Lunchmeat Magazine

Many years ago I was into print publishing. In fact, that’s sortof how I got into writing about movies, by publishing a little punk zine in my backwater hometown. While I am reluctant to call blogs the zines of the 00’s because they frequently require so much less effort than their predecessors, the comparison nevertheless seems mildly apt. In the case of blogs, one just has to filter through a lot more shitty ones before you get to the good stuff. Because they had to be physically constructed, zines required much more commitment and consistency than a blog which (like this one) is also frequently constrained by sctructural limitations imposed by the service provider. While there are many blogs that I think do a remarkable job, I still think that zines, with all their flaws were a much more appealing and fulfilling format.

Now zines are largely dead, and magazines, even well known titles, are struggling to stay in print. Hence it takes even more cojones than ever to try and put out something in print these days. When Josh got in touch with me a month or so ago I couldn’t believe that he was actually putting out a print magazine, much less one devoted to VHS tapes. Lunchmeat Magazine is just that however. It is the magazine I’d like to think I would put out if I had the cojones to tackle such a labor intensive project. I like to think of it as a retro-reunion of sorts, putting print media and video cassettes in the same place seems to me so, well, fitting really. Lunchmeat does it well, with numerous reviews of forgotten video-only flicks from the VHS era and interviews with low budget indie filmmakers printed on quality paper and sandwiched between glossy full-color covers. I hope they'll forgive me for pointing out a flaw or two so that I don't sound entirely sycophantic. Some of the images were so pixelated they made me cringe, and I noticed a few grammatical errors and other minor foibles. Nevertheless, I understand the limitations of indie niche-media and will no doubt do the same myself in the future (maybe in this article). Actually, they're a reminder that real people are actually making the thing.

The point is that Lunchmeat is doing something few people are willing to do anymore, and doing it well. In the first issue Josh sent me (above) I found movies I'd never even heard of, and subsequently tracked down my own copies to watch. I'm hopeful that some time in the near future, Lunchmeat and LVA will collaborate on a project. Consider the bad magazines filtered out. I suggest you track down your own copy of Lunchmeat.

LunchmeatVHS(at)Gmail.com
myspace.com/Lunchmeatzine