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| photo via Stephanie Male |
Seymour #1
Written by Kimberley, England – kbooth230AThotmail.com
This new perzine lies in the centre of a venn diagram of
things I love reading about – mental health, personal collections, and Ghost
World! The zine is named after a
character in Ghost World who obsessively collects old stuff and cannot connect
with others around him. Kimberley writes
about her OCD and how she swings between collecting and living minimally. There’s also some smart discussion of the
relationship between collections/hoarding and class – i.e. that wealthy people
will cultivate collections purely to show that they have money, or conversely
will keep a decluttered house so as not to ruin their pristine show homes,
whereas less wealthy people can’t afford this luxury, and must stock up on
special offers and fun things while they can afford to.
She also discusses her own anxieties surrounding her financial situation
and how this relates to her relationship with collecting. This zine is short, smart, and gave me a lot
to think about. Highly recommended!
Different Times:
Drag, Life, Rock n Roll
Written by Simon/Mona, London – compleineATyahoo.com
Different Times documents the author’s time in an all-drag
punk band called Six Inch Killaz, where he played fuzz and feedback guitar
under his drag name Mona (taken from a Bo Diddly record). Simon also discusses the broader context of
where the band was situated – the drag scene in the 90s, the crossover of
underground drag culture into the mainstream, the wider drag and queer scenes,
DIY and zine cultures, sex work, the ups and downs of being in a band, and the
complexities of their relationships. It’s
very detailed and emotionally honest, littered with Simon’s emotive
illustrations of people, posters, and zines, which adds a really personal touch
to this memoir-esque zine. Different Times was such an interesting read; if you’re interested in the intersection
of punk music and queer/trans issues then I can’t recommend this zine
enough.
Ten by 10 #2
This is an interesting concept for a zine series - every edition
revolves around one single theme explored through ten interviews to ten people,
each consisting of ten questions! This
issue is subtitled “Young Creative Professionals”, and features ten young
artists discussing their education, early
career paths, their inspirations and their aspirations. Ten by 10 toes the line between zine and
magazine – while the distribution size would class it as a zine, and the
concept is quite ziney, the interior has a clean slick design that would not
feel out of place on a newsstand. You can download the free digital version online
at the link above, or purchase a print copy.
Shelf Life #1
This short half-sized perzine (pictured above) is Stephanie’s first, and was
conceived after she read Alex Wrekk’s amazing zine manual Stolen Sharpie
Revolution! I always love reading about
people’s “aha!” moments when they realise that they too can make their own
zine! We also read a long piece
expanding on the zine series title, where she writes about feeling as though
she lives her life on a shelf, gathering dust.
The content is largely your typical perzine fare (which is no criticism,
as I love perzines) – there are some musings on identity, regrets and
insecurities, a piece on her experiences with roller derby, all rounded off
with a page of favourite things. The layouts
are really cool too, cut and paste sentences and words laid out over dark
patterned backgrounds. A lovely quick
read.
Bi Community News
#123
I have nothing but good things to say about BCN. It’s the UK’s biggest-selling bisexual
(maga)zine with lots of great resources on offer
including local group listings, news, upcoming events, national bi
organisations, and publications of interest. Alongside the regulars we
read some longer articles and opinion pieces; this issue features writings on the
experiences of bisexual women, stereotypes and stigmas attached to bisexuality,
gender and sexuality in Doctor Who (as a queer Whovian, I bloody loved this
article!), Tom Daley’s coming out video, and addressing biphobia in UK schools.
Seriously, if you’re a bisexual zinester, get on this and buy yourself a
subscription (they are so cheap for what you get!). Also, Jen is always looking for contributors,
so do consider submitting something for publication
(editorATbicommunitynews.co.uk).
Sam Russo’s Euro Tour Diary May 2013
This half-sized music/perzine is a 38-page, 11-part tour diary written by singer-songwriter Sam Russo on his European tour in May 2013. Each section focuses on a city he visited, including Geneva, Salzburg, Vienna, Berlin, and Hamburg, where he writes about the gig itself, as well as the journey, the sights of the city, and various funny/interesting/noteworthy interactions and occurrences. It’s a clean layout of black text on white plain background, featuring photos from the tour. Check out Sam’s music and more at the link above.
