Distros, Zombies, & Zines! OH MY!!!

When I first started out running Avocado Tree Distro, Mae Undead of Gimme Brains!!! Distro was the first to message me wishing me luck & offering flyer & link trades. I had the chance to interview her tonight about running a distro and writing some amazing zines.

Raven: okey doke. So first off, tell us about yourself!
Mae Undead: well, i'm mae undead in my zines but for real, i'm lisa mae that loves zombies way too much. i also run gimme brains!!! distro and write several other zines
Raven: Lisa Mae is such a pretty name! How did you come up with Mae Undead as a pen name?
Mae Undead: thank you! that's a kinda funny story about the name. i showed my friend andrew a picture i took of myself from halloween (2004) and he was like, "that would look great on a shirt. underneath would say mae undead." and i totally just laughed and the name stuck with me ever since.
Raven: Haha. That`s awesome. So how long have you been running Gimme Brains!!! Distro?
Mae Undead: almost 2 years! next month is going to be the 2 year mark.
Raven: Congratulations! What got you into zines in the first place? & do you remember the first zine you ever read?
Mae Undead: i got into zines because of my friend joyous, who ran frenzy distro. i met her my sophmore year. she was my cousin's best friend's sister and it so happened she was also in my class! we hardly talked in that class though. she handed me a flier of her distro and i totally looked it up. it opened me to a new world! but the first zine i read wasn't from her. it was from this couple. i forgot their names. the zine was called, "i love her, dude" and it was about their relationship and how they toured with each others bands. it was cute. i can no longer find that copy though.
Raven: Awww. So I`ve read a couple of your zines, which I absolutely love! What is your inspiration for writing them?
Mae Undead: thanks for reading 'em. for "i know you're out there" that was totally just a gift for one of my friends(now partner!), i wanted to tell him a sort of life story and stories that i found are important in my life. i copied it in color for him and it was so nice! he loved it! i wasn't sure if i wanted to get it distributed since it was way personal. so i decide to forget about my worries and just send it out to a couple of distros and they picked it up! i was really surprised.

now for my other zine, i was participating for 24 hour zine thing. i remember reading "High on Burning Photographs / Laminated Hearts Club" and i was like, "this is way amazing." i decided to do it in a similiar way with my alter ego. i like to create gory stories in my head, stories that i would love to make into short films. the other side was just all me! no alter egos!
Raven: Everyone Has a Summer was an amazing zine. I could never write one so personal! How did you feel writing it?
Mae Undead: it felt like i was having sex with a zine! well, mentally. when i would write some of the pieces, it would just come so naturally. especially my dream. it felt good to get that out, i wanted to share just thoughts i had on the subject.
Raven: So what is in store for the future of the distro, your zines, and yourself?
Mae Undead: for the distro, i want to expand other sections like more crafty or random things. as long as i have stories to tell, i'm sure i will write zines. the future holds a lot, i'll just open to new experiences as they come!
Raven: any advice for people who are looking to open a distro?
Mae Undead: to be passionate about it! i find that if you lack passion for your project, it would be a pain to open one.
Raven: that`s really good advice. Thanks so much for your time, & good luck with all your projects!
Mae Undead: thank you, i hope the same for you!

definately check out her zines, Everyone Has A Summer, My Mystery Girl, and I Know You`re Out There!

♥Raven