by Aaron
This is just a quick run down of zines I’ve read recently. I wrote all of the following 25 reviews on the morning 4-26-00 so this in not in depth analysis here. I also do not review free newsprint zines because there are too many to keep track of.

Rocktober #28 I really like Rocktober when they research topics other than obscure rockn¹roll stars so this is a good issue. This issue they go in depth with Redd Foxx. There is also a great interview with Pat Boone. The Dickies and the usual comics. (1507 E. 53rd St. #617 Chicago, IL 60615)

Angry Thoreanuan #26 A zine from Rev. Tinear, the busiest zine editor in existence. However, this issue does contain a higher than normal number of contributors -the theme is failure. The highlight is Shane Williams story of being a failed band robber. I just noticed there is only one band interview in this issue and it's only a page (Osker). There is an interview with Jeff Bale and Randall's usual L.A. Diary. (PO Box 3478 Hollywood, Ca. 90078)

Spank #29 Just looking at it this zine comes off as a cross between Punk Planet and MRR or a Ten Things for Iowa. However, the read is a little more personal. There are some interviews with bands and record labels, a lot of zine and record reviews and about ten columnists. The highlight this issue maybe the interview with a prisoner, Seth Ferranti. (1004 Rose Ave. Des Moines, IA 50315-3000)

Alarm #6 This zine shares some columnists with Spank and has a similar format, but more inclined toward the Punk Planet style with the lay-out featuring photos that take up a whole page and the use of open space. Definite East Coast (post-)hardcore slant with band interviews with One Line Drawing and the Judas Factor. Big clean printing job. (PO Box 200069 Boston, MA 02120)

Mutant Renegade #14 This is mostly goofy stuff and features that focus on Dayton, and more than half the zine is comprised of record reviews. However, there is an interview with Joan Jett. (PO box 3445 Dayton, OH 45401)

Slug and Lettuce # 65 Long running zine that still attempts to do a good job covering the full spectrum of underground punk bands. However, the editor makes it obvious, the community of punk is more important to her than building the scene used to be. (PO Box 26632 Richmond, VA 23261-6632)

Bunnyhop #10 The editors have moved into the world of successful adults. It doesn¹t say that anywhere, but this whole zine just exudes young hip adultness. The theme is "faking it" and starts off with stories from people who have faked their way through situations. Then an article on the painter, Elmyr, who made a good living forging paintings -that ties into a story about the guy who faked the Howard Hughs autobiography. Then a report on The Onion, very appropriate to the theme. There is an interview with The Champs, who aren't faking it. An interview with the guy who makes "real dolls". A well done interview with a guy who made is living posing as a statue at SF tourist locations. There were some other articles that I must of skimmed through because I don't remember them, but overall this whole thing is impressive. ($4.95 cover price, PO Box 423930 SF, Ca. 94142-3930)

Scram #12 Reminds me very much of Rocktober, good interview with Harvey Sid Fisher. A retrospective on Floyd and Jerry -a teen duo from the sixties that never quite made it to the top. A good article on Tony Basil. An article on records that attempted to capitalize on Beatlemania that would have gone well in the Bunnyhop faking it issue, and other stuff.(PO Box 461626 Hollywood, Ca. 90046-1626)

$6.99/lb. #3 Starts off with a good interview with Mike Patton. There were other features on bands that I just don't follow like Cobra Killer doing the digital hardcore stuff and then that guy from Sebadoh that I was never really into. I used to like Pavement when they were from Stockton and had the crazy drummer, but now I don't care. I was interested in the interview of Buzz from the Melvins, but there wasn't much to it. The interview with the human guinea pig was a highlight of the issue. Then just more bands, like the Boredoms, that I'm just tired of hearing about. Good zine though! (PO box 43481 Somerville, MA 02143)

Tight Pants #1#2 #4 #5 #6 A touring band left these at my house. It took me forever to get around to checking them out, but when I did I read them straight through. One of the best personal zines I¹ve read in a long time, done by a very cool girl, the only thing I wasn't really into was the cereal report just because I've never really liked sugary cereal, but everything else I read every word. I hear there is a number 7 out now. (PO box 5001 Amherst, MA 01002-5001)

Panik #11This is excellent. It’s a tabloid size newsprint paper with full blown, well researched articles on various underground topics. It’s intellectual without sounding pretentious. Jim Goad was in three of the last issues if that tells you anything. In this issue there was an interesting article on the Baader-Meinhof organization which inspired me to look up the web site and pre-order an upcoming book. There is a good Boyd Rice interview too. Once again, this says “adults only” maybe because of some of the graphic art. I have to admit that I decided not to read this one at the schools I sub teach at. ( $3ppd, 996 Redondo Ave. #626 Long Beach Ca, 90804)

Chicken is Good Food #6 When this zine first started coming out I have to admit I thought it was sparse on content and almost a waste of time. Lately though I’ve been finding things I want to read in here. Still, does the font have to be that big? This time the featured article by the editor was about “The History of Technology”. It was basically a run down on the different computers she owned as a young techno geek and the upgrades over time. I could not relate at all, but found it interesting. She also gave IQ tests to a few punk bands, plus reviews, Vindictives... No longer newsprint, full color cover. ($3 PO Box 642634 SF Ca. 94164-2634)

Barracuda #6 A man’s magazine with softcore pin up type photos of women. “Yesterday’s Stag Magazine of the Future Today”. This time around the “real man” feature is on artist Edgar Leetag. (Last issue it was Steve McQueen) There is goofy stuff like an article on the new Mach 3 razor. Mixed in with more serious product reviews on bottled water and such, since reading the article here, I have been buying Red Rum. A lot of effort is put into the lay-out. (PO box 291873 LA Ca. 90029)

Duhhh#10/Smitten#6 split zine Long running zine from Anthony, but he quit the distro business. A mostly personal zine with some reviews. I read this a long time ago... (Anthony P. PO Box 47/Bradford/BD8 7TX/England)

Jaded In Chicago #8 Considering the title it has a very new school look to it. Using big photos and graphics in the lay-out. Interviews with The Get Up Kids, Anti-Flag, Apocalypse Hoboken, show reviews and columns. (Bill Denker 4031 Forest Ave. Western Springs, Il 60558)

Runnin’Feart #5 Record and Zine Reviews and Interviews. The Ramones and a bunch of bands I never heard of. “Scotland’s TOP punk rock fanzine.” Very nice lay-out, half size. (Callum Masson/12 Crusader Crescent/Stewarton/Ayrshire/Scotland/KA3 3Bl)

The Assassin and the Whiner #11 Great personal comic. Last issue she finally found love. This issue it fizzles and she moves back to LA. ($1ppd Carrie McNinch PO box 481051 Los Angeles, Ca. 90048)

A Readers Guide to the Underground Press #12 Very thick half size zine about zines. Articles, columns, and many reviews. ($3ppd PMB# 2386 537 Jones St. San Francisco, Ca. 94102)

Letters From Mike #1 I don’t remember how I got this, but the editor I know from Mission Records. A young urban punk zine. Most of it is handwritten and drawn. Letters from friends, personal writings. It’s punk rock, but not about bands. More about people and places. (Pablo d. RockAfucker 68 Arnold Ave. SF Ca. 94110)

Carbon 14 #16 The husband and wife editing team who produce this have to have a combination of #1 Smarts #2 Stability #3 Dedication. That’s the only way a project like this can work. High quality printing and a load of content. Punk rock (in the Electric Frankenstein vein of things) art, wrestling, and some porn. A 7in. record comes with each issue. ($5 and postage, PO box 29247 Philadelphia, PA 19125)

Boyd X Unusual personal zine about women by a confused man. It’s been a while since I read it. I don’t know why it says adults only. ($2 adults only POB 352135 Toldeo, OH 43635-2135)

Mutant Renegade #13 Kind of like a mid-west punk rock weekly, but it comes out every 8 weeks or so. I can’t remember most of what I read. ($3 PO Box 3445 Dayton, OH 45401)

Agree to Disagree #8 Brian Disagree, the most sensitive man on the planet is back full force this issue. “Even if a person says something to me, and they are mad at me but not really that mad, it still hurts, I cry, I can’t take it. I am so sensitive, people call me a pussy. I call myself a majorly depressed mentally handicapped kid in an adult’s body. I hate living like this. Why did my parents even bother making me? My parents are both handicapped and so is my sister who is two years older. Is it really fair for me to go through life screwed in the head and doctors have no idea what to do?” Man! There is nobody else like Brian in the zine world. I used to think maybe he was part of somebody’s imagination, but he’s stayed in character though several issues. He also has tales from the group home that can be pretty hard hitting. The rest of the zine is personal columns and punk rock reviews and interviews. (PO Box 56057 1st Avenue Postal Outlet/Vancouver, B.C./Canada/V5L 5E2)

Straight Force (last issue, now Alarm) Looks like an MRR clone at first glance, but it goes a little deeper than that. This issue has some actual FRONT LINE reporting on the abortion issue. The music coverage leans toward hardcore and the East Coast. ($3 PO Box 200069 Boston, MA 02102)

Subversive Thought #3 This zine has the most time consuming format I’ve ever seen. He actually staples photocopied pages onto larger pages that are stitched in magazine format. Anyway, this is a zine from the suburban GA where punks really are outcasts. There is writing on various topics, not one band interview, but some show reviews and pictures of the punks involved. Beer plays a part. Just got #4. (PO Box 706 Evans, GA 30809)

Iron Feather Journal I could not relate to the cyberpunk focus of this zine. Even the writing seemed a bit cryptic to me. What is the two page of Earthlink and Sprint Access Numbers for?? I don’t even know. Then the next page they have Macaroni and Cheese reviews. Then an article about an underground hacker party in Las Vegas. (PO box 1905 Boulder, CO 80306)

Inbred Picnic #5 I’m not into comics, but this is well drawn and pretty good. (JB Thomas PO box 163463 Sacramento, Ca. 95816)

Tail Spins #33 More than half of this issue is record reviews. My guess is that they got so consumed with publishing Zine Guide that the record reviews just backed up for this issue. The Thumbs tour guide is the highlight along with the thing on Greyhound, other articles too. I don’t like the blocky lay-out and super small font. (PO box 1860 Evanston, IL 60204)

Randomonium! from the Pressed Press This is a very honest and up front music related zine from a couple of adventures young women looking for something to do. Interview with Spazz, Cave In and other bands, some I haven’t heard of. For some reason they interviewed “punk rock boy band” Saves the Day. The good stuff is the snippets, photos, and jokes from the editors. Such as “Straight-Edge Clue”(PO box 1650 Beltsville, MD 20704-1650)

Spank #28 Nice thick paper and easy to read layout. Standard (punk) music coverage. Columns, interview with The Muffs and yet another Get Up Kids interview, reviews (1004 Rose Avenue Des Moines, IA 50315-3000)

Slug and Lettuce #62 Long running zine that has changed a little bit since the editor has moved out of New York -actually just her own introductory column has changed, but it’s a major part of the zine. Normally I skim through the other columns, but one of them caught my attention this time because it was about a woman Keri and I just met the weekend before. She had a scar on her face and she mentioned on stage she had been stabbed, but I didn’t realize how recent and fucked up the situation was until I read the column about it. It wasn’t a mugging, but a chickenshit attack at a party from some pathetic punk character who goes by the name of Ducky. Hopefully someone tracks this guy down because he got away. This zine is also a good source for record and zine reviews. Classifieds too. (Christine PO box 26632 Richmond, VA 23261-6632)

Sonic Iguana #4 Jeff Dahl’s rock n’ roll fanzine is looking pretty good. Old school rockers will appreciate this. Features include Electric Frankenstein, a thing on the Alice Cooper Band Reunion, and general rock n’roll news and reviews. (PO box 1867 Cave Creek, AZ 85327)

Paniscus Review #6 A well done review zine that covers music, video, and zines. (Tom Crites PO Box 464 Alexandria, VA 22313-0464)

Rats in the Hallway #14 Growing new school punk zine with old school influences. Kind of a cross of Punk Planet and MRR on format. It has fiction and other articles along with the usual columns, band interviews, and reviews. The bands they cover here: New Found Glory, Consumed, Still Left Standing, Angels Never Answee.. just seem a little bland to me. I guess that’s just the state of punk rock today. It’s nice and easy. The CD that comes with this is pretty good. It’s all the best tracks off CD’s from various bands they like. I guess even bland punk rock bands can write good songs here and there. (PO box 7151 Boulder, CO 80306)

Beer Can Fanzine #4 Really great half size newsprint zine about beer and punk rock. (PO box 14371 Portland, OR 97293)

Motion Sickness #9 Only read half of this so far, but I’ll mention it now because Probe is featured in here in the “punks over 30” series of interviews. Loundmouths, Chris Dodge, Black Devil Records, Al Quint, Texas Terri, Tilt. Dischord, Six Weeks, Good Riddance, Kid Dynamite and others...(PO Box 24277 St. Louis, MO 63130)

Angry Thoreanuan I lost the latest issue, but always worth a read. (PO Box 3478 Hollywood, Ca. 90078)

This review by Craigums:

Cat Butt #3
Shoshannah knows heavy metal. Reared at a Catholic school it is no
wonder she was led down the debaucherous path of dark and evil music.
Like the two previous issues she explores and explains growing up metal
from the early 80's, and further describes what is like to STILL be
metal today. Her recountings on all things metal are insightful and
entertaining, often making me laugh out loud (sometimes because of her
wit, sometimes because I could relate to her situation of growing up as
a suburban metalhead). Above all, though, she is incredibly smart,
making her writing flow easily and intelligently. And everytime you
think you may have lost her to mature outlooks on an immature subject,
she throws in clippings from her junior high notebooks wherein she draws
crude Nikki Sixx's and devils and pentagrams, or features an interview
with the webmaster of longhairedmen.com, showing she is never too
absorbed with her fellow senior class metalheads to hangout with the
freshman class rocker kids. This is the type of zine I hold dearest:
funny, smart, and personal expressions on topics relative to me, and not
commercial vehicles for bands and labels and the like.
PO Box 470263, San Francisco CA 94147-0263

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