Own the Whole World

Own the Whole World Numbers 1-15. Akron, 1983-87. Most issues 4to; early issues stapled once at the upper left hand corner, later issues side-stapled. Nos. 5, 7, and 9/10 are 8vo. and saddle-stapled. All issues xeroxed from typescript and cut-up, mostly on white paper, with occasional use of color stock. Issue 8 with a hand-labeled cassette compilation.

I believe this to be all issues published of this long-lived punk fanzine out of Akron, devoted mostly to the music of Northeastern Ohio, but also printing a good amount of cultural criticism, as well as extensive reviews. Includes contributions across the issues from Mike Borchert, Rick Stalnaker, Peter Titus, Bob Forward Tom Roberts, Jim Clinefelter et al.
Own the Whole World is a good example of the commingling of various interests - hardcore punk, mail art, cultural criticism, and irreducible eccentricity - that often seemed to take place in the zines of Ohio. Number 4 includes a manifesto on the need to analyze pop music by Peter Titus, a review with four photographs of Flipper at J. B.'s (proving that this show actually did happen - see an example of the flier here) and a Postal Art Network advertisement and call for submissions for Mark Bloch's New York exhibition The Last Mail Art Show.
Beginning with issue 2, OTWW regularly printed intelligent reviews of other fanzines, providing valuable documentation of other zines, particularly of Ohio and the Midwest. In later issues there is coverage of the extensive underground cassette scene in Ohio, and number 8 includes a great cassette compilation which includes work by a variety of artists and projects - Whistledick, Uddersounds, Sombrero Galaxy, AxSxFx, Lepers, Master Bedroom Music, Ragged Bags, Mark Kissinger, The Fundamentalists, Courtesy Patrol, Tim Anstaett, Nisus Anal Furgler, Randy Russell and Dagnabit, The Needlemarks, and Tom Furgas.
From our most recent Catalog 12: Art Terrorism in Ohio.