Regular readers of downthetubes will know we’ve regularly featured David Robertson‘s eclectic but enjoyable anthology comics and other projects. Just published is For the Record – a bit of a departure, perhaps from previous titles such as You Get What You Get (2024) and Enough Nonsense (2023), in that this is a more personal memoir.
David has collated his own memories of his lifelong interest in music; and included music-based stories by close family members, which he has then drawn. As with his earlier work, Tay Bridge Disaster, this gives a consistency to the art throughout, bringing the great idea of bring “Musical Memories” to enthusiastic life.
While clearly an intensely personal project – musical tastes very much unique to everyone – it’s a project that works well on different levels. Firstly, as a history of musical discovery, and a guide to how the music industry has changed; secondly, it gets you thinking just what your favourite music is, too, David’s choices occasionally resonating, many not – also offering the opportunity to discover sounds you may be unfamiliar with, but his enthusiasm for them might just send you exploring.
For The Record also comes with some funny moments, such as P Dehal’s account of their encounter with supergroup Yes, and David’s own “Scary Moments” episode…
That David also probes our collective love of music, and what it means, is another layer to a “biography comic” that, while short, is packed with plenty to enjoy, whatever your musical preferences, and posing questions whose answer varies, in all probability, according to mood, day of the week, and, perhaps, who you’re with!
John Freeman
• For the Record by David Robertson is published through Fred Egg Comics | Buy it here from the Fed Egg Comics Big Cartel Site
A lifetime of loving music, covering the following topics:
Featuring: The Beatles or The Police? / Drumstick grip / Adam and the Ants / 7” singles – childhood / Radio repeats / Five Christmas LPs / Grooves / TV themes / CDs are coming / The first CD / ABWH / Concert tickets / Walkman / Public Enemy / Grand Canyon / Cassettes / Running in the Family / Compilation strategies / Scary music / 1990s LPs / Record fair goodies / 7” singles – 1990s / Autographs / Jazz FM / Conceptual artist / The Police on LP / Late vinyl issues / Late vinyl issues – examples / Space Music / Amadeus / Clannad Legend / Recent songs / Objectivity / The greatest album of all time / The best song of all time / What is music?
Head downthetubes for…
• Broken Frontier: For the Record – Review by Andy Oliver
- About the Author
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John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: Audio, British Comics, Comics, Digital Media, Features, Music, Other Worlds, Reviews
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