a geeky, psychotic, feeble attempt at literature and ahead of its time ranting vehicle, originally as companion bible to Consortium goers. It definitely raised eyebrows but was destined to disappear instantly due to lack of funds, until, then stranger, turned good friend Kristo Babbler (his nom de plume) offered to rescue it from its impending doom and (gasp!) actually published the zine for his Focal Publishing House much to the delight of its writers, a mixed bunch of people tied together by music, film, watches and quality footwear.
That was a very exciting time, loads of coffee and alcohol, all-nighters, good and bad ideas, midnight snacks, ego clashes, personal differences and lots of love in a Melrose Place kind of way. Alas, some people took it way seriously and things went sour. As they say nothing good lasts forever. Yours truly started it and named it The Scenester, inspired by the many attention seekers of the day and the many horrible parties and events that gave birth to scenesters more than a decade ago.
A gap ensued between the last printed edition back in 1998 and its current online incarnation. During this time, many of the original protagonists have either moved away, had families or gotten busy in actual real world j-o-b’s. A new batch of pretentious 'hipsters' has appeared, while the old ones have remained entrenched in the scene. The old French expression that the more things change, the more they stay the same seems to apply to Manila more vividly than in other locales.
A quick scan of the old issues will reveal the relevance of The Scenester today. The very same things that were said in these pages about the Philippines nearly two decades ago can be said of it today. This is both sad and amusing to us. On the up-side, the economics of the Internet make independent publishing a lot more viable compared to the days of the old printing press. The barrier that separates the writer from the reader is a lot lower these days, which makes us wonder why there aren’t enough people doing it.
Perhaps it is because the same technology that makes everything accessible to us also makes us lazy. That is why we have chosen to bring The Scenester back to life to enthuse, enlighten and energize a new generation of reader-contributors. As we move into a new phase of this fanzine’s existence, we hope that the site provides the venue and the vehicle for all the wandering travellers and warriors out there to join us as we navigate and make sense of the wonderfully absurd and freaky realities that make up our urban jungle.
