It's always a good time to celebrate The Gooner. As this month sees the Arsenal fanzine reach a milestone, there's an extra reason to raise a glass, tip a hat or give a well-deserved round of applause. It appears that those at Gooner Towers are in celebratory mood, as Issue 300 is a 68-page, bumper, full-colour Collector's Edition.
It features a classic Mark Butler cover and includes contributions from Layth Yousif, Mike Francis, Amy Lawrence, Charles Watts, Jeorge Bird, Kevin Whitcher, Steve Pye, Alan Alger, Peter Le Beau, the Highbury Spy, Mickey Cannon, Simon Rose, Annabel Rackham, Alistair Coleman, David Squires, David Fensome and others (such as,... well,... me).
You can getcha Gooner by tracking down one of the matchday sellers in the environs of the Grove, online (by picking up a single issue or an annual subscription) or go paperless via an Exact Editions subscription.
RELEASED on MAY 2, 2023
From the late 1980s, the fanzine explosion hit Arsenal culture in the varied forms of The Gooner (October 1987), Arsenal Echo Echo (November 1987), One-Nil Down, Two-One Up (February 1988) and An Imperfect Match (February 1988). Others followed later, such as: Up The Arse! (October 1992), Highbury High (March 1995), The Ashburton Gazette (January 2007) and Poison Lasagna (December 2018).
While The Gooner continues to hit the streets on match days, many have long-since ceased publication. Whether ongoing or long gone, these publications were arm-wrestled into life and man-handled into any measure of longevity by the colossal yet largely hidden efforts of their Editors and contributors – but, let’s face it, mainly the Editors. From The Gooner’s founder Mike Francis to current incumbent and almighty powerhouse Layth Yousif, the Editor is a fanzine’s ultimate source of energy, organisation, discipline and creative vision.
Arnold J. Aardvark, Mike Collins, Mick Coppock, Ed Fenwick, Barry Hatch, Guy Havord, Dick Jones, Eddie Overed, Arthur Peakall, Tim Stevens, Kevin Whitcher, Tony Willis and more: We salute you.
It’s obvious that Arsenal fanzines differ from Arsenal books, but let’s just ponder the key differences to highlight the distinctive contribution of the former. In this connection, we must note that, compared to mighty tomes, fanzine writing is short-form. This implies a diversity of voice. In stark contrast to the lone mouthpiece commonly heard in a book, each issue of each fanzine includes varied, distinct and even conflicting voices.
Let’s also note that these are supporters’ voices, rather than, as in the many Arsenal-related autobiographies, those of players and managers. For many, Arsenal history is the story of the team: its play, its results, its successes and failures, and the on-field and training ground stories of Arsenal’s playing and coaching staff. Supporters are those who observe Arsenal history, and add the accompanying cheers and jeers. Instead, one can view supporters, and the vibrant, creative culture generated by that support, as part of Arsenal history. For me, it’s a vital part, endlessly fascinating and all the more rewarding because it reflects our own part of the story.
Moreover, there is an immediacy to how fanzines record contemporary supporters’ voices. These are immediate reactions. How it felt at the time. There’s not enough time to calm down; there’s little or none of the perspective that the proceeding years will grant. These are the things we noticed as these seasons took shape; the points that were most discussed; the viewpoints that were commonly agreed or thought to be controversial; the action or inaction that was bemoaned or celebrated.
Unfiltered by hindsight, there is no bias towards those things that look most important when viewed from the end credits of a season, a manager’s tenure, a decade or a century. These seminal voices allow us immerse ourselves in the small, sometimes mundane details of the Club’s story. Fanzines are time capsules that preserve the many ways in which the supporters’ experiences are nuanced, complicated, volatile and, simply put, interesting. Getcha Gooner!
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