hot out herre

Thursday, December 08, 2005

bill-dale marcinko, rip

I would like to interrupt my law school cramming to pay tribute to someone whom, though I never knew him well, had a major effect on my life. Bill-Dale Marcinko, former Rutgers University professor and editor of the notorious Livingston Medium, passed away recently in a house fire.

When I began attending Rutgers' Livingston campus in the fall of 1984, Bill-Dale and his cohorts had recently turned the campus weekly into a freewheeling, frequently offensive and confrontational gonzo publication. It's since turned gratuitously obscene, but at the time it snuck in some incredibly touching, thought-provoking and hilarious work, too. As a college freshman who'd had a sheltered childhood, it was total culture shock to come across such an in-your-face newspaper in my midst.

About a month into that first year, I began reviewing records and sending them to the Medium for publication. They started publishing them. I couldn't figure out why, but I loved the attention and the self-affirmation that came from people on campus reading my articles and commenting on them. I'd already gotten a little taste of seeing my name in print in high school; this was even better, not to mention addictive. (At the same time, I'm glad this was pre-Internet; I look at those articles today and cringe.)

I never stopped by the office that first year. Bill-Dale and his cohorts scared me. I had no idea what depraved things they'd have in mind if I ever showed up. Of course I worried for nothing; when I finally met Bill-Dale and the rest of the staff, they were uniformly welcoming and encouraging. Basically they furthered the writing bug I already had. Even though I ended up editing and writing for the campuswide Daily Targum, I never forgot how encouraging the Medium staff were to me sight unseen.

Later, hearing that I'd begun a music zine, Bill-Dale sent me some back issues of AFTA, his '70s-era publication. I read them cover to cover, and was especially moved by an article called "Kool-Aid, Anyone?" It was a harsh critique of fandom by a guy who was once known as one of the world's biggest fans. It was a reminder to keep your options open, to not be swallowed up by your little fan clique. It characterized fandom as something that should always be questioned and evaluated. I've always tried to keep those words in mind, though I haven't always followed them.

Obviously Bill-Dale took those words seriously. After one issue of a zine called Crow circa 1987, he left the fan world entirely. No new zines. Nothing on the Internet. Just silence. For years I've wondered whatever happened to the guy. I'm sorry this was his fate.

So even though I never really knew Bill-Dale, his influence reached me at a very impressionable, pivotal moment in my life. I owe at least part of my numerous zine, writing, recording and blogging pursuits to him. May he now find the peace that seems to have eluded him in life.

Here is a remembrance by one of his few close friends. Seems that Bill-Dale was known as a prankster, and has pulled death hoaxes before. Who knows? Maybe he'll return as his own Tony Clifton one day.

Quite a few people I knew from my Rutgers/New Brunswick college days are gone now. It's strange and sobering to reflect on it.

Mike posted at 10:03 PM

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hot out herre

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