headpressianism
|  | about us
Sincethe release of its first book in 1992, London based book publisherHeadpress has been quietly amassing a global readership as diverse asthe content of its books.
Crowned "The Gospel According toUnpopular Culture," Headpress have published hundreds of acclaimedtitles celebrating topics ranging from Bukowski to b-movies, bad gigsto bad mags, as well as the much-loved Headpress anthologies - all ofwhich can be purchased through this webstore.
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| Headpress.com also hosts topical interviews, blogs and event information for our more impassioned culture vultures. Are we poorer for not knowing the true speculations that surrounded dwarves named Jesús who worked in the porn industry in seventies America? Forget postmodern uncertainty; we are ruled by the certainty of others. Headpress is a gentle form of satori which is sometimes impeccably disguised as subjects that may interest.
“what you don’t know about headpress”
Sixteen years is a long time in publishing. Since the 1992 release of the first biannual Headpress anthology of independent writing, thousands of publications have come and gone. Whilst others have fallen despite major commercial backing, Headpress has survived, resolutely self-sufficient, amassing a global readership of thousands attracted by its standards of quality and originality, its consistent commitment to content over style.
For those in the know HEADPRESS has been on the radar for far longer, with a delightful combination of the weird and the wonderful, new journalism, features and reviews. Known for years as the journal of 'sex, religion and death' and guided by the creative vision of editor, founder and contributor David Kerekes, the latest acquisition to the Headpress team is the legendary activist and one-time MC5 manager John Sinclair, which quixotically measures Headpress' emergence from the underground by way of the counterculture of the sixties.
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|  | david kerekes
David Kerekes is co-founder of Headpress, and co-author of the books See No Evil and Killing for Culture (volume two of which is in progress). He is author of Sex Murder Art and more recently Mezzogiorno, a meditation on life, death and southern Italy. David remembers vividly the first record albums he ever bought: Let It Be by the Beatles and Monster Mash by Bobby (Boris) Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers. Too young to fully appreciate one; too grown up to like much of the other.
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| A short, expurgated interview with Mr David Kerekes conducted by Ms Iphgenia Baal
Q: What is Headpress?
A: The gospel according to unpopular culture.
If you had no idea what Headpress was and you came across something Headpress had put out, who would you imagine would be responsible?
Naked people in a tree, as one journalist believed me to be several years ago.
Who are the people Headpress would not exist without? And what do they each do?
The people that Headpress would not exist without are mostly dead: Roger Watkins, the director of Last House on Dead End Street, “Archaic” Alan Hewetson, creator of the Skywald Horror-Mood, Dr Frances B Gross, the narrator of Faces of Death… I have been fortunate and honoured to speak to each and every one of them and feature them in Headpress publications. I would add Caleb Selah to this list.
Did you ever mean to start a publishing company? What were the company's beginnings?
Headpress began [in 1991] with three guys called David who shared an appetite for “video nasties,” the horror films that were liable to turn the population of Great Britain into blood lusting maniacs, according to the media. We turned our appetite into a blood lusting zine instead, called Headpress.
Are you aware of trends in the publishing industry, or literature in general, to publish certain types of books? Do you take any notice of them?
The trend is a downhill one in general. If we followed it we would be out of business.
What has been your best-selling book? How many copies were sold?
[At the time of this interview] I would say The X Factory: Inside the American Hardcore Film Industry. We generally print limited editions of 2,000 copies, but occasionally reprint, as happened with The X Factory, which sold around 5,000 copies in total. Another good book for us was See No Evil: Banned Films and Video Controversy, which I co-wrote with David Slater, and that sold in excess of thirty million.
What are you biggest Headpress regrets?
Following advice given to me by distributors and Christians.
And your proudest Headpress moments?
Riding horseback up the Holy Mountain in Rio De Catorce in Mexico with Caleb Selah, Headpress service engineer.
Where do you find titles written by people other than you?
Through advertisements in call centres.
In your wildest dreams, what will Headpress be in ten years?
Full of stars, like Stanley Kubrick.
And finally, in reality, what will Headpress be in ten minutes?
A wild dream about wild dreams.
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| caleb selah
Headpress service engineer
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| how to find us
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| Headpress
Suite 306, The Colourworks
2A Abbot Street
London
E8 3DP
United Kingdom
Telephone Office:
0208 8880 781
Telephone Orders:
0845 3301 844
[email us]
[transport for london website]
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