greg writes the long-running zine "rice harvester" & has been in a whole slew of punk bands. i think right now he lives in the bay area. (interview originally posted march 22, 2008.)
how did you get involved in zines/d.i.y. publishing?
In 11th grade, I persuaded my high school to let me make a school newspaper, even though i had absolutely no obvious journalistic experience other than being in a half-assed Alabama journalism class. Basically, I just wrote a zine ranting against the school. They gave me money to print it, but I figured out my first copy scam and kept the cash. They were stupid by not asking for receipts. Around the same time, I was finding out about local zines around Alabama. They were, more or less, just trash about garage rock and hating skinheads. The idea that I could write whatever I wanted and people would read it was really intriguing to me. So, I wrote less about my school and more about punk and pinball. That became the first issue of “Rice Harvester”, which I printed in the summer of 1995.
why do you continue making paper zines in the age of the internet? how do you think the internet has affected the world of paper zines?
Honestly, I just really like it a lot. I like having this physical thing to hand to people when traveling around. I’ve tried writing things on the internet, butI don’t get the same feeling from it. Also, I don’t think as much about what I’m going to say when I’m typing on the internet. It’s gotten me in trouble before. It’s just not healthy or constructive for me. Writing doesn’t always have to be immediate. Also, I like the clutter that zines cause. I love how junk, zines, cassettes, photos, art and clunky analog equipment takes up space. I keep seeing the world moving in this direction of creating smaller technology and having less clutter and….I just don’t like it. If I ever tried to lay out a zine on a computer, it would be the hardest thing ever for me.
what is your writing/editing/layout process like?
When I first started writing “Rice Harvester”, I didn’t edit at all. I wrote everything out on notebook paper, taped it onto punk fliers, scammed the copies and gave it to my friends. They were terrible zines. At some point, I realized my zines were making theirway out of Alabama (my home state) and into the hands of people I didn’t know. So, I started paying more attention to detail and editing. Now, I edit a lot more, but the layout hasn’t changed too drastically. In my last issue, some of the originals were written on paper that was yellowing and older than me because it’s what was laying around in my room. I’ve tried making my handwriting as legible as possible in the last few years…I keep in a lot of mistakes though…nothing is perfect.
how do you think the zine community or the process of making zines has changed since you’ve been involved?
I’ve been writing my zine for almost 13 years and I’ve never felt like I’ve been a part of any sort of zine community, so I’m not sure how to comment on that. Most of the zines that I like have stayed consistently great, with the exception of one or two. It seems like more people are making zines full of art now, which is fine, but I’d rather read about how folks deal with existing in this fucked up world that we inhabit. Maybe making art IS their way of dealing with it.
are you “out” to people in your life as a zinester? how do you explain it to people who don’t understand?
Since I’ve been doing my zine for so long now, a lot of my friends and acquaintances know about it. It’s not something that I really talk about too much. It’s just something I do. I’ve never called myself a “zinester” or referred to myself in that context, even though it’s a big part of my life.
I don’t try and explain it to people who don’t understand. A couple years ago, on tour, I was selling zines at a table at a show in Birmingham. These sorta hipster-looking high school kids were thumbing through an issue and looking confused. They asked what it was. I tried to explain it to them, but they looked at me like I was a nine-headed alien and stopped talking to me. Then, they made fun of me.
what do you like best about the zine world? what do you like least?
I like how a lot of my favorite zines exist outside of corporate bounds and mass advertising. I like that I can travel around the country and give it to people for free or cheap. I like that I’ve given multiple copies to traveling punks and they’ve told me later that they sold it for beer or food. I love that people can use the medium to say whatever they want and get it out to an audience. That’s only a few things. There’s a lot of things I don’t like as well, but I’m not the most optimistic person. I feel like some larger distros have an unspoken monopoly over bookstores and infoshops that I find unsettling….and maybe some artists’ work has been overused.
Ultimately, I think my concerns are rather petty.
do zines play a political role in your life? are you involved in other d.i.y. projects? do they play a political role?
“Political” is kind of a vague term to me…and yes, they do. I’ll just leave it at that.
I’ve gotten more involved in screen printing over the last few years and I’ve been trying to teach people how to do it well and cheaply. I just helped two friends build a lot of screens. They made a lot of political posters that questioned the ethics of different candidates in the upcoming presidential election. Now, they’re wheatpasting them all over the country. I used to go to large protests, but I’ve become disillusioned with group tactics in the past few years. I also play in D.I.Y. punk bands, which can be questionably political.
what advice might you have for someone who is new to the zine community?
Strive to have your own voice and do things in your own style. Wholeheartedly embrace your mistakes and learn from them. Free photocopies exist somewhere always.
what role do you think distros can/should play in the zine community?
I just started using distros with this past issue, so I’m not that familiar with them. I think the writer should always retain as much control over their zine as possible. Distros should get it out to people and stay as honest and reliable as they can. The good distros should be commended for all the hard work they do. Basically, don’t be a shithead.
are there changes you’d like to see in the zine community or your own zine creation?
Since I don’t see myself as a part of a zine community, I don’t know of any changes that
need to take place. I know I run the risk of sounding like a snob by saying that, but I’m just trying to be honest.As far as my own zine goes, I’d like to explore more of the tangents in my head that i usually suppress. In my last issue, I left out how I feel about violence, prison issues and suicide because I thought some of it might freak out people who know me. I wasn’t ready for those conversations, but now I am….I think.
If you’re a punk (like me) who has been shot or stabbed, please write me. If you’re not, you should still write to me. Thanks Ciara.
write to:
Greg p.o. box 3381
Bloomington, IN 47402
