Have web logs killed zines?

The coolest aspect of the punk/DIY scene of yesteryear was zines. Kinko’s was a holy place where a few bucks could crank out several pages of your teen-angst fueled scrawlings. I liked how there was often no obvious distribution points and you often just found zines in random places– like in the corner of a campus eatery or something. If you did know where to pick one up (record stores, skate shops, etc.) it would usually cost between 25 cents and $1.00. Now, of course, publishing to the web is fast, easy, and is undoubtedly recruiting would-be zine kids. Whether or not there is the same satisfaction clicking “Publish” on a web interface as there is clicking “Photocopy” on a giant Canon copier is highly debatable. Likewise, there is an enjoyment in holding and reading folded n’ stapled pieces of paper that can never be duplicated with electronic publishing. But back in the zine heyday, there were no mega bookstores (at least where I’m from) carrying every obscure magazine under the sun. It’s strange. Now you can go to a Barnes & Noble and find an outlet for every fringe opinion under the sun (think about all the magazines there–what ideas aren’t represented?). So while print zine culture is probably on its way out, availability of what were once hard-to-find publications, is now better than ever.

My favorite hometown zine was “Fun Zine,” created by my homeboy Jeff Mozer. Actually he did several zines–this was just one era. Fun Zine was skateboarding, pop punk, andgoofy cartoons. Fun Zine was basically kids sitting on the curb, or doing cheesy skateboard tricks, making the most of boring summer nights.

A shout out is also in order for “Gimme the Rock,” a Lexington zine that married indie rock and UK basketball.

Current discussion about zines in progress
over at MeFi…

November 21st, 2002