The Fanzine Thread

[Uros Predic]

I finally pulled down the big box in the attic, that has all my fanzines... and I now have the decision to make. I have around 120 fanzines from the 1980's (not counting all my WSC's as a fanzine - as I have every issue from year 1 to 2008). I have 20 unique Issue #1's pictured below and around 10 unique Issue # 2's. I would say that in total around 60 of them are just the one issue I have.of that fanzine name.

I checked Ebay and aside from the fact that I am Stateside - postage is a bear - fanzines aren't a big/popular seller. I could easily drop them off at recycling and in about 5 weeks I reckon,I will forget about them and stop pining for them. I could slide them into pockets in a binder and sit them on a shelf exactly at the time (now) when I am downsizing. Or, and I need advice here, I could scan the lot (meaning, un-staple them and get rid after scanning) and upload to the web. I had thought of a Fanzine Archive site (perhaps using WordPress - as I am no web developer) where people could see these fanzines in all their digital glory. Maybe others would scan their old copies and add to the history? You think there would be any legal issues here? Of course I would not be scanning any WSC's.. So what sage advice does any have ?

PXL_20230311_153938522.jpg PXL_20230311_153847241.MP.jpg PXL_20230311_154012467.MP.jpg PXL_20230311_153908312.MP.jpg

There are a few dedicated fanzine libraries in the UK that i've sent copies of popular STAND to over the years, but they tend to be much more interested in general (and more typically music) fanzines. Given the age of these the National Football Museum would probably be interested in them; very much worth getting in touch with them about it to ask the question. Similarly if you've any from Welsh Clubs the new Welsh Football Museum they're building in Wrexham would, I'm sure, very much be interested.

[colchestersid]

Back in the 80's I collected fanzines - I had around 2,000 or so at one time (including all but a couple of those shown above). In purely financial terms it was the one collection I ever started which ended up being close to worthless - none of them had any value and even 30 years on there still isn't any market for them. I'm afraid most of them went to recycling - I just kept a few which covered the WSC trip to Albania in 1989

[Fearful Symmetry]

Sounds like North Ferriby's View From the Allotment End may be going to cease in its printed form. Next (and potentially last) issue available to order now.

Having just discovered this thread I'm glad to say that VFTAE is still alive and kicking, and I've had the pleasure of contributing articles to the last couple of issues. New issue due out in a few weeks.

[danielmak]

No one here (in my town) is interested in UK fanzines - I work at a University..... and I have contacted quite a few other local Uni libraries. Plus they are not complete collections.

I can't make sense of university libraries even though I have worked for universities since 2001. I think most don't know how to make sense of fanzines. Also, even though they seem to have more library space than ever since so much stuff has been digitized, they act like they don't have any space.

With that said, I would recommend two moves: (1) If you have the time to scan the less-known zines, you should do that. People will be excited. (2) If you can't find a local university library that has a special collections and archives that would want the zines, send them to me. My university has a collection focused on zines. As PT noted above, he sent me his dad's collection and they are now part of my university's zine collection. The librarian I deal with has become pickier about things but only about me sending her zines that she claims are available in other nearby institutions. She has a large landmass guiding her definition of nearby but almost all of those zines are music zines like Maximum Rocknroll and Razorcake. What you list above, would not be a problem. But you can also contact some other archives and see if there is an archive more dedicated to football zines.

Anyway, if you want to send me stuff, just PM me and we can work it out, including a plan if my librarian raises a stink.

[Patrick Thistle]

danielmak the guy who was the driving force of the main Shrewsbury fanzine for many years died recently. A few weeks before he passed away I was able to tell him that almost every copy of Blue and Amber was in an archive near Chicago. He was a bit taken aback and very happy to hear it.

[danielmak]

danielmak the guy who was the driving force of the main Shrewsbury fanzine for many years died recently. A few weeks before he passed away I was able to tell him that almost every copy of Blue and Amber was in an archive near Chicago. He was a bit taken aback and very happy to hear it.

Sad news but really cool that he was happy about the zines being in an archive.

[Exiled off Main Street]

Back in the 80's I collected fanzines - I had around 2,000 or so at one time (including all but a couple of those shown above).

Well that puts my 120 in their place. I used to have so much stuff in the house, collections of magazines, programmes, cards and on and on...slowly got/getting rid, moving on. I still have 25 yrs of WSC's which I have to get rid of. I got rid of 15yrs of 4-4-2 - recycled. Multiple years of (the new) Goal & other football magazines - recycled. Loads of Baseball collector magazines, although I scanned all those before recycling. Still have 20yrs of Baseball America 1986-2006 all in BA binders and on and on...At least this stuff is tucked away and I know that my 'hoarding' is not enough to cause a lifestyle problem, just a fire hazard :-)

[Exiled off Main Street]

With that said, I would recommend two moves: (1) If you have the time to scan the less-known zines, you should do that. People will be excited. (2) If you can't find a local university library that has a special collections and archives that would want the zines, send them to me.

Given the paucity of this collection, I will scan and upload in case someone happens to be looking for a particular named 'zine. I haven't come across a collection on-line from a University or other institution that can be viewed? Maybe my search terms aren't clever enough. Is your Uni collection available for viewing on-line?

[HeavyDracula]

There's this once you're done scanning: https://twitter.com/zinepavilion/sta...25713937293312

[Cousin Boneless]

We used to have Twist n Shout. The seller used to say Twist n Shout. Only a quid! And yet badges!

[MrLeam]

A lot of really great music writers progressed from fanzines to mainstream magazines. Has the same happened with football to the same extent? Probably not.

Yeah, I'd guess not to the same extent. Alan Pattullo used to do Dundee fanzine "It's half past four, and we're 2-0 down", Jim Spence was involved in "The Final Hurdle" for the other Dundee team. They never made their names writing about football, but Chris Brookmyre's first pieces about criminal defences were when he wrote about St Mirren in Scottish fanzine "The Absolute Game", Phil Jupitus used to write in a West Ham fanzine, and Pete Doherty of The Libertines was involved in a QPR zine.

There must be a few others at least.

[danielmak]

Given the paucity of this collection, I will scan and upload in case someone happens to be looking for a particular named 'zine. I haven't come across a collection on-line from a University or other institution that can be viewed? Maybe my search terms aren't clever enough. Is your Uni collection available for viewing on-line?

Public viewing is a problem when housing materials in a university collection because universities are hyper-concerned about fair use and copyright, as they should be. But my sense is that most universities put very little on-line even when the materials have been dedicated to the creator(s). I know that a lot of punks who made zines struggle with donating to a zine library that is ground up and likely to disappear in short order versus donating to a university where things are handled with gloves and can only be accessed by appointment.

The New York Public Library is another option. Unfortuantely, the woman who put that collection together is no longer there and the woman who oversees it now isn't connected to the zine world. PM me if that is an option for you and I can send you her name and a phone number (she isn't responsive to email). They won't scan and put stuff on their website either but as a public library, there is more access to more people.

[Fearful Symmetry]

Yeah, I'd guess not to the same extent. Alan Pattullo used to do Dundee fanzine "It's half past four, and we're 2-0 down", Jim Spence was involved in "The Final Hurdle" for the other Dundee team. They never made their names writing about football, but Chris Brookmyre's first pieces about criminal defences were when he wrote about St Mirren in Scottish fanzine "The Absolute Game", Phil Jupitus used to write in a West Ham fanzine, and Pete Doherty of The Libertines was involved in a QPR zine.

There must be a few others at least.

Doherty's fanzine 'All Quiet On The Western Avenue' submitted articles for the 'Survival Of The Fattest' compilation books in the 90s, and it appears that drugs probably played a part in his creative process even then. He did brand Mark Hateley a 'baboon wanker tart' though, a sentiment I echoed quite loudly towards the end of his time at Hull City.

[JoeysToe]

Doherty's fanzine 'All Quiet On The Western Avenue' submitted articles for the 'Survival Of The Fattest' compilation books in the 90s, and it appears that drugs probably played a part in his creative process even then. He did brand Mark Hateley a 'baboon wanker tart' though, a sentiment I echoed quite loudly towards the end of his time at Hull City.

I've just pulled out Survival of the Fattest 5 ('98-99) and disappointingly there's no sign of Pete Doherty or even All Quiet on the Western Avenue. Presumably he'd moved on to better things and worse drugs by then.

[elguapo4]

When I co-edited the Bohemian fc fanzine " The Dalymount Roar " we received a letter from a 14 year old asking could he contribute. He grew up to be Aidan Fitzmaurice, chief soccer writer with the Irish Independent and Herald

[Nesta]

Did you tell him to get lost

[JoeysToe]

Actually I think I could've written far better fanzine articles when I was 14-15 than I could now. That was certainly the age I was most knowledgeable and obsessive about Oxford United.

Like Pete, shortly after I became obsessed with drugs and music instead, although thankfully not to the same degree he did.

My futbology stats back this up. I didn't attend a single match between December 2002 (aged 17) and March 2006 (aged 20). I'm quite shocked at this.

[George C.]

When I co-edited the Bohemian fc fanzine " The Dalymount Roar " we received a letter from a 14 year old asking could he contribute. He grew up to be Aidan Fitzmaurice, chief soccer writer with the Irish Independent and Herald

I'm sure we'd have a small number of mutual acquaintances...

[elguapo4]

Did you tell him to get lost

Are you joking me? He was our best writer by a mile.

[Botswana Meat Commission]

A Kick Up The R’s was on sale on South Africa Road on Saturday. I didn’t buy but it looked pretty impressive (glossy cover, it looked thick).

[Sunderporinostesta]

Jonno Wilson used to write for and sell outside of away grounds the main Sunderland one A Love Supreme as a young lad apparently. Its owner runs coaches to away games, sells Sunderland related t shirts, has a cafe etc etc. Its an actual business now which he lives off which rather killed its fanzine ness for me. Young lads could get free away game travel on the coaches if they sold the fanzine outside of away grounds.

[Uros Predic]

...the main Sunderland one A Love Supreme... Its owner runs coaches to away games, sells Sunderland related t shirts, has a cafe etc etc. Its an actual business now which he lives off which rather killed its fanzine ness for me.

Yeah I was particularly irked about this when they beat us to win Fanzine of the Year a couple of years ago. I didn't expect us to win the award, but losing to what is effectively a company felt somewhat against the ethos of what a 'zine should be.

[Exiled off Main Street]

So here we go, first 3 issues now ready for reading or downloading. Feel free to lambast ant grammatical typos.

[ale]

Yeah I was particularly irked about this when they beat us to win Fanzine of the Year a couple of years ago. I didn't expect us to win the award, but losing to what is effectively a company felt somewhat against the ethos of what a 'zine should be.

Not sure about this or the preceding post from the mackem porn poster (smiley winky thing). WSC does all the distractions from zine purity mentioned-though mebbe not the cafe bit. But have certainly done the coach trips. And the T Shirts. The lads who started The Mag fanzine eventually opened a fine football related emporium in the shadow of SJP which has massive appeal to fans outside of a black & white persuasion. That fans could get to away games for free by standing outside the stadium selling fanzines to the converted doesnt seem a bad deal either.

[Sunderporinostesta]

Not sure about this or the preceding post from the mackem porn poster (smiley winky thing). WSC does all the distractions from zine purity mentioned-though mebbe not the cafe bit. But have certainly done the coach trips. And the T Shirts. The lads who started The Mag fanzine eventually opened a fine football related emporium in the shadow of SJP which has massive appeal to fans outside of a black & white persuasion. That fans could get to away games for free by standing outside the stadium selling fanzines to the converted doesnt seem a bad deal either.

You're probably pro ALS's printing of Peter Reids "Monkey Heed" t-shirts back in the day. Brought on by his refusal to do interviews with them. Im no Reid disciple but mockingsomeones physical appearance isn't a good look. It cost them a lot more than my occasional cash injections.