K.D. Schmitz
I can’t remember what my first actual trades were. I had been recording my own music at home for quite awhile, but been keeping it to myself, completely unaware that any kind of home recording network existed. Sometime in 1988, I stumbled across Ivan Stang’s book High Weirdness by Mail and from there to the world of zine trading and in particular FactSheet Five. From there I discovered GAJOOB. I was delighted to enter a world of people doing their own art. I created my first zine (a comic called Karkus Ratus) and began enthusiastic zine trading. I was a bit hesitant to actually attempt tape trading, but eagerly shelled out cash for various tapes. I think the first tape I received in the mail may have been something by Triptic of a Pastel Fern. Honestly, I haven’t listened to it in a very long time, but I remember playing it over and over. My main memory of the various tapes I received in that time frame was how unlike anything else they sounded. It gave me great hope for the future.