Archiving ‘Better Than Life’

[Podey]

EDIT: Oh nevermind, I’ve just seen they’re already online! 

I’ll share the link here in case anyone hasn’t seen them just so this thread wasn’t a complete waste of time: https://stasis-leak.org/fanclub-magazine-articles-2/

I’m considering scanning some of my copies of BTL (the fanclub magazine) but just wanted to check anyone would actually be interested in reading them, if I did so? They’re mostly VII-VIII era with one or two back issues, I believe. 

Topic

[Dave]

Definitely! I never had any of those.

[Podey]

Actually, I’ve just noticed those links don’t have the full issues so maybe it is worth scanning them? 🤔 I’ll have to check they’re not anywhere else. 

[Warbodog]

My favourite thing about the Smegazine is how it’s a time capsule of specific periods in the show, so this would be fascinating. It’s also fun to laugh at the Smegazine being really crap sometimes, which I assume there would be lots of too. I just wonder if some contributors would prefer that their youthful follies/attitudes stay buried, like Stewart Lee refusing to release TMWRNJ, or the Epstein files.

[Ian Symes]

Wait, Stewart Lee is in charge of releasing the Epstein Files?

There are a handful of old BTLs in the Members Area of the Fan Club site too, but fuck knows what’s happening with that now that they’re no longer doing memberships. 

This thread might just give me the kick up the arse needed to finish my Better Than Life equivalent of this, which I started about three years ago.

[Podey]

Just rooting around an old box to see what I have and I found my “Official Red Dwarf Fanclub” folder with some headed paper inside, a faint lower half of the old rouge one jutting down from the top of the page. 

[Ian Symes]

I note that Stasis Leak only has selected highlights from the mags, and I think that’s wise. As well as the kind of youthful follies that Warbodog mentioned, there’s a hell of a lot of personal data in there, dotted about on the letters pages, classified ads, pen pals, etc. Admittedly most of it is probably out of date now, but I’d definitely feel uncomfortable making full scans available openly online. 

[Podey]

You know, this all sounds very familiar, I think I might have asked about this and had the same thing pointed out about personal info etc before.

If I do it, I will omit any sensitive details of course (whilst leaving in the sexy ones). 

[Jonathan Capps]

It is imperative no content written by IanTheSmegmeister is redacted

[Rudolph]

I donated a load of old BTLs, think the first fifteen or so, to the fan club about ten years ago. Glad they were made available.

[Author]

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