Every now and again it happens over and over: to the hippies, to hip-hop to Seattle-based alternative rock, to electronic music. It's the sale of a lifetime! And how much of your life can be sold ?
Whatever is hip, they'll sell it - and usually with an inflated price tag to boot. Underground books, fake all herbal drugs, baggy pants, skateboards, serial killer memorabilia... anything that you are into, anything that you hold dear as part of you and your culture, they will wrap it up and sell it off.
Living in a capitalist, media-dominated society we must learn that the aim of a capitalist-run media is to saturate the populous with product. When one product's sales begin to drop off, look for another to replace it. Nowadays, where better to look for a product than the extremes of a society?
First, let's review our "counter-cultural" lifestyle. Most people who read a fanzine, such as this, are not rooted in mainstream society, but rather have created what Hakim Bey called a 'temporary autonomous zone', a little slice of life in which we choose to live by their own rules. We create an identity usually built on pride of self worth, free expression and often rebellion. We tend to feel unique in a sea of followers. We tend to dress, think and act differently from those in mainstream culture and what the mainstream tries to sell you as "in."
Now, at some point or other, someone notices. A buzz begins to emerge about this interesting or bizarre scene. Remember what happened in the early 90s when Nirvana hit it big? Soon after there were thousands of squirming greasy A&R reps from every record label imaginable combing the streets of Seattle looking for the next big thing in what they called 'grunge'. Not only did 'alternative' rock, punk and college rock start to become huge, but so did flannel shirts, ripped jeans, leather jackets, Doc Martins, chain wallets, and t-shirts with rude slogans. For christ's sake, I met a 42 year old woman who listened to Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin tell me that Greenday was now her new favorite band! Then it became a cartoon of itself; 'Cat in the Hat' hats, striped leg stockings, an over abundance of silver jewelry, tattoos, 3 billion piercings on one limb.
We build something, then it becomes for sale and every Tom, Dick and Goth kid runs out to buy, buy, buy. Why? So they can be cool too. Hip. Chic. Gen X. Whatever...
And what do we do it all for? We do it so when it's no longer cool to be in a specific scene we get to hear some jackass follower of the newest fad say, "God, you still dress like that and listen to that music? That went out years ago." We are no longer a counterculture, but an over-the-counter culture! Next fad... please step up to the plate, it's time to rape you till you hurt.
Underground for life!

From Issue 2.