HERMENAUTICA (7)

By: Joshua Glenn
January 29, 2023

One in a series of posts featuring pages from Hermenaut, a DIY intellectual zine/journal published by HILOBROW’s Josh Glenn from 1992 through 2000-01.

A few notes on the editor’s introduction to the first issue of Hermenaut…

I see that I used an apostrophe for the word “zine.” Later, I’d eschew the apostrophe, which had come to seem somehow uncool. As I recall, I felt that a ’zine was an imitation magazine, whereas a zine was its own thing. Of course, I didn’t know at that time that ’zine was short for “fanzine.”
“Where the academy meets the concrete” — I guess I’m still doing this sort of thing, though I wouldn’t put it that way now.
“Hectic” was one of my favorite words, back then. I feel like I picked it up from F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Quoting Marx — and citing the year — this makes me cringe a little now. I also cringe at the exclamation point in the zine’s title. And “an hermeneneutic.”
The questions — about truth/reality/knowledge, the self, right action — are ones that we would indeed address in each of the zine’s issues.
Chiz was Eric Friedl (also known by his stage name, Eric Oblivian), a Memphis-based musician and zine publisher (WIPE OUT!). Chiz was a decisive influence on me when I started publishing my first zine, Luvboat Earth.
I think the definition of “hermenaut” remains pretty solid.
It’s confusing that I say “HERMENAUT! costs two dollars” when the front cover says “STILL ONLY $1.00!”
I guess I wanted to let others guest-edit issues of Hermenaut, at the time. That never ended up happening, though I certainly did rope a lot of folks into contributing to the zine.
The “Lourdes Ave.” address was a triple-decker owned by Mimi Lipson, who became a lifelong friend (and HILOBROW stalwart). It’s also where I met James Parker, another lifelong friend (and HILOBROW stalwart).

Pub. Date: Summer 1992
Theme: Smells Like Teen Reification
Hermenaut: Novalis
Pages: 26
Print Run: 50

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HERMENAUTICA (7)

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