The Sheila on 7 craze is quite a phenomenal one here in Malaysia. So crazy that it has inspired a young man from Penang to start his very own fanzine called TU7UH. It features stories and diary entries by local fans of the popular Indonesian band. The creator of TU7UH, Aiie, emailed me not too long ago after listening to an appearance I made on KC Ismail's Carta Baik Banget radio show in March. Like an excited child, he told me about TU7UH and generously offered to send me copies of his work. After receiving and flipping through them, I was amazed at the intensity of the fanzine content.

Aiie tells me that he has personally given copies of his zines to the SO7 boys and now it seems TU7UH is circulating amongst the SO7 management staff in Yogyakarta. "Papa Ton (SO7 Personal Manager) wants to write for TU7UH as well,", Aiie says, pleased as punch that his efforts are being recognized by the very people who personally manage his favorite band.

Some of you probably already know about TU7UH and Aiie, but for those who don't, I set out on a "Tu7uh Temuduga" mission with the man behind the zines:

1. When did you first start the zines.
I released TU7UH in October 2001 but the conceptualization came two months prior. It was during those two months that I spent writing and collecting articles for the first edition.

2. How did the idea of TU7UH come about?
It came to me after the very first big SO7 concert in Shah Alam in July (2001). After the concert I encountered a lot of one-sided, biased SO7 articles in our local publications. Not satisfied with what I was reading, I decided to write my own stories on Sheila on 7 and express them in my own words. I also collected articles by other local Sheilagank (Sheila on 7 fans) who wanted to freely express their love for and fascination with the band. I believe in DIY (do-it-yourself) ethics, speech and profit freedoms. These are the qualities that stand strongly behind the birth of TU7UH.

TU7UH fanzines created by Aiie.

3. Why Sheila on 7?
Because I think they rock! Initially I wasn't an avid listener of Indonesian music. I seldom listened and paid attention to the music scene until SO7 invaded Malaysia in 2000. SO7 changed my views toward Indonesian music. Safe to say, they're the first band I have ever fallen in love with.

4. What else is in TU7UH?
Beside stories, articles, music reviews on SO7 or Indonesian music, I also try to put other types of articles on things like general music reviews, shopping tips, fashion and culture.

5. Why not a fan website, why paper zines?
Even though going digital is more convenient, I find more satisfaction holding and reading the zines in my hands; paper gives me a more down-to-earth feeling. People can keep the zines as long as they want or can also present them as gifts to friends. I've made a huge circle of friends through TU7UH and it's cool! I do plan to put my zines online as archives but not right now.

Aiie always manages to pow the SO7 concert song list from each concert that they've ever had in Malaysia, thanks to SO7's personal manager. In this zine, he jots down eventful comments next to each song.

6. Who writes for your zines, and if one is interested how would one contact you to order copies.
I am the writer and editor for my zines. I also get a lot of article contributions from my friends. They're all amateurs like me but they do provide me with passionate articles. If anyone's interested, you can order TU7UH straight from me. The prices vary from issue to issue because it depends on how thick the zine is! The price of each TU7UH reflects the photostating cost, you see. The thicker the zine, the more it will cost.

7. Your favorite TU7UH (which edition and why), and your thots on the future of your zines.
All of my zines are my babies. I like them all, each and every edition of my zine has its own story and experiences. I'm always hoping that I'll never lose passion of producing them. I don't believe there will ever be anything like TU7UH again if I stop.

Thanks Aiie, you've been terrific! Keep up the excellent work.
You're welcome Fairy! For my next issue of TU7UH I have to get an article from you ok!

Err, yes, insyaallah. :P

For those interested in purchasing TU7UH, please contact Aiie at khusairi@ntfizik.usm.my. (Don't worry, he won't take an arm and a leg for it...!)