989)

Televisionaries

Vague #20

Vagrunts - Apocalypse Now in Stoke Newington

comic strip by Perry Harris - Red Army Faction

Abolition of Work - Smile supplement

Tom Vague

(Vague Publishing, 1988)

Control Data Manual

Vague #18/19

Videodrome - Riot Control - Freemasons

Jack the Ripper - Illuminati - JFK Assassination

Mark Stewart - Robert Anton Wilson

Tom Vague

(Vague Publishing, 1987)

now out of print

Psychic Terrorism Annual

Vague #16/17

If - Situationists - Angry Brigade

Psychic TV - Decoder - Burroughs - Crowley -

Laibach - Miners Strike - Viz

Tom Vague

(Vague Publishing, 1985)

now out of print

Vague #15

The End of Music - Stop the City

Getting the Fear - Charles Manson

Greenham Common - Xmal Deutschland

Church of the Sub-Genius

Tom Vague

(Vague Publishing, 1984)

now out of print

Vague #14

Southern Death Cult - UK Decay

Danse Society - Iggy Pop - The Right Not to Work

American Indian Movement

Tom Vague

(Vague Publishing, 1983)

Vague #13

Southern Death Cult - Viz - Stonehenge

Glastonbury - WOMAD - Lovable Spiky Tops

Burroughs Final Academy - American Indians

Tom Vague

(Vague Publishing, 1982)

now out of print

Vague #12

Killing Joke - Theatre of Hate - UK Decay

Adam and the Ants - William Burroughs

Falklands War - Viz

Tales from the Blank Generation

Tom Vague

(Vague Publishing, 1982)

now out of print

Vague #11

Crass - CND - Charles and Diana Wedding

Viz - Velvet Underground - Iggy Pop

The Cramps - Futurama 3 - Wasted Youth

Tom Vague

(Vague Publishing, 1981)

now out of print

Vague #10

Siouxsie and the Banshees

Public Image Limited - TV Smith

Jordan - Viz - Brixton Riots

Tom Vague

(Vague Publishing, 1981)

now out of print

Vague #9

Bow Wow Wow - Classix Nouveaux

Gods Toys - Viz - Wasted Youth - Monochrome Set

The Damned - Amnesty International

Tom Vague

(Vague Publishing, 1981)

now out of print

Vague #8

Bauhaus - Echo and the Bunnymen

Adam and the Ants - The Skids - Revillos

Specials - Bowie - Mo-Dettes - Futurama 2

Tom Vague

(Vague Publishing, 1980)

now out of print

Vague #7

Adam and the Ants

'Kings of the Wild Frontier' tour programme

Tom Vague

(Vague Publishing, 1980)

now out of print

Vague #6

The Pop Group - The Slits - Crass

Devo - Gary Glitter - The Jam - Mo-Dettes

Martian Dance - UK Subs - Essential Logic

Tom Vague

(Vague Publishing, 1980)

now out of print

Vague #5

Adam and the Ants - Passions

The Cure - Human League - The Undertones

The Specials - The Bodysnatchers

The Great Rock and Roll Swindle

Tom Vague

(Vague Publishing, 1980)

now out of print

Vague #4

Mikey Dread - Talisman

Revelation Rockers - Animals and Men

Moskow - Stiff Little Fingers - QT's

Tom Vague

(Vague Publishing, 1980)

now out of print

Vague #3

The Ramones - The Clash

The Boys - The Raincoats - Program

Softies - Kitchens

Tom Vague

(Vague Publishing, 1980)

now out of print

Vague #2

Joy Division - Gang of Four

Red Crayola - Buzzcocks - Futurama

Stalag 44 - Magic Mushrooms

Tom Vague

(Vague Publishing, 1979)

now out of print

Vague #1

Siouxsie and the Banshees

Adam and the Ants - The Cure - The Ruts

Two Tone and Rough Trade

Tom Vague

(Vague Publishing, 1979)

now out of print

Reviews

"Vague has slack; Vague has Sub-Genius brag; Vague has discord and anarchy; Vague has Situationism, psychic terrorism, helter skelter urban shamanism, conspiracy, paranoia and manipulation. It has captured, hi-jacked and bound the current that at times drove Oz in the 60s. Vague cries out for, and defies, censorship and suppression. Vague is the underground overground." Joel Biroco Kaos

More Reviews

"Every day the seditious seeds planted by Sniffin’ Glue and Ripped & Torn bear some unlikely fruit. Every day another young editor staggers proudly under the Westway with a new bag of radical reading matter, making the three minute trip from one bright spark of the current explosion, Better Badges, to the other, Rough Trade. In every corner of the country there seems to be something going on… Wiltshire’s Vague…" Simon Dwyer Sounds

"The truth is only known by Vagrants is the cheeky retort on the cover. Inside the editor informs us of various tours and ligs that he’s been on; a huge and interesting pub anecdote in print. Vague has come as near to professionalism, without joining the establishment, as a fanzine possibly can. It’s glossy, full of colour and absolutely vital with it. Given a decent distribution this mag could do very well. Vague is deep from the heart of the squatting, hitching punk rock beast. From which the most positive elements are taken and examined. Full of charismatic optimism and resolution, it’s a classical fanzine." Richard North NME

I am only too well aware that with the advent of punk we were to have no more heroes. But when the heroes evolve without the heroic trappings then that’s a different matter. Even old Tom Vague is a hero, adored the length and breadth of Britain for his psychological traumas called Vague." Mick Mercer Zigzag

"‘Vague 16/17 ‘Psychic Terrorism Annual’ is a hugely significant volume. Vague has been evolving for a long time, but this issue takes a decisive next step – no longer just a thoroughly self-defining fanzine at some kind of odds with the establishment, it has became a complete, confident – but still eminently accessible – outsider. It’s also still funny, egotistical and constructively nasty. It brags and nags while the ideas flow, but it has a continuity which intensifies its genuinely anarchic spirit rather than stifles it. Vague has a lot in common with the late 60s/early 70s underground press, while its starting point is the most dangerous inquisitive and inspiring area of punk. It doesn’t fit into (doesn’t need) any clear context, and it’s essential because of that." Robin Gibson Sounds

"Vague is growing a deserved reputation as one of the best about; in fact could prove the eventual successor to Ripped & Torn. It’s frequently scruffy, badly printed and incomplete, but must be the most regular fast-growing fanzine about." Tony Fletcher Jamming

‘As a British answer to Re/Search, Vague is what we all need. The now famous and popular San Francisco journal offers gift certificates and instant collectors items with its 20,000 plus limited editions. Vague’s speedy, post-Bangs tripping with Hunter S style journalism retains its detached sense of humour.’ Mike McInnis Version 90

‘This is more a symptom than a fanzine. As a review of the would-be street credible music scene Vague is irritating, affected and superficial, but as an unwitting expose of the kind of parasite Tom Vague is, it is sometimes fascinating. Tom Vague spends a very small proportion of his lengthy articles writing about the gigs or records he purports to be reviewing. The rest is a sort of disjointed autobiography, with special attention to how drunk he got, whether he could con a free ticket/record/handout, the violence he always seems to stay out of, toadying to the in stars whilst badmouthing the out ones... The clever title/cover design lead you to expect some wit, but Vague is mostly humourless – the only laughs come from some cartoons that turn out to be cribbed from a Newcastle fanzine called Viz.’ Sheep Worrying

‘Technofear and Loathing: Is Stoke Newington really like a bad night in Saigon? Grab a copy of the latest wad of literary terrorism that is Vague and you’ll guarantee yourself at least four sleepless nights and three paranoid weeks. There isn’t a conspiracy theory, gothic hippy band, or Oz cartoon that Tom Vague hasn’t poked his big nose into and exposed in the pages of his annual for Psychic sidekicks. There’s no Vietnam book he hasn’t devoured, and no Situationist text he hasn’t speed-read. If Tom Vague could wake up to the 1980s he could become both publishing king and cool novelist.’ James Brown NME

‘When fanzines get good is when they abandon the pretext of providing information on new bands and get into egomaniacal self-celebration. And what I’d compare the best fanzines with is rap – in both cases what you’ve got is a kind of theatrical megalomania, which is very funny and also a buzz – because these are postures that are ludicrous and yet strangely impressive. The rambling, aggressive self regard of Bzag, Tom Vague, The Rox, The Legend… the only heads this swollen, the only mouths this big, are to be found in hip-hop.’ Simon Reynolds Melody Maker

"The kids like it.” Adam Ant Adam and the Ants

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