''Sniffin' Glue and Other Rock 'N' Roll Habits...'', widely known as simply ''Sniffin' Glue'', was a monthly

punk zine A punk zine (or punkzine) is a zine related to the punk subculture and hardcore punk music genre. Often primitively or casually produced, they feature punk literature, such as social commentary, punk poetry, news, gossip, music reviews and arti ...

started by Mark Perry in July 1976 and released for about a year. The name is derived from a Ramones song " Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue." Some of the zine's writers, such as

Danny Baker Danny Baker (born 22 June 1957) is an English comedy writer, journalist, radio DJ and screenwriter. Throughout his career he has largely presented for London's regional radio and television. Baker was born in Deptford to a working-class fami ...

, later became well-known journalists. Although initial issues only sold 50 copies, circulation soon increased to 15,000. The innovative appeal of ''Sniffin' Glue'' was its immediacy: The early days of the punk movement largely failed to attract the attention of television or the mainstream press, and ''Sniffin' Glue'' was a key source of photographs of, and information about, contributors to the scene. ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' acclaimed ''Sniffin' Glue'' as "the nastiest, healthiest and funniest piece of press in the history of rock'n'roll habits" and it became a chronicle of the early days of British punk rock as well as pioneering the

DIY punk ethic "Do it yourself" ("DIY") is the method of building, modifying, or repairing things by oneself without the direct aid of professionals or certified experts. Academic research has described DIY as behaviors where "individuals use raw and sem ...

. For the final issue Mark's sidekick ''Sniffin' Glue'' photographer, business affairs and later band manager Harry Murlowski recorded "Love Lies Limp" released as a

flexi disc The flexi disc (also known as a phonosheet, Sonosheet or Soundsheet, a trademark) is a phonograph record made of a thin, flexible vinyl sheet with a molded-in spiral stylus groove, and is designed to be playable on a normal phonograph turntable. ...

record - the first release from Mark Perry's band

Alternative TV Alternative TV (sometimes known as ATV) are an English band formed in London in 1977. Author Steve Taylor writes: "Alternative TV pioneered reggae rhythms in punk and then moved on to redefine the musical rules". History Alternative TV were fo ...

. Fearing absorption into the mainstream music press, Perry ceased publication in 1977. In the last issues he encouraged his readers to follow him with their own punk fanzines. ''Sniffin' Glue'' is often incorrectly credited as the source of the illustration featuring drawings of three

guitar chord In music, a guitar chord is a set of notes played on a guitar. A chord's notes are often played simultaneously, but they can be played sequentially in an arpeggio. The implementation of guitar chords depends on the guitar tuning. Most guitars ...

shapes, captioned, "this is a chord, this is another, this is a third. Now form a band", this drawing actually originally appeared in January 1977 in another fanzine ''Sideburns'' and was later reproduced in

The Stranglers The Stranglers are an English rock band who emerged via the punk rock scene. Scoring 23 UK top 40 singles and 19 UK top 40 albums to date in a career spanning five decades, the Stranglers are one of the longest-surviving bands to have origin ...

' fanzine ''Strangled''. In 2000, Mark Perry published ''Sniffin' Glue: The Essential Punk Accessory'', which is a compilation of all the issues of the fanzine with some new material written by him. ''Sniffin' Glue'' is referenced in the song "Three Sevens Clash" by

The Alarm The Alarm are a Welsh rock band that formed in Rhyl, Wales, in 1981. Initially formed as a punk band, the Toilets, in 1977, under lead vocalist Mike Peters, the band soon embraced arena rock and included marked influences from Welsh languag ...

, a tribute to 1977, and a follow on from their previous punk tribute "45 RPM".

References

{{Reflist

External links

Sniffin' Glue history

Punk zines Ramones Publications established in 1976 1976 establishments in the United Kingdom Music_magazines_published_in_the_United_Kingdom