Meet Henry Owings, #32 on Chunklet Magazine’s list of the 100 Biggest Assholes In Rock.

He should know since he compiled and edited the list for his own magazine Chunklet, one of the funniest and most scathing music and comedy publications ever. Each issue is full of smart interviews with amazing bands and the cream of the comedy crop (Jon Benjamin, Sarah Silverman, and Robert Smigel, amongst many others). On top of that, Owings and his gang of contributors pokes fun at the inflated egos of indie rock bands, celebrities, and, most importantly, themselves.

Yet, for every band Owings takes to task within the pages of his magazine, there are dozens more who he loves and supports. He books countless shows in Athens and Atlanta and, in Chunklet, champions many a band often in the same issue that they are excoriated.

Invisible Limb had a chance to catch up with Owings as he prepared to celebrate Chunklet’s 13th anniversary with a series of shows and events set for the end of October.

When you started putting out Chunklet, did you think you still be at it 13 years later?

Absolutely not. Then again I’ve never been the best at long-term vision. I’m just amazed that I’m still happy from doing it.

Do you have a favorite issue of the magazine? A most-hated issue?

To be honest, no. Even the first issue was as important to me as the most recent one. Sure, the first issue is clanky and kinda horrible compared to what Chunklet has become, but who cares? It’s a direct reflection of what I’m thinking at the moment, so I never know what’ll happen next.

Since you not only put out the magazine, but have also put on a great number of shows in and around Athens and Atlanta, is there one show that will always stick out in your mind as being particularly memorable? Any shows that you wish had never happened?

Oh god, there’s a few shows that stick out. Man or Astro-Man? at a skating rink. The Olivia Tremor Control/Neutral Milk house parties (yes, plural) that I put on. Servotron at a laser tag joint in Athens. God, there’s so many. The most recent “historic” show I’ve
done would be having Mogwai perform 2 shows in the lounge at Whirlyball Atlanta in a strip mall in the hinterlands of sprawled out Atlanta. Sure, it was a small nightmare getting everything to the ‘Gwai’s strict specs, but once we got everything squared away, the
stage was set for 2 days of Scots and Chunklet contribs walking around with shit eating grins. It really is a crowning achievement of my show promotin’ talents, but I’ve never looked at doing it as a source of income as much as something that is a direct reflection of the magazine and/or my interests.

The shows I wish never happened? Dude, come on, that’d be lame to smack talk, but I will say I have put on one too many Her Space Holiday shows.

Do you still get a fair amount of backlash for some of the stuff that you or your cohorts have written for the magazine?

Not so much backlash as much as just people being initially shocked by what we do in each issue.

One of things that I certainly admire about you is your unrelenting work ethic.  Is this hard working aesthetic something you’ve always had? What drives you to work so much and on so many different things?

Although he’d probably scoff at the mere mention of this, Brian Teasley is probably the sole reason I work as hard as I do. I met Brian at the first Man or Astro-Man? show in Georgia back in late ‘92 when I was fresh to Georgia and he was still, like, 18 and in school
at Auburn. I was immediately taken with how much he did. The more I’ve gone on though, I just don’t think about it as to who or what influences me. I guess I could say that my mortgage is the number one reason I keep working at the pace I do. That and the fact that I know one day I’ll die. Might as well kick as much ass as possible before that happens.

As far as why I pursue as many interests as I do, I think it just comes from being easily bored. It’s funny, I’ve spent this whole last week working on getting my new computer up and running just so I can work on this big Magnolia Electric Company box set I need to finish. And the litany of other things that have been getting in the way make me realize that maybe I should concentrate on two or three of the things I do instead of the nine or ten, but again, fuck it. It’s what I do.

Is it a dream come true for you to be able to consort with so many well-regarded musicians, bands, and comedians?

Absolutely. If you only knew how humbled I am to have so many friends as I do. The fact that they’re perceived as famous or whatever doesn’t really interest me. I just like to be around like-minded people. The fact that they might perform to 2000 or 5 people every
night is of little interest to me.

Do you have any plans or a vision for where you want Chunklet to go from here? Any pipe dreams that you’d love to see come to fruition?

Well, no. I did just get the new Chunklet.com site up which was a big mission for this year. Also got the book done [ed-Chunklet's Overrated Book].  And the 13th anniversary at the end of the month is a dream come true. But other things I’d like to do? Fuck, I don’t know, I never thought I’d get everything done that I have so far. I blame it on my family who have been unfalteringly supportive in all my hair-brained ideas.

What do you have lined up for your 13th anniversary celebrations?

Four nights. Two nights in Athens, two in Atlanta. The line-ups are almost identical for each city, so here’s a run down:

I’m flying Zach Galifianakis and Patton Oswalt in to perform with Elf Power, a puppet show and MC Timmy Von Trimble (aka Jon Wurster from The Best Show on WFMU) for shows at the Variety Playhouse in Atlanta (Thursday, October 26) and the lovely 40 Watt Club in Athens (Friday, October 27). You know the drill. Comedy. Rock. Puppets. I mean, it kinda writes itself.

The rest of the music for the weekend is totally egotistical….. I’m flying Harvey Milk in to reunite for 3 shows. The first is the same night as the comedy show in Athens. They’ll be playing with the exquisite Tenement Halls and The Rattler at the Drunken Unicorn. Stoked.

And of course, the coup de grace is the fact that I’m flying my childhood hero, Mr. David Yow from The Jesus Lizard, in to perform 2 shows with THE MOTHERFUCKING MELVINS! Yes, two nights! And of course, Harvey Milk’s also playing the shows as are Big Business. I’m giddy. Like honestly giddy about the weekend.

I’ll also have plenty of weird items available for sale that you can only get at the 13th anniv weekend. There’s a Patton Oswalt/Zach Galifianakis car air freshener and also a Melvins/Patton Oswalt split single for sale. No, I’m not kidding.

Are there any bands/albums in heavy rotation on your stereo these days?

Fatal Flying Guiloteens-demos for new French Kiss Records CD (mark my
words, they’ll be the best live band FKR has had since Les Savy Fav)

REM-Rockpalast 85 bootleg (damn, they were smokin’ back then)

Major Stars-Synoptikon (Wayne Rogers and Kate Biggar are the guitar
heroes our generation needs right now)

Om-Conference of the Birds (duh…….Sleep)

Black Lips-Let It Bloom (the best Atlanta band right now…..of
course, I’m not including  Mastodon because that’d just be unfair)

Boris-Vein (yet another gem in the hit-factory from Japan)

Melvins-(A) Senile Animal (I hate talking in hyperbole, but this
might be a top 5 Melvins album across the board by fans and critics)

Dark Meat-Universal Indians (A bizarre meth fueled mega band from
Athens. 20 members and are the antithesis of the fruit loops in The
Polyphonic Spree)

Johnny Cash & The Tennessee Two- Country Style USA (a bootleg but
damn, almost better than any of their Sun Records from the time)

Harvey Milk-Special Wishes (just a stunning and crushing masterpiece)

I also fanatically scour countless mp3 bootleg sites. I have so much
obscure garbage it’s choking my 1.5TB of mp3 storage. All essential.

Websites
http://www.chunklet.com