Zerox Machine

A beautifully definitive account, both a history and an essential social document of the UK's punk and post-punk fanzine scene. * Mike Scott, The Waterboys *
No punk revisionist clichés, but a proper and scholarly examination by Matthew Worley of a fascinating phenomenon. * Jon Savage *
The most important book on the alternative punk fanzine world out there. * Paul Wellings, NME and Independent *
Worley is brilliant at capturing the diversity, enthusiasm and energy on show in the twelve years of zine culture he covers. . . . He has curated a knowing and wide-ranging selection of subject matter. * International Times *
Worley’s Zerox Machine is about those who were inspired not by Moon’s message of three chords but by the medium: busted typewriters, felt-tip pens, stencils, and Letraset; off-set lithographic printing; cut-and-paste blackmail text and photographs ripped from the music mags. On the evidence of this book, their number was legion. * Review 31 *

Often when academics turn out stuff like this it can be a little, well, dry. Thankfully Matthew is very readable.
Zerox Machine traces a line from the punk zines to what happened next. Everyone knows about Sniffin' Glue, but there was a wealth of great DIY zines, especially as punk began to morph. Here Matthew really breaks it down. And it seems the book can't escape its culture. It's laid out across a four-column grid with loads of black and white illustrations giving it a zine-y feel in itself. Really nice work.

* Moonbuilding *
Worley’s masterful book, Zerox Machine . . . charts the chaotic path of the fanzines’ development . . . There is a huge and important legacy to capture and a captivating story to be told here, which Worley does better than anyone I know, infusing the text with passion and a genuine love and excitement for the subject . . . To say this book is an essential read for anyone wanting to understand how creativity can spring untrained and unsupported from any street corner goes without saying, but I’m going to say it anyway! Your bookshelf has a space just waiting for this, and you won’t regret it filling it. * Outsideleft.com *
Matthew Worley offers an offbeat, erudite and fast-paced look at the English years marked by Margaret Thatcher’s rise to power and the neo-liberal, conservative turn that followed. First and foremost, this is a genuine investigation into the world of fanzines that were part of punk and post-punk culture between 1976 and 1988 . . . The book’s scientific and stylistic content is essential for all sound, material, cultural and socio-political studies covering this period. -- Louis-Antoine Mege * Critique d’art *
Intensely researched and teeming with insights and fresh connections, Matthew Worley’s book is the definitive study of punk and postpunk fanzine culture. If you want to know why zines mattered – why zines got people so excited – this is where you should start. * Simon Reynolds, author of Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978–1984 and Futuromania: Electronic Dreams, Desiring Machines and Tomorrow’s Music Today *
Clear headed and beautifully written, this book is an overview of fanzines that goes beyond the usual DIY/punk/music clichés. It is a smart and exhaustive analysis that deserves to be the go-to reference for those who want to learn about the bygone joys of obsolete technology, praxis and self expression long before social media influencers and gifted content. * Liz Naylor, co-editor of City Fun fanzine *
Held together by tape and spit, fanzines were given away at gigs for a minimal price or sometimes even for free. Matthew Worley has done a brilliant job of covering them as much as possible in this book. Well worth a read, and who knows, maybe it will inspire people to get printing. Long live the fanzine! * Steve Ignorant, co-founder of Crass *
Fanzines were the perfect reflection of the cut-and-paste DIY culture of music, clothes, hair styles and the alternative media of the fanzine culture, which I was sat at the heart of. Zerox Machine is a perfect guide to the frantic, frenetic activity that mapped out a new underground, with many of its key players moving on from their broken typewriters to becoming key players in the UK’s media battleground. More importantly, this book is a reminder of the distinctive art form and style that was at the core of the crucial culture. * John Robb, The Membranes, editor-in-chief of Louder Than War and author of The Art of Darkness: The History of Goth *
Matthew Worley is a brilliant guide to the world of the fanzine, and to the extraordinary passion and creativity of their many authors and readers. Zerox Machine pays a proper tribute to all those diverse voices, and to the contribution they made to the history of popular culture and the lives of those who adore it. * John Street, Emeritus Professor, University of East Anglia *
Matthew Worley knows his stuff, showing it in this fascinating survey and dissection of the cultural, musical and political feelings expressed directly to the world through the unique phenomena of fanzines. * Tony Drayton, editor of Ripped & Torn and Kill Your Pet Puppy *
Fanzines reflected and informed the development of punk and post-punk, providing a platform for a diverse range of voices. Matthew Worley has written an engaging examination of this explosion of passionate creativity, combining meticulous research and insightful analysis to inform and illuminate. Zerox Machine is a definitive study of a culture of self-expression that continues to resonate today. * Nicholas Bullen, co-founder of Napalm Death and pre-teen fanzine writer *
Matthew Worley has done a terrific job with Zerox Machine, getting the right balance between academic endeavour and the sheer excitement that the subject matter should induce – because they were exciting times. Nowadays, when any idiot can blog or use social media to expand their stupid or dodgy views, it's sometimes hard to remember that in the 70s and 80s you actually had to get up off your arse to get involved. People had to get their hands dirty: starting bands, writing fanzines, putting on gigs. They were heroic times and Matthew has captured it perfectly with this book, his passion obvious on every page. Sure, there have been other books on the subject but this one definitely goes to the top of the pile. * Mark Perry, editor/creator of Sniffin' Glue fanzine and singer/leader of Alternative TV *
While there exists a formidable body of research devoted to the history and influence of fanzines, Zerox Machine contributes new and illuminating insights to the subject . . . Worley’s considerable knowledge of and fluency with the history of British punk fanzines imbue his account with authority and completeness. In addition, he deftly applies social criticism to reinforce the connections he makes between primary resources, both fanzines and their creators, and his claims and arguments about their evolving significance to social history, media studies, and communications. Worley is particularly convincing when he discusses how fanzines were and continue to be platforms for expressing contradictions and ironies rather than codifying rigid social, artistic, or political pieties, and demonstrates the ongoing influence that early fanzine design and distribution continues to have on layout and publication transmission. Highly recommended. * Choice *