Review
In May 1988, the first issue of the magazine Terminal Zone appeared, published by the American artist Fareed Armaly. The theme of this debut edition is America. The next issue, scheduled for January, will focus on England during the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Chuck Berry’s classic song Promised Land tells the story of America—a journey toward happiness always tied to heading west. The term “terminal zone” in the magazine’s title refers not only to the airport terminal in Los Angeles, but also to the final stop in Berry’s journey and the longings it represents. Fittingly, the first issue of Terminal Zone is dedicated to the United States. Its editor, 31-year-old Fareed Armaly, recently confirmed his standing as one of the most compelling young American artists with a solo exhibition at Galerie Christoph Dürr in Munich. He also contributes the visual artworks for this distinctive publishing project—photographs of monuments and monumental buildings in Washington, D.C., which he describes as “a particular kind of sign for a memory we never had.” For Armaly, the dynamism of American culture doesn’t lie in imported neoclassicism, but in its music.
Each sheet of the magazine is printed with paired images: small photographs on the front and back—black on one side, light gray on the other. When flipped, the page becomes almost architectural: the photograph acts like a window, the turning of the page like passing through a wall. This visual strategy transports the reader into what Armaly calls “the impossible ‘monument-in-reverse’ space.” Such deliberate constructions of perceptual experience are a key element of his work.
Terminal Zone offers a mix of perspectives rarely found in Europe. It includes interviews with figures from the American music scene, theoretical essays on pop culture, and artistic contributions. Unlike typical music magazines or art journals, Armaly’s glossy fanzine doesn’t revolve around trends or current events. Its focus is on systems. Drawing on veteran figures in pop music—George Clinton, Fred Wesley, David Thomas, James Brown—it taps into their deep knowledge of the American music industry. “What I wanted to construct,” Armaly explains, “was a different kind of architecture, or framework, for writings and music/culture.” In that spirit, Mark Mothersbaugh of DEVO is asked why the band’s concept of musical success didn’t actually succeed.
Among the contributors, the most prominent is Dan Graham, who recently showed his striking glass pavilions at the Kunstverein in Munich. A longtime writer for music publications since the 1960s, Graham contributes a piece on rock and religion. Also featured are Angela McRobbie on postmodernism and popular culture, and Hazel V. Carby, who explores “The Sexual Politics of Women’s Blues.” Carby argues that it is not literature—so often analyzed in feminist discourse—but the blues that gives voice to the sexual experiences and desires of Black women.
Terminal Zone can be found in any well-stocked bookstore or record shop. For those further afield, orders can be placed through the Spex magazine service. Terminal Zone is essential reading for anyone hoping to decipher the enigma of pop music as a cultural form.