# Maximum Rocknroll > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Maximum_Rocknroll > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Maximum_Rocknroll.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maximum_Rocknroll > Source revision: 1351478576 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) This article is about the punk zine. For the NOFX album, see [Maximum Rocknroll (album)](/source/Maximum_Rocknroll_(album)). ***Maximumrocknroll***, often written as ***Maximum Rocknroll*** and usually abbreviated as ***MRR***, is a not-for-profit monthly online [zine](/source/Zine) of [punk subculture](/source/Punk_subculture) and radio show of punk music. Based in [San Francisco](/source/San_Francisco), *MRR* focuses on [punk rock](/source/Punk_rock) and [hardcore](/source/Hardcore_punk) music, and primarily features artist interviews and music reviews. Op/ed columns and news roundups are regular features as well, including submissions from international contributors. By 1990, it "had become the de facto bible of the scene".[1] *MRR* is considered to be one of the most important zines in punk, not only because of its wide-ranging coverage, but because it has been a consistent and influential presence in the ever-changing punk community for over three decades. From 1992 to 2011, it published a guide called *Book Your Own Fuckin' Life*.[2] Since 2019, MRR has been an online-only publication.[3] ## History ### Background *Maximumrocknroll* originated as punk radio show on [Berkeley](/source/Berkeley,_California)'s [KPFA](/source/KPFA) in 1977 but it is in its zine form that *MRR* exerted its greatest influence and became as close to an institution as [punk ideology](/source/Punk_ideology) allows. It was founded by [Tim Yohannan](/source/Tim_Yohannan) in 1982 as the newsprint booklet insert in *[Not So Quiet on the Western Front](/source/Not_So_Quiet_on_the_Western_Front_(album))*, a compilation [LP](/source/Vinyl_record) released on the then-[Dead Kennedys](/source/Dead_Kennedys)' label [Alternative Tentacles](/source/Alternative_Tentacles). The compilation included forty-seven bands from [Northern California](/source/Northern_California) and nearby areas. The first issues focused on the local and regional music scenes, but the coverage soon expanded to the entire continent and, by issue five, cover stories included features on Brazilian and Dutch underground punk. In the '80s, *MRR* was one of the very few US fanzines that insisted on the international scope of the punk movement, and strove to cover scenes around the world. Today the zine has surpassed its 400th issue, and continues to include international content and a strong political bent. It also includes artist interviews, letters, commentary, guest columnists, and extensive sections for independent [reviews](/source/Review) of punk recordings, demos, books, films, videos, and other zines. In 1987, *MRR* published a photo zine of hardcore bands, *If Life Is a Bowl of Cherries, What Am I Doing in the Pit?*[4] The first regular issue devoted entirely to photography was published in 2010.[5] Along with the published (and later online) zine, MRR also produces a weekly radio show called MRR Radio which was played on multiple radio stations. The format of the show consists of at least one [DJ](/source/DJ) playing punk rock songs for about an hour.[6] ### Criticism The fact that *MRR* has become so large has not been without controversy: the zine has many critics on a number of issues. Editorial policy has sometimes been accused as narrow-minded or even elitist, causing some labels to boycott advertising in the zine or sending releases for review. The fact that punk is often considered as a movement opposed to authority and large institutions (see [punk ideology](/source/Punk_ideology)) has also been an argument used to criticize the zine, which has sometimes been referred to as the "Bible of Punk". Musicians have also spoken out against the magazine. [Jello Biafra](/source/Jello_Biafra) claimed the magazine's criticism of him inspired people to assault him at a 1994 performance at [924 Gilman Street](/source/924_Gilman_Street), though his assailants were not known to be affiliated with *MRR* in any way. He also claimed that their narrow definition of punk music amounts to a new form of political correctness. According to Biafra, "If '[Holiday in Cambodia](/source/Holiday_in_Cambodia)' were released today, it would be banned from *Maximum Rock N'Roll* for not sounding punk."[7] Jared Swilley, bassist in Atlanta punk band [Black Lips](/source/Black_Lips), has criticized the magazine saying in an interview with *Clash* that it is the "most bullshit piece of fuck garbage poor excuse for a magazine ever. They’re like: ‘Oh, we want to keep everything ‘authentic’...’ And I’m like, fuck them! Don’t use a computer, don’t use a car, don’t drink Coca-Cola. Move to a field, grow your own food."[8] [Against Me!](/source/Against_Me!)'s frontwoman, [Laura Jane Grace](/source/Laura_Jane_Grace), wrote in her autobiography that *Maximumrocknroll* had urged readers to sabotage their performances[9] and that she quoted the article in a court case over a fight before a gig in [Tallahassee](/source/Tallahassee) to demonstrate the hostility against her.[10] ## Footnotes 1. Heller, Jason. ["With zines, the '90s punk scene had a living history · Fear Of A Punk Decade · The A.V. Club"](https://www.avclub.com/with-zines-the-90s-punk-scene-had-a-living-history-1798241222). [The A.V. Club](/source/The_A.V._Club). [Archived](https://archive.today/20131101201643/http://mobile.avclub.com/articles/with-zines-the-90s-punk-scene-had-a-living-history,104206/?mobile=true) 2013-11-01 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2015-12-23. 1. Jolly, Nathan (June 1, 2018). ["Book Your Own Fucking Life: the pre-internet guide that connected the indie scene"](https://theindustryobserver.thebrag.com/book-your-own-fucking-life-the-pre-internet-guide-that-connected-the-indie-scene/). *The Industry Observer*. Retrieved February 16, 2019. 1. Rife, Katie (January 15, 2019). ["MaximumRocknroll to cease print publication after 37 years"](https://www.avclub.com/maximumrocknroll-to-cease-print-publication-after-37-ye-1831782523). *[The A.V. Club](/source/The_A.V._Club)*. Retrieved February 17, 2019. 1. ["Maximum Rocknroll: If Life Is a Bowl of Cherries, What Am I Doing in the Pit? (Photozine, 1987)"](https://archive.org/details/MaximumRocknrollIfLifeIsABowlOfCherriesWhatAmIDoingInThePit). *Archive.org*. 1987. Retrieved February 16, 2019. 1. Doctorow, Cory (May 17, 2010). ["Punk photography from Maximumrocknroll"](https://boingboing.net/2010/05/17/punk-photography-fro.html). *[Boing Boing](/source/Boing_Boing)*. Retrieved February 16, 2019. 1. ["All the Maximum Rock and Roll Bands Ever Played"](https://bayareapunk.com/blog/top-mrr-radio-bands.html). *bayareapunk.com*. Retrieved 2023-07-05. 1. ["Bad Subjects: Interview with Jello Biafra"](https://web.archive.org/web/20110523060608/http://bad.eserver.org/issues/1997/30/grad.html). Archived from [the original](http://bad.eserver.org/issues/1997/30/grad.html) on 2011-05-23. Retrieved 2007-08-12. 1. ["Black Lips Q&A | Features | Clash Magazine"](http://www.clashmusic.com/feature/black-lips). Clashmusic.com. 2015-10-21. Retrieved 2015-12-23. 1. Grace, Laura Jane & Ozzi, Dan (2016). *Tranny: Confessions of Punk Rock's Most Infamous Anarchist Sellout*. Hachette Book Group. pp. 55–56. 1. Grace, Laura Jane & Ozzi, Dan (2016). *Tranny: Confessions of Punk Rock's Most Infamous Anarchist Sellout*. Hachette Book Group. p. 154. ## External links - [Official website](https://www.maximumrocknroll.com/) - [https://archive.org/details/MaximumRocknrollNo.11982](https://archive.org/details/MaximumRocknrollNo.11982) - [https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c8g73h2h/entire_text/](https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c8g73h2h/entire_text/) - [https://journals.openedition.org/angles/1133](https://journals.openedition.org/angles/1133) - Archived issues: [https://archive.org/details/maximumrnr](https://archive.org/details/maximumrnr) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Maximum Rocknroll](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maximum_Rocknroll) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maximum_Rocknroll?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.