Review by Randy SpaghettiNegative Capability #5
$5
Josh Saitz
pob 12
New York, NY 10021
www.negcap.com
If you have had the opportunity to read previous issues of Negative Capability, then you know exactly what you are in for and there will be no surprises with number 5. If you haven’t read this zine before…..well then, strap yourself in…. there will be turbulence. It’s hard to figure out where to stand while reading a zine like this, a zine whose whole purpose is to step over the edge of what is and is not offensive, but not far enough to be considered outright homophobic, or misogynistic. Neither of which the author, Josh, is. My guess is that he just really likes to get people to react to his writing and does so by being very confrontational. The topic titles say it all: ‘Fuck Rick Springfield’ ‘Are You Homophobic’ ‘How To Jew a Dime Out Of a Nickel’ etc. This is a magazine-sized, advertisement free, extremely detailed and honest look into Josh’s mind circa 2011. It’s sometimes funny, often offensive, and believe it or not, at times even teeters on the edge of being sweet.Negative Capability #5:
64 pages, 8.5 x 11
$5 in the US
Review by Jack CheikyA perzine that looks like a magazine; full size, slick cover, with professional quality graphics and layout. Like most perzines, some parts are more interesting than others. It's probably more interesting to people who know Josh, his fans, etc, than it was to me. Contents include movie reviews, letters and conversations with friends, ex-friends, family, and celebrities, mini rants, fiction, lists of people who are dead to him, and a look back at his shitty career. In general, his prose is pristine, measured and precise. He writes very well when speaking in his own voice, but the fiction is unremarkable: flat and stiff. Josh's strong suit, aside from his design and publishing skills, is his clarity and honesty. Any idiot can rant, but those who can rant well are rare. Josh presents himself as a contemptuous asshole, but what I see is someone who is intelligent, articulate, opinionated, outspoken, self absorbed, painfully honest, has a sick, irreverent sense of humor, and who does not suffer fools gracefully. Reminds me of someone. Not quite my cup of tea, but I can't help but admire the guy, and you get a ridiculous amount of zine for your buck.
Josh Saitz
PO Box 12
NYC NY 10021
www.negcap.com
josh@negcap.com
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