Author Archives: Brendan Kinney

IdLe PrOdDiNg

By E.C. Nal

Okay, let’s go jaywalk. I wanna rob a bank. Let’s steal some old lady’s purse. No, better yet, let’s bomb Barre. We could always shoot down the governor, or just cruise around and shoot people on the highway. If we got bored at that we could always sell some pot. Wait, that’s not illegal enough. Gimme some crack — it’s goin’ on sale today. Continue reading

What’s Rob With You?

By Robert Tetlow

“Rob, grow up, act your age.” That is what most people say to me. They say I’m immature. I am.

It’s my personality. I have a carefree attitude, and think everyone should have one. “Rob, you’re never serious.” That’s bullshit. I do get serious, when it’s necessary. I feel this world needs a sense of humor. When you feel down, you turn on HBO or whatever and there’s comedy. It makes you laugh, and you forget about your problems, until it’s over, and a drama comes on, and reminds you of your problems, and you feel lousy again. The best way to feel good about yourself is to have fun and have a sense of humor: let it go. If you don’t, you’re fucked. A sense of humor is what I use to get by in life. Continue reading

Scenic Summer Sighting Of Small Town Beauty in Randolph, VT

Is this season’s skiing weather not getting you down the slopes? Maybe it has something to do with the massive outpouring of harmful emissions from automobiles and smokestacks much like the one pictured above. The Greenhouse Effect is a serious problem and calls for immediate action from every inhabitant of this planet. Change will not occur until we all realize that our disposable society can no longer continue without global repercussions.

Where The Hell is Tenent?

By Lance Terry

A true story follows. Picture this. The car seemed to silently glide into the parking lot as I attacked my cousin with a barrage of questions. “Who’s that?” I asked. “How am I supposed to know?” She murmured. “You mean you don’t know everyone in your school?” I pried. “What are you, on crack?” was the rebuttal. I began to sense that a great day awaited me.

You see, I was a visitor in a school where no one but my cousin knew me. Five thousand kids, grades 10-12, that’s big. Wouldn’t you say? William Tenent High School. To me this was not a visit to an educational institution. Oh, no, this was my venture to another world.

I hesitantly got out of the car and kinda scraped my way about, trying to keep up with my cousin. After a few minutes I began to realize that no one would know I was new because, nobody knew everybody anyway. I loosened up a tad. Continue reading

The Advocate: Fledgling Paper in Dire Straits

By D.M. Jublowski

The Advocate is in trouble. Confidence is lacking within the office walls of the infamous and purely volunteer oriented newspaper.  Sources report that financial and literary shortcomings are placing the future of its uninhibited self expression and creativity in jeopardy.

Other insiders have speculated that strong-arming by the mafia and Tipper Gore is frightening away current and prospective advertisers.

Determined Sex and Rock Editors have been working at a dizzying pace to the prevent the newspaper’s collapse, which would deal a crushing blow of unparalleled proportion to free thinking people everywhere. Continue reading

U2 Came To America Asking: What’s It All About?

They Left With Their Answer: Rattle And Hum.

By Brendan Kinney

“This is a song Charles Manson stole from the Beatles; we’re stealin’ it back.” Bono announces as U2 opens Rattle and Hum with “Helter Skelter,” setting a bold and dramatic tone for the rest of the film.

The movie’s highlights include collaborations with the Harlem Choir in a gospel rendition of “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” and with B.B. King on “When Love Comes To Town.” Nearly all of the concert footage is exciting and powerful. The most dramatic performance is the last ‘set,’ in which Bono makes a speech against the terrorism in Ireland and the Irish Revolution, finally crying out, “Fuck the revolution! It’s just another Sunday Bloody Sunday…” after which an emotional version of that song pounds out of the speakers. On to “Pride,” a tribute to Martin Luther King. Next “Bullet The Blue Sky,” during which Bono grabs a spotlight and plays around with it, shining the beam on The Edge during his guitar solo. Continue reading

Celebrating 30 Years of Free Speech & Open Minds

Photo Credit: Bob Eddy

Photo Credit: Bob Eddy

Sometimes you aren’t sure what you are doing, but you still feel compelled to do it.

That was the case when we launched The Advocate thirty years ago. And it’s the case again today as we foist The Advocate Online upon you!

Driven by Gen-X nostalgia and the arrival of middle age, we present all 10 issues of The Advocate, which was an alternative newspaper published in Randolph, Vermont, USA from 1988-1990. Continue reading

Commentary: Opening the Time Capsule (Issue 1, Part I)

What follows is commentary about Volume 1, Issue 1 by the founders and editors. of The Advocate. The full issue is visible at the bottom of this page or by clicking The Advocate, Volume 1, Issue 1.

Page 1

Scott Berkey – Okay, here goes. I am going to crack open Volume 1, Issue 1 and see what drops out.  I don’t know for sure how long it has been since I have read this issue, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it is ten years and it could be closer to twenty. Once we stopped publishing I bagged and boxed up back issues and never really had time to go back to them. I thought about trying to pull together tenth, twentieth, and then twenty-fifth anniversary specials, but obviously that never went any further than keeping at least one copy of issue back issue safe and get the scans made.

Brendan Kinney – Quick quiz: What were you doing in November 1988?

Jamie Hill – I don’t have memories of how The Advocate came to be. I do remember walking around and selling ads. And indeed I’m shocked at how many of them we managed to sell! Do you guys remember how we brokered the favorable printing deal with the Herald? I was working at their press at the time … was Ben, too? (“Ben” was Brendan’s nickname in high school. It’s complicated. – Ed.) If not, then probably that would have been me who brokered that connection. I remember Dickey (Drysdale, former editor of The Herald of Randolph. – Ed.) gave us an incredibly sweet deal. Continue reading