031 Ira Robbins on Trouser Press

On this episode, Marc talks with Ira Robbins, editor of “Zip it Up! The Best of Trouser Press Magazine, 1974-1984,” published in March 2024. It’s an anthology of pieces published in the New York-based magazine Trouser Press, which covered all kinds of rock music and other genres, and launched the careers of writers like David Fricke, Jon Leland, and Tim Sommer. The selections are roughly chronological in order but also grouped into categories such as glam rock, roots of punk, reggae, and post-punk.

As Ira writes, “We were determined to never patronize our readers, who we assumed to be intelligent, curious and willing to make a little effort — just as we were in our reading. We used big words, tossed around arcane references, even the occasional sophisticated concept to put across what we wanted to convey."

We hope you enjoy Marc's conversation with Ira Robbins!