Sniffin' Glue
Encyclopedia
Sniffin' Glue is the name of a monthly punk zine
started by Mark Perry
in July 1976 and released for about a year. The name is derived from a Ramones
song "Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue." Others that wrote for the magazine that later became well known journalists include Danny Baker
.
Although initial issues only sold 50 copies, circulation soon increased to 15,000. The innovative appeal of Sniffin' Glue was its immediacy.
NME
acclaimed "Sniffin' Glue" as "the nastiest, healthiest and funniest piece of press in the history of rock'n'roll habits" and it really became the true chronicle of the early days of British punk rock as well as pioneering the DIY punk ethic. Later, some called it the Bible of the punk movement. For the final issue Mark's sidekick Sniffin' Glue photographer, business affairs and later band manager Harry Murlowski recorded Love Lies Limp released as a flexi disc
record - the first release from Mark Perry's band Alternative TV
.
Fearing absorption into the mainstream music press, Perry ceased publication in 1977. In the last issues he encouraged his readers to follow him with their own punk fanzines.
"Sniffin' Glue" is often incorrectly credited as the source of the illustration featuring drawings of three chord shapes, captioned, "this is a chord, this is another, this is a third. Now form a band", this drawing actually originally appeared in January 1977 in another fanzine 'Sideburns' and was later reproduced in the Stranglers fanzine 'Strangled'
In 2000, Mark Perry published Sniffin' Glue: The Essential Punk Accessory, which is a compilation of all the issues of the fanzine with some new material written by him.
Sniffin' Glue is referenced in the song "Three Sevens Clash" by The Alarm, a tribute to 1977, and a follow on from their previous punk tribute "45 RPM".
Punk zine
A punk zine is a zine devoted to punk culture, most often punk rock music, bands, or the DIY punk ethic. Punk zines are the most likely place to find punk literature....
started by Mark Perry
Mark Perry (musician)
Mark Perry, also known as Mark P, was a British fanzine publisher and is a writer and musician.Perry was a bank clerk when, inspired by The Ramones, he founded the punk fanzine Sniffin' Glue in 1976...
in July 1976 and released for about a year. The name is derived from a Ramones
Ramones
The Ramones were an American rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first punk rock group...
song "Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue." Others that wrote for the magazine that later became well known journalists include Danny Baker
Danny Baker
Danny Baker is an English comedy writer, journalist, radio DJ and screenwriter. Since the late 1970s, he has worked for a wide range of publications and broadcasters including NME, LWT, the BBC, and Talk Radio....
.
Although initial issues only sold 50 copies, circulation soon increased to 15,000. The innovative appeal of Sniffin' Glue was its immediacy.
Sniffin' Glue was not so much badly written as barely written; grammar was non-existent, layout was haphazard, headlines were usually just written in felt tip, swearwords were often used in lieu of a reasoned argument. . .all of which gave Sniffin' Glue its urgency and relevance.The early days of the punk movement largely failed to attract the entrance of television or the mainstream press, and Sniffin' Glue remains a key source of photographs of, and information about, contributors to the scene.
NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
acclaimed "Sniffin' Glue" as "the nastiest, healthiest and funniest piece of press in the history of rock'n'roll habits" and it really became the true chronicle of the early days of British punk rock as well as pioneering the DIY punk ethic. Later, some called it the Bible of the punk movement. For the final issue Mark's sidekick Sniffin' Glue photographer, business affairs and later band manager Harry Murlowski recorded Love Lies Limp released as a flexi disc
Flexi disc
The flexi disc is a phonograph record made of a thin, flexible vinyl sheet with a molded-in spiral stylus groove, and is designed to be playable on a normal phonograph turntable...
record - the first release from Mark Perry's band Alternative TV
Alternative TV
Alternative TV were an English rock band, formed in London in 1976. Their punk rock and post-punk sound was influential for several musical artists.-History:...
.
Fearing absorption into the mainstream music press, Perry ceased publication in 1977. In the last issues he encouraged his readers to follow him with their own punk fanzines.
"Sniffin' Glue" is often incorrectly credited as the source of the illustration featuring drawings of three chord shapes, captioned, "this is a chord, this is another, this is a third. Now form a band", this drawing actually originally appeared in January 1977 in another fanzine 'Sideburns' and was later reproduced in the Stranglers fanzine 'Strangled'
In 2000, Mark Perry published Sniffin' Glue: The Essential Punk Accessory, which is a compilation of all the issues of the fanzine with some new material written by him.
Sniffin' Glue is referenced in the song "Three Sevens Clash" by The Alarm, a tribute to 1977, and a follow on from their previous punk tribute "45 RPM".