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by KAYA OAKES

For many people, indie rs most recognizable as 7 a genre of music. Before the advent of laptop recording, indie musicians typically recorded on four-track tape decks in their garages' turning out albums stripped down to the bones.This 1o- fi auditory marker survived from the punk era into the late l98os and early'9t-ls, when regional music scenes in places like Berkeley, , and Minneapolis made a mark that stretched past their city limits. Thanks to the growing number of indepcndent labels, distributors, and bands that viewed touring as an essential part cf their lifestyle, indie musicians were carrying the message of DIY (Do It Your- .elf) across the country. In some cases, a band's arrival in any town or city where it : ..::ich fa1l into fwo distinct age - '"', rarked its van was preccded by word of mouth, with rumors about shows in nearby .:-i... G'a'g's Nothing at All and tI.-. rr far-flung cities and stories about life on the road: slceping on the urine-soaked :_t --',:t:tto/ Sex Practices and Oedip;, ioor of a squat, playing gigs for unsuspecting rednecks or worshipful fans, and -- :-:ce : that of leaving the past irn. l,rcking themselves into cars permeated with the heady fragrance of unshowered -...: -irc conveys none of the anqr: :rrrrrdmates. In most cases, howeveq the gossip and news that fueled indie com- : : --'.-.']r,: r'lther cxpresses apprcci:i- :lunities arrived first in zincs. For the maker, who grabbed a pile of and ,:,- -lre's z-rccusation and the closin: :oted them around to record stores, bookstores, shows, and caf6s, creating and dis- l:--,.' u-hcrr Enid has grown apar: :ributing independent literature was the equivalent of an indie band driving their : :.ilh otlier (and are not evcn i:-- i'i1n to each gig: it was a mattcr of necessity, and zr way of building communiry one -.\'n into a very beautiful younl -: :rcrson at a time.

),Iany have debated what a zine is or ought to be since people first began making :hem. But the typical zine is a self-produced, hand-stapled magazine with content :i-rat reflects the writer's idiosyncrasies. Several of the most interesting zines, the tnes people eagerly sought whenever an issue was released, werc simply diaries tilife in the underground. As independent culture evolved in the I98os and'9os, zines playcd an increasingly important role in getting the word out, not only about :he music peoplc were listening to, but also about politics, loca1 issues, and DIY -ii-estyle tips. Before technology enablcd people to easily forge online connections - - - The Doniel Clowes Reoder Literoture ot ihe Xerox Mochine: :'e :: :- i -

based on shared interests, zines were the organ of the indie community. Zines like number increased exponeni:i--''.' Maximumrockandroll, Flipside, and Factsheet Fiae had national distribution, and is crucial. Just as lVlike \\'a::. ,.: l eventually attracted an international audience. But thousands of smaller titles of- punk scene felt a kinship u-i:i: ::-= fered readers an inside perspective on punk and independent life. \n a zine, a writer mon other than being voun:. -:.:: who didnt want to conform to the strict standards of mainstream magazinewrit- a sense of community. It dii:': - : ing could get away with ranting or quietly meditating on music and communiq'. mass culture or people radice--'- .:- The unrestricted format also enabled writers to chronicle the minutiae of their country's turn back totvarcl c{):-:'-:-.- day-to-day lives: relationships, travel, dead-end of zinesters in berween - \\'c?: : jobs, school, and friends and family. There were ... J, Ot €54 I't^ J661 ASHAMEP out ofhigh school or attendei::= ots l\ALt9eLF FoR beal tNO 60 no editors, no assignments, no query letters to 9W6LL . UC AgEQ WHENEVER T Among the many zines ttr :::-.: 6ET AN9 .'ME?IA" AT-TENAION,., be rejected, all ofwhich expedited the passage of one of the most important in -:..: Mike Gunderloy, Factsheel beg.:- , information from writer to page - even if that page sported numerous typos.Just as DIY made a document that would assemr-- : music available to those who'd previously be- had been writing about them l,.- j lieved that bringing in a band was beyond their f.- thing five times to five difi-erer: :: capaciry zines made writing as a vehicle for self- 6\,6' discussed a handful of zines an. :-' expression and communication with like-mind- ,7';=' rvith reviews of "books, records. :.: ed people accessible to anyone. You didn't even pendent media."' need a typewriter (this was the pre-computer \s. Despite this impressive co',.:' era). A zine could be hand-written, illustrated, Sffx) Duncombe estimated that in : -.- I4/or/d) between It'. stapled at the kitchen table, and then walked -":1tq r somewhere . 1:ir over to the local record store to sell on consign- ""' America, though exact numbe r= - ri.".". "l:ii ment. In their homespun, left-of-the-dial takes distributed, it was never entire-'.' : on American life, zines were the literary version out. But it was clear to anvon. :- of the musical messages being sent out by indie more zines than ever before. T:= bands in the'Bos and early'9os. between writers and readers in ::--= While zines had been around in one form or another for as long as mimeograph life and a wider audience thirn ::--= and copy machines had existed, their impact on independent culture began to be irad first embraced zines, trlt:,:l'': most strongly felt around the time that seminal independent bands like The Min- MRRrevtew hundreds of albu:::.. utemen and Minor Threat got together in the early I98os. Prior to the punk zines had columns, scene reports. i:.J i that emerged in the'Bos, the earliest were the voice of another marginal- punk communiry. If, to paraphr"-: ized community: science-fiction fans. Because professional critics tended to ignore mirrored that diversity and po..-: the genre, those who read science fiction in the I93os and'4os lacked any critical But zines of MkR's size ;tr-i .: discourse about it. So "analysis was left to the fan."' Sci-fi fanzines became a way rvas a small-scale productioc. il for readers to communicate at a time when technology was even more primitive for several issues, though ther-:::. than it wor"rld be in the I96os and'7os. Produced on a minimal budget, these early Rather than limiting their cor-r:'r- zines established the format that would be followed for many decades: Xeroxed, rrctually encouraged zine u ri:c:; : folded, and stapled sheaves ofpaper. and politics, some of the mos::.-:: By the'7os, the growing punk communitf like the science-fiction communify i/alc-i.f ton IJt.i:';-: . before it, felt ignored. Little attention was being paid to the music it was produc- 2 Steplrcn Duncombe. 3 Duncombe. p. t.58. ing. 'fan'. But, as Stephen Duncombe observes,'As . . dropped off'z\ne'and their { Ilikc Gunderloy and Cari Goldbcr:.' .: - . Penguin, r ggz). p. .+. 5 i4RR sterdfastly retained its identis ,:. , thc cheapc.t prtper'r. . :... 1 Bruce Southrrd. "The Language of Scie ncc I'rction Fan Nlagazrres." Arzt'ican Speerh 57 , r gl.j2. p. r 9. :)(\\':print- The Doniel Clowes Reoi: Literoture ot ihe Xerox Mochine: The Rise of the Zine

"cLllture" -- - :he indie cor,munity. Zines likc number increased exponentially, a cuiture of zines developed."'The word . ::,' had national distribution, anc is crucial. Just as Mike Watt, Ian MacKaye, and other members of the American . 3 -:: :housands of smaller titles ot: punk scene felt a kinship with other punk musicians (even if they had little in com- zine writers felt i -:;.p.-ndent life. In a zine, a write: Lol oth., than being young, independently minded, and broke), i.::' of mainstream magazine writ- a sense of community. It didnt matter if they were young punks rebelling against ::::.:.:ing on music and communin. mass culture or people radically engaged in the'6os who needed to vent about the : .':lronicle the minutiae of thei: country's turn back towarci conservative values. These people - and the wide range taken seriousiy. It didnt matter if youd dropped -l of zinesters in berween - were all . a Ove54 I't^ JtAql ASAAM€, out of high school or attended the famous Iowa Writer's Workshop' tF I'n4qeLF FoR beaa tN6 60 Faclsheet Fiae would become i'JJELL -UCA9EO WHENEVEP T Among the many zines to emerge in the I98os, ..r--i p,rJy "ME?lA" ATTENTtoN,,. one of the most important in uniting the sprawling zine community. Fbunded by .-.-l Mike Gund erloy, Factsheetbegan as a literal sheet. Gunderloy perceived a need for ^l LIIJ I a document that would assemble reviews of the different zines he was reading. He had been writing about them to friends when he tealized,"IVe written the same .f..- thing five times to five different people, I'il fjust] publish rt."' Factsheels fi.rst issue 6.\.6. discussed a handful ofzines and by I99t reviewed over a thousand per issue, along t1" - ',,vith reviews of "books, records, tapes,T-shirts, computer software and other inde- pendent media."' Despite this impressive coverage, Factsheet only skimmed the top of the pile. Duncombe estimated that in tclgz (the year before Dartiel Clowes began Ghost Worlrt) sornewhere between lo,ooo and zo,ooo zines were being published in America, though exact numbers are impossible to determine. Since most were self- distributed, it was never entirely clear just how many people were cranking them out. But it was clear to anyone paying attention that by the late'Bos, there were more zines than ever before. The variety of topics made for a lively conversation befween writers and readers in the underground, but some zines had a longer shelf : ,:- :he. ior as long as mimeograpl: life and a wider audience than their compatriots. In the'7os circles that : -:jependent culture began to bc lrad first embraced zines, Maximumrocknrotl played a central role. Not only did every issue, it also - .:-.:eoendent bands like The Min- MRR review hundreds of albums, 7-inches, tapes, and shows in : -.:-'. I

r p. Penguin, 992). '1. 5 rJ,lRR st."dfartlv reteined its identit\'' rs a zine, not a magazine, as its size lnd circulrtion grcw. It is still printed on .- thc ihe,rpcst papcr stock available rnd has r stlpled spine, a zine hallnrrk. .; 5;, r9ti.z. p. rtr. rcu.sprint - - 168 The Doniel Clowes Reod=- Liieroiure ot the Xerox Mochine

as the Riot Grrrl zines that sprung out of the burgeoning Riot Grrrl movement. At the opposite cnd of tlr : --'. spearheaded by bands like Bikini Kill, in the early'9os. Punk, for all of its egalitar- personal zines, chronicle,s tit. --:-. ian political messages, was not always a comfortable environment for women drummcr and a punk scrJp::.- : --- and its zines reflected that problem. As Punk Planet editor - Daniel Sinker observed. relationships, and traveling i-r:-- - : - "The editors' use of 'bitches,' 'cunts,' 'man-haters,' and 'dykes'was proof- black-and-white copier-diSto:i: : - positive that sexism was still strong in thc punk scene." came a blueprint for nume rc,i:: - , Fronted by musician /artist/writer Kathleen Hanna, Bikini Kill was more than il of the best things about zine r:--- - band name; it was also a zine created by Bratmobile's Molly Newman and Allison creativify, and the zine's rolc .:-: .. Wolfe. Bikini Ki//'s second issue contained "Riot Hanna's Grrrl Manifesto,"which the country. Some zines latcr r--. ' -. inspired many young women to start bands and create their own zines. As Hannrr rvith national distribution arid : p_ut it, "us girls crave records and books and fanzines that speak to lJS."' Other Riot Contetbus,remained just as tl-icr - .: Grrrl zines llke Girl Germs, Chainsau, and I Heart Amy iarter forged connections :heir way aiong the fringcs oi,\::--:. befween Riot Grrrl and the Qtcercore movemcnt; blt regardlesi of the writers' sexual orientation, all of thesc zincs shared a personal feminist message and argued for the need to spcak back to the punk scene's misogyny. yet, when the mainstream media caught rvind of it, the Riot Grrrl movement was misundcrstood. When )I:rny zines included text anci :::--..-- self-defined Riot Grrrls talked to Tinte magazine and appeare d, on oprah, thet- :irrrn attractive. In this rv.tr, tl::-. . - were greeted with disapproval. Years after the women's rights movement tegan, the l.ook, whose values and historr' ':.'.: . - mainstream was still uncomfortable when young women spoke up for themselvcs. ..Lrtoonists in thc'Sos ,- . Somc zincs dealt with topics that made even punks .r,..o-foituble. Published "nd',.1,,. :nce. f)aniel Clowes ancl thc i:: - . by shock writer Jim Goad in the early '9os, the aggressively tit\ed. AnsvLer Me! con- IJote Dirty P/otte, tnd Lo.',t tti:.i fronted readcrs with , -... violent themes, cven featuring e soicalled "Rape Issue" that '.','hirtcvcr thcy wanted, a f rccdo::- .- - Goad claimed lvas his attempt to "present rape in ail its uglinerr."' I., Ghost wor/d, 1Le grubby hippies r.vho stoo.r -.: : -, Enid's friend/enemy El- John .,ld inhaling the sweet fumes ,r, , '- : f).-.6eeu nrae \/ ... 1is, who r,vorks at Zine-O-Pho- CLOqE-T AN'I FEEL T :rg that notion." AWRI6HT I RAN OqTTA A bia, self-publishes Mayhetn, tr CA?goNA , MoMTHFEW CI our -rHe oLue , RAN ov zinc that strongly resembles OUf OF ?AINT AN7 OV ?ub 4?PAq Too,', t p. Goad's - both writers focus on topics like serial killers, teoches writirg :' '-: - Nazis, and the Ku Klu-x Klan. outhor of Rodicol Reinventtcr 1:.' trnid reads "Fifty Reasons The Evolution of lndie Cultu,e -=-' Y==Wf:ry; Why I Want to Kill You" from Press, zooz). "Literotu.e o' '-: , t-- ==:=l'-: -:- \-=ll8l=_-.------, Die!, another fictional Attswer lor The Daniel Clowes Reoc=' Me!-type zine. Perhaps the titlc was inspired by Goad's infamous editorial "Why are You so Fucking Stupid?"" ',tcr Brqire's l1zrl l>egrur 111 I t19o.-i r\ I. phnLt;'lht 6 l)eniel Sjnke. llt' ov-cYor Nothin,J. Putt/: colltc/ed Itt/crt,itrur (,\krshic,:oor). p. (r:. ..- . zit,, , ulrrrrc r'.t,,1'l' I ..1 . : 7 Krthlccn "lliot r- (including litcrrrLy nrrrqrrzir!.. . lfrrrnr. Grrrl xlanilesto." lrttp://oncrverrrt.orq/riot qrrrl_n)rurifesto.htm ' 1,, rrr.LI\( irrr'',r.1. 1' , '. : S "Qrcstion Put lJctbre Js yorl: ir'',' court: trIrqezi.e Srnut or Satire i" T/: L Ntu Tirtc.t, t r / 26/ t 9<1\. , , . Jl tlre 1.119 lrytrr'. ,lri,L ( . \ -, 9.Austt:t x[_L_tlterarc thc su[ect ofa hiqhll'prrblicizccl obsccnitl'trirl in r99i. Coad clefendecl the zilc br sa1.i.g it ' \ i.ionrrr\. ( lt- blendcd rr"r( \l\crir r."Mrl,rtd I'ttttfoon str'lc scnsibilitl rvith n snulffilr' r'il ih. strtc rvirs j,. uu"t t. ,n p-." ,ir1u i r rr. lr trriter. trlt,, \\,, 1 .: ' ncr*strtrd :clling the nagazitrc l

.: r:-:qeoning Riot Grrrl movement, At the opposite end of the zine spectrum, Cometltus, one of the better known :::-r' 9os. Punk, for all of its egalitar- personal zines, chronicles the life of Aaron Cometbus (aka Aaron Elliot) as a ::.:.ble - environment for women drummer and a punk scraping to get by. It features tales of dumpster diving, messy ?...,.,::r editor Daniel Sinker observed,- relationships, and traveling on little-to-no money. The zine's visual aesthetic - .._ :-. ;r-haters,' and'dykes' was proof- black-and-white copier-distorted images with unique, all-caps handwriting be- --i.aene." - came a blueprint for numerous zines that followed. Cometbus encapsulates many : H:rna, Bikini Kill was more than a of the best things about zine and indie culture: freedom of expression, low-budget :-. .ile's X{olly Newman and Allison creativity, and the zine's role as a netvvorking device for people scattered across .:-:-.,'s "Riot Grrrl Manifesto,,' which the country. Some zines later evolved into record labels and full-blown magazines --: ::eate their own zines. As Hanna rvith national distribution and (to many readers'dismay) advertising. But most, likc :::::cs that speak to US.','Other Riot Cometbus, remained just as they had begun: Xeroxed documents of people making ^,.;,':,4 iny Carter forged connections their way along the fringes of American culture. ::rij:tt; but regardless of the writers' ::: ror.1 feminist message and argued :'-:. '{1 n\: Yet, when the mainstrcam -.'.-::tent tvas misunderstood. When llany zines included text and images, with an emphasis on illustrations more raw .:::c rnd appeared on Oprah, the1, than attractive. In this way, they resembled the independently produced comic .' ::!its rights movement began, the book, whose values and history parallel those of the zine. Like zinesters, alternative :,- '.1'omen spoke up for themselves. cartoonists in the'Sos and'9os realized their vision, unfettered by editorial interfer- :.- :lunks uncomfortable. Published ence. Daniel Clowes and the artists who produced groundbreaking series such as =*::cssively titled Anszuer Me! con- ---:irg Hate, Dirtlt Plotte, and Love and Rockets demanded the freedom to draw and write ir so-called "Rape Issue" that rvhatever they wanted, a freedom available only outside of mainstre am publishing.' :: .iil its ugliness."' Ii Ghost Wor/t/, The grubby hippies who stood at mimeo machines in the'6os, cranking a handle Enidt friend/enemy John E1- and inhaling the sweet fumes of their own ideas materialized in print, would totally iis, rvho works at Zine-O-pho- dig that notion." L',ia, self:publishes May/tent, a zine that strongly resembles Goad's both writers focus ,)n - topics like serial killers, teoches writing ot the University of Colifornio oi Berkeley. She is ihe \azis, and the Ku Klux Kian. outhor of Rodicol Reinvention (Counterpoint Press, zotz), S/onted ond Enchonted: Enid reads "Fifty Reasons The Evolution of lndie Culture (Henry Holt, zooo), ond le/egroph (Povement Sow \\'hy I Want to Kill you"from Press, zooz). "Literoture ot the Xerox Mochine: The Rise of the Zine" wos written Dr.../, another fictional Ansu.ter lor The Doniel Clowes Reoder. -1L../-fvpe zine. Perhaps the lltle u'as inspired by Goad,s :rirrnous editorial "Whv are \L-u so Fucking St,rpid?,'l 10 Peter Baggc's 1-rrlr beeiur in r 99o, Julic Doucct's Dirt1, P/ottt in I,19 t , rr;d the If ernrnclcz Brothets'Zort az tl Jlock,:ls in r9tlt. forms pub- '--: . ::e .:00r). p. (t-:. 11 Before zinc culture estrblishcd e loothold in the hndscrpe olArncricln literirturc, carlicr ofinclcpcndent '- .:::J.io.htnl lishing (including literarl-rraglzines, snrall prcsses, rnd the distributors t'ho enrblcd these nicro prodricecl books ald ' journtls to rnirkc inroads into bookstores rnd libraries) prved thc rvry fbr the DIY publishing rerolutjon ofthc tgiios .iii)6/tgt)i. rnd '9os. In the lrrte r 9(xts ncl cirrly 'Tos, rvriters in the CaLitbrlia Brl' Area and Nov York betan cxperirnentiug rvith : l-: :rl clclcndcd thc zinc b1. sal.ing it xn cven more 1,i5i6nx11i srpcrimentirl sort ofrvriting than an)' generatiotr beforc it. Thc utrclerground litcurt' scette rvls : - '. l..rr. - rilt.rlrlc I,) pr,)\e lhJl th( homc to rnrnl u,riters rrho rvould not onll'go on to create 1lroundbre,rking rvork, but $'ould also lbund snrall presscs : : .... : rrr in.p,i.orrcJ lor rbrr,irrg rr alcl literarl jounrrls, all of rvhlch \vere run bl the rvriters themsclr,es, and, like zincs and srnall prcsscs thrt fbllorved :-': .. 7.,;r:ri, t t/ -2.6/ tcy1;.) thcm, olicn mn collcctir.ell'.