Weight Rooms and Mosh Pits: Tales of a Punk Rock Jock
My punk friends thought it was weird that I played sports, and my jock friends couldn’t understand why I had such stupid haircuts.
Billy McCall
Billy McCall is a writer and artist living in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He has a large collection of WNBA trading cards, and an even larger collection of zines and comics. He’s old enough to remember dial-up Internet and hopeful enough to believe that this crummy world still has a chance. He runs the website www.ilovezines.com, and is always looking for new pen pals. Feel free to email him at iknowbilly@gmail.com.
Women’s Sports Don’t Need Saving
Anti-trans groups who claim they want to save women’s sports are all full of shit.
No More Excuses
Being an artist means putting yourself out there. The deeper and more real your expressions are, the more you set yourself up for criticism. Sometimes it’s tough to sift through which criticism to ignore, and which to pay attention to.
Nothing Is Wasted
Billy McCall interviews Charissa Lucille about closing, then reopening Wasted Ink Zine Distro: “I have emotional whiplash from feeling so down — and then feeling so extremely excited and hopeful. So many community members stepped in and helped.”
Dear Trump Supporters
Let me start by acknowledging the fact that I never thought I would be this upset by an angry mob storming the Capitol. I mean, isn’t that the ultimate American dream? Name one person in this country who has never at some point in their life thought to themselves, “Ya know what we oughta do? We oughta go down and storm the Capitol. Show those lawmakers who’s boss.”
Signs of the Times
Understanding social acceptability is important when creating art in the public sphere, such as political signs, street art and graffiti. Every time and place has its own set of rules.
Five Fantastic Songs With No Lyrics
Singing the words to our favorite song is a way to interact with the art we love, a way to feel like we are part of it… But some songs are so good that we love them even if they have no lyrics. Some songs are able to communicate a full range of human emotion without a single word. Here are five of those songs, and what makes them so iconic.
But What About the Revolution?
A society in which not all members are free is not truly a free society. Pussy Riot understands that and Pussy Riot stands in resistance. They stand for resistance.
Pioneers Press: An Oasis in a Red State
This scary world is suddenly a lot scarier now, I know. But there are punks and hippies and counter-culture DIY types all over the place. Find the progressive like-minded people in your community and become friends with them. Strengthen those bonds.
The Day After
America has chosen this. America voted for a racist, a misogynist, someone who claims global warming is a hoax. Maybe not all of America, but enough. That’s who you want? Well, there ya go.
How Trump Turned Presidential Politics Into Pro Wrestling
Roles are easier to understand when you understand the ultimate goal, which is heat. Heat translates to popularity. The same things that work in wrestling work in presidential politics and state elections and high school president elections.
On Bended Knee: What Colin Kaepernick, Artists and Activists Have in Common
What is art, and what makes a person an artist? If Kaepernick were a poet, he’d write, or if he were a painter, he’d paint. But he’s a football player.
Always Be a Part of the Creative Collective: Soul Project’s Community Art Space Mission
We walked in, sat down, and just opened ourselves up to whatever art was about to envelop us.
Music Video Showcase: “Save Dat Money” by Lil Dicky
A rap video shot on a zero budget? What a concept.
Art in a Time of Tragedy
Sometimes art is all about being silly. Creating nonsense. But sometimes art has to be serious. It needs meaning and worth, it needs a message.
Punk Tour Days
When I asked the drummer about his hand, which was wrapped in gauze and a splint, he just shrugged and said, “Fuck it, punk rock.”