livingproof #3: genesis.

I often wonder who invented the term “Reality TV.” It wasn’t someone interested in building a community, this I can tell you. Perhaps the television producers preach the virtues of pulling strangers together, strangers that eventually become friends—perhaps they preach the virtues of the bonding experience the cast members go through, but that’s not entirely true... Read more.

Part of an interview with Daniel Sinker, Chicago-based publisher of Punk Planet and Bail magazines.
Do you make your living off of working for Punk Planet, or do you have another job?
I do now. It’s been just about three years that my whole money has come from the magazine. When I started I was still in school, working three jobs, and doing the magazine. When I graduated from school, I got a job at the Chicago Reader in the production department, which was basically 40 or 50 hours a week in three days—which were crazy days, but plenty of time free to do the magazine. That then kind of moved to only working at the Reader one day a week and doing freelance graphic design work along with the magazine. I finally dropped the Reader to just do freelance graphic design and the magazine, and then finally about three years ago killed the freelance jobs... Read more.

There were nineteen of us, nine guys and ten girls. Half of us architecture majors, half of us composition majors. We all met up at the airport in Newark for the plane trip late on a Friday afternoon, with a strange type of apprehensive excitement permeating the group—we weren’t exactly sure what we were in for, but it was going to be new to us, whatever it was. Our semester abroad outside Venice was going to last for four months. I wasn’t the only one who left a girlfriend standing at the security checkpoint... Read more.

stats

first printing: 300 (red numbers)

size: 5.5x8.5 (half-letter)
pages: 64
cover: matte mustard cardstock, single-color print (green)

reviews

Broken Pencil #27: Living Proof is an ambitious project, and I’m sorry I haven’t come across the previous editions. This third installment only contains three items: a very smart four-part rumination on the advent of reality television and MTV’s role in that; a really long but essentially satisfying interview with Dan Sinker of the seminal publication Punk Planet; and a series of chapters from Mall’s own ongoing novella. It’s a bit hard to conceive of a zine so well put together having only three parts, but this cool and compelling compilation is strong. I don’t want to give anything away, but this outstanding zine will knock you over.

Loop Distro: This is the Genesis issue, and is filled with Andrew’s contemplations of life and meaning. He starts out by discussing the state of our media, television specifically, and questions what the hell we’re doing with 80 different channels of shitty programming. But he quickly shifts away from TV, and brings focus to the concept of printed material. A good long interview with Punk Planet’s Dan Sinker follows. And I do mean good and long, two words which rarely go together when describing and interview, but trust me on this one. After that, it’s back to the story-telling, mostly about school and friends, with nice photos showing up every few pages.

NewPages Zine Rack #24: For those who favor a zine that utilizes every inch of its printed space for the presentation of text that critically and analytically explores the self and the self’s surroundings, Livingproof is your goldmine. Andrew Mall writes a lot in the third issue of his zine, and certainly covers a significant amount of ground. Though the divisions are subtle, the zine is divided into three sections. The first section is a multi-layered essay arguing against MTV for declining from a relevant and caring music network to creating reality television and, of course, for basically selling out. Second, Andrew transcribes a very long discussion he had with Daniel Sinker, editor of Punk Planet, which branches away from solely Punk Planet-related talk to bigger issues in independent press and music and the importance of retaining independence. In the third section, Andrew talks about a few months he spent in Venice, which he refers to as “the next chapter in the personal novella.” Indeed, it certainly is rare for a zine writer to offer up, in such full doses and in a single publication, such personal writing, such critical essaying, and even a complete dialogue that seems to embody both subjects and more.

Punk Planet #66: I have to commend Andrew Mall because each issue of this zine appears in my mailbox despite my twice-written mediocre responses to him. He’s dedicated, he’s got a vision, and he sticks to it \ in the face of criticism, and there is something to be said about that. Unfortunately though, this is my least favorite issue of the zine thus far. The only thing that really stuck out to me was the interview with Dan Sinker about the nuts and bolts of running Punk Planet. Much of the rest of the writing is a bit too wordy and meandering for me, whether he’s talking about his lack of athletic prowess, reality TV or going to Italy. If some literary deconstructing of everyday things sounds good to you, pick this up.

Slug & Lettuce #82: This zine will appeal to many people. First, it’s really appealing to look at; cleanly laid out with half-toned photographs and text lines jumping out at the reader in bold print. There is a 23-page interview with Dan Sinker of Punk Planet that is in-depth, informative, inspirational, and entertaining. They mostly talk about the state of alternative media in the U.S., but they use that as impetus to talk about many other things as well. There is also a 38-page recounting of a semester spent in Europe, the people he met, and the amazing things he saw and did. It’s not just a “then we did this, then we did that” tour diary, either, Andrew uses his insight and experience to write a really engaging story. If you enjoy reading about alternative media or really cool trip journals, or just like looking at a really handsome zine, this is worth the measly $3.00.

Xerography Debt #16: A well-written perzine with lots of ideas. Andrew opens this issue with an extended essay on the notion of reality TV and MTV and his thoughts on how to counteract their influence in your own life. He also has an extended interview with Dan Sinker, publisher of the zine Punk Planet. They talk a lot about independent publishing and music, and how he has managed to stay independent and gain a measure of success in the business, and how DIY culture has changed with the rise of the internet. A good, intelligent interview. The last part of this zine is the third chapter of Andrew’s “personal novella.” I haven’t read the first two parts, but that didn’t keep me from enjoying this. It stands just fine on its own as a travelogue of a college semester in Italy.

Zine Thug #6: Ooh, did this rub me the wrong way. How should I list the reasons? For your sake and, more importantly, for the sake of the creator, let’s approach this systematically. I give you the five intolerable offenses of this Living Proof: (1) The correspondence that came enclosed with the zine. I get these all the time. “Dear Mr. Parker, please review my such and such. The price is this, my web site is blank, I do/don’t accept trades.” They are for the most part unnecessary — as long as the same info appears somewhere in the zine — but rarely bothersome. The mail-merge form letter that Andrew sent, however . . . He goes on for a full page about his publishing history, distribution, and even includes advance praise for the issue at hand. I don’t give a damn if A.j. Michel said yours is the best personal zine she’s ever seen, or if she went through it with a highlighter pen. You gotta let the product speak for itself, kiddo. (2) The article on reality TV. It’s so summer of 2000. I don’t gain anything from your thoughts on “community”, my friend. You are no social scientist — especially when there’s cable in that hovel you share with three other dudes. (3) The way-too-long interview with Daniel Sinker, publisher of Punk Planet. Don’t get me wrong; I enjoy the heck out of his magazine. And I found it fascinating, the convoluted criteria the man subjects to anything featured therein, to determine if a band or a record label is still independent enough. The inner workings of the mag were similarly fun to read about. But the widely-spaced items of interest are undermined (or simply lost) as the conversation drags on. Andrew even addresses the extended nature of the piece in his introduction, writing: “this is really quite big, so if you hate reading interviews you should probably put this issue down right now.” How considerate of the reader! Now, listen. I know you had the time of your life visiting the Punk Planet offices, chatting with such a cool older guy, then transcribing the entire ninety-minute cassette in the weeks to come. I know it made your day, that he swept the floor just ‘cause you were coming over, and you think we’d like to read about that, too. I’m sorry, but we don’t. It’s overly amateurish. Maybe if your zine were photocopied, I would understand not cutting a single word from the discussion, but it’s obvious you put a lot of money into this. Everyone will be a lot better off if, next time, you consider my advice. Clean that shit up, man. (4) The rest of the issue, i.e., “Part Three of a personal novella”. I actually just skimmed this. But I read the second chapter, in #2, and found it so wistfully naive that my stomach literally turned. “All I want is a girl to admire the punk rawk patches on my couch”, or something. In this issue, he travels to Europe. I’m nauseous all over again. (5) This one’s a tie. I detest the desktop-published layout — how Andrew punches what he considers to be key lines by increasing the type size and making the words bold. (It’s really annoying in the Sinker interview.) But just as much, I cannot stand the last paragraph of his introduction: “All of my pieces are dated [printed big and bold]. This one’s from Summer 2004. Thanks to everyone who has enjoyed the journey thus far, and thanks to you for reading. Cheers.” Fuck everyone who says “cheers” like that.

Issues:
#1: Crisis. [samples]
#2: Rebound. [samples]
#3: Genesis. [samples]
#4: Rehearsal. [samples]
#5: Rapprochement. [samples]
Available for $3 each. Ordering info.
Sanitary and Ship is free.

Reader, I think I might owe you an apology. You probably picked up this zine thinking it was going to be another installment of the Livingproof perzine, a series engages in the dissecting of failures in romance and the place of underground music in such a narrative. This zine doesn’t exactly follow that format. Indeed, upon first read, you may feel like I hoodwinked you into reading a paean to my favorite band, whom you likely don’t care about and may be disinclined entirely to check out after finishing the last page and closing this zine (or throwing it down in disgust partway through).... Read more.

It wasn’t hard to find a place to stay when I first moved to Chicago: my freshman year roommate Brad had an extra bedroom in his Lincoln Park apartment because his roommate had abandoned him for the summer. I could only afford to pay half of my share, but that was better than Brad paying for the whole thing himself. We shook hands and I moved in two days later. I spent that first Chicago summer exploring the city, both formally—I had a job canvassing pedestrians around the city for Greenpeace—and informally, as I learned my way around the CTA, started meeting people, and hung out at bars and rock clubs... Read more.

Semi-Related Links:
Fall of Autumn
Punk Planet
Sanitary and Ship
Splendid
WLUW
Zine World

Sometimes, when the end comes, it’s right on time. But very rarely do things end when it feels right. Too often the end is a surprise, it catches you off guard, and you’re left in the dust struggling to make sense in your grief. Not as often, but just as difficult, is the end that drags on, milking your patience and sympathy until you’re actually happy the end has come when it finally does arrive. It’s a relief, in those cases... Read more.