RIP Bill Brent
August 30, 2012 4:03 PM   Subscribe

Bill Brent was the publisher of the zine Black Sheets and the alternative sexuality directory The Black Book and the author of the book How To Make a Zine (recently republished in a revised edition) as well as a lot of erotica writing. He was very active in the San Francisco Bay Area sexuality, kink, and zine scenes from the early 90s onward. Unfortunately, he committed suicide in August 2012; Liz Highleyman penned an in-depth obituary of Bill.
posted by larrybob (13 comments total) 13 users marked this as a favorite


 
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posted by jammy at 4:12 PM on August 30, 2012


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posted by ottereroticist at 4:20 PM on August 30, 2012


Aw, fuck.
posted by GenjiandProust at 4:22 PM on August 30, 2012


See also memorial posts about Bill by Carol Queen, Thomas Roche and Susie Bright
posted by larrybob at 4:38 PM on August 30, 2012 [3 favorites]


I always wanted to be a zine kind of guy, and his book allowed me to dream about being that guy.

I get this same feeling looking over audiophile magazines. I'm never going to be someone that can dump huge dollars into audio equipment, but I do like to dream.

I still think about making a zine.

I can also say I've read some of Bill's erotica.
posted by cjorgensen at 4:44 PM on August 30, 2012


See also memorial posts about Bill by Carol Queen, Thomas Roche and Susie Bright

I misread this sentence at first and was horrified.

I hadn't known anything about Bill Brent, but I realize that I've been reading his writing for many years. I somehow ended up with a couple of early issues of Black Sheets and I can remember it being eye opening and fun.
posted by Forktine at 5:10 PM on August 30, 2012 [1 favorite]


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posted by msalt at 5:20 PM on August 30, 2012


Never heard anything about him prior to this post, just read that tribute; he sounds like a great person, he contributed so much.

A damn shame he couldn't get back into the swing of North California, or find another place to thrive. He sure looked like a perfect fit for the bay area but I guess it wasn't a perfect fit for him.

I have no problem with suicide -- it seems to me that it's the ultimate choice, and one that no one should ever feel shamed about considering. But jumping from a bridge isn't always an easy death, not everyone dies when they hit, and they drown. There are gentler ways to take your leave.

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posted by dancestoblue at 5:23 PM on August 30, 2012


I misread this sentence at first and was horrified.

Me, too. I think my heart actually stopped. Please do not do that to me.
posted by GenjiandProust at 5:57 PM on August 30, 2012


I've used the Make a Zine book to teach multimodal writing, but had noidea about the extent of Brent's contribution to American culture. I'm glad he's released from his pain and sad that he felt he had to go.
posted by beelzbubba at 6:42 PM on August 30, 2012


Sad news. He was a terrifyingly brilliant and intense man.
posted by Sidhedevil at 7:05 PM on August 30, 2012


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posted by kuppajava at 7:43 AM on August 31, 2012


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I read and liked his work.
posted by endless_forms at 11:16 AM on August 31, 2012


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