Welcome to episode 5 of the Mynah Podcast, brought to you by Mynah Magazine! Editors Karen and Kristian are joined by Ginette Chittick to talk about the Punk scene in 90s Singapore and Ginette’s latest work on archiving graphic ephemera from that period. They talk about zine-making and its distribution ecosystem, the Punk scene with all its contradictions and idiosyncrasies, and Ginette’s discoveries from leather jackets to a whole host of zines.
Ginette Chittick is a lecturer, visual artist, designer and DJ. She is a member of the shoegaze band Astreal and Singapore’s first all-girl punk band PsychoSonique. She’s also currently working on her PhD at the London College of Communication, University of the Arts London, which is focused on subculture and specifically Singaporean Punk history from 1992 to 2007, through the lens of defiance as expressed in graphic ephemera.
To learn more about Ginette and for more context on this episode, read our newsletter at mynahmag.substack.com. Her band Astreal will be playing at the BigO 40th Anniversary 2-day festival from the 12th to the 13th of April. Get your tickets here.
SHOW NOTES
Forum The Shopping Mall (previously known as Forum Galleria) on Orchard Road used to be a hangout spot for punks in the 90s. Ginette has a few photos on her Instagram here.
In the episode, Ginette talks about the first zine she co-created in 1993, an anarcho-punk zine called Outcast. Ginette has a photo of the first issue on her Instagram here.
Riot Grrrl was an underground feminist punk movement that started in the 90s, originating in the US city of Olympia, Washington. It combined punk music and feminism, and addressed issues like misogyny, abuse and female empowerment within the scene. You can read more about it here.
TNT Music Centre is a recording studio and musical instrument shop in Parklane Shopping Mall. It was a go-to place for punk and metal gigs in the 90s. Kurt Cobain visited TNT Music Centre when he came to Singapore in 1992.
In the episode, Ginette and Karen discuss the sensationalised New Paper article that was published in 1992 about slam dancing. Shortly after the article was published, the state mandated that show organisers would have to put down a $2000 deposit. This was to ensure that people did not slam dance or stage dive during gigs.
Ginette has a wonderful carousel of photos of a leather jacket decorated with patches and studs. The leather biker jacket, or Perfecto jacket, was a staple fashion item for punks.
In 90s Singapore, there was a vibrant underground Drum and Bass scene that has helped to shape contemporary underground and mainstream club culture. Many of the pioneering DJs crossed over from the Punk scene. You can read more about this particular DnB scene’s history here.
BigO (an acronym for Before I Get Old) was Singapore’s first-ever independent rock magazine that covered local underground music. Started in 1985 as a black-and-white-zine, it grew in popularity and eventually evolved into a full-fledged magazine. It finally shut down in 2023, when it had already transitioned into an online publication. BigO was hugely influential in the 90s and 00s, giving exposure to burgeoning local musicians and writers. To celebrate its 40th anniversary, Neonpulse is organising Big O: 40 Years of Counter Culture, a 2-day music festival celebrating independent and underground music from Singapore.
At the end of the episode, Kristian quotes from the book, Notes from Underground: Zines and the Politics of Alternative Culture by Stephen Duncombe. The book explores the history, production and ecosystem of zines.
Look out for Singaporean Punk Archive, slated to launch in the later part of 2025. This will be a web archive of Singaporean punk ephemera from the early 90s to 00s that Ginette has been documenting.
