dashit! mailbag
Yikes! I was hoping for feedback from issue #1, but I never expcected the negative vibes I got. It seems
that a lot of people feel very strongly that if I’m going to call this a D.I.Y. zine, there are certain things that
should be left out. A real D.I.Y. zine shouldn’t review albums released on major labels. A real D.I.Y. zine
shoulding advertise a major chain of music stores. A real D.I.Y. zine should use more space for activism,
anarchism, anti-oppression, and anti-hate, and less space for video game reviews and mindless humour.
Call me crazy, but to me, that sounds like reverse censorship. In an effort to clarify, I shall explain what I
feel D.I.Y. means. Local independant bands are unsatisfied with the music that’s out there, so they make
their own music. Do It Yourself. Kids are sick of the adults in power not paying attention to their causes, so
they make their own fights for these causes. Do It Yourself. People feel that the existing publications are
full of shit, so they publish their own zine. Do It Yourself. See a pattern? At one time, I wrote a demo review
column for the Buzz. At the time, the Buzz was the coolest zine available in my little world. These days, it
seems way too mainstream and commercial (as discussed in the Pope’s slam, from the pre-release issue
#0). On the other hand, the D.I.Y. zines, such as Disgrusted and Hideous Project, are great featuring topics
other publications won’t discuss, openly and honestly, but they seem rather heavy to me. That is, it’s all
about issues and rants and “Fight the Power”. Yes, these things are extremely important, but am I the only
one who sometimes switches the news off to watch the comedy network? I need to deal with important
issues, but still have something totally mundane and firvolous to smile about.
As for the more specific complaints... I am not going to tell my writers what they can and can’t write, for
whatever reason. Josh Hogan (Listening Booth) writes about his thoughts on the music he listens to. What
label a band is on doesn’t, and shouldn’t, affect what happens in his brain when the music penetrates his
ears. EMI’s financial involvement in arms manufacturing will be the topic of an article next issue, and a rant
about major labels in general will be printed sometime if someone hands in a good one. But Josh will
continue to review whatever albums he wants to, and I will not censor him. As for the video game reviews,
that column has been chucked due to lack of interest (file under “It seemed like a good idea at the time”).
You may notice that there is no demolisten this month, but there is still a Listening Booth. This seems
contradictory to some readers’ wishes, but the sad fact is I have no demos to review for this issue. I cannot
control this.
As I mentioned earlier, there was objection to the inclusion of Disc Go Round in the ads. The main
problem seems to be that it is a major chain, and some feel that they rip people off. I strongly disagree. I
have sold and bought CDs there, and I have never felt ripped off. The CDs I bought, I couldn’t find elsewhere
for the same (or better) price, and the discs I sold, noone else wanted. True, they usually sell discs for
twice or more what they paid, but they are not sneaky or deceptive about this, because they are not really
doing anything wrong. They don’t hold a gun to your head and force you to sell your CD to them. The local
D.I.Y. alternative is Back Alley Discs, to which I give equal space. I visit Back Alley every chance I get, but
sometimes when I’m in Charlottetown, I have to be back home (Summerside) by 11:30 am or earlier, and
Back Alley doesn’t open until noon. When I can, I go to Back Alley first, but I have no real reason to boycott
Disc Go Round. I like both stores, I advertise both.
Hopefully, I can sum this up (until the next batch of complaints) with a quote. One of the politely nasty
email I recieved had the following quote at the end: “One has no obligations except to oneself” (Max
Stirner). My thoughts exactly. I try to give people information to help them make decisions, but I am under
no obligation to censor or boycott anything. I am only obliged to myself to make a zine that I am happy with,
and after that I hope a few other people like it, too.
CIAO FOR NOW!
