Maximum Rocknroll: DEAD?

[nuggetsvolume1]

I never liked Flipside: it was some weird in-between of Alternative Press and MRR to me. And yeah, lots of major label stuff going on in there. Just never was a big fan. My memory sucks: what was the big competition to MRR as a print punk magazine in the late 90's? I think Rev. Norb was even writing for it? My memory sucks, but I remember there being another option that was in print and available.

 

[robot]

I never liked Flipside: it was some weird in-between of Alternative Press and MRR to me. And yeah, lots of major label stuff going on in there. Just never was a big fan. My memory sucks: what was the big competition to MRR as a print punk magazine in the late 90's? I think Rev. Norb was even writing for it? My memory sucks, but I remember there being another option that was in print and available.

Razorcake, I think it's still going

[nicolai]

I never liked Flipside: it was some weird in-between of Alternative Press and MRR to me. And yeah, lots of major label stuff going on in there. Just never was a big fan. My memory sucks: what was the big competition to MRR as a print punk magazine in the late 90's? I think Rev. Norb was even writing for it? My memory sucks, but I remember there being another option that was in print and available.

Razorcake, I think it's still going

Punk Planet.  I think Razorcake started after Punk Planet ended with some of the same people.  I think Norb still writes for Razorcake.

[robot]

Oh right, forgot about that one.

[vedicardi]

razorcake now that is some shit that should have died

[nuggetsvolume1]

Punk Plant was what I was thinking of, thanks guys.

[kevin e]

I never liked Flipside: it was some weird in-between of Alternative Press and MRR to me. And yeah, lots of major label stuff going on in there. Just never was a big fan.

Agreed. Flipside was at least partially more geared to music I like than MRR but I never liked the tone. MRR was all business.

My memory sucks: what was the big competition to MRR as a print punk magazine in the late 90's? I think Rev. Norb was even writing for it? My memory sucks, but I remember there being another option that was in print and available.

Also worth mentioning the Ebullion-run Heartattack zine once MRR declared some emo is too emo to cover.

[Kenneally]

Let's not forget Hit List either. That was the one started by Jeff Bale, right?

[Mitch]

To varying extents, HeartAttack, Hit List, Shredding Paper & Punk Planet (and presumably countless others on smaller scales) began in reaction to MRR's perceived positions at the time.

[Sukebe GG]

Bale was flying the rawk flag...and heading into terrorism studies...

[AggravationOverdose]

The January issue of MRR includes a guest column by a person from I Object and Feral Kid Records that is one of the best things I have read in ages. Their AAA scam was brilliantly dumb.

I'm going to dig out the Retro Is poison comp and appreciate the ship out of 'em.

[GerryTodd]

I got into MRR as a monthly thing in high school when they were bitching about Green Day, the Steve Albini band economics article came out, they were shaming corporate rock, etc. It was pretty amazing for the time, because every other print magazine that you during that period praised/cashed in on the alterna craze of the 90's (Spin, AP, etc). Really kind of a big deal for a punk kid in the middle of nowhere. I wasn't around for the 80's HC days, and I haven't really followed it recently, but huge for me as a kid around 1994-6. I even remember making a few pen pals from the classified ads...and getting a lot of KBD info from the articles. RIP.

what year did MRR stop reviewing records distributed by major / corporate labels?  1993?  1994?  There were a bunch of labels distributed by RED and other entities owned by majors that all of a sudden disappeared from the pages of MRR around the time of Green Day "Dookie" and all that shit.  And I seem to remember that it wasn't completely out of line to talk about major label bands in MRR in the (very) early 90s.

[AggravationOverdose]

I got into MRR as a monthly thing in high school when they were bitching about Green Day, the Steve Albini band economics article came out, they were shaming corporate rock, etc. It was pretty amazing for the time, because every other print magazine that you during that period praised/cashed in on the alterna craze of the 90's (Spin, AP, etc). Really kind of a big deal for a punk kid in the middle of nowhere. I wasn't around for the 80's HC days, and I haven't really followed it recently, but huge for me as a kid around 1994-6. I even remember making a few pen pals from the classified ads...and getting a lot of KBD info from the articles. RIP.

what year did MRR stop reviewing records distributed by major / corporate labels?  1993?  1994?  There were a bunch of labels distributed by RED and other entities owned by majors that all of a sudden disappeared from the pages of MRR around the time of Green Day "Dookie" and all that shit.  And I seem to remember that it wasn't completely out of line to talk about major label bands in MRR in the (very) early 90s.

MRR never reviewed major label records. That was one of the main points of the zine. I'm not sure about distro particulars, but direct najor label shit was always no go.

[Spacecase Records]

Razorcake was started by Todd Taylor and Sean Carswell after Flipside ceased publication. Todd's a good guy. He was effectively running Flipside at the end. Razorcake had no connection to Punk Planet, but some of us contributed to both. Both publications didn't review major label releases. Of course, Razorcake is still in business. Punk Planet tried to break into skateboarding with Bail, which ran some of the earliest pieces I ever contributed back when I was in college. I believe Punk Planet was a casualty to the Lumberjack/Mordam debacle. I stopped contributing before they imploded. All of those mags seemed to collapse around '05 as print journalism fell into a deep crisis it has yet to recover from.

[SLANG EDIT]

I will echo that. Todd is one of the best human beings I know, and while you may not agree with the subject matter Razorcake chooses to cover, it’s done super earnestly and with a whole lot of heart. And not a lot of money.