French Zines

A few zine projects that could use your help!

The Lesbian Herstory Archives is doing a Zine Workshop on Sunday, June 5

LW-West Freshman Successful in Publishing Arts 'Zine

Welcome to Nursing HELLo #1

Welcome to Nursing HELLo #1
40 pages, digest
$4 from Microcosm

Mini-comic ~ Joel is a male nurse married to another male nurse, living in CA. Everything about this screams cliche', right down to the juvenile drawing and barely audible sarcasm and cattiness. But it works. This is the perfect venue for Joel to tell this bunch of stories. Very engaging and enjoyable. I can't tell if he's really, really clever or just got lucky. Job hopping, Madonna, catheters, foleys, blood, cats, brain on a string, needles, drugs, more Madonna, and an effective cliffhanger.

www.welcometonursingHELLo.com
www.microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/zine/3335

the zine tree collective

Hello everyone.

Tommorow the Zines (and radical books) from lots of really amazing tablers
will available at the Festival of Anarchy! Also, we are organizing a Zine
reading session at 12 (noon) on Saturday so bring your friends and have a
listen, or even read for us. Right now there are about 15 vendors, mostly
from Alberta. Hope to see you there!

oh, and there will be plenty of hot coffee and tea for all to enjoy while
perusing the Zine Library. We have some new zines donated from the
Haymarket Cafe.

Tabling/Zine Library times:
*12 noon to 6 pm Saturday May 28th, 2011*
*12 noon to 4pm Sunday May 29th, 2011*

*Old Y Centre (223 12 ave SW) in Calgary Alberta.*

Zine Reviews: May ‘11 (London Zine Symposium edition)

Zine Reviews: May ‘11 (London Zine Symposium edition)

from Spill The Zines! by noreply@blogger.com (Cath)

I picked up A LOT of zines when I went to the London Zine Symposium last month:

As I went straight back to university the following week to finish off my degree, and rant about said degree on my blog, I had no time to pick my way through this big pile of wonderful zines! It was very frustrating. I mean, I didn’t even have time to sleep and shower most of the time, let alone read zines. But 3 weeks ago, I finished my degree and came home for good, to start the dreaded job search. And so, during a particularly bad bout of procrastination, I sifted through my entire pile of LZS paraphernalia and picked most of it over the course of one glorious afternoon. The following zine reviews are all zines that I picked up that weekend, and loved. By means of apologising for Spill the Zines’ lack of activity in the past few weeks, this is an extra-long zine review post. Let us know in the comments what your favourite zines were from LZS!

Cath x

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Virgin #2
Anonymous, England - virginzineATgmailDOTcom
The first issue of Virgin, published in summer 2009, was written by one anonymous girl about her own experiences of being a virgin. This issue, finally published last month, is “the submissions issue”, made up of other people’s stories instead of the author/editor’s own. The submissions cover topics of disability, fear of intimacy, virginity as a burden rather than a blessing, asexuality, lesbianism, sexual abuse, self-worth and virginity as an exclusive heterosexual concept. As well as these submissions, the author/editor writes about the overwhelmingly positive feedback she got about the first issue, and the way the issues of asexuality and choice were misinterpreted in her original issue. The zine is half-sized, with clean layouts. For a mere 75p, I highly recommend picking up a copy of this zine, as it’s a really thought-provoking read. Available to buy from Marching Stars distro.

I’m Drawing a Blank #1

Tukru, Kent - tukrulovesyouATgmailDOTcom
Massive love for this zine. Tukru’s drawings have featured briefly in her previous zines, but I’m Drawing a Blank is her first solo comic zine, filled with lots of hand drawings and Tukru’s beautiful handwriting. As well as some self-portraits and accompanying text explaining the picture (e.g. kick-ass Tukru holding a rifle, informing us that she is the same height as Rambo), there are also drawings of Emma Jane Falconer, Amber Forrester, Buffy, Eric Northman, Kurt Cobain, and her partner Carl. The writing has a very similar feel to the writing of Your Pretty Face…, very stream-of-consciousness. Get your hands on a copy, it’s Tukru so you know it’ll be really great. And only £1! Brilliant!

Angry Violist #2
Cambridge – angry.violistATyahooDOTcom

This is described as a zine for “alternative string players who are angry at being forced to play classical music”. Inside, we read about the author’s viola, the difference between a viola and a violin, being regarded as a failed violin player or being mistaken for a violinist, strange musical phenomena such as the “devil’s interval” and the “brown note” (google ‘em), and inspirational string players. Angry Violist is one of the more esoteric zines I’ve read – if you’re not really into music, particularly classical music, I think you’d find this zine kinda dull. Or you might enjoy reading something totally different and learn new things, it depends. Having studied music at A level, and being a bit of a music geek, I really enjoyed the zine. It’s written with good humour, and remains intelligent without slipping into territory that’s too academic or dense. So if you’re a music-y type, I highly recommend this zine. The main criticism I have for this zine is the fact that it is very difficult to read in certain places due to the poor photocopy quality and small font size. Some of the fonts themselves are quite difficult to read too (a quick note: sans-serif fonts photocopy the best, so I recommend them to zinesters over serif fonts!). Other than that, great!

No Comment: The Defendant’s Guide to Arrest
London – www.ldmg.org.uk
This is being included for its sheer usefulness. It’s a free zine on how to deal with getting arrested – what happens when you get arrested, contacting a solicitor, being interviewed, police tactics to force out a confession, and what to do if a friend or relative is arrested. Very useful; I’m glad I picked it up. I mean, I hope I don’t get arrested anytime soon, but you never know. Download your free copy here.

Fanzine Ynfytyn #8
Emma, Kent - emmajanefalconerATgmailDOTcom

I met Emma for the first time at LZS and bought a few zines from her, as I hadn’t read Fanzine Ynfytyn before. This was my favourite of the bunch – a quarter-sized, horizontal zine printed on purple paper, with pretty floral layouts. At only 20 pages long, it’s a quick read, most of which is taken up by an article about songs that remind Emma of certain times of her life. These include 36 Degrees by Placebo, which reminds her of being in a girls’ grammar school at 13, and Enjoy the Silence by Depeche Mode reminding her of her 22^nd birthday. There’s also a short article on why she likes aquariums, and hates seagulls. Very sweet.

Scratch that Itch #3
Kathleen, Leeds – iloveavocadoAThotmailDOTcom

I loved this zine – it’s subtitled “No poetry, angst, or trainhopping stories” so you know it’s proudly different from most perzines. After a brief update of her life in the opening pages, Kathleen jumps straight into the story of her hectic life as a newly-qualified paramedic. This includes the exhausting 13-hour shifts, and dealing with death in work. There ‘s also an AMAZING rewriting of Jesus’ crucifixion story, which involves a wise-cracking troll called Smartie and 2 Unlimited’s 1994 hit “No Limit”! Written by her nine-year-old self, it’s very sweet, and includes her original drawings of Jesus and Smartie being crucified! Although the young Kathleen meant no harm by this story, it’s not for the easily offended! I really love the way this zine looks too, with various mementos, maps and playing cards dotted throughout. Alongside her writing, Kathleen includes some great hand-drawn artwork, and a pull-out poster of undercover policeman Mark Kennedy. My fave page, however, was a hand-drawn and –written piece called “I fought the chore!”, all about getting through the shitty jobs of cleaning and cooking! I really loved this zine, and devoured it in minutes – it’s honest, down-to-earth, and light-hearted, with cool cut-and-paste layouts and great stories.

Out of the City and Into the Trees #1
Natalie, Edinburgh - out-of-the-city-and-into-the-treesATriseupDOTnet

This is why going to zine fests is such a great experience – I would’ve never heard of this zine otherwise. It’s a half-sized perzine, featuring journal entries about a young activist’s decision to move out of her parents’ house at 16 to live in a treehouse on a protest site. The entries track the author’s adventures with protesting and getting into trouble with the law, forming new friendships, and finally feeling like an animal instead of a machine. Also includes some lovely poetry written among the trees. The poetry pages are laid out in a really cool way, but the rest of the zine is plain black text on white paper. This was probably my favourite zine of the whole bunch – I found Natalie’s stories really inspiring and excitng. Plus it’s only £1, which is a fantastic price for the amount of goodness you get inside. Available from Scale Trees distro.

Other things I picked up that were enjoyable:

Gorilla Film Magazine – a free half-sized zine I picked up in Rough Trade, all about filmmaking. Very entertaining.

The Stool Pigeon – a free bi-monthly newspaper featuring lots of written pieces and cartoons.

The Secret Anarchist History of Newcastle – an entertaining and informative zine on anarchism in Newcastle.

Pistachio Magazine –a tongue-in-cheek “pastiche to what ‘lad-culture’ is all about”. Articles available online here.
Profiting from Occupation: UK and International Companies Complicit in Israeli War Crimes against Palestinians – distributed by Corporate Watch. Scary stuff.

Witch Kunt #7

Witch Kunt #7

from Blackguard

2 A3 pages folded into digest size, $?, by Gene Symptoms - witchkunt[at]gmail.com
[Big thanks to Monty Rubera for sending me a package of zines from his distro (info on that coming soon, I hope) - this is one of 'em.]
With a name like that, I would be surprised if the zine wasn't any good. (I wasn't surprised.)

A short story by Mike Connelly (the weakest thing in here), then the rest is noise music reviews, poetry and a long list of song titles that AC/DC missed out on (eg. Big Dog Balls, Goin' Off (A Cliff), She's Got A Big Ass, Guns With Balls, Whiskey Dick, and at least 50 more).
The poems in here are pretty good. A pleasant surprise! Here's my favourite:

BROKEN HEARTED ICP FAN

you need to drive around aimlessly

with cannibal corpse fuckin cranked

preferably 'tomb of the mutilated' or 'butchered at birth'.

smoke a lil grass.

smoke a lot of cigs.

park down by the river

and down some hard liquor.

cry a little during 'i cum blood'.

then go to that bitch's house and carve her ass up.

your heart is in 8 pieces.

make sure she leaves the house in 8 garbage bags.

The music reviews are damn good reading too. Descriptions like "pure haunted torture" and "...tethered to the faceless monolithic power drones" make me wanna make it my Number One priority to track these releases down immediately.

I'll have to get the back issues though if I wanna read more of Gene's reviews because in this issue he announces that he's finished with 'em, since he been spending too much time analyzing and not enough time enjoying.
On the minus side: Where the fuck is the real physical ordering address for this zine? Too many zines these days only have a goddam email address. You have a paper zine - get an address for paper mail.

Smart Tart

Photocopy Press – long term submission calls

E.T. Zine Distro

from Blackguard

Hey! Check out Monty Rubera's E.T. Zine Distro. Some good stuff available there, all in the one place, you lucky devils!
[Monty's the dude who makes the excellent noisemusic zine I'm One Of An Odd Family which I reviewed here and here.]

Preorder The Doris Encyclopedia!

Preorder The Doris Encyclopedia!

from doris zine blog by noreply@blogger.com (doris zine blog. for website go to dorisdorisdoris.com)

I only have 8 more pages to write for the Doris Encyclopedia, which is Doris 19-27 plus a bunch of new writing, interviews, and articles I wrote for MaximumRockandRpll and other zines! I'm taking pre-orders on a fundraising website called Kickstarter. click here to link
Spread the word!
thanks so much!!!
It's scheduled to be printed by the end of July!!!

www.kickstarter.com/projects/369768719/the-doris-encyclopedia

Romp #1

Romp #1

from Blackguard

40 pages, digest size, $5.00, by Aaron Lange, 1524 N. Palethorp St., Philadelphia PA 19122, USA + aaronlange13[at]hotmail.com + www.aaronlange.com
Just when you think you know porno comix, along comes a porno comic to blow your mind and make you realise you don't know fuckin' shit.
I was completely unaware of Aaron Lange until Dexter Cockburn very kindly sent me the first two issues of Aaron's Romp comix. Romp #1 contains some of the most unique and twisted comix I've ever seen. Examples: brother and sister incest as a political message; two career girl pals, one with a complexion problem which the other solves with her (raspberry vodka-flavoured) urine; Adolf Hitler's pussy art; Pop Rocks used as sex aid; and recurring character Hesh's frustration at waking prematurely: "I can't believe I woke up during the best dream ever! Sex on top of a unicorn! Not even video games offer such delights!"
There's so much more in here and it's all great. Smutty, provocative, intelligent, witty, and all drawn in an awesome, retro style. Greatness.

Anti-Civ Dictums

Anti-Civ Dictums

from Blackguard

28 pages, digest size, $1.00 or trade, from Sid Clark, PO Box 32, Morgantown WV 26507, USA + sidclark1953(at)gmail.com
This is a "fire-breathing, crazy-old-man, radical pamphlet," as Sid wrote in his note to me. Well, if that's the case then the world needs more fire-breathing, crazy old men because this was one of the more enjoyable zines I've had the pleasure of reading lately.
As the title suggests, this zine is targeted at cities and their malevolent effects, "City living is forced and unnatural. It exacts a heavy mental and physical toll." Formal education is also attacked: "Education is primarily a form of social control; the more educated you are, the more controlled your are."
Sid's thoughts/advice/rants also cover Friends and Family, Children, Adulthood, Science and Technology, Leftists, Strength & Healing, and a chapter titled 'Paths of Glory' explores alternatives to The System's monopoly on life paths. Some popular life-path alternatives are examined: Hippies, Punks, Jocks, Nerds, and Rednecks.
There's a section of Homilies, here's a handful of these - 'The more you love the system, the sicker you are'; 'To live fully you must be active, physical, down-and-dirty'; 'Only comic fanboys believe in violent rebellion'; 'All systems are sick. A misfit is the only way to be.'
Sid wraps it up with a 'Further Reading' list, split into Non-Fiction, First Person Narratives, Novels, Essays/Pamphlets, and Zines. It sure was a surprise to see Samuel Delany's Hogg included here (one of the most perverse novels ever written, even compared to such works as J.G. Ballard's Crash.) I'm going to make sure to track down the publications on this reading list.
Also mustn't forget to mention the terrific cover by Dr. Al Ackerman, The Blaster.
I can't recommend Anti-Civ Dictums highly enough to freethinking readers, those who value the 'eccentric crazies' dismissed by the sheeple of the world.

News Round-Up! from Spill The Zines!

News Round-Up!

from Spill The Zines! by noreply@blogger.com (Hannah)

Hello all!
It's my turn to do an update, and I'm not as organised as Cath so please bear with me... I'll get the ball rolling with a few pieces of news - enjoy :)
Hannah x


P.S. Please keep sending us your zine-related news to spillthezinesukATgmail.com so that we can spread the word of your creativity and fun events!


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1. Zine Releases
2. Upcoming Events
3. Zine Reviews
4. AOB (Any Other Business)


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1. Zine Releases
* Issue #4 of Angry Violist has been published, all about experimental and alternative string playing. This issue includes a Krautrock Krautmap and an interview with The Raincoats violinist Vicki Aspinall. Find out more at http://angryviolist.wordpress.com


2. Upcoming Events
* Nottingham Zine Fair: 28^th May
* Alternative Press Fair (London): 28^th - 29^th May
* Ladyfest Essex: 11^th June
* Zine Fest @ The Women’s Library (London): 25^th June
* Birmingham Zine Festival: 9^th July


3. Zine Reviews
* I updated my zine blog with reviews last week and early today; you can read the posts here and here.
* It's a couple of months ago now, but Fliss posted some zine reviews at her blog in March and I feel they deserve a mention. Please go here to read them.
* Sophie has written a new zine review post over at her blog, Oh My Clumsy Heart, here.


4. AOB
* Camden Zinefest now has its very own website! Will also have a confirmed date and location, so all that's needed now is volunteers. A couple of generous people have stepped forward already and offered their time on the day, but any others who are willing to step forward will be very, very much appreciated, especially if they're willing to help with planning things in advance. For more info, check out the website or get in touch with Will.


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(post originally written by Hannah, edited a teeny bit by Cath)

Operation Phoenix keeping massive PDF zine archive
Punknews.org
This may be old news, but still worth mentioning: Operation Phoenix Records has been maintaining a growing PDF archive of punk zines, including old issues of Flipside, Maximum RocknRoll, Jersey Beat, Suburban Voice and many others. ...

Culture Slut #24 / Motor City Kitty #16 / Fanzine Ynfytyn #10 / Sometimes I’m Dreaming #5

Culture Slut #24 / Motor City Kitty #16 / Fanzine Ynfytyn #10 / Sometimes I’m Dreaming #5

from Hannah Reads Zines by Hannah

Culture Slut #24 / Motor City Kitty #16
By Amber (Canada) amber.norreanATgmail.com (CS) / Bri (USA) motorcity_kittyATyahoo.com (MCK)

Another awesome split zine! I do love it when talented zinesters team up together, it’s like finding out your favourite chocolate bar is on a buy one get one free offer (as happened to me this week) Culture Slut #24 has a lovely hand-illustrated cover starring Amber herself and stylised into a Polaroid frame and this cute first impression continues into the visual layout of the rest of the zine. Illustrations, collages and photographs grace its pages, and the text (type- and computer- written, always clear) is in Amber’s considered, descriptive and inspiringly forthright style. She talks about her dislike at having her work re-published without her permission in Teal Triggs’ recent book (you can read this post for my thoughts on the matter) and how it triggered Amber to reflect on her zine-writing. As a result of this, amongst other reasons, Amber says that she has decided Culture Slut will most likely be an annual zine from here on. Whilst disappointed that there will not be as many regular releases of Culture Slut (since it is one of my favourite zines) I wholeheartedly respect Amber’s decision and the reasons behind it. She also writes about activities she has been undertaking to survive the winter, including learning to screenprint and having lots of orgasms! There is writing on feminism here too, specifically about the role of men within feminism; and at the back you’ll find some zine reviews which should come with a “Temptation Warning” as you'll no doubt be left wanting to place some orders!

Motor City Kitty #16 compliments Culture Slut #24 beautifully, and in it Bri has considered many of the same topics. These include feminism, in this case how infuriating it is to have to defend feminist views to those who like to proclaim feminist beliefs as (for example) “man-hating”, only for the other person to then claim they were just “enquiring” – hear, hear! Bri also shares reflection on zines and how she doesn’t expect to produce new issues as frequently as she has in the past, although of course still loves them. I appreciated both Bri and Amber’s critical thoughts on zines in this split issue, as, as Ani DiFranco once said: “we have to be able to criticise what we love, say what we have to say, cos if you’re not trying to make something better then as far as I can tell you are just in the way” (What If No-One’s Watching). My two favourite things in Motor City Kitty #16 however were the gorgeous cartoon on page 5 (such a cute drawing style!) and Bri’s story of performing in a Bikini Kill cover band – a very inspiring story, and as with the rest of this zine, cleverly laid out and visually satisfying.

Fanzine Ynfytyn #10
By Emma (UK) emmajanefalconerATgmail.com

Yes, I know I reviewed another issue of this zine in my last post, but Emma kindly sent me a large selection of them and they’re all good, so now it’s Fanzine Ynfytyn #10’s chance to shine. This is a travel issue, all about Emma’s trip to Ireland with a ten piece country band, Dolly and the Clothespegs (Emma accompanied them as photographer/cook). The zine reads like a diary, recalling the best times (successful gigs and beach frolics) and those where things were less than ideal (waiting at grim towns for travel connections and feeling irritable after not getting enough sleep). She also tells the reader about Ireland and Irish culture in general – nobody says “top o’ the morning yo ye” anymore and “everyone isn’t walking around being some kind of colourful red-haired alcoholic chancer” (shame). The layout of this issue of Fanzine Ynfytyn is more simple than that of some others, but it’s still visually pleasing and there are lots of photographs to accompany the text and provide names to faces (I always love this in zines as I am nosy!).

Sometimes I’m Dreaming #5
By Lisa (UK) sometimesimdreamingAThotmail.co.uk

Lisa’s first full-length zine since Sometimes I’m Dreaming #4 ½ / Not Lonely #5 ½ in February finds her living uncomfortably with her family, which she writes about with characteristic honesty and delicacy. She describes the sorrow of losing a favourite tree in the garden and feeling unwelcome in her own home with dignity and elegance, and only those with hearts of stone would be left unaffected by it. Lisa also discusses the Enneagram theory of personality types, both in terms of how the apply to her own character and in general – it certainly piqued my interest and I plan to read the books she recommended on the topic soon. Sometimes I’m Dreaming #5 also looks forward to the future, as Lisa articulates her plans for escape and her hopes and fears for getting a job. This zine is an introspective read, but not depressing – Lisa also shares her enthusiasm for her new camera and talks about hobbies she has been enjoying lately. I have always loved Lisa’s visual style and zine layouts and this issue is the most beautiful yet – combining collage, hand-drawn illustrations, pretty backgrounds and rubberstamps to showcase her whimsy and artistic eye. One of my favourite zines of 2011 thus far (and I promise you I’m not just saying that because Lisa is one of my best friends).

Robots Are People Too #5

Robots Are People Too #5

from Blackguard

6 pages, A4 size, available for trade or IRC or nice letter from Yves Albrechts, Postbus 100, 2000 Antwerpen 1, BELGIUM
Here's another issue of Kapreles's newsletter-type zine (it's stapled in the top left-hand corner), full of his unique art and humour.
Inside, a bunch of drawings and gags, news about his new book Ninja Sushi; also, he found out there's a comic book called Robots Are People Too, then goes on to mention other publications that share the same name. One of them, namely Fuck, which some of us older zine motherfuckers know of as being a zine published by Dr Randall Phillip, but nowadays that name has been taken by a poetry zine (I've seen it reviewed in Xerography Debt and Zine World).
Anyway, this is a pretty cool thing to receive in the mail, but it would be even cooler if Kapreles used actual postage stamps. Come on, dude, let's see what sort of stamps Belgium comes up with, eh?

Zine Showcase #15: The Great Zine Giveaway Edition

Zine Showcase #15: The Great Zine Giveaway Edition

from Oh My Clumsy Heart by sophie@ohmyclumsyheart.com (Sophie)

Weeks ago I won a zine giveaway on Tea & Chickadees blog and shamefully have not found the time to post about it until now. I was ecstatic to have won so today's Zine Showcase is dedicated to five out of the twelve zines I received.

Amanda Dale

I Love Poor Spelling & Bad Grammar // Currently unavailable

Well I don't. Poor spelling and bad grammar causes me to seethe with rage and promptly correct the mistakes verbally or (to the horror of those around me) with the nearest pen to hand. When the most basic rules of grammar are quite simple to grasp and being unsure how to spell a particular word is easily remedied by the ever ready spell-check; leaving glaring errors is incomprehensible. Typos I can deal with, uncorrected mistakes are unforgivable.

Zombies: The Zine

Brilliant! Zombies, pop icons and historical figures combined to make Zombies: The Zine. I am a true lover of classic zombie films so this zine is simply perfect for my collection. Unfortunately there are absolutely no details to say who made it or where it might have come from.

David Gassaway

Website // Shop
Loneliness: A Colouring Book // $8.00 + shipping

Nine beautiful illustrations depicting loneliness, solitude and despair. Hand-bound with a colour cover and drawings for you to colour in (although why would you? They're perfect just the way they are) Loneliness: A Colouring Book is utterly divine. With a fantastically original illustration style, David Gassaway has produced a beautifully haunting zine.

Nathan Carter

Website // Shop // Tumblr
Will You Marry Me.. Kidding Pools & Whiskey Sours // $1 + shipping

Will You Marry Me.. is a quarter- (unfolding into A4) sized zine, black and white printed on gorgeous teal coloured paper. This issue features gardening, slugs and allergies. Having only recently purchased Sasquatch and the internet editions, I am a follower of Nathan Carter's Will You Marry Me.. series and thrilled to have another of his zines to add to my collection. The individual editions read like snippets of diary entries accompanied by wonderfully sketchy illustrations.

Colleen Mckeown and Christopher Postill

Website // Shop
EZ Grocery & Video // $8.00 + shipping

More a comic book than a zine, EZ Grocery & Video breaks itself down into individual comics/zines which, in turn, builds up to a complete graphic novel. The narrative revolves around characters living in a West End Toronto street and deals with community living. 26 pages of fabulously put together black and white content featuring a gloriously emotive story.

South Paw: More Than Likely by Kristilyn
Bird Wizards #2 by Joycer
Liquorice #5 by NJ Streeten and Sally Plowman



Sho Ga Nai by Heather Bryant
Please Keep Sharing by Nathan Carter
Food Stamps Foodie #1 by Milkyboots
Wants (Is that so much to ask for?) by Skylaar Amann

Seven Inches To Freedom #8

Seven Inches To Freedom #8

from Blackguard

48 pages, digest size, $1.00, edited by Joe Lachut, PO Box 457, Ft. Myers FL 33902-0457, USA + hiszeroisgone(at)yahoo.com + wtfhttapes.com
[Thanks to Jason Rodgers's review in Media Junky #14 for hipping me to this one.]
I mainly got this for the 'Zines vs. Blogs' piece, but immediately discovered that this issue is chock full of kick-fucking-ass content. This motherfucker is LOADED, baby.
First up, an almost-full-page letter from Jason Rodgers on the State of Hardcore.
Next up some columns, the first being by Bob Suren, who's had a few idea fragments floating around his head for a while. Here's the first of three: "What is it about punk rock/hardcore/underground music in general that attracts polar opposites? ... How is it that people as bright, creative and charismatic as Ian MacKaye, Jello Biafra and Steve Ignorant are part of the same thing as a drunken, lazy, panhandling, glue-sniffing gutter rat named Booger?"
Krystina's column covers themes such as why thrash metal isn't dangerous anymore, and is it asking too much for women to be more accepted in the metal scene in this day and age.
Then editor Joe writes about growing up and doing 'adult things' like buying a house, yet still having punk attitude, but being cool with domestication, then admitting that he seems to be working his way, happily, to how he hoped he would end up: "that old guy with the faded ASSUCK shirt that you see at the grocery store."
'The Death Of The Music Industry (Awesome)' by Scott Bentz is reprinted from Scott's Grand Rapids Is Screaming site [ grscreamer.com ]. A savage, provocative and no-holds-barred assessment of the music industry, it ends with this advice: "The moral of the story is to keep stealing music. Don't even consider buying anything from a major label. It might be a great song but it's on the web for free. Go out there and do your part to finally dismantle the worst thing that ever happened to music. Strangle it, beat it, crush it, burn it, bury it and piss on its grave. And in celebration go to a small club and watch someone who loves what they do play to people who want to hear something."
Visaci Zamek, in a regular 'My First Record' feature, writes about the very first punk record in the Czech Republic and all the struggles punks, cut off from the outside world, under strict government supervision, had to endure.
The highlight of the issue for me is the 13-page 'Zines vs. Blogs' piece. Joe interviewed three blog makers and three zine writers, asking them all the same four questions (plus one more aimed specifically at them). Why/when did you decide to start your zine/blog? Favourite/least favourite thing about doing a zine/blog? Do you read blogs/zines? How do you feel about blogs? Would you ever consider putting your blog to paper? How do zines and blogs co-exist in 2010? Is the blog format replacing the zine? Interviewees: Kevin McCaughey - Fashionable Activism blog; Tom Mayhugh - Evil Minded zine; Travis Fristoe - America? zine; Christopher Sommer - Sacred Text blog; Adam - ICOULDDIETOMORROW blog; and Evan Dawson - Irradiated Corpse zine.
Joe is completely obsessed with a band called Rupture (for example their Cunt of God album [Rhetoric, 1998] - "...Killer, evil hardcore violence like you've never heard before. Buzzy, chaotic & fucking disturbing...") He wrote about them in his last issue but found out a bunch more info which he includes in this issue. (OK, of course I really want to check this band out now, but what I thought were my mad capable internet searching skillz are not turning up shit on these guys. How the fuck do I get a copy of this album then?)
There's also a Deathrats (Washington DC) interview, 'The Politics of Becoming Jaded', and rekkid, cd, and zine reviews.
Seven Inches To Freedom is so fucking great, it should be required reading for any snot-nosed junior burger punk brats revving themselves up to make their own punk zine.
Hardcore bitchin' awesome squared times infinity.

Digitface #1

Digitface #1

from Randy Spaghetti by noreply@blogger.com (Randy Spaghetti)

Digitface #1
info@digitface.com
This is a quick little zine from the mind of comedian Matt Baker. It has comics, million dollar ideas, an interview with poet Denise Jolly, and some graffiti photos. Matt is a very talented and funny person who always has his hands in all kinds of creative pots, this is but one of those many pots. Check out the website version at www.digitface.com/ and better yet send him some photos of your fingers with drawings of faces on them.

Rigor Mortis #4

Davida Gypsy Breier posted in 2011: The Revenge of Print!

Davida Gypsy Breier 8:11am May 13 Rigor Mortis #4 is now out. Rigor Mortis #4 leekinginc.com Leeking Inc. is an umbrella for several zines, including Xerpgraphy Debt, Leeking Ink, Rigor Mortis, and The Glovebox Chronicles.

Monkey Squad One

Monkey Squad One

from Randy Spaghetti by noreply@blogger.com (Randy Spaghetti)

Monkey Squad One
Annual #1
By Doug Michel
banddmichel@gmail.com
This is the culmination of the first six issues of Monkey Squad One. A hell of a lot of work must have went into the making of this comic. There is so much happening and so much detail on every page. It really is amazing. Monkey Squad One is a light-hearted and funny comic about a group of seemingly innocuous youngsters whose home base is in a tree house that are on a never-ending mission to kick some super-villain ass. Doug, the artist behind this zine, has an obviously active imagination, and speaking from an educator’s perspective, was probably hell to have in class. This is an excellent introduction into that imagination and a great example of one artist’s dedication to his craft.

Introducing the PIC Is Zine: An Illustrated Exploration

Ab #11

Ab #11

from Randy Spaghetti by noreply@blogger.com (Randy Spaghetti)

AB #11 January 2011
$2 c/o Lisa Ahne
POB 181
Alsea, OR 97324
If you have ever read Dwelling Portably then you will recognize the format and style of AB immediately. I think it’s done by some of the same people, but I’m not sure because there wasn’t a name associated with the letter that came with it. Anyway, if you have never read this type of zine before it’s kind of hard to figure out what’s going on at first. There are no introductions or explanations , just pure information, ideas, and how-to’s focused on living a semi-nomadic and government free life on 21st Century Earth. The information contained within this zine is pretty amazing. What fascinates me most about zines like this is the complete disconnect from any emotional meandering or analysis in the writing, it is intended to provide the reader with information on this type of lifestyle and that’s it. As a curious post-romantic (kidding) I always want to know more about the people writing it, like what their day to day routines look like and what the pros and cons of living nomadically in modern America are. But I suppose that’s the point, the less we know about the people writing it, the easier it is for those people to keep living that type of life: If I really wanted to know what it’s like, then I should get out there and try it for myself. This issue is heavily focused on how to build boats that you can live on. It also has some zine reviews, how to survive without much money, how to avoid being hassled by authorities, some healthy eating tips, and random nomad advice from the people who are actually doing it.