Zine Reviews

Note: At the moment I'm in the middle of moving and have packed all the zines sent to me in my storage unit, so I can't get to them. I'm going to cop a lot of shit for this, so come on, do your worst. All your zines sucked, but mine sucks the hardest.

Psycho Babble #5 A5 28pg

This DIY zine is a collection of newspaper and magazine clippings with commentary by the editor on them and non-related reflections on the world around her; "You know when you look at a word for a while and it starts to look really weird, well UNDERSTAND looks weird to me at the moment." Venessa is Psycho Babble, she loves mail and replies to everything and anything. Address: PO BOX 1879, Strawberry Hills, N.S.W. 2012, Australia.

Giddy Up! #2 56pg A5 $2

The bicycle culture is big in Melbourne and growing. As a result there is a large contingent of riders participating in the monthly Critical Mass (a group of cyclists showing that there is a viable alternative to the car culture) and now a zine about cycling. Giddy Up consists of stories of cycling, tips on safety, and DIY projects. It's basically for and by people who love bike riding and want to network. Great articles on keeping hold of your bike, DIY bike trailer, morons in their cars and plenty more bike mayhem. This is a great read, for bike users and non bike users alike. On yer bike! Address: PO BOX 4115, Uni of Melbourne, Parkville Vic. 3052, Australia. Email: [email protected].

Girlpatch #4 A5 Free!

This time Girlpatch has many overseas bands, because Mel has just come back from foreign shores. There's an interview with Boss Hog that says it's from X?, but from what is said it sounds like the gig at Planet nightclub in Perth. Christine is asked about Jon's snot running from his nose, cool. I'm not too hot on the review of the last Pig Meat. Not because it criticises, but for the fact that it describes what I look like: "a cross between Rolf Haris&Dave Graney," I don't mind the Rolf reference, but come on, Dave Graney! Reviewing a zine is not just describing what a zine nerd looks like. I look like shit, true, but Dave Graney? Address: PO BOX 372, Northbridge, W.A. 6865, Australia.

Hate Myself & Want to Dye (My Hair) 16pg A5 $?

Have I already said that this is my favourite zine? No? Well, it is mate. Its cynical (I'd rather be killing optimists *) and harsh on everything you can throw at it. Its hate isn't a lame hate, its a justified hate. This issue hates: Kids (the movie), Stupid car stickers (Bad boy club, JJJ, etc..), Snag guys, cool, rock, Australian bands who sound non-Australian. If you want a laugh at others expense then you'll want to read this zine. Not recommended for the easily offended. Address: PO BOX 394, Manly N.S.W. 2095, Australia.

Cremated Elephant #4 16pg A5

Low budget zine (like zines are meant to be.) Bottoms on the cover coz they're wacky. This is the result of too much pot. Random scribbles and magazine cuttings thrown together to produce something to expand your mind without drugs (best read on pot, though.) Includes an interview with Tim Evans (whoever he is) on Starwars, and 4 poems by Depressing Dave. Address: GPO BOX 325, Hobart, TAS 7001, Australia.

Peace & Quiet #1 80pg 1/2A4 $4

Me old chum Guy Blackman (recently called Blademan in a gig guide) has come a long way since the days of Chapter 24 zine in Perth, to his partnership with Richard Forster on Salty & Delicious. His new solo zine Peace & Quiet, has the same format as the last Salty & Delicious. In fact it looks exactly the same as S & D, except the new name. This time round Guy returns to his homeland of New Zealand to report on Flying Nun's 15th birthday celebration called Nunfest. Guy interviewed Gonzo of Crawlspace Records while living with him in Auckland. Another NZ man named Mathew Bannister who was in Sneaky Feelings and now in Dribbling Darts (of love) is interviewed by Guy - his first interview since '93. The Frustrations - another islander group, this time from Tasmania are interviewed. Julian Williams the great ex-Perth man of 'From the Same Mother' fame reveals his life story. A bunch of "brain-crushing" questions are sent to Dutch band Furtip by David Nichols, buy this zine and enjoy the fun as Furtip answer them (It's 4 pages from the centre on the right.) David also does a "1,678 word story about Pamela Valfer, Kittycraft, why no-one buys indie cassettes, and what happens when you throw water in the air in winter in Minnesota." Another mail correspondent interview is held with Queensland four piece Turnpike. The editor of Beer Frame (the zine of inconspicuous consumption) is interviewed by Guy while the both of them are in a foreign country - namely... you guessed it.. NZ. Guy talks about Nancy Sinatra, his obsession with her and does a bit of a discography. Shit this zine has plenty of stuff, all this plus zine reviews and record reviews. Enough reading to keep your sorry lives busy for days, although Guy recommends you don't do it all in one sitting. If Pig Meat used a star rating I would give it 6 out of 5 stars. Address: PO BOX 4292, Melbourne University, Parkville, Vic. 3052, Australia.

Strawclutch #1 24pg A4 $1

Eric Wedgwood (the editor) has big ambitions, along the lines of world domination, and good luck to you old boy. Eric does the mail interview thing with San Francisco's hard-edged pop-punk outfit 'Nothing Cool,' including a discography. Also in this zine is a Punk Rock 2 minute noodle recipe that's not only P.C. but cheap 'n' delicious - worth buying this zine for that article alone! Fugazi are interviewed just prior to one of their only Australian shows before Ian MacKaye is forced to cancel the tour due to coming down with pneumonia. This is a strange one, but, I assume it's Eric's dad (Bill) interviewing English punk rock group Citizen Fish while they were touring Australia in June '96. There's also an interview with 567 from Sydney, in the 2 minute noodle style, as well as zine and music reviews. Strawclutch's next issue will be the breakfast issue, and contributors are most welcome, especially short fiction pieces. Also note that Eric is trying to get together a resource guide of DIY bands, zines, labels, distributors, promoters, radio stations and other, so send him your details and you'll be listed. Address: PO BOX 1601, Lismore, N.S.W. 2480, Australia. Email: [email protected].

Woozy #13 68pg A5 $2

One of Australia's best zines has to be Woozy and it continues in it unabated left wing style with issue 13 the bike issue (well mostly bike issue.) 'The unglamorous world of a bicycle courier,' takes us through the spills of one hapless courier. There's a short biography of Frances Willard who was one of the first US female bike fanatics and a feminist to boot (you can imagine how popular she was in the 1800's.) There's also an interview with Lester Vat, Melbourne's strangest performer, finest writer and member of Volvox (if you haven't seen Lester's book "Thumb" then you've truly missed out in a big way.) Losercorp writes to The Age regarding not wining the short story competition. Whatever happened to the Throwaways? There's also a very funny article on 'Chunk 666' a chopper bicycle gang who like their forks long - and I mean long. Also comics, zine reviews and much more. A must have! Address: PO BOX 4434, Melbourne Uni, Parkville Vic. 3052, Australia.

The Truth is a Virus! #1 24pg A5

Lots of scrawly handwritten pages by Riva, some of which are very faint, making for hard reading. Plenty of bad poetry and deep thoughts to scare any discerning zine reader into hiding it from embarrassment for the writer. The content is typical of high school deep thought, which is OK if you like Morrissy, but not my thing thank you. Address: 1 Jirrima Street, The Gap, Qld. 4061, Australia.

The White House #5 8pg A4 FREE!

The legendary home of losers is back. The house that sparked this zines creation is no longer occupied by the writers, but the zine lives on. David Komadina (Brother Dave to his friends) and Gareth Ashmore are the contributors to this wacky zine that has a bit of an odd obsession with Blackes 5. Lots of little scrappy tit bits along with Brother Dave's gig reviews while on tour in England. Then there's the White House's official golf course rules and a map to help you out. It all ends spectacularly with a photo comic shoot that involves an arm being removed. Address: 3 Clifton Crescent, Mt. Lawley, WA 6050, Australia. Email: [email protected] URL: http://users.wantree.com.au/~davidk/whitehouse/

Petit Ms .45 A7 Free!

While in wait for Ms.45 #11 we have Petit Ms .45. It sure is Petit as you can see it's an A7 size or an A4 folded over a bunch of times. Its got an interview with Chris Smith, an autobiographical cartoon about blowing it called 'Apology to Johnny' and a short erotic story. There's also a few reviews. This should keep you occupied until the real thing comes out.

Dazy #2 28pg A4 $1

Are you a cat person or a dog person? If you are a cat person then Dazy was made by a comrade of yours. Cut 'n' paste is the name of this zine, lots of little bits everywhere, but mostly interviews with other zine makers. Can't say I've read it all but I can tell you that there's interviews with Vanessa from Psycho Babble zine, Siobhann from Tic-Toc zine, Goat Cheese zine, Kat Pounce zine , Littledude zine and much more. Dazy is also attempting to create a zine distribution service, so if you're in the market to have your zine distributed in Sydney I highly recommend you contact Dazy. Address: 30 Lantana Road, Engadine, NSW 2233, Australia.