Whatsup yinz! I'm part of a crew of kids that adopts the name Filler whenever it's convenient for a project. Filler is an informal DIY collective that runs a distro, recording studio, record label, zine & anarchist news website in so-called Pittsburgh, PA. We mostly table at punk and anarchist events - our distro usually consists of zines, tapes, narcan, patches, pins, posters, and other random shit. Everything is always free (although we appreciate tips lol). We also just dropped an anarcho-punk compilation album to benefit our local anarchist bookstore. I've been checking out the anarcho-punk forums since I was a teenager (mostly to find and download new music), but I made this account hoping to connect with other punx that are still making / contributing to / reading zines... and so I got some questions for yinz: Do physical zines still have a place in punk? What's yr favorite zine(s)? What do you want from an anarcho-punk zine? Do you have a zine, and do you want us to print/distribute it for free in Pittsburgh? Cheers, - some filler kid
G'day from oz. The last place I saw zines here was at an indie record shop in the nineties. They got taken over by a major chain and guess what, no more zines. From an environmental and distribution perspective, I think you'd be better off going digital. Good luck in your work though. I'll check out your lp as well. There is a forum for creatives to post their stuff here as well.
In answer to your questions..... 1. I feel there is still a place for zines. It might not seem that way, because everybody is on line and have their own blogs or subscribe to one, but I feel it's time to get back to old fashioned printed word. 2. I really don't have a favorite zine at the moment. Maximum Rock and Roll and Flipside were always my go to above ground magazines for band/music information, but Flipside ceased publication about 20 years ago, and I haven't picked up a copy of MRR in yonks knows how long. Razorcake has picked up where Flipside left off, but I rarely pick that up unless I'm at a place that sells it, and I have the money. I still pick up local fanzines in any town I'm in, if somebody in that scene puts one out. 3. It doesn't matter if the zine is anarcho-punk or not, but I expect to be informed as well as entertained. All mindless entertainment all the time can lead to apathy while all political leads to boredom. A zine of any sort should have a variety of topics/subjects to hold the reader's interest. I don't have a zine at the moment and haven't put one out since the 80s. I've contemplated starting one, but it seems like the world goes by so fast that whatever I write becomes irrelevant immediately. If I ever decide to put one out again, I'll send you a copy. (DON'T hold your breath though. Being a musician, and an elderly caregiver takes up a lot of my time these days)