Listening to: The Blow, "Hey Boy."
How is it possible I've never talked about Aaron Cometbus before? I wish I was more into the zine scene but there's at least one that I'm a loyal fan of. I wandered into Cometbus' world a few years ago and have been buying and collecting his work whenever I see it. As any Cometbus reader already knows: Aaron is an amazing writer.
If I could create just one piece of work as great as any of his zines, I could retire from writing happily. I won't go into what makes Cometbus amazing but will link to some articles and interviews instead.
"Cometbus shifted course and became something unique that drastically altered the history of zines -- Cometbus switched the focus from documenting bands and music to documenting the stories and subconscious of the punk lifestyle. This change heralded in the Golden Age of zines, and not coincidentally, the Golden Age of Cometbus. In the early 90s as punk broke through into the mainstream with bands like Bikini Kill and Sonic Youth, fanzine culture came burbling to the surface along with it (Kathleen Hannah and Tobi Vail put out zines that are still being reproduced today. Thurston Moore used to write Cometbus to order zines).
Starting with Cometbus #24, the zine became a kind of serialized novel that documented the author’s itinerant lifestyle through the nationwide punk diaspora. During this period, Cometbus moved from town to town, living in each one for only a couple of months at a time. Long walks, lonely diners, and late nights working at the copy shop filled the pages. Tropes like punk love and too much coffee and long trips on the Greyhound bus reigned supreme."
-Cometbus #52: The Spirit of St. Louis; or How to Break Your Own Heart, A Tragedy in 24 Parts-
