Culture Construction
By Cali Ruchala
A few months ago, a message came through the ZAMIR internet mailing list that Attack, an alternative culture collective in Zagreb, Croatia, was looking for donations to stock the library at their brand new "autonomous culture factory."
This got me thinking (and you know how dangerous that can be). I have a shitload of zines that I've picked clean, and from the general chatter among other zinesters, it would appear that the "yearly purge" is a pretty common phenomenon. What would happen if we, instead of giving old zines away slowly, packing them into closets with cosmic, interdimentional landfills, or (horrors) even throwing them away, sent them off to places like Attack that are trying to foster independent, DIY culture.
As [Delusions of Grandeur #7] went to press, feelers sent out to other projects in the Balkins had yet to be answered. No kidding - after the interview with Manazin!, I turned up ever rock to try to disprove his claim that there was no real small press in the Balkins. Though it's still too early to say for certain, I think he's made his point.
It sounded easy enough. And if anyone can pull it off, I probably could [ed.- I agree]. Remember that feeling of zine at first sight: the thought of, "Big fucking deal, I could do this"? Then, pausing for a moment, and having the kind of epiphany that occurs when after hours of laborious thought you finally realize the obvious? The idea is to replicate that feeling (and, hopefully, that reaction) among people whose chance of seeing a zine in passing is close to nil.
To save on shipping, I'll be acting as the central repository (and no, this isn't a thinly-veiled scheme to get more zines: anyone who corresponds with me knows that I already get more shit in the mail than I know what to do with). This is going to be a long-term project, but hopefully we can get a box out every month. Interested? Email
Davida Gypsy Breier
I tried to review zines I hadn't reviewed before, or zines that weren't already reviewed by someone else in this issue. These were primarily zines I received from January to the beginning of May.
Picks for the issue:
* DELUSIONS OF GRANDEUR
DWAN
* EXCEPT IN DREAMS
FANGIRL *for your inner geek*
FARM PULP MAGAZINE
FUNK ON THE BURNER
* GUINEA PIG ZERO
* I'M JOHNNY AND I DON'T GIVE A FUCK
MR. PEEBODY'S SOILED TROUSERS AND OTHER DELIGHTS
REJECTED BAND NAMES Sex with George
SPAGHETTI DINNER AND DANCING
TO CURSE OR NOT TO CURSE
* THE URBAN PANTHEIST
YOU SAY TOMATO
Review Zines
QUEER ZINE EXPLOSION
ZINE GUIDE
ZINEHEAD
Lovely Zines from the UK
HORMONE FRENZY
FLIMSY
GIRLFRENZY
PEAR SHAPED BOY
SPOOKY TALES
And lastly the people responsible for this issue:
Eric Lyden
Fred Argoff
Sarah Oleksyk
Sarah Manvel
Boys Who Wear Glasses
Clamor
The Contessa's Tome
Delusions of Grandeur
Except In Dreams
Guinea Pig Zero
I'm Johnny and I Don't Give a Fuck
Red Hanky Panky
The Urban Pantheist
(This symbol * indicates a pick.)
ALABAMA GRRRL
I liked the black and white photograph on black construction paper cover. Ailecia is living in Kansas now, and working at a photo store. This issue shows the flux going on in Ailecia's life and the questioning that the early 20's seem to generate. She dated women in college, but is now dating men and dealing with the confusion involved. She also shares her questions about being adopted.
?$1-2
Current issue #7 (Dec 1999)
Ailecia
PO Box 297
Lawrence, KS 66044
ailecia@hotmail.com
* BOYS WHO WEAR GLASSES
Fragments and Marginalia, part II
This is one of those zines I've gushed over repeatedly. I sincerely hope Mark decides to keep publishing BWWG, even if it is an annual event. It is personal and intimate in ways I can never be with words. Mark's writing and personality are so appealing, that I always feel guilty for not getting up to Philadelphia to see him and his boyfriend Donny. His zine takes you into his life, the problems, dreams, and pleasures and it is an interesting place to go. I also love the inclusion of his margin drawings. Highly recommended as always.
$2.50
Current issue #6
Mark Hain
PO Box 411
Swarthmore, PA 19081
mhain@pafa.org
* CLAMOR
A Loud and Continuous Uproar of Hundreds of Human Voices
This is an ambitious project, one that I hope succeeds. Jen Angel and Jason Kucsma have teamed up to create a bi-monthly magazine with the kinds of articles usually only found in zines and other underground press. The premiere issue included a first person account of the WTO protests in Seattle, hiking the Appalachian Trail, an interview with Howard Zinn, Internet privacy, and much, much more. Issue #2 continues two articles begun in the first - one on experiencing pregnancy and the other on graffitti artists. There are pieces on "HMO Horrors," non-monogamy, women in hip hop, and over 20 other articles. This is a lengthy read with few ads. I particularly like that they are soliciting writers and artists from within the zine community AND they are paying them. # 3 should be out in June.
$4
Current issue #2 (Apr/May 2000)
Jen Angel and Jason Kucsma
PO Box 1225
Bowling Green, OH 43402
clamormagazine@hotmail.com
* CONTESSA'S TOME
DB Pedlar (SKUNK'S LIFE) has started a second zine that is an educational blend of historical fact and fun-filled fiction. Issue #2 centers around Victoria Woodhull, the first woman to run for president. Victoria was also a psychic medium and healer, rumored prostitute, suffragette, business woman, and free love advocate. She was in jail for publishing obscenity on election day. DB frames his historical fact, with a cast of fictional characters.
$2
Current issue #2 (Feb 2000)
DB Pedlar
25727 Cherry Hill Rd.
Cambridge Springs, PA 16403
dbpedlar@toolcity.net
I am often so impressed by Cali's life and writing, that I am inspired to push myself just a little harder.
Cali reports first hand on "Adonai, Life, death and traffic in the siege of Armenia, 1993." His descriptions of the darkness made me want to reach for my lamp, just to know it still worked. His piece "Bastards" is enough to make you weep in sorrow and rage at the world. From there Cali takes you into his sex life, which is to be read to be believed. I found myself laughing out loud, which is quit a turnabout from his previous article. "Then, one night, she allowed it to happen. It was a history making night, because for the first time in my life I fell asleep with a new, unforeseen question on my lips: 'That's it?'" It gets even funnier from there.
Also in the issue: an interview with Danilo Ljubovic, publisher of Manazin!; Milan Kilibarda's experiences with Doctors Without Boarders; "Behind the Burlap Curtain" takes us into Minsk, Byelorussia; Christopher Szabo remembers his uncle, a forgotten victim of the Soviet concentration camps. This zine is a phenomenal blend of political, social, historical, international, personal, and humorous writing. Always recommended.
$3
Current issue #7 (March 2000)
Cali Ruchala
100 E. Walton #31H
Chicago, IL 60611
macvaya@hotmail.com
#27 offers another mix of poems and Donny's journal entries and letters.
May 23, 1982: Dear reader, you will be happy to learn that I did not kill myself; I've taken up smoking instead.
This issue is harder to penetrate than usual, but worth the attempt. The journal entries jump around from the early 80's through to the present illuminating a religious theme.
"I don't want to feel like a fake, so I don't talk much about spirituality with the people around me. But this Dwan is the essence of what I've been trying to do, to throw a net over all the things in my mind and my past and tangle them together with you out there, and beyond you with the larger world -- and even beyond that. But like other queer (or thinking) people, I'm horrified at the traditional methods of keeping people together - the layers of "wisdom", scholarship, language, common sense, common knowledge, bureaucracy, law, religion, violence, and culture - the restrictions, all the encrustations that have built up on our lives."
#28 offers more of his exquisitely edited poets, in both Spanish and English.
$2/free to prisoners
Current issue #28 (March 2000)
Donny Smith
PO Box 411
Swarthmore, PA 19081
dsmith3@swarthmore.edu
Patrick has quite a talent for telling stories. After reading EXCEPT IN DREAMS I would forget which of the stories I had read and which he told me in person. His writing voice is that clear and inflective. He has gathered here several letters detailing his experiences trying to get his '83 Oldsmobile fixed and through inspection, sneaking into a movie theater, scenes from Shop Rite, and getting a haircut in a town filled with Navy personnel. He has a way with words that is distinctly his own. I only wish he would write more because I am a selfish reader that way. Highly recommended.
$1
January 2000
Patrick Tandy
PO Box 963
Havre de Grace, MD 21078
a_shadowman@hotmail.com
For fangirls, by fangirls. Its an idea who's time has been long over due. I admit it, I am a geek. I watch Buffy and Babylon 5, and have a Xena calendar next to my desk. I've been watching and reading science fiction and fantasy since I was a wee girl. FANGIRL offers a nice compilation of articles from the love of Buffy to an interview with Kristanna Loken from "Mortal Kombat: Conquest." Christopher Visser explains his struggles to combat the Seven of Nine Syndrome. Thick and fulfilling zine for fangirls and boys.
?1-2
Sarah Kuhn
PO Box 9353
Oakland, CA 94613
fangirlzine@yahoo.com
[A Whole New Ballgame]
I really should have written this review right after I read the zine. FARM PULP is visually and mentally stimulating. After reading the issue I can only marvel at the complexity in the wording and layout, as all the pieces seem random, yet the weave together so intricately. The irregular page sizes and topics take on a Seurat-like quality from a distance. I know this doesn't really explain anything about the actual issue, but I think you need to see it for yourself to understand. Needless to say, I greatly enjoyed reading it.
$3
Current issue #38 (Apr/May 2000)
Gregory Hischak
PO Box 2151
Seattle, WA 98111
The articles are short, but the content is strong. She explains her early perceptions of sex, and growing up with parents who never showed physical affection. She offers reviews of nine condoms and "The Secret Life of Marie Martin," a list of things she does regularly. "Dating Tips for Horny Boys," includes "Cologne is not an acceptable substitute for deodorant and regular bathing." A per-zine that gives you a good glimpse of the writer.
?$1-2/trade
Current issue #7
Marie Martin
PO Box 1515
Portland, OR 97207
A Journal for Human Research Subjects
I am completely hooked on this zine. I bought a couple copies at Atomic Books and returned and bought the rest of the back issues. When I saw #7 was out I didn't have the patience to write Robert for it and bought a copy right away.
Robert is an excellent researcher, editor, and writer. Articles he has printed include the history of medical research subjects, visiting a leper colony, medical mistakes and cover-up, research unit report cards, bioethics, the CIA's LSD experiments, radioactive oatmeal, informed consent, and the needless deaths of so many research subjects.He also shows the international use of POWs, conscience objectors, soldiers, and prisoners in medical experiments from Nazi Germany to Manchuria to The Gulf War.
If you sell yourself to science or are thinking about it, this is required reading. Everybody else get a copy because you should know what your doctors, scientists, and governments are up to.
$3 (#1-6) $5 (#7)
Current issue #7 (January 2000)
Robert Helms
PO Box 42531
Philadelphia, PA 19101
http://hop.to/guineapigzero
gpzero@netaxs.com
When I opened the package and saw this book (it is 220 pages), I was thrilled. I had loved #3, but was unprepared for #4. Andy further proves my belief that some of the best writers of our generation are writing for themselves and for us, not major publishers. I'M JOHNNY AND I DON'T GIVE A FUCK #4 is an original homage to Kurt Vonnegut and Tom Robbins. By the end I was no longer certain of what was truth and what was fiction. I read it cover to cover in one day because I wanted to know what happened to Andy and his band on tour, but also what happened the supposedly fictional Henry O'Merin.
"'...Our leak from the fuel supply has positioned itself perpendicular to the offending tailpipe. The results, I fear, could be fatal.'
No blowing up the van wasn't an option. I put away the butter knife, the ballpeen hammer. I sat back and resigned myself to alternating between adhering and that violently removing strips of duct tape to and from sensitive parts of my person. In short, I had given up." (Pages 77-8)
"I couldn't concentrate. Would he soon pull a buck knife from his boot and commence the massacre? Or perhaps he'd use those mind powers of his to turn us against each other. 'Good luck buddy,' I said to myself, 'We're the punks. We are so much about unity!'
At the height of my paranoia he said, 'Stop up here.'
Fuck. Here it comes...I stopped the van, ready for the fight of my life. The drifter grabbed his bag and hopped out, 'Thanks.' And he walked away.
What?! That's all? No fight? No knife? No slaughter, no mind control, no nothing?? The fever was playing tricks with me. I needed a nap." (Pages 95-96)
Get this!
$8 (ppd)
Current issue #4
Andy
PO Box 21533
1850 Commercial Dr.
Vancouver, BC
V5N 4A0 Canada
Jay's gone home to Massachusetts. His previous issues seemed to display the newness of his life in CA, but with this issue we see he has settled back into a world he knows well. He mother is driving him mad and he has to deal with all the crap associated with owning his own business (a record store). Yet he finds time for some zine love. She has moved from CA to join him in MA and if you want more details than that, send the man some cash. He also includes some nice, long zine reviews.
$1/Trade
Current issue #Scituate (Jan 2000)
Jay Koivu
PO Box 22
West Townsend, MA 01474
Jerianne gets personal in this issue. The previous issue glossed over her trip to Scotland, but this time she explains what really happened. She is dealing with the age-old zine problem of what is too personal and private? She decides to overcome her fears and give the full story.
Edward explains "The Problem with America." The biblical ramifications of Digital Angel. David Crockett gives his views on body image and self-worth. A very solid per-zine.
$1
Current issue #4 (April 2000)
Jerianne
PO Box 13838
Berkeley, CA 94712
Randy's personal account of volunteering with The Buffalo Field Campaign gives a very realistic feel for activism, fellow activists, and the extent that people will go to both save and kill an animal. He spends a few days trying to help.
"Every hour we took turns skiing out into the park to check on the buffalo. I took my share of turns, mostly to get warm, but also to avoid my companions. I had stopped trying to talk to either of them, sick of being ignored, and spent most of my time listening and asking a few questions. Nobody asked me anything. The trips into the park were beautiful, the snow was so intense and the quiet so deep...I didn't see any buffalo in the field, this was both good and bad, good in that they were away from the armed agents and bad in that they were up to their necks in the snow with no food."
Also in the issue, Randy pays tribute to fanzines that inspired him and that he enjoys. Well-written examination of life.
$1/trade
Current issue #14 (Dec 1999)
Randy Spaghetti
PO Box 2536
Missoula, MT 59806
The Great f#@X*! Profanity Debate
Alden Scott Crow (GRAMMAR Q & A) and Jøsh Saitz (NEGATIVE CAPABILITY) decided to get together and talk about cussin'. They offer up an interesting discussion, one that makes you think about where you stand, and what you say while standing there. Jøsh sees profanity as merely more adjectives to choose from, while Scott prefers to refrain from swearing. It is an interesting debate about language and society. It made me think about my decisions to omit or include profanity in my writing and speech.
$2 or stamps
Alden Scott Crow
PO Box 445
Clements, CA 95227
This is the kind of zine I would love to do if I wasn't already doing three. THE URBAN PANTHEIST is a personal zine about loving nature while living in the city." He takes a loving look at pigeons, sparrows, starlings, rats, seagulls, and centipedes, all maligned city creatures. He also talks about his bike trailer, eating bugs, and what happened to his old zine DON'T SHOOT! IT'S ONLY COMICS. Nature nerds will love this. Highly recommended.
$2.50
Current issue #1
Jef Taylor
140A Harvard Ave. #308
Allston, MA 02134
biceratops@aol.com
I was charmed from the get go with this new zine. June is "a thritysomething immigrant dyke. I grew up in the north of England, but I've lived in the states for about 14 years. I also spent two years in Spain, which gave me a taste for Spanish movies. As the name suggest, I write quite a bit about the differences between life in my homeland and my new land."
#2 is a survey-based TV issue. We all claim we don't watch television, yet we all have something to say about it. She would have automatically gotten a good review just for mentioning EastEnders in both of her issues, but in addition to that her issues are quite personable and fun. I look forward to seeing more from June.
Current issue #2 (April 2000)
$1
June
PMB #315
4756 U. Vill. Pl. NE
Seattle, WA 98105
yousaytomato@hotmail.com
Rejected Band Names presents...
THE ALTERNATIVE PRESS EXPO REVIEW SPECTACLE
Jerianne, who writes REJECTED BAND NAMES and reviews for A READER'S GUIDE TO THE UNDERGROUND PRESS, compiled this listing of zines she picked up at the Alternative Press Expo in February. There are over 40 zines reviewed.
?$1
Jerianne
PO Box 13838
Berkeley, CA 94712
This is a long list of small press resources, zines, books, music, videos, and more for and/or by the Queer community.
2 33¢ stamps/IRCs/$1 overseas
Current issue #17 (August 1999)
Larry-bob
PO Box 590488
San Francisco, CA 94159
larrybob@io.com
www.holytitclamps.com
Like a thick zine phonebook. Thousands of zines listed. #3 has a long article on zine libraries.
$6
Current issue #3
PO Box 5467
Evanston, IL 60204
zineguide@interaccess.com
ZINEHEAD reviews review zines, letting you know where to send your zines or where to find some new reviews. He also has a list of international comic anthologies and distributors.
?$1-2
Karl Thomsen
PO Box 2061
Winnipeg, MB
R3C 3R4 Canadas
mosfog@escape.ca
www.escape.ca/~mosfog
Note: Many of the zines listed gladly accept US currency.
* RED HANKY PANKY
Rachael's got a great style and wicked sense of humor. In this split issue, along with HORMONE FRENZY, her auto-bio comics show her flying, searching for the perfect bra, talking about sex, viagra, depression, dreams, and that grubby lederhosen turn her on (at least they did once). In "Stuff porn has taught me" we learn that "sexy ladies have mohawk pubes" and "When taking photos of the wife you need patterned wallpaper behind her." Guest artists include Jason Barker (PEAR SHAPED BOY) and Ruth Muffmonster (MUFF MONSTERS ON PROZAC). Rachael does some lovely art and you should send her lots of cash and toys (especially toys and robots).
£1/$2
Current issue #7
Rachael House
7 The Old School Buildings
St. Clement's Yard
Archdale Rd.
London SE22 9HP
redhankypanky@btinternet.com
This issue is split with RED HANKY PANKY (see above). Mark's issue is more text based, but still includes some comix. He salutes "Queer Action Heroine: Brigitte Lin." She is a Hong Kong superstar that had played many gender-bending characters. "Coppertone," allows you to witness using fake tan lotion as lube, so you don't have to. "The Shadowy Twilight World of Heterosexuality," is a look at the straight bar dating scene and a melodramatic HIV scare from a co-worker. We also learn that Mark and Rachael both like to fondle Irish zinesters.
£1/$2
Current issue #3.5
Mark Connorton
12 Oakdale Ct.
Fortnam Rd.
London N19 3NT
markconnorton@hotmail.com
Martin is not only a fount of EastEnders trivia and maker of risotto, but he also publishes FLIMSY. This issue is a continuous monologue with our hero, "a slow-moving, dull-witted, atomic-powered man monster." The concerns of such a monster might surprise you, "Flimsy watched a very bad-tempered Martina Hingis lose to Steffo Graf in the finals of the French Open. Hingis hair is funny looking." There is something strangely appealing about a monster with such plebian concerns.
? £1/$2
Current issue #3 (August 1999)
Martin Hand
8 Evenwood Close
Carlton Drive
Putney
London SW15 2DA
flimsy@dircon.co.uk
Articles, Strips, & No Make-Up Tips
GIRLFRENZY has a wide variety of subjects, styles, and ideas, all by women. Erica gave me copies of issues 4 and 6 when I met her in January, but the Millennial issue, which is a thicker, bound version, is the latest issue.
Erica does a fantastic job editing together diverse topics and styles, while promoting the efforts of women artists and writers. Artists included in the issues Rachael House, Lee Kennedy, Charlotte Cooper, Roberta Gregory, and Mary Fleener.
She is also interested in submissions -- both strips and articles for the GIRLFRENZY bumper book of riotous fun -- on general themes, but she is particularly interested in those with a more political (in the most general sense of the word) stance.
I know you can get GIRLFRENZY MILLENNIAL from Atomic Books (see page 36) in the US for $12. Back issues of 6,5 and 4 are available for 4 dollars each including postage. I believe they are about £2 in the UK.
Current issue Millennial
Erica Smith
esmith@fastnet.co.uk
www.GirlFrenzy.net (coming soon)
I met Jason my first night in London and was greatly amused by his stories. I was happy to see his first zine in my mailbox a few weeks ago. Jason has the honor of being the only F to M transsexual that I know publishing a comic about the experience. He explains the problems of the change with humor, such as pronouns, opening jars, throwing a ball like a girl, and watching The Waltons without crying.
I especially enjoyed the personal comics in the issue. Also in the issue, a comic from Charlotte Cooper wanting to join a biker gain and not finding it tough enough. I'm already looking forward to issue #2.
£1/$2 or a swap
Current issue #1 (April 2000)
Jason Barker
40 Marie Lloydhouse
Murray Grove
Hoxton, London
N1 7PU
UK
jasonelvis@btinternet.com
Spirit Summoning Stories
This comic and CD were edited by Marc Baines. The art and cd are both excellent and worth seeking out of you can find them. Marc said they might be available at See Hear in NYC. If I can find a source I'll provide and update and longer review in the next issue.
Remember to write and thank them!
Androo Robinson
PED XING COMICS
If I ever become capable of convincing humanity of a few previously undiscovered, essential facts of life, one of the first things I'll say is "Appreciate Androo's art!!"
His most recent efforts are FRANKENSTEIN'S HORSES: A TWENTY-FOUR HOUR COMIC and BANJO GIRLS. The 24 hour comic is just that, a comic written and drawn over a 24 hour period. It is another of his bittersweet stories that will leave you wanting to hug a wooden horse.
BANJO GIRLS is a compliation of well, banjo girls as drawn by Androo, Snake, Mike Tolento, Sean Bieri, Suzanne Baumann, Pam Bliss, Joe Chiapetta, Rachel Hartman, Matt Feazell, Madision Clell, and Sean Granton. Some are charming and some will jump off the page and kick your ass.
$1/trade
Send a stamp for a catalog.
Androo Robinson
2000 NE 42nd Ave. #302
Portland, OR 97213
FISH WITH LEGS
Many of you may be aware of Eric's name because he seems to turn up in letter columns all over the place. His trademark rambling letters are entertaining, and in some respects, his zine FISH WITH LEGS is an extension of his letters. He is working out some of his confusion about life within the pages of his zine. In issue #3 he explains his fears about trying to be writer, confesses to being a 23 year-old virgin, getting glasses, learning to play the guitar, and more. He gives little tidbits about himself throughout the zine, giving you a feel for Eric's life and personality. I enjoy watching his writing progress.
$1+stamp/trade
Current issue #3
Eric Lyden
224 Moraine St.
Brockton, MA 02301
BROOKLYN! & WATCH THE CLOSING DOORS
Darling of the zine scene, Fred had been a supportive contributor of many of my projects. His commitment to self-publishing and promoting other zines is quite commendable.
One of the reasons I enjoy Fred's zines, is that they are symbols of obsessions that most of the rest of the world would take for granted (or even avoid given half a chance). WATCH THE CLOSING DOORS is devoted to subways. If you spend anytime on public transportation, either you've resigned yourself to deal with it or find yourself growing morbidly fascinated by the subculture. Fred offers New York's train systems through his eyes, ears, and camera. He also solicits articles from straphangers around the world. He includes the history, the local characters, and the swaying clickity-clack.
Fred's other zine, BROOKLYN!, takes you into that famous borough from the ease of your home. Many of the articles are historical in nature, somehow tying everything that happens on the planet back to Brooklyn. Also noted are encounters with locals and disoriented tourists. Fred will also teach you to talk like a native. There is more Brooklyn here that you can shake a stickball bat at.
Quarterly issues are $2 each
Current issues Brooklyn! #28
Watch the Closing Doors #10
Fred Argoff
1800 Ocean Pkwy. #B-12
Brooklyn, NY 11223
CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE IN PORTLAND, ME
Sarah has taken those old staples of childhood, the choose-your-own-adventure novels, and adapted one to fit life in Portland, Maine.
Sarah also publishes ROADSIDE.
$1
PO Box 4789
Portland, OR 04112
roadsidecomix@yahoo.com
Sarah Manvel used to be able to count. Then she got a liberal arts education at three different universities and now thinks four is five. Well, only when she has moved to London and is bad at answering her mail.
*she formerly published VIRAGO and EDNA'S EDIBLES