Sydney writer Bob Blunt first established Blunt Fanzine in 1986. The prime reason was to provide a fiercely independent outlet for like-minded individuals, be it bands, poets, artists and writers.

He took inspiration from other fanzines at the time, namely B-Side, Lemon, Distant Violins and Party Fears. The format was simple - typed on a shitty Olivetti, cut and paste, stapled on the side, and printed wherever he could find a cheap deal. There was no digital world like there is today.

From 1986-1993 he also released two compilation cassettes and one record.

In the mid 1990s Blunt graduated with a BA Honours in Applied Communications. His thesis discussed the changing nature and appropriation of the term 'independent'. Blunt believed that terms like 'alternative' and 'indie' were simply monikers used at will by marketing companies to describe a sound or genre.

As his enthusiasm for academia and writing heightened, he put together a book that was later published by Prowling Tiger Press in 2001 titled 'Blunt: A Biased History of Australian Rock'.

To this day it is a revered document/music source that is found all over the country in public libraries, independent retail outlets and even cited in academic journals.

In 2003 Blunt decided to leave Australia and pursue work abroad in South Korea as an ESL teacher. He spent the next 12 years living and working in Asia.

This experience galvanised enough fodder for him to independently publish 'The Year My Hair Fell Out' in 2014. This story reveals one's exposure to a foreign culture in their first year working and living abroad. It's based on a fictional character Don Laridis and highlights not only the curious dynamics of private education abroad but also the diverse people that the central character meets on the way.

Blunt relocated back to his hometown, Sydney, in the spring of 2015 and straightaway threw energy into to the so-called ‘much maligned independent music community’. This culminated in monthly shows between 2016-2019 at the Gasoline Pony in Marrickville, and larger shows at the Marrickville Bowling Club.

In 2018 he switched to helping local venue, MoshPit Bar, with the enjoyable and sometimes thankless task of booking bands. Being a DIY venue it took up a lot of time, which meant he was time poor as far as his own writing projects. Being able to digitise became a priority a couple of years back. Hence this website has evolved, thanks to the work and help of Vince Cabrera.

This is what we are missing! Any help much appreciated - you can hit us up on Blunt Presents Facebook page,