The Last Word
The Last Word is a strongly worded left-leaning populist zine that began in Highland Heights, Kentucky, in 1993 and is still published in Bellevue, Kentucky. To date, over 400 issues have been published.
The Last Word began as a print zine but evolved into an online zine. This zine (and author) aroused so much controversy in the late 1990s that text-only copies of it were repeatedly deleted from Usenet, even if they were only posted on one newsgroup (alt.zines).
The Last Word is one of few zines to issue endorsements in local, state, and national elections. In 2000 it endorsed Ralph Nader for President of the United States. It usually endorses third party populists but has frequently favored Democrats in the absence of a more suitable candidate. The Last Word has also taken strong stances against racism and school uniforms and has strongly supported labor causes.
The Last Word also features humor articles (many of which discuss the editor's former high school, which he has an extremely low opinion of) and often uses its own vocabulary. This zine also makes up humorous nicknames for politicians it dislikes.
The editor claims that fake copies of the zine were distributed in the mid-1990s, with material that he did not write.
Although The Last Word stopped publishing in 1996, it quickly resumed publication due to popular demand. According to the editor, he got the idea for the name The Last Word when he won an argument and was told, "You always have to have the last word on everything."
Catchphrases
The Last Word is known for its catchphrases, neologisms, and made-up phrases. Some examples include:
Allowed Cloud - A prohibition against a certain action or condition.
bunker blast - The act of passing gas.
voopvoopavoop wrong! - A phrase used to correct an incorrect statement. Derives from the tuba sound effect used on the American version of The Price Is Right when a contestant loses a game.
