Tomorrow The World? (issue #1) YEAR: 1977 CREATED BY: Max Great LOCATION: London SIZE: A4 WHAT’S INSIDE…. Max Great had to create the first issue of Tomorrow The World? in a considerable rush, as he had a temporary job which gave him access to a duplicator - but only for three weeks - "if I had more time it could be better, but the new wave’s about spontaneity, right?".
That attitude pulses through every handwritten, cut-and-paste page of this teenage labour of love….
At the tender age of 16, Max was convinced he was the youngest fanzine editor around, but that illusion was shattered when he was told that the girls behind More On were only 15 (although he may have been misinformed - according to the excellent Punk 77 website they were actually 17 at the time and were both in the sixth form at Camden School For Girls).
Max really wanted to be in a band, but thought that creating a fanzine was the next best thing and "much better than doing nothing".
The cover alone is a statement - it features a crudely snipped-out image of the world under the zine's title, a chaotic collage of politicians, police, ageing rock stars and Prince Charles, accompanied by the words "we don’t need this shit" - as well as some pics of the punk bands featured in the zine. There's also a crossed-out word in between "this" and "shit" which highlights Max’s rushed, no-second-takes approach.
Inside, he delivers the goods….
Like Adrian Thrills, Max was a big fan of The Jam ("their music is fucking brilliant") and his in-depth interview with the band captures them on the verge of breaking through, providing news of their upcoming gigs, debut album and first single "In The City", which was due to be released on 15th April 1977 - Max's 17th birthday.
The Clash and Generation X also get their moments, although their interviews are shorter and sloppier - as they were recalled from Max's alcohol-impaired memory (he advises fellow fanzine writers to either "try to be sober when you do interviews" or, failing that, "get a cassette recorder").
The Clash interview includes a scoop about them having just hired a new drummer called Nick (ie Topper Headon) after Terry Chimes refused to join the band "cos he's into Pink Floyd and stuff like that". Max's verdict about The Clash’s just-released debut album is that it's possibly the most important record ever.
The interviews are illustrated with photos taken by a friend (Wally Davidson) or stolen from the music press.
Max also wades into the ongoing debate over what punk actually was and which bands could be included under the punk umbrella. Right from the start some people had dismissed the idea that groups like The Stranglers and Eddie & The Hot Rods, with their pub rock roots, could be punks. Or that a singer-songwriter like Elvis Costello could possibly qualify. Never mind bands like The Vibrators, who were just "too old"….
Max's dismissive review of Television's (IMHO awesome) album "Marquee Moon" is based on his opinion that it's "more hippy than punk" - because the band appear to be accomplished musicians, some of the songs are "too long" and the lyrics don't say anything that he can relate to ("they're like fucking Bob Dylan"). The fact that NME journalist Nick Kent liked the album seems to be the final nail in its coffin for Max: ie proof that it’s (a) shit and (b) not punk.
Max wasn't sure if he was going bring out a second issue of Tomorrow The World?, but signs off the first one perfectly: "HOPE YOU LIKE IT. IF YOU DON'T - FUCK OFF".
Click on the title above to see scans of all the zine's pages….
my box of 1970s fanzines flickr