Monica Burke
Notes From Underground Zines & The Politics of Alternative Culture by Stephen Duncombe was a very fascinating four chapters to read. I never knew exactly what zines where I thought they were just a type of comet book or something that nerdy boys read and wrote. I never would of that they were so much more and super inspiring. Zines in my option are defiantly an example of don’t judge a book by its cover.
In chapter one, Duncombe gives different definitions of what zines are. He first starts out by saying “…zines are independent and localized, coming out of cities, suburbs and small towns across the US, assembled on kitchen tables” (Duncombe, 5). Zines are DIY (do-it-yourself), where you say and make what you want with your own hands. You basically start your own culture and do not worry about the one everyone else is living in. Instead of being worried about the laws and rules that our culture is giving to everyone, Zine is something that does not focus on the profit and loss. They are calculated by your creativity and authenticity (Duncombe, 5). Zines are a place where you can be yourself, say what you want, and act how you want to act. They are also a place where you will find information on everything because there are no rules with them. People write about everything. The second definition that Duncombe gave to zine is “…zines are noncommercial, nonprofessional, small-circulation magazines which their creators produce, publish, and distribute by themselves” (9). Zines are written, made and publish all by the same people, it is a little community. One thing that Duncombe states is “Zine publishers are identified less by who they are, then, and more by what they believe” (11). I am not quite sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing. Sometimes if you just read about what someone believes you do not really like that person because they do not agree with your beliefs but at the same time zine writers are writing for people to like them. They are writing so they are get what they want out into the world. The last definition that is given to Zines is “…zines are decidedly amateur” (Duncombe, 17). In Latin though, amateur means love. I think Duncombe is saying that Zines are made with love and the people who make them are in love with what they are doing. He is not saying that Zines are nonprofessional which is what most people would think when they hear the word amateur. Many people have made a career out of writing and making Zines.
After getting the definitions of what zine are, chapter two talked about who writes zines. Zines are a place where misfits and loser fit in. Duncombe says, “That zines are a haven for misfits is not too surprising. For people who like to write and want to communicate, but find it difficult to do so face to face…” (Duncombe, 20). Zines are a safe place for people who do not fit in with the rest of society and do not have place to express themselves. In the zine world being a loser is the cool thing! If you are a loser you should not keep that to yourself, it is something that you should be proud of. Duncombe even writes, “It is something to yell from the rooftops and explain to the world” (22). These people are not losers because they do not know how to talk to people or that they are too shy but they are losers because they are not accepted by wealthy and powerful people in our society (Duncombe, 23). Zine is a cool thing because it is a place where all these “losers” can come together and shard cool and interesting things with each other. They are sharing things with people who they know care about their voice. “Zines make them visible” (Duncombe, 23). Zines help people find their voice and let them say what they want, even if the top is politics. Many people now think that politics is something to leave to the professional (Duncombe, 34). Zine writers like the personalize politics. They will throw in things about politics with a bunch other intimate issues (Duncombe, 31). Zine writers think that by personalizing they are taking control. “It’s a way for zinesters to assert that they have the right to think and write about the stuff they are passionate about- whether it be cough syrup or class politics” (Duncombe, 34). Zine writers personalize politics just so they can somehow feel connected to the political world. The issue is that this personalization can also make the gap between the “losers” and politics even bigger because some people just do not want to hear about politics from a nobody.
After reading chapter two you start to get the sense that zine is like a little community. That is exactly what Duncombe takes about in chapter 3. He starts off by talking about how zines are a community and why zines were really created. He says, “…zines are as much about the communities that arise out of their circulation as they are artifacts of personal expression. People create zines to scream ‘I exist’” (49). So, no matter how important it is to be able to express yourself it just as important to support each other with their zines. “Every zine is a community institution in itself, as each draws links between itself and others” (Duncombe, 53). Zines are a community because of the many different scenes, as Duncombe would say, where you can find them. There was always a cool book store, coffee shop, radio station or concert that people when to and found zines to read. They were a thing that people just shared with each other to be informed about cool and interesting things. “…a zine network proposes something different: a community of people linked via bonds of difference, each sharing their originality” (Duncombe,58). That is all being changed now because there are no more local book stores or coffee shops to go and hang out at. No one really goes to local band concerts to hear and meet new people. Everything now a day are done online.
Since, there are no more cool places to hang out at, most people will just focus on their work. Most people who wrote zines still have day to day jobs. Sometimes they will even write about their work in their zines. Duncombe says, “Work, after all, is a primary activity of most people’s lives. And unlike sleeping, drinking, eating and leisure activities, it is an activity during which we have little or no control” (81). This is so true you cannot say anything you want at work. A lot of time you must act like a completely different person than who you really are when you are at work. The zine writers who wrote about work in zines they are talking about how it is a “relationship which pits the boss against the worker against the consumer” (Duncombe, 84). When you go to work you want to make money. You are not there to exchange ideas with people or make friends. Everyone just wants money no one really likes or loves their job. People who write zines do it because they love it. They take so much time and effort to make these zines. “Hand-done drawings often illustrate the pages of zines” (Duncombe,106). Each zine is put together at a kitchen table and you can tell that someone did this by hand but that is what makes it so special. If the pictures in the zine are not done by the author they are being borrowed from another artist that inspired the author and they wanted to share it (Duncombe 106). To the people who write zines it is not work, it is their love. They love being able to express themselves and share their thought, ideas and creativity with the world.
I loved reading Duncombe’s book! I thought I was cool how all the people that felt like they did not fit in found a place to be able to express themselves. They felt like their voices were being heard. I agree with everything he said. I love when he talked about how money is basically what everyone is looking for. That zines are different though they are made because they people who make them truly love doing it. They are not doing it because they must or they want to make money. I really enjoyed reading the book and would love to be able to read a zine one day in my life.