Thank you for purchasing, finding, or otherwise acquiring my zine, Headphones! This is the sixth in an ongoing series of these zines. It’s an absolute thrill to low-key publish in this way!
This story starts with the vivid memory of the first time I listened to music through headphones, but unfolds from there into the present moment of pandemic quarantine and everywhere in between. Headphones have accompanied my lifelong love for music, but for a lot of us their use has changed dramatically — especially in this last year.
While I was writing the story, my longtime dear friend Chris Mahula posted a photo of himself wearing a pair of headphones that he had found in a thrift shop. They were the exact headphones that I was writing about in my story! He was kind enough to take the photos you see in the zine! Thanks, Chris!
The zine you are holding in your hand was designed and edited by luke kurtis, a dear friend and frequent collaborator. Most notably he inspired and designed my books The Animal Book and Tentative Armor, and the zines I mentioned above. So much of my work now is about these publications, and it was luke who inspired me in this way. The first Headphones zines were hand folded and bound with needle and thread by me in a limited edition of 40. Each one was signed, numbered, and made available to my Patreon community for a limited time. It’s a really beautiful feeling to create these objects by hand and send them out into the world to people who so fully believe in my work.
The track is meant to represent the feelings in the story. Honestly, I don’t want to say too much more about it than that so you can have the experience that is right for you with the story and sounds.
Thanks for checking this out and for taking the time to find this page. You can download the track and the zine in various formats using the links below.
Love,
Michael
Headphones (pdf)
Headphones (epub)
Headphones (mp3)
Headphones (wav)
(you should be able to right-click and save these. Let me know if you have any trouble!)
p.s. This page is hidden on my site and from search engines. It’s only meant to be seen by those who have the zine. Please help me keep this page secret. <3