Around 25 years ago, an idea was born: a bright spark of creativity among eight people at Ithaca College. No, I am not talking about a smokeout right before Y2K, that’s another 25th anniversary discussion. An independent magazine was founded all the way back in 1999, one that would soon defy boundaries of creative writing with introspective commentary, biting satire and vital commentary on the evolving society that is the world around us. But at the point of origin, it all started with a couple friends that just had a little dream together. What if there were all kinds of different viewpoints we’ve never heard before now seeing the light of day? What if caution was thrown to the wind and ideas of different people and different backgrounds could be shared on the published page? What if there was a platform that gave young individuals currently trying to figure out their identity a chance to say something? What if, in all of this, there was also tribute paid to a Mojo Nixon song? And with that, Buzzsaw Magazine was born… but at this point, it was still known as Buzzsaw Haircut.
I spoke with Abigail Bertumen, one of eight founders of Buzzsaw Magazine, about the origins of Buzzsaw, to which she mentioned that if you asked the other co-founders, maybe Buzzsaw shouldn’t have taken off the way through all these years.
“But I knew Buzzsaw was something special as we were doing it,” Bertumen said.
From then on, we saw an evolving magazine solidified in talking about current events and culture, all from the perspective of Ithaca College students who wanted to get involved. Awards would be earned, editors would change, remodeling would be done, and by 2007 we would finally have the name Buzzsaw Magazine. Some mop-ups would be done along the way, with a sleek page that would compensate for what was the edgy feel of the words. There would be issues over the years ranging from serious issues of militarization, to generalized conversations about sex or borders, the quirkiness and politics of pumpkin spice, the complexity of growing up in the baby teeth issue, or the reflection of current filmmaking in the recent Barbie issue.
When getting my hands on some of the older issues of Buzzsaw, such as the May 2008 issue that took on the controversial Beijing Summer Olympics, the November 2013 issue that fantasized about Edward Snowden, or even the throwback issue of January 2015, they all took me by surprise. First off, it’s good to note that the paper quality has definitely changed with each press that the magazine has gone to, and the changes have been for the better. Whether it’s the clever on-the-nose cover that would anticipate the page turn to come, the Editor’s Comment that would give the reader a vibe check, or the different pieces that range from serious conversations to comedic takes on a bit that nobody could have thought of in another publication, there’s so much personality here. Like I didn’t think I would ever come across a BuzzseXxX piece in my life…. but I did.
Ok sure, we’ve gotten a little more fun over the years, but trust me, there was always a throughline in each issue released. It was always a product of soul, a tribute to individualism, as each piece would attract a different person. But all would read Buzzsaw for the same reason: perspective. You can go to the News & Views section to read a well-researched story about current events that would elaborate on different societal concerns. Or maybe you want a laugh, so you find the recent shits and giggles in the Sawdust section ranging from a child sucking at using a glue stick to a family using a boat made out of flex tape. There’s the opinions and hot takes that would allow for op-ed styled commentary on the current world in Upfront. The stories that come from a place of heart in Prose & Cons. The criticism and love for entertainment coming out at the moment in Ministry of Cool. There’s something for everyone here, that’s the beautiful part of this student-run publication.
But why does any of this matter? It’s just ideas and opinions after all, and there’s plenty more in the world. Other Ithaca College publications that were student-run such as Filmic Magazine couldn’t even survive the pandemic. So what gives Buzzsaw Magazine the perseverance to withstand time and therefore be a reflection of it? Well, that complicated question would bring me back to the beginning, 1999. I decided to ask another one of the founders of Buzzsaw Magazine, Cole Louison, for more answers pertaining to the foundations of this publication.
“Keep in mind that this whole thing started with seven people in a dorm room–and one grad who was home on Staten Island–paying for everything ourselves,” Louison said, who was indeed one of those eight revolutionaries. Louison told me about the beginnings of the self-published magazine, and how it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows at the start.
By the time the first issue was released, it did not see the same acclaim and publicity that something like The Ithacan would get. It was actually thrown out. Louison admitted that 30 percent of that first issue would be forever lost after that. The self-published dream that these students had was already being doubted, and one would wonder where to go from here. But somebody noticed this work: two people, actually. Ithaca College professors Patty Zimmerman and Chris Harper, whom Louison and peers already looked up to, voiced their support for the newfound magazine. They believed in it. Louison would even write a piece for The Ithacan about Patty Zimmerman’s contribution to Buzzsaw Magazine after Zimmerman passed away last year.
In the piece called “What Patty Zimmerman did for ‘Buzzsaw’ magazine,” Louison talks about just how much the Ithaca College professor at the time did for the magazine. Zimmerman brought the rough print issue to class to showcase its creative efforts. She saw something in the magazine that Louison may not have even seen at the time. Zimmerman would help fund the magazine, contribute pieces to the issues, and even keep in contact with the founders after they graduated. She believed in these kids, not just what they had to say, but in their potential to do more. She never did stop believing.
Louison now sees what Zimmerman saw all that time ago too. After the first issue, students of all kinds would start to send in letters and submissions to the Buzzsaw office, and from there, the momentum for Buzzsaw never stopped. Louison told me about alums from the magazine such as Alex Coburn who published a piece in Dirt Magazine, co-founder Sarah Wright who is now Executive Director of WebMD, Mick Rouse and his position as Global Research Director at GQ, and so many more successful people that were once students here. Around 20 to 30 students of Ithaca College show up to the pitch meetings now, excited to write all kinds of work on new issues that deal with this crazy ass, ever-changing world.
When I talked more about the legacy of Buzzsaw Magazine with co-founder Bertumen, she explained that she’s very happy to see students open to more than one form of media, to be able to defy conventions in ideas, sources, or even major and come together as a student body. Bertumen feels that “Buzzsawyers,” as she so generously calls us, were always meant to work as a collective. To have a safe haven of creative journalism for students of Ithaca College to meet and bond, to pitch ideas together and develop those bizarre, scary, awesome, amazing thoughts all the way through to the printed page. The beautiful journey of Buzzsaw Magazine is finding your mark in what is another creative outlet for expression. But it’s not just another creative outlet, it’s Buzzsaw fucking Magazine. Ok, I may have added a word to that anecdote.
I think what I’m trying to say about Buzzsaw Magazine after all this time is, there’s beauty even in what was once unnoticed. We need to believe in that. Students here may not have always been heard in their lives. Different backgrounds, different resources, different views. It’s hard to feel as if you fit. Sometimes you might not even know what to say, because you just have so much you could’ve, but never found the chance to. But this magazine has given us students a platform to speak, to finally be heard. Because God knows there have been times where people will discard what you say because of the way you define yourself, the way you look, the way you are.
But love yourself, because your fellow “Buzzsawyers” love you too. Speak your mind here. Let out whatever is in your crazy (and extremely creative) heart. The founders of the magazine would want that, along with the plethora of editors and writers that would come along as well. And I’d like to think Zimmerman always wanted that for students too. So as we look back on the 25 years of Buzzsaw Magazine, I’d like to leave off with a note from co-founder Louison himself.
“To whoever threw out Buzzsaw #1, please know this: Doing that united and us empowered us like nothing else could have. Thank you.”
Noah Darling is a first-year cinema and photography student who dreams of working at a hair salon to give people Buzzsaw Haircuts. He can be reached at [email protected].