Punk pioneers
Sniffin Glue remains one of the best chronicles of the late seventies UK punk scene. When the mainstream press were ignoring or vilifying the movement, Sniffin Glue kept fans up to date with all the inside information as it happened. Early copies were cobbled together using felt tip pens and a children’s typewriter- not to look cool but because those were the only materials at hand.
I found this copy in a junk shop the other day and the pages pop with urgency. The writers lead by Mark Perry and including a young Danny Baker, deliver their rants, reviews, and interviews with a breathlessness that reflects the scenes incandescent brevity. There’s also a real desperation in their voices. Desperation to be heard and to connect and share with an invisible audience of like minded souls.
It reminded me how hard it must have been in the pre web age for sub cultures to connect. Today niche audiences have never been so well served- whether its buying an obscure book on Amazon, following an artist on Twitter or MySpace, or subscribing to a blog on taxidermy. Indulging a passion and finding other likeminded people to share it with has never been easier.
Sniffin Glue and the fanzines it inspired were really proto-blogs. Grass roots commentary on events, powered by passion rather than literary skills, and delivered through simple and accessible forms of technology. Blogs are the living embodiment of punk's DIY ethic and Sniffin Glue feels like a pioneer in this field.
Sniffin Glue- issue 9, back cover
The best expression of punk's DIY ethic. As seen in 'Sideburns' Fanzine 1977
Sniffin Glue. Classic Clash review by editor Mark Perry
Comments
13 December 10
By: Phil Keevill
This is a real find. I must
This is a real find. I must get up into the loft and find my first and second editions of Deluxe (a glossy punk monthly with articles on subjects such as spontaneous combustion), and my copies of Ritz, a large format black and white punk fashion mag beautifully printed on heavyweight newsprint. I know you want them... Phil
14 December 10
By: Simon
Where are all my copies of Viz?
It's fabulous to see all this ephemera become valuable. It only does, of course, because most of us throw it away. (That's what I did with issues 1 to 4 of Viz, bought in my formative years from a place in Newcastle that was actually made of patchouli.) But on a serious note, how will we curate the ephemera of the future? It will all be digital, but without urls, where will we find it? Will we have to develop crawlers to reach out and find it in all the junk of hyperspace?