Robert eggplant has been the editor and publisher of the
Absolutely Zippo fanzine since 1987. The zine has documented the East Bay
punk subculture from a "front-lines" point-of-view, due to eggplant's intimate involvement with this scene. Contributors have included
Aaron Cometbus,
Larry Livermore,
Jesse Michaels, and
Billie Joe Armstrong. The zine has been compiled and released in a paperback edition entitled
Absolutely Zippo!: Anthology Of A Fanzine 1988-1998. Robert eggplant was one of the founding members of the seminal East Bay
punk rock band,
Blatz, in which he played guitar. The band released a number of recordings on
Lookout! Records that are regarded as integral representations of the East Bay punk sound. They often released split recordings with Blatz on one side and notable bands like
Filth and
Tribe 8 on the other. During this time eggplant was also a volunteer at
924 Gilman Street Project, where Blatz frequently played. The band existed from 1989 till 1992. Eggplant's next group was
The Hope Bombs which existed from 1994 until 1996. In 1995, he became a member of the S.P.A.M. Records collective and helped organize
Geekfest, the
free festival that helped introduce a new sensibility into the punk rock scene. The Hope Bombs frequently played at Geekfest. He has played in
Harbinger with
Aaron Cometbus and John Geek, a fellow member of the S.P.A.M. Records collective and organizer of Geekfest, who also performs with his own bands,
Fleshies and
Street Eaters. Eggplant also formed a band with members of
Absolutely Zippo called
Fugitive Kind. All the groups he has been a member of are noted for their
DIY ethics, working with
independent record labels and playing all-ages shows. He is well known for holding memorable shows in his backyard in
Pinole,
California, including the last show by
Operation Ivy. ==Publications==