Interview 11

Interview 11
Maximo Tuja is a prolific producer living in Barcelona. His titles include Revolucion Juvenil (Youth Revolt), Zine, Alludd:Un Fanzine de Max-o-Matic, Algo Sobre (Something about),and Contenedor.

Tell us something about why you started doing fanzines?
I started my first fanzine in 1995. I´m not sure why i did it, but without even noticing it i had texts, collages and pictures layed out (awfully) in a proto-fanzine. Then I wasn´t aware of what a fanzine was or all the history behind independent publishing. I think i just needed to express my anger, disappointment, confusion, etc. in a positive way.
After that i met some really interesting people with different backgrounds that had a much more rich idea of what a fanzine could be. There i discovered a whole new world and fell in love instantly with it. Not only i felt great publishing my ideas and sharing them with pairs, but also felt really identified with the DIY ethics that´s deeply related with the fanzine culture. Doing fanzines, for me, was always related with learning something. And that´s what kept me doing fanzines for so many years; it was a perfect way to learn, experiment and have a great time.

What do you think the smaller, mini-zine format adds to the message of the zine (for example, Alego Sobre or Contendor)? How is the visual important in your zines?
I started doing fanzines because i wanted to write. Design was just a necessary thing to display the content. But as fanzines and years went by i became interested in the design as well -till the point I became a designer myself. So now the visual aspect is as important as the content. Contenedor and Algo sobre have only in common their mini format, but the rest of them is quite different. Contenedor is a visual exercise. It´s just playing with images. Also it was a container (that´s what Contenedor means in Spanish) of small visual gadgets (stickers, pictures, etc.). This was the first fanzine i did after many more conceptual and text based ones. This was the result of a couple of ludic afternoons playing with images with a friend. The size in this case was just a way of making something slightly different using a standard paper size (A4 paper folded into an A6 fanzine). Also the folds helped us to divide the content in only one sheet of paper. On the other hand, Algo sobre (Something about) was a fanzine about people we knew. Each number was about one friend. Each number was written by different people and it was written in a way that the personality of the featured friend could be best described (one number is only a copy and paste of emails; another is a list of obsessive compulsive behaviors...). The design of this fanzine is basic and there´s no intention of adding visual elements that could distract from the main element of the zine: the text. Design was meant to be invisible. The visual elements of the fanzine (pictures mainly) had to work along with the text to help the reader to make a portrait as real as possible. In this case the size had no special meaning. We just liked it to be thick, and that was the only way to make it with the amount of text we had.

You live in Barcelona, so what's the fanzine scene like there?
Barcelona fanzine scene is quite interesting. There are many talented people doing interesting things and there some great projects that are helping the scene to grow and become more self-conscious.One of Barcelona´s greatest projects is 'La fanzinoteca ambulant' (www.fanzinoteca.net). It´s a public and mobile fanzine library with a huge collection of classic and rare fanzines from Spain and other parts of the world. The library is a mobile module that goes around showing their collection, which is categorized in a data base that help the reader find what they want between all the great stuff they´ve got. Also La Fanzinoteca is an organization that every year organize Fanzine Jam sessions and other kind of activities related to the independent publishing world. The guys that run La Fanzinoteca are really passionate about fanzines, super friendly and work really hard. They publish two fanzines: Minca (fanzine about fanzines) and Minca Ilustrada (a visual zine showing their favorite illustators).In my opinion, La Fanzinoteca is responsible of a big part of the rebirth of the fanzine movement in Barcelona.

What fanzine would you recommend for us to read?
For those who hadn´t already read them, I would recommend Harmony Korine´s Collected Fanzines published by Drag City. They are wild, fresh and with a great attitude. They made me want to make more fanzines.

Interview 10

Interview 10
justseeds members Josh MacPhee, Nicolas Lampert and Colin Matthes produced the stencil zine Cut & Paint, USA
http://justseeds.org

Josh MacPhee responds:
How has 'graphic agitation' shifted focus in the post-Bush era?
I'm not sure it has shifted much, I think the Bush-era set the tone, and in general the same pattern is being followed. Basically, Bush was perceived as being uniquely 'evil', and as such, a personal embodiment of what people wanted to reject. Their imagery became dominated by images of him as a person, and our landscape was flooded by pictures of Bush. When Obama came along, he began to be perceived as uniquely 'good', and as such, a personal embodiment of what people wanted to embrace. Just like Bush previously, our landscape became littered with heroic representations of Obama. Either way, our graphic toolbox is dominated by rich guys from above, and there has been little effort to think through graphic representations of empowerment on a much more direct, human, and democratic scale.

How might justseeds bring a different perspective to political activism?
I can't speak for all 26 members of justseeds, but for myself, I believe it is important for cultural producers to work more directly with and in response to social movements on the ground, and that is what we are trying to do. Social justice organizations often doing great political work have little sense of how to best represent their ideas both internally to themselves, and eternally to the rest of the world, and artists with experience in this realm can be very useful. On the flip side, often politically-minded artists think that their cultural production alone will make the changes in the world they wish to see, and lose sight of the fact that generally their work only gains real traction when it operates in concert with on the ground, grassroots political activity by people, lots and lots of people.

What does self-publishing (Like Cut & Paint) bring to your projects?
Self-publishing is mostly about the direct joy of making things yourself. I'm not sure it is 'better' than other forms of publishing, but it allows a little more control and a more direct role in the creation of your projects. Having a hand in the entire process, from idea to final printed zine, allow an author or editor the ability to have a deeper understanding of the materialization of their labor.

Please recommend a zine for us and tell us why.
I like homemade graffiti zines, not the slick 'lifestyle' ones, but down-and-dirty photocopied collections of photos and drawings, offspring of the original International Graffiti Times (ICT/TIGHT).

Interview 09

Interview 09
Dana Leigh Raidt is producer of She Must be Having a Bad Day/The Cult of the Female Food Service Worker, USA
www.shemustbehavingabadday.blogspot.com

How would you describe your zine?
For the reader, I think it's a funny (and sometimes sad or angering) tell-all about what actually goes on in the food-service industry between servers and customers, employees and employers. For me, it's a distillation of, and outlet for, a lot of pent-up anxiety left over from working in that industry for a long time.

What can your zine do that a mainstream publications can't?
I think any zine has an advantage in that we don't have to worry about what others will think. If people like it, great. If they don't, no big deal. Zine makers are spending money out of their own pockets. Design and editorial decisions aren't influenced by worry over scaring away advertisers, like in the mainstream commercial publishing world. Those decisions are coming straight from the heart and gut of the zine maker. So readers are getting content that is unfiltered and heartfelt.

Does the look of a zine matter?
To me, yes. But if a zine has great content but flawed design, I'm willing to look past it.

Please recommend a zine for us and tell us why.
I'm not sure if it's in print anymore, but my friend Karen Olson Edwards wrote A Tenderness So Painful I thought My Heart Would Burst back in 2005 or 2006. It's a great personal zine - basically Karen's musings and memories, but it's written so well that the emotion seems universal. My copy is dog-eared and dirty from dragging it around. Karen is the one who really got me involved in zine culture, and this is the one she put out right as I was putting my first one out. Lacey Prpich Hedtke's Excitement and Adventure is also great. She studies the lives of gangsters, photocopied their fingerprints and arrest sheets, and even made gangster trading cards.

Zinester Interview 08

Zinester Interview 08
Morgenmuffel is produced by Isy Morgenmuffel, Brighton, UK

How would you describe your comic?
It's an autobiographical comic zine, ie. stories from my life about travelling, cooking with the Anarchist Teapot, working on volunteer projects, direct action, punkrock, enjoying nature and the like. The most recent issues is no.18 printed TODAY (24th August 2010).
What can your comic zine do that a mainstream publication can't?
I can do whatever I like with it. It's all in my own hands, from content and look to cost and print run. I don't even take advertising so I don't need to kowtow. I also can just get on and make it all myself in my own time, without deadlines, and without needing to work with anyone else on it which is nice as I am otherwise involved in a lot of groups and community projects.
Does the look of a comic zine matter?
I think aesthetics are important, yes, also for example the paper and printing quality - it all adds to the overall impression. That's not to say shoddily photocopied things don't have their own charm.
Please recommend a comic or zine for us and tell us why.
My favourite illustrated zine is Rum Lad drawn by my friend the talented Steve Larder. Peach Melba is also awesome, it's a little free zine by a 13 year old girl in Brighton, who mainly compiles lists, e.g. of 'Birds with Strange Names of Things I Wished I liked Eating'.

Zinester Interview 07

Zinester Interview 07

Fallopian Falafel is produced by Hadass S. Ben-Ari, Jerusalem, Israel

How would you describe your zine?
Fallopian Falafel - Eshet Chayil Zine is a free zone for expression by women. Although it's based in Israel and most submissions are by Israeli Jewish women, it's intended for audiences all over the world. Because I don't like to censor anyone, and I don't have a set agenda, I would describe my zine as being colorful (both in the appearance and the written content and style), and includes articles and pieces about various topics from different view-points and opinions, with rich variety and nuance.
What can your zine do that a mainstream publication can't? In Israel, mainstream media have rigid agendas - they are either extremely right or extremely left. My zine is both and neither due to the variety of the articles, as I mentioned above. Also most mainstream publications are in Hebrew. My zine may include some Hebrew articles, but most of the content is English, and as such, it is accessible to world-wide audiences. I also place an emphasis on riot grrrl culture which is something that I never see or read about in mainstream publications. I also like to give women an opportunity to express themselves about topics that interest them or an important to them, something that they would not have a chance to do in other media.
Does the look of a zine matter? Maybe initially, it does. But if the content is good, it really does not matter. I think what's important is that it's legible and well-bound. If it's a handwritten zine, and the writing is atrocious, I can't possibly enjoy it if I have to decipher my way through it. I also can't enjoy it if it falls apart in my hands every time I turn a page, so it has to be bound properly. The overall look of a zine is just icing on the cake, so the main thing is that the cake itself be yummy.
Please recommend a zine for us and tell us why.
I strongly recommend Amber's zines Culture Slut and Fight Boredom! Amber is an extremely creative riot grrrl from Canada. Her zines are quarter size, laid out in the traditional cut and past method, mostly written with a typewriter. Both zines were my inspiration to start creating more material in the spirit of DIY, such as my perzine The Purple Myrtle Squeegy (hadassegol.blogspot.com) and randomly produce flyers, art and other miscellaneous items. Amber's zines are full of ideas and activities, activism, DIY past-times, recipes and all the good stuff (hello-amber.blogspot.com).

Zinester Interview 02

Zinester Interview 02

The La La Theory is produced by Katherine Haegele, USA

http://www.thelalatheory.com/

Katherine Haegele responds:
How would you describe your zine?
I've made a number of different zines over the years, most of them featuring first-person writing or small collections of poetry. The La-La Theory is my serial zine, now in its 7th issue, and it's little essays and tidbits, games and poems, all having to do with language. I call this one my flagship publication. (I call it that in the same spirit that I call this whole enterprise the Zine Factory). The La-La Theory comes from a nineteenth century idea about the origin of language. Apparently this was a popular thing for philosophers to speculate on at this time, and some of the theories were pretty fanciful - the la-la one suggested that language was borne of the human need to express poetry and love. Both Darwin and a Danish linguist named Otto Jesperson liked this idea. Jesperson wrote "[Love] inspired many of the first songs, and through them was instrumental in bringing about human language." Nice, right?

What can your zine do that a mainstream publication can't?
Well, I can say whatever I want, and I can make my own audience too. I've worked professionally as a writer in one way or another since I graduated from college, and these days I mostly write book reviews, and arts features for newspapers and a few magazines. I actually enjoy doing this very much, but on its own it wouldn't provide enough of a creative outlet, and though it varies from person to person, writing for an editor is necessarily pretty limiting. There is nothing to compare with physically designing a book yourself and writing whatever you please. I find that having this freedom affects the process of writing from the beginning. It opens up my mind, relaxes me in such a way that I think of some eccentric ideas and execute them, just to please myself. Like, once I filled in the pages of a blank geography workbook I found at a yard sale, which created a kind of loony poetry. To make it I simply wrote in the book and reproduced it on a photocopier, so I couldn't have shared this as a piece of writing in any other way but as a zine. It's not just the writing but the construction of zines that gives me a thrill, knowing that something I've made with my hands is now in someone else's hands, a stranger's - that an object I created in my home now lives in other homes. It fulfills the desire for connection that drives my basic interest in writing in a very complete and satisfying way.

Does the look of a zine matter?
Yes, I think it does! I get a real kick out of thinking of inexpensive ways to make my zines graphically interesting and attractive. I use the cut-and-paste method for my lay-out out of both necessity and choice. I don't know how to use most design software, and I can't afford it, and I prefer the on-the-cheap aesthetic anyway. I find that other zinesters feel the same way. It's fun to solve the problem of making something look the way you want it to within whatever confines your circumstances create. I can't draw so I've asked artist friends (all of whom I've met through doing zines) to collaborate with me, and I'll use illustrations from old books and advertisements. I sometimes use recycled materials that are easy to come by and have an interesting look, like brown paper grocery bags for covers. (I've done this with a couple of my zines, though I didn't think of the idea myself.) I sell and trade my zines at fairs and I find it fun to make a pretty table arrangement, with a tablecloth and handmade signs, and cigar boxes and easels to display my work. Learning to think of a book as an object, a made thing, has enhanced my relationship with writing and reading, and it's made me a bit of a huckster too. When you're the one selling your own work the challenge of getting people to stop and look and consider buying it is a fun little problem to solve.

Please recommend a zine for us and tell us why.
Vanessa Berry, an Australian zinester, is as good a writer as you'll find published anywhere. She's produced more than 100 zines of her quiet, intelligent memoir-style writing.

Zinester Interview 03

Zinester Interview 03

Future Fantasteek! is produced by Jackie Batey,UK

www.futurefantasteek.com

Jackie Batey responds:

How would you describe your zine?
I would call Future Fantasteek! A satirical look at what's wrong with modern living. It includes the frustrations of working with other humans, popular anxieties and why computer’s don’t like us. The zine is full of drawings and collages, sometimes presented as fake advertisements or bogus advice, topics skip around but it is rooted firmly in the ‘now’.

What can your zine do that a mainstream publication can't?
A mainstream publication needs to be aware of audience and needs to have marketing potential, i.e. they need to shift a certain number of copies in order to make money. With self-publishing I am free to say what I want to whoever is prepared to listen, this comes with risks such as self-indulgence or finding your voice is a lone one. Bypassing traditional publishing means issues can be produced cheaply and very quickly so current events can be reflected a few days later. After years working as a commercial illustrator, It’s also a joy to have no client breathing down your neck suggesting 'minor' changes and no one saying you can't say "fuck" - even though most of us do say it, at some point. I also think having no boss is liberating artistically and the magic of the internet means you can track down your own audience eventually. It's a liberating and empowering experience creating and distributing your own zine, you feel you have your voice back.

Does the look of a zine matter?
It doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things but I come from an art & design background, so it matters a great deal to me. I am much happier expressing myself using visual communication, I find I can draw what I mean much more effectively than I can write it. Basically, I want everyone to be able to express themselves clearly using the most appropriate tool they can, whether this is writing, singing or drawing. I enjoy the tactility of paper and sketchbooks which is why I use stickers, stamps and collages within my zines, although I do compile everything and edit it all on a computer at the end. I also run the Zineopolis Collection at the University of Portsmouth for the Illustration course, so naturally we focus our collection on zines that are very full of drawings and artwork.

Please recommend a zine for us and tell us why.
I really enjoy the work of the collective Girls Who Draw, in Birmingham, they are coordinated by Karoline Rerrie. The work is often screen printed and humorous, the subjects vary but there is a joyful touch to the work that will always make me smile. http://girlswhodraw.wordpress.com/ I also love Le Dernier Cri, the French collective in Marsaile, who tend to make rather disturbing serigraphs and zines often screen printed and very visual, with a very low print run. The work they produce is very different to what I do, so reading them is like ‘going on holiday’ from yourself. http://www.lederniercri.org/