Behind The Lens: Zip It Up! Too Revisits The Underground Legacy Of 'Trouser Press'

---

A second deep dive into one of rock journalism’s most influential underground publications is arriving this summer. Zip It Up! Too: More of the Best of Trouser Press Magazine 1974–1984, edited by Ira A. Robbins, is set for release August 11, 2026, continuing the archival revival of the legendary Trouser Press.

The forthcoming collection follows the success of 2024’s Zip It Up!, which Variety described as "practically a real-time history of some of the best rock music of that era." This latest volume expands the scope even further, pulling together vintage interviews, artist profiles, and the magazine’s signature “autodiscographies” from the publication’s influential ten-year run.

Chronicling The Evolution Of Alternative Music

Originally launched in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine, 'Trouser Press' evolved into a nationally distributed glossy monthly before ceasing publication in 1984. While often associated with British rock coverage, the magazine ultimately became known for championing music that existed outside the mainstream—punk, new wave, proto-alternative, experimental rock, and overlooked cult acts long before they were canonized.

Fans frequently referred to the publication as "the bible of alternative rock," a reputation built through obsessive, intelligent, and often deeply personal criticism.

Zip It Up! Too captures that spirit through conversations with artists ranging from Paul McCartney and Jeff Beck to Talking Heads, The Police, Duran Duran, Devo, and New Order. The collection also revisits artists whose influence grew significantly after their original coverage, including Nick Drake, The Modern Lovers, ABBA, and the experimental German outfit Can.

Preserving Music History In Real Time

One of the book’s defining features is its inclusion of 21 "autodiscographies," a distinctive 'Trouser Press' format where artists walked through their catalogs album-by-album, offering firsthand recollections and commentary. Featured acts include Genesis, Jethro Tull, Cheap Trick, Blondie, Iggy Pop, and Slade.

The book also includes a previously uncollected interview with Ramones by legendary critic Lester Bangs, whose writing helped define the emotional intensity and chaotic honesty of punk-era journalism.

More Than Nostalgia

Rather than functioning as a simple retrospective, Zip It Up! Too captures a moment when underground music criticism operated with urgency and discovery. The excerpts read less like historical documents and more like dispatches from a cultural shift happening in real time.

The publication’s legacy continues today through TrouserPress.com, preserving an editorial philosophy centered on curiosity, independence, and deep engagement with music outside the commercial center.

With Zip It Up! Too, that archive expands once again—offering both longtime readers and newer generations a closer look at how alternative music history was documented as it unfolded.