Gill Sims in conversation with Emma Smith of Mum’s the Word
As the creator and editor of several publications covering an array of subjects over several decades, from a photocopied magazine about 1990s indie and dance music, to a blog about arts festivals (this ‘un), and a grown-up business news publication with actual advertising on it, I was excited to hear how two authors had embraced the DIY ethos to carve a career in writing.
My first stop was the Reading Room at Swindon Library, where Mark Fisher was talking to an enthusiastic crowd of XTC fans.
For 10 years Mark and his friend Paul Badger wrote and published the band’s fanzine, Limelight.
Surprisingly, the idea for a fanzine came before the idea of writing about XTC.
“Fanzine culture was in the air,” said Mark. “Kids were speaking for themselves rather than relying on the inkies [Sounds / NME / Melody Maker] and you either formed a band, or formed a fanzine about one.
“So the idea of writing a fanzine came first. After that we asked ourselves: who about?” Continue reading
Festival Chronicle 