What is Profane Existence?

The Profane Existence Collective was formed in 1989 by a small group of young people with the common goal of contributing to build a stronger and more politically active punk rock movement. As a collective, we are a small group of individuals that have joined together our ideas and abilities to work on numerous projects as part of a single entity, in an overall struggle against tyranny and oppression. Everyone likes to pigeonhole and this is how we prefer to look at ourselves: Our politics are anti-state and anti-oppression (anarchist if you prefer) and our community is from within the DIY ("Do It Yourself") punk rock movement
Profane Existence Magazine

The most visible aspect of our work is the magazine "Profane Existence" which we have published over 40 issues since the collective first came together. The goal of our magazine is to spread communication of ideas and information, as well as help build a tighter, more politically active movement on an international level. The magazine is distributed worldwide through punk and underground channels, with a circulation of over 20,000 copies per issue, and is enjoyed not only by punks, but other people who are looking for alternative sources of news and information.
Other Collective Projects

While the magazine is our main networking and resource tool, we have undertaken a variety of other projects to help further supplement and strengthen the anarcho-punk community and reach out to and support other groups with similar ideas. Profane Existence Records aims to release the most cutting edge of anarcho-punk music and has successfully released over 50 titles for bands around the world. Our latest adventure is Loin Cloth Press which is a publishing and printing operation for literature and small informational pamphlets. And finally there is Profane Existence Distribution, which serves to spread materials produced within our movement, through an international distribution network outside the normal corporate channels. Our distribution is mainly in the form of a mailorder service (with a printed catalog and an “E-commerce” enabled web site), but we do some wholesale distribution as well

International Cooperation

In our efforts to help build the international DIY anarchist-punk movement, we have joined forces with many other like-minded people around the world. For example, we have teamed up with record labels from around the world to co-release DIY punk music, thus effectively joining efforts on several continents. We are also very interested in trading our music and print releases with other labels and publishers, to help spread and cross-pollinate the movement on an international level. We also continually highlight bands and struggles from around the world in both compilation music projects, as well as within the pages of our magazine.

Community Involvement

As a collective, Profane Existence is also involved in the community on a grass roots level. We have participated in organizing benefit events and projects for such groups the Mohawk Warriors of Oka, New York City and European squatters, Anti-Racist Action, TCAF (Twin Cities Anarchist Federation), and the Emma Center. In 1992, we co-published the first Book Your Own Fucking Life DIY networking resource magazine with Maximum Rocknroll. In 1994 we helped open Extreme Noise Records which is an all-volunteer run punk record store in Minneapolis. More recently, members of Profane Existence have help to start the Insurrecreation Center In Minneapolis; a community space for anarchist information and events such as weekly vegan meals, punk rock and hip-hop shows, political forums, benefit parties, and more. This space has since closed, but we continue to be active in promoting local activist events and locations. The collective has also been periodically involved with setting up educational forums, protest demonstrations, benefit events, and other informational events.

Prisoner Support and Solidarity

Another ongoing project of Profane Existence is our continued support of those imprisoned by the state. We regularly publish news and information on prisoner and prison-related struggles in each issue of Profane Existence. As well, generous contributions from our readers have allowed us to be able to send several hundred free copies of each issue directly to prisoners who cannot afford to pay for subscriptions. As well, Profane Existence regularly contributes copies of our magazine organizations like to the Books for Prisoners. The free-to-prisoners policy has been in-effect since the magazine began and has been one of the most successful ongoing benefit projects we have undertaken.

What We Are Not!

Profane Existence is not a membership organization that you can join up, but part of a larger movement of DIY punk culture and antiauthoritarian (we like to say anarchist) resistance. Don't follow leaders or look for a club to join. Get involved in your own way; be aware, make your own actions, and take a stand against the oppression that keeps you down. We have no wish to lead a movement, but be just a small part of a large and diverse antiauthoritarian community. Most importantly, keep your sense of humor, because without it, there's no hope for a better future. Don't let the bastards grind you down!

Fall 2003: A Brief History...

Profane Existence was formed in the spring of 1989 by a group of politically active punks in south Minneapolis. Having already worked on various local projects, the collective's goal was to make projects that would have an international reach towards bringing political punks together from around the world. The projects of the collective were originally to publish Profane Existence Magazine, an international political-punk journal, and to run a record label featuring politically active bands from around the globe.

Over the years the collective's activities grew and took shape in many forms. These activities included running both mailorder and wholesale distribution services, a screen printing workshop producing T-shirts and patches for bands as well as containing political slogans, and a printing press that produced hundreds of a pamphlets on subjects ranging from animal liberation to anarchist history to DIY healthcare. Profane Existence was also active in local projects, including organizing and participating in protests, organized dozens of hardcore and punks shows, helped open the Emma Center (an anarchist-activist community center - now defunct), and were instrumental in starting Extreme Noise Record, Minneapolis' legendary all-volunteer, collectively run punk store.

Down the Road to Ruin!

By late 1998, the collective had published 37 issues of Profane Existence Magazine (with a peak circulation of 12,000 copies) and released more than 50 music and video titles. At this time, two longtime collective members and PE Magazine editors had decided it was time to move on to other things. The collective was also in dire financial straits, caused mainly be slow or nonexistent payments from distributors. Facing such an uphill battle, the remaining collective members voted to disbanded and went their separate ways (although they are still good friends to this day). In December of 1998, the "final issue" of Profane Existence was published and an era of anarcho-punk unity seemed at an end.

In the aftermath, two former PE Collective members, Joe and Dan (one of the original editors of PE Magazine) went on to start Blackened Distribution. The goal of Blackened was to keep many of the old PE Records in print as well as pay off all of the old debts of the former Profane Existence Collective. In spring of 1999, Dan auctioned off his record collection, which funded "Aftermath, " Profane Existence benefit compilation CD and double LP, as well as repressed many out-of-print PE Records releases.

The Long Resurrection

Blackened distribution carried on the spirit of Profane Existence Magazines, with news articles and commentary regularly showing up in the mailorder catalogs. However, this did not seem like enough, so in the summer of 2000, former editor Dan decided it was time to bring back the magazine and PE #38 was published. 10,000 copies were printed and it was distributed free of charge around the world. The return issue was so successful that 20,000 copies of the follow up issue were published in spring of 2001. The huge response to these two issues proved that there was still a demand for Profane Existence Magazine.

However, bringing back the magazine was a rocky road and full of obstacles. For the second half of 2001 and three months of 2002, Dan and Joe took a break from Blackened to deal with personal issues. When Blackened reopened in April of 2002, it was also announced that PE Magazine would again be published on a regular basis. After more setbacks for the relaunch, PE #40 finally appeared in October of 2002 (with it's notorious "Fuck 'Em All!" cover). Shortly after, Maygun joined as a second editor and the magazine has followed a quarterly schedule ever since.

The Present Situation

Aside from the magazine, Profane Existence Records has also been relaunched. The first new releases have been a split LP with PHOBIA and RESIST AND EXIST in December 2002 and an LP from Minneapolis anarcho-punks PROVOKED in April of 2003. Ambitious plans have also been laid down for many more new releases and numerous discographies and reissues from the PE archives. Blackened Distribution was also recently absorbed into the Profane Existence Collective and is now also a part of the collective's activities. On June 1st of 2003, Profane Existence relocated into a large new space and plan to expand activities as far as time, money, and imagination will allow.

The Future Depends on You!

Profane Existence will continue on with it’s efforts in the same spirit in which the collective originally formed. As a DIY entity, Profane Existence takes a strongly anti-hierarchical and anticapitalist stance. However, the biggest obstacle facing the current incarnation of the collective is how to get things rolling again with virtually no money. We have been encouraging individuals to buy subscriptions to the magazine, labels, bands and distros to take out ads, and of course for the general support of our music releases. We have also begun to organize fund-raising events and concerts to help pay for PE’s continuing projects and help achieve our goal of self-sufficiency with the things that we do. Your continued support is, as always, very much appreciated.