Tesco Vee has been at the forefront of punk since the days when a Mohawk and a spiked collar was a political statement, not a fashion statement…although the only political statement Tesco would make is that “Politics Suck.” As he told Skin Central: “All the other bands were railing against Reagan and social injustice, and I was writing songs about poop and boners.” He founded the legendary punk ‘zine Touch and Go while working as an elementary school teacher in Michigan in 1979, then watched his creation grow into a rallying point for fledgling punk and hardcore scenes scattered across the USA and eventually into a record label . He’s also the front man for The Meatmen , a punk rock powerhouse with an outrageous live show and hilariously politically incorrect songs like Camel Jockeys Suck, Blow Me Jah, French People Suck, and Lesbian Death Dirge . Now Tesco’s infectious brand of potty-mouthed humor has been re-introduced to the world with the reformation of The Meatmen in 2008 and the collection of every issue of his famous ‘zine into the book Touch and Go: The Complete Hardcore Punk Zine ’79-’83 , published by Bazillion Points . We caught up with Tesco driving around his home state of Michigan, and he proved himself to be very much a man after Mr. Skin’s own hard-on. More after the jump!
