For those of a certain age a fanzine from Merseyside was groundbreaking.

Back in the early 80's fanzines were rife, the trouble was that they were all about music and none were about football, in Liverpool however they were determined to change all that and in 1981 a new fanzine was launched that aimed to not only add football to the obligatory music, but aim the content at the normal person on the street and at the match.

Initially it struggled to sell copies, at least for the first issue or two, hence the title of this story, the famous sales line of its sellers as they tried to sell it in the pubs before Liverpool & Everton games to an audience who though fanzines were written by students for the followers of bands like the Crass.

But it soon took off and their style was one that would be much copied over the years, although it would be another seven years or so before the football fanzine boom of the late 80's, or the early90's lads mag culture, both of which owed their inspirations to The End, which ironically was on its last legs at that stage, as co editor Peter hooton headed for fame as a popstar in the populat music combo The Farm.

The byeword of the mag was "skit" in Liverpool to Skit or Skitting was a phrase for taking the piss out of something and this they did with gusto, even out of themselves, the letters pages were legendary, as some devotee's of the bugeoning casual movement took things a little too seriously and were mercilessly skitted for their trouble.

The Ins & Outs page was also much admired & copied and this writer makes no excuses, the first edition of The Ugly Inside borrowed extensively from The End and included an ins & outs page.

But there was so much more in it as well, a lot of the content was obviously aimed at Merseyside (well the Liverpool side of the river anyway, if you were from Birkenhead or anywhere else outside of the City boundary you were a Woolyback) but it touched a nerve with all who read it no matter where they lived, everyone knew a Billy Bull or a Joe Wag or any of the other characters skitted in the mag.

Now those of you who missed out or those like myself who lost their valued collection somewhere in the last 25 years have the chance to buy the book collecting together all the editions, a grand total of 20 between 1981-1988 under one cover.

At £20 plus £7.50 postage if you buy it by mail order it could be said to be a it steep, but its a big book and one that you will get full value for money from, indeed it works ou at only £1 an issue before postage and thats no more than you would pay for a fanzine today

You can get it from

www.sabotagetimes.com         

Photo: Action Images

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