How many have YOU read?

It's Banned Books Week. Celebrate by re-reading "Where Did I Come From?"

[Side note: Why yes, I am trying to get a free ride to John Ashcroft's Internment Camp for Mouthy Liberals.]  ¶ 11:01 AM 0 comments

  The Who $ell Out, indeed.

While I fully realize that this is supposed to be a zine-centric blog, I’ve also been using it as a place to scribble down an observation or three, things that wouldn’t stay fresh until the next print issue of the zine.

And here is today’s observation. Well, a question actually:

How much money does Pete Townshend need, anyway?

And I’m not even referring to resuming the Who tour less than a week after John Entwistle’s death, because that is too crass for words.

Last night, I was all curled up in my comfy chair, watching the beginning of CSI: Miami. Two guys fishing. Plane crash. David Caruso overacting. Kim Delaney’s huge breasts. A question crosses my mind:

Hmmm, I wonder what they are going to use as theme music? Wouldn’t it be hysterically funny if they used a Jan Hammer composition, as an homage to Miami Vice?

Cut to credits. Hear me scream as I hear the first notes.

“Won’t Get Fooled Again”?!? Specifically, one line of “Won’t Get Fooled Again”?!?

And I thought using “Who Are You” was cheesy for the original, Las Vegas based CSI. Not to mention the Overture from “Tommy” for allergy medication. And “Bargain” for Nissan Sentras. What’s next? “Pictures of Lilly” for porn videos? “Behind Blue Eyes” for contact lenses? “Magic Bus” for Greyhound? It’s one thing to lend your song to a movie – for example, “A Quick One (While He’s Away)” fit in very well for the revenge scenes in Rushmore, and even “Baba O’Riley” worked well in Summer of Sam – but to hear Pete & Co. every station break is pushing it.

The thing is, I like The Who. A lot. Out of all the usual suspects in the oeuvre colloquially known as “classic rock,” The Who is one of the bands I really enjoy. (Actually, I don’t think this is an odd phenomenon – lots of punk rockers I knew also appreciated The Who.) I even saw their second “farewell” tour (ha!) in 1989.

But, give it up already. Stop whoring, stop touring.

[As far as the actual show, a little overacted. It should mellow nicely with age, hopefully. Although I must say that if it’s Miami – and actually last night’s ep was in the Everglades – shouldn’t people be sweating more? And exactly how many alligator shots are they going to use each week? And, I must agree with some of the posters on the Television Without Pity boards – Caruso is either going commando or wearing the world’s thinnest boxer shorts.]   ¶ 10:43 AM 0 comments

  Media Democracy Day is October 18th

There is a Web site containing much more information about the Media Democracy Day I mentioned previously. This day of action is actually a Canadian-based movement, and there are protests and events planned for the Toronto and Vancouver metro areas. Use this site to gather ideas about what you can do in your community to fight the Big Seven media monsters.  ¶ 4:20 PM 0 comments

  Ad Free!

I upgraded to Blog*Spot Ad-Free this weekend, so you should no longer see that nasty banner ad at the top of the screen.

Initial distribution of Low Hug #8 has been completed. While I may bitch about postage prices, the United States still has the lowest postage rates in the world.   ¶ 11:13 AM 0 comments

  Bah F---ing Humbug

Not zine related, but I just want to note that I received my first catalog for "Christmas 2002" from everyone's favorite Maine retailer on Wednesday. Wednesday was September 17th. Again, let me say September seventeenth. A full three months before December 25th. Is it any wonder I've given up on the winter holidays?

Well, if the retailers can start, so can I. Participate in Buy Nothing Day on November 29th, the day after Thanksgiving and what used to be the traditional beginning of the holiday shopping season.   ¶ 8:58 PM 0 comments

  Bienvenue to our benevolent neighbors to the North!

Broken Pencil has posted the schedule for Canzine 2002, October 6th at The Big Bop.

Plus, starting this Saturday, It's Hockey Night In Canada!


  ¶ 2:02 PM 0 comments

  Exhuming McCarthy?

While writing letters and stuffing envelopes with the new issue of Low Hug last night, I realized that this is the fourth zine I’ve produced in the year 2002. I completed two issues of Low Hug (#7 and #8), plus the one-shots Laundry Basket and Speaking Phairly Revisited. It is a wonderful feeling, not just producing your own work, but realizing that in some small way you are helping to fight the corporate control of mainstream media. However, it seems that doing anything media-related outside of the mainstream today, no matter how slight, may bring you unwanted attention.

And now, let me drag out the soapbox.

The Ad Council recently began running a campaign of public service announcements called The Campaign for Freedom. Some of these PSAs are better than others, however, I was struck by how actually daring two of the spots are: "Library" and "Arrest." To summarize, the “Library” PSA shows a patron being hauled away after requesting books which have been pulled from the shelves; and "Arrest" shows a publisher being hassled and arrested by the cops after they find (what I assume to be) an independent newspaper under the back seat of his car. I feel these two PSAs actually have some bite to them, and hopefully, they will make the average American re-think the Patriot Act.

And, of course, I can’t help but think about the three medical students – Ayman Gheith, Kambiz Butt, and Omer Choudhary – whose lives are basically ruined because of a misheard, misunderstood conversation in a Georgia diner. At worst, I’ve been inconvenienced at airports because I tend to use my passport as identification – which is actually a more official document than a state-issued drivers license – and get dinged by security. I can not fathom having people stare accusingly at you whenever you walk into a public place. Should I be concerned because I have a Post Office Box for the zine? Do people with PO Boxes raise more suspicion? Do I get squirrelly and nervous if I see that there are people who may be of Muslim heritage on a flight I’m on? Honestly, no. Just stepping outside your door everyday is taking a chance. I am honestly more concerned about the how the plane actually stays up in the air. The whole concept of flying really freaks me out if I think too much about it. It’s just something humans are not supposed to be able to do. Then again, I get freaked out when I watch ice skating and other sports that involve hurling the body through space.

I urge you to read this article by Alisa Solomon, "Things We Lost In the Fire", for an idea of exactly how far-reaching the USA-PATRIOT Act is. Be disturbed. Be very disturbed.

  ¶ 12:19 PM 0 comments

  My shoulder hurts. But it's all worth it.

After Six+ months, countless hours, 3456 pages collated and folded, and 430 staples, LOW HUG #8 is READY!!! It’s the largest issue to date! And it’s even got spot color!

Contents:

• Spiral Scratches: Ruminations on Closing Album Tracks. Low Hug writers write about their favorite closing album tracks, why they cap off the album so perfectly, and what those songs mean to them. Full range of songs, from Metallica to Jackson Browne to Big Star. A great compilation.


• The Importance of Being Enid: The Ghost World Triptych. An examination of the comic, film, and screenplay of Dan Clowes’ Ghost World and how they interrelate to each other. What was lost in the transition to film, what was gained?


• UPC 2002 Report. A travelogue and report from the Underground Publishing Conference held in Bowling Green, OH, June 2002.


• Missing Socks! Laundry stories inspired by the “Laundry Basket” zine.


• Ozzfest 2002 Report. Travelogue and review from Holmdel, NJ.


• Plus tons of comic and zine reviews, and all-around top-notch writing and design (if I do say so myself!).

Issue #8 is digest-sized and 60 hefty pages. It is available for $3 cash. I regret that I cannot do any new trades at this time, since this was a very expensive issue to photocopy and mail.

To order, send well-wrapped cash to: A.j. Michel, PO Box 2574, Champaign, IL 61825. Questions, e-mail Low Hug HQ.  ¶ 7:28 PM 0 comments

  Huh, huh, she said "bone"

Production work on Low Hug #8 continues. One more set of pages remains to have spot color added. Then it's more collating, folding, and stapling. But, instead of using the back of a plastic spoon to make a nice crease in the pages, I bought a bone folder at the art store today. Huh, huh. It's an eight inch bone, huh huh.

Sorry, my inner Beavis took over there for a second.

Are you keeping up with the Reclaim the Media protests in Seattle? You can read reports about it at Mediageek, the Seattle IMC, and the Mosquito Fleet. There is also a national day of action against corporate media on October 18th, more information to come.

  ¶ 9:23 PM 0 comments

  Damnit.

What's creepy is that I was humming "Poor, Poor Pitiful Me" a few days ago. Crap.  ¶ 3:21 PM 0 comments

  It's Here!

Well, here but not not completely done yet. I picked up the heavy box of photocopies of Low Hug #8 and they look wonderful! Of course, I have to torture myself by adding spot color to 8 of the pages. Whee! Hopefully by next week, everything will be assembled and I can begin distribution. I need to find a friend with a large table to spread out on so I can collate without straining my back.  ¶ 8:21 PM 0 comments

  I wish I had written this book

It's not fair that Sarah Vowell gets to lead such a cool life, writing books, articles, and doing commentary for This American Life. Here's a review of her new book, The Partly Cloudy Patriot. Yes, another tome I wish I had penned.

My self-imposed "media blackout" is a little harder than I thought it would be. I didn't expect my clock radio to be playing a kiddie version of that "Proud to Be An American" song when it went off this morning. NPR was doing live coverage from New York. I took a quick flip through the channels to see what was on. MTV was doing their part by having a September 11 logo on the corner of the screen while playing a rump-shakin' hip-hop video. Why couldn't they just pick one or the other? Either show videos with no S11 logo, or go dark for the day. Food TV and HGTV were in self-imposed blackouts until 10:30AM. Flip flip filp. News news news. TV Land. Cartoon Network. One run through, and then I turned it off.

Walking to work today I had to avoid middle-aged Gideon men on every corner handing out New Testaments. I actually cut through parking lots in an effort to avoid them. That's just such an uncomfortable position to be in. If you take the NT to be polite, they try to talk to you, and if you don't, you look like a heathen.

The new issue of Low Hug will be ready for pickup after work. I plan to immerse myself in creative work tonight.

  ¶ 11:22 AM 0 comments

  Nab the NAB!

As counter-action to the National Association of Broadcasters conference in Seattle this week, Reclaim the Media is holding workshops, protests, demonstrations, and other performances across from the convention hall. Mediageek will have coverage of the events on his radio show and web site.The schedule posted on the site looks pretty amazing, I wish I could have gone.

Instead, I will (hopefully) be picking up a box of Low Hug from the copy center, ready to be spot colored, collated, folded and stapled. Tomorrow, I am pretty much planning a media blackout for myself. Yes, I will listen to NPR, CBC, and BCC radio programming, but I'm going to avoid turning on the television or reading the news on the Web. I can only imagine some of the levels the news channels (especially Fox News) will sink to tomorrow. I find it rather nauseating that Fox News returned the flapping American flag behind its screen logo bug just a few weeks ago, as in preparation for the anniversary of the day. However, if you do want to watch anything, Arron Barnhart of TV Barn has a good overview.  ¶ 9:57 PM 0 comments

  I wish I had written this essay

I touch on this subject a little bit in my editor's letter in the new Low Hug (which I hope is being lovingly photocopied as I write this), but this article by Heather Havrilesky really expresses how disgusted I feel about the whole commodification of the terrorist attacks of last year. Although I've been trying to avoid linking to mainstream media sites, this essay is worth your time.
  ¶ 1:47 PM 0 comments

  Out of my hands

I dropped off LOW HUG #8 at the copy shop this morning. Keep your fingers crossed that all goes well. "I am tired, I am weary. I could sleep for a thousand years."  ¶ 10:00 AM 0 comments

  Off to the photocopier

I finished printing out the final pages of LOW HUG #8 this afternoon, while this played in the background. I can't believe that the new issue is 60 pages of content, plus covers. Tomorrow I will be taking it to my favorite copy store to get it duplicated, and then it's time to add spot color with the color printer, collate collate collate, fold fold fold, and staple staple staple. I always feel a little strange when I new issue is done. I know I should be jumping up and down excited, but I'm just so exhausted from looking at the same pages for months. However, the really good feeling comes after you've assembled them all, and they are sitting in stacks, just waiting to be read.

I'll post ordering information when it's complete.   ¶ 5:12 PM 0 comments

  Hey, good looking, I'll be back to pick YOU up later!

The thirty-minute informercials of today, while at times oddly compelling, will never have the same appeal of the 60-second blasts I remember from Ronco during my formative years. The Veg-O-Matic! The Record Vacuum! The Inside-the-Shell Egg Scrambler! Short little commercials that promised everything, and more! So, I'm especially pleased with the new book But, Wait! There's More! The Irresistible Appeal and Spiel of Ronco and Popeil, by Timothy Samuelson, a Ronco-products collector and historian. Full color, crammed with photos of the products and original advertisments, this book is a wonderfully designed tome. There's so many products that the Ronco company manufactured that I didn't know about. Chop-O-Matic, Dial-O-Matic, Mince-O-Matic, Corn-O-Matic, Peel-O-Matic! Or, how about the Popeil Brothers Beauty-Rite Plastic Plant Maker (circa 1957), so you could make your own plastic plants at home that never needed watering! There's never been anything like it! And don't forget the smokeless ashtrays, spray-on hair, Mr. Microphone, and the current product, the Showtime Rotisserie. It's just that simple!   ¶ 5:01 PM 0 comments

  'I' Before 'E' Except After 'C'

How are books and magazines published without errors? Can someone please explain that to me? I'm re-reading the proof pages of the next issue of Low Hug, the forthcoming #8, and I keep finding little errors. I've even had two ace proofreaders go over the pages. At some point, I know that I have to say "that's enough" and print out the final proofs and get the zine duplicated. And, of course as soon as I bring the pages back from the printer, I'll find an error. Grrr. However, I take comfort in the fact that Low Hug seems to have fewer errors than many zines out there. (Or at least I think so.)  ¶ 4:05 PM 0 comments

  Flashbacks to 'shifting paradigms'

As a survivor of two graduate programs, one being in cultural studies, is it any surprise that this may be my favorite Onion story of all time?  ¶ 12:26 PM 0 comments

  I Defy

Received a great zine today from my old stomping grounds. It is called I Defy, and I received issues 10 and 10.5. They are by a man named Casey, living in West Philadelphia, and were good reads. Issue #10 is a thick digest, and features a long essay about working at an after-school program for “at risk” youth. He writes:

In layperson’s terms, “at risk” meant these kids came from economically depressed and oppressed communities rife with all the anticipated ugly consequences of poverty and oppression: violence, drug abuse, crime.

These students were actually paid $3 an hour to attend these sessions; at times it was only the money that kept them showing up. There’s no warm, fuzzy ending to this story, like some Hollywood film. Casey was let go from the position at the non-profit organization for speaking his mind about how the program was going. It’s a great read.

Other features in the rather thick #10 include almost participating in a drug study for social anxiety medications, and social anxiety disorder in general. The article that interested me the most was “Examination of Penntrification,” or how the University of Pennsylvania is just swallowing up large neighborhoods of West Philadelphia with little respect for the long-time residents. [Note: For clarification, the University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn) is NOT a state school, but one of the Ivy League. Pennsylvania State University is the state school. For this reason, Penn students often wear clothing with the slogan “Penn NOT Penn State”.] This analysis interested me because I attended a much smaller school that butted up against Penn. Literally butted up against Penn. I’m still surprised Drexel hasn’t been swallowed up by them and been flattened into a parking lot. However, Penn prefers to expand West and South throughout Philadelphia, wiping out vibrant artistic, ethnic, and bohemian communities.

Issue #10.5 is a quarter sized, with shorter but still very well-written essays about random people, places, and events. Both are well worth your time. Send $3 to Casey, 1011 S. 48th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19143 to get these issues or information about his other projects; he’s currently working on three new zines.
  ¶ 6:21 PM 0 comments

  Unite!

A good Labor Day to all!

In zine-related topics, Davida Gypsy Breier has a zine column on the Atomic Books Web site. Check it out, and when in Balitmore, visit Atomic Books!  ¶ 12:15 PM 0 comments

  Reconsidering BUST

I used to be an avid reader of Bust Magazine in the mid to late 90s. I thought they were fun, whip-smart, and a great read. However, as they got larger circulation, I thought their quality began to decline. I was really upset when the first cigarette ads appeared on their back cover. I also thought that they were only becoming concerned with getting off - they were sort of becoming the Samantha (of Sex and the City) of alternative women's mags. I much prefered the more serious feminist writing found in Bitch Magazine. I figured that I'd let my Bust subscription run out and not renew. Then I didn't get any issues for a while, even though I had one left. It turns out that Bust hit hard economic times after the terrorist attacks of last year. They had been purchased by a larger company and were going to be monthly. Then the economy tanked and the deal fell through. The editors bought the rights to their name back and basically set up shop in their apartments again. I received the last issue of my subscription in the spring. It had Lili Taylor on the cover. I was quite impressed. I thought the writing was more focused, there were longer articles, and it seemed much less silly. In addition, there were now regular features from some of my favorite zine editors: Al Hoff and Lynn Peril. I re-subscribed.

The Summer issue was the Motherhood issue. I saw it on the newsstands, and figured I wouldn't get it in the mail because I had recently sent in the resubscription. So I bought it. And a copy turned up in my mailbox anyway! Although the topic of motherhood doesn't interest me much, it was a good read.

Yesterday, the Fall 2002 issue showed up - the Sex issue with Beck on the cover. Yes, it's a little raunchy, but much better than their previous Sex issues. What can I say? I'm glad Bust is back,with a renewed focus. Check it out.  ¶ 6:50 PM 0 comments

  Well, it used to be that "... they couldn't prevent Mac from being happy..."

Even though I'm a PC user, I still have a soft spot for Macintosh, probably because it was my very first 'real' computer. Yes, I did have a TI99-4A, but never really got far with it. My first Mac was a Macintosh SE with a 20MB HD, 1MB of screaming RAM, and a floppy drive, back in 1988. Over the years, at various times, I used a Macintosh IIsi and a Powerbook 160. Like many people, I swtiched to PC when Mac priced themselves out of the market in the late 1990s. I've thought about going back to Mac, but never seriously considered it.

And now that they've buried the Happy Mac Icon that used to greet users upon startup, I don't think I ever will. With the introduction of their new OS, Jaguar, Apple has replaced Happy Mac with an Apple logo in shades of grey. Feh.

(Apologies to The Who for the bastardization of "Happy Jack.")
  ¶ 4:13 PM 0 comments

  CALL FOR ENTRIES
12 Items or Less: A Grocery Shopping Zine

Currently seeking stories, ruminations, tales, and essays about grocery shopping for "12 Items or Less,” a new comp zine from Low Hug Productions. This will be the second publication in the “Low Hug Life Maintenance Series.”

Did you fall in love in front the deli counter? Ever drop a jumbo sized jar of tomato sauce in the middle of the aisle? Do you just love the endless rows of products? Do you get excited by package design? Have you ever purchased “potted meat” as a gift? Do you do all your shopping at 3AM not only to avoid crowds, but to observe who else is shopping at 3AM? Do you visit grocery stores in other cities you are visiting? Want to clue us in on unique food shopping experiences around the world? What was your favorite grocery store or food market to shop at, ever?

Guidelines: 500 words maximum. Comics will be accepted, but keep in mind the finished product will be square-sized, that is, 5.5 x 5.5 inches.

Submission Deadline: November 15, 2002

Submit to: Send your submissions via e-mail to lowhug@yahoo.com or regular mail to A.j. Michel, PO Box 2574, Champaign, IL 61825

Compensation: Like crime, Low Hug Productions doesn’t pay. You will receive a copy of the zine.
  ¶ 1:17 PM 0 comments

  Zine Love

Warm wishes to that Plotzgrrl, Barbara and media critic Douglas, who were married this weekend.   ¶ 5:06 PM 0 comments

  Mmmm, mail.

I realize that I never actually said where I have been the past week or so in the blog. I was in The City That Loves You Back (In Indecent and Sleazy Ways) visiting friends and having a fantastic time. Then again, the audience for this blog (so far) consists mainly of the people I saw this weekend anyway, and a few others who already knew where I was going. I stuffed myself with Tastykakes, ice tea and coffee from Wawa, and an honest to goodness hoagie. I caught up on a few movies as well, Spy Kids 2 and Blue Crush. The more I see of Robert Rodriguez's work, the more I love it. And, the surfing chick movie was actually really fun - the aquacinematography was awesome.

About the only fun thing about returning from a trip is picking up the mail. Well, I think it’s fun, then again, I started doing a zine because I liked getting mail. When I opened the PO Box, I was greeted with a key, meaning I had too much mail to fit in the little box. I had to go to a locker to retrieve it. I was rewarded with a stack of lovely manila envelopes in various shapes and sizes. Oh, there’s my order from Five Minute Romance Distro. And something from Carrie McN. And Here Be Dragons, Polka Scene Zine, and Breakfast Served All Day. I don’t know what to open first! And, I’m forcing myself to unpack my dirty clothes before I open any of them.

I live in a Big Ten university town. Classes begin tomorrow. Move in weekend was this past weekend, which I thankfully avoided. The traffic is a nightmare. Oh, and to add to the problem, Da Bears are playing in town this season because the city of Chicago is renovating Soldier Field. So, we have an obscene amount of extra traffic in a town not really built for it.

I won’t even mention the skinny, skinny co-eds returning from the posh Chicago suburbs and their Abbercrappie-logoed clothing. And their brand new GMC Envoys. Grrr. Instead I’ll just comfort myself with my mail and working on the next issue of Low Hug. After seeing some of the Low Hug writers this weekend (one of them for the first time in almost three years!), I am quite energized to get this next issue out and go to Canzine in October.
  ¶ 3:50 PM 0 comments

  Garden State

Today was a long (but fun) day. It began with a diner breakfast in my surrogate home state. Breakfast, especially when it's not cold cereal, is my favorite meal. Mmm, eggs. Home fries. We went out to the Princeton Record Exchange where I crawled around the floor and pillaged the buck bins, looking for albums that I only wanted for a song or two. So now I finally have a copy of Silk Degrees. I could have spent hours down on the floor in the buck bins, but they put them under the "regular" record bins, so people kept stepping on me. As per usual, the place was filled with male record collectors, at least those scouring the vinyl bins. The only other women I saw were the ones carrying the records for their boyfriends. Then we had another Low Hug staff meeting, this time over homemade Indian food. The issue is coming together. I'm thinking about adding another four pages, just to expand and play with the layout a bit. I'm not quite sure what to do, but I have to decide soon. And we watched Anna, Anna, glamourous Anna, Anna Nicole - You're so outrageous! I think that I might be the only one twisted enough to really enjoy the badness of it all. Tonight she went to the dentist to get 20 (!) crowns replaced, and then to Six Flags. She did hump a few beds, as well.   ¶ 11:03 PM 0 comments