Backstreets: The Springsteen Magazine Nos. 1, 2, 4, and 6
[Seattle]: Charles R. Cross / KZOK, 1980-83. First editions. 4 issues, ranging from 15-17.5" x 11.5", various paginations. Numbers 1 and 6 nice and bright, 2 and 4 toned due to the cheaper newsprint. Generally very good or better with minimal wear.
Small lot of early numbers, including the rare first issue, of Charles R. Cross's iconic Bruce Springsteen fanzine. Cross, then a college student in Seattle, convinced the rock station KZOK cover the costs of printing this first issue, which was 4 pages with a poster in the middle. These were then handed out to 10,000 fans at the October 24th, 1980 Springsteen concert at the Seattle Coliseum. Legend goes, since it was naturally raining after the concert, fans used these as makeshift umbrellas and then discarded them making surviving copies quite scarce.
Backstreets became one of the longest running and most successful fanzines, being published for 43 years until February 2023. Item #9583
Price: $950.00