The book that instantly made me go “gotta have it,” is Tape Op; The Book About Creative Music Recording, edited by Larry Crane, which is chock full of interesting techniques for the DIY and low-budget/no-budget sound recordist. Apparently it’s compiled from Tape Op magazine, which I’d never heard of, but will now have to keep a lookout for. I’ve read a couple of short pieces about microphones and using a 4-track recorder that give no-nonsense advice without recommending you spend thousands on super-pro equipment.
Next, I picked up Michael Albert’s Moving Forward; Program for a Participatory Economy. I’ve always been intrigued by Albert’s ideas on how organizations should run themselves as they would like to see the world run (i.e. democratically) and his writings in Z Magazine, and since this looks like an attempt to put his ideas into practice I thought it might be a good read.
In the ‘zine mix my partner Ellen and I picked out applicant, edited by Jesse Reklaw. Here’s the project:
“One night while rooting through the recycling bin for magazines, I found all the confidential Ph.D. applicant files for th biology department at an Ivy League university from the yeard 1965-1975. Stapled to many of the yellowed documents were photographs of the prospective students. They were treasures! I tore through the folders and rescued every portrait I could find. I had to have them. Only later did I realize I had to publish them”
And publish he did, with this digest-sized ‘zine made up entirely of the pictures subtitled with comments from their letters of recommendation. Truly priceless stuff.
Ellen also bought copies of Found magazine and Clamor magazine, the folks behind the latter are also behind the Underground Publishing Conference. Her book purchase was How to Rock and Roll; A City Rider’s Repair Manual, for bikes. Another truly DIY book that doesn’t urge you to buy hundreds of dollars in specialized tools to keep your bike running.
Leave a Reply