'Singing in the Shed' was the first work of
fanzine art that I produced.
As you may have read in the
Boro Fanzine History I started this fanzine when I was aged just 15, and
in my final year at Secondary School. Andy Kent, Mark Blackman, Lee Young,
who were all only 13 at the time, and I started production in June of 1993.
We were intent on using Andy's Dad's old word processor to do the pages,
with just a few photo-copied articles and pictures stuck on where necessary. For the
first issue we produced just 50 copies in A4 size!! However due to the fact
we were using the word processor and relying on Mark's photocopier it took
us a while to pull the first issue together!
We had planned for the first issue to hit the McCain
Stadium for the opening home league match of 93-94 against Preston North
End. But it didn't quite work out like that! It didn't appear until
mid-September for the home game against Shrewsbury Town.
That first issue was crammed full of match reports, team
sheets and not much else really! A few jokes, a review of the squad and an
article on Stephen Joll becoming new vice-chairman (although he actually
hadn't!) were inserted in no particular order. As fanzines go it really was
a piss poor effort... but we were dead proud and made a lovely profit of
about £20 so we weren't bothered and went to buy some pop and sweets!
Three months on and Lee and Mark had whittled down
their involvement, although Mark was still helping with production by
photocopying the A4 pages. The match reports and squad lists were cut from
the fanzine, and a few new funny bits appeared, with some photos from away
games thrown in for good measure, although most were too dark to see! Just a
26 page edition also, as apposed to the large 44 page issue one.
It was issue three where things took a turn for the
better when we hired the Duplicating Bureau in Manor Road to print us a 24
page booklet in A5 size. Out of the window went the word processor as we
went upmarket, with a brand new type writer!! We also upped the price to
70p, and the circulation to 100 copies. Contributions had also started to
come in. Well one! The then Programme Editor Mark Staniforth (better known as Axl, due to
his uncanny resemblance to Axl Rose of Guns n' Roses ) weighed in with a
wonderful poem about his hero John Ashdjian. Overall it still had the feel
of an amateur fanzine made by kids... but that's what we were so I don't
think anybody minded!
By issue four we had started to get heard about and 150
copies were sold out. We also had a little feature on us in the Scarborough
Evening News, which is at the bottom of this page! Just ignore the hair
styles... we were 15 and 13 for god's sake!
Issues four, five and six were very similar in style and
content and were produced throughout the last three months of the season,
with 200 copies of each being sold out on the first day of sale. But alas,
following these issues Singing in the Shed was no more. A combination of
costs, school work and a four week family holiday to Florida at the start of the 94-95
season put pay to any thoughts of producing issue seven and beyond.
So Singing in the Shed was confined to the Boro fanzine
graveyard. And for 94-95 Boro had no fanzine, until I returned at the start
of 95-96, following (bad) GCSE results and the purchase of a new computer, with
The Seadog Bites Back!
The best parts of Singing in the Shed can be viewed now
on this website. I'm sure there are many of you who never saw a copy - well
now you can!
James Hunter,
May 2006
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