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Scratch Issue 01
Date: Sun, 28 Feb 1993 23:50:32 -0500
From: James Barnett <spingo@Panix.Com>
SCRATCH
Issue #1
spingo@panix.com
J. BARNETT
28 NORTH AVENUE
NEW ROCHELLE NY 10805
WRITE
Well, anyway, here we are at the first issue and it's 10:30 and I'm
still at work, scamming some machine time. I've been wanting, itching,
etc. to have a zine for a while... It seems that in the last few weeks
various occurrences have neatly coincided, like when all the planets
are in your house in astrology or something. So here we are. One of
the things that kept me from doing something sooner was the idea that
you sort of had to have a focus to do a proper zine. I got over it. I
found a new desire and enjoyment in rambling about whatever seems
appropriate at the time. So here we are. Are you comfortable? Here,
sit down and relax. Can I get you something to drink?
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Intro
Once, spurred on by a magazine-and-freelance-writing course in college
(Hi, Gail!) and again recently, I thought I might be a writer, at
least part-time. The difference is then I wanted to make some money,
and now I just wanna write whatever comes into my head. I think I have
some valid thoughts that may be of interest to others, and also I
wanted to have something to trade cool zines instead of just sending
money. Bingo, zine time. For Scratch, I'm just gonna ramble about
what's on my mind. Sometimes it'll organize itself into little
packages, but if not, well, I'm not gonna worry about it. A couple of
years ago, I put out a music zine with two friends of mine, Lisa
Taylor and Andy Stevens (who now publishes GULP, which you should send
for IMMEDIATELY! See the plug at the end of the reviews for info). It
ended after two years because we were trying really hard to put out a
marketable product, and there was just too much work to be fun. And it
lost a lot of money. It was a great experience all told; I learned
tons of stuff, stuff that you just don't learn unless you actually go
out and DO it, forget about college courses.
I also put out two issues of an Amiga zine the spring before
last, when I was unemployed and spending ALL of my time holed up in my
mother's house, too broke to do much of anything except to dig in to
Deluxe Paint up to my elbows and mess with some animation. I got some
work, moved out, bought a Mac IIci, sold the Amiga to help finance my
trip to Europe last summer. Either issue of Naugahyde is yours for the
asking, and any of the 4 issues of Now what, the music zine, are, say,
$1, which'll just about cover postage. No, with stacks of 'em still in
the closet, I'm not worried about making any money on 'em. Maybe I'll
get together a mail-order ad together...
Now I'm back at my Mom's, staying here 'til I get the proverbial
money saved up. I read in the Atlantic that a whole lot of us mid-20's
types still live at home, so at least I have company, but I still kind
of feel like a loser for it, y'know? Especially having already moved
out once. I didn't intend to move back when I got back from London for
very long, but the $700 I left behind to get a new place just wasn't
exactly enough to move into a new place. I also caught bronchitis
again and that further slowed up progress. (At my old job, one of the
editors called one of the art department a speed bump. That's what
bronchitis was for me, a speed bump.) Last time I came back from
London, I caught bronchitis for the first time, and it was much worse.
I was in bed for a month and a half, sleeping for four hours, up for
four, that sort of thing. It was awful. And once when I was coughing
really hard, before I knew what I had, I felt something in the back of
my head go click and it scared the fuck out of me. I thought I had
given myself an aneurysm from coughing so hard.
What's happening now? I'm 25. I haven't had a girlfriend proper
in a year and a half or so. I play some guitar with my pal John, whose
band Airlines has a new single out, "Steady Goes," on Quixotic
records. It's pretty good; I do like the song that'll be on their next
one better, something about a Sunday afternoon suicide. I like beer
and records and CDs and comix and zines and books. I have too many of
all of them, great mounds of media everywhere. I usedta work at Elle
magazine, and got stacks of books and CDs from the we're-not-
reviewing-this-so-dig-in pile.
I got a freelance gig at Bridal Guide magazine in NYC, and we
just finished the March/April issue, where you can see your humble
reporter's credit in the masthead as Art Production Manager. I was
kind of excited. Also, they're paying me the most money I've ever
made, and on an hourly basis, which makes it a little more palatable
to work a 55-60 hour week when we're closing an issue. So no matter
what impression you get from the following pages, I really have no
MAJOR reasons to whine. I could be working in Barnes and Noble for a
lot less had I not stumbled into this line of work. What I do for a
living is Macintosh consulting and print production. For Bridal Guide,
I set up pages in Quark Xpress on their Mac Quadra 750, and then send
'em up to the output house that prints out film and sends that to the
printer. It's not exciting, but it doesn't suck too bad at all. I get
to play music all day, at a decent level, and use their machines
(including a COOL color copier/color printer) to do my own stuff after
hours. Like this zine.
Now that I have some money and some free time every 8 weeks or
so, I think I want to do some publishing, like something half-serious
at least, like a literary-type zine or even a real book/magazine, like
the Portable Lower East Side or the Evergreen Review from the 60s,
that kind of thing. I don't know at the moment whether I'd like to try
and get a paperback into the stores or a $2 zine. Why do I feel the
need to do something like this? I feel like I should do my part
artistically; I'm not an incredibly talented writer, but I DO know
enough about publishing, editing and production to put out something
respectable and allow those who do have talent that deserves to get
out there. I'm setting up a kind of thing where I distribute my and my
friends' projects. It's called Spingo World Media, for no real good
reason. I'd be real interested in people sending me stuff that they
want designed and published, like say a small xeroxed book or pamphlet
or something. (Yes, Reyna, like that book of yours I never did. Still
interested?) I'll also carry stuff by other publishers, so send your
stuff along.
So here I am. And here's my zine. Hope you dig it. If you have a
zine, I'll gladly trade ads. If you wanna run a classified ad in the
next printed Scratch, tell you what--they're free. Write me letters,
send me email. Send me your zine, record, homemade tape of balinese
gamelan hard bop. Cool.
J Barnett
January 27, 1993
New York City
(doesn't this look pretentious?)
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----
MY ZINE DESTINY
I suppose I was destined to have something to do with The Photocopying
Process. My dad fixed Xerox machines for a living and when I was
little, my mom had a string of copy shops along the east coast; some
of my earliest memories are of travelling with her to her stores. In
one of them, there was one of those office-copy-joke things, like "You
Want it WHEN?" In the middle of the page was a circle with the words
"ROUND TUIT" in the center. And underneath the circle was something
along the lines of, "You always put off work until you get a 'round
tuit,' so here, now you have one and have no excuses."
This musta been early- to mid- 70s now, but I can't remember any
pleather jackets or anything. There was a head shop around the corner
from the U of Maryland? Penn? store that I remember going into and
looking at the posters. We used to play pinball at a fast food shop
called Hungry Herman's across the street from the campus, in the same
little mall my Mom's store was in, around the corner from a 7-11 or
something.
One time in nursery school in Maryland, I think, I got in trouble
for drawing on the floor in the tv room with markers from my moms
store. It was the Teddy Bear Nursery School, I think, and I remember
not liking the food. Maybe that's where my vandalism came from?
It's perfectly natural, or at least kinda makes sense that I in
school I went into journalism and then graphic design. Soon, I'll buy
my own copy machine and the cycle will be complete. the one I have my
eye on is a Canon; I wonder what my Dad would say about my lack of
brand loyalty? Ha. I mean, Xerox put me through college, all six
years.
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----
REVIEWS
This time, most stuff is decent or better 'cause I had to pay for
everything out-of-pocket. Prices below are cover price, which doesn't
mean 'including postage,' so be sure to send something extra. Of
course, if the fanzines themselves said, "send 47" for postage," I
could better represent what to send; you could always first send a
postcard or something, but that's maybe something of a pain in the
butt. For overseas stuff, send an extra $1.50 or $2 for postage. The
dollar-exchange rate abroad blows. And always err on the side of
generosity; most of these kind folk lose money on their publications.
I don't know if it'd be a good idea to send dollars to England or
pounds to the states; apparently IRCs from the post office come in
handy but I don't remember how they work, sorry.
Magazines 'n' Zines
Ablaze! #9
Cool music fanzine, with a, erm, discerning eye to what's worth your
time. And I fundamentally agree with the Ablaze! guidelines to better
living through music, so this mag's a good thing. Not real kind to
what's not good, but not mean either. #8 features Pavement/Fluff
flexi. Both songs are OK. {A4, 56 pages, incl. flexi} #1.90+50p
shipping in UK, #3 overseas?
Flipside #78,
May/June 1992
Long, LONG-running punk mag. In this issue: pirate broadcasting,
Cramps, Nirvana, and Leaving Trains (did YOU know Trains' Falling
James used to be married to Courtney Love?). Tons of live reviews,
columns, ads, etc., etc. More readable than Max. Rock n Roll, too.
{Mag size, a LOT of pages, like easily over 100} $2.50, $4 Europe
Hullabaloo #1
Spring '92
Promising! Handwritten by Laurence, with a Yoko Ono film overview;
Jonathan Richman concert review, sort of; "Saturday Night Fever" and
personal thoughts about life and stuff. {A5, orange Yoko cover, 20
pages} 40p ($2?)
International Travel News
The bulk of this magazine is travel tips in the form of articles and
letters, word-of-mouth from the readers. Though the tips tend to be
aimed at someone a few rungs higher up the travel pricing ladder than
me, it's good to read about a place through a non-professional
writer's eyes. If you got to stay in hotels for free, would you
badmouth 'em? And they'll refund the whole subscription price of you
don't like it. Good deal. {Lettersize, 100 pages} $2 cover, $16/year.
Mole #5
L7, Sebadoh, Silverfish, Smog, and Mecca Normal interviews, and a fun
tour diary from George Willard. They're looking for more "underground
xulture" stuff to write about. (Aren't we all?) Send 'em yours.
{Lettersize, 56 pages} $3 (#2?)
N D #16
Art networking mag, hopping quite nimbly from mailart to cassettes to
musicians to computer networks to video. Contact addresses, audio,
video and publication reviews, and mailart events listings. A good
place to start for the network newbie, a good place to keep up with
stuff them who's into it. {Slightly-bigger-than-half-legal size, 64
pages} $4 postpaid. Overseas, $10/2 issues Europe, $11/2 issues Japan,
Australia, other.
Option #45
This issue has Pavement, a terrible Dino Jr. talk-to-the-family-cause-
J-can't-speak piece, Television Personalities, Lee "Scratch" Perry,
Holger Czukay from Can. Editor Mark Kemp does a good interview with
Yoko Ono, but looks like he deserves to live in L.A.. in the annoying
t-shirt ad. I hate to say it, but I used to like it better than I do
now. {146 pages} $3.50, $36/6 issues trans-atlantic air
Paradiso
Actually two zines, This rare treat and Mcintyre, in a package and a
nice one at that.
This rare treat: a really nice "latino summer feel," as the man says,
to this, and very impressive simple design.
Mcintyre: {A5 2-color xerox, Mcintyre 32 pages, This rare treat 28
pages} #1 ($3?), unless you're buying it at Rough Trade shop; then
it's #1.50. Bastards. And Eddie of Mcintyre and his pal know their
beer.
Perturbed #6
Norm-from-Cheers cover, Lilac Time, Go-Betweens and Dexys. But the
main and best part are the often-hilarious, really fucking funny
'interviews' and 'lyrics' from pop stars known and un-. I laffed lak a
fool. {A5, 24 pages} #?
Recoil #5
Gives odds on the length of the Kurt+Courtney marriage duration: 3
months 2P5; More than 2 yrs, 150P1. {A4, 32 pages} #1
Reign of Toads Vol. 2, #1 Summer 1992
OK, I'm in the contributing staff box this issue, but I still think
this is the best general-interest type zine I've seen. Comix, used
book reviews (ahem) and some mini-comix by Kyle thrown in (to my
envelope, anyway). Not to mention the Braineater comix of Generic
Mike: god to many, friend to all. {Digest size, 66 pages} $4, checks/
MOs payable to Kyle Silfer. Ad trades encouraged.
Sunny Sundae Smile #1, Summer '92
Well, they're enthusiastic and not without humor, I'll give 'em that,
but to be honest the "Do You Make Other Indie Kids Jealous?" quiz had
me hoping there was an element of irony here. The two indie word
puzzles and "indiescopes" give me doubts, though. {Letter size, 24
pages}
Trouser Press #27, April 1978
Long Pete Townshend interview (white jumpsuit and Doc Martens period);
lukewarm review of Wire's first LP; Devo and Rich Kids; and Ira
Robbins' Power Pop Primer. Dated, but a neat artifact. Ever see the
Trouser Press Record Guide? It's pretty great; the latest edition came
out this year.
{Lettersize, 64 pages} $1.25 cover, 50p at Music & Video Exchange,
Notting Hill Gate
Your Flesh #25
Christ, zines like this make me feel stupid. Usually American, zines
like Your Flesh and Forced Exposure (possibly my fave ever), with
their fucking SMART writers and their extensive knowledge of music and
underground culture-type stuff make me feel small, like maybe I
shouldn't be wasting my time with this zine. Well, the music they know
so much, admittedly, I don't have much time for, and well, fuck I have
as much right to put out a zine as the next guy, so fuggit. Still,
pick this up. This issue features (Tell Us What You) Hatepoll '91
results, Leonard Cohen, Sub Pop photog Charles Peterson, cool poet
Andrei Codrescu+ more. {Lettersize, 136 pages, well designed} $3.95 US
#2.35 UK.
COMIC
Lux & Alby #1
Disappointing comics version of, count 'em, THREE good 'cult' novels
by Martin Millar: Milk, Sulphate and Alby Starvation, Lux the Poet,
and Ruby and the Stone Age Diet (all pub. by Fourth Estate). This
comic, however, with art by Simon Fraser, is just a bad, confusing
mishmash of Millar's characters, with horsey lettering to boot. Buy
the books, if you can find 'em. {32 pages}
#1.50 (Acme Comics)
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ADDRESSES
Ablaze! Magazine 17 Wetherby Grove, Leeds LS4 2JH, England. Phone
0532-781-125
Acme Comics 11 Marshalsea Road, London SE1 1EP England. Checks/POs
payable to Acme Comics Ltd.
Beet c/o Joe Maynard, 372 Fifth Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11215
Flipside P.O. Box 60790, Pasadena CA 91116, USA. Catalog available for
one US 29" stamp or IRC.
Hullabaloo Laurence, 188 Thirsk Rd., Borehamwood, Herts WD6 5BD,
England
International Travel News Subscription Department, 520 Calvados Ave.,
Sacramento, CA 95815 USA. (800) 366-9192 8amP5pm Pacific time,
Amex/Visa/MC only
Mole P.O. Box 5033, Herndon, VA 22070
N D PO Box 4144, Austin, Texas 78765, USA
Paradiso:
This rare treat Jon, 8 Patch Meadow, Cheadle, Stoke on Trent,
Staffordshire, ST10 1PX, England
Mcintyre 45 Lowfield Road, Anlaby, Hull, HU10 7BS, England
Perturbed SDUC, Lampeter, Dyfed, Wales SA48 7ED, UK (Well, on the last
page it sez this address is good til July '92; I'd send an exploratory
postcard or letter first, if I were you. Which I'm not.)
Recoil 39 Nicolas Rd, Chorlton, Manchester M21 1LG, England
Reign of Toads P.O. Box 66047, Albany, NY 12206 USA. Phone (516) 462-
6397
Sunny Sundae Smile 250 Hutton Street, Jersey City, NJ 07307
Your Flesh P.O. Box 583264, Mpls. MN, 55458-3264 USA. (612) 822-9152
============= + ====================================== +
=================
This is a plug for the fantastic zine GULP. Issue #5 is available now,
and inside its hallowed walls dwell comics, stories, poems, and other
stuff you need to see. Plus, the first 107 have limited edition
linocut covers printed by me and Andy.
Send $2 to Andy Stevens, 21 Main Street, Binghamton, NY 13905.
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----
THE GOING BALD CLUB FOR MEN
Yeah, fuck, I'm startin' to go a little thin on top. I hate to admit
it, but it's starting to become visible. The hairline started inching
back when I was 21 or so, but the remaining stuff stayed pretty thick
'til the last couple months, when it started to get this fucked up
frizz texture; upon closer examination the spaces between the roots
were gettin' a little bigger. It's not really noticeableI yet. But
it's the realization that it's actually fucking happening that fuckin'
eats away at me. The last couple days this has started to nag at me.
Like, OK, now that the truth is evident, OK, you win, I did lose the
competition, why doesn't it just all fall out instantly already and
save me the fucking worrying? I ride the Metro-North commuter train
into NYC every morning, looking at the middle-aged mens' heads...
"Will I end up like him? Or him, that guy with the big head and the
dumb comb-over?" Nah. I think I'd have enough taste to not sink to
that level of fakery. But let's say I have a little better
understanding of those guys' desperation now. It's not gonna be easy
to avoid the mocking turned in on myself--the "Look! he's BALDING!
Hahahaha!" turned in on myself... Fuck, I'm getting theoretical at
2;30 am.
I have a little while till blatant chromedomedness, but it's
still kinda upsetting knowing I'd look like a complete dick if I tried
to grow my hair out again, to my shoulders like it was in college. I
remember seeing pictures of me with long hair then, and thinking,
"boy, I hope this isn't my Long Hair Phase that I'll just look back on
and say, "yeah, that's when I had long hair, can you imagine? Pass the
Evian." But now Sy Sperling's cruel, cruel hand has smacked me in the
head, like Benny Hill used to do to that little old guy. Sigh. Really,
I'm fully aware I'm whining again; I'm healthy, not horrendously ugly
or skin diseased or anything, but damn anyway. Damn. if you meet me
try not to notice, OK?
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----
And listen, contributions are certainly welcome, but I have no idea at
all what would be appropriate. Send it along, and we'll see what's
what. And if you have your own zine, e-zine, record label, small
press, video company of your own, by all means send stuff that you
think I'd like, and if I do, I'll review it. Also, I'm gonna be
starting up a so-called "publishing
company" called Spingo World Media, ostensibly to get some of my other
stuff and my friends' stuff out into the world. but I'm real, real
interested in doing stuff with other people.
Send me your stuff, ideas, hopes, dreams, effluvia. Thanks.
Incidentally, the printed version of Scratch #1, which you've just
read, are yours for a trade or $1 or 4 stamps. It's got an OK color
cover, thanks to work. Scratch #2, print version, will be the same
price. Cool.
--
James Barnett
spingo@panix.com
