That is the question!
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of overhead and effort with no promise of dissemination, or to just say, "Yeah, I really like making them and sharing them, but they're just going to sit in a closet somewhere until I recycle them in eight months, because ain't nobody giving a toot about what I have to say about what I give a toot about!"
It's a conundrum that's puzzled the minds of creative types for centuries. That's why Hamlet ultimately scrapped his zine, Moody Leotard Lads, and decided to upend his royal household. I guess the more things change, the more they stay the same.
I do love me a good zine, though. I made them in high school and college, sought them out at comic conventions and record shows over the years, and even held long-standing subscriptions to a few (does Video Watchdog count as a zine?).
So, about a week ago I had what I deemed a great idea for a new zine; I'd settled on the titles Junk Drawer or X-Ray News. I thought Junk Drawer would be a good title because it could metaphorically encompass the scattershot menagerie of seemingly unrelated interests I would include: everything from record reviews and other music highlights, vintage comic book history, film insight, jabber about literature, art, graphic design and, well, who knows what else. Certainly not me! X-Ray News was gleaned from a Hercule Poirot book – The Labors of Hercules (1947) – and I thought it sounded cool. Almost like a Richard Sala comic or an obscure The Fall b-side or something.
I'd even mapped out the first two issues. One would be about beach/surf culture, specifically from a Midwesterner's perspective ('cause you know we got 'em here, too), and would include reviews and info about my favorite surf records, spotlights on some fun beach-related films, etcetera. The second issue I had started to sketch out was related to party planning. What? That seems abstract and pointless, you might say. Back when VHS was king of the home media and companies needed a constant flow of product to spice up quickly stagnating production catalogs, all kinds of needless (and downright odd) novelty videos were released, providing everything from the opportunity to get fit with grannies to learning how to be a hit at any party. There were apparently a whole lot of "How To Party" adjacent videos produced, and a heck of a lot of them are up on the internet for casual consumption. So, obviously, someone needs to uncork this magic and get it out to the world, right?! Pair that with some of the most bizarre party snack recipes from cookbooks of yore, and tips on making the perfect party mixtape, and BAM: you got yourself a very niche publication that might appeal to...only you.
And then that voice that sneaks in when you're caught up in the gusto of a new creative endeavor, filtered into my thoughts; y'know, the one that says "No one wants this! You're going to spend a chunk of change to make a publication that isn't saleable. Why don't you divert your time to a worthwhile hobby and take up clog dancing or something?"
"Isn't this blog a digital version of that idea, already?" you might say. Yeah, I guess. But I'm sort of stuck on physical media and the artifact is kind of the charm of the medium.
So here I sit, concept in hand and unsure which definition of "execute" I should pursue with it. I'll probably just continue with this here online thingy, because that's free and I can include video and audio media, I guess.
Aside from using this blog to ruminate on my own artistic insecurities, I thought it might be a novel idea to include full copies of two of my most recent zine productions. One on pinball and another on...well, the goal was to have all original material with the set parameters of it making me laugh while I was making it. They were both produced under the title 4PM FRIDAY, with the idea that 4 PM Friday is the gateway to the weekend! So, y'know, fun times were ahead and whatnot. That hasn't actually been a reality since I was sixteen years old, but it wasn't the worst title idea I'd come up with when workshopping it.
If you read these and like them, feel free to download and share them. Please just give me credit when you do so.
Enjoy!
* You can download/read 4PM FRIDAY: PIN BALL ZINE here.
