El Diablo

Do you read album liner notes? You know, the lyrics, album credits, and the long list of thanks to everyone who helped the artist complete that piece of work?

I do. Always have, since I was a kid, wondering how each person made an impact on that album. And I know how cool it is to read one's own name, to know you affected someone in some way, in turn affecting their creative output. Sometimes there's even a show of affection in the form of a teasing nickname, such as Roger "fucking Red Sox" Lotring in one CD booklet.

And there's usually a phrase at the end of those lists that thanks anyone the band might have forgotten. Something of a friendship disclaimer to cover their asses.

I've been left off a list of thanks by mistake. My name was listed twice, as part of the singer's list, and also the collective band list. The proofreading process inadvertently removed my name from both lists, rather than just one or the other. That omission was only realized once the band got the finished CDs from the manufacturer, and they had to rock-paper-scissors to decide which unlucky bastard would be stuck with the task of telling me.

Personally, imagining them struggling to decide who would be the bearer of bad news is much more fun than actually seeing my name in print.

The point is, when you're trying to remember every single person who helped you accomplish something, there's an inordinate amount of pressure to not forget anyone — which usually means you will.

Which brings us to Sion Smith. Sion — or El Diablo, as I affectionately still refer to him — is a good English lad with a penchant for painting himself up in Kiss or Alice Cooper makeup, the choice depending on the day. He was the editor-in-chief of Zero when we met via email.

I became a contributing writer to that magazine, then later a relaunch of Sion's previous publishing venture, Burn magazine. Sion got it — still gets it, actually. In an age of instant Internet gratification and no-wait digital downloading, a time of ambivalence toward mystique, he remains a champion for the concept of heroes being iconic and music being magic. Man behind the curtain be damned, he's a proponent of the idea of there being a Wizard, a wonderful wizard.

When it came time to compile a list of thanks for Full Metal Jackie Certified: The 50 Most Influential Heavy Metal Songs of the '80s and the True Stories Behind Their Lyrics, including the magazine editors for whom I wrote was a no-brainer, especially those who took a chance on me, such as Greig O'Brien, Paul Gargano, and Sion.

So, of course, during the proofreading process, I completely missed the fact that one name is listed twice and Sion's omitted altogether.

Sion is one of the people who helped get me to the point of being able to say I'm a published author. If you read my thank you list in the book, make a mental note to include the name Sion Smith. Better yet, check out his work at Tales from the Zodiac Lung, because it's damn good and worth your time.