Tim Yohannan (August 15, 1945 – April 3, 1998), also known as Tim Yo, was the founder of ''

Maximum Rocknroll ''Maximumrocknroll'', often written as ''Maximum Rocknroll'' and usually abbreviated as ''MRR'', is a not-for-profit monthly zine of punk subculture. Based in San Francisco, ''MRR'' focuses on punk rock and hardcore music, and primarily featu ...

'', a radio show and

fanzine A fanzine (blend word, blend of ''fan (person), fan'' and ''magazine'' or ''-zine'') is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by fan (person), enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon (such as a literary or musical genre) ...

documenting

punk subculture The punk subculture includes a diverse and widely known array of ideologies, fashion, and other forms of expression, visual art, dance, literature, and film. Largely characterised by anti-establishment views, the promotion of individual freedom ...

. He also helped in establishing a number of

DIY "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 ...

collectives, such as

924 Gilman Street The Alternative Music Foundation located at 924 Gilman Street, often referred to by its fans simply as "Gilman", is a non-profit, all-ages, collectively organized music club. It is located in the West Berkeley area of Berkeley, California, about ...

, Blacklist Mailorder, and the Epicenter Zone record store.

Biography

Yohannan was initially a

1960s counterculture The counterculture of the 1960s was an anti-establishment cultural phenomenon that developed throughout much of the Western world in the 1960s and has been ongoing to the present day. The aggregate movement gained momentum as the civil rights mo ...

-era

leftist Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...

, before shifting this ideology to the punk scene. Issue 425 of Maximumrocknroll stated, "Tim Yo was a Marxist!" He helped mold the early 1980s American punk scene, and tied in various international punk scenes, through documenting them in ''Maximum Rocknroll'', a fanzine he founded in 1982. As the zine became popular and profitable, Yohannan donated those profits to zines and collectives, even as he continued blue-collar work in the

Lawrence Hall of Science The Lawrence Hall of Science is a public science center in Berkeley, California that offers hands-on science exhibits, designs curriculum, aids professional development, and offers after school science resources to students of all ages. The Hall ...

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

. As a self-appointed "punks' herdsman", Yohannan had a reputation as being notoriously difficult. Yohannan died at 53 on April 3, 1998 from complications from

lymphatic cancer Lymphoma is a group of blood and lymph tumors that develop from lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell). In current usage the name usually refers to just the cancerous versions rather than all such tumours. Signs and symptoms may include enlar ...

. Tim Yohannan had a daughter. While he acknowledged her as his biological daughter, he chose to not participate in her life.

Subject of songs

Yohannan's divisive personality was described in the

NOFX NOFX () is an American punk rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1983. Vocalist/bassist Fat Mike, guitarist Eric Melvin and drummer Erik Sandin are original founding and longest-serving members of the band, who have appeared on every ...

song "I'm Telling Tim" from their 1997 album ''

So Long and Thanks for All the Shoes ''So Long and Thanks for All the Shoes'' is the seventh studio album by the American punk rock band NOFX. It was released on November 11, 1997 through Epitaph Records. Overview The title is inspired by the fourth book of Douglas Adams's ''The ...

.'' NOFX would later mention missing him in their song "We Threw Gasoline On The Fire And Now We Have Stumps For Arms And No Eyebrows" from ''

Punk-O-Rama III ''Punk-O-Rama'' was the title given to a series of ten compilation albums published by Epitaph Records. The first volume was released in 1994, the second in 1996, and the rest annually from 1998 to 2005. The albums included artists from Epitaph' ...

''. The band

Green Day Green Day is an American rock band formed in the East Bay of California in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, together with bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt. For most of the band's career, they have been a powe ...

recorded the song "Platypus (I Hate You)", "Take Back", and "Prosthetic Head" on their 1997 album ''

Nimrod Nimrod (; ; arc, ܢܡܪܘܕ; ar, نُمْرُود, Numrūd) is a biblical figure mentioned in the Book of Genesis and Books of Chronicles. The son of Cush and therefore a great-grandson of Noah, Nimrod was described as a king in the land of ...

''. The songs do not directly mention Yohannan. However, frontman

Billie Joe Armstrong Billie Joe Armstrong (born February 17, 1972) is an American musician who is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of the rock band Green Day, which he co-founded with Mike Dirnt in 1987. He is also a guitarist and vocalist for t ...

tweeted on February 17, 2011 (and deleted the tweet a few hours later), "Platypus was written for Tim Yohanon. And I pray to god I misspelled his name. Rest in shit you fucking cunt". The song "Ha Ha You're Dead" from the band's album, Shenanigans, was also written about Yohannan after he died. The band MDC recorded a tribute to Yohannan titled "Timmy Yo" on their 2004 studio album ''Magnus Dominus Corpus.'' Mentioned in song Suzanne is Getting Married by Screeching Weasel. Julio Rey of

Christian punk Christian punk is a form of Christian music and a subgenre of punk rock which contain Christian lyrical content. Much disagreement persists about the boundaries of the subgenre, and the extent that their lyrics are explicitly Christian varies a ...

band The Lead recorded a demo track in 2011 titled, "What I Should Have Told Tim Yohannan Back In 1985" recalling an earlier incident in which Yohannan refused to run an ad for the band, returned the check, and the two men exchanged a few letters. The Rhythm Pigs' "Little Brother", off their 1987 ''Choke on This'' LP, makes sarcastic reference "to acceptable behaviour in the scene" and "Maximum Rock n' Roll.....big brotha's little brother," a reference to Yohannan's short height.

References

External links

Maximumrocknroll official sitethe 924 Gilman Street ProjectSlingshot obituary: A Salute to Tim YohannonSalon obituary: The Day Punk Died
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yohannan, Tim 1945 births 1998 deaths Punk people Deaths from lymphoma

Biography

Subject of songs

References

Further reading

External links