A New McLuhan Newsletter

What's old and new and in-between.

In July 1968 the first issue of ‘The McLuhan DEW-LINE: A startling, shocking Early Warning System for our era of instant change’ hit the mail from the New York City offices of the Human Development Corporation. Marshall McLuhan had been in the city teaching for a year at Fordham University where he connected with Eugene Schwartz, and they concocted this newsletter.

The idea was that ‘the book arrives too late.’ The newsletter was a way to get the latest McLuhan thoughts to interested subscribers faster than could be done by publishing a book. That list of interested subscribers is long and cuts across a wide swath of North American academia and industry — I know because I have the subscription rolls.

The DEW-LINE Newsletter started with a modest four-page two-column typed/printed mail-out and, presumably as revenue justified it, became more sophisticated. Later issues featured complex typograhy and -printing techniques with cutouts and multiple booklets and a few extras like the DEW-LINE Card Deck. The card deck is a collector’s item now and well-known in design and card collection circles. It’s thought of as inspiration to the also well-known Oblique Strategies of Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt. I’m guessing that it made financial sense to print more than they actually needed because I still have some of that original 1969 printing which I sell through the shop over at Eric McLuhan’s old website (someday, that will be ported over to The McLuhan Institute website, also in need of … well, a lot.)

The last DEW-LINE Newsletter was Volume 3, Number 2, September-October 1970: ‘The University and the City.’

The newsletter was a great idea. My father, Eric McLuhan, served as editor and go-between. He stayed in NYC when Marshall and the rest of the family moved home after ‘the Fordham year,’ and shuttled back and forth collecting newsletter content and delivering it. From what I understand, it ultimately failed for a few reasons:

The novelty wore off. I think the initial enthusiasm eventually was worn down by incomprehension, or an inability for the subscribers to make use of what was being delivered to them. As with much of McLuhan work, it makes more sense to us today than it did to them back then. I really don’t think people were ready, though they wanted to be; and I really think we’re ready, though we may not want to be.

Deadlines. From what I understand, Marshall was notoriously behind and couldn’t keep up with the publishing schedule. At that time, Marshall was in high demand, and perhaps as the newsletter was failing to keep the subscribers’ attention, it was also failing to keep his.

The cost, the sliding subscription, the deadlines, and probably some other factors spelled the demise of The McLuhan DEW-LINE.

However, it remains a fascinating artefact full of great McLuhan content, comment on technology and culture which remains relevant while difficult to find. Not a lot of the newsletters survive.

This is where I come in. A main reason for starting The McLuhan Institute back in 2017 was to make McLuhan accessible. Accessible in terms of availability and in terms of relatability. I work out of my father’s old office and archive and parse out things I come across which are, hopefully, of interest and use. I put them out, as one does, over Instagram and Twitter, and sometimes on Facebook and YouTube. I give lectures and speeches, chat on never-ending podcasts, guest lecture classes, teach my own workshops and classes. I even have a small Patreon page to attempt to support my efforts (as you can imagine, it’s a bit of a challenge to try and get something like this off the ground and make it sustainable).

Here is where this, and you, come in. One of the many things I have wanted to do with TMI (The McLuhan Institute) is to have a newsletter. A more organized and predictable method of getting out ‘the message.’ A way to deliver more of this less-known McLuhan work which is as useful today and quite needed.

I’m also big on things you can hold in your hand, take your time with, maybe make notes on, add to your shelf instead of your hard drive.

Substack is great as a way to bring material to the world quickly, easily, cheaply.

Actually printing and mailing out a newsletter is at least a pain in the butt, but, I want to give it a shot because I think there’s value in it. I’m hoping you agree.

So here’s what I’m going to do: first, I’m going to add an image because this has been a lot of words and I’m afraid I’ve lost you.

Mindful of deadlines and the fact that there are only so many hours in a day, plus the possibility (let’s not say probability, shall we?) that paid subscription will either never justify it or eventually not sustain it, I propose the following:

A year’s worth of monthly newsletters from myself and The McLuhan Institute.

I am going to cherry pick some of the best bits of 12 issues of the original McLuhan DEW-LINE and reproduce them for you to enjoy. I will also add other McLuhan or McLuhan-related content and throw it in. I’ll provide comments to put things in place or perspective or context where I see the need.

There will also hopefully be an exciting extra or two available along the way.

I am going to release (at no charge) each edition in four weekly parts over the month here on Substack. I’m told this is the way to go and that I can also expect people’s natural urge to support financially the things they enjoy by making that subscription paid, or joining the Patreon page for The McLuhan Institute (yes, it also needs updating).

But the fun part is that on the first of the month I’m going to mail out that month’s complete issue to (to be determined $) paid subscribers. So while the online newsletter is four weekly instalments and available free or by donation, the monthly mail-out is complete, sent out at the first of the month, and you get something real to hold and keep or make paper airplanes out of or whatever. (To be sure, I don’t actually know how I’ll do that but … I’ll figure it out.)

I know, probably crazy. But I’ll give it a go. If it works for me any others, I’ll keep it going. There’s no shortage of McLuhan work to share.

My goal is to publish Volume 1 Number 1 on October 1. When I have more details, I’ll announce them here but you can indicate your interest by subscribing to this Substack. That would be helpful.

I hope you’ll join me in brining a new McLuhan newsletter to life!

-Andrew McLuhan

andrew@themcluhaninstitute.com

p.s., if you have any experience with doing what I’m setting out to do here and want to save me much trouble by the benefit of your experience, please get in touch!