Ever since Jawbreaker left the risograph machine, we’ve been gifted with coverage in the mainstream press like whoa. As one might expect, some of it’s better than others. Realistically, we’re not ones to ever take a write-up for granted. But that doesn’t mean we don’t have an opinion about it.
Here’s a chronological gallery of Jawbreaker-related press features,
Along with our feedback about the different pieces:
LaSallian
February 2003: review by Isabelle Yujuico
Our take: It’s a meaningful gesture when our zine is reviewed in university territory, where it’s least accessible, especially in the MAGAZINE section. But perhaps a better understanding of zines (as a medium) would have made the reviewer less concerned about achieving a so-called “fair and balanced view”. As if some corporate-sponsored local glossy rag would be any less partial in its tone and variety of content… Oh, and the expletives? Well, because we can!
Seventeen Philippines
June 2003: write-up by Lille Bose
Our take: It was only a matter of time before then-Features Editor Lilledeshan Bose
picked up our zine for review. After all, we gave her YA lit novel glowing praise
The Jawbreaker blurb shares a page with hottie Diego Luna… sweeeeeeet!
A long-time zine reader herself, she gets bonus points for her neat explanation
of the zine medium, before introducing Jawbreaker.
BUST
Fall 2003: write-up by Meghan Quinn
Our take: What can we say? There’s no denying it: BUST easily ranks among our HUGEST influences on Jawbreaker, so it’s a real honor to be given a full profile in their Broadcast section. Admittedly, we felt a little scared about being ‘exoticized’, at first, but the actual piece just blew us away: Meghan Quinn’s tone was enthusiastic and well-informed, giving international readers a solid intro to our work.
MTV Ink
December 2003: write-ups by Bernie T. Sim
Our take: Better late than never, I guess — this fab write-up was published nearly one whole year after Jawbreaker #1 was released! But we are grateful, just the same: Bernie’s endorsement hooked us up with new readers who might not have ordinarily given our modest publication a second look. (Regrettably enough, Korner Stop closed not long before the issue went to press. We’re really; really sorry if anybody was confused about that.)
Our take: As if the profile wasn’t cool enough, the kind folks at MTV Ink also mentioned us in their 2003 year-end round-up, as part of a larger feature story about the growth of DIY culture that year. It was a real treat, being recognized alongside our local faves Narda (a band we absolutely can’t get enough of) and Nardong Tae artist Louie Cordero.
