What ever happened to......Mass Hibsteria?

[Lucky_Jim]

Was sorting through boxes of old ‘junk’ (mainly Hibs related memorabilia...one man’s junk is another man’s treasure and all that!) the other day and came across a pile of old well thumbed copies of Mass Hibsteria. Inevitably, any pretence of ‘sorting’ was abandoned in favour of a couple of hugely enjoyable hours spent wandering down memory lane, Mass Hibsteria style.

It got me wondering about what ever happened to it and its team of editors/contributors. I recall the days, long before the invention of the ubiquitous world of online forums such as this and the phenomenon of 24/7 media, when I used to eagerly await the next opportunity to part with a quid of my pocket money/student loan/wage, usually on Albion Road on my way to a game, for the latest irreverent Hibs related banter and debate. Obviously the internet has fundamentally changed the way that we all interact and the speed at which we can do it (sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse IMO...maybe a debate for another day though!) but in an unashamedly Luddite sort of way I kind of miss the old skool fanzines.

A particular favourite was Gibby, the grumpy Hibee. He captured the lot of a long suffering Hibs fan in a hilariously cantankerous way!

So, can anyone give me the story of what happened next? Are the former MH contributors now regular contributors on hibs.net and/or the Bounce?

Any other fond reminisces about MH and your favourite column/ist?

Jimbo

[Phil D. Rolls]

I wrote a couple of articles for them, then they sank without a trace. Sheer coincedence I'm sure.

[heidtheba]

Oh man I'd forgotten about that! Grumpy Gibby the North Stand Hibby (am I right?)
I had a few of them years ago.
Think I only kept one which had a picture of Kevin Harper in his pre-94 sensational season days.
Which reminds me, what ever happened to Bottiglieri and Bannerman?

[Hiber-nation]

Hibbie Hippie is still doing his stuff, he's published a few crazy tales in fanzine-style publications.

[Jonnyboy]

I'm a former editor of MHHM and MB62 of .net was too

[3pm]

John, could you not bring back any of the features as a one-off? I used to pish myself laughing!!!

[C I Hibee]

Spooky !! my wife made me clear out an old box of 'junk' at the weekend . Took ages for the same reason, reading through old copies
On the matter of the Hippie Hibbie I had a copy of a wee Travalogue he did entitled, 'Bile and guile in the Emarald Isle' Very funny and very topical given the start invoved him taking a ferry to NI on the 11/7/12 with all the marching numpties.
Unfortunately I lent my copy to someone and never got it back. It s worth a read if anyones ever gets a copy

[Ed De Gramo]

Bring back MH

Fantastic read

[Musselbound]

I wasn't a regular contributor but I wrote the odd article for them and, like the OP, looked forward to new issues of the fanzine. Those were different times of course and there simply wouldn't be the same demand for such things today. I'm even a bit surprised that the match programmes manage to survive to be honest.

[basehibby]

Mass Hibstreria was a fantastic organ which was a boon to any Hibby in the days before the internet became widespread.

In those days it - and other Hibs fanzines - were the only channel for getting the real low down on how the fans really felt about what was really happening at the club - the letters pages and the open policy towards articles and subject matter up for discussion making it a pre-cursor to the message boards like Hibs.net and the Bounce that we enjoy today.

What made it really special though were the comedically ironic and satirical contributions - regular ones like Grumpy Gibby, Hibby Hippie and HibbyRadge spring to mind - as well as sporadic ones from numerous others. Many of them were pure genius and I always used to feel like I had a real treasure in my hands whenever I picked up a copy.

Also worthy of mention is the brilliant wee bit of cartoon artwork which made up the title banner of Mass Hibsteria - lovingly created, it depicted the title in what for me was a little comic strip masterpiece - anyone care to claim responsibility for that???

[snooky]

The best article ever was in Mass Hibsteria. It was a mock report on a 7-0 drubbing we took at Ibrox. The article was so hilarious, it almost made the result worth it.
(It didny really, but you know what I mean)

If anyone has access to that "report" could they post it on the m/b - I'd love to read it again, as would many others I'm sure.

[drifter533814]

I used to like the football terminology section, such as ;

Injury Time - The period when John Brown is on the pitch.

And ;

Stoppage Time - The amount of time added on when Rangers are losing.

Amazing fanzine, think I have 20 of them stashed away!!!!!

[Beefster]

I used to love MH and buy it religiously. It was a sad day when it was mothballed.

It would be great if an online repository of all the issues could be created on .net/bounce.

[Hiber-nation]

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Also worthy of mention is the brilliant wee bit of cartoon artwork which made up the title banner of Mass Hibsteria - lovingly created, it depicted the title in what for me was a little comic strip masterpiece - anyone care to claim responsibility for that???

I'm sure it was a mate of Irvine Welsh's called Fox, he did most of the cartoons.

[Seanair]

Irvine Welsh contributed cartoons under the name of "Octopus" for a while before he wrote Trainspotting.

[HibbyRod]

I'm probably wrong, but I think it used to be "Hibs Monthly" before evolving into MH?

My favourite was "The Jambos" cartoon in the "Hibs Monthly". There was a few of them published, and they were absolutely hilarious!.......(At least I thought so at the time.)

I think I've got near enough a full set of MH and a lot of the "Hibs Monthly" in a box in my garage. Think I'll have a wee read at them again some time soon.

[MB62]

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I'm sure it was a mate of Irvine Welsh's called Fox, he did most of the cartoons.

It was indeed. Fox is also a very good friend of GRUMPY GIBBY THE NORTH STAND HIBBY although he wasn't a Hibby himself, more a Raith Rovers (or maybe Dunfermline?) fan, but didn't really go to games, if memory serves, nice guy though.

MHHM was originally put on hold for a season when one of the ED's got himself married and the other one had some heavy working commitments.
Whilst MHHM was fantastic fun to do, it was very time consuming and also relied heavily on people donating articles, and on time for publication. However the real problem was getting people to stand before games and sell them, especially in the p155ing rain when we are at home to St. Mirren or somebody equally as attractive ?

Ultimately, the fanzine could never be as 'up to date' as or the bounce and by the time it was sent to the printer and returned and sold, a lot of the stuff was old hat.

I have a copy of every single edition of MHHM and every now and again I pick one up and have a wee read and a chuckle.

[stu in nottingham]

I wrote an odd article for the paper version and several more for the online MHHM. we started a blog for a little while but it wasn't kept up.

http://mass-hibsteria.blogspot.com/2...hibsteria.html

[Owain_1987]

That is strange I was doing the same a few days ago. The one I was reading was on the opening day of Mowbray first season and we had signed a new keeper called Simon Brown

[MB62]

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I wrote an odd article for the paper version and several more for the online MHHM. we started a blog for a little while but it wasn't kept up.

http://mass-hibsteria.blogspot.com/2...hibsteria.html

The online version was a complete seperate thing from the paper copy. The Editors of the time gave the guys permission to use our name, something I was totally against, but in saying that, there were a few bods who had connections to both. It was not a war or anything, exact opposite, just my personal opinion that I would rather the fanzine be kept in the basic paper format.

[Sergey]

Many moons ago, there was a specialist bookshop on Charing Cross Rd, Central London called SportsPages (alas, now defunct) that had a large section dedicated to club fanzines. Without exaggeration, there was literally hundreds of them from clubs from all over the country. I used to regularly pick up a large selection to thumb through and they made for a great read.

I recall that Watford had a really good fanzine, as did Millwall.

[The Keeper]

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Many moons ago, there was a specialist bookshop on Charing Cross Rd, Central London called SportsPages (alas, now defunct) that had a large section dedicated to club fanzines. Without exaggeration, there was literally hundreds of them from clubs from all over the country. I used to regularly pick up a large selection to thumb through and they made for a great read.

I recall that Watford had a really good fanzine, as did Millwall.

No advertising, but I was gutted when Sportspages left the building. But it is an online bookseller fanzine seller still http://www.sportspages.com/

[Sweep]

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I'm probably wrong, but I think it used to be "Hibs Monthly" before evolving into MH?

My favourite was "The Jambos" cartoon in the "Hibs Monthly". There was a few of them published, and they were absolutely hilarious!.......(At least I thought so at the time.)

I think I've got near enough a full set of MH and a lot of the "Hibs Monthly" in a box in my garage. Think I'll have a wee read at them again some time soon.

You are correct. Hibs Monthly was started by a couple of guys i went to school with. I have the first ever issue in my attic, it cost 10p and has steve archibald on the front cover after breaking the "hearts hoodoo". At the time it was only the hibbys at school who got it, but it obviously went on to bigger things from there. I think it merged with mass hibsteria but not sure.

[MB62]

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You are correct. Hibs Monthly was started by a couple of guys i went to school with. I have the first ever issue in my attic, it cost 10p and has steve archibald on the front cover after breaking the "hearts hoodoo". At the time it was only the hibbys at school who got it, but it obviously went on to bigger things from there. I think it merged with mass hibsteria but not sure.

My nephew and his best mate Colin.

You are correct in saying it was called Hibs Monthly, but it was not a merger, merely a change of name to try and 'jazz' it up a bit after some readers suggested the H.M. title was a bit boring.
Colin, quite rightly, didn't want to lose the Hibs Monthly name, hence the new title MASS HIBSTERIA incorporating Hibs Monthly, but probably equally as popularly known simply as MHHM.

[tbfhibs]

Just found some Hibs monthly's, mass Hibsteria's Glasgow gossip's and the 1st issue of Down the slope.

[brog]

However the real problem was getting people to stand before games and sell them, especially in the p155ing rain when we are at home to St. Mirren or somebody equally as attractive ?

Couldn't agree more, we used to produce London Hibs fanzine, Hibees Here, Hibees There & it was a real drag bringing about 500 fanzines north & giving up your big day out at ER to stand there selling fanzines instead of having a pint.
By coincidence I was also having a clear out at work & found a few MHHM mags alongside several early HHHT fanzines. Suddenly realised a few hours had passed while I was living happily in the past!
Grumpy Gibby was God!

[bighairyfaeleith]

Someone should start a mass hibsteria website, basically an online version of the mag, times have changed so I don't think a paper version would sell so much now but sure folks would read an online one. Not sure how it would meet it's costs mind

[Jonnyboy]

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John, could you not bring back any of the features as a one-off? I used to pish myself laughing!!!

It's something to consider for sure!

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The best article ever was in Mass Hibsteria. It was a mock report on a 7-0 drubbing we took at Ibrox. The article was so hilarious, it almost made the result worth it.
(It didny really, but you know what I mean)

If anyone has access to that "report" could they post it on the m/b - I'd love to read it again, as would many others I'm sure.

I think I recall that one snooky - let me see if I can dig it out and publish it here

[IWasThere2016]

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Was sorting through boxes of old ‘junk’ (mainly Hibs related memorabilia...one man’s junk is another man’s treasure and all that!) ...

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Spooky !! my wife made me clear out an old box of 'junk' at the weekend .

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That is strange I was doing the same a few days ago.

Ah, the perils of the close season! And having tae dae things the wife tells ye!!!