Comments on: RIP Bill Brent

RIP Bill Brent

larrybob — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 16:03:44 -0800

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.

By: jammy

jammy — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 16:12:35 -0800

By: ottereroticist

ottereroticist — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 16:20:01 -0800

By: GenjiandProust

GenjiandProust — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 16:22:17 -0800

Aw, fuck.

By: larrybob

larrybob — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 16:38:55 -0800

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

By: cjorgensen

cjorgensen — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 16:44:56 -0800

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.

By: Forktine

Forktine — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 17:10:49 -0800

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.

By: msalt

msalt — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 17:20:08 -0800

By: dancestoblue

dancestoblue — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 17:23:30 -0800

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. .

By: GenjiandProust

GenjiandProust — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 17:57:04 -0800

I misread this sentence at first and was horrified. Me, too. I think my heart actually stopped. Please do not do that to me.

By: beelzbubba

beelzbubba — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 18:42:07 -0800

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.

By: Sidhedevil

Sidhedevil — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 19:05:55 -0800

Sad news. He was a terrifyingly brilliant and intense man.

By: kuppajava

kuppajava — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 07:43:06 -0800

By: endless_forms

endless_forms — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 11:16:35 -0800

. I read and liked his work.