A fat little culture zine bursting with information and a wide range of it. At 40 pages for a mere buck, this quarter zine is hefty. With its’ own mail section, Jokes, Website reviews, Crafty bits, Lit Reviews, Music reviews, Bad idea, better idea (love the whole toilet paper rant – makes so much sense…!) Raquel Mendoza’s Travel Diary is particularly good, Olivia Arrow’s interview with Pink Bloque is very, very in-depth. An insider’s guide to cities afar and comics conclude the issue. Tastes like: Really good See’s Candy

Snippet:

“We are focusing on women this issue just for fun and because we recognize the effort of certain ladies and like what they do. Some people call this action ‘giving [one] props’. Being believers of equality, there are also many boys in here, so nobody is feeling ostracized.

One buck, and worth much more. Email the creator directly, until I get stock in.

Hssreader AT hotmail DOT com
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Another thick issue, HSS Reader is what many mainstream (maga)zines strive to be. Informative, witty, and downright cool, this issue was considered the, ‘Easy’ one due to the high volume of submissions – it’s no wonder why, who wouldn’t want a piece of their work in it. Of course we still have the same high production values, 40 pages for a buck. One thing I like is about how Olivia tells you how she’s trying to improve her zine – an ever reaching quest for something better – that’s just something mainstream media will never admit to. Of particular interest is, ‘stumble into fame’. Bad idea / Better idea, is great as usual, and should be common sense – but it’s obvious that it’s not, so it’s here for all to see. The usual good stuff, crafty bits, music, lit & art reviews. Travel story (great as usual – this time by Celeste Tabora), interview (tightened up considerably), Comics & Credits. Brill work as usual, keep it up Olivia. Tastes like: Dark Chocolate with nuts.

Snippet:

“If you know who we are at HSS you know why there is no time for hobbies such as writing, editing, cutting, gluing, copying, shopping, folding, stapling and labeling each and every issue we send out - usually along with a hand written letter. It’s fun believe us you, but between all the jobs, the people, the demands of city life, and the other hobbies we play favorites with, it’s hard to make this thing a regular publication. But we will try our damnedest to make them more frequently.”

One buck, and worth much more. Email the creator directly, until I get stock in.

Hssreader AT hotmail DOT com
_______________________________________
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Zine Review - Introvert Number Four

First of, I love this cover. The skull faces in the embrace, the white on black, thin scratchy lines, it’s bold, it’s dynamic and a good use of shape and form. Inside we have the usual apologies for the lateness of the issue; this is normal with zinesters, but Nicole is honest in saying it’s been six years since the previous update. A darned shame, I say, because Introvert is a zinesters zine, lots of text, lots of photos, lots of everything that makes zines fun. The intro story I found interesting and sweet all at once, with a good use of visual dialogue. Nicole’s writing is varied, something as an author I respect, and with the next work, we see precisely how varied. This whole zine is like that, flitting from topic to topic, but always with good, clear writing, and a great use of imagery. I’ve been told number five is on my way to my mailbox, so look for that review soon. Tastes like: Sourdough toast with good real butter. It's merely a buck, so please try this one out, you won't be disappointed.

Tidbit:

“She doesn’t pardon herself. Just gathers her old grin and memories and heads for the door. No matter the urge, there’s no reason to compromise her mind. With the fifth of whiskey poking from her back pocket, it’d eventually be easy to do so. But not tonight, it’s just not worth it to her anymore.”
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Holly heck, is this guy for real? He needs to be on stage. I’m serious, one word:

FUNNY

For a mere three bucks you get a professionally printed glossy zine that it’s pretty clear someone put some love and care into. This just might be one of those few zines that you’ll see cross from being a zine to a magazine. I wish that All Jaffe (mad magazine) would hire this guy, but it might make the mainstream humor media actually funny again. His images, and artwork are sketchy, loose and very cartooney, in an odd sort of Charles Aadams way, but with good use of spot coloring (yes a color zine folks). My personal favorite was a multi-page article, ‘Get rich the EASY WAY’ which advises ladies to marry rich old men. Great layout, good use of illustration and just plain laugh-out-loud funny. Tastes like: Fritos

Tidbit:

“The fun and games soon end though. During the night, the giant croc attacks their camp. A helpless cameraman is drug off and is never seen alive again. In vain, Steve tracks the blood trail only to discover his friends’s mutilated body. He takes careful note that the crocodile didn’t feed on its prey. It’s almost as if this is a warning of sorts”
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www.carolineatigeress.com

Nobody can eat 50 eggs #27

Steve goes from the glossy to the half bound, this one could easily be called the, ‘cartoon’ issue, because it’s a thick fatty beast of his best work. While his art style is a touch difficult to see in this smaller format, I feel the volume offsets it. I like the narrative style that he tells his stories in, it makes it easy for the reader to follow, and also I like at the bottom under each cartoon of breaking the fourth wall, it really allows me to enter into Steve’s world and not be an outsider. His insights reguarding the work place are fascinating, and the bits with his Myspace addiction are very funny. Tastes like: Doritos (classic Nacho Cheese, if we must be specific)

Soundbite:

“For her birthday, I got Jennifer a sketchbook and a DVD of the movie mean Girls. At the bottom of every page in the sketchbook I wrote something for her to draw (like ‘surly pirate’ and ‘suspicious kitty’), The idea came from a conversation we had where she had said she would draw in a sketchbook but never knew what ot draw. She has not draw in the book to date.

Review only, contact the author for copies:

Eat_50_eggs @ hotmail . com
_______________________________________
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Music Review:Jug Fusion!
When it was my intention to begin reviewing indymedia professionally, music, while an obvious choice was not the first thing to come into mind, and while surfing the ‘net one day, I came across a quirky bit of history, that guitars in poorer parts of the nation (and world) were once made of Cigar Boxes. Googleing further, I found out there were dedicated communities to the music of the time, skill, and art of making cigar box guitars.
This led me to a few myspace pages, and signing up on a yahoo group where I lurk, and listen. The subculture as a whole is quite fascinating, and imagine my surprise when one of those people starts mentioning that they want to write a zine about primitive music creation.
I immediately emailed the author and we struck a deal, a fat packet of zines for some cd’s. Thus, the story as to how I got my hands on a copy of, “Jug Fusion: Box Set”
To try to describe this music in common terms is impossible. It’s clear that these artisans of, ‘Primal-Phonic Sound’ are gifted musicians without par, but also that their twangy, bluesy, rockabilly concepts are on home made instruments just blows my mind.
From the gospel (a genre which I have to admit I’m not up to par on), to good ol’ fashioned blues, this particular cd runs the gamut of talent and skill. I have to admit, I’m partial to their tagline, “Sounds like Fat Albert on acid”. I’d go one further and say it sounds like Acid on Acid. This music grabs you by the bra straps and says, ‘bitch you’re not going anywhere.’ While no one person will like all tracks on all cd’s, this one’s a winner in my book.
Here’s a direct link:
http://www.cigarboxguitars.com/features/Jug_Fusion.php
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An Evening with JonBenet Ramsey:A Play and Two Essays by Walter A Davis
I first heard about Walter Davis on Kboo.Fm, where he appeared as a guest. His unflinching attack on the Mass Media I found fascinating, and when he left a e-mail address we had a brief corrispondance. I told him I wrote reviews for indymedia, and he was kind enough to send me an autographed copy of this book.
The book is thick with facts, the essays are rich and full of verifiable, in-your-face anti-corporate mentality. That’s not what will attract you to this reading, however useful the information is.
The play, the first part of the book, “An Evening with JonBenet Ramsey” explores the what if JonBenet had survived her ordeal, and then grew up.
That needs to scare you, because as JonBenet grows up in this mythology, she becomes aware of the sexual object that she was glamorized into, and she is able to look at her parents, our culture, our world with biting sarcasam and acidic lips. She tells the story of her childhood and life experiences as only she can, from her first-person perspective.
Technically, the play could easily be produced, but I’m unsure if any theater groups have the balls to do so. Fortunatly, we can simply buy Walter Davis’s book and get the whole thing in our hands.
Brilliant writing, but not for the faint of heart or illiterate, Davis writes up, not dumbed down for the masses. If you want a piece of solid, meaty, anti-corporate writing, then this is it.
http://www.walteradavis.com/
Snippet (selected from his website):
"I remember, in high school, I'd lie awake — after — rigid but my mind racing, unable to halt the rush of images that projected themselves on the ceiling above me like pictures on a screen, a home movie superimposed on the idiot wallpaper Mitzi'd chosen for my room, a collage of Disneyfied monkeys, ducks, and mice grinning. It was like I was exploding out onto the ceiling, thrown from myself then coming back at myself in a whirl of images. But as dark shifted to shadow and become dawn I'd slow it down until there was a single picture, a snapshot preserved, refined, and stored here (tapping head) as a tablet against forgetting.
That I did it — to myself. The pageants. To myself, ten cents a dance. That I would do anything — to win your love. That you let me do it. Saw I was doing it and couldn't stop yourselves. I was a child, how could you let me do that to myself —"
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Zine Review – Elephant Mess #17

With a cool flip-up format, Elephant Mess emphasizes stream-of-consciousness, the pouring output of one person’s mind. Yet, unlike many zines with this format, the ideas have been refined to the point of being literature, and not purile tripe. Dan Murphy makes it work, with a sweet sequence of concepts that makes you think about his world without being arrogant or ordinary. Dan likes to make you ponder, and I like that in any good piece of writing.

Snippet:

“Fact or fiction? Isn’t that one of the deepest, most perplexing of life’s questions anyway? It only makes sense to perpetuate the mystery by playing into the myth, right?”

A mere fifty cents, an excellent value.

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