The NewPages
Zine Rack
Number 25 (Posted Jan 29, 2005)
Reviews by Taylor Ball
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A
Hundred Dollars And A T-Shirt:
A Documentary about Zines in the Northwest US
What does it mean when a (somewhat) monthly zine review column publishes a
review of a DVD? Well, it could mean a lot of things. For example, that the
meta-zine has finally taken on a new form, that ‘zines continue to be both
self-supporting and self-congratulatory, or maybe it just means that kids are
getting smart enough to handle video cameras in an effort to bring ‘zines up to
par with the activities and forms of media that surround and coexist with them.
And who other than the folks at Microcosm Publishing would spearhead this
advancement? A Hundred Dollars and a T-Shirt is an eighty-three minute
collection of interviews with a heaping handful (almost 70) of Northwest US-area
zinesters. The film is roughly divided into a handful of sections that include
the motive behind and history of zine-making, the future of ‘zines, and ‘zine
resources to name a few, all of which are discussed at length by these various
zinesters. Though this is a fairly monumental piece of work that deserves
attention and applause, there may be room for improvement. First of all, there
is quite a bit of inconsistency in the title itself, which will probably cause
problems in the future. Is it A Hundred Dollars and a T-Shirt, $100 &
A T-Shirt, or even A T-Shirt and a Hundred Dollars? I would have
also loved to have seen more variety in footage – more shots of zine fests and
more focus on the places where zinesters do their work rather than their
non-moving bodies speaking in front of a various backdrops. Finally, some of
the footage is poor enough to have been left on the cutting room floor. But
then again, how many ‘zines themselves are printed without a few typographical
errors or the occasional misspelling? Do see this if you get a chance. ($10,
Microcosm Publishing, 5307 N. Minnesota Ave., Portland, OR 97217-4551,
www.microcosmpublishing.com, joe@microcosmpublishing.com)
The
Banana King
Volume 1, Number 1 Summer 2004
Here again is an example of the literary journal
in zine form. The Banana King is all text, with a consistently simple
layout and presentation. Despite Neil Whitacre’s remarkably attractive cover
artwork for this first issue, one thumb through the pages and it becomes
abundantly clear that it is the words and stories themselves (and perhaps their
titles and authors) that carry the importance. Out of the dozen or so pieces
included in this zine, about six authors are represented, with the zine’s
editor, A.B. Drea, receiving most of the page space. The writing here is good
enough to hold my interest, though as true with most collections, the pieces of
both fiction and nonfiction are usually hit or miss. Standout fiction pieces
include Luis Campos’ “Reception,” a somewhat dark and mysterious story that
speaks with the same emptiness and confusion it examines and Drea’s “Ninja,” a
rather involved and detailed anti-hero story. Admittedly, I appreciated the
pieces of non-fiction more wholly. In The Banana King, each piece is
specified as either fiction or non-fiction, a practice which allows me to read
Simon Smith’s non-fictional “My Naked Father” more easily with the knowledge
that it may or may not need to adhere to some expectation of a short story’s
importance. While the collection is for the most part solid and entertaining,
The Banana King’s stories rarely flow from page to page. I found myself
frustrated with the gratuitous “(continued on page X)” that seemed to
interrupt every piece, sometimes two or three times each. Obviously, however,
this is a zine with a strong driving force behind it and I’ll be looking forward
to reading more from these and more writers. (8.5” x 5.5”, 44 pages, 2438 North
Kedzie Boulevard, #314, Chicago, IL 60647,
the_banana_king@att.net)
Bejeezus
#5
Bejeezus is primarily a music ‘zine, and
though the majority of its content consists of both long and short interviews
with quite a handful of both well-known and little-known musical artists, there
exists a very local flavor between these features. Perhaps Bejeezus is
published primarily for Louisville residents; however, I found the
advertisements for local galleries and shops a fascinating window into life in
the Louisville scene. Additionally, Crow Hollister offers up just two (sadly)
pages of older photographs with handwritten text, entitled “Louisville Spots,”
and “Louisville Folk,” my favorite two pages in the entire ‘zine, somehow mixing
beautifully with the rest of the content. And for the rest of Bejeezus,
interviews and Q & A sessions with My Morning Jacket, The Handsome Family, and
The Rogers Sisters, to name a few. And, another high mark for Bejeezus:
short and interesting interviews with the minds behind a few independent
businesses. (8.5” x 11”, 68 pages, $3.00ppd, P.O. Box 575, Louisville, KY 40201,
hillary@bejeezuszine.com,
www.bejeezuszine.com)
Elephant
Mess #13
Listen, I’m quite aware that in writing ‘zine
reviews I really am supposed to be reviewing the ‘zine and not its
creator. However, Dan seems like such a good guy that it’s difficult and
problematic to make the distinction when reading his ‘zine Elephant Mess.
In this issue, Dan opens up explaining why he wrote his “messy memoirs” and
yet ultimately decided against printing them in his ‘zine. His introduction is
friendly, funny and honest. Dan goes on to include a few pages of writing
entitled “The Phoenix Months,” about his time in, and his way out of Phoenix,
Arizona. The next significant chunk of text is devoted to Dan’s history of
zining, and includes a history of Elephant Mess, followed by a few pages
that feature reprints of the covers of his earlier ‘zines. All of this may
appear self-congratulatory, however, Dan presents himself humbly. On the first
page he writes, “I hate to be the eternal pessimist, but I have to be honest
with you: this stuff ain’t groundbreaking.” Dan balances the line between
pride and self-consciousness, proving his passion for his work while never
dipping into apathy. So, Dan, if I’m ever in Idaho… (4.5” x 5.5”, 36 pages,
$1, Dan Murphy, P.O. Box 6352, Boise, ID 83707,
messyelephant@hotmail.com)
Go
By Bicycle #2
Lately, the margin where bicycle advocacy and zine culture meet appears to be
widening with each newly salvaged or pieced together bike. Go By Bicycle
exists plainly within this margin, offering a unique collection of bike reading
nonetheless. Editor Scott Larkin supplies pieces that cover the area beyond
passionate bike manifestos, which includes an interview with Roxanne Warren,
founder of Vision42, a group attempting to “bring a pedestrian- and lightrail-only
mall to the most congested street in Manhattan, 42nd.” That Scott
includes such a lengthy and detailed discussion is important in that it is
ridiculously informative and for the most part, allows the “darkside of car
culture” to speak for itself. Similarly, Scott offers a veritable double-whammy
as the next few pages are devoted to explaining the findings of London’s policy
of toll-charging for those who enter the city by car. Also includes a piece
prompted by Scott’s reading of the ‘zine Bicycle Propaganda. Scott’s
writing is clear and concise, while simultaneously complete. This is a
refreshingly smart and well-researched advocacy publication. (8.5” x 5.5”, 24
pages, $2, Scott Larkin, P.O. Box 18233, Portland, OR 97218,
www.gobybicycle.com)
Golden
Eyes on the Ocean Floor
By Nick Threndyle
As the popularity of graphic novels and comic ‘zines climbs steadily, Nick
Threndyle offers up his writing and artwork together in a harmonious blend with
his short comic book Golden Eyes on the Ocean Floor. Nick, however,
takes his own spin on the form by publishing a lengthy poem amid his art rather
than a prose-based narrative. The words of Golden Eyes on the Ocean Floor
are neatly and creatively nestled between intricately drawn illustrations, the
combination of which chugs the story along rhythmically and musically. Nick’s
poem, with lines like “You looked through your / video cam and said, / ‘I dream
about shaving / and new ways of paying, / and high speed rewinding cassettes’…”
is a poignant, critical, almost hallucinatory social analysis. As Nick writes
his lines into his images, he redefines the sometimes dry notion of a poem’s
structural importance lying in the careful arrangement of its lines and their
punctuation. Nick’s writing is as sprawling, literally, or as tight, literally,
as it needs to be and when it needs to be, even following the same rhythm within
word bubbles on pages of dialogue. I sincerely hope he has more where this
comes from. Recommended. (10” x 6”, 32 pages, $6 Canadian for Canadian
residents, $6 American for American residents, Nick Threndyle, #414 1298 W 10th
Ave, Vancouver, BC, V6H 1J4 Canada, goldeneyesontheoceanfloor@yahoo.ca)
H_NGM_N
#2
I’d venture to guess that the “’zine of poetry &c,” H_NGM_N,
considers the art of poetry exclusively in the written – rather than spoken or
performed – dimension. Why else would the magazine sport a title that is itself
only truly comprehensible in the written form? Indeed, I found myself wondering
how to refer to the ‘zine when I mentioned it to a roommate, ultimately having
to hold up my copy, point to the cover and say “yeah, this.” That said,
H_NGM_N #2 contains poetry and a short story from seven different writers,
all hailing from somewhere in the Southern United States. The styles of poetry
one will find in this issue are refreshingly varied with each writer taking an
obviously different approach to his or her work, so there’s quite a good chance
that the average reader will find two or three poems to think about and
re-read. Also, the ‘zine’s editor and contributing editor are not featured
writers in this issue, which leads me to believe that they are publishing this
journal out of sheer pleasure and passion for poetry on paper. With an open
call for manuscripts, H_NGM_N is a good resource for poet and poetry
reader alike. (8.5” x 11”, 18 pages, $3ppd, c/o Nate Pritts, 715 College Ave.,
Natchitoches, LA 71457, nathanpritts@hotmail.com)
Turpentine
#4
If ever I were to testify in favor of the perpetuating livelihood of
fanzines, perhaps I’d pull out this copy of Turpentine as exhibit A in my
defense. Because, well, Turpentine is a fanzine in its true form,
structure, and content. Any ‘zine whose introduction begins with the classic
line, “EEGADS! You wouldn’t believe how much homework I’ve been
procrastinating to work on this ish,” indeed hints toward the adolescent nature,
proving to my satisfaction that, thankfully, teenagers are still writing ‘zines
instead of doing their homework. This fanzine covers all the bases: a how-to
piece on altering books and journals, interviews with the local all-girl punk
band Eufio, and Kimya Dawson of the Moldy Peaches, tributes to Jack Black and
Edward Norton, some creative writing, and a few quick music reviews. While
Turpentine #4 features some submitted content, Ilana seems to be behind the
cut and paste layout and orchestration of the ‘zine. That said, Turpentine
may not always be Turpentine, but with a passionate creator such as Ilana,
we can hope to be seeing her around these parts for quite a while. (8.5” x
5.5”, 24 pages, $2/trade, c/o Ilana, 1162 Juliet Ave., St. Paul, MN 55105,
www.angelfire.com/zine2/turpentine)
Wendy
Magazine #5
The tagline of this zine, printed boldly at the bottom of the cover reads,
“not as good as something better,” and I can’t find an example more
representative of the tone and mood that is consistent throughout this issue.
Wendy’s editors – two girls who share the name Wendy – present content
that is lighthearted, comical, and oftentimes silly. And yet, with due
applause, the silliness that is Wendy is rarely too haphazard or
off-the-wall. Instead, it is consistent and witty. Although I imagine myself
to be quite a bit older than the “Wendies,” (who include a piece on their
history in which they claim to be complementary identical twins) I can’t help
but recognize that in their arena, these girls are, or should be, on top. For
example, in an earlier issue, they provided their readers with an altered
photograph of George W. Bush holding a tiny dog/lizard. In issue #5, they
reprint the stories their readers wrote using the photo as a prompt, and supply
their own. While the content is scatterbrained, it all ties together under a
similar thread of illuminating and exaggerating already-present absurdity, such
as a piece that pokes fun (by every angle) at Letterman’s buddy Paul Shaffer, a
book review on the children’s book A Clown Like Me, in which the reviewer
lists a number of reasons why the book may have been previously pulled from the
library’s shelves. There certainly is a lot going on in this ‘zine, despite its
brevity. The zine world will be that much better if these Wendies stick with
this for a while. (8.5” x 5.5”, 24 pages, $1,
wendy@wendymagazine.com,
www.wendymagazine.com)
Yonlizer
Publishing: Almost Expelled
I’m sure that by now, a newer issue of Yonlizer Publishing has been
released. However, this is all I have to work with, and it deserves a review
just like the rest of them. Evidently, each issue of this ‘zine has a subtitle
rather than a number, so this is the “Almost Expelled” issue, released in April
of 2004, and laced with political views of the disgruntled citizen variety.
There are numerous anti-Bush pieces, which in my opinion are almost always
interesting to read, but these may have been slightly less depressing to read in
April instead of during the week of Bush’s second inauguration. There’s a
self-ridiculing piece entitled “The Joneses vs. The Hooligan Artists (For
President),” which outlines the dichotomy between “the ‘Good American Voters’”
and “The Others, Those Artists.” While the remaining content in this ‘zine
comes from a handful of artists and writers, it can best be summed up as a
hodgepodge of art students’ work. There are illustrations and cartoons drawn in
differing styles, a piece about a student trip to India, and a couple of short
essays to top it off. (8.5” x 5.5”, 28 pages, $2, Can/Mex $2.50, World $2.95,
c/o CalArts, MM-19, 24700 McBean Pkwy, Valencia, CA 91355,
www.yonlizer.com,
yoni@yonlizer.com)
To
Cumulative Index of Zines Reviewed
P.O. Box 1580