Arthur, on the Rocks, into the Drink

I’ve only seen Arthur magazine a handful of times, picking it up in various record stores or bookstores in random cities and places — I think I found it once in my home base Champaign, IL. I always enjoyed this free publication because it seemed freewheeling, with truly interesting interviews and reviews, and not published primarily for the purpose of selling me a lifestyle.

So I’m little sad to read that Arthur is no more, resulting from irreconcilable differences between the founding editor and publisher.

I was generally surprised to find it here in the Midwest, since a lot of the ads were very Los Angeles oriented. But now I understand that Arthur relied on a fairly grassroots distribution network of volunteers who moved it around the country. Chicago’s Lumpen magazine–which started here in Champaign–also relies on similar volunteer labor to distribute it outside of the city. In fact, I’ve carried a bundle or two home with me after bumping into its publisher/editor Edmar in Chicago or at the AMC.

It’s especially sad that Arthur’s demise appears to be the result of personal differences rather than a lack of success. Even though Arthur relied on ad revenue, according to its editor the magazine managed to maintain full editorial independence.

We need publications that can carry on in the spirit of the underground press of the 60s and 70s without having to get bought up into the not-so-alternative alternative weekly empires.

Alas, the grassroots is not always easy… but it’s worth it.

Zine References from the Friday, March 17 Radioshow

My pal Aj Michel resumed her crown as the mediageek radioshow zine queen on the Friday, March 17 edition, telling us about her favorite independently produced publications from the last year.

These are the zines we discussed:

Best Zine Ever 2006
Available through Microcosm, Parcell Press (www.parcellpress.com),
Atomic Books (www.atomicbooks.com) or send two stamps (or a buck) to:
Best Zine Ever, PO Box 12409, PDX OR 97212

Here be Dragons #9: Punx Over 30 / 44p / Half-legal/ $2
Microcosm Publishing, 5307 N. Minnesota Ave. Portland, OR 97217-4551 /
www.microcosmpublishing.com, or order from: Mike Q Roth, PO Box 8131,
Pittsburgh PA 15217

The East Village Inky #25, 26 & 27 / 40p / Quarter / $2 each
Ayun Halliday, PO Box 22754, Brooklyn NY, 11202-2754 /
www.ayunhalliday.com and ayun@ayunhalliday.com

Burn Collector #13 / 110p / 5″ square / $4
Microcosm Publishing, 5307 N. Minnesota Ave. Portland, OR 97217-4551 /
www.microcosmpublishing.com or Stickfigure Distro, PO Box 55462,
Atlanta, GA 30308 / www.stickfiguredistro.com

OFF-Line #34 / Free but donations appreciated.
Vincent Romano, 35 Barker Ave., #4G, White Plains, NY 10601.

About my Disappearance / 52p / Quarter / $1
Microcosm Publishing, 5307 N. Minnesota Ave. Portland, OR 97217-4551 /
www.microcosmpublishing.com or e-mail poodrow@hotmail.com for
information.

Broken Hipster #1, #2, #3 / $2 each
Emiko, 2520 SR 43red Ave #B, Portland OR 97206

Breakfast #4 / 72p / Digest-sized / $3
Vincent Voelz, 575 12th Ave. #3, San Francisco, CA 94118

Caboose #5: The Improvement Issue / 40p / Digest / $1
Liz Mason, PO Box 476802, Chicago IL 60647 / caboosezine@yahoo.com

Full Tilt #2: Dancing Away from Home / 40p / Digest / $2
Microcosm Publishing, 5307 N. Minnesota Ave. Portland, OR 97217-4551 /
www.microcosmpublishing.com or order direct from
www.somethingsbegun.com/zines

On Subbing: The First Four Years by Dave Roche / 128p / $5
Microcosm Publishing, 5307 N. Minnesota Ave. Portland, OR 97217-4551 /
www.microcosmpublishing.com

And… Aj’s current project, Syndicate Product is available for $3 from Aj
Michel, PO Box 877, Lansdowne PA 19050.

Indy Publishing Weekend in Philly

Aj at Papercuts gives the rundown of a bunch of independent publishing events coincidentally all going down this weekend, including the Philadelphia Zine Fest and a reading with Al Burian, of the zine Burn Collector and many other projects. Al read at a zine reading here in Urbana a couple of years ago and I think it was the best zine reading I’d ever seen. His timing and delivery are well honed and completely appropriate to his material. I recommend seeing him if you can.

When Zine Readings Go Bad

A year ago the Urbana-Champaign IMC Library held its last zine reading, which was sparsely attended, somewhat due to our friends from Chicago breaking down in Kankakee. The small crowd was made up for by a drunked Slayer fan who helped make it an EXTREME ZINE READING by nearly assaulting local zinester Brad of Silly Little Trouser Monkees.

Of course, I caught it on video. Now, finally, one year later I have the footage captured and compressed for the enjoyment of the world, thanks to a new camcorder to replace my broke-down one.

The video is available for download at Archive.org.

Never one to let opportunity pass him by, Brad has since tapped the man now known as the Slayer Rules Guy to pen an advice column for the upcoming SLTM #22.

Update: I just figured out that audio cuts out about half-way through the video. Damn you Premiere 6.5! At least the audio is good through the altercation. I’ll fix it and reupload later tonight.

Underground Pubs on Exhibit in Philly

Chris at infobong points me to an exhibit of zines and other underground publications at the Design Center in Philadelphia: DIY Revolution. Wish I were going to be near Philly between now and June 10 when the exhibit closes.

Urbana Zine Reading, Chicago Self-Publishing Fest

The tireless Brent Ritzl of Zine Guide fame and the Chicago Self-Publishers Event Council will be heading down to help host another ‘zine reading at the Urbana-Champaign IMC, 218 W. Main St., Urbana, on Saturday, April 17 at 6:30 PM. I think this will be the fourth reading at the IMC that Chicago SPEC has participated in, and each one has been a blast with some really great readings. I also will be reading a piece from the forthcoming mediageek zine #2.

Then, on the following Saturday, March 24, Chicago SPEC in conjunction with the WLUW Record & Zine Fair will co-host a Self-Publishing and Media Reform Fest at the Pulaski Park Fieldhouse, 1419 W. Blackhawk in
Chicago, from 10 am to 6 pm.

I think I’ll be making an effort to attend, and maybe catch some audio (or even video) for the radio show.
Read more »

Don’t Let That $3 Burn a Hole in your Pocket — Low Hug #10 is out

Aj Michel, appearing many times on the mediageek radioshow as the resident ‘zine queen, has finished issue #10 of her pop-culture perzine, Low Hug. It’s the Technology issue, and it looks like it’s all killer, no filler:

“Human Factors : The Technological is Personal – contributions from Davida Gypsy Breier (Xerography Debt), Delaine Derry Green (My Small Diary), Russ Forster (8-Track Mind), L. Rob Hubbard (Mimezine), Eric Lyden (Fish with Legs), Sean and Malinda (Thoughtworm), Vincent Romano (Off-Line), Jack Persico, Dan Taylor (Hungover Gourmet) and Jeffrey Yamaguchi (Working for the Man) discussing their personal memories of computers, cable television, CB radio and more! …”

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every issue of Low Hug, and I will let you know that I read my first issue (the radio issue) before I really even knew Aj at all. Each issue gets sharper, and the theme for #10 is dear to my geekly little heart, so I’m very much looking forward to reading it.

Spend yer $3 on something that came from a human editor and contributors, not a focus grouped marketing plan.