PyroTechnics
Fanzine, "The Now and Then Newsletter of General Technics." PyroTechnics was first published in 1976 by Jeff Duntemann, then employed by Xerox as a copier repairman. Since "test copies" needed to be printed after servicing a machine, the thrifty Duntemann employed his fanzine masters as test sheets.
The typical Pyro was thin, 6 to 12 pages, and laid out in double columns on 8.5x11-inch paper. Copy was produced on a daisywheel printer, "five inches wide and justified," with reduction after pasteup. Headlines appeared in Microgramma Bold Extended (a font similar to Eurostile), as did the General Technics logo.
With occasional guest-edited issues, Duntemann continued publishing through issue 29. Lee Hart briefly took over in 1983, then handed Pyro off to Jamie and Gail Hanrahan. They switched to mimeo, made issues much thicker, and distributed the clubzine beyond GT to a wide circle of faneds, for The Usual.
In 1986, a consortium of Chicago GT members published #39, which returned to photocopying and slender pagecount, continuing until issue 57 in November 1997, the last to date. Bill Higgins and Barry Gehm led the team as Mismanaging Editors. Issue 50 (which actually appeared after #51) in September 1993 contained a grand 38-page roundup of Tall Techie Tales.
Most issues have been scanned and archived by John Ridley.
Issue | Date | Pages | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 1976 | ||
12 | April 1978 | 9 | Jeff & Carol Duntemann, eds. Filksong issue. |
30 | 1983 | ||
36 | June 1985 | 42 | |
37 | March 1986 | 60 | |
38 | August 1986 | 52 | |
39 | 1986 | ||
40 | 1988 | 20 | |
44-45 | 20 | ||
51 | |||
50 | September 1993 | 38 | Appeared after issue #51 |
57 | November 1997 |
Publication | ???? |
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