Conflict and Criticism in 1960s Fan Culture
As part of my work for FellowsHub this semester, I have been data mining Hoom, an independently published Tolkien fanzine that had five issues from June 1968 to the Fall of 1969 (“Hoom” is the sound that Ents, the anthropomorphic trees from Tolkien’s Middle-Earth, make to one another). Hoom began as the brain child of Bee Bowman and Frank Denton, both of whom had been involved in Tolkien fan-culture for some time. Each issue was comprised of articles, reviews, poems, short stories, and original artwork centering on Tolkien and other Sci-fi or Fantasy literature. Hoom also included letters of comment or, LOC’s, where readers could discuss what they liked or disliked about the previous issue. LOC’s were standard for these kinds of publications, and the response to the first few issues of Hoom show how contentious the Tolkien fan-world could be.
The first issue of Hoom, released in June 1968, included a “Teen Column” written by Detroit fifteen-year-old Joe Zalabak. In the column, Joe briefly introduces himself, explains how he got involved with Hoom (he had been a part of a Tolkien discussion group led by Bee Bowman), and encourages his readers to send him letters so that he might have something to write about. From the start, Hoom readers criticized Joe’s column. Active members of the Tolkien fan community thought that it was ridiculous for Hoom to devote an entire to column to the opinion of a teenager, because teens had always been a vibrant part of fan culture; to separate opinions into those of teens and adults was a superfluous division. Also, Joe’s call for letters was interpreted as laziness; the column was pointless if he couldn’t come up with writing subjects himself. One reader went so far as to call Joe a “lazy neo-fan,” who wanted the prestige of a regular column but without putting the time and effort into the writing process.
Things would continue to go poorly for Joe in Hoom’s second and third issues, printed in September and December of 1968. In these columns, Joe responds to his critics by writing about his favorite books (Lord of the Rings and Conan the Barbarian), and his favorite musicians (Steppenwolf, The Doors, Simon & Garfunkel, and The Beatles). These efforts did not sway Hoom readers, however, as they continued to disparage the teen in their LOC’s. The specific criticisms varied. Some felt that a discussion of rock and roll was out of place for a Tolkien fanzine, while others judged that Joe was simply a dull author, writing at a “grade-school reading level.” A consensus among Hoom readers was growing: either Joe starts to back up his opinions, or his column needs to go.
The Christmas issue of Hoom included a letter from a twenty-one-year old named Steven Lawrence Goldstein. In his letter, Goldstein bashes almost every aspect of Hoom, singling out Joe’s column especially. Though she herself was criticized by Goldstein, editor Bee Bowman allowed him to write a piece for the next issue of Hoom. In his article, Steven calls out Joe by name, stating that his column would correct the mistaken opinions of Joe’s articles. After reviewing a few science-fiction books, Steven rallies his Hoom readership to unite in declaring war on Joe. He calls for an end to Joe’s column, citing the many LOC’s which had expressed similar sentiments.
Steven Goldstein would get his wish. Although Joe’s fourth offering, a piece on fantasy themes in rock music, received more positive evaluations, by Hoom’s fifth issue many of the readers had joined team Goldstein. Joe would not submit a piece for that issue, but Steven contributed both a book review and original poem, replacing Joe as the youthful voice for the fanzine.
In reading through Hoom, it has been interesting to see this side of fan culture. Already by the late sixties there were set expectations for what fanzine articles should like. Veteran members sniffed out novel or unfounded opinions and criticized them. When someone deviated from the norm or (in the case of Joe) was found lacking, the community made sure they knew about it.
