MESS is a new magazine from New York City that covers the messenger scene. The zine is written by veteran bike couriers with over 30 years experience riding in the streets of New York, DC, Houston, Minneapolis, and of course Portland.
In clicking around their website I noticed a familiar name on the byline of several articles, BillDozer. I don’t know this guy personally, but I know he used to be very active in the Portland messenger scene. He also happens to be a talented writer. I especially like this opinion piece he wrote titled, In Praise of Riding Like a Jerk.
In this essay he addresses the “irreconcilable” divide between two types of city riders; commuters and messengers:
“There is a division among city cyclists that cuts me to the heart, and I feel the difference is nearly irreconcilable. I’m talking, of course, about commuters versus messengers. This difference is most analogous to the political differences between liberals and radicals.”
It’s an interesting read.
I also noticed a just-published “Portland Scene Report” by Scott Owens. It’s an entertaining primer and introduces the newbie to many of the cool and colorful characters that make the Portland messenger scene, “the best anywhere”.
I hope these guys keep publishing great content and hopefully MESS magazine sticks around for a long time.