East coast transplant Clint Woodside is a man of many talents, aspirations and inspirations. The common denominator appears to be an altruistic appreciation of Art, Artists and the creative process. The mastermind behind independent publishing company Deadbeat Club Press, in a short time Woodside has already curated over 20 photography-based zines from the likes of: Ed Templeton, Deanna Templeton, Devin Briggs, Patrick O’Dell, Andrew Jeffrey Wright, Mike Spears, Andrea Sonnenberg, Jerry Hsu, Grant Hatfield, Nolan Hall and more. There are also split release and solo titles featuring his own distinctive photographic work. To top it all off, as an experienced graphic designer, Woodside brings a cohesive aesthetic to the DBC brand.
Generally speaking, publishing can be a thankless and oft overlooked pursuit. Undaunted, however, Woodside is carrying a flaming, defiant torch and carving out an increasingly meaningful corner for himself in the process. I, for one, am thankful for his stick-to-itiveness as the DBC output has been nothing short of killer from the get-go.
We hooked up with Clint at his Chinatown-based studio and asked a few questions about the beginnings of DBC, his motivation & more…
There’s a tag line on the Deadbeat Club tote “There’s No Money In Books”. Assuming that’s the harsh reality, what drove you to start this?
Well, that’s a joke…but it is funny because it’s true. Overall this is a hard business to make money in. Between distribution and printing costs and and everything else…it’s harsh. I have figured out a few ways to make it a little profitable…(enough so I can continue to do this, and take the crew to dinner once in a while).
All that said…the money thing was never really part of the picture. I started making zines to communicate and to let people know what I’m up to, work wise. I didn’t start making them for other people till a few years ago… and when I started doing that it was such a satisfying feeling, to help others put their work out there, and help them out. Also making nice stuff that people are excited about is a good reward. The truth is, I have been so blown away by other people and what they have done…like Ray from Hamburger Eyes, and all my friends at Space 1026, I just wanted to return the favor. I wanted to give back. It’s always been a community kind of thing.
The best thing is, that tote bag is one of our best sellers…so while there is not money in books…there might be in tote bags…
Why the name “Deadbeat Club”?
The name comes from a B-52’s song. I love them. That’s not their best song but it made the most sense. It’s an ironic name…growing up, skateboarding, going to punk shows, making art stuff…we were always told that we were deadbeats. But now, me and my friends are doing it professionally. It’s hard work! There is a constant hustle to being an artist. It’s not just sitting in a studio all day drinking coffee and painting (or taking photos, or whatever) there is hustling to get shows. Hustling to get zines in the shops, or get the word out about new titles…organizing, organizing, organizing. Being a “deadbeat” is rough, man.
You’ve published a fair amount of titles w/ Ed Templeton. When did you and Ed first start working together?
I first met Ed & Deanna in NYC when No Age did a performance at the New Museum. When we met we talked about my involvement with a gallery/art collective I was involved with called Space 1026 in Philadelphia. Ed showed there in ’98 and we talked about doing something again there in 2010. It didn’t work out but we remained friends. Then I moved here…and for a while we would see each other around and keep in touch, since he is in Huntington most of the time and I’m in L.A. it was usually just a high five and a quick catch up kind of thing. Then he broke his leg and was sentenced to his couch. I emailed him with condolences and thought of a project so he stayed sane while he had to not stand for month and months…I was like, “Hey. Let’s do a split zine!” he was stoked, and we got on it. We made a stack of those and really enjoyed working together, and its been that way ever since.
I can’t help but feel that SST Records (at their height) and Deadbeat Club share some things in common, at least for me personally. Every release on SST in their heyday was something I looked forward to. There was a communal aspect to what they did. Their point of view, when it came to curating bands, was something I trusted and often learned from. I feel the same about what you’re doing. This brings me to Spot (a major part of SST history) who you’ve co-released an amazing photo zine with. How did that relationship come about?
HA! It’s funny you say that. I have always used Dischord as a benchmark for what I do with Deadbeat Club. Maybe that’s because I am an east coast kid… and SST is the west coast equivalent. (Man…someone is gonna be angry about that statement.) But yeah…I am careful with what I curate for Deadbeat for sure. It’s first and foremost a family affair. People I am friends with and respect in the photo world. People I have a good relationship with. There have been a few people I didn’t know whose work I just loved that I have emailed blindly…Michael McCraw is one. I love that book. But even him, I saw he was a punk and toured in bands, so I knew we would understand and trust each other, because of shared experience.
Spot came about in a strange way.
For a while, Spot was living with a very good friend of mine, Tim Kerr, in Austin, TX. I didn’t meet Spot during this time, but Tim would talk about him and I knew who he was because of the SST connection. So fast forward a year or so…Ed sends me a few pictures from a book a friend of HIS is doing. That was Johan Kugelberg who runs Boo Hooray, a killer book publisher and gallery in New York. He is putting out a full book of Spot’s work this summer. (I’ve seen it and it is AMAZING!) Ed asked if I would be interested in maybe doing a split release with Boo Hooray of a zine of Spot’s work to help get people stoked for the larger book. I was like… “yeah! He’s bros of bros… and this stuff is amazing! It’s kind of a no brainer!”
I still haven’t officially met Spot…we have emailed plenty, but he is in Sheboygan, Wisconsin…so it’s hard to get together. One day… I’m sure.
Do you feel this is a particularly vital time for zine culture?
I don’t know. It’s always hard to know when something is special ’till the time is past. I want to believe that zines have always been a popular medium, but really… maybe there is something to the fact that the economy shit the bed, and not everyone can afford art books like they used to. Zines are great on the pockets. They are easily affordable, they come out more often, and are far more intimate. Or at least, zines have the potential for all these things. I think that those ideas are starting to make sense to people, and in turn, that is helping raise awareness that zines exist.
What other zine companies are you inspired by?
Oh man, I could go for hours. But obviously, number one has to be Hamburger Eyes. I’ve known Ray Potes for just about 10 years now and he inspires me to this day. He is the king of hustle. Everything Lele Saveri and the 8ball zine crew are up too makes me stoked. Little Brown Mushroom, Alec Soth’s company, always puts out great stuff. All that said, I am also a book nerd, and love stuff that comes out by Steidl and Nazraeli and other publishers that really go the extra mile to make something special. I think there is a misconception that it has to be “zines vs. books”. To me I think they all go hand in hand. Sometimes a zine is a sketch for a book. Sometimes a book will come with a special edition zine, I think the idea of them working together is really where the power is.
Any long term goals or aspirations for DBC or do you just take it as it comes?
It’s kind of both. Eventually I would like to do books, but they are expensive. So I am kind of just paying attention to photographers and feeling out what feels right, and will continue to put out zines that make sense to what Deadbeat puts out. Maybe once I have some money stockpiled, a book can happen. That said, I will always make zines as well. They are just too special to me.
You’re an accomplished photographer as well and I understand you’re not too fond of digital. Do you have a dream camera set up?
Well…for me, I grew up with film, it’s what I learned on, it’s what I feel most comfortable with. I took a break from shooting photography for a long while and while I was on that break digital came in to power. When I picked up photography again, I had a small point and shoot digital Lumix of some sort, and it was fine, but about 4 months later I got a Yashica Electro 35 at a thrift store, and the second I started shooting with that it just felt right again. I think a large part of why I shoot only film (except my Instagram, and products for the website.) is each frame is far more precious. You get 24 or 36 frames per roll. Not 1000. You cant just keep shooting it till it looks perfect. In fact, you shoot with film and don’t get to see what you shot looks like till you get it processed. To me that feels more honest. You take a picture, and what you have is that moment. Don’t try to perfect it, embrace what that moment is. I also try to take one picture of a subject and move on. This is just me… I don’t think those that use digital are bad photographers or anything. With a lot of things in my life, what I do and how I live works for me, and I would never expect others to live that way. But that’s a whole different discussion. Film for me is just part of my process, and helps me stay mindful of what I shoot.
As far as “dream set up” goes. I think I am pretty stoked on what I have now. I have a Leica M7 with a 35mm and a 50mm lens…and a Mamiya 7 with an 65mm lens. I think I want to get something a little tighter for that one still maybe an 80mm. I just started messing with 4×5 cameras…but I’m just a baby in that world and don’t have my own camera for that yet. We’ll see what happens with all that.
What music have you been listening to lately?
I kind of feel like an old man now-a-days when it comes to music. Most of what I listen to is the same stuff I listened to when I was a young’in…I am a big Washington DC hardcore nerd so most things on Dischord are always in heavy rotation. Most leftist political punk music still gets the blood flowing for me. Largely because the same issues are still around. Stuff like The Jam and Elvis Costello, for my rock fix…but also Superchunk, Ted Leo and/or Chisel, all the bands Sarah (Mike) Kirsch was in. (Please Inform The Captain, This Is A Hijack / Baader Brains / Torches To Rome & so on.) I’ve been on a big Comet Gain kick lately. I feel like I am so out of touch with new bands and what gets the kids stoked now. Music is such a fuel for my work.
Check out Clint Woodside’s weekly radio show “Woodside Chats” Thursdays at 8pm on KCHUNG.
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Photos by: Devin Sarno
