Bauhaus book a Halloween treasure trove

Bauhaus Undead: The Visual History and Legacy of Bauhaus is this Halloween’s must-have, limited-edition collector’s book. Curated by the celebrated early ’80s band’s drummer Kevin Haskins, the unique package contains everything from setlists and gig posters to never-before-told stories in chapters on Iggy Pop, the single Bela Lugosi’s Dead and more on the chart-topping U.K. goth rock act.

Part memorabilia/part memoir, the book never would have happened if not for Haskins’ packrat habit producing a veritable treasure trove through which to sort.

“I kind of have a theory that there is one collector in every band,” said Haskins. “It all started when we had our first write-up in our local Northampton paper The Chronicle and Echo, which was the first recognition any of us had ever had from the bands we’d played in. Then I just never stopped.”

What came out of the boxes of everything from band buttons to handwritten lyrics is a book that not only gives Bauhaus fans more trivia than they could ever have hoped for. Bauhaus Undead also charts the development of the whole post-punk goth rock genre and its dedication to design and imagery. Haskins wanted whatever he did with his collection to be presented in a way that celebrated the band’s devotion to style with substance.

“Jeff Anderson, who has a company called

Artist in Residence

, kept running into me at shows and we got along,” said Haskins. “When I told him I was working on a book idea, he told me that he designed them for a living. After seeing the incredible work he had done on box sets for Sigur Ros, Pixies, Roger Waters and more, it was obvious we had to work together.”

Far from being a study in black and drenched in gloom, Haskins discovered piles of snapshots that put a different face on his bandmates. There actually was a smiling and playful side to singer Peter Murphy, guitarist Daniel Ash and Haskins’ bassist brother, David J.

“There are all these photos of us just larking about being quite candid that are in opposition to that ever so serious side,” he said. “The truth is we were working stuff out, David had some lyrics about Bela Lugosi, we all liked film noir and that became Bela Lugosi’s Dead. During the recording of the first album, we would usually listen to dub reggae and late Beatles in between, but somehow our music came out dark.”

Bauhaus Undead: The Visual History and Legacy of Bauhaus shines light on one of the most enduring cult acts. As to whether the group will be back in black in future, Haskins says, “It seems very unlikely. But I’ve learned to never say never.”

The book is available in both deluxe (US $195) and compact ($69) editions at

Bauhausbook.com

.

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Twitter.com/stuartderdeyn

Kevin Haskins’ Top 5 Halloween Rockers

1. The Cramps: “I used to always enjoy seeing them here in L.A. and it’s really sad they aren’t still around.”
2. Alice Cooper: “It would sort of be impossible not to mention him.”
3. Kid Congo Powers & The Pink Monkey Birds: “Caught him opening for the Rezillos and he completely blew them off stage.”
4. The Birthday Party: “Release the Bats is one of my favourite records. I wouldn’t necessarily call them shock or spooky rockers, but we had the pleasure of touring with them and it was incredible seeing that intensity on stage nightly.”
5. Bauhaus: “I can say them, can’t I?”

Stuart Derdeyn’s Five Halloween Reads

1. Neil Gaiman: Unnatural Creatures (Harper Collins): A compilation of stories selected by prolific award-winning author Gaiman that range from whimsical to flat-out freaky. Great for reading by candlelight to the kids right before bed.
2. Stephen King: Take your pick: It’s sort of impossible to talk horror fiction and not talk King. To me, his most terrifying book involves nothing supernatural. Misery still makes me cringe.
3. Ryu Murakami: Piercing (Bloomsbury Publishing): Is this an intensely disturbing study of the effect of western popular culture on Japan? A truly twisted psycho killer slow burner? Gender wars stripped to the bare bone? All of the above and more.
4. Margaret Atwood: The Handmaid’s Tale (McClelland and Stewart): Three decades after publication, this chilling tale of fundamentalism forming the basis of society looks less and less like speculative fiction and more like the real thing.
5. Edgar Allan Poe: The Complete Tales and Poems (Race Point Publishing): With their period prose and formality, you might expect these works to have dated poorly. They haven’t. Again, great for candlelight reads. And if you hear a tap-tap-tapping, don’t open the window, OK?

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