Talk:Zipper

From BoyWiki

There is a lot of six issues of Zipper magazine currently for sale on eBay, ending June 28. Link is http://cgi.ebay.com/Zipper-Magazine-Lot-of-6-issues-1971-1973_W0QQitemZ7034054705QQ The seller has restricted the auction to buyers in the U.S., which leaves me out of the running.

This auction is the primary source for this article.

Some of the material may be unavailable elsewhere, such as the Byars and Glawson-as-roommate photo essays. Presumably there is accompanying text.

Should anyone be able to nab this bit of history, it might be a Good Thing.

Two questions for those better acquainted with Wikis:

  • The seller has thoughtfully listed the complete tables of contents. Relevant in the article, or just too much stuff?
  • There's an accompanying scan of covers of six issues of the magazine. I don't thing using it would be copyright issue, especially as the magazine has been dead for thirty years, but that is a decision for wiser heads.

If I don't hear anything encouraging here, I'll post a heads-up on the auction on Usenet tomorrow. --sneeuwbol 18:34, 26 May 2006 (EDT)

I don't believe there is such a thing as "too much information" when it comes to wiki articles. Given the nature of Lyric and all the scandal involved coupled with the fact of Zipper being apparently so hard to find, I think a complete as possible outline and description of the articles would be a superior addition to BoyWiki. Your contribution of articles so far has been great reading on a subject that is too little known in general. Thank you!
I'm going to try and find someone who is interested in gaining copies of those mags in the auction you mention. As for the pic that goes with the auction, I've saved a copy local but I'm not sure how that might work as far as copyright is concerned. Someone could attempt to contact the auction owner and ask permission to use it. --Fleetwood 21:00, 26 May 2006 (EDT)

The content list is great! But it might be better to put it into its own article, since it puts this article off balance by its sheer length.
Asch talk to me 18:01, 30 May 2006 (EDT)

It's a bit of a conundrum. Certainly there is more important information which is lacking, such as:
  • Who were the editor and publisher?
  • What was the circulation?
  • When did the last issue come out?
  • The writers were almost certainly freelancers, but did they tell those they interviewed where the material would appear? Do they have Paul Newman saying he's pleased to talk to Zipper's readers, for example?
  • Quite a bit of material is related to Lyric International; was there some connection?
An encyclopedia is supposed to be a summary of human knowledge, not a laundry list of raw facts. But while I do know the questions, I don't have the answers. What I know of Zipper is what's in the eBay listing and the several - no more - relevant references found by Google. A link to the eBay auction with the tables of contents would be evanescent.
The table of contents, complete, does have some clues for the alert reader. That the profiles of young men changed from the term "Playboy" to "Roommate" suggests that the magazine was at least prominent enough to attract the attention of Hugh Hefner's lawyers.
That kind of speculation is out of place in an encyclopedia, though.
Possibly the best answer would be a site somewhere else, with a link.
I'm bolding the relevant articles - my first try just gave italics - and perhaps someone who knows of the Wiki bought the magazines, and we'll learn more.

--sneeuwbol 17:26, 31 May 2006 (EDT)