Zine-verguenza !

Zine-verguenza !
A History of No F&*$#k!!!! Profit, No F&*$#k!!!! Fear, No F&*$#k!!!! Shame, No F&*$#k!!!! Rules,
No F&*$#k!!!! Censorship Publishing, Huh?!


Napag-uusapan lang namin noon ang maglabas ng fanzine habang tumatagay ng usong-usong gin pomelo sa may harap ng Surrounded By Water sa Angono. Naglaon ay nakumbinsi din ako ng dati kong kabandang si Yasmin aka Alice, na naglaon ay partner in crime na gawin ang tinatawag na Lunar Landing. Iniisip ko pa noon na mainam na excuse to para makalibre ng pasok sa mga gig at magsipuntahan sa mga sandamukal na mga opening at mga happening. Circa 1996-97, buhay pa Café Caribana sa Malate, ang Third World Café, nagtatanungan pa kaming magkaka-eskwela kung matutuloy ba ang gimik sa Reposo o sa may World Trade kung saan may rave o dance party. Nariyan ang pakikipagsulatan sa isang ka-penpal na manunulat kung makakadalo ba ang mga katropang Pranses sa aming lingguhang video-marathon at matapos ay gumawa-gawa ng kung anumang mga verso sa pang-anim na bote ng servesa sa Penguin.

Kung anu-ano tuloy na mga kuwento’t mga kadahilanan ang aking mga pinalulusot sa aking mga magulang para lang maging ganap na zine journalist kuno. At pagkuwa’y magakapaglimbag sa aking tinatanging publishing house na Routledge.

Kuwidaw ang maging zinester ay maging isa na ding scenester. At ano-ano ba ang mga scenes na to? Merong rrriot girrrrls, punk, oi, crust, crust core, rockabilly, psychobilly, hardcore, sXe, old school, new school, rock steady, ska, ska-punk, skinheads, Trojans, hammerskins, red skins, suedes, rudeboys, anarcho-punk, anarcho-skins, anarcho-femmes, anarcho-syndicalists, anarcho-primitivists, dark cabaret, goths, death rockers, rockers, chong, bluecats, disco, electroclash, junglists, new wavers, no wavers, dark wavers, new romantics, shoe gazers, indie pop, dream pop, space rock, art rock, avant rock, kraut rock, Prog rock, math rock, ravers, metal, death metal, black metal, Blackened death metal, gloom metal, rap metal, nu metal, thrash metal, Folk metal, Hair metal, glam metal, Power metal, Tech metal, Viking metal, Vedic metal, oriental Metal, Groove metal, Neo-classic metal, Celtic metal, Stoner metal, Gothenburg metal, Funk metal, speed metal, speed core, rap core, noise core, thrasher, emo core, sad core, slow core, mosh core, math core, grindcore, skate-core, skate-thrash, fashion core, queer core, hip hop, turntabolista, mobile, chavs, cyberpunks, cybergoths, reggae, raggare, skate punk, street punk, gutter punk, steam punk, horror punk, pop punk, conservative punk, Christian punk, SLC punks, Alcopunks, vegans, youthcrew, funkore, neo- Nazis, neo-fascist, neo-futurists, future pop, retro-futurists, Aristasians, hackers, demo scene, COSplayers, furries, teddies, MODS, swing kids, Edelweiss pirates, Hillbillies, gamers, MYSTers, freaks, hippies, Jesus freaks, Christian fundamentalists, visual Kei, BDSM, queer, nudists, rockers, Hells Angels, Bandidos, the Outlaws, the Pagans MC, the Black Power, Gypsy Jokers, the Nomads, the Straight Satans, the Rebels, The Rock Machines, Outlaw Motorcycle club, vampires, Japanophiles, Trekkies/Trekkers, filks, Goth Lolis, Ninnies, rivetheads, trancers, trainspotters, bosozokus, greasers, grungers, CB radio hobbyists, custom cars, cassette culture, Valley girls, Sloane rangers, COBRA group, Dadaists, surrealists, internationalists, situationists, fauves, trad jazzers, zootsuits, hepcats, beats, existentialists, surfers, new age travelers, yuppies, swingers, conspiracy theorists, CPP-NPA, NDF, huks, ABB, CND, Black Panther, Sapeurs, pachucos, dandies, bloggers, LJers, spooky kids, rednecks, white trash, rugby boys, nadsat, Luneta debaters, Barangka boys, Tandem, SLE, groupies in general, etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. (parang entry sa slumbook – “too many to mention”)

Ang lahat nitong nabanggit at iba pa na maaring mabuo pa ay napapasailalim sa terminong “subculture”. Subalit, ang iba dito sa mga nabanggit na ito na mga subculture ay di kinakailangang taguriang “underground” tulad ng mga Mormons at mga fundamentalists o mga El Shaddai o mga nasa sa religious cults. (Although minsan kailangan ang iba dito ay maging covert dahil tinatawid na ang linya ng katanggap-tanggap at makataong mga rituales, kumbaga’y nagiging taboo na sa universal law of ethics. Maaring mataguri dito ang mga kasapi ng Church of Satan, Heaven’s Gate at iba pang kulto na nagpapalaganap ng mga ideolohiyang animoy taliwas sa Kristiyanismo.)

Ayon kay Dick Hebdige sa kaniyang seminal na aklat na “Subculture: The Meaning Of Style” (ang pangarap kong libro, baka meron kayo diyan na kopya, pahiram naman o paskor naman), ang subculture ay nabubuo bilang isang simbolikong reaksyon o diyalogo sa pangkabuuan o dominanteng kultura ng isang (kadalasan ay) industriyalisadong lipunan. Ang reaksyon na ito ay kadalasang kontra sa prevailing value system ng kulturang ito o parent culture kung tawagin. And because these subcultures are essentially reactionary, the elements or components of what makes them a subculture are actually taken from the subculture’s own environment, mores and history.[1] (Hindi ko kasi masabi to ng tama sa Filipinow, sorry.) Ngunit ang lumalabas na pinakaesensya ng mga ito ay ang pagdiskubre o paglikha ng sariling pagkakakilanlan (identity politics) at magkaroon sa mga miyembro ng mga subculture na ito ng solidaridad na nag-uugat sa pagkakakilanlan na ito. Ito marahil ang dahilan kung bakit ang karamihan sa mga subculture na ito ay napapalooban din ng mga alituntunin na sobrang detalyado, specific, elaborate upang ika nga magkaroon ng kaibahan sa karamihan : ang konseptong “us vs. them”. Ang konseptong ito ay maaring mailatag ng mga sociologist batay sa pangsosyo-ekonomiyang uri, lahi, paniniwala, sense of nationalism, uring pangsekswal.

Ang pagkakakilanlan ng mga subculture na ito ay nakikita sa kanilang pananamit, sa kanilang uri ng pagkilos o pagsayaw, kung paano nila gamitin ang kanilang leisure time, sa kanilang pananalita o jargon, sa pagbati sa kanilang kakapatiran, sa uri ng musika na kanilang pinakikinggan, mga pelikula’t lathalaing kanilang tinatangkilik, mga uri ng sasakyang pinamamadyak – lahat ng ito (atbp) ay kumakatawan sa kanilang ideolohiya bilang isang subculture at isa ang zine/fanzine na pumapaksa o nagdodokumento ng mga saloobin nito, ang pamantayan ng kanilang binuong kapatiran o pamayanan, ang manifesto ng kanilang kabuuan – bilang patunay sa kanilang pag-eexist, o maging uri ng pamamahayag ng kanilang kani-kaniyang pinaglalaban o pinagpupunyagi – be it noble or petty, man.

Ang Factsheet 5 ay mistulang bibliya ng lahat ng mga zinesters sa buong mundo na kung saan dun nila pinapadala ang kanilang mga gawang zines upang marebyu at makakuha ng mga contacts sa mga gustong umorder ng kanilang mga zines. Ito ay taunang lumalabas at mariing inaabangan sa mga booksale ang kopya nito kahit medyo luma na at noong mid 1990s pa ito nailathala. Dito madalas pinagkukunan ang kahulugan ng fanzine na : “ a small handmade amateur publication done purely out of passion, rarely making a profit or breaking even.” Ayon naman sa wikipedia (kung saan karamihan ng aking saliksik ay namgmula) ang zine o fanzine “ is a nonprofessional publication produced by fans of a particular subject for the pleasure of others who share their interest.” Ang salitang ito ay naimbento ni Russ Chauvenet noong 1940 at unang lumaganap sa mundo ng mga sci-fi fans. Sabi naman ni Greg Shaw na naglimbag ng Mojo Navigator at Bomp[2], mga naunang music/rock zines noong 1960s sa San Francisco, mas maaga pa daw ito lumabas, sa katunayan ay noong 1920s pa dahil marami na daw noon ang mga sci-fi fanzine tulad ng isang sinimulan daw ng isang nangangalang Forrest J. Ackerman. Nagmula ito sa pakikipagsulatan ng mga fans na ito sa isa’t isa na sa simula ay nailalathala pa sa sci-fi magazine na Amazing Stories. Pero dahil dumadami at dumadami ang kanilang network, ang kanilang mga liham ay naging mga fanzines nang naglaon. Isa sa mga zines na ito ay ang The Comet na gawa ng isang grupo na kung tawagin ay Science Correspondence Club.

Ngunit ang self-publishing ay di namang bagong gawain na naimbento ng mga naturang subculture. Dahil natural lang sa isang indibidwal ang outlet na ito simula pa nang maimbento ang printing press. Sa gayong bagay, maaaring i-presume na ang mga malalaking polyeta’t mga pahayagan ay nagsimula din dito. Kaya?

Well, ayon sa Do or Die zine issue no. 10, ang mga posibleng naunang zines ay makikita sa mga nailathala ng Amateur Press Associations (APA) na umusbong noong 19th century sa US bilang reaksyon sa penny press. Ang mga amateur writers daw na ito ay nagbuo ng mga networks upang maipamahagi ang kanilang mga salaysayin na “walang pretension”. Ang mga manunulat na ito ay kinabubuoan din ng mga black and women writers. Pero parang natatandaan ko ang pinaka-forerunner ay ang isang farmer’s almanac na nailimbag ilang daang taon pang mahigit kesa dito sa nabanggit. (Pwede pakicheck, kasi nakikipirata lang ako ng signal pag nagi-internet ako. Salamat.)

Naging instrumental din ang teknolohiya sa development ng zines. Kumbaga ang produksyon nito ay sumasabay sa panahon kung kelan ito nagawa, maging ang interes o nilalaman nito. Ang zine kumbaga ay kumakatawan din sa zeitgeist ng isang naturang panahon. Hmm kaya lohikal din na ang mga naunang naglabasan na mga zine ay ukol sa sci-fi nang panahong nabanggit dahil kasagsagan ito ng mga scientific discoveries at una nang nararanasan ang epekto ng industrialisasyon – benepisyal man ito o pagulong sa dystopia.

Mula sa pagsulat kamay hanggang sa pag-gamit ng manual typewriter at carbon paper, spirit duplicator o hectographs, sa mga mimeograph machines at ngayon ang Xerox machine na pinupuslit ang pag-gamit pag wala ang boss o nagpapaalam pa na mag-overtime para makalibre sa paggamit nito, nagdaan din sa maraming anyo ang zine. Ang kadalasang nakikita sa kasalukuyan ay yaong binubuo ng mga 10 – 20 pahina ng short coupon bond na itinupi at naka-staple sa gitna. Although may mga iba naman na buong papel ang pinagsasama-sama at sa kaliwang gilid naman ito naka-staple. Karaniwang tinatawag ito na full-size, ang unang nabanggit ay half-size.

Anupaman ang nilalaman ng mga zines, ang nanatiling operative term is DIY na hango naman sa ideolohiya ng Punk. Kaya siguro marami ang nag-aakala na ang fanzine ay galing sa subculture na ito. Ang mga punks nga ayaw matawag na fanzine ang kanilang zines dahil ang salitang fan ay may nosyon ng pagpapasailalim sa exploitation ng capitalist commercial media na tahasan nilang nilalabanan. Kaya mas preferred nila ang term na punkzine.

DIY o Do-It-Yourself ay naging mahalagang motibasyon sa mga punks dahil sa sila nga ay taliwas sa conformity, sa mainstream, sa gobyerno, halos lahat, actually. Pero sinasabi naman ng mga cultural theorists, tulad ni Hebdige, ay naimpluwensiyahan lang daw sila ng mga Situationists, ng kosepto ng Society of the Spectacle. Understandably, punks then were at it, at first, for the bloody shock of Brittania, being anti-aesthetics, as an assemblage of ready-mades of cultural disposables (as were the Dadaists with their reams of pamphlets courtesy of Picabia, Tzara, i.e. Cannibale[3], among others ) and cultivating on salvaging/appropriating styles, slogans, eras, for their own search for meaning.[4] Hence, their zines which are all cut and paste affairs and which zine purists still adhere to on what constitutes a zine. Kaya tuloy minsan ang hirap basahin. Parang tingnan mo na lang siya, okay?

But I believe DIY is not wholly Punk as DIY is in essence the method of a dissenter. Or any dissenter for that matter. Hence, ang paggawa ng zine ay isang craft, a labor of love, a Molotov cocktail for the targeted offended party.

As a medium of dissenters maybe we can consider that the first zines (though not in that sense obviously as they were just conversing in spangol and tegalowg, and were using quills and inks or maybe even their own blood, hokay?) made here in Pinas were made by our own revolutionaries – Plaridel, Rizal, Jacinto, Bonifacio, and others who were within their circles at that time. These as evidenced by La Solidaridad, numerous pamphlets attacking the fat friars, the Kartilla which structured the Katipunan. Then there was also during the 30s Sakdal, isang lingguhang pahayagan na nasa tabloid format na nagsimbuyo sa pagkabuo ng mga Sakdalista. At noong panahon naman ng Hapon ay lumabas din ang nakamimeograph na Matang Lawin na ukol sa mga pagkilos noon ng mga guerilla.

And siyempre sa Tate nung naglabasan ang mga hippies and the counter-cultural movement (around late 50s – 60s), yung mga beat poets heroes nyo diyan, of course, naglabas din sila and they called these “chapbooks”, git? And these contained their poetry, heady stuff, git? Well, but Kerouac admitted that he, in particular was just influenced by Sartre, git? And drunk cups and cups and cups of coffee while listening to the most happenin’ hepcats, git? With burroughs, ginsberg, cassady, genet, and those other cool cats, git? In Haight- Ashburry, git? Which is nea’ Berkeley, git? So, there was also the comix thing, git? With Crumb, Robert Williams, S. Clay Wilson, Rick Griffin, Gilbert Shelton, Art Spiegelman, Kim Deitch, Jay Lynch, Spain Rodriguez, Bill Griffith, Justin Green, Trinna Robbins, git? Y’know Zap, Furry Freaky bros, Funny Animals, them all comix that were put an x on it coz it’s not allowed by the comics code, git? ‘Cos these comix don’t give a F@#&*k about spandex heroes and we have cats f@#kn, and big boobies, and coke snorters, the like, git?

Freedom, git? Becoming your own media is the thing with the zine. Doubly deadly it attracts flies to honey, or dopes to glue, like Sniffin Glue, ang pinakasikat na UK punkzine na gawa ni Mark Perry at lumabas noong 1976 – 1977 for 12 issues. Sa Pinas naman, ay ang Herald X, kaya lang medyo huli na, bandang 1987 siya lumabas, sa 2nd revival na ng Punk movement.[5] Eto, ang hawak kong kopya naka-ziplock pa pero nahiram ko lang din sa isang kaibigan, di ko na naibalik. Maalala pa kaya niya? Hiniram ko kasi ito noong mag-organize ako ng zinecon sa SBW noong 2000. Me exhibit baga ng mga zines alinsabay sa mga illustrations nina Vic Balanon, Ferdz Valencia, LAkay Ranjo and Argie BAndoy mula sa sarili nilang comics na Quatro. Saling pusa lang daw noon si Fletch.

Ang Herald X ay naglalaman din ng mga gig, album reviews, reprints galing sa ibang magazine(New Musical Epress or Maximum Rock n Roll marahil) o zines. Kaya siguro siya naging landmark punkzine ng Pinas dahil sa comics article na Great Moments In The History of Punk plus The Evolution of Pinoi Punk. No other known publication published such and so Herald X was it. Otherwise, they were already printing articles about similar stuff sa Jingle magazine pa. And Jingle started some 10 years before Herald X. Moreover, they had the same staff, almost. The staff of Herald X was composed of Tommy Tanchanco as the editor and as the producer of those Twisted Red Cross albums and who now goes by the name of Jughead at The Phil. Mac Users forum/ site where he narrates his experience in Herald X as : “ pretty much a one-man show, well two, if you count the artist; the publisher who financed the project but who wasn’t really the hands-on type; and except for 1 or 2 contributions. I wrote just about everything. To create the illusion that the ‘zine was well-staffed and had many writers. I used different by-lines for most of the articles. . . .” He picked up the Jughead name daw kasi he’s a big fan of the Clash (the band that really matters, according to one music critic) and its guitarist Mick Jones “who is fondly called by music critics” as such. [6]

The others in the staff were : Edwin P. Sallan, Dodong A. Viray (who later in the 90s formed The Youth), Dominic Gamboa, Arnold Morales, Bong Arquiza, George Imbecile, Col. Popop, Ikang, Je Bautista, Al Dimalanta (of The Dead Ends), Bong Llamanzares, Mary Anne Gonzalez, Didits Gonzalez, Nigel Strange (sounds fictitious), Kathy Rosmer, Camille Ortanez; and the comix/ illustrations were provided by : Gari Santillan, Romeo Lee (of course, The Wild Thing), Gemo Tapales, (Emong) Borlongan (he became a very famous painter na), Roxlee (of course si Idol), Dengcoy Miel, Boyet Miguel, Casie Villarosa, Roehl Santillan. And a dozen or so letters from so called : BJ the Punk of Kanlaon Sta. Mesa Heights (who I also suspect as the same BJ of Rock n Rhythm, kaya?), the president of the punk tribe of Pasig – The Dead Rebels which was founded by Eric Amarante, Rey Payumo from LA who was a vocalist of a band BROADAX that’s based there, one who called himself Noodles and is a Fil-am punk from Livermore CA, Ronnie Leeches Romero of Punks For Peace of San Simon Pampanga who was then about to leave for Canada and was asking the editor if he can be a correspondent, a “confused” Arnel of Malabon who wanted to join War Resisters League an organization being set-up by Dominic then, Ronald Forfieda of Pateros who wrote about his bro/katribo being beaten up by an outsider at a gig at Ortanez and was quite pissed when he wasn’t seen on the screen when Probe did a coverage of that gig, he sent another letter, George Allan Poe of Las Piñas ranting against Satanists and the UG being mixed up with it, etc. etc.

Ilan sa mga nabanggit dito tulad ng mga illustrators na sina Romeo Lee, Roxlee at Dengcoy Miel, kasama ni Ladigohon, ay matagal nang nagco-contribute sa Jingle mag lalo na nung ¼ pa ang sukat nito, madaling ibulsa lalo na’t papasok ka sa kubeta. (kaya ba siya Jingle? At kaya ba ang logo nito isang kerubin na jumijingel?) Although, noong una itong lumabas, sumusunod ito sa karaniwang format ng mga music magazines – kasing-size nito na para ngang magazine at may mga reprints ng mga lyrics ng mga usong kanta, complete with chords pa. Mayroon kaming unang kopya nito na may larawan ng mushroom cloud bilang pabalat at ang laman nito ay pawang mga kanta ng Beatles at iba na may tamang peace, man. Kahit di man ikonsidera ang Jingle na isang zine, malaki din ang naging impluwensiya sa mga sumunod na lathalain na ukol sa musika, di man sa format o nilalaman (na may band/singer profiles, posters, comics, letters, record reviews/ratings, ads, guitar techniques, music history,) naipakilala din nito ang mga sulatin nina Ninotchka Rosca, Juaniyo Arcellana, Joey Ayala noong siya’y estudyante pa at iba pa na di ko na matandaan kasi naitapon na ng tatay ko ang mga kopya namin, ngunit nagbunsod at nagtanim ng mapupusok na kamalayan sa ilalim ng Bagong Lipunan ni Marcos. Noong kalauna’y nawala na din ang jingle dahil nagdagsaan ang maraming imprenta na naglilimbag na din ng mga music magazines, mas maliliit ang mga ito at kasing-laki ng mga komiks (i.e. Solid Gold) at mas tinangkilik ng masa dahil mas marami itong nafi-feature na mga kanta at artikulo tungkol sa Menudo, Raymond Lauchengco, and the like.

So, siguro, yung two-issue na Herald X ay mini project din kaya ng Jingle mag?

May isa pa akong nahiram na zine. Actually, nakaipit ito sa loob ng Herald X – ang The Shop, 16 na pahina na offset-printed sa newsprint, pero siyempre matagal na kaya madilaw na ito. Ipinagbibili ng 10 piso, nakabase sa proj. 2 kung saan din nakabase ang A2Z records. Ang may pakana nito ay sina : Leslie David, Manny Espinola at Ces Rodiguez. May lyrics din ditong nakapaloob (Blister In The Sun ng Violent Femmes at Damaged Goods ng Gang of Four). Halos kaalinsabay nito ang paglabas ng isa ding music magazine, ang Score magazine. Ngunit ang The Shop ay mukhang mas low-budget at mas “iba” ang nilalaman : Pussy Galore, Camper Van Beethoven, Sugar Cubes, Felt, Tupelo Chain Sex, Swans, Velvet Underground, kesa sa karamihan ng punkzines. At dahil nababaduyan sila sa commercialization ng New Wave at predicting another thing coming in the underground scene, or trying to get away from it all – the punk and the chong and to go back to listening good old rock so that’s why they called themselves a rock n roll fanzine. This is probably the precursor to Toti Dalmacion’s Groove Nation records (because they were also selling records) and/or the Scenester zine which came about in the early to mid 90s who were mostly writing about the same bands and/or the newer bands that were influenced by those mentioned and were trying to mesh the dance scene with it or be esoteric with such fandom of those genres. Or did I misconstrue them for their distribution venues such as dance parties?

Di ko alam kung naka-ilang issues tong The Shop.

Anyways, ang Score Magazine ay naka 10 issues at least, dahil di naman talaga ito zine. Mukha lang siyang zine pero glossy ang cover niya, take note. Maraming ads from Eurorock shirt, Top 40, Shambhu, Arte Linea, High Adventure at Khumbmela. Nakakuha ako ng 1 kopya nito sa isang booksale. Ang cover pa noon ay ang bandang Mere Mercy na nagko-cover ng mga kanta ng The Cult. And the usual, may profiles, reviews and lyrics, pero walang chords. Para siguro ito sa mga aattend ng gigs na manonood ng covers ng kanilang fave chong song so they can sing along.

Mga bandang early 90s, eksenang “alternative” music, lumabas naman ang Rock n’ Rhythm. Nasa isang boring na kolehiyo ako nang panahon na ito at pilit na umiiwas sa eksena ng Rhythm n Blues at Boom d’ Bass na nagkalat sa harapan ng San Beda sa katanghaliang tapat. Kaya nahalina ako noon na bumili ng mga issue ng RnR sa me bangketa sa harap ng aking Holy Mamaw skultoPhinish. Baduy ba? E wala e. Kasi 7 years old pa lang naman ako noong unang umusbong punk movement kaya no?

Ang Rock n’ Rhythm ay isa ding music magazine na mas nakapattern sa dating Jingle mag. Kasing sukat ito ng Solid Gold and the like pero ang kinaibahan nito ay ang pokus nito sa “alternative” music, foreign man o local. Well, kaya din siguro ito tumagal na napondohan dahil naging big business din kasi ang so-called “alternative scene”. Alam ‘nyo na yan, no. Ang punong patnugot nito ay si BJ Cabaluna na miyembro ng bandang Bad Days For Mary at may-ari ng Just Say Rock, isang puwesto sa Cartimar Recto na naging bagsakan ng mga zines, at iba pang DIY stuff, like shirts, posters, bootlegged cassette tapes, accessories, etc. Sayang.. . . sayang.. . . .di na maibabalik pa. . . . . . . ang .. . . . . Anyway, editor din siya ng isang sex zine na Wendy Says.

Ang iba pa sa staff ng RnR ay naglabas din ng kani-kanilang zines. Dahil masyado ding diverse ang kanilang interes sa music, viz ang “alternative music”[7] kasi ay pawang revival ng lahat ng mga nagdaang music genre, particular sa rock music, kaya nagsilang ito sa mas marami pang music genre na actually ay cross-over lang naman ng mga naunang genre, git? So, mula sa ilang mga staff ng RnR, may nabuo ding eksena ng mga zinesters, dahil ang karaniwang nilalaman ng kanilang mga zines ay di nakasentro sa musika o politika lamang. Pinakasinasaalang-alang nila ang kanilang mga personal na karanasan, insights sa pinagdadaanan nilang eksesang ito. Kumbaga, dahil sa pagbibigay pokus sa indibidwalismo ng 1990s kaya naging motto ng mga perzines or personal zines ay “ the personal is political.” Aside from the perzines, the staff also released a one-issue zine called Rolling Paper. It was in the same style as Herald X but only because they have seemingly convinced management to have one teeny-weeny hand at publishing. While the 80s had these punks against chongs or wavers, the feuds of the 90s were about hiphoppers against punks (again !) and rockers or rockistas and that’s were most zines were about – defending one’s own turf.

Ilan sa mga ito ay ang : w.r.i..n.g ni wendi, catatonia ni donna, La Puztiso, Tattle Tale nina Reji and Blessela among the throng. These were also the ones I first got acquainted with when I was introduced to the zine scene. Then I found out later that Yasmin has done something like it way back in Silang and has interviewed the band Abrasive Relations for it. It was actually her who made me do it, y’know, the zine.

Naririnig ko din ng mga panahon na yun ang grupo ng sining ekis na pinamumunuan ni Elvert Bañares.Gumagawa-gawa din sila ng mga comix trough their publishing arm Zenith Graphix. Isa rito ang Fever Fungus. Pero mas kapuna-puna ata sila sa eksena ng performance sa dating Club Dredd at iba pang mga events sa Malate. The only contact I had with him though is when I had to interview him for a term paper, then for our own zine, then sometimes during the openings ‘coz he also exhibits.

Then came Rey “Peace” Bravo’s employment as purchaser of reading materials at Tower Records in Makati which helped proliferate and marketed the zine to a broader audience – there were issues of Slug and Lettuce, Maximum Rock n Roll, books on homemade bombs, and such that were only available by mail-order or through trade. Also with the generous and unwavering efforts of the duo Claire Villacorta and Paolo Cruz. who with their created distro network and publishing company, Dumpling Press, was able to sell zines at Tower and through a lot more venues beyond gigs and conventions. This consequently produced such unprecedented fervor to produce and distribute a lot more zines, making zineing a scene in itself. The only con about this phenomenon is you’ll have to fish through the filth to find the gold because it’s that many and not all of them are what it’s worth for the trade. As Forrest Gump would eloquently address it : “Life is like a box of chocolates, you’ll never know what u gonna get.”

However Perzines weren’t that novel as today as this has been realized before in the 60s by Greg Shaw of Mojo Navigator and Bomp and terms this instead as “personal journalism”. His zines were actually proses for the stuff which he liked, including his “comments on world politics, gossip, anything. It was self-expression trying to be entertaining and possibly humorous.. . . . and the people who had a good personality and could express it became the stars of that world. . . .. . . the culture of publishing these magazines, and meeting at conventions, and having parties. . . . .” So perzines, have increasingly become the path to a zinester’s 15 minutes of fame or until that ink holds on to that paper – the creation of a subculture of one’s self. So does that mean, if you don’t like his/her zine you won’t like him/her at all as a person? Hmmmmmmm……well that’s one way of choosing your fiends or friends, ain’t it?

Jump cut to 2001, Surrounded By Water, EDSA, 2nd Zine Con na tinulungan kong i-organize with Claire and Paolo. Wow, jampacked! Kung ganoon kadami ang scene, mas madami din ang zinesters, kasi ang iba dito ay dalawa-tatlo title ang ginagawa. And may workshops pa na kung saan doon ko na natutunan ang iba pang zinester tricks of the trade na pag-recycle ng postage stamp, pag-recycle ng envelope, pag-siksik sa lay-out ng contents, paano makabarat sa suking photocopier, atbp. Dito din ako nakakalap ng iba pang zines na bumubuo ngayon sa aking collecciones.

Dahil sa influx na din ng napakadaming impluwensiya sa media na dagling pinadali pa ng teknolohiya nitong pagdaan ng millennia – cable TV, ang internet, DTP, advanced computer softwares – at pagbaba ng presyo ng mga ito kaya mas naging madali na talaga ang maglabas ng zine. Ngayon ay di ka na makukulong sa estetikong cut and paste, although may iba pa ding gumagawa niyan at pinaninindigan ang purong dungis ng di-pulidong pag gugupit at pagdidikit, dahil maaari mo na itong i-lay-out sa PC gamit ang Adobe photoshop, pagemaker, at para sa mga di masyado techie nariyan ang mala-bobocam na MS Publisher. Karamihan nga sa mga una kong nakalap na zines ay ganito na ang pamamaraan ng kanilang paglalatag ng kanilang mga artikulo at larawan. Ngunit ang repro nito ay dumadaan pa din sa Xerox. Iilan lang ang lumalabas na offset-printed tulad ng Halo-Halo, ang unang zine na nilabas ng Dumpling Press, at ang mga Scenester, (yung mga glossy pocket versions ha, hindi yung mga Mario Alipio edited issues). May ibang newsletter/zines naman tulad ng Make Your Own na naka-Riso pero medyo mahal pa din ang method na ito kasi ang bayad dito per ream. Kung di mo balak magpamigay nga ng ganoong kadami (500 copies), aanhin mo nga yun?

Ngayon, nag-aaccelerate na naman ang presyo ng printing at papel, at dumami ang nagkaroon ng internet access sa promo ng PLDT DSL at instant phone line connection ng BAYANTEL. Ay sus, dati, abutin ka talaga ng taon bago makabitan ng telepono. Pero ngayon nga parang letsong manok at shawarmahan ding nagsulputan ang mga internet cafes. Kaya karamihan sa dating nagpi-print ay naging bloggers or LJers na lang, or Friendsters or Hi-5ers. Or gumagawa na lang ng kani-kaniyang website. MAs madali nga naman ito, menos gastos, at mas marami pa talagang maabot na network dahil dito, lalo na kung naka-WiFi pa ang Powerbook mo. Oi ang Lunar Landing di naman din nagpahuli at naglabas ng CDrom issue kasi can’t afford kami na magprint tsaka puro photos ang laman ng issue na to. Pero kailangangan pa naming mag-aral ng HTML para makagawa ng website. Iba na talaga ang kabataan ngayon, grabe!

Kung nasa liblib ka naman na probinsiya o di kaya ay di mo talaga matunton yang tech stuff na yan, mas pipilliin mo na lang din mag-print, kahit matagal, mabagal ang paglabas mo nito dahil at least walang mag-kacrash na system pag ginawa mo to this way. Ang pwede lang sigurong mag-crash ay ang utak mo sa kaka-isip o ang bank account mo sa pag-produce ng zine mo. It’s your choice, ma men.
“The Medium is the message.”
“Be your own media.”
“If you can’t lick ‘em, do ‘em in by self-publishin’.”
“Pirates all for the good of all.”
Yeah and world peace may be a selfish thing to wish for in this very diverse fractured world where everyday there’s a revolution going on. And what better way to be prepared for it than to be non-complacent. Look what happened to the town of Springfield when Lisa Simpson wished for it, they were gradually ravished by human-eating aliens. And you know what that metaphor means.

Mga pinagmulan ng sanaysay na ito :
ang aking alaala ng mga nagdaang taon kaya kung medyo may duda kayo sa mga pinagsusulat ko dito, check out the others, k?
Wikipedia.org – search for subculture
w.r.i.n.g the zine and the web site that’s linked to it
www.jawbreaker.ph
“Written Rebellions:Legitimizing Urban Subcultures of The Philippines Through Zines” by Lilledeshan Bose. 1st presented during an NCCA conference on New Filipino Writing. January 1999. Reprinted in Chopsuey. Published by Dumpling Press. 2002.
“Greg Shaw Remembers. . . .The Sixties Scene” from Scram issue 11, interview by Kim Cooper. Wikipedia linked to fanzines.
Zine Scene Revolution: Xerox Crazy Kids Sniffing Toner In The Office After Closing Time. Do or Die zine issue 10. pp. 299-309. googled through key word – fanzine history and/or the underground movement.
The Paper Trail : A Thriving Global Network Is A Boon To Local Zinesters by Jill Genio. Googled through key word – Zine convention and/or Dumpling Press
The Anthropophagic Dimensions Of Dada and Surrealism by Dawn Ades. Googled through key word – cannibale, Picabia, Dadaism.
Factsheet 5 : The Definitive Guide To The Zine Revolution. Issue 55. April 1995. USA.
Herald X: Alternative Music Read. Issue # 2. 4th quarter 1987. Manila.
The Shop: rock & roll Fanzine. A2Z Records. Anonas, QC.
The Function of Subculture. From The Cultural Reader. Edited by Simon During. 2nd ed. New York: Routledge, 1999. pp 441-450. Googled through key words – Dick Hebdige, subculture.
Houghton Miffling Company Dictionary for the definition of subculture. Googled thorugh key word – subculture.


(Eto additional notes lang)

Read All About It (some accumulated zines, magazines all sorts )
The Bible (sham 69)
Sassy
Dirt
Down and Out In Berkeley
Cometbus
Halo-Halo 1 and 2
Dysfunxion 1 and 2
Martial Law Babies
Chopsuey
Monochrome Fiesta
Jawbreaker
Barangay Sesame
Newskaster
No More War
Oi Standard
Quatro
Ratroach
Rebel Tribe
Resist
Respire
Scrawlshop
State of The Scene
Get In Touch
Tattle Tale
Nerdcore
Thought Market
Unseen Assazine
Get In Touch
Dissent
Manila Oi
w.r.i.n.g.
maArte
cinemaregla
crest hut butt shop
book of frames
Illiterati
Monkey Milk
San’to
Tic Tiger
Johnny Longhand
Voice Out
And of course Lunar Landing 1 -10


[1] Di ko pa din masasabi na ito ang pinaka-accurate na definition ng subculture dahil patuloy naman kasi ito nage-evolve. Ang tuon ng pag-aaral ni Hebdige kasi nung gawin niya ang libro ay ang mga nag-emerge na mga subcultures sa Britain noong late 60s to 70s at ito ay ang mga teddies, mods, punks, etc – mga disenfranchised working class youths during Thatcher’s regime or earlier pa dahil nagsara ang maraming pabrika sa Inglatera.

[2] Mojo Navigator and Bomp were music writers like Lester Bangs, Greil Marcus, Danny Sugarman, Dave Marsh, Mike Saunders,etc debuted before selling out and writing for Rolling Stones, biographies of superstar bands such as the Doors and/or publishing analytical papers on specific musical genres, e.g. metal and the like.

[3] Interestingly, collage, pastiche and appropriation are forms of cultural cannibalism itself, “an iconic fruit of civilization according to Alfred Jarry. So Dada ate itself, and punk ate itself or rather devoured by the “other”. Inevitably, that’s the way all cultures will go.

[4] Of course, you can contest this. I haven’t read Guy De Bord’s Societe du Spectacle. Can I borrow your copy if you have one? Or better yet can I photocopy your book, huh dear reader?

[5] Di kaya ang Herald X ay lumabas lang ng 1987 dahil si Cory na ang presidente? Me zine ba na lumabas during martial law? Palagay ko wala kasi hulihan di ba? Kung meron man na galing sa UG, sinisira na nila agad ito para walang ebidensiya. Pero buhay ang Katrina’s noon. Hmmmmm.

[6] This may just be a wild guess as I just put two and two together. If you know some people I’ve mentioned here maybe you can ask them which is which. Thanks again.

[7] More of the “alternative scene” swindle – Levi’s appropriated the format of zines through “Fly”as a marketing tool during that time and these were given for free at dance parties. What made it worse was it so imitated Wired magazine that there’s nothing left to read, each graphic overlapped each other, like a photoshop lay-out gone haywire – sayang Lourd de Veyra used to contribute to that paper, and Chati Coronel of the comix collective Bedbugs did the graphics. Maybe they wouldn’t want to hear all about it now. Would you if you were them?

Another was an EMI mini-magazine which good ol’ Ernest Concepcion gave me as one of his pasalubongs from Tate. It was the size of a zine, and cut and pasted but through DTP but was all glossy and was just about their stable of artists. Man, what a rip-off that was!