FAQs
“What is I Live Sweat?”
I Live Sweat is a webzine about punk, hardcore, and related tomfoolery. It’s also about comics. Sometimes it’s about both. Oh, and there’s a podcast, but that’s only about the music stuff, because pictures don’t sound very good.
“Who runs this diabolical media empire?”
I Live Sweat is edited/curated by Andy Waterfield. This shadowy figure is a quarter of a century old, hails from South Leicestershire, in the East Midlands, which is in England. That’s where castles come from. Andy likes Marmite a great deal, and feels a bit uncomfortable when he writes about himself in the third person.
Which is to say, “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!”
“If this Andy character is running this thing, why are all the best posts from guest writers?”
I Live Sweat was founded on the belief that punk/comics, as subcultural movements, should be unafraid to examine themselves. With that in mind, I Live Sweat offers a platform for guest writers, some invited, some who volunteered themselves, to speak about their own experience, or offer their point of view, on a particular phenomenon within the subculture they participate in. The most prominent example of this policy has been the series on sexism within punk and hardcore, which has since expanded to examine other issues of prejudice and privilege.
“Can I write something for I Live Sweat?”
Probably. If your idea is important to you, there’s a good chance it’s important to some other people too. As long as it’s sincere and respectful, and related to punk or comics, all ideas are considered. To find out more, email Andy at ilivesweat AT gmail DOT com.
“Can I send you music to review?”
No. I’m always looking for new music for the podcast, but I don’t really bother with record reviews, except in special cases. There are a couple of reasons behind this. Firstly, I want I Live Sweat to be as honest and transparent as possible, but that also means I won’t lie about a record I don’t like. If we lived in an ideal world, I’d buzz for everything I get sent, but we don’t, and I’d rather avoid being negative about somebody’s hard work. On here, anyway.
That said, if I get sent something, and I’m into it, there’s a good chance it’ll end up on the podcast, assuming the band and label are both into that. The way I see it, it’s a lot more effective for me to play a song for people to check out for themselves, than for me to babble about it for a paragraph.
“Why cover punk AND comics? Most people wouldn’t put those things together.”
I do. One of the much vaunted ideals about punk is that anyone can do it. The whole “three chords and the truth” thing, y’know? How is that any different from comics? Our species has been expressing itself by combining words and pictures for as long as there have been paintings on cave walls. Stick a few pens and a bit of paper in front of a child and they’ll draw a picture and tell you about it. These are old ideas, but they remain vital technologies.
On a more personal note, punk and comics have meant a great deal to me growing up. I’ve got a Superboy tattoo on my left calf, and a set of Black Flag bars on my right. Besides the obvious reasons, ie. being a Superboy/Black Flag fan, they hold a great deal of significance for me. The Superboy tattoo reminds me of what my Dad used to tell me before I left for school in the morning (“Be good.”), and the bars remind me that a good degree of bloodymindedness, and a lot of hard work, and passion, is the best way to get something done.
Seriously, even a relatively modest operation like this takes a lot of time and effort, and it wouldn’t be worth all that work if I didn’t really care about punk and comics. To paraphrase Grant Morrison’s Invisibles, they’re all mirrors we built to see ourselves anyway.
