Punk zines and fanzines find a new home at Monash

The world of "Punk" is making inroads into the Rare Books Collection at Monash, says librarian Daniel Wee.


Monash University Library recently acquired a small collection of important punk zines, fanzines, and magazines to add to the Rare Books Collection.

The inception of the ‘punk zine’ in the mid to late 1970’s saw it explode into the post-punk period of the 1980’s which included the new-wave and hardcore scenes. Their purpose was to provide a platform for fans to communicate with one another and circulate ideas — think of it as blogging. Research potential with these materials lies in the exploration of the non-elite and their resistance to conformity, as well as providing valuable insight into underground and D.I.Y. publishing.

The collection includes numbers 1, 2 and 11 of Punk magazine; arguably the earliest example of the genre.

Punk,  Numbers 1, 2 and 11

Founded by Legs McNeil and John Holmstrom, these were highly influential magazines designed to promote bands, commentary, and the punk rock movement. As a rather well known artist, Holmstrom illustrated several well known Ramones albums. Our bookseller has advised us that number 2 was originally in the possession of Holmstrom, however, there is no evidence of provenance in our copy. Punk magazine popularised The Ramones, The Stooges, the New York Dolls, and was influential in the CBGB NY club phenomenon.

1st Annual Punk magazine awards ceremony

This fantastic original copy of the “1st annual Punk Magazine Awards Ceremony” (below) brought huge media attention due to the recent split of the Sex Pistols and the arrest of Sid Vicious under suspicion of murder. The awards night ensued into a drunken rowdy mess, which saw Lou Reed refusing to take the stage and accept his award for Class Clown.

Nart, Number 1

Best known for contributor Jello Biafra of the Dead Kennedys, Nart originated from an artist's collective that focused on punk and new wave in the Berkeley area.

Zone V and Killer magazine are important social document for the evolution of the punk movement as it transitioned into the 1980’s hardcore scene. Sonic Youth founder, Thurston Moore was a major contributor. It also includes an early Sonic Youth poster.

Zone V, Killer and poster of Sonic Youth in Killer

The final issue of Sluggo is referred to as the 'Industrial Collapse' issue, and signifies the transition from punk fanzines to aestheticism. 

Sluggo

The game of industrial collapse

If you would like to view any of the items referred to in this post, please do not hesitate contact us at rbinfo@monash.edu.

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