Houston Punk Fanzines And Print Culture: 1979-1989

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2022-05

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Abstract

This thesis serves to analyze and explore the art historical importance of punk fanzines from the Houston area from the late 1970s to the late 1980s. By utilizing resources from various media, the thesis focuses on identifying connections between the punk music scene and the arts during the period. Using scholarship from varying authors regarding punk fanzines and aesthetics serve as a basis to discuss fanzines from the Houston area, such as Wild Dog, and to analyze subsequent magazines in the 1980s. Analysis of magazines such as XLR8, Hymnal, United Underground, and finally Sicko provides further evidence regarding how fanzines were used or what happenings occurred in the Houston punk scene in the period. Given the particular nature of this project, the majority of zines I analyze were digitally scanned by the University of Houston Special Collections and by J.R. Delgado, a prominent member of Houston’s punk scene. Copies of Wild Dog, PunX, and Sicko were additionally provided by Delgado in-person. The interviews included also serve as a supplementary resource to the fanzines, as they elaborate how fanzines were made, distributed, or used. The interviews also provide an intimate view into the punk scene in Houston and generate perspective as to how the art and music scenes in Houston collaborated. As such, there is an emphasis about the importance of the role that fanzines engage in to understanding the connections between art and music in Houston.

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Keywords

Houston, punk, punk art, fanzines, zines

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