Ripped, Torn and Cut: Pop, Politics and Punk Fanzines from 1976

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Ripped, torn and cut offers a collection of original essays exploring the motivations behind - and the politics within - the multitude of fanzines that emerged in the wake of British punk from 1976. Sniffin' Glue (1976-77), Mark Perry's iconic punk fanzine, was but the first of many, paving the way for hundreds of home-made magazines to be cut and pasted in bedrooms across the UK. From these, glimpses into provincial cultures, teenage style wars and formative political ideas may be gleaned. An alternative history, away from the often-condescending glare of London's media and music industry, can be formulated, drawn from such titles as Ripped & Torn, Brass Lip, City Fun, Vague, Kill Your Pet Puppy, Toxic Grafity, Hungry Beat and Hard as Nails. The first book of its kind, this collection reveals the contested nature of punk's cultural politics by turning the pages of a vibrant underground press. -- .

Reviews

In Ripped, Torn and Cut, The Subcultures Network provides ample evidence that fanzines can and should be taken seriously. The book will be of significance to any historian working on British youth culture, but there is plenty to interest historians working on cultural theory, ageing, personal testimony, publishing and networks. It forms an important and welcome intervention into the history of British youth culture.
Sarah Kenny, University of Birmingham, Sheffield, Contemporary British History, January 2019

Distinctive and interesting.
Matt Grimes, Birmingham City University, Riffs

The definitive survey of a living underground, still transformative, and forever restless.
Thurston Moore, Sonic Youth

The Subcultures Network team have curated a lively, thoughtful and thorough collection which explores punk fanzines and their legacy from lots of different angles full of genuine wonder and enthusiasm for these provocative, often preposterous artefacts.
Lucy Whitman aka Lucy Toothpaste

Punk rock was a cut and paste culture - a cultural bricolage of pop culture styles reshaped for the then modern age - nowhere was this better underlined than with the explosion of fanzine culture. This book captures that sprit perfectly when a generation empowered by the words are our weapons rallying call of DIY punk rock created their own media.
John Robb

Author Bio

Professor Keith Gildart, University of Wolverhampton; Professor Anna Gough-Yates, University of Roehampton; Dr. Sian Lincoln, Liverpool John Moores University; Professor Bill Osgerby, London Metropolitan University; Professor Lucy Robinson, University of Sussex; Professor John Street, University of East Anglia; Dr. Pete Webb, University of the West of England; Professor Matthew Worley, University of Reading