Mass hibsteria

[BILLYHIBS]

MASS HIBSTERIA HIBS MONTHLY AND OTHER FANZINES

https://youtu.be/WmO0enN1GDo

Walking up to Easter Road Stadium in the early eighties the HIBS fanzines were a must buy

I used to hunt the vendors down after buying a Programme of course

Always worth a pre-Match or half time chortle at the goings on way down at Tiny, Alex Miller, Wallet Mercenary, Joe Tortolano, Benny Brazil, Alex Miller’s nephew Brian Hamilton or the latest adventures of that radge Grumpy Gibby The North Stand Hibby ( Loady Pish!)

Once again Hibernian were trailblazers with probably having the best fanzines in the UK and with the best writers in the days before the World Wide Web and HIBS.net



Anyone else got any memories?




Thanks to JohnSparky2

[Peevemor]

Dashing young gentlemen!

I wonder if John still uses the same pc?

I don't think I missed an issue of any of the fanzines, but I gave them all away when I changed country.

[Andy74]

Some great front pages.

Ally McCoist’s Ass. Ten out ten Daily Record journalists preferred it.

Pele - the Black Chic Charnley.

I’m sure there was a Keith Wright Missing front page once. Think we sometimes forget that players we look back on now fondly also had their bad spells!

[LithgaeHibby]

I think I've still got all mine in the loft. Used to love them. Still remember Hibby Hippie, Your Raving Reporter and of course Grumpy Gibby. Still call my son that as he's worse than me!

[Baader]

Loved it and always got an extra buzz when it was for sale on a matchday. Still have a few old copies somewhere at my Dad's. Contributed a few articles probably late 90s. Not that many though.

Irvine Welsh wrote under the pseudonym Octopus if I recall correctly. I mind a cartoon strip that I think was his - Speccy the Short Sighted Jambo. Sandy McNair's Grumpy Gibby sometimes bordered on genius. It was a fantastic fanzine. I remember a Rangers version of The Lord's Prayer containing the line 'give us this day our Daily Record.' 🤣

The Proclaimer was another excellent Hibs fanzine. Mind it was in A4 and maybe a bit more serious in tone overall. Very well produced but shorter lived I think.

[JeMeSouviens]

It was a great fanzine. I have a bunch of them in the loft.

I had a couple of letters published in it: one of them announcing the birth of Hibs on the newfangled interweb - Colin Macpherson's "Hypertext Hibs", which eventually grew into the hibs-list, Erinweb and might have ended up being some other website. :dunno: :greengrin

[LongJohnBanger]

I still wish it would make a permanent comeback, as good as the semi and cup final cameos are

[hhibs]

I think I've still got all mine in the loft. Used to love them. Still remember Hibbie Hippy, Your Raving Reporter and of course Grumpy Gibby. Still call my son that as he's worse than me!



Any way they could be copied for excerpts ?Or are they out there somewhere on the web ?

Would bring back many memories for the elders amongst us and,may give our younger fans a laugh too.?


:flag::flag::flag::flag:

[LithgaeHibby]

Any way they could be copied for excerpts ?

Anyone know if John Campbell or Sean Allan are on here?

[MB62]

I think I've still got all mine in the loft. Used to love them. Still remember Hibbie Hippy, Your Raving Reporter and of course Grumpy Gibby. Still call my son that as he's worse than me! :greengrin

A lot of hard work, time and effort went in to putting MHHM together over all the years, but it was a labour of love really. Some of the best times was when we were really struggling for a front page then right out the blue, something just popped up and that was it. I remember J.C. dropping me off at Longniddrie station to get the train home after spending hours putting it together but we still didn't have a front page. There was a Sunday paper sitting on the a bench in the station with some sort of photo on it, and that was it, we had our front page for the next edition. For the life of me, I can't remember what it was (my brain has gone soft in my auld age and the memory is whitdeyecallit) , but it was that sort of thing that happened, not infrequently.

Worst for me was standing in Albion Road on a freezing cold, wet Wednesday night (I think we were playing St. Midden) selling the 'Zines, that was brutal.

[James Stephen]

I was quite young, but my auld man used to buy them and I used to love and sit and read them at half time.

They are a sad loss to the fitba scene.

[Peevemor]

Anyone know if John Campbell or Sean Allan are on here?

John Campbell will be far, far too old for computers and stuff now.

[Billy Whizz]

John Campbell will be far, far too old for computers and stuff now.

Is this how you feel about him😀

I always remember buying it at the top of St Clair St. a guy with long hair, who I believe has now passed on sadly

[BILLYHIBS]

Front page from the February 2000 edition of Mass Hibsteria incorporating HIBS Monthly

Hearts 0 v 3 Hibs

Jim Jeffries, Billy Brown, Donkey Dave McPherson, Chris Robinson, Wallace Mercer, Gary Mackay, Donald Ford, Rab Prentice, Willie Bauld, Eric Milligan, Steven Hendry............

WE GAVE YOUR BOYS A HELL OF A BEATING!

[greenlex]

Cup semi and final ones aside I’m sure I used to get them posted to me. Whatever happened to those guys. :greengrin

[Mon Dieu4]

The picture of Fenlon on the back page for Pat on the back was ingenious and had me in stitches

[Onceinawhile]

The two nuns on the see saw always cracked me up.

[Hibernia&Alba]

It was a great read; I loved it, and the gorgeous wee lassie with the long black hair who used to sometimes sell it. :greengrin:love ya!:

[Smartie]

I absolutely loved it.

It was always a great buzz when you turned into Albion Road, there was a new edition out and there to be bought.

A big part of the whole Hibs experience in those days and as a teenager who lived out in the sticks, a great way to keep up with opinion on things regarding Hibs in the pre-internet age.

It’s something I’d have loved to have been involved in producing but it sort of faded away a bit before I was of an age or ability to be able to meaningfully contribute.

[The Count]

Great value two reads for the price of one..Like the Pink because of alcohol you could read it on Saturday night and then a second read on Sunday morning!!!!

[mjhibby]

Loadypish. Grumpy Gibby an absolute legend. Ayatollah ruffscranbevi. Great days.

[Pretty Boy]

It would be good to see a resurrection of sorts. Even something released twice a year or quarterly.

Obviously these things are a lot of work and the world has changed, people have moved on, their lives have changed and so on but I think there is still a place in football that is a bit old fashioned and nostalgic.

[Fratelli]

Always felt the Club programmes were a waste of money and could be read in 10 minutes whereas 'Mass Hibsteria incorporating Hibs Monthly' was a brilliant read with 'laugh out loud' moments a plenty!

When I read this thread, just had to head up to the attic and check what editions I still have - earliest one is Issue 79 Feb/Mar 1998 featuring Lex Gold on the front cover and the last one is Issue 119 from March 2007 with a celebrating John Collins on the cover and a headline referring to 'only one manager enjoying cup success at Tynecastle this season...' I think in reference to our semi win over St Johnstone.

I'm sure you could also buy the fanzine in McColls on Elm Row?

[Hibernia&Alba]

It would be good to see a resurrection of sorts. Even something released twice a year or quarterly.

Obviously these things are a lot of work and the world has changed, people have moved on, their lives have changed and so on but I think there is still a place in football that is a bit old fashioned and nostalgic.

Absolutely, and although everything is now online, it's great to have a paper fanzine you can keep. I think there would still be a market for it.

[Billy Whizz]

It would be good to see a resurrection of sorts. Even something released twice a year or quarterly.

Obviously these things are a lot of work and the world has changed, people have moved on, their lives have changed and so on but I think there is still a place in football that is a bit old fashioned and nostalgic.

How much would you pay for one?

[Hibernia&Alba]

How much would you pay for one?

I think around 3 quid now would be good value.

[The Pointer]

Don't remember how I first came to know about it but probably saw someone reading a copy in the ground. When I first realised it was being sold at the end of Albion Road I always looked out for it, before I went to buy a programme and was disappointed if there wasn't a new one for sale.

There was something 'punk' about it with irreverence and humour in good measure, along with the odd cartoon, and for the first time fans' opinions were being heard about things the MSM would never publish, so in effect predated the advent of social media. It was written in the style of a group of mates waffling in the pub and Grumpy Gibby was indeed the highlight, being written in the local patois. It was aye long enough that there was still something to read on Sunday morning, possibly cause I'd only understand some of it after I'd read it a second time!

It would be good to see it back because enough time has elapsed since the last one, Hertz are still Lillian Gish and people are so used to reading instantaneous stuff on-line that perhaps a gadgie flogging a pile of A5 mags at the corner of Albion Road would be a revelation. Also, crowds are a bit bigger now than they were in 1998 so a bigger potential audience.

[Pretty Boy]

How much would you pay for one?

For something quarterly or a couple of times a year I'd probably be happy to part with about a fiver.

[Hibernia&Alba]

For something quarterly or a couple of times a year I'd probably be happy to part with about a fiver.

Yes, I would take a few issues per year (as opposed to a monthly issue) for that.

[Andy74]

For something quarterly or a couple of times a year I'd probably be happy to part with about a fiver.

Yeah easy fiver for what used to be produced. Not sure it is worth anyone’s effort for it now but think it would go down brilliantly.

[The Harp]

Really miss the fanzine, always a great read on those match days when it was available. So much more content than the club programme back then.
Had written the odd article for it over the years and always got a kick out of seeing your ramblings in print. Still have some of them at home. Would definitely buy a copy if it re-emerged.

[Jonnyboy]

Dashing young gentlemen!

I wonder if John still uses the same pc?

I don't think I missed an issue of any of the fanzines, but I gave them all away when I changed country.

Traded in my coal fired one for this gas powered effort :greengrin


Some great front pages.

Ally McCoist’s Ass. Ten out ten Daily Record journalists preferred it.

Pele - the Black Chic Charnley.

I’m sure there was a Keith Wright Missing front page once. Think we sometimes forget that players we look back on now fondly also had their bad spells!

That was one of my favourites too, Andy :aok:


Anyone know if John Campbell or Sean Allan are on here?

I'm here :greengrin but don't know if Sean posts?


:greengrin

A lot of hard work, time and effort went in to putting MHHM together over all the years, but it was a labour of love really. Some of the best times was when we were really struggling for a front page then right out the blue, something just popped up and that was it. I remember J.C. dropping me off at Longniddrie station to get the train home after spending hours putting it together but we still didn't have a front page. There was a Sunday paper sitting on the a bench in the station with some sort of photo on it, and that was it, we had our front page for the next edition. For the life of me, I can't remember what it was (my brain has gone soft in my auld age and the memory is whitdeyecallit) , but it was that sort of thing that happened, not infrequently.

Worst for me was standing in Albion Road on a freezing cold, wet Wednesday night (I think we were playing St. Midden) selling the 'Zines, that was brutal.

Mine too, MB - bloody auld age :wink:


John Campbell will be far, far too old for computers and stuff now.

Ahem, I still use one, young man :greengrin


The picture of Fenlon on the back page for Pat on the back was ingenious and had me in stitches

That was the Sean Allan effect - Sean was great at these kind of things


Cup semi and final ones aside I’m sure I used to get them posted to me. Whatever happened to those guys. :greengrin

We're here, A or at least some of us are

Hibs Monthly was created and edited by posters ColL and SidBurns who post on here as does MB62, also known as the Raving Reporter. Grumpy Gibby, aka Sandy McNair is now a published author as indeed are ColL, myself and Ted Brack who wrote for the Fanzine but I'm not sure if he posts on here?

When I was given the privilege of taking over as Editor, Sean Allan was my sidekick and we were ably supported by the likes of MB62, Ted and the much missed Ali Tait.

I kinda miss those days if I'm honest. Unlike MB I picked a good spot to stand selling the Fanzine, on Hawkhill Drive opposite the Burger van, so plenty of hot drinks available to thaw me out :greengrin

[basehibby]

There was a great explosion of fanzines around then (late 80s?) - probably as the printing tech developed to make it more doable - and the Hibees were at the forefront as I recall with MHHM eventually emerging as our cream of the crop. It was brilliant for the fans as we'd always been starved of in depth coverage of our club outside of the narrow lens of the Evening News and the Pink - and suddenly here were these sheets stuffed with humorous Hibee columns, Jambo piss-takings and banter, as well as letters and articles on all the serious Hibs matters of the day.

Fanzines gave us fans a voice as well as anyone could write in and topics discussed in the pages of MHHM and other fanzines would often end up being discussed in boardrooms around the country. I'm forever grateful to all those who put in the effort, contributed and made these things happen. Thanks to you all - you fairly brightened up my football landscape of the time - and bloody hell didn't it need it! So any old fanzine hands looking in - I salute you :thumbsup:

:hibees:hibees:hibees:hibees:hibees

[Hibernia&Alba]

There was a great explosion of fanzines around then (late 80s?) - probably as the printing tech developed to make it more doable - and the Hibees were at the forefront as I recall with MHHM eventually emerging as our cream of the crop. It was brilliant for the fans as we'd always been starved of in depth coverage of our club outside of the narrow lens of the Evening News and the Pink - and suddenly here were these sheets stuffed with humorous Hibee columns, Jambo piss-takings and banter, as well as letters and articles on all the serious Hibs matters of the day.

Fanzines gave us fans a voice as well as anyone could write in and topics discussed in the pages of MHHM and other fanzines would often end up being discussed in boardrooms around the country. I'm forever grateful to all those who put in the effort, contributed and made these things happen. Thanks to you all - you fairly brightened up my football landscape of the time - and bloody hell didn't it need it! So any old fanzine hands looking in - I salute you :thumbsup:

:hibees:hibees:hibees:hibees:hibees

:top marks

Great post. The heyday of fanzines was probably a bit before my time, but I loved MHHM and still have them. It was communication by the fans for the fans.

[BILLYHIBS]

Grumpy Gibby The North Stand Hibby is very much alive and well as the West Stand Hibbby in a recent book by Sandy McNair

Same loady pish though :greengrin

[oldbutdim]

Glasgow Gossip was a fine piece of work too.

[Brizo]

MHHM was a great read as was another bigger more A4 ish sized one which might have been The Proclaimer? Unfortunately ditched them all along with my 12-inch records in one of our house moves, two collections I should have kept :grr:

I wonder if there would still be a market for them. They thrived on gossip and banter and by their nature could be talking about stuff that had happened weeks before. We now see all that stuff immediately on forums and social media so technologies probably made those zines that were monthly or bi-monthly obsolete?

Seem to remember there was a one-off MHHM for a Cup Final some years ago and Id definitely buy one if they were reintroduced for big occasions.

[Allez Hibs]

Is there any way an archive of the fanzines could be digitised and made available for nostalgic reasons?

[Peevemor]

How about a "best of", either available to download or in printed form, with the proceeds going to a good cause?

I'd definitely lump in for that.

[O'Rourke3]

I now can't remember which fanzine but my mate Alan Young drew and wrote the Winnie the Hibbee cartoons. Still got a full set he laminated. Easy enough to scan if there was somewhere to put it. I never had a full set but lost all my fanzines after splitting up with my ex wife.

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[Col L]

Great to see that there is still so much love for MHHM [emoji1184]

As mentioned it was masel and Stevie SideBurns who founded the fanzine, first as a humble newsletter at school in 1987, before we quickly leapt on to the crazy fanzine bandwagon careering across the UK and steamed ahead on to a crazy journey.

Guys like the Hibbie Hippie, Irvine and many others volunteered their talent and helped inject some savage and brilliant humour and it just clicked with the fans.

We were always proud of our renegade status, although to be fair to Duff & Gray then Cromb, they were open to hearing us out... then usually throwing us out. Same went for Lexo, who even took umbrage with being called Lexo!

I eventually did what Miller should have done and bowed out before I overstayed my welcome as Editor, because I wanted to play fitba on a Saturday myself, and so John and Sean came in and did an unbelievable job of taking it on to the next level, as did MB, Ali Tait, Nick and Graham.

It was an absolute blast to be involved in (I still contributed articles until the end) and I’m glad to report MH/HM will be featuring in a new book on Hibs in the 80s I’m currently writing: ‘Bestie to Beastie to Belgium’


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[malcolm]

Nostalgia is often a joy but its replication never quite manages to hit the same spot. If the printed fanzine made a comeback it would need to be both different, due to how mass communication and opinions have changed, but the same capturing an almost anti-establishment humour - a hard task but plenty of scope for ridicule in the establishment clubs these days.

My favourite printed output from old days were the Gilzean cartoons in the news - think I’ve still got my ally shuffle tin badge for my scarf. It was an ambition to emulate those that kind of led me to produce the cartoons that used to appear on a previous incarnation of here but they could never be anything as good as those.

[BILLYHIBS]

Nostalgia is often a joy but its replication never quite manages to hit the same spot. If the printed fanzine made a comeback it would need to be both different, due to how mass communication and opinions have changed, but the same capturing an almost anti-establishment humour - a hard task but plenty of scope for ridicule in the establishment clubs these days.

My favourite printed output from old days were the Gilzean cartoons in the news - think I’ve still got my ally shuffle tin badge for my scarf. It was an ambition to emulate those that kind of led me to produce the cartoons that used to appear on a previous incarnation of here but they could never be anything as good as those.
:agree:

Used to look forward to the Gilzean cartoon on a Monday night’s EEN depicting scenes from that Saturday’s game usually an Alan Gordon header or Nijinsky speeding past some unfortunate defender usually ending with six footballs lying in an empty net. :greengrin


Any future fanzine would have to be PC and HIBS have been issued with a letter of warning re Irvine
Welsh allegedly

[MartinfaePorty]

Not sure exactly what you mean by having to be PC, but I'm sure a fanzine wouldn't be held to account in the same way as an official Hibs TV channel. I've never actually got round to listening to any of the Hibs fans podcasts yet (the new fanzines?), but I'm sure they poke fun at the likes of Robbie Neilson and Hearts without resorting to outdated 1970s comedic tropes (if that's what being PC means!).

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[Yorkshire HFC]

[QUOTE=Col L;6526676]Great to see that there is still so much love for MHHM [emoji1184]

Did one of the people on the fanzine used to live in Comely Bank at the time? I lived there and I'm sure it was sometimes on sale one of the newsagents.

I still remember the line about Hibs turning down a 5 figure offer for Ally Brazil - £10.21 and a half pence!

I never bought programmes but always got Hibs Monthly - and I still had them all until my wife had another major clear out about 5 years ago. The Proclaimer was also good, but from what I remember was less regular.

[SideBurns]

[QUOTE=Col L;6526676]Great to see that there is still so much love for MHHM [emoji1184]

Did one of the people on the fanzine used to live in Comely Bank at the time? I lived there and I'm sure it was sometimes on sale one of the newsagents.

I still remember the line about Hibs turning down a 5 figure offer for Ally Brazil - £10.21 and a half pence!

I never bought programmes but always got Hibs Monthly - and I still had them all until my wife had another major clear out about 5 years ago. The Proclaimer was also good, but from what I remember was less regular.

Col L was staying in Comely Bank when we started the fanzine. Think the first edition in 1987 featured a match report from the gemme at Ibrox when for some reason the Huns decided to accommodate us in the Main Stand rather than the Broomloan - still recall the flare whizzing over ma heid and landing a few rows down! Mental - great celebration when Mickey Weir put us 1-0 up.

[BILLYHIBS]

Not sure exactly what you mean by having to be PC, but I'm sure a fanzine wouldn't be held to account in the same way as an official Hibs TV channel. I've never actually got round to listening to any of the Hibs fans podcasts yet (the new fanzines?), but I'm sure they poke fun at the likes of Robbie Neilson and Hearts without resorting to outdated 1970s comedic tropes (if that's what being PC means!).

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Yeah the reference was as illustrated about the Hun being touchy over IW’s comments IIRC the HIBS fanzines were never fans of all things Hun or Hearts for that matter

All contributions would probably have to be vetted before printing a sign of the times I suppose

[SideBurns]

Yeah the reference was as illustrated about the Hun being touchy over IW’s comments IIRC the HIBS fanzines were never fans of all things Hun or Hearts for that matter

All contributions would probably have to be vetted before printing a sign of the times I suppose

Tbh, some of the humour you'd find in the fanzine that was deemed acceptable in the 80s & 90s couldn't be included now. Times have changed. Some great stuff though, as the examples in this thread have shown!

[BILLYHIBS]

Tbh, some of the humour you'd find in the fanzine that was deemed acceptable in the 80s & 90s couldn't be included now. Times have changed. Some great stuff though, as the examples in this thread have shown!

My point exactly

👍🏿

[Smartie]

I remember Brian Hamilton being referred to once as our "musical midfield genital" and I still can't read or hear his name without remembering that and chuckling.

[MartinfaePorty]

My point exactly

👍🏿

100% agree

[BILLYHIBS]

100% agree

👍🏿

[LustForLeith]

I’m sure MHHM was the very first publication I was published in.

So that’s whose to blame

[lord bunberry]

Was the Leith Leader made by the same people that did the fanzine?

[matty_f]

Not sure exactly what you mean by having to be PC, but I'm sure a fanzine wouldn't be held to account in the same way as an official Hibs TV channel. I've never actually got round to listening to any of the Hibs fans podcasts yet (the new fanzines?), but I'm sure they poke fun at the likes of Robbie Neilson and Hearts without resorting to outdated 1970s comedic tropes (if that's what being PC means!).

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The Longbangers podcast pokes fun at all sorts, we’re not un-PC really but definitely quite irreverent and close to the bone at times.

[Col L]

Was the Leith Leader made by the same people that did the fanzine?

No, the Leith Leader was a local weekly paper, offices in Leith Walk near where Leith Depot is. Myself and Mike Wilson from The Proclaimer wrote for it as volunteer contributors.


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[stu in nottingham]

I've been friendly with several MHHM-ers for a number of years including Sean, John, Graham and the late and sadly missed Ali Tait. Some fantastic tales from those days! They were kind enough to request I wrote a few words in the special reprise cup editions.

A magic and rare day was once when travelling back to Edinburgh for a cup final, I nipped up the Waverley Steps off the train and popped straight into the Guildford Arms, overnight bag still in hand and Ali Tait who'd flown back from Atlanta and Graham Ewing and were sitting there introduced me to the 'Hibby Hippy', Sandy McNair. A memorable and happy occasion indeed.

A favourite moment among so many was a front cover featuring Father Christmas and Lexo with Santa saying to the infamously defensive-minded Alex Miller 'And what would you like for Christmas?' with '******* Face' replying 'A nil-nil draw please, Santa'. :greengrin

Loved MHHM and all the Hibs fanzines and still have a few. Happy days.

[NthCarolinaHibs]

https://photos.app.goo.gl/gMt7twJqqdzGZTuh8
A tribute to the late Ali Tait,from his local just outside Atlanta..

[oneone73]

https://photos.app.goo.gl/gMt7twJqqdzGZTuh8
A tribute to the late Ali Tait,from his local just outside Atlanta..

Nice. Thanks for posting. Used to meet Ali, his bro and friends in the Hibs Club before games. Sat in front of him in the old East. RIP Ali, sadly missed.