Coral Coogan: A very personal zine from Chris of Bizarrism infamy. It’s a loving tribute to his late aunty, an aspiring actress and genuinely nice-sounding person. Heart-felt and a little bit sad. Here is a woman who had a wonderful life, yet perhaps felt cheated that she never achieved more, on the cusp of something greater but never quite reaching that goal. It’s a lovely piece of writing. I hope other members of Chris’s family appreciated this publication as much as I did.
Chris Mikul, PO Box K546, Haymarket, NSW, 1240, AUSTRALIA, cathob@zip.com.au[email for prices, 28 x A5, 30min]Bizarrism#8: From the gaudy, gory cover depicting Tiger Balm Gardens in Singapore to a shocking expose on the horrendous excesses of dead Libyan dictator Gaddafi (possibly the worst serial rapist of all time), Chris’s celebrated, long-running zine is off to another heady start. Add to this more sensational research into the very mysterious death of the unknown Somerton Man and the truly fabulous adventures (if slightly untrue) of Denisa, Lady Newborough and you have a thoroughly entertaining read. Again.Chris Mikul, PO Box K546, Haymarket, NSW, 1240, AUSTRALIA, cathob@zip.com.au[$8, 44 x A4, 90min]
Grunted Warning #19, #20, #21: More deranged news cut’n’pasted into one handy-dandy bimonthly publication for your toilet-reading pleasure. A lot of it comes from Japan, which is weirder and far more unsafe than one might imagine. I blame tentacle porn myself.
Stratu, PO Box 35, Marrickville, NSW, 2204, AUSTRALIA; sstratu@gmail.com; blackguard23.livejournal.com[AUD$1/stamps/trade/unusual/grotesque clippings, 12 x A5 [pages, reading time: 15 minutes]One Thousand Feathers #9, #10, #11, #12: I don’t necessarily “get” or agree with everything Raven Mack writes, but I’m always entertained by his stream-of-consciousness writings. These four-page tracts cover a wide range of topics and if you receive a fistful of ’em from Raven, then you’re bound to find at least one that grabs your attention and makes you think. Or laugh. Or shake your head. #9 are random album reviews, from obscure rappers (to me, anyway) and Neko Case to the Grateful Dead. Sadly, I wasn’t compelled to seek any of them out. I just don’t get the Dead. Or rap for that matter. #10 celebrates this year’s soccer World Cup by doing a fantasy football tournament featuring clubs from around the world. Raven picks the best-sounding teams – Shamrock Rovers FC, The Strongest, Lesotho Correctional Services – and weaves magical stories around them and why some should win over others. It’s footy tipping as poetry. #11 is fiction – gritty, meth-stained, real. My fave issue so far. #12 is a rant, a call to arms, a declaration of mental independence. Every issue is different, unexpected, individual. That’s the beauty of One Thousand Feathers.
Raven Mack, PO Box 270, Scottsville, VA, 24590, USA. http://www.rojonekku.com or seek him out on Facebook or on Google by typing in “Rojonekku”. [send him US$20 and you should get something thought-provoking in your mailbox, 4 x A4, 20min]The Life Of Rodney…Year 65 #1: What does a cantankerous Canadian lumberjack have to say? Quite a lot, actually. Not quite a review zine. Not quite a perzine. Rod has been quietly putting out publications like this for more than 25 years (that’s as long as I’ve known him, so probably even longer than that). Paper zines may be dead, but Rod wouldn’t know that. He’ll be pumping them out long after I’m in the grave.
Rodney Leighton, #11 Branch Rd, R.R.#3, Tatamagouche, NS, B0K 1V0, CANADA (trade, 8 x A4, 20min]The Kobb Log #7: The Halloween issue. Whoops, I guess I’m a little late getting this review out. Articles cover the many vampire films based on the 1872 gothic novella Carmilla, childhood memories of Halloween and reviews of many films (not all of them horror). It’s nice to see a few that I have seen and enjoyed: Electra Glide In Blue, Frankenstein’s Army, Sharknado and The Mist. The zine ends with a gruesome-but-lovely drawing by the late, sadly-missed Tom Crites. I just wish Dr Bill wold put out his always-quirky zine more often. Then again, who am I to talk about tardiness?
Kobb Labs, PO Box 30231, Pensacola, FL, 32503, USA(trade or write for prices, 38 x A4, 30min] Also from Bill – or is it The Masked Claw – comes A Brief Collection Of Disguises & Masks From A Wide Variety Of Places. This skinny 12-page zine (technically A5, although it’s really A4 sheets folded vertically) features photos of Lone Ranger-style masks that Claw sent all over the world (including to me in Sydney, Australia). He asked recipients to decorate the masks as they saw fit, then send them back to him. I gave mine to my then-5yo daughter who went to town with coloured pencils. This is a really fantastic idea and I loved this zine a lot. Ask about it when you write to Dr Bill/Masked Claw about The Kobb Log.
St. Büdchen Nachrichten #3: More graffiti and photo collages (and stickers!) from Deutschland courtesy of my favourite street artist Chill Phill. I’m not a fan of graffiti in general, but Phill is so goddamn talented (and he runs a mean bündchen as well).
Phillipp Schöde, Mathildenstrasse 9, Hamburg, 20357, GERMANY, makethingshappen@web.de[€2.50, 40 x A5, 10min] – Dann Lennard Reasons To Be Cheerful #1: Inspired by Raven Mack, , this is a list of tunes that make long-time zinester Kami feel good. From Slade to Beilly Eckstine to the reviled Gary Glitter, the man explains with wit and style why they matter to him. I liked this a lot..
Kami, PO Box 278, Edwardstown, SA, 5039. AUSTRALIA, cammy@arcom.com.au[email for price, 8 x A5, 20min]Unbelievably Bad#11: The editor has gone mad, producing another issue only months after the last one in a frenzied display of hyper-activity. The highlight of this issue by far is a bitter diatribe by Perth punk Ross Buncle, pouring vitriol on James Baker (The Victims, The Scientists, etc) and Dave Faulkner (The Victims, Hoodoo Gurus) for stealing his songs back in the 70s. He’s actually correct, but this still rates as a massive whine. However, Buncle’s look at the 70s punk scene in Perth is compelling and got me vaguely interested in Baker’s work to the point that I actually attended a Scientists reunion gig in Marrickville a few months back. Awesome, sloppy gig and Baker looks like a 60yo dero. Elsewhere, a tribute to Misfits tribute bands was surprisingly readable, even though I’m not a fan of the band.
Unbelievably Bad, c/- Von Helle, 9 Ross Street, Dulwich Hill, NSW, 2203, AUSTRALIA unbelievablybad@optusnet.com.au[AUD$8 or e-mail for details if from overseas, 68 x A4, 60+ minutes]Sleaze Fiend Magazine #1: Here’s a nice throwback to the classic horror flick zines of the 80s. Poorly laid out, rough in parts when it comes to content, but its heart is in the right place. Inside there’s a tribute to skuzzy actor David Hess, a potted history of VHS, an unsettling review of the Maniac remake, David Cronenberg’s film history, weird Brazilian sexploitation and the proverbial much more. This is a nice first effort and I hope there’s more in the future.
www.exploitedcinemaplanet.com, exploited_cinema@yahoo.com[e-mail for prices, 56 x A5, 45min]Eighties Video Dating Montage: The extremely talented Nicola found real dating video footage on YouTube and turned it into this cute, cleverly packaged zine. A quotable quote floats above a portrait of the optimistic romancer. The blue printing is dark in parts, making some of the writing difficult to read, but Nic’s artwork still makes this worth purchasing.
Original video is
HERE.
SSEX #4: Sometimes, a zine arrives in my mailbox that sums up everything I love about self-publishing. Leon’s new issue contains interviews with three creative types who would be regarded as obscure by most folk. Yet all three are fascinating figures worthy of discussion, from outsider US film-maker Charles Nauman (whose lone fictional movie, 1972’s Johnny Vik, captured Leon’s attention many years ago) to Aussie avant-garde musician Peter Tyndall to fellow Aussie sonic artist John Murphy. Leon’s interviews (particularly with Nauman and Murphy) are well-rounded due to extensive (nay, obsessive) research into his subjects, making SSEX a richly rewarding read.
Leon O’Regan, exssex@gmail.com[$5 post paid worldwide. It's also available from Distort: (www.distortmag.bigcartel.com/product/new-ssex-4), 28 x A4, 45min]
