MySpace a place for friends

Few things in this life last 25 years; only 33% of marriages reach their 25th year, and 87 to 97% of jobs with a single employer are vacated by baby boomers in less than 15 years. Rarer still in these shortsighted times is the epic endeavor undertaken for the love of it, for the challenge to oneself or even rarer the betterment of society. That’s why the fact that this magazine, and the man whose epic endeavor it has been and continues to be, are deserving of our congratulations on this, the 25th anniversary of The Big Takeover.

If you’ve been a regular reader, you know that in 1980, Jack Rabid and Dave Stein slapped together a fanzine covering one of their favorite bands, The Stimulators, and, by pumping dimes into their public library’s photocopier, began publishing what’s become one of the oldest independently produced music magazines in the history of underground punk, pop, and rock music. A detailed history has been told before (see BT ..38, the 15th anniversary issue), but a few things bear repeating. One is that until 1983, BT was given away free at New York-area clubs and record stores, and profit has never been a motive in its publication. Another, related fact is that it has always been produced with the most generous of intentions, the wish to contribute to a subculture and its art simply for the love of it. And third, for 25 years, it has presented the world mostly through the widely ranging eyes of Jack Rabid. It’s been a pretty fine view. Essentially, BT is the vehicle for Jack’s labor of love.

On the surface, that labor of love might look like music, but in reality, it is the desire to share knowledge, goodwill, experience that lies beneath it. At its heart, BT is a forum for sharing, Jack says, almost like a book club. And sharing is central to Jack’s conception of culture as a whole.

“Encouraging culture as a participatory event rather than a passive event is the message that I always try to impart,” he says, “and I think it’s often lost. You have to put yourself out there. You have to do more than just show up, sit in a chair, listen to the music, and go home. The purpose of criticism is to live a fuller life. It all comes back to being participatory. I use experience to teach others about the world, and to have them teach me."

Click to join BigTakeover