Earlier this year I began an e-mail club. About 3 or 4 times a month I would mail an update on all things art related to the club members. (Anyone can join. Just e-mail me your address.) In this issue of Musea, I'd like to reprint some of the more notable e-mail club excerpts for those who didn't get to see them. Enjoy!
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Here's a Musea's Letter to Napster about its troubles with the Big 4, the 4 companies that control all the music and are trying to sue Napster out of existance (see the list - "Hall of Lame" for names)
Napster ,
If you can't carry the tunes of these 4 monopolistic co's then I say REJOICE!
May I suggest you speak out against their monopoly. Say you will carry ONLY indie songs (i.e. 'good' songs), and you're glad not to have to deal with these grabby 4. P.S, while your at it, ask them about their recent price-fixing charges! -Art S Rev.
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Thinking caps ON! LITERARY MATH:
1. Take the temperature at which books burn ...
2. Divide it by that 'Catch-" number
3. Multiply by the sum of the digits in that 'Big Brother' year.
What number do you keep getting no matter how many times you repeat the process? Go!
(Answer in "Art Surfing")
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An Open Letter to Women:
Did you know you buy everything? What I mean is that women buy for the family. You choose everything for the house - kitchen appliances and cleaners, bathroom towels and toilet paper, bedroom linens, etc; the food for the family, your clothes, the kids clothes, the gifts for birthdays and holidays, health care, etc. plus imput on everything else the single woman/couple/family buys.
Advertisers know this and target you - ex. TV commercials where the man always acts like a moron, and the woman is Einstein and a model mixed in one.
The media knows this too. That's why the newspapers dump hard news in favor of filler - all those touchy-feely family-first articles, and advice columns etc. It's what they think will appeal to you- women - the buyers of what they're advertising.
And Corporate Art knows too. That's why the summer romance movie with Julia Roberts, the sappy MOR ballad , the teen boy groups, the women's magazines, or ad driven women's websites, etc. etc. etc. It's all to target YOU
You are the true win-or-loose factor of the art revolution. Spend carefully please. Use your dollars to oppose those who oppose quality and fairness in the arts, and those who target your wallet for no reason but the money.
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The new Zine World...uh new name Reader's Guide to the Underground Press is out. I'm a reviewer and I've always been proud of being with this crew. In the latest - bigger size this go round - Doug got this letter from the San Francisco Public Library:
"The library would like to purchase A Reader's Guide from your company. Before we can place an order, however, we need to have your company entered in the City of San Francisco's vendor file. The city cannot issue payments to any company not in the vendor file. Please complete the enclosed three forms, 1 Business Tax Declaration 2 HRC Form 3, and 3 Request for Taxpayer ID Number, and fax forms to 415 557 4324. If faxing is not an option, please return forms by mail to the address below. The Business Tax Declaration form serves to establish whether or not you need to pay business tax to the City of San Francisco. Please note: If you declare that your company is a non-profit, please enclose proof of tax-exempt status ... (and on and on - it's hilarious,) but better yet is editor Doug's response:
Thank you for your form letter, and these three legal documents, requiring 5,7, and 10 sworn statements respectively, as well as my legal name, residential address, phone number, and Social Security number, all to be provided under penalty of perjury. According to these forms, in the event that I knowingly or unknowingly violate any of seven separate sections of City Administrative Code - none of which are quoted in your paperwork - I would be liable for damages of up to $1,000 per violation. But on the plus side, completing signing, returning these forms and agreeing to each and all of these unstated stipulations would earn us the opportunity to 'bid' (according to your paperwork) for the right to send the library an invoice for a subscription. The answer is no. (Doug goes on to say he'll continue sending them a free copy to the Little Magazine' Collection)
Readers whatever happened to libraries? This is funny stuff but underlying it is this - libraries have gotten weird - too big - too multi media /computer-ish - and they've lost the love for books, old books, all kinds of books. Strange.
Being that you are receiving e-mail the best bet for other Reader's Guide news is www.undergroundpress.org - a fine website by Maddie for A Reader's Guide. And Doug - keep being reasonable. It'll keep them confused.
A Reader's Guide, PMB 2386 - 537 Jones St. San Francisco CA 94102
(Also: Musea has 2 review zines on our own site: Xerox Debt by Davida Gypsy Breier, and Assblaster by Mike Tolento. Please check those out. Plus other ziney stuff by Alden Scott Crow and myself.)
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