Profane Existence

The Profane Existence Collective (referred to occasionally as 'P.E.') is a Minneapolis-basedcite news |first= Tony|last= Kennedy |authorlink= |author= |coauthors= |title= Food Co-Ops Thrive, but Stray From Traditionalist Roots |url= |format= |work= Star Tribune|publisher= |id= |pages= |page= |date= 1992-10-28|accessdate= |language= |quote= For example, Wedge Community Food Co-op in south Minneapolis underwent a $1 million expansion this summer...Profane Existence magazine, a publication of the local anarchist community, twice has railed against the co-op in 'Sledge the Wedge' features.|archiveurl= |archivedate= ] anarcho-punk collective. Established in 1989, the collective publishes a nationally-knowncite news | first=Peter S. | last=Scholtes | coauthors= | title=The Rise of Punk Civilization | date=1999-04-07 | publisher= | url =http://www.citypages.com/databank/20/957/article7442.asp | work =City Pages | pages = | accessdate = 2007-08-29 | language = ] zine (also called "Profane Existence"), as well as releasing and distributing anarcho-punk, crust, and grindcore music,cite news | first=Adam | last=Bregman | coauthors= | title=Sledgehammers to the streets: The zine scene | date=1998-02-25 | publisher= | url =http://www.laweekly.com/art+books/books/sledgehammers-to-the-streets/7189/ | work =LA Weekly | pages = | accessdate = 2007-08-29 | language = ] and printing and publishing pamphlets and literature.Thompson, "Punk Productions", 104] cite news | first= | last= | coauthors= | title=Pop Notes | date=2003-11-28 | publisher= | url =http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=PD&s_site=twincities&p_multi=SP&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0FF21603677A7808&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM | work =Saint Paul Pioneer Press | pages =E3 | accessdate = 2007-09-08 | quote = TODAY Profane Existence, the Minneapolis-based collective of political punks who make "punk a threat again" with a magazine, publishing company and record label, celebrates 14 years of raising hell at the Triple Rock. ] Stacy Thompson describes the collective as “the largest, longest-lasting, and most influential collective in Anarcho-Punk so far.”Thompson, "Punk Productions", 108] The collective folded in 1998,Thompson, "Punk Productions", 105] The collective's October 1998 announcement that it would "cease operations" can be read [https://www.profaneexistence.com/PE=Kaput.html here] ] although its distribution arm, then called Blackened Distribution, continued operating.Thompson, "Punk Productions", 186] It restarted in 2000.Thompson, "Punk Productions", 92] "Making punk a threat again" is the group's slogan.

History

Launched in 1989,Thompson, "Punk Productions", 97] the Profane Existence magazine has been described as "the largest of the anarchist Punk fanzines in North America."cite book | last = O'Hara | first = Craig | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = The Philosophy of Punk: More Than Noise | publisher = AK Press | date = 1999 | location = Edinburgh | pages = 71 | url = | doi = | id = | isbn = 1873176163 9781873176160 ] The magazine deals with a very broad range of topics,Thompson, "Punk Productions", 95] including veganism, animal, women's and minority rights, anti-fascist action and the punk lifestyle. It publishes feature articles, interviews, reports on local scenes around the world, editorials, letters, "how-to" articles, and so on. Thompson, "Punk Productions", 106] Thompson writes that the zine “functions as [a newspaper] for many Anarcho-Punks, especially those in the Twin Cities area."Thompson, "Punk Productions", 94] Until it ceased publication in 1998 Profane Existence was free in the Twin Cities and cost $1-3 elsewhere; then as now customers who order the zine through the mail are only charged for shipping. The zine was initially published in a black and white tabloid format. It switched to an 81/2 x 11” magazine format with issue #23 (Autumn 1994) but returned to a tabloid format (now with color front and back covers) with issue #38 (Spring 2000).

In 1992 the group copublished (with "Maximum Rock n Roll") the first edition of "Book Your Own Fuckin' Life", a directory (organized by region) of bands, distributors, venues, houses where "touring bands or traveling punks could sleep and sometimes eat for free," etc.--what Thompson describes as a "Yellow Pages of sorts" for "touring punk bands and punks in general." [Thompson, "Punk Productions", 104]

Profane Existence Records, the collective’s record label, was also founded in 1989. One of the label's first releases was "Extinction," the seminal New York City crust punk band Nausea's only full-length album, which John Griffin describes as "as important to the punks of the '90s as The Sex Pistols' "Never Mind the Bollocks" was to the punks of the late '70s." cite web|url=http://wc07.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:hnfyxqu0ldde |title=Extinction: Nausea: Review |accessdate=2007-09-09 |last=Griffin |first=John |work=Allmusic ] Throughout the early and mid-1990s, Profane Existence released or distributed records by many other crust bands, including Doom, Misery, Fleas and Lice, Anarcrust, Counterblast, Dirt, and Hellbastard. Thompson writes that the label “became ground zero for [the crust] movement” and that the aesthetic of second-wave (i.e., beginning in the late 1980s) anarcho-punk “is currently exemplified by the bands released” on the label. More recently, the label has released music by bands like Behind Enemy Lines,cite news |first= |last= |title= PITTSBURGH CALLING A capsule look at Pittsburgh bands making news.|format= |work= Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|publisher= Pittsburgh Post Gazette Publishing Co.|id= |pages= |page= WE. 17|date= 2007-02-01|quote=] , MURDER DISCO X, Iskra, and The Cooters. cite web|url=http://wm08.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:kjfixqysldae |title=Punk Metal: The Cooters |accessdate=2007-09-03 |work=Allmusic ]

The collective is referenced by former Minnesotans The Hold Steady on their album "Separation Sunday" in the song "Stevie Nix", which contains the lyrics "When we hit the Twin Cities, I didn't know that much about it / I knew Mary Tyler Moore and I knew Profane Existence"." cite web|url=http://www.theholdsteady.com/lyrics.php#SEP6 |title=Stevie Nix |accessdate=2007-08-21 ] cite journal|title=Artists of the Year: Craig Finn|journal=City Pages|date=2005-12-28|first=Chuck|last=Terhark|coauthors=|volume=26|issue=1308|pages=2|id= |url=http://citypages.com/databank/26/1308/article13990.asp?page=2|format=|accessdate=2007-09-03 ]

ee also

*Profane Existence discography
*Minneapolis hardcore

Footnotes

References

*Thompson, Stacy (2004). "Punk Productions: Unfinished Business". SUNY Press. ISBN 0791461874.

External links

* [http://www.profaneexistence.com/ Official site]
* [http://www.profaneexistence.com/threats.htm Profane Existence's own description of itself]
* [http://zinewiki.com/index.php?title=Profane_Existence Profane Existence on ZineWiki]
* [http://news.infoshop.org/article.php?story=03/11/03/3567711 Review] by Chuck Munson