EAT YOUR GREENS
Served fresh in photographer Chris Boarts Larson’s Slug & Lettuce
The word “legend” gets thrown around a lot. Maybe it’s the infiltration of English slang (“Wot a fookin’ legend!”) or just internetforward hyperbole, but regardless, anyone who makes a funny TikTok or a half-decent vegan cheese sandwich nowadays could be classified as one. But Chris Boarts Larson? An actual goddamn legend.
Larson started the zine Slug & Lettuce in 1986, concluding with its 20th-anniversary edition in 2007. Although the zine featured a host of articles ranging from radical parenting to veganism/vegetarianism to politics, it was all held together by incredible photography of the underground East Coast punk and metal scenes shot by Larson. She would later helm a column for Maximum Rocknroll. This recurring feature, just like the pages of the legendary (I said it) zine, dripped with a love for the genre, its people, and music en masse.
“As a 16-year-old kid, I got into photography and punk rock at sort of the same time,” reminisces Chris. “When I started the zine, it was the perfect forum to share my photos, contribute to the scene, and keep in contact with other like-minded individuals. Over time, the photos definitely became the backbone of the zine. And my outlet.”