It was never supposed to last or be anything other than an underground punk rock fanzine. But fate had other ideas and for the last two twenty two years, Mass Movement has been navigating its own singular course through the often strange and always wonderful worlds of punk rock and geek culture.
The Best of Mass Movement: The Digital Years Volumes I & II are the result of a crazy five year period that saw Mass Movement reluctantly enter, and make its mark on the digital age. They are a testament to the power of the underground and capture the essence of a magazine and website that celebrated, and continues to champion, the writers, musicians, artists and scenes and the people who make life a glorious adventure...
Tim Cundle
Books like this are crucial for preserving the words of our subculture and I am so very glad that this collection will put Mass Movement in its correct place within the history of punk. There is little that I love more than the heartfelt work that goes into collecting and archiving important writing and interviews and Tim has done an amazing job here.
Just as with MM during its time as a printed zine, this collection is diverse, passionate, and interesting. It will help preserve this periods history on so many aspects of different sub-cultures - but all from a punk perspective.
I always loved that Tim interviews bands that he liked and people that he found interesting or inspiring, rather than the suggestions of publicists. I think that's what made MM retain its authenticity as it grew - that it wasn't a vehicle for promoting the next hyped band, but more one man's passions and preferences. This led to questions that had depth and purpose, and far better interviews than in the average zine.
The diversity of the bands and other individuals reflects Tim's loves, and this shines right through the pages. As both a writer, and someone working at record labels for years (Revelation Records for 20 years and now Pirates Press Records for almost two) I understand the difficulty in reaching this balance. I think it's crucial for a zine (or a website) to retain this integrity and it's something Tim's always managed to do.
Our history, our thoughts and emotions, and our collective punk scene must be archived in this way or it will be lost. Through this kind of dedication, hard work, and follow through, Tim is once more illustrating how the punk scene, especially in the UK, would have been far less rich and wonderful if Mass Movement had not been one of its cornerstones. And as it continues to be so, whilst Tim diversifies all the more with his writing, we take our hats off to him for putting together this collection for us all to either read for the first time, or take a lovely trip down memory lane.
Thank you Tim, from one zinester to another, for your hard work then, now and probably for always.
Vique "Simba" Martin.
Tim Cundle stumbled into the punk scene sometime in the mid-nineteen eighties and his life has never been the same since. Having worked as riflery instructor and drug counsellor and studied both English Literature and Behavioural Science at University, he decided his career lay down a different path and, having written for local newspapers since he was fifteen, did what most aspiring writers do. He became a journalist. Currently the editor of Mass Movement Magazine, he has also contributed to, and written for, Doctor Who Magazine, Big Cheese, Fracture and many other publications. A lifelong geek and Disney, Star Wars and comic book fanatic, he spends far too much time obsessing over obscure Hardcore and Crossover bands, playing Dungeons & Dragons, reading genre literature, devoting himself to television shows and films that most people would consider to be puerile, recording and presenting the Mass Movement Presents podcast with his partner in audio crime Chris Andrews, drinking too much coffee, indulging his passion for craft beer and watching Professional Wrestling and Ice Hockey. After "singing" for two Hardcore bands, Charlies Family Crisis and AxTxOxTx, he now considers that chapter of his life to be closed and the chances of him doing the band thing again are slim to non-existent. However, just like Sean Connery, Tim learned a long time ago to never say never again, so who knows? You may see him on stage again. But you probably won't. The Best of Mass Movement: The Digital Years Volumes I & II are the result of a crazy five year period that saw Mass Movement reluctantly enter, and make its mark on the digital age. They are a testament to Tim's enduring love of the written word and the underground and capture the essence of a magazine and website that celebrated, and continues to champion, punk rock and geek culture. Tim lives in a small, sleepy Welsh village with his wife Emma and daughter Siobhan and keeps himself busy by working on his upcoming books and Mass Movement, which takes up far too much of his time. He dreams about muscle cars, Disney World and disappearing to live in a small cabin in the wild woods of Tennessee.
