Death (?) of a Small-Press Legend

December 9, 2005 11:01 AM

Death (?) of a Small-Press LegendThe link points to a page dedicated to Bill-Dale Marcinko, one-time gonzo Rutgers University newspaper editor, small press publisher and a character it seems no one who knew could ever stop thinking about. Marcinko, who had been supporting himself selling CDs on eBay, apparently died in a house fire when firemen were held back by cardboard boxes full of his collections. Still, he did fake his death several times before. His friends, most of whom haven't spoken to him in years, are hoping this is just a more elaborate prank. Clifford Meth's tribute page celebrates Bill-Dale and his work, including AFTA zine, described as perhaps "the first comics 'zine distributed to book and comic shops that combined comedy, politics and reviews on books, films, and comics. It was very much an underground version of Crawdaddy, though with vastly personal content." (via Mike Appelstein, a contributor to the Rutgers Livingston Medium)
posted by Scram (1 comment total)

I've never heard of Bill-Dale Marcinko before, but from reading this and linked articles that my 80s zines were heavily influenced by zines that had been heavily influenced by him and his work. A shame he'd written almost nothing for almost twenty years, but trains of thought that he started in the 70s are still chugging on today, passing through new stations that are equally unaware where all this began.
posted by Hogshead at 12:28 PM on December 9, 2005