It was never supposed to last or be anything other than an underground punk rock fanzine. But fate had other ideas and for the last two twenty two years, Mass Movement has been navigating its own singular course through the often strange and always wonderful worlds of punk rock and geek culture.
The Best of Mass Movement: The Digital Years Volumes I & II are the result of a crazy five year period that saw Mass Movement reluctantly enter, and make its mark on the digital age. They are a testament to the power of the underground and capture the essence of a magazine and website that celebrated, and continues to champion, the writers, musicians, artists and scenes and the people who make life a glorious adventure...
Tim Cundle
Books like this are crucial for preserving the words of our subculture and I am so very glad that this collection will put Mass Movement in its correct place within the history of punk. There is little that I love more than the heartfelt work that goes into collecting and archiving important writing and interviews and Tim has done an amazing job here.
Just as with MM during its time as a printed zine, this collection is diverse, passionate, and interesting. It will help preserve this periods history on so many aspects of different sub-cultures - but all from a punk perspective.
I always loved that Tim interviews bands that he liked and people that he found interesting or inspiring, rather than the suggestions of publicists. I think that's what made MM retain its authenticity as it grew - that it wasn't a vehicle for promoting the next hyped band, but more one man's passions and preferences. This led to questions that had depth and purpose, and far better interviews than in the average zine.
The diversity of the bands and other individuals reflects Tim's loves, and this shines right through the pages. As both a writer, and someone working at record labels for years (Revelation Records for 20 years and now Pirates Press Records for almost two) I understand the difficulty in reaching this balance. I think it's crucial for a zine (or a website) to retain this integrity and it's something Tim's always managed to do.
Our history, our thoughts and emotions, and our collective punk scene must be archived in this way or it will be lost. Through this kind of dedication, hard work, and follow through, Tim is once more illustrating how the punk scene, especially in the UK, would have been far less rich and wonderful if Mass Movement had not been one of its cornerstones. And as it continues to be so, whilst Tim diversifies all the more with his writing, we take our hats off to him for putting together this collection for us all to either read for the first time, or take a lovely trip down memory lane.
Thank you Tim, from one zinester to another, for your hard work then, now and probably for always.
Vique "Simba" Martin.
