EXORCISM 06

I’m getting pretty good at this publishing thing. Or maybe it’s just that I’m getting pretty good at self-delusion. Either way, I’m quite happy with the release of Exorcism 06 — the photo selection; the pacing; the look and feel — all are quite satisfying. The only thing I’m not satisfied with is the knowledge that, thanks to rising production costs, I’ll lose even more money on this issue than the previous ones. I may indeed be getting good at the publishing thing, but the publishing business? Not so much.

Perhaps I can fix the “business” aspects with “marketing.” One problem that’s long plagued me is figuring out how I should refer to the publication. I get a little twitchy every time I use the word “magazine.” To me, that implies something that’s mass-produced and sold in the checkout line next to the Tic Tacs, or bundled with a free clock radio when purchasing a 2-year subscription. But I’ve been equally loath to use the word “zine,” since that suggests dubious print quality, cheap paper, a drastically reduced page count, and a stapled binding — none of which define this particular publication. As a product, the exorcisms always seemed awkwardly between these two words. Which is exactly why I’ve decided to split the difference and begin referring to it as a ‘gazine’. Clearly, the word “gazine” implies something more premium than a “zine” but less assembly line than a “magazine” — exactly what I’m publishing.

Exorcism 06, like most of the gazines before it, was shot entirely on film, using a multitude of cameras. Eighteen of them to be exact. They are: Canon Demi EE17, Contax G1, Fuji GS645S Wide 60, Fuji Natura Black 1.9, Konica Hexar AF, Konica Recorder, Leica IIIc, Minolta TC-1, Nikon 28Ti, Nikon S3, Olympus OM-3Ti, Olympus Pen FT, Pentax 17, Pentax MX, Pentax MZ-S, Petri Compact E, Ricoh Auto-Half, Zeiss Werra 3.

And, just like every gazine that preceded it, Exorcism 06 concludes with its own apologia, reprinted below:

I’ve always assumed that my mood dictates the sort of photos I take. Sad mood, gloomy photos. Buoyant mood, cheerful photos. Turns out that theory is nothing more than a cabinet full of crockery.

I possess the ability to see an old photo — no matter how long ago it was shot, or where — and immediately recall the psychological state under which I took it. I’ll remember what I was feeling and thinking at that particular moment, and why. Curiously, I’ve come to realize there’s little, if any correlation between a photo’s actual character and the emotional conditions from which it sprang.

This became even more obvious while assembling Exorcism 06. The issue draws from a pool of film photos I shot in Vancouver these past several months. It was one of life’s rather turbulent periods, populated with stress, sadness, anxiety, hope, fear and happiness — and my emotional state swung wildly between them. But there remains no visual association between a photo’s mood and my own. Sure there are cheerful photos, but they were shot during both sad and buoyant times, as were the gloomy photos.

Perhaps it’s good that individual photographs remain inscrutable and any temporary mood swings visually agnostic — it allows each issue to stay coherent and cohesive. Even if the photographer wasn’t.

Exorcism 06 is now for sale in the ULTRAsomething STORE. It’ll slot nicely on the shelf between your zines and your magazines.

© 2024 grEGORy simpson

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