From: ckile@andy.bgsu.edu (crystal kile)
Subject: Re: Mondo Bashing, etc.
Summary: yep
Organization: Bowling Green State University B.G., Oh.
Date: Sun, 13 Dec 1992 22:19:24 GMT

In article <1992Dec13.173305.22692@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu>, ashall@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Andrew S Hall) writes:
> Boy, nothing breeds jealousy like success.
> 
> There is a perpetual thread on this group of bashing Mondo 2000
> and,now, of bashing William Gibson. The cyber-punk "anything goes"
> and tolerance has degenerated into excommunications and in-fighting
> as bad as Andre Breton and the surrealists.

No kidding!!! And that is such a great analogy.  The way that I conceptualize
it, the whole cyberpunk spectrum is about nothing less than re-visioning
"Being" and consciousness.  That is not a loosely defined project that one
should attempt to keep to him or her self, just as it is not something
that can/should be left to various state apparatuses!!  I say the more
cyberpunks the better, however nominal!!! (Everybody has to start somewhere.)

> 
> Obviously Mondo is not perfect. NO one magazine could ever be,nor
> could one magazine serve the entire needs of a community as diverse
> as the cyber-punk one. Someone compared it to Cosmo, but I disagree.
> It is more like Discover or Scientific American. If you are looking
> for cutting edge techie details or deep articles on particular
> subjects, don't read it. Get a specialist magazine. If you are
> looking for fun, art, and a general gloss of a lot of subjects,
> then it is a good magazine.
> 
> Look at the most recent issue. The perfect example of what I mean
> is the interview with Manuel DeLanda. Most CP people are probably
> not familar with him. The interview presents a short gloss of
> his ideas and if you want more, go to the PoMo section of your
> local bookstore. Interviews with musicians, reviews of software,
> etc. are great for people who want a quick, enjoyable read on
> things they are interested in, but lack the time to fully go into.

The best thing about _Mondo_ is that it is concerned with a broad range of
topics and things of concern to cyberCULTURE.  I think that it's fantastic
that as well as taking up discussions of VR, smart drugs, multi-media, et
cetera, they also present really spinning interviews with folks like Avital
Ronell (deconstructionist critic, author of _The Telephone Book: Technology,
Schizophrenia, Electric Speech_ and _Crack Wars: Literature, Addiction, 
Mania_ -- excellent, engaging works, BTW), Constance Penley, and Diamanda
Galas, and pretty well-footnoted articles on stuff like the panopticon. 
It's great to see stuff that has previously been cloistered in some of 
the wilder academic journals and debates begin to "trickle down" to the 
"reading public."

(Plus, the pictures are so pretty.....)
> 
> People seem to enjoy bashing Mondo for the same reason they bash Gibson.
> Jealousy. It is one thing to criticize and criticism of both is often
> justified and valid. It is also a good counter-balance to the
> hero-worshipping tendencies. However, much of the criticism of Mondo
> and Gibson has sunk to the level of "It's popular, so it can't be
> any good." It reminds me of the progressive music fans of bands like
> REM that quit liking the music just because its popular. Actually, its
> sadder in CP people who should be welcoming popular acceptance
> of their ideas. That is, if they REALLy want the world to change
> and aren't just interested in being in an "elite" subgroup.

I like the R.E.M. analogy.  As someone who has been very much "into" R.E.M.
since 1983, but only on-line for about eight months now, I say that the
more folks who want to join in either "subculture" (not that on-line
automatically="cyberpunk") the better.

As long as _Mondo_ does not become too bloated and complacent, I say that
it's great that it's prob. in Waldenbooks across the nation!  Think about
the potential that it has to perhaps cause people to radically alter their
lives in some way -- by reading some book, dialing up some funky BBS, 
listening to a type of music they've never heard before.  Even if it is
sorta slick, it is a mag that prods its readers to THINK!!!

That's good.

				Well, there's my rant. 
					crystal