Fanzine Punx: rubberXhead & 3 More DIY Zines from Germany

Hello, there! My name is xbröselx (he/him/any) and I come from the German city of Leipzig. When I began listening to punk music I was 15 years old and lived in a really small village called Witzschersdorf with maybe 100 people. There was nearly no one to share my ideas with and meetings with the few punks in the next city were not easy. 

My way to get new information were the fanzines I could buy at the train station in a city called Merseburg. They sold the longstanding Plastic Bomb and the Ox Fanzine, two of the most respected punk publications in German. At that time there was always a CD sampler with new releases I listened to and a lot of articles. I was fascinated by all that (worldwide) stuff and read anything like a sponge. That made me feel like being part of the punk scene. Another fanzine I got from a friend was Proud to be Punk which was 100% DIY and got my interest for the idea of doing things you like on your own. (ed. – Proud to be Punk is running for 20 years now and you can still get a copy of their anniversary 35th issue).

After starting my first punk band in Merseburg (Victim Of My Mind) I decided to start writing my own zine too. I was about 18 and did it with a friend of mine. We called it Klein und gemein, in English it means something like “small and nasty“. We printed two issues which were… not really good at all. 

rubberXhead fanzine 

After a longer break, in 2019 I initiated a new fanzine called rubberXhead fanzine which I’m still writing today and currently I’m working on issue #08. There are also some rubberXhead minizines. I had that idea to be creative on the one hand and to have some (critical) input on the punk and hardcore scene on the other hand, which is not easy when there are not many punks—but lots of so called “intellectuals”—in your town who are interested in. The fanzine itself deals with different topics that are important to me: straight/queer/gay edge, hardcore, punk, veganism, reviews, antifascism, queer-feminism, sex, mental health and anything else what interests me or the people who are involved. I’m not doing anything all on my own. Some people who I got to know on the internet, who I now call my friends, are writing and/or drawing stuff too. 

Mantis Magazine

When I had a phase in which I wanted to stop working on the fanzine because of the lack of interest in it, Eve from the Mantis Magazine motivated me to not give up. Today I’m so happy I followed her advice. I also like the Mantis Magazine for its input in queer-feminist topics. There is always something to learn and also a lot of different views in things that make it easy to understand.

Rampage Zine

Another fanzine I want to recommend is the Rampage Zine. It is also a full DIY zine but with a distinctive look. The mix between punk pulp and poetry is kinda iconic for me. This is what keeps the Rampage Zine from being mainstream.

Passion Means Struggle

Last but not least I want to mention the fanzine called Passion Means Struggle. It is a fanzine dealing with a lot of hardcore stuff and especially straight edge music. If you like detailed and not boring interviews with bands give it a try.

If you consider writing your own zine, if you have something to say—do it! 

Contact xbröselx at [email protected]

Source: diyconspiracy.net