INSIDE Artzine: The Manic Artscum Gossip Rag

INSIDE Artzine is a long-running underground art magazine from Trier, Germany, created and run by Jenz Dieckmanns. By the time this interview was conducted in 2009, INSIDE Artzine had already been around for close to two decades, growing from a black-and-white xerox fanzine of strange artwork by friends into a full-color printed magazine dedicated to what Jenz calls “artscum”: dark, grotesque, surreal, outsider, and aggressively imaginative art from around the world.

INSIDE Artzine exists somewhere between punk zine culture, underground art publishing, horror aesthetics, outsider illustration, and pure DIY obsession. Its pages collect paintings, digital collages, short stories, poems, photos, and all kinds of disturbing visual work, not for shock value alone, but to find beauty in ugliness and give space to artists who would never fit into polite gallery culture. In this interview, Jenz talks about the history of INSIDE Artzine, the Trier punk and art scenes, Lovecraft, Bukowski, computers, exhibitions, and why curiosity is still the motor of the underground.

Hello, Jenz. Can you present yourself? Who are you, and what do you like to do?

Jenz D: Hi everybody. I’m the person behind the manic artscum gossip rag INSIDE Artzine. I’m afraid that everybody thinks I’m a disturbed, wacky misanthrope because of such a weirdo magazine, but… that’s not the truth. I’m the publisher, layout person, promoter, and the guy who has to make the coffee. This means a lot of work, but on the other side, I don’t have to make any kind of compromise. I’m 40 years old and spend most of my time drinking cheap red wine, enjoying live music, and exploring the world of outsider art. The rest of the time, I’m working as a freelance graphic designer.

As I know, you’re living in Trier, the oldest city in Germany, and it is also one of the few cities in Europe that has been a capital of the Roman Empire. What is it like to live there? Is there a DIY punk scene in your hometown? What about the art scene there?

Jenz D: Yeah, God’s oldest city. Lots of ancient monuments in the streets, like old city gates, amphitheatres, and lots of churches. Because of the history, the Catholic Church has a big influence on public life. That’s why I call it “God’s oldest city.” For example, they admire an old, shabby “shirt” as the original crucifixion shirt of Jesus. Just ridiculous. Like Middle Ages behavior. Another attraction is the birth house of Karl Marx. Unfortunately, it’s located on the red mile of Trier, so you can see a lot of disappointed Chinese tourists standing in front of the house, right between sex shops and cheap diners.

The DIY punk scene in Trier is not really big. There are bigger scenes of electronic/danceheads, with lots of small clubs and bars, and many, many metalcores and some shabby black metals from the woods. Trier lies in an idyllically situated region surrounded by large, dark woods. A good friend of mine organizes small punk rock concerts in a tiny café, featuring some great bands like Victims or Milloy. Just the band with their own backline, without PA or stage. Just pure live action. Love it. Much more intense than big rock shows, and louder.

What’s the earliest age you remember drawing or being interested in creating art?

Jenz D: I have no idea. I can remember that I ruined all my schoolbooks with cartoons of punk-styled ducks.

At what point did you start down the path of creative arts? Do you have any formal training in graphic arts?

Jenz D: I think it started with creating flyers and posters for local punk rock concerts. I have always tried to teach myself, while learning from others, using new materials and styles. Just the good old trial-and-error method. I think this is the best way to create your own individual style. There are so many great and talented artists out there. Look at their work, try to learn, but never forget what your own intention in art is.

How did you get interested in underground zines? When was your first contact with DIY zines or the punk scene?

Jenz D: It started in the mid ’80s, when I explored the American punk rock scene. I was thrilled by bands like Angry Samoans, Black Flag, and The Necros, and it was impossible to get any information about them in “overground” media, except in underground zines like Maximum Rocknroll or Flipside. This free-style speech and the freakout layout were absolutely fascinating to me. To me, it was the printed form of the punk rock spirit: just do what you want. No rules. Everything is possible. So I decided in 1990 to publish a zine with just my personal favorite kind of art.

Can you explain the idea of INSIDE artzine? What is the content of the zine? Can you name some artists you have featured? How has the zine changed since its beginning?

Jenz D: Hm… the basic idea of INSIDE artzine… Good question. I started the magazine 18 years ago as a black-and-white xerox fanzine containing freaky art stuff from friends and buddies. I knew all of the contributors personally. By and by, I got more and more contacts, especially with the rise of the internet. I know that sites like MySpace or Flickr are run by stupid, commercial idiots, but they are unique places to get in contact with the world.

Today, INSIDE artzine is the dungeon of derailed taste from all over the world. Lots of European weirdos like Fabrice Lavollay, Kapreles, Alessandro Bavari, MxNihil; countless patients from the USA like Chris Mars, Chet Zar, Kris Kuksi, and KD Matheson; some crackpots from Australia, the land of disturbed art, believe me, like Mark Powell and Karl Persson. Also, we have featured some exotics like Shann Larsson from Hong Kong or Corix Baluca from Saudi Arabia/Philippines. Take a look at our website and check the links section for contacts.

The different degrees of sickness we manifest in full-color glory: paintings, digital collages, short stories, poems… everything is allowed. No rules! No guidelines. The emotional spectrum reaches from gloomy, dark horror stuff up to over-torqued surreal art. Often, it comes with a very aggressive, violent mood, but it never satisfies the morbid and stupid fantasies of rotten.com blockheads. It’s about finding the hidden beauty in ugliness, not getting off on the pain of others!

What is your general process from start to finish for an issue of INSIDE artzine? How long does it take you to complete an issue? How do you get in touch with the artists featured in the zine?

Jenz D: There is no regulated process. INSIDE artzine hits this damn planet only irregularly. So when it’s time, I start to collect the contributions, and because there is no deadline, it can take some time. It’s not only about collecting one artwork after another. It should function as a whole. But it’s really fun for me to explore the abysses of the internet, magazines, and zines in endless hours at night.

What do you feel after finishing an issue of the zine?

Jenz D: Satisfaction, of course! Try it. It’s not so difficult to be creative or productive. Don’t care about the result in the beginning. The process of being creative is very enriching and satisfying. It’s much better to do something than to sit around crying about the boredom of “your scene”…

Do you like working with a computer? Are you the webmaster of your own website? What do you think about the advantages of modern technologies, like computers, for visual arts?

Jenz D: Computers are mighty tools! For example, digital collages are impossible without them. The computer speeds up so many things in the process of making art. It allows you to reverse decisions, to experiment with techniques you will never learn with your hands, but it can’t substitute the main thing: the idea. So… I don’t care about the way, just about the result.

What about your exhibitions? Do you make oil paintings?

Jenz D: From time to time, I load my van with A0 canvas prints of INSIDE artzine stuff, travel to unknown cities, and celebrate some exhibitions with weirdo performances and/or local freaky bands. From an economical point of view, it does not make much sense, but it’s always a good time, meeting lots of interesting people and venues.

Where do your inspirations come from? On your MySpace page, it’s written that you like H.P. Lovecraft and Charles Bukowski. What are your favorite writers or poets?

Jenz D: Yep, I like H.P. Lovecraft because of his talent for describing the unnameable, unspeakable horror that only manifests in your fantasies. For all who don’t know this guy: Lovecraft was an author of the early 20th century in the vein of Edgar Allan Poe, who created gothic, cosmic horror like the Cthulhu myth. And dirty old Bukowski is the master of surviving the worst situations with his indestructible kind of outsider humor. He gives you the sureness that everything can be much worse than it seems to be.

What are your musical influences? Can you play a musical instrument? Have you been involved in the punk scene as a member of a band?

Jenz D: Yeah, music! I love music. Lots of different kinds of music. This differs from extreme maniacs like Strapping Young Lad or The Locust up to good-time stuff like The Bouncing Souls or Strung Out. I played guitar in a punk rock band called Small But Angry for 10 years. It was in the ’90s, and we played NOFX-style melodic punk rock. It was a pretty cool time, with lots of crazy touring and stage demolition.

Are there any other artzines in Germany? How’s the zinester scene in Germany, and what about the distribution of your zine? Do you work with some punk distros and labels to distribute your stuff?

Jenz D: I’m afraid that paper artzines are a dying species. Older stuff like the German Comictrash or the American Malefact are long gone, and good alternatives are not in sight. There is a flood of new online galleries and blogs on the net with various kinds of art. If you are interested in twisted art stuff on the net, check our links section, “Stores & Galleries.”

Yes, distribution. An old problem. It’s not so easy to sell this offensive kind of publication like INSIDE artzine. So if you know any good, suitable distros, especially in Eastern Europe, just let me know…

Is there anything you want to add?

Jenz D: First of all, thanks for your interest in our little artscum magazine. This interest is the motor of the underground: to be curious about what other people are thinking and doing!

Peace…