Hello and welcome to REPLY ALT, the only/best email newsletter about music. Sorry I haven’t updated in a few days. I’ve been busy stockpiling a few audio interviews for your listening displeasure. I have a freakin delightful interview running in a few days with the musician who made my favorite album of the summer, a super secret project that you perhaps caught me ominously tweeting about the other day. It’s a wild record with a wild story behind it. In the meantime, I bring you this new interview today about zines. Enjoy!
Todd Taylor founded Razorcake in 2001 after working for five years at the longrunning Los Angeles zine Flipside. Since then, he has turned it into a punk rock institution. The non-profit Razorcake has churned out over 100 issues full of interviews, reviews, and comics, as well as the podcasts and videos hosted on its website. At only fifteen bucks a subscription, it is easily one of the best deals in punk. (Get a Razorcake subscription if you don’t already have one!)
Todd and I had a socially distanced chat yesterday about the work that goes into publishing an independent zine out of one’s home, the arduous process of applying for non-profit status, the genius of Nardwuar, helpful tips for conducting insightful interviews, advice on writing effective record reviews, and why he painted his house the color of Pepto Bismol.
P.S. Sorry if our levels sound off. The next episode is very even and crystal clear, I promise!
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At Home with Razorcake's Todd Taylor