Maximum Rocknroll is one of the most important and most popular zines of all time. Most North American punks or zinesters have encountered it at some point, whether your suburban grindcore band got a mention or you actually submitted an interview with a zinester for a recent issue.
That’s why I was so super stoked when a friend of mine (and a true punx archivist and librarian) told me she was going to take on the job of archivist for MRR and make a database of every record in the collection and every record reviewed in the magazine, ever. She’s also going to be inventorying, rehousing, and cataloging every single LP and EP in the collection.
I recently visited the MRR house in San Francisco and saw just what an incredible and valuable collection they actually have (as well as some hilarious old issues of the zine. Cut and paste forever!). These are records that literally nobody has that were made by bands that maybe only lasted for the few months they got it together to send a tape to MRR. So much rare stuff you can hardly comprehend it, and it’s all in pretty great shape living in the same house as the punks who put together an amazing zine every month. And you know what’s awesome?
Maximum Rocknroll wants to share it ALL with you!! An online database of every issue, every record, every zine — it’s one of the best ideas I’ve ever heard. The thing is, they need our help to do it! If you’ve got a few shekels to throw at something, this is it — check out their crowdfunding campaign, which also has amazing perks to it, from buttons and stickers to records, zines, or even a custom issue of the zine.
Not many zines have done what MRR has done, and nobody has done what they’re about to do.
Jonathan Valelly is the Assistant Editor for Broken Pencil Magazine.