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Dead by Dawn Newsletter (3 Issues published in 1993) East Coast Rave 'zine

Understatement
By Andrew Davidson
on June 30, 2010

Digging through my archives, I thought I'd scan and re-publish copies of my short-lived rave 'zine from the early 1990's.

A few notes, I'm utterly embarrassed at the prolific use of profanity. This was my first dip in the pool of journalism, and I liked the shock of seeing curse words in print. I also believed it added to our underground vibe. Later on, I found it hard to find a printer who didn't object to our message, and refuse our business on this alone. It seems the ones who own the press really do control the world.

This photocopied newsletter grew to into Slurp! Magazine, which lasted another 6 issues into 1994. We were beginning to produce issues fully paid by advertising, but then withering waiting for our corporate advertisers checks to be sent. It takes a big chunk of cash to keep a publication going, and while I had grand dreams of possibly turning our little rave 'zine into a monthly forum for underground music, the drain on my bank account made it a near impossibility.

I learned so much from the experience, much which I use today. Of course, these days self-publishing is the rage, and you don't need to produce hard-copies for people to take home and read, when you can hopefully generate a following online.