Spreading the message! An analysis of the social networks of the Fanzines and E-zines in

the Portuguese Punk Scenes (1977-2012)

Paula Guerra, University of Porto, Portugal

Carles Feixa, University of Lleida, Spain

Pedro Quintela, University of Coimbra, Portugal

Punk and

fanzines

• Usually, homemade produced with a limited circulation, the fanzines tend

to be written and published by punk movement members to their peers.

As Julia Pine (2006) refers, they are material forms of representation.

• These collective and volunteer constructed (editing, contributions and

distribution) objects allowed individual to state their social existence and

cultural participation, at the same time that materialize a local

movement.

• Fanzines’ contents mainly focus on socio-political ideologies statement;

stand for certain causes (such as animal rights); interviews with bands

and others scene members; records, films and books reviews, or even

concerts criticisms.

• The first English punk fanzines of the

second half of the 70s (such as

Panache, Sniffin’ Clue, Ripped &

Tom) were a decisively contribution

to the creation of a specific aesthetic

and editorial "language" that turned

out to be a sort of "subcultural

canon".

• In recent decades, this "language"

was widespread and globalized

leading to the reproduction of a do-

it-youself ethic and a certain way of

"doing" punk fanzines that still

persists today.

Methodology Brief introduction about the information

collection, systematization and analysis

procedures.

We have collect punk fanzines primarily through the following three main

procedures:

• purchase fanzines directly to publishers, or indirectly at concerts,

political events, community centres and squads, etc.;

• donation or loan for scanning by interviewees (punk movement

elements);

• availability of fanzines from the personal collection of some

researchers

• online research and downloading (total or partial).

In what concerns the systematization, a database was created with two

distinct, but complementary, aims:

• On the one hand, to enable a systematic analysis of collected

documents;

• On the other hand, to create an archive that will be based on the

Library of the Faculty of Arts, University of Porto (Portugal).

The database and all the fanzines, records, flyers, posters, photographs

and other documentary and iconographic elements collected be

available for anyone who wish to research the Portuguese punk

movement.

How the fanzines analysis is being organized on the

database?

• Name/designation

• Date of issue

• Type (individual/collective)

• Fanzine Editor – name/designation

• Fanzine Editor Geographic Origin

• Cost

• Fanzine’s total number of pages

• Graphics (Colour; Black and White)

• Print

• Type of fanzine

• Subject of analytic incidence

• Types of articles

• Type of Images

• Theme discussed

• Band names mentioned/discussed

• Scenes referred/mentioned

More than 20 Portuguese punk fanzines

(some of them with multiple numbers)

already scanned and analysed

Other 15 fanzines that have been

collected and are currently in process of

digitizing and cataloguing.

The Portuguese punk fanzines and e-

zines collection and analysis began

about a year ago and is a work in

progress.

On the issues addressed in the fanzines,

it appears that most of the issues

mainly are focused on 3 dimensions:

Music, Politics and Attitude.

Preliminary considerations

about some aspects that stand

out from the carried out

analysis

On the first dimension: the MusicThe punk and hardcore styles (especially in its variant hardcore straight-edge) are

the most addressed in these fanzines, as would be expected.

Occasionally, are also addressed other musical styles such as reggae/dub and hip-

hop.

Despite the superficial first analysis, stands out a close relationship

between the Portuguese and the Brazilian punk/hardcore scenes.

The regular circulation of records, bands and, with minor relevance,

fanzines between the two countries is already quite established.

On the second dimension: The political issues –

is a very significantly universe and even there

are fanzines exclusively devoted to this

subject. In fact, most of fanzines mix political issues with

punk/hardcore music and other aspects of attitude.

.

As expected, the anarchist and libertarian

ideologies are fundamental pillars in the political

position of almost all Portuguese punk-hardcore

fanzines analysed so-far.

Interestingly, this political dimension reveals

both a clearly international dimension and a

dimension strongly rooted in local reality.

• Some concerns are generic, relate to the oppressive

nature of capitalist society as a whole and do not have

a specific connection to a particular territory or

community (topics such as the exploitation, capitalism,

development, etc.)

• On the other hand, there are a range of specific

concerns that are strongly linked to a well-defined local

context.

The Alambique fanzine has been

published, since 2007, in

Aljustrel, in Alentejo Region.

A good example of this

articulation of more general

socio-political issues with other

local concerns, very deeply

rooted in history and

contemporary reality.

A third and final dimension that matters to address is what we call

attitude. Addressed issues that are closely linked to individual lifestyles and

individual positioning in society and within the punk/hardcore movement

itself personal considerations about.

• We can find personal articles and different

kinds of issues in various types of

punk/hardcore fanzines (animal rights,

vegetarianism, motherhood, the use of drugs,

do-it-yourself ethics, friendship and solidarity,

among others).

• However, the analysis carried out indicate that

this kind of issues are particularly present in

hardcore straight-edge fanzines.

Final remarks

FIRST, it seems important to emphasize that more than thirty

years after the rise of punk movement in the UK and the

emergence of the first fanzines, the fanzine seems to remain

current and relevant:

• related with the way a certain idea of ethics do-it-yourself spread and is now

fully embedded and globalized within the punk movement.

• despite the widespread use of the Internet and Web 2.0., the truth is that, in

the last years, we have been witness a resurgence of this kind of do-it-

yourself, independent self-publishing.

• the currently produced punk fanzines continue to follow a certain "canon" –

either in terms of graphics, or in terms of editorial content – which has its

roots in the early UK and US punk fanzines from the 70s and 80s.

• This is an inescapable identity

dimension that still remains

relevant in the analysis of punk

fanzines today.

SECONDLY, it seems that the Portuguese punk

fanzines continue today – as before – to play a very

important role in building a sense of underground

community, strongly locally rooted but,

simultaneously, in wide connection with other local

punk scenes around the world.

• The fanzines remain a privileged space of expression and

communication, but also the punk/hardcore editor belonging

statement.

• In sum, can we say that this is a return to the past or is this something new?

• It is an authentic phenomenon or a reproduction of formulas of the past,

globalized and repeated again and again, that remain until the present?

• It’s perhaps too early to take definitive conclusions. Yet the documents

collected and analysed leaves us with a set of interesting questions and

research paths.

Thanks!

Contact: kismif.geral@gmail.com