This was a huge surprise - the little fanzine I made in 1985, will end up in a collection in the Museum at Manchester University.
I really have no idea how this came about, but it feels so bizarre that I can't quite believe it. DWT was my first real attempt at a fanzine, very much inspired by "Groovy Black Shades" (made by Paul Groovy) and "Adventures in Bereznik" (by Simon Bereznik), 'zines which were handed out at gigs I went to, throughout 1984 and 1985. The whole culture of fanzines was very DIY, and inspiring - go out and make your own, get involved!
So, in the late summer of 1985, when I returned to Lancaster Uni, I got down to business. First, I made collages and cut-outs, from magazines and other found media. Then,I typed out all of the articles, poems, jokes and content, reducing the type so it would fit. Then - painstakingly - it was all assembled and glued together, on two giant "master" pages. These were then photocopied again, so I could fold one huge sheet into a small fanzine. There was a definite plan for distribution, too. These weren't going to be for sale; it was very much a labour of love. I would get a plastic bag full of 'zines, take them to gigs, and give them to people who I hoped would enjoy them. That's why there's a "free?" on the cover. Looking back on my work, it's naive - sure, but it's absolutely in keeping with the way I feel about life and music. you're sharing a little bit of yourself, when you make something like this, and that's the best feeling. I'm gobsmacked that it ended up in a museum, but I'm also enormously proud.
Bonus points for noticing that DWT ended up as the title of my MP3 blog, a couple of decades later.
