Editorial from the first issue of _Still Breathing_

[ed@das.llnl.gov (Edward Suranyi)]

T. R. Somerville just sent me some back issues of _Still Breathing_ --
that's the Kate fanzine she edits up in Canada.  In particular, I got
the first three issues.

At one time T. R. and her husband Dale edited a wonderful fanzine called
_Breakthrough_.  It was thick, with glossy paper and color photos.  I had
heard (mainly from IED) the story of how this fanzine ended production,
but I had never heard T. R. tell this story herself.  In the editorial
in the first issue of _Still Breathing_ (Nov. 87), she does.  The story is sad
yet funny.  I thought Love-Hounds who had never heard it might be
interested.

She writes:

     Welcome to the first, and hopefully not the last, issue of STILL
BREATHING, the continuing saga of friends who love to listen, talk and
breathe Kate bush.
     Once upon a time, in a small town in Manitoba, the now defunct 
BREAKTHROUGH was born.  In the same place it died, by my hand for many
many reasons.  Money was not the problem, the major problem of
BREAKTHROUGH's demise was Dale Somerville.  The magazine was supposed
to be about Kate Bush, however, Dale kept turning away articles and
stories because they conflicted with his beliefs, so he tried to make it
into a magazine about *his* beliefs, (as you saw with issues #10 & #11)
with Kate Bush on the side.  [Those last issues of _Breakthrough_ had
more pictures of dead pets than of Kate! -- Ed]  He then decided to
abolish Kate Bush altogether and just put out a religious magazine,
trying to make out that Kate Bush and her music was evil and she was
controlled by Satan.
     Forget that.  I ended BREAKTHROUGH right then and there and in no
way was I going to contend with stuff like that.  In fact, I also ended
the marriage right then and there.  Two years of physical, mental and
emotional abuse was too much for me to stand.  I wasn't going to put up
with any of that bullshit any more.  Dale and I are separated and will
be getting a divorce in March, 1988.
     I was very sad that B-T ended as I lost contact with a lot of people
and I wasn't allowed to look at the mail anyway, as Dale opened it all up
and threw away any that didn't have money in them, or simply sent them
back.
     So I left Dale and went to Winnipeg to live in a woman's shelter for
two weeks, then off to an apartment in which I was tormented by Dale
continuously.
     Now I'm back in British Columbia trying to start a new life.  My
horse had a baby colt and all is well at five months of age.  After one
minor car accident and one real bad car accident, I decided enough is
enough, I'm gonna start a new Kate Bush magazine if it kills me.  Just
because one has no money doesn't mean one can't put out a magazine. . . .

She goes on to describe the new fanzine, and how she's desperate for
submissions and subscriptions.

Ed
ed@das.llnl.gov