The Cultural Aether #1 & #5

Cultural Aether #1 & #5///$1///2440 E. tudor Rd. #364, Anchorage, AK 99507 I am putting these two zines together because they are very similar in style and content. Both of them are a mixture of interesting collage art and cartoon bubble phrases and statements and nothing else. They have a lot to do with love and relationships. The collage art is nothing short of amazing, where this artist gets the material I do not know, but it is truly exceptional. It’s like someone let Monty Python loose in the middle ages with a copy machine, an exacto, a glue stick, and a heavy heart.

Freak Tension #15

Freak Tension #15 freaktension@yahoo.com///www.freaktension.com///wbhauser@yahoo.com/// Freak Tension: super fun stories about life, punk, etc. Super hilarious reviews (The Doyle Abominator review being one that legends are made of), interviews with Brain Tumors, and City Mouse, and a very nice recipe for Roasted Minotaur Gizzards that I absolutely have to try! MP Johnson has a knack for the absurd, witch makes this zine a very entertaining moment in time.

The Soda Killers #6

bnb@hotdogdayz.com/// $5 or trade/ // I think this is the third time I’ve reviewed The Soda Killers, and I could basically write the same review for it every time. I would only have to change the names of the bands that I discover within (which is basically what I’ve done the past two times anyway). This zine is consistently good, and follows a very specific pattern: collage art, some stories, pictures of graffiti, and reviews by Nathan G. O’Brian. All of these things are great. But because I enjoy reading Nathan G. O’Brian’s reviews so much, the rest of the content has a tendency to get overshadowed. I’ve always been attracted to writing that is first-person, where the author injects themselves into whatever is being written about. I think that NGO does this in a way that seems very authentic and relatable. For punk type folks of a certain age, my age, his anecdotes and background knowledge make the reviews hum with a sort of undefined generational authenticity. Being in my 40’s and working in the world of education, I don’t have a lot of work peers that can I can relate to on these levels. I haven’t met too many people my age that know what a zine is, or spent their 20’s in smoke filled punk bars having their heads, souls, and hearts filled with the dysfunctionally creative dystopia of 90’s diy culture. NGO writing helps to fill that void. This particular issue of TSK is packed with so much NGO content that I wouldn’t feel bad about copying, pasting, and updating the band names at all. That being said, there is also a funny story about two dudes hating on some Food Network approved chili, and some collage art, and pics of graffiti. Bands discovered this issue: Condominium, Autistic Youth, Gas Rag, Hoax.

Lunchmeat #7

...$7 www.Lunchmeatvhs.com As a naturally curious person, one of the great things about being into fanzines is that they come in all kinds of interesting flavors. I love that, and I especially I love it when that flavor is “weird”. Lunchmeat is weird. This is a ‘fan’zine in the truest sense, with the fans focal obsession being that of VHS tapes. Enthusiasts of the genre, nicknamed, ‘Videovores’ are responsible for most of the review content, and It’s packed full. The reviews consist of obscure VHS only movies with titles like, ‘Hunter’s Blood’ ‘SuperGrass’, ‘Disaster at Silo 7’ and more. There are provocative and funny VHS-centered graphics, interviews with cult directors (Brian Threnchard-Smith) cult character actors (Mr. Potato Head himself, THE Eddie Deezen), crossword puzzles, and horror stories full of gore, obsession, and video production. If Pixar movies with their ungodly expensive special effects, are the designer deli sandwich of sliced sweet cappicola and Havarti on a lightly seasoned focaccia of the film world, then the VHS-obsessed world of Lunchmeat represents a half-eaten loaf of pickled-pimiento bologna on Grocery Outlet wonder bread. I prefer the latter.////////////////////////

INSPIRATION POINT

INSPIRATION POINT By Spencer Hicks deeperaway@yahoo.com ////

Bad days come and go. How we deal with them is one of the true tests of being human. This is a story about a bad day, a rough night, and an attempt to solve it with some cigarettes and a run in the woods. There is wisdom contained within this comic, this fellow seems to have significant insight into the imperfections of the world around him and his place in it. In a world where the majority of humanity is playing bumper cars at the bottom of Maslow’s climb toward self-actualization, Spencer seems to have clawed his way toward the summit. Human relationships are always going to be difficult and full of compromise, and if we are to survive it all without loud persuasive voices in our heads telling us to do unorthodox things against our will, one must accept this one solid truth; a run in the woods is always a good idea......and, smoking in moderation never hurts.

Dream Whip 15

/////////Dream Whip #15 $11 Microcosmpublishing.com I equate Dream Whip Zine to the musical stylings of The Pixies, Canned Heat, and early Patsy Cline on an off night in a dive bar near the desert town of Yermo California. It’s hot, dry, and not in the best of moods…but for some reason, I want it all. This is Bill’s story about making a movie about the immigration situation on the southern US border and his bike tour across the Midwest to promote it. It's full of forgotten towns, ankle biting dogs, politics, and complicated relationships. Bill Brown is one of America’s best writers. I can turn to any page in this zine and pick a quote that bites as hard as a golden eagle ripping the head off of an angry chukar on the banks of the Salmon River. Exhibit A: “The people we meet aren’t unfriendly, but they’re definitely no-nonsense….Maybe it’s because it doesn’t rain much here, and the land’s not so fertile. In a place like that you don’t waste anything, including you’re breath. All the sweetness that people around here don’t express is baked into their pies. Big-hearted, generous pies.” The entire zine is full of quotable insight like this. I’ve been reading Dream Whip for many years, and the same thing happens to me after reading every issue, I put it down, smile, and say to myself, “Never get famous Bill Brown”, but I really wish he does.

MAXIMUM TREMOLO

Maximum Tremolo $2 ppd or trade POB 467 Amherst, NY 14226 maximumtremolo@gmail.com//// Only a mere 16 pages, this fanzine is a ripper of mammoth proportions. “Making Surf a Fucking Threat Again” is the subtitle of this zine. I wasn’t aware that surf music was ever a threat, but after reading this, I’m now a believer. Maximum Tremolo is full of ‘fuck you’ attitude without being all fuck you all the time…..there’s an obvious love of the craft and a loyalist understanding of the history of the genre that precedes the punk attitude, the ‘fuck you’ just makes it entertaining. This zine was incredibly fun to read. Every page had something in it that had me laughing out loud, and the record and live reviews had me frantically looking up and loving all kinds of new bands. Great fanzine.

The Recoup

//// The Recoup #1 $? Therecoup.wordpress.com Someone delivered a hot tub time machine in zine form to my po box and it’s called, The Recoup. After reading this I felt like I was sitting in an English pub in 1968 chain smoking Pall Malls and drinking cheap gin in my vertical striped bell bottoms with an MC5 haircut asking Texas Is the Reason what a Liverpool orgy was like back in the day. Retro? Yup. Bad idea? Nope. This is a satisfyingly modern take on a bygone era; I want all music zines to look like this. Simple, minimal, modern, perfect.

I AM MY OWN STEREOTYPE: THE SMALL DIARY COLLECTION

I Am My Own Stereotype: The My Small Diary Collection By Delaine www.mysmallwebpage.com////$5//// Delaine started writing this zine in 1993, my lord that seems like such a long time ago. That was the year that Nirvana did their Unplugged set for MTV. I was such a huge Nirvana fan at the time and remember watching that performance when it aired and thinking that something dark was on its way. That was also the year that fugazi’s In On The Kill Taker came out, my favorite Fugazi record (tape) that I played nearly to death while driving back and forth to work while living Anchorage. It also just happens to be the year that I started reading and writing zines myself. I Am My Own Stereotype is a very cool collection of the author/artist’s unique and ultra-random autobiographical comics. Each page consists of illustrated true events from her life. From finding brambles in her panties to running into Ron Jeremy in some random Deli this zine is definitely a worthwhile gander-fest. Autobiographical comics have always been near and dear to my heart and this one is wonderful.

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PILTDOWNLAD #4 “The Nasty Oh-Dear”

PILTDOWNLAD #4 “The Nasty Oh-Dear” POB 86714 LA, CA 90086/// www.kellydessaint.com//// The bulk of this zine is a deeply personal story about two kids dealing with the horrors of parental abuse. Kelly, the author, has a gift for engaging dialogue that skips subtlety in favor of a direct jugular attack. He gets to the point quickly and effectively. And although the story is terribly sad, he writes with a tone that seems to say, “Yea that totally sucked, whatever…move on” and doesn’t whine at all. Also contained within, an insightful story about how he got into zines, tales from a zine convention, and zine reviews. A compelling read through and through, Piltdownlad is destined for greatness.

DITHERING DOODLES 1-5

DITHERING DOODLES 1-5 259 E 700 S Salt Lake City, UT 84111 Premiumdelux@hotmail.com ////People with the mentality of a good natured 16-year old boy who suffers from ADHD will love this zine, and although it is written by someone in their 50s? (I suck at math and didn’t figure out exactly how old the author is) it still resonates as such. The artwork is pretty awesome and raw (lots of scribbled out mistakes). This fellow likes to doodle and illustrate stories from his past, all of which are super short and do not flow together in any way whatsoever throughout all five issues. This is a massive collection of very random thoughts and drawings that are not rude, or edgy, or political….they are not controversial, and do not offend anyone. Typically this does not satisfy my tastes in art at all. That being said, I quite enjoyed reading all of these zines.

TATER TOTTER #2

TATER TOTTER #2 WWW.KATEBERUBE.ETSY.COM /// This is a zine for kids. It’s has silly stories, and silly drawings that are made to be colored by the youthful reader. I loved the ‘Zoology’ section of animals that “Might” exist, the Grizzlysaurus rex being my favorite. It’s short and cute and I will be sure to give it to my son next year after he’s honed his coloring skills a bit more.

THE SODA KILLERS#2

THE SODA KILLERS#2 $5 or Trade bnb@hotdogdayz.com/// This zine took a while to get to me due to the mailbox debacle of last spring. It kept getting sent back to the authors and they kept sending it back to me…keeping it in the various envelopes. I think it was wrapped in four returned envelopes when it finally got to me. Persistent Minnesotans. Good thing too, because I love this zine. This issue follows the same pattern of stories, pics, collage, and tons of recorded and live reviews. I really like reading these reviews, they are personal and you can tell that the person writing them knows a lot about the music being covered. The live reviews were it for me, Motley Crue, Poison, Anthrax, the Dwarves, Iceage, Midwest Hellfest. The writing takes you into the event, and walks you through all the hilarious and cool stuff happening off stage, as well as on stage. I like that.///

Previous review here: http://sddzine.blogspot.com/2012/01/soda-killers-1.html

Junk Zine #7

Junk Zine #7 $3 or Trade POB 950 Spokane, WA 99210//// This consists mostly of letters from readers and the author, James’s responses. That might sound boring to someone who doesn’t have any context for the wide variety of subject matter covered, but I found it fascinating. For some reason a lot of the people writing in are in prison. James has a very no-nonsense writing style that I dig and responds to every letter. For example, in responding to a person who refers to himself as a, “left-libertarian market socialist anarcho-communist agorist-mutualist in the Tuckerite-Richardian strain with a communist-anarchist tendency”, James writes, “You seem to be enamored of outré eclecticism for its own sake – you’re macho flashing all over the place” and later goes on to critique left-libertarian publications as, “little more than egotists, jockeying for ideological alpha male positions amongst themselves”. And that is why I found this zine so fascinating.

Xrisville #5

Xrisville #5 free xerisville@yahoo.ca/// Reading and reviewing Xrisville after just having read and reviewed The Filth is an experiment in what learned folks would call literary dichotomy. The Filth is raw, angry and in your face, while Xrisville is a very lighthearted and clever take on modern Canadian life. The author has a knack for graphic design and uses it to make funny fake advertisements and article statements that are present throughout the magazine. A lot of this issue is focused on the 2012 Mayan end of the world prophecy and his humorous take on that. This magazine is dripping with sarcasm like a rabid bull mastiff but most of the humor is

good natured and just plain silly (Canadians). Reads like a one person zine version of MAD Magazine, or CRACKED.

The Filth issues 6-8

The Filth: #6, #7, #8 5 Mira Court Baltimore, Maryland 21220 thefilthsubmissions@gmail.com

//// The Western Rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis) when young, has a hard time controlling the amount of venom it releases when giving a bite. Venom is life to these youthful vipers, and if they waste it on defensive strikes, they have nothing left to hunt with. The Filth reads like a young pit viper: all venom all the time. But unlike the immature Crotalus, this venom is not wasted on defensive strikes: This zine is constantly on the hunt. It took me a while to get through all three issues, not just because there is a hell of a lot of writing, but mostly because the writing is so dark, earnest, and often disturbing. You wont find a lot of puppy dogs and flowers within these pages, unless of course, the puppies are being impaled with forks. All three issues follow the same format: lots of poetry, lots of stories, lots of pictures, and some drawings. Venom.

..Forgot to mention issue 8 comes with a great cd from DJ Sir Morbit, issue six comes with one from The Dutch Bastard. Both are dope.

Dodo Comics #3

Dodo Comics #3 $3 http://blog.grantthomasonline.com /// The cover says it all, “Abstract Comics”. That’s what this is. The entire zine consists of various panels of different black and white brush strokes and lines. No writing, nothing recognizable. Minimalist, like this review.

Cloudfather #3

Cloudfather #3 , no price listed, cloudfather.tumbler.com, cloudfather.net, / Let me start by saying that I love art zines and Cloudfather is an art zine, so…it's already got a leg up in Randy’s review land (good name for a theme park). Initially, when I opened this zine up and thumbed through it I got a definite Neckface vibe. And although it is similar in style to Neckface, Cloudfather definitely has its own thing going. For me Kyle’s art has a graffiti-skate-gang tattoo-Hindu feel that’s very appealing. I loved the picture of the person standing in what appears to be Joshua Tree National Park with a Cloudfather mask on, I was both jealous and inspired. This zine made me curious to check out more of his work. Good stuff. Kyle also sent this mini zine along which has a bit more of his art in it:

The Offly Dark

The Offly Dark Vol. 1, Real American Gothic, no price listed, lurkmaple@gmail.com. / The first thing that got my attention in this zine is the art. There are some unique and very cool drawings inside this zine. Sometimes the drawings are intertwined within the poems, sometimes they stand alone. I love this dude’s style. The zine has a rough quality that I really appreciate. It consists simply of photo copies of what appears to be the author’s hand written poetry journals, and sketchbooks. The mistakes are scribbled out, or poorly erased with smudge marks included. And although this may sound careless or even sloppy, it actually creates a sense of warmth to the zine that I think wouldn’t otherwise exist. The poetry is pretty dark with interesting titles such as, “My Grandson The Cactus”. My one complaint is that some of the copied pages are blurry and too small to read.

Grunted Warnings 14

Grunted Warnings #14 $2 or Trade, Stratu, POB 35, Marrickville NSW 2204, AUSTRALIA. / This is a bizarre assortment of newspaper clippings from around the world assembled by Stuart Stratu of BlackGuard fame. The titles of newspaper articles alone are why newspapers must never die. Grunted Warnings illustrates this in a profoundly entertaining way, titles such as, “Fatal fury at bearded lady” or, “Piranhas snack on tourists”. If you are looking for an interesting conversation starter at your next cocktail party, leave this zine out on your coffee table. The cover alone should set things in motion right off.