Volume Number OneIssue Number Two

May 2012

ISSUE # 2: All photographs by Liam Golding unless otherwise noted.

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WELCOMEto the second issue of Some Direxion. Instead of glorifying the art of surf-board manufacture, this issue focuses on the powerful graphic language that originated with the punk movement in the late 1970s. I must mention that I use an “academic framework” to unveil my ar-guments as this is a final project in a graduate seminar. So, take all of this as you wish.

The “cut and paste” style which is now so familiar has endured because of its unique and powerful aesthetic. It birthed a D.I.Y assault on the human senses. Too dramatic? Maybe. But af-ter 35+ years of tradition it is impos-sible to deny its influence. The follow-ing pages are filled with photographs of zines, flyers and records that are ex-amples of this design. It is a celebra-tion of raw and beautiful creativity.

While both fun and intriguing to the eyes, the content of the text itself is

also part of the assault. Defining “punk” as a whole is an all-too-tired argument these days. On the other hand, its design aesthetic clearly contributes to three things I find vital to this sub-culture: an alternative community from the mainstream, a dismantling of tradi-tional conservative values, and opportu-nities for fierce individualism and self-definition.

I realize the ironies of showcasing such a chaotic design style within a decently organized digital zine. Maybe my publi-cation fails to enforce a distaste for professionalism and an embrace of ama-teurism. Maybe it succeeds. That is entirely up to you. Whether or not you enjoy this style, one thing is for cer-tain: it will continute for another 35+ years. I hope you can at least appreci-ate that.

- L.G.

THE DESIGN AESTHETICS:FORGING AN ALTERNATIVE

COMMUNITY FROM THE MAINSTREAM

To begin with the analyis, read this strong state-ment from Teal Triggs: “Fanzines demonstrate how much resistance was defined by the graphic lan-guage, which had emerged not only from a punk ‘do-it-yourself’ ethos, but also from the use of sym-bols, photographic images, typefaces and the way in which they were laid out. It is as much the graphic language that differentiated fanzines from the mainstream as the content of these publica-tions.”[6]

Photo: 3AM Magazine Photo: Paper Rocket Comics

“Sniffin’ Glue was not so much badly written as barely written; grammar was non-existent, layout was haphazard, headlines were usually just written in felt tip, swearwords were often used in lieu of a reasoned argument. . .all of which gave Sniffin’ Glue its urgency and relevance.”[4]

Sniffin’ Glue was a monthly zine started in 1976 by Mark Perry in the U.K. that lasted one year. It clearly pioneered the D.I.Y ethic as well as doc-umented the early British scene. Two U.S. zines that followed in Perry’s footsteps were Search & Destroy and Flipside. Both started in San Francisco and Los Angeles, respectively, to cover the American scene closer.[7] [8]

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Photo: Flipsidefanzine.com

WITH NEW LENSES:DISMANTLING TRADITIONAL

CONSERVATIVE VALUESStephen Duncombe asserts in Notes from the Under-ground: Zines and the Politics of Alternative Cul-ture, “The aesthetic form that the medium assumes is a great part of the political message of zines. Commercial media (like much high art) are profes-sional: slick, polished, seamless.”[2]

As a result, the disruptive form of punk zines “can disrupt the authorized codes through which the social world is organized and experienced.” The entire point of the design is to challenge the status quo and traditional conservative values. Musician Guy Picciotto reinforces this thought and more: “The whole concept of punk was something that was against whatever seemed normal or whatev-er seemed kind of handed down. To me the basic te-nets of punk have always been: no set of rules, no set of expectations, and that it always challenges the status quo.”[3]

Therefore, when those ideas are applied to zines, flyers, and records the phsyical mediums are part of the subversive message.

“The very act of putting out a zine, doing-cul-ture-yourself, generates ‘a stream of fresh and free thought’ over stock consumerist ‘notions and habits’ of one’s relation to culture and commodo-ties.”[2]

Change is a Sound by Strike Anywhere, 12”

Iron Front by Strike Anywhere, 7”

2 Songs by Q And Not U, 7”

NOT WITHOUT CONTROVERSY:MAXIMUM ROCKNROLL

Maximum Rocknroll is a monthly, not-for-profit zine based in San Francisco, CA with very wide distri-bution. It also has a large all-volunteer staff. It is a bible to some and absolutely useless to others. That is not the point, however. What is crucial to understand is that a not-for-profit zine that regularly features disruptive content has been able to sustain for over thirty years. It also sustains in mainstream outlets. For instance, the latest issue of MRR is in the Barnes & Noble off Union Square... not without controversy of course.

Stephen Burt claims, “Musical subcultures - like the zines that often chronicle them - depend on being alternatives to some kind of mainstream. But that doesn’t mean they must define themselves only, or even mainly, by their opposition to the main-stream .”[1]

While Stephen’s argument has some merit, he is off the mark. The scenes chronicled in MRR exist be-cause those participants are in natural opposi-tion to the mainstream. They might not exert op-positional energy at all times of the day, but the overall goal is to develop new communities. To escape stagnation.

Photos: Maximumrocknroll.com

REGRESS, NO WAY!:FIERCE INDIVIDUALISM &

SELF-DEFINITION

Cuban Ballerina by Dead To Me, 12”

The last sentence of Mary Montgomery Wolf’s doctor-al dissertation that enormously examines punk culture is: “Punks came together in an inherently unstable community celebrating individualism.”[5] They did then and they do now. This celebration of individualism is so evident through the haphazard graphic language. One thing this genre has been extremely sucessful with is individual empowerment.

The tension between individualism and community is a long-standing debate and not to be discarded, yet the graphic language and D.I.Y. ethic offers a chance for complete artistic control. Ultimately, this should be empowering. Since punk music is (generally) sim-ple sonically, it can be rendered as adolescent or unintelligent. On the contrary, it provides chances for constructive views of the world, which is why the design and content is so vital.

In accordance and conclusion, Kevin Dunn argues: “Perhaps most importantly, it should be recognised that politics, power, and resistance have distinct aesthetics, and often those aesthetics have political import.”[3] Indeed, Kevin. “I see, but I can’t fit the mold / Or do as I am told / And if we are so free / I’ll do what’s right for me / Regress, no way!” - “Regress No Way” by 7 Seconds Walk Together, Rock Together

Cuban Ballerina by Dead To Me, 12”

Little Brother by Dead To Me, 12”

REFERENCES:

1. Burt, Stephen. “Amateurs.” Transition 77 (1998): 148-71. JSTOR. Indiana University Press. Web.

2. Duncombe, Stephen. Notes from Underground: Zines and the Politics of Alternative Culture. Bloomington, IN: Microcosm, 2008. Print.

3. Dunn, Kevin C. “Never Mind the Bollocks: The Punk Rock Politics of Global Communication.” Review of International Studies 34 (2008): 193-210. Web. 4. Fletcher, Tony. “IJamming! Book Review: Sniffin’ Glue - The Essential Punk Accessory.” 2001. Web.

5. Montgomery Wolf, Mary. ““We Accept You, One of Us?”: Punk Rock, Community, and Individualism in an Uncertain Era, 1974-1985.” Diss. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2007. Web.

6. Triggs, Teal. “Scissors and Glue: Punk Fanzines and the Creation of a DIY Aesthetic.” Journal of Design History 19.1 (2006): 69-83. JSTOR. Oxford University Press. Web.

7. Turcotte, Bryan Ray, and Christopher T. Miller. Fucked Up + Photocopied: Instant Art of the Punk Rock Movement. Corte Madera, Calif: Gingko Press, 1999. Print.

8. Turcotte, Bryan Ray, and Christopher T. Miller. Punk Is Dead: Punk Is Everything! Corte Madera, CA: Gingko, 2002. Print.