1 - Tell us how
your project(s) were started.
I started Verbicide in the summer of 1999. I was home in Vermont for the summer after my freshman year of college, and I was inspired by my friend Leanne's perzine, Save Yourself From The Humiliation to make my own cut & paste zine. The next summer I made a second issue of Verbicide with a pair of scissors, a printer, and an old photocopier. Then, in fall of 2000, I met my former business partner, Doug. He was impressed by my zine, and I really enjoyed his website, Terraspatial. We decided to form Scissor Press to collaboratively help one another develop our projects with one common goal: to expose the great writing and music of the underground (and, really, of our friends!) to a larger audience. By issue three, Verbicide was in newsprint format - I tried to model it somewhat after early issues of Law of Inertia, but by issue five it really started to become something very unique. Scissor Press has also released a CD by the Mishaps and a second zine, Excommunication, and in 2004 my current business partner, Jason, and I plan to start publishing books.
2 - What does music,
in its entirety, mean to you?
That's a really tough question. Music, in its entirety, would have to include everything from Beethoven to Britney Spears. I think I'll just say that the music that I personally enjoy generally has some form of aesthetic value, but I don't consciously consider aesthetics to be of great importance. I listen to music that, in some way, piques (and maybe even manipulates) my emotions-whether it's anger or sadness or joy. Humans are emotional beings, and music-real music, stripped away from consumer- and image-oriented peripherals-is a result of that fact.
3 - What does art,
in it's entirety, mean to you?
Another tough question. Whatever form it may take, art is a method of individual expression that, very generally speaking, doesn't rely entirely on specific boundaries and rules, and is open to interpretation. Two-plus-two always equals four, but the meaning, importance, and beauty of, say, a Jackson Pollock painting or of a Walt Whitman poem is quite subjective. I like subjectivity.
4 - Who is your
favorite author, and why?
Jack Kerouac. I enjoy living vicariously through his stories (heh heh). Seriously, his work is introspective, adventurous (in content and style), and varied. Read Dharma Bums and then read Big Sur and then read Visions of Gerard and tell me that guy didn't have a lot going on in his head. He touches on so many facets of life and so many emotions it's phenomenal. I also really enjoy Steinbeck, Hemingway, and, in the last couple of years, I've really begun to enjoy Japanese poetry such as Basho, and, very recently, Hitomaro. They could say so much, so profoundly and beautifully, in so few words.
5 - As your best
friend, describe yourself.
The most loyal, kind, and trustworthy person you'll ever know. He'd do anything for his loved ones. Always there for you. Friendly, charming, intelligent, and intensely focused. And wow, what a great ass.
6 - As your worst
enemy, describe yourself.
Moody, self-absorbed, and condescending. Jesus, what is wrong with that bipolar fuckface anyway. He seriously needs to chill out.
7 - If your persona
were immortalized as a cartoon character, who would it be?
It would have to be a cross between Ziggy and the "Papa Bear" in the Looney Tunes cartoons who was always really pissed off.
8 - Do you think
there are conspiracies against the "everyday person"?
I can't really say with any degree of certainty. Maybe.
9 - What do you
do with your spare or free time?
Well, for one, I work on my zines and other related projects in my free time because I have to work other jobs to support myself. I love to spend time with my friends, though, and I love to travel-whether it's going on long road trips or vacations, or just day trips, I love to be on the move. I enjoy hiking and being outdoors in the woods. Sometimes I like going to shows. I like to sit in diners with a friend and if I can't find anyone to go, I'll drink coffee and read quietly for hours. I like visiting my family. I used to be a rather talented baseball player until my final arm injury shortly after my senior year of college.
10 - Please give
us your interpretation of "the meaning of life."
I don't really
think there is one. I just try to live day-to-day, and surround myself with
the people I care about…and do what makes me happy.
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