Monuments were once revered so highly that crowds of people would come out to their dedication. At the Swann Memorial Fountain in Philadelphia, a former graveyard and gallows, the unveiling of Alexander Calder’s statue in 1924 gathered a crowd of 10k locals who danced celebratory tangos in the streets to the tunes of a police marching band. There were swarms of horse-and-buggy-ass-people, and many more walked miles to attend the event. It was a public celebration of creativity, a moment to bask in human potential cast in bronze.
That’s exactly how I felt in the 90’s when my favorite web zines dropped new issues. There were no alerts or expectations. You just refreshed the page every day like a freak! The best of them was blairmag.com, a chaotic queer alt-culture zine with a focus on pop culture sleaze and all around fun. They tried to be Sassy magazine before Sassy sold out to Petersen.
Some of it aged like milk, but a lot of it still hits. Flaming wrestlers. “Gay or Euro Trash” quizzes. And my favorite: a legendary piece pitting Apollonia against Vanity for the crown of ultimate Prince protégé. It’s a wild time capsule of ‘90s freak culture that gives context to how we got here.
You can still find it, lovingly preserved in our digital Library of Alexandria, aka Archive.org. I’ve linked it here for your pleasure. And yes, I used to wait days to download a single Quicktime file. The anticipation was a joy unto itself!
As I wade away from social media, I find myself advocating for the old ways of sketchy web hosts. Html is muscle memory to someone my age. Content creators should consider coming full circle to the web page. Not for nostalgia, but for freedom.
Free yourself. Get a web page.
Rock on GoldDust Woman
”If you’ve ever wanted to see the musical CATS, don’t!”
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