Making Punk a Threat Again by the Profane Existence Collective

The Profane Existence Collective was formed in Minneapolis, United states of america, in 1989 as a resources for the worldwide activist DIY punk customs.

Over the years Profane Existence has published a magazine, released numerous records, and ran a large distribution operation. The slogan "Making Punk a Threat Again!" became a telephone call to grassroots political and DIY punk activism to thousands of kids all over the world. For the last 25 years volunteers and commonage members accept donated both their passion and fourth dimension working endless hours making PE an important zine, record label and culling distribution for the worldwide anarchist punk community. In 2011 PE founder Dan Siskind stepped away from the collective and many things have changed. Although, PE is a collective effort and now the mag is back, and nosotros're absolutely stoked about information technology. PE is currently in the works of re-establishing zine contributors and once once again doing a printed magazine.

Hither's my lengthy conversation with Comrade Blackness, one of the most passionate and productive contributors to the newly formed PE magazine collective.

Comrade Blackness by Center Aperture Photo

What'south your personal story as a person involved in the DIY punk scene?

Well, it'due south been a long journey. I certainly had a different upbringing than nigh the stereotypes of suburban kids with record collections that y'all hear of.

I grew upwardly on a small, family run beef and dairy subcontract in northern Alberta, where the nearest town was nether 700 population and was a 10 infinitesimal bulldoze from our farm. I was raised generally by my mother who was kind of rebellious in her own ways; going to courtroom to fight large oil companies and being a woman farmer in a hyper-conservative community. I went to school in the nearby town, a school that had under 300 students from Thou to 12; and I was terribly picked on and bullied. Really the term bullied doesn't brainstorm to do justice to describing the shit I went through. Our school was known for ii things, its sports teams, and the super high suicide rates. I was super small, not super masculine or good at sports, and we didn't take a ton of money like everyone else in that community did. And so I was that child who was picked on even by the other kids who were bullied. I literally had no friends for most of those years. I spent equally much fourth dimension in the nearby city of Lloydminster as possible, a city of 20 000, on the border of Saskatchewan and Alberta where I took Judo; but it was also a rather rough place where the rich kids drove around in the sports cars their parents bought them looking for poor kids or Natives to spring. I hung out mostly with the Cree kids.

So by the time I was introduced to punk, it fabricated a ton of sense to me. Songs about hating jocks, rich kids, racism, and all that were something I could relate to; and information technology gave me something to hold onto. See, I never chose to exist 'different', I was always unlike whether I wanted to exist or not. I never actually fit in anywhere, even in punk scenes; but in punk beingness unlike and weird was more than acceptable than in other parts of society. Notwithstanding, there was no punk scene in Lloyd, and especially not in Kitscoty. There was about 5 punk kids in Vermillion, a boondocks near an hour away; so for the most function I had to judge and brand up what it meant to be punk as I was the merely punk child in boondocks. I did a lot of stupid shit dorsum and so that I would at present be quite embarrassed to tell of.

At nearly fifteen I started to sort of run away, and ended up hitchhiking to Windsor, Ontario, so later living on the streets of Edmonton, Alberta in a squat business firm. This was the kickoff place I really saw a more developed punk scene. Information technology is likewise where I went to my showtime punk shows. I lived in the squat for the winter, panhandled, and tried to sneak into bar shows which almost never worked. I but went to a couple shows, and of grade didn't have a fashion to buy music, every bit I didn't even have a domicile, never mind a record player. Just there was this wonderful footling café on Whyte ave chosen Misty Mountain where I met other punk kids that introduced me to bands similar Crass, Conflict, Nausea, and to groups similar the SHARPs as well as anarchist ideas.

A year afterwards I was living back in Lloyd, with a girl I met on the streets of Edmonton. I worked at a gaming shop selling D&D and Warhammer stuff while learning to brand chainmail; and nosotros were the but punks in boondocks. At some indicate after me and her broke up I tried to go out punk behind for a couple years, but it was a feeble endeavour as it was really all I knew or had.

In about 2002, later on my drinking had gotten out of paw and I was hitting rock bottom, I re-discovered punk through the Internet, and started to go into straightedge besides. I mean when yous are living on your friends' couches because yous lost your last ii jobs and abode to do drinking, songs virtually not drinking make a lot of sense. Of course many of those bands also promoted veganism and animate being liberation. I went sober, quit smoking, and became vegan inside a bridge of a couple months, and so one twenty-four hour period hitchhiked to Edmonton to become to a show at Octopus Ink, and just decided to never render to my shitty task working graveyards in a gas station in a shit town for of churches and oil rig workers. I lived a few years on the streets of Edmonton, panhandling and hanging out with gutter punks (there wasn't much of an anarcho or poltical scene and so, and the few political punks wouldn't usually associate with the street kids), and going to shows; before I randomly decided to hitch to Victoria BC, which has been my home ever since. I had been told by friends that I would like Vic, and shortly every bit I got here I knew information technology was the place I wanted to exist.

Within a week of existence in Victoria, I had joined Nutrient Not Bombs. It was slap-up, as previous to that, the closest thing to activism I was able to practice was to go to the Edmonton Anarchist Bookfair or hold a sign at anti-circus rallies. Both those were great, but doing FNB felt more substantial to me, and within about 6 months I was asked if I could organize a benefit evidence for FNB, so I talked to some local punk bands and set upwards my first show. I started organizing shows for bands more and more than, and within about a year I was one of the main promoters in town for DIY bands, doing upward to 4 shows a calendar month sometimes. All the shows were all ages, which was important cause at that point in time there was almost no all ages shows happening; so I felt like I was able to make a useful contribution. I set upwardly shows for years, and also worked to get an anarchist bookfair going since there wasn't i in town. I likewise did other projects like starting an agitator reading group. I did all this while still living on the streets, and sleeping in parks. Meanwhile there was a local hippie activist who kept being arrested for sleeping outside, and a bunch of homeless people started a tent city originally to support him, but it apace turned into something else. I got involved right at the beginning, and it was the start time I was to get involved with something more direct action based. Before that I only read well-nigh directly action in agitator zines or on the ALF support websites. The tent city turned into a huge affair, and we ended up with about 160 people, a full camp fashion kitchen that served meals 4 times a day, and I found myself talking to media almost it, going to court and beingness harassed by cops. Information technology ended upwardly with a court challenge to the supreme courtroom that temporarily got some local anti-homeless bylaws deemed unconstitutional. The other of import affair that pb to was I began writing for a local street news paper, which was my first experience with doing political writing work.

I gauge the next big affair that shifted things for me was SHAC Canada. I was at an environmental training army camp called Wild Earth, and felt super lonely and alienated by the roadkill eating insurrectionists who hated vegans and drank all the time; they fabricated up the majority of the camp participants. Then four animate being activists from Quebec showed up to requite a workshop on shutting down a horrible vivisection lab called HLS which kills 500 animals a day. I concluded upwardly joining them presently as the camp concluded and campaigning with them daily for nearly 6 months until they left boondocks. It was something that completely shifted how I idea nigh activism and strategy, and I felt more like I was really doing something than always earlier. Eventually the iv moved on, and invited me to bring together them, but I felt to rooted in Victoria community to requite up everything to keep tour with them. Nonetheless information technology impacted me more than almost anything I had experienced before or after.

Over the years I continued setting up shows for bands, doing the anarchist reading circumvolve, and organizing the bookfair. I got off the streets, lived in community houses, dumpster-dived, and started organizing more and more talks and workshops, and somewhen I quit setting up shows for bands at all. Local anarchists worked hard to get a infoshop going in Victoria, and soon afterwards it opened I was asked to join, information technology became my main projection e'er since.

What does the slogan "Making Punk a Threat Over again!" means to you and how did yous get involved in Profane Being?

It was my friend Damien Inbred who got me writing for Profane Beingness. Damien asked me to do an interview with a prisoner I was corresponding with for the magazine. He had been part of the PE commonage for a few years, and writing for both PE and MRR. Damien is a really great guy, and I am thankful to accept him as a friend.

To me the slogan Making Punk A Threat Again is kinda a challenge we have even so to fully alive up to. When PE first came out, the punk scene needed that boot in the ass flap. PE was important. I desire PE to be important again. Early punk in the Britain and USA was largely bullshit shock stone and curl, just there was always more subversive elements that meant the rhetoric for real. Bands similar Crass, MDC; or at that place was Subhumans Canada who had a member keep to go involved in direct up guerrilla warfare equally part of Directly Activeness. This is why punk was a existent threat, 'cause it created spaces for other possibilities, it was more just way and slogans. Manner can be bought out and sold out, slogans tin exist printed on a bumper sticker or t-shirt. Punk was about more than than just looking dissimilar, it was virtually being different, rejecting the conventions and institutions that go unquestioned in mainstream society: the use of animals for food or entertainment, respect for the cops or regime, heteronormativity, marriage, monogamy, nuclear families, patriarchy, war & militarism, resources extraction, the whole "American Dream" and so to speak. In that location was likewise a time where FBI and cops would attempt to dress as punks and become to shows every bit infiltrators cause they recognized the scene was a breeding ground for real radicalism. This was back in the days when people were handing out ALF pamphlets at punk shows, and some people went on to actually commencement raiding fur farms or get involved in above ground activism. Simply the bulk of the punk scene isn't like that—most of it is just people with spiky greenish hair getting drunkard to their favourite bands, which is fine if that's what you lot need; but to me PE was always about highlighting the political side of punk. That's what sets it apart from other punk zines or projects.

So now the question to me is what will information technology take to make Profane Existence a threat again?

Which are your near favourite releases from the PE label back catalogue?

As far every bit my favourite release? Probably Aus-Rotten or Nausea stuff from fashion back. I mean, how can you beat that? Also love the beginning Iskra anthology was awesome.

Equally a sober vegan agitator where do you describe the line between employ and abuse? Vegans tend to come across animal use as an abuse only it's normally not the same with booze consumption or other practices that straight edge people see as destructive. What kind of things do you recall are useful or necessary in our effort to build safe and radically sober communities and spaces inside the punk and the activist circles we're involved in?

You know, I'grand not sure I am really a large fan of drawing lines in full general. Mao Tse Tung was; he famously stated "at that place must exist a strong dividing line between us and the enemy." And then he murdered millions of his ain people crusade they were "counter-revolutionary."

As far as use and abuse, I am not certain yous can really pull them apart similar that into separate categories. Especially in a culture that completely normalized substance utilize andabuse, as well as normalizing addiction. This is what Nick Riotfag called Intoxication Culture. If you talk to any recovering addicts, most will tell you in that location is no distinction for them. Fifty-fifty if you personally experience you tin can take a few drinks, or a toke and not get too high or end up addicted, that doesn't mean your friend volition share that same experience with it. Having that beer in your mitt makes it normal for everyone else; and the reality is that even in subcultures where some caste of deviation is encouraged, people nonetheless experience the pressure to fit in. In fact, it might be fifty-fifty stronger in subcultures than in other more mainstream movements, simply because for many of the kids who find their way to punk shows don't have anywhere else. If they are not accepted hither, they can't just go to the club or highschool trip the light fantastic and fit in. Punk is often all they have.

That said, I do personally endeavour to avoid being in spaces where people will be consuming intoxicants, or being around intoxicated people in general. I accept history with being jumped and harassed and assaulted by people who are drunk or stoned; now I am not blaming that on the intoxicants every bit the people were conspicuously violent natured idiots before they were boozer, but notwithstanding it is a trigger for me. And of grade people use intoxication as an alibi for shitty beliefs to avoid accountability. And so I but don't put myself in those situations if I tin can assist it. Which means at times I tin be quite anti-social and oftentimes find myself outside of cultural groups where that is the norm. And every bit someone who doesn't drinkable, smoke, use any drugs, or consume beast flesh—that means in that location is a lot of cultural norms I am on the outside of, even within subcultures that are trying to exist an alternative to mainstream consumer culture.

I mean, even in collectives or community houses people will get outside together to fume, and what happens is those who don't smoke don't become included in the conversations and often end up non being equally close to the people who smoke equally the smokers are to one some other. I think that can exist really destructive to our ability to build good for you communities. Not just because smoking is unhealthy to your lungs and heart, but this is how cliques form. Cliques are not good for community building, they can be the death of a project. I often find if you do non partake in a behavior that is normative, than y'all volition find yourself on the margins of the grouping. So my point is, that this shit affects us in many dissimilar ways, many of which are not fifty-fifty acknowledged.

Of course in that location is also all the issues related to the product, sale and manufacture of tobacco, booze, or other intoxicants. And addictions don't always fit nicely in where we expect them, pharmaceuticals (which are often tested on abused animals) tin exist abused substances, or TV, Facebook and Twitter tin can be just every bit consuming as whatsoever street drug.

I am stoked to meet more groups penning sober space policies equally an active step to exist more inclusive. When the utilize of booze is encouraged, there is a number of types of people who are inhibited from participating; whether it is cause they are addicts in recovery and tin can not be around that shit, or mayhap they are youth and not legally allowed, or perhaps they have some history of corruption where alcohol was a factor and it now feels dangerous or unwelcome. On the other side, sometimes people who are fond and in denial of their addictions can't be in a space if they are not allowed to use while in that location, and I by no ways want to marginalize people struggling with addictions. Then I am by non arguing that the punk or agitator scenes should outright ban whatsoever substance employ similar some neo-prohibition movement or something. Nosotros need different types of spaces. The idea of existence inclusive is kinda a misnomer; truth is you tin can't include everyone, so when yous choose to make an outcome or a space sober, or to accept alcohol there, you are actually making a political choice of who you want to feel welcome in those spaces.

I was one time part of creating a sober infinite at an anarcho-queer gathering I attended, where the bulk of the people came there to get loftier and notice someone to fuck. For me, that was super hard to be in that space. I was pretty nervous nearly even going, because I knew I would possibly be stuck there for two weeks until the end of the gathering, and so I was kinda freaking out after the first night. But so when I started talking with others there I chop-chop constitute out that at that place was a number of people who also felt super triggered by information technology and and so nosotros decided to take an impromptu workshop on sobriety, which about xxx people attended. Overall, it turned out to be a super posi experience for near of u.s.a.. Just realizing we were not solitary and not the only ones made such a difference. At first we felt like we didn't even have any right to fifty-fifty ask for any spaces to be sober, since the majority of people had come there to party. Information technology was that intimidating. And at outset nosotros came upwards to a lot of opposition, but over the next few days we started to take people who regularly drank or used, come up to u.s.a. and thank us for speaking upward and pledging to not use for the residuum of the two weeks. Past the terminate of the gathering the organizers were having discussions about the ethics of using alcohol sales to fund queer events, especially since alcoholism and addiction has much higher rates amongst queer identified people than the rest of society. It was an incredible feel to be office of making that happen, and it shaped some of my ideas on creating space, allies, and solidarity. I don't think what we need is for every space to exist completely sober all the fourth dimension, never listen that it would probable be unrealistic. Merely I do recollect we need more sober spaces, and fifty-fifty more so, we need allies who will step up. It tin exist really hard to speak for what y'all need when no i wants to hear it because information technology goes against their hedonistic desires.

I just want to say 1 other thing, as you asked about fauna use and abuse in the context of veganism. I have been vegan and straightedge for over a decade now, and for me it is a lifelong commitment. I know that for certain. I know what I believe and why—without a doubt. But in reality, I oft find I don't like a lot of vegans who are not edge, or at least not political. I find many who call themselves vegan accept very black and white world views, and often they tend to believe their choices are simple and are the right ones for everyone in every context. That if someone doesn't make those same choices it is either considering they are to uninformed (ignorant) or considering they are simply immoral people. I also observe these people tend to diminish their own brusk comings and hypocrisies, meanwhile they besides undermine the contributions of other activists who are not vegan. I am non proverb that it is some simple "personal choice" bullshit either, or some postmodern shit that equates to "anybody should be able to do what ever they want and fuck the consequences." Considering of form there are consequences. In the context of veganism, the consequences are primarily felt by other non-human animals who endure all kinds of torture for the desires of some humans. But at the same time, everything is circuitous as fuck. There is as many reasons for people to not exist vegan as there is to exist vegan, fifty-fifty if you don't agree with those reasons. So until y'all know where they are coming from and why they made the choices they have made, you tin't simply lump everyone together and dismiss them. Mainstream vegans often exercise this. Mainstream vegans as well often seem to honestly delude themselves into believing that by buying $200 fake leather boots and tofurky sausages that they are literally saving the lives of thousands of animals and their role is done. Reality is, there is no simple solutions.

I personally believe domestication is a major part of the problem, and has lead to the situations nosotros are in today. Simply non consuming one life course that y'all approximate sentient, while continuing to consume monocropped, domesticated plants shipped from far away past gas guzzling machines to be sold in a capitalist market is not going to solve the worlds problems. Those crops are grown using chemicals on what employ to be wild brute habitats (as well as wild plant habitats), and oftentimes use migrant labor, prison labor, or in some cases kid labor. There is no such thing as cruelty complimentary in a capitalist, industrial mass society. Especially for settlers who are living on stolen native land and benefiting from that history of colonial genocide that nevertheless goes on today. Often those mainstream vegans seem to be more worried that some Indigenous peoples still practice their cultural traditions like sustenance hunting, tanning, and fishing, than they are well-nigh the fact that hundreds of native women go along going missing or are raped and murdered while the cops and government doesn't do anything to stop it… I hateful, aren't humans animals too? If veganism is suppose to exist about stopping suffering, then we need to also consider our own relationship to colonialism and how nosotros perpetuate it. Agriculture is a colonial idea, and is a organization based in violence to the wild for our anthropocentric desires. Even the idea that animals are sentient and plants are not is based in colonialism.

To me, being vegan isn't about consumer politics or voting with my dollar, it is a fashion to go on the animals present in my day to 24-hour interval life, and a first stride to trying to change the relationship that humans historically take towards other species. Don't kid yourself, our relationship to animals and plants is one in which we make almost all the decisions and maintain power primarily for our own benefit. In human to human relationships, we refer to that as an abusive relationship. I believe we can have a different type of relationship to animals, but decolonizing and rewilding has to be part of how we will get there.

What about your experience in creature and world liberation prisoners support, which prisoners and back up groups have y'all been personally involved with and what is important for us to know when trying to help them out? What are the biggest traits to nowadays day activism in the States and what can be done to stop the harassment coming from Thou Juries, Light-green Scare, etc.?

Primarily I correspond with prisoners by letter mail. Not all the prisoners I write to are ALF, ELF or Green Scare, some are Ethnic state defenders, or wrongful convictions. I as well wrote to a few G20 prisoners every bit well, and had a skillful friend who ended up going in for over a twelvemonth for the G20. I send them letters, postcards, poetry, and fine art; all of which helps people accept a window to the exterior world and go on sane by decreasing the isolation. Prison house is designed to destroy people, pause them down, and cut them off from their community—so when people go to jail for their commitment to the movement—I believe nosotros have a responsibleness to them. Nosotros need to support these people, make sure they know they are non lonely and their actions are of import, and let them know there are people who care virtually them.

In some cases, I began writing people while in prison house and ended upwards forming real great relationships with them. I wait forward to their letters back, they are like a birthday present every time I become 1! There are too others who I write to and never hear dorsum from likewise, only that's ok. A prisoner has to buy the paper, envelopes, stamps, and pens from the prison commissary at inflated prices; it would be incorrect for us on the outside to expect that they should utilize their limited funds (many earn $3 a twenty-four hours in prison) to ship a letter to someone they have never met. Our responsibleness in support is to them, non them to usa. They are the ones doing time.

I have been more involved in supporting a few people as well. When my friend Kelly Pflug-back was in for black bloc actions, I organized fundraisers to support her, set up a facebook page to post updates, and would talk to her on the phone when she could call (which could be quite expensive). Kelly also turned me onto the case of Nyki Kish, an Ontario adult female and onetime traveller punk who is serving life for a murder she didn't commit that is entirely political. Nyki is really one of usa, a punk, traveller, musician, poet, and writer. The assault that lead to her imprisonment happened on her 21st birthday when she got dorsum from hitchhiking and trainhopping beyond the US.

A similar instance, another wrongful confidence, is John Male child Graham. John is a Southern Tuchone Indian from the Yukon who took part in the American Indian Motility in the 70'due south, and has since been framed by the FBI and Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) for the murder of a native woman (and AIM member) who many believe the FBI killed. Worse yet, that woman's daughters grew upwardly to be cops, and have been instrumental in helping the FBI frame John for their mother'southward murder. Yet if you expect at the trial transcripts, non ane single slice of concrete prove exists and every unmarried witness has direct connections to the FBI, or BIA. John'southward family live now in Vancouver, and then I am working on edifice better relationship with them, and finding ways to support them.

I also was quite involved with back up work for Walter Bond—The ALF Lone Wolf, until he chose to end that—which is his selection to practice. When I was supporting him I raised funds through selling copies of his books, I interviewed him for Profane Beingness, twice, sent him books, mail, and connected him with John Zerzan. I also got a group who was slandering him through their webpage to finally accept down all info about him that he had not consented to them publishing. At times I came under a lot of fire for openly supporting Walter, only in my mind it is not about popularity—this guy is serving 12 years in a CMU, he deserves vegan food, messages, so on—fifty-fifty if I don't agree with everything he says or believes.

These days I mostly correspond with Marius Mason and Rebecca Rubin, 2 US based prisoners convicted for arsons related to the ALF and ELF. I also have corresponded with Fran Thompson, a adult female serving life in the United states for defending herself against a stalker who tried to kill her, every bit well equally Oso Blanco, a mixed race Indigenous man who robbed banks to send the money to the Zapatistas. For a brusque while a member of the Holy Land 5 contacted me, he was in prison with Walter Bond. But that wasn't 1 I was able and willing to accept on.

Tell me about your local scene and what kind of activities do yous feel passionate about, like Nutrient Not Bombs, organizing events, writing zines?

Well, the activist customs, anarchist movement, and punk scene are non synonymous to me, although there is a ton of cross over.

We are super lucky in Victoria, British Columbia. We accept a lot going here.

In the punk and metallic scenes, there is internationally known established bands like Iskra, as well as some other great local crust bands like Storm of Sedition and a bunch of local landscapers formed a band called Zodabactor (named later on fertilizer), and of course SixBrewBantha who has started to build quite a solid post-obit. There is also a new anarcho band that merely formed called Not(A)Price, it will be interesting to run across where they go as they develop. Victoria also has a thriving folk punk scene, and a growing dissonance scene likewise. Things have inverse a lot since I moved here almost 10 years ago. When I fist got to Victoria it was mostly grindcore and stoner metallic, and lot a lot else.

We actually had 3 different punk record stores for a while, which is pretty impressive for a town of 80 000; ane is Blackness Raven, which is pretty much a straight up crust and blackness metallic shop, the second was called Talk's Cheap, which has sorta become part of Cavity Curiosity show. Cavity is a rad space run by a peachy guy. They specialize in local fuck up cloak-and-dagger art and music, and also carry lots of old sci-fi, vintage crap, video games from the 80s, and whatever else Andy finds. The other was Absolute Undercover, which is more connected to the Jaks Skate Team crowd, which is a scene I endeavor and keep away from to be honest. Jaks are usually heavy into substance utilise, and not too cracking on veganism or agitator ideals, in short we don't share values or come across eye to eye. Only Ira who runs Absolute Surreptitious is a really wonderful guy—just our projects are very different.

When I first moved here in 2005, the hardcore scene was massive, with two local hero bands and 200 kid shows, and the chaff/grind scene was small-scale. Now the hardcore scene is barely existing, at that place is just i band, a Maoist Commie band called AK47, who only play nigh one show a year. And then I hope the HC scene volition abound again. I thing that is excellent here though, is there is not a lot of divisions betwixt who goes to what shows or plays in what bands like at that place is in a lot of places. Crusties go to the XvX shows, HC kids go to the grind shows, etc, and it is never a trouble crusade they are all friends.

As for the anarchist movement and activist community in Victoria…

We have a thriving anarchist community here and a lot of history. In September we had our beginning always Victoria Zine Off-white which was a huge success, and the 9th Annual Victoria Anarchist Bookfair is only a couple weeks away. There is and so many cool projects going on here. I am most involved in Camas Books, which is an anti-colonial infoshop founded in 2007. Camas is a collective, volunteer run, and non-profit. the proper name comes from a native species of flower which for thousands of years has been harvested every bit a staple nutrient source by the local Ethnic people, the Lekwungen, who have a very complex and symbiotic relationship to information technology. in office, Camas is a book store, community infinite, and events venue where local groups can run across and organize or speakers can host workshops. Few months ago nosotros had the famous riot grrl cellist Bonfire Madigan Shive come and give a few workshops, and in the past we accept hosted people like Inga Muscio (author of Cunt) or Greg Bennick (singer of Trial) or the notorious anti-technology theorist John Zerzan debating urbanist Matt Hern.

Another cool anarchist project that is going on in Victoria is the Agitator Athenaeum, which is run by my friend Allan Antliff through the University of Victoria. The archives is basically a drove of copies of one-time zines, journals, posters, leaflets, and letters related to the anarchist movement. I recall a lot of people don't realize how rich of a history we accept, which is why projects like that are so important. Around the time of the Outset Earth War, George Woodcock had an anarchist library here, and Emma Goldman even cam out hither to visit him after she was deported. Also David Barbarash, the founder of the N American ALF Printing Office was from effectually BC, and he donated much of his archives to the Anarchist Athenaeum, as did Keith McHenry, a co-founder of the Food Not Bombs movement. There was also a guerrilla warfare group based in Squamish BC in the 80s, Direct Action, and a few members of DA take come and spoken in Victoria. Their files are too part of these archives. Anyone can go check this stuff out. BC too has a long history of Indigenous resistance, and I have heard it said that there has been more blockades and such here than anywhere else. And a long history of ecology campaigns that have won. We accept some of the biggest trees in the world merely miles from where I live.

And yes, I do Food Not Bombs at present so. I have been doing it off and on since I moved here in 2005. According to Keith McHenry, Victoria was one of the first cities anywhere to have an FNB chapter. There are people hither who have been doing it off and on for about 20 years.

The only affair that is lacking around Victoria is animal activism. At that place really hasn't been fuck all since back in 2008 when SHAC Canada was out hither. Just I am hopeful. In that location is also some amazing stuff happening elsewhere in BC, like the VADL who accept been targeting fur shops, shark fin restaurants, and the Calgary Stampede. They are now organizing a entrada to shut down the Vancouver Aquarium. At that place is as well a new group I am super excited about who is doing wildlife defence to protect predator species like bears and wolves against trophy hunting.

What is the future of Profane Existence and printed zines. label and distros in general?

A lot of huge changes are happening right now with PE and I am really excited for what is coming. I tin can't tell you much nearly the characterization and webstore side, as I by and large just work on the zine. They are run somewhat separately.

One of the things happening is that the zine is finally going to be back in print equally a concrete newsprint mode magazine. I am pretty stoked about that, non sure all the details yet but it is finally happening.

I have this vision of what the magazine could be in the future, and am trying to work towards that. What I envision is having something that is like a punk cantankerous between the erstwhile Green Anarchy magazine and the Globe Starting time! Periodical, but equally I said more written by and for punks. If you lot pick up an old GA, they always had this great format with sections on action reports, prisoner support, columns, theory articles, and practical stuff. If you pick up a copy of Globe Kickoff! Journal, which I honestly remember is the all-time radical publication out there; it ever has sections on new campaigns, updates from people on the ground at various campaigns across the world, as well equally a prisoner support department, letters section, movement history, art, poetry, etc. It is a great publication.

What I envision for PE is like that—but for punks. I imagine every issue having scene reports, tour journals from bands, interviews with bands, interviews with activists, prisoners, and distros. I picture it having updates on activist campaigns and projects. Likewise I would love to also incorporate a prisoner back up section. And of course a DIY section, maybe even some good vegan recipes.

We as well accept some really corking writers right now, and some new folks who are just starting. Ange Singh from Ahna has but joined the PE coiffure, as well as Mya Mayhem who use to sing in Life Against Death and Violent Restitution. I am talking with Jang Lee from Resist and Exist about having a column also. 1 of the ones I am most excited for is Jordan Halliday, who earlier he became a movement prisoner for his animal activism he ran this astonishing vegan cooking blog called Militant Vegan Cooking. I had been hoping he would restart it for a while now that he has been gratuitous from prison. So nosotros have been talking and he is restarting it equally a column for PE.

Only of course we can't practice it without the back up of the customs. Each issue of PE mag costs upwards of $2000 to print and distribute. I would love to see PE back in print four times a twelvemonth, with copies sent to every infoshop, distro, and punk space we can find. Only without funding, it won't exist sustainable. It's kinda like prisoner support or anything else, it is one thing to say you lot support it when someone else is doing the work and taking the risks, it's another thing to put your coin where your mouth is.

There is tons of other large changes, PE is moving from Minneapolis for the first time since it started in 1989, and the running of the label and such is being taken over past Chris Luton (Appalachian Terror Unit) and Josh Lent (ROÄC, Custerfux, Chain Reaction Records). They have some bang-up free energy and ideas, and want to take PE back to its roots as a projection for politically drived DIY Punk! Super stoked to be working with them. They also just posted a huge update on the PE Weblog, check it out.

What does a good punk zine represents to you? What do you like or don't like in the hardcore punk zines you come across?

I approximate it should be relevant to the people it is written for, and to me it should be more than focused on the people who are doing things in the scene than the majority opinion. By that I mean, if y'all choice upward the book The Philosophy of Punk by Craig O'Hara, he talks in there about how the book may not be an accurate record of how all the scene thinks, but instead is more than representing what people who are contributing feel and think. That spoke to me, I think I am more interested in the ideas of the people who play in bands, put out labels, silk screen patches, or run distros, than I am with the opinions of passive consumers of culture. Luckily most people in the punk scene practise something, in fact that's kind of what makes it work.

Then again, I might also be a flake of a hypocrite in that I hardly read punk zines these days….

The most inspirational columns, articles or interviews you have seen in Profane Existence? Do yous like the famous The Rise of Crust writing by Felix von Havoc?

Not really, actually. I have tons of respect for Felix for all he has contributed over the decades, just he doesn't personally excite me every bit much as some far less famous PE writers like Damien Inbred, or Jeremy Stinkbot. I remember my favorite in contempo years have been the few manufactures Kelly Pflug-back has written. I too have lot of appreciation for Andy Leffer. If I had to option a favorite mail though, it might be The DIY Moral Compass. I also like some of the eco-poetry and such that Ben from Precept was writing a few years back.

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