Fanzines Part One: The Punk Spirit of Football's Alternative Press (with Daniel Gray)

Fanzines Part One: The Punk Spirit of Football's Alternative Press (with Daniel Gray)

Rob and Jonathan begin a two-part series on football fanzines with Daniel Gray, editor of Nutmeg, host of the When Saturday Comes podcast and author of the new book Fanzine: The Story of Football's Alternative Press.


They each share how they got started: Rob with QPR's A Kick Up the Arse, Jonathan with Sunderland's A Love Supreme and Daniel with Middlesbrough's Fly Me to the Moon. They explore how DIY, punk-influenced magazines gave a voice to supporters who were demonised in the 1980s.

They look at how national titles like When Saturday Comes and Off the Ball, the Football Supporters' Association and London's Sports Pages bookshop built a sense of unity among fans. There are tales of lawsuits, angry chairmen, Brian Clough storming into a newsagent and Jonathan's run-in with the police at Southend. Finally, they reflect on how fanzines launched countless writing careers, including their own.


01:59 What Is a Fanzine?

04:04 Our First Fanzines

11:01 Giving Demonised Fans a Voice

12:57 A Million Copies Sold

16:47 Terrace Talk Begins in York

19:22 Police, Bans and Free Speech

22:53 Bradford and The City Gent

25:51 Foreshadowing Hillsborough

29:12 When Saturday Comes

32:10 Early Pioneers: The Shamrock and Foul

41:19 National Fanzines Unite Fans

43:04 Sports Pages

45:52 Arrested at Southend

48:23 Lawsuits and Angry Chairmen

50:54 A Launchpad for Writers


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