Punk Planet was everything.
Then it ended.
From 1994-2007 I was the publisher and editor of Punk Planet magazine, the influential underground music, politics, and culture magazine I founded when I was 19 years old. For 80 issues and 13 years, we chronicled independent bands, artists, thinkers, doers, and many other folks that were Doing The Work.
Every issue was a miracle, and is available to read at the Internet Archive.
Starting on the magazine's 30th anniversary, May 2024, I wrote an essay a month about each year of the magazine's run. They are personal and by no means a complete document of the year or the experience, but in their small part they capture what it was like to work on this, how we all pushed ourselves to do incredible work, and what it feels like to have something that you put your entire self into end. They are all collected here.
30 Years of Punk Planet: Year One
30 years ago this month the first issue of Punk Planet magazine came out. It's incredible that one issue came out let alone 80 over the following 13 years. It started so small and grew to become my whole life. In honor of the 30 year mark, I'm writing 13 essays, one of each year of the magazine, starting with Year One.
Published on May 31, 2024
Do What You Want, 'Cos This is the New Art School. Punk Planet: Year Two
I'm writing an essay a month marking the 30 year anniversary of Punk Planet. This month, Year Two. If the first year of Punk Planet was about figuring out the function of the magazine, the second year was about the form.
Published on Jun 30, 2024
Alone in a Crowd. Punk Planet: Year Three
The third in my monthly essay series about the 13 year run of Punk Planet. This time around, Year Three and the first cover story we ever ran, about the Democratic and Republican National Conventions in 1996, wholly relevant once again.
Published on Jul 31, 2024
Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes. Punk Planet: Year Four
I wrote about underground art and design, a sacred assembly of men, and the year that changed everything for Punk Planet magazine as part of the fourth entry in my monthly essay series about the 13 year run of Punk Planet.
Published on Aug 31, 2024
Weapons and Motives. Punk Planet: Year Five
In the latest installment of my series reflecting on Punk Planet's legacy, I focus on the magazine's fifth year, when it shifted significantly toward political issues, particularly anti-war coverage, culminating in the "Murder of Iraq" cover story.
Published on Sep 29, 2024
A Picture Postcard. Punk Planet: Year Six
In Punk Planet's sixth year, we brought on a new design team and the look of the magazine really got incredible. I've assembled a gallery of some of the best spreads from that year.
Published on Oct 30, 2024
Become the Media: Punk Planet, Year Seven
I went to write an essay looking back at the the seventh year of Punk Planet, but one of the issues we published that year felt too relevant to RIGHT NOW to keep the essay's focus on the past.
Published on Nov 30, 2024
Here Comes the Argument: Punk Planet, Year Eight
The day after September 11th, we got a threatening voicemail at the Punk Planet office. It propelled us to try and make an issue that could capture the moment.
Published on Dec 19, 2024
Building, breaking, rebuilding: Punk Planet, Year Nine
Seeing Chicago stand up against ICE this week reminded me of why I love this city so much, and gave me a focal point for a reflection on the 50th issue of Punk Planet, which was dedicated to the city.
Published on Jan 29, 2025
Leading and Following: Punk Planet, Year 10
Everything is so shitty right now. Let's talk about the unexpected connection between Punk Planet and the Gilmore Girls.
Published on Feb 28, 2025
Old Growth: Punk Planet, Year 11
It's sort of impossible to believe just how many things we did in the 11th year of Punk Planet. Issues! Books! A whole new magazine! A look back at a year of explosive growth.
Published on Mar 28, 2025
Things Fall Apart: Punk Planet, Year 12
Memory is a real son of a bitch. I thought I remembered the last painful years of Punk Planet vividly. Looking across the wreckage of Year 12, our next-to-last year, it turns out there was a lot I didn't remember.
Published on Apr 30, 2025
Things End: Punk Planet, Year 13
For more than a year, I've been writing essays about Punk Planet, the influential, incredible, miracle of a magazine I worked on for 13 years. For more than a year I've been dreading writing this ending, because the reality is this: Sometimes things end and you never, totally get over it.
Published on May 30, 2025