1977 was the year of Star Wars, the futuristic and downbeat 2000AD, and Punk going mainstream. Two of those three things would obsess the Fabulous Sebastian until this day. Too young and scared to hang with the real punks, Sebastian pogoed in his bedroom to Plastic Bertrand and dreamed of one day playing xylophone for X Ray Spex.
In 1979 Maggot Death was born as a series of one page rants in poor handwriting, and with even poorer art, printed in tiny runs whenever the photocopier or fordigraph machines at school could be accessed unsupervised. Like Christopher Lee's Dracula (another early obsession) Maggot Death was reborn, bigger and better than ever. Thanks to a growing band of contributors from the local music scene and the band Pork's access to a photocopier, 1982 saw Maggot Death unleashed to a larger audience. Subtitled an "Unperiodical Communication", it was not a fanzine like the its contemporaries. There were no reviews, no interviews, no advertisements, and no fan fiction, just an eclectic mix of politics and inanity. Maggot Death, with an ever changing contingent of local and overseas collaborators, continued until 2001, when the final issue coincided with Sebastian’s appearance at the National Young Writer’s Convention. Despite the death of Maggot Death, Sebastian continues to write (but fortunately not draw) about pop culture for any magazine or website that will have him.
Fabulous Sebastian - 1983
In 1981, Sebastian met Pitt (legendary guitarist Peter Pittendreigh) and they formed Subversive Rash. Subversive Rash may have been the first Anarcho Thrash Punk band in Brisbane, but they could also equally be described as a non-event. The suicide of bassist John Ashburner in 1982 led to Pitt and Sebastian forming Pictish Blood with Terry McDougall (RIP) and Oscar De Wachter (also RIP). If the coolness of a punk band is determined by its obscurity, then Pictish Blood could well be the coolest band ever. Brisbane was still oppressive and close minded in 1983 (some may argue little has changed) and Pictish Blood were banned from the only hotel hosting original live music venue at the time, but returned to play under the name of their first release, The Indestructible Smile.
Pictish Blood - 1983
The Fabulous One played in a few bands after the mildly popular Blood’s demise with each band being less interesting than the previous.
At least he had his Not So Filthy Rich Enterprises
cassette label to entertain himself.
In 1984, Sebastian and Maggot Death co-creator and experimental music maestro Glenn Norman found themselves as announcers on 4ZZZ and in charge of the Import New Releases program. Power immediately corrupted, as power tends to do (especially in Queensland), and they played very little from the 4ZZZ box of new releases and instead focused on playing their own new records. The point being, in theory, to allow listeners to record records they didn’t own. At the same time, Sebastian started DJing at 4ZZZ nightclubs, and was still DJing at Goth clubs well into the new millennium.
At the dawn of said new millennium, and with nary a millennium bug in sight, Sebastian branched out into other pursuits away from the mainstream. Originally this was limited commentating professional wrestling, but a move to Sydney saw him hosting goth festivals and joining the newly formed Sydney Roller Derby League as a host, commentator and interviewer in 2008. Now in Melbourne, rumours have arisen that Sebastian is forming a band. We, the gig going public, and the Australian medical community, are concerned.
Fabulous Sebastian - Roller Derby Commentator