“I’m not trying to posture Chunklet as this truly revolutionary thing,” says Henry Owings, editor and publisher of the Georgia-based zine. “There’s nothing in it that hasn’t been done before–it’s just that we’re in the vast depths of a time when rock journalism is run by humorless fucks.”
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“You should see some of the stuff I occasionally edit out; sometimes it’s criminal,” says Owings. Past issues have included features on topics such as “Are Earplugs for Sissies?” and the top 100 “Assholes in Rock” (the Butthole Surfers top the list; Owings himself puts in an appearance at number 32), as well as interviews with comedians like Mr. Show’s David Cross and Daily Show regular Lewis Black. The latest, number 17, is built around a feature called “Pay to Not Play,” a hilariously comprehensive list of 600-odd bands the rag claims it will pay cash money to call it quits. Local supergroup Tortoise, for example, rate $2,500 per band member. Indie microstars like the Reputation merit only $10 a head.
More than a few of Chunklet’s jokes zip over many a monkey’s head, and, unsurprisingly, the notice Owings gets runs as hot-cold as he gives. The mag’s turned up on both the “most loved” and “most hated” lists in the Evanston-based Zine Guide, and the letters column of the latest installment runs six pages, in teeny-weeny type. For every “The new Chunklet rips, dude,” there’s a note saying “I hope you grow a dick.”
Art accompanying story in printed newspaper (not available in this archive): photo/Sean Cokes.
