Notes From Underground | Notes 2

THE POLITICS OF AUTHENTICITY

pg. 37 - 'It is a world of spin, promotion, public relations, and pseudo-events'

'An authentic individual, therefore, is one who cuts through the conventions of manners, norms, and communication and connects to his or her "real" self'

'Their cut-and-paste look is a graphic explosion unbeholden to rules of design'

pg. 38 - 'The excitement and enthusiasm of zines don't compensate for lack of professionalism, they are the replacement for it. Professionalism - with its attendant training, formulaic styles, and relationship to the market - gets in the way of that freedom'

'Saying whatever's on your mind, unbeholden to corporate sponsors, puritan censors, or professional standards of argument and design, being yourself and expressing your real thoughts and real feelings - these are what zinesters consider authentic'

'This celebration of the pure freedom to express helps explain the fact that traditional publishing practices are sometimes absent from zines'

'Instead of listing an issue number, a zine from Atlanta, fittingly called Decontrol, commands the reader to "make up your own number" '

pg. 49 - 'Zines are an individualistic medium, but as a medium their primary function is communication. As such, zines are as much about the communities that arise out of their circulation as they are artifacts of personal expression'