Zerox Machine

"""Worley is brilliant at capturing the diversity, enthusiasm and energy on show in the twelve years of zine culture he covers. . . . He has curated a knowing and wide-ranging selection of subject matter.""-- ""International Times"" ""No punk revisionist clich�s but a proper and scholarly examination by Worley of a fascinating phenomenon.""--Jon Savage ""A beautifully definitive account, both a history and an essential social document of the UK's punk and post-punk fanzine scene.""--Mike Scott, The Waterboys ""Held together by tape and spit, fanzines were given away at gigs for a minimal price or sometimes even for free. Worley has done a brilliant job of covering them as much as possible in this book. Well worth a read, and who knows, maybe it will inspire people to get printing. Long live the fanzine!""--Steve Ignorant, cofounder of Crass ""Intensely researched and teeming with insights and fresh connections, Worley's book is the definitive study of punk and postpunk fanzine culture. If you want to know why zines mattered--why zines got people so excited--this is where you should start.""--Simon Reynolds, author of ""Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978-1984"" and ""Futuromania: Electronic Dreams, Desiring Machines and Tomorrow's Music Today"" ""Worley knows his stuff, showing it in this fascinating survey and dissection of the cultural, musical and political feelings expressed directly to the world through the unique phenomena of fanzines.""--Tony Drayton, editor of ""Ripped & Torn"" and ""Kill Your Pet Puppy"" ""Clear headed and beautifully written, this book is an overview of fanzines that goes beyond the usual DIY/punk/music cliches. It is a smart and exhaustive analysis that deserves to be the go-to reference for those who want to learn about the bygone joys of obsolete technology, praxis and self expression long before social media influencers and gifted content.""--Liz Naylor, coeditor of ""City Fun"" fanzine ""Very readable. Zerox Machine traces a line from the punk zines to what happened next. . . . Worley really breaks it down. And it seems the book can't escape its culture. It's laid out across a four-column grid with loads of black and white illustrations giving it a zine-y feel in itself. Really nice work.""-- ""Moonbuilding"" ""Worley's Zerox Machine is about those who were inspired not by Moon's message of three chords but by the medium: busted typewriters, felt-tip pens, stencils, and Letraset; off-set lithographic printing; cut-and-paste blackmail text and photographs ripped from the music mags. On the evidence of this book, their number was legion.""-- ""Review 31"" ""Worley's masterful book, Zerox Machine . . . charts the chaotic path of the fanzines' development. . . . There is a huge and important legacy to capture and a captivating story to be told here, which Worley does better than anyone I know, infusing the text with passion and a genuine love and excitement for the subject. . . . To say this book is an essential read for anyone wanting to understand how creativity can spring untrained and unsupported from any street corner goes without saying, but I'm going to say it anyway! Your bookshelf has a space just waiting for this, and you won't regret it filling it.""-- ""Outsideleft.com"" ""Worley has done a terrific job with Zerox Machine, getting the right balance between academic endeavour and the sheer excitement that the subject matter should induce--because they were exciting times. Nowadays, when any idiot can blog or use social media to expand their stupid or dodgy views, it's sometimes hard to remember that in the 70s and 80s you actually had to get up off your arse to get involved. People had to get their hands dirty: starting bands, writing fanzines, putting on gigs. They were heroic times and Worley has captured it perfectly with this book, his passion obvious on every page. Sure, there have been other books on the subject but this one definitely goes to the top of the pile.""--Mark Perry, editor/creator of ""Sniffin' Glue"" fanzine and singer/leader of Alternative TV ""Fanzines reflected and informed the development of punk and post-punk, providing a platform for a diverse range of voices. Worley has written an engaging examination of this explosion of passionate creativity, combining meticulous research and insightful analysis to inform and illuminate. Zerox Machine is a definitive study of a culture of self-expression that continues to resonate today.""--Nicholas Bullen, cofounder of Napalm Death and preteen fanzine writer ""Fanzines were the perfect reflection of the cut-and-paste DIY culture of music, clothes, hair styles and the alternative media of the fanzine culture, which I was sat at the heart of. Zerox Machine is a perfect guide to the frantic, frenetic activity that mapped out a new underground, with many of its key players moving on from their broken typewriters to becoming key players in the UK's media battleground. More importantly, this book is a reminder of the distinctive art form and style that was at the core of the crucial culture.""--John Robb, The Membranes, editor-in-chief of ""Louder Than War"" and author of ""The Art of Darkness: The History of Goth"" ""Worley is a brilliant guide to the world of the fanzine, and to the extraordinary passion and creativity of their many authors and readers. Zerox Machine pays a proper tribute to all those diverse voices, and to the contribution they made to the history of popular culture and the lives of those who adore it.""--John Street, professor emeritus, University of East Anglia"