OPUNTIA 71.3 (February 2012), 260 (St. Urho's Day 2013), 262 (May 2013), 263 (June 2013)
16 pages (all issues), 5.5 x 8.5, $3 "cash for a one-time sample copy, trade for your zine, or letter of comment." (Note: Americans, please don't send checks; bank fees to cash them are high; US banknotes are better.)Dale SpeirsBox 6830Calgary, Alberta, Canada, T2P 2E7
Here's the story: Whole-numbered OPUNTIAs are sercon, x.1 issues are reviewzines, x.2 issues are indexes, x.3 issues are apazines, and x.5 issues are perzines. However, Speirs wrote back in issue 248 that a lengthy project has shifted his writing, and so future issues will be a mix of articles and reviews. Dig? OK. Here we go.
So, in this span of issues, we've again got a good range of material; 71.3 is an apazine (that's worth googling, by the way, or read more about FAPA in #260), DNA and some non-fiction book reviews and an explanation of the title (see 260; I don't want to ruin the explanation!), evolution and a longer piece about "invisible folk other than the films based directly on Wells' novel" (262), and a review of a book about the history of a specific Toronto radio station as well as some interesting photographs (263). Now as ever, I kind of lean toward the perzine ones, but there's something here for everyone especially if you're into reviews.
Showing posts with label Opuntia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Opuntia. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Saturday, March 16, 2013
OPUNTIA 69.1C (June 2010), 70.5A (July 2011), 70.5B (August 2011), 71 (Sept 2011), 71.1D (Jan 2012), 248 (April 2012), 251 (Stampede 2012), 259 (Feb 2013)
16 pages (all issues), 5.5 x 8.5, $3 "cash for a one-time sample copy, trade for your zine, or letter of comment." (Note: Americans, please don't send checks; bank fees to cash them are high; US banknotes are better.)
Dale Speirs
Box 6830
Calgary, Alberta, Canada, T2P 2E7
Okay, so I obviously have some catching up to do. Here's the story: Whole-numbered OPUNTIAs are sercon, x.1 issues are reviewzines, x.2 issues are indexes, x.3 issues are apazines, and x.5 issues are perzines. However, Speirs writes in issue 248 that a lengthy project has shifted his writing, and so future issues will be a mix of articles and reviews, and getting more time-sensitive work published (uh, unlike me, apparently. Sorry, folks.). Issue #71.5 was the 247th issue, so...that's how we got to #248 and part of why that list up there is so initially baffling-looking. Dig? OK.
So, in this span of issues, we've got a good range of material, from earthquakes ("Shaking All Over" in #259), H.P. Lovecraft (#251), work and retirement (#70.5A) along with some really cool photographs and a very funny story about what a factory worker did on his last day of work to his alarm clock, trains, travel, and construction -- along with some intense mountain driving (70.5B). It's a pretty wild mix of different topics, but interesting reading nonetheless. I kind of lean toward the perzine ones, but there's something here for everyone.
16 pages (all issues), 5.5 x 8.5, $3 "cash for a one-time sample copy, trade for your zine, or letter of comment." (Note: Americans, please don't send checks; bank fees to cash them are high; US banknotes are better.)
Dale Speirs
Box 6830
Calgary, Alberta, Canada, T2P 2E7
Okay, so I obviously have some catching up to do. Here's the story: Whole-numbered OPUNTIAs are sercon, x.1 issues are reviewzines, x.2 issues are indexes, x.3 issues are apazines, and x.5 issues are perzines. However, Speirs writes in issue 248 that a lengthy project has shifted his writing, and so future issues will be a mix of articles and reviews, and getting more time-sensitive work published (uh, unlike me, apparently. Sorry, folks.). Issue #71.5 was the 247th issue, so...that's how we got to #248 and part of why that list up there is so initially baffling-looking. Dig? OK.
So, in this span of issues, we've got a good range of material, from earthquakes ("Shaking All Over" in #259), H.P. Lovecraft (#251), work and retirement (#70.5A) along with some really cool photographs and a very funny story about what a factory worker did on his last day of work to his alarm clock, trains, travel, and construction -- along with some intense mountain driving (70.5B). It's a pretty wild mix of different topics, but interesting reading nonetheless. I kind of lean toward the perzine ones, but there's something here for everyone.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Reviews from Fred Argoff: Elephant Mess, FlavorVegan, Map of Fog, Musea, Opuntia, For the Clerisy
As we advance deeper and deeper into the 21st century, it comes as more and more of a surprise to find that zines live. Real zines, produced on paper, that you can hold in your hands. I find this to be very comforting. My own brother has been on my back for years to stop doing a hard copy zine and switch over to the e-version. He says I'm wasting my time. "Hah!" I reply to him. And also, "Fuhgeddaboudit!" So saying, it's time to see what was in the bulky envelope with the Maryland postmark...
ELEPHANT MESS. Now, really--how could you go wrong with a title like this? It's a mini-zine full of words. All kinds of words. In fact, #20 is subtitled "Extra Words." And they come under such flavorful headings as How to Repair Everything (I can't repair anything, so I'm pretty impressed by this), Green Tea and Suicide Notes, Ninja Movies and Curse Words at the County Fair. More words like this, I say! It's a Dan Murphy production, and he says he'll accept trades. Otherwise, $2 (US, Canada & Mexico; $3 rest of the world) gets you the next copy from Dan at P.O. Box 3154, Moscow ID 83843.
FLAVORVEGAN is a blog. Their operating philosophy is that vegan food, like life, should be full of flavor. OK, I can accept that; flavor is a good thing. And for those of us still living our lives away from the computer screen, they put out this little notice on paper to tempt us into making a visit. Once there, we find not only recipes, but photography and tutorials. The little teaser sent to me for review had a tasty-looking photo on the front that turned out to be the Pizza Sandwich. And no, I'm not listing the recipe here. You're going to have to check this one out for yourselves. But I'll tell you this much: that photo made it difficult for me to sit here and continue writing. All I could think about was pizza. http://flavorvegan.blogspot.com
At first, I thought that MAP OF FOG was a litzine. But upon further investigation, I realized that it's actually an urban oriented zine focusing on San Francisco...hey, wait a minute! It's practically a West Coast cousin of my own little contribution to zinedom (that would be BROOKLYN!) So then I couldn't wait to dive right in. And the first writing encountered in this, the premiere issue, concerns a suicide at the Hyatt Regency Embarcadero. But for your friendly local urban reviewer, the highlight of the zine was a piece entitled "These Stagnant Streets," about the Sunset District in SF, which the editor points out is not usually on the tourist's itinerary but probably ought to be. And there are photos to back up his textual assertions. Two thumbs up, and a gold star besides. I eagerly await further issues. $2, trades accepted, from Marcos Soriano, P.O. Box 27252, San Francisco CA 94127.
Well, I've reviewed MUSEA before, but Tom keeps putting out new issues and besides, I happen to like it. It's the zine devoted to the arts. No politics, no environment, no religion, no finance. Just the arts. Issue #166 (I told you Tom keeps putting out new issues, didn't I?) is the annual holiday story issue, a love story and mystery rolled into one. Here's the opening sentence: "Reich and Van Smith re-opened the taped packing tube with a ceremonious flare." Now try to tell me you aren't curious to see what develops from that point on. And guess what? Each issue is completely different, so you never have any idea what's on tap. No price listed, but for heaven's sake, make a contribution to the arts, willya? Tom Hendricks, 4000 Hawthorne (#5), Dallas TX 75219.
OPUNTIA is the coded zine. Each issue has a number on the front containing a decimal, so you know what to expect. .1 issues are reviewzines, .2 indexes, .3 apazines and .5 perzines. Here's issue 66.3, devoted to amateur press association zines. In particular, the Fantasy Amateur Press Association. Now you know the deal; ask for the topics that interest you. $3 cash for a one-time sample from Dale Speirs, P.O. Box 6830, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2P 2E7
And then there's FOR THE CLERISY. People are always confused by that title, and some avoid the zine because of it. But if you look it up, you'll find that the clerisy happen to be (the envelope, please)...people who read. Go figure! The zine's purpose of statement is twofold: one, to assure readers that other readers do, in fact, exist--a comforting assurance in the Age of the Internet--and two, to provide suggestions for expanding one's horizons through reviews of generally neglected books. Just as a small sampling, here in Vol. 15, No. 75 we find David Sedaris' "Barrel Fever," wherein ordinary people wind up in predicaments; Hannah Ropes' "Civil War Nurse," a collection of her correspondence; and "West with the Night," by Beryl Markham, the pioneering avatrix who was the first to fly solo across the Atlantic from London to North America. And there are letters of comment, too--not entirely surprising from people who read! No price listed, from Brant Kresovich, P.O. Box 404, Getzville NY 14068-0404.
And now I must curtail my reviewing activities in order to start working on the next issue of my own zine. Until next time, adieu, adios and foor gezuntaheit.
ELEPHANT MESS. Now, really--how could you go wrong with a title like this? It's a mini-zine full of words. All kinds of words. In fact, #20 is subtitled "Extra Words." And they come under such flavorful headings as How to Repair Everything (I can't repair anything, so I'm pretty impressed by this), Green Tea and Suicide Notes, Ninja Movies and Curse Words at the County Fair. More words like this, I say! It's a Dan Murphy production, and he says he'll accept trades. Otherwise, $2 (US, Canada & Mexico; $3 rest of the world) gets you the next copy from Dan at P.O. Box 3154, Moscow ID 83843.
FLAVORVEGAN is a blog. Their operating philosophy is that vegan food, like life, should be full of flavor. OK, I can accept that; flavor is a good thing. And for those of us still living our lives away from the computer screen, they put out this little notice on paper to tempt us into making a visit. Once there, we find not only recipes, but photography and tutorials. The little teaser sent to me for review had a tasty-looking photo on the front that turned out to be the Pizza Sandwich. And no, I'm not listing the recipe here. You're going to have to check this one out for yourselves. But I'll tell you this much: that photo made it difficult for me to sit here and continue writing. All I could think about was pizza. http://flavorvegan.blogspot.com
At first, I thought that MAP OF FOG was a litzine. But upon further investigation, I realized that it's actually an urban oriented zine focusing on San Francisco...hey, wait a minute! It's practically a West Coast cousin of my own little contribution to zinedom (that would be BROOKLYN!) So then I couldn't wait to dive right in. And the first writing encountered in this, the premiere issue, concerns a suicide at the Hyatt Regency Embarcadero. But for your friendly local urban reviewer, the highlight of the zine was a piece entitled "These Stagnant Streets," about the Sunset District in SF, which the editor points out is not usually on the tourist's itinerary but probably ought to be. And there are photos to back up his textual assertions. Two thumbs up, and a gold star besides. I eagerly await further issues. $2, trades accepted, from Marcos Soriano, P.O. Box 27252, San Francisco CA 94127.
Well, I've reviewed MUSEA before, but Tom keeps putting out new issues and besides, I happen to like it. It's the zine devoted to the arts. No politics, no environment, no religion, no finance. Just the arts. Issue #166 (I told you Tom keeps putting out new issues, didn't I?) is the annual holiday story issue, a love story and mystery rolled into one. Here's the opening sentence: "Reich and Van Smith re-opened the taped packing tube with a ceremonious flare." Now try to tell me you aren't curious to see what develops from that point on. And guess what? Each issue is completely different, so you never have any idea what's on tap. No price listed, but for heaven's sake, make a contribution to the arts, willya? Tom Hendricks, 4000 Hawthorne (#5), Dallas TX 75219.
OPUNTIA is the coded zine. Each issue has a number on the front containing a decimal, so you know what to expect. .1 issues are reviewzines, .2 indexes, .3 apazines and .5 perzines. Here's issue 66.3, devoted to amateur press association zines. In particular, the Fantasy Amateur Press Association. Now you know the deal; ask for the topics that interest you. $3 cash for a one-time sample from Dale Speirs, P.O. Box 6830, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2P 2E7
And then there's FOR THE CLERISY. People are always confused by that title, and some avoid the zine because of it. But if you look it up, you'll find that the clerisy happen to be (the envelope, please)...people who read. Go figure! The zine's purpose of statement is twofold: one, to assure readers that other readers do, in fact, exist--a comforting assurance in the Age of the Internet--and two, to provide suggestions for expanding one's horizons through reviews of generally neglected books. Just as a small sampling, here in Vol. 15, No. 75 we find David Sedaris' "Barrel Fever," wherein ordinary people wind up in predicaments; Hannah Ropes' "Civil War Nurse," a collection of her correspondence; and "West with the Night," by Beryl Markham, the pioneering avatrix who was the first to fly solo across the Atlantic from London to North America. And there are letters of comment, too--not entirely surprising from people who read! No price listed, from Brant Kresovich, P.O. Box 404, Getzville NY 14068-0404.
And now I must curtail my reviewing activities in order to start working on the next issue of my own zine. Until next time, adieu, adios and foor gezuntaheit.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
More Reviews From Eric
So I have a little zine related problem. A while back I got a couple of bucks in the mail from a guy ordering a copy of my zine. So of course I send him a copy . A couple of weeks later I get my envelope returned to me saying it was undeliverable as addressed. So I go back and find the guy’s order (I always wonder why I save these things, but then a situation comes where I need something I saved for no apparent reason which gives me the go ahead to save everything and anything.) and I compare the address on his envelope (he didn’t include the address on the note he sent which tells me he was a newbie to zines) and find that I did in fact copy down his address wrong. It was something like 4321 Street St. and I wrote 432 Street St. I would assume that since I got the guy’s name, street, city and zip code correct the postal worker could have delivered it easily enough, but the fact is I screwed up copying it down so... whatever. I re-address an envelope, write a note of apology, and drop it back in the mail box... only to have it returned back to me a week or so later with a “return to sender” sticker and a note reading “not at this address.” So now some poor guy ordered my zine and will never receive it because... I don’t know why. I copied the address exactly the same as it was on his envelope to me so he either copied his own address wrong or in the space of a month he moved and left no forwarding address. Either way, some guy out there in Portland OR is thinking I’m a dick for taking his $2 and sending him nothing in return and possibly being soured on the whole idea of zines because of this. I’ve always prided myself on the fact that I respond very quickly to cash orders so this gnaws at me. Plus there’s the very notion that one of the few people in this world who is A) interested in reading my zine and B) actually takes the initiative to order a copy can’t read it. I’m really starting to depress myself now so I will move on to some reviews.
OPUNTIA 65.1- Sixty five issues. That’s a whole lot of issues, man. Props for Dale Speirs for making it that far. Since this issue is 65.1 that means it’s a review issue. Apparently the format of Dale’s zine revolves every 4 issues. It goes from a review zine to a per zine to an index to an APA zine. The bulk of this zine features a few in depth book reviews, several pages of zine listings that give a nice overview as to the zine’s contents, excerpts of various things Dale has read (which quite frankly went over my head.) an interesting bit on running a club zine and a bit on the state of zinedom where dale gives a year by year comparison of how many zines he’s received for said year. This is a nice, low key zine and Dale seems like an interesting guy worth getting to know. 5.5 x 8.5 16 pages. Send $3, a trade or a letter of comment to Dale Speirs Box 6830, Calgary Alberta Canada, T2P 2E7
MARAUDER #1 and 2- These are auto bio comix with some fiction thrown in. Truth is I enjoyed the auto bio stuff, many of which revolve around his old fast food job, getting high and sometimes both. The fictional stories revolve around the author traveling through time with a talking parrot which just didn’t do it for me. They were sort of a framing device, but I would have been perfectly happy with for auto-bio stuff. I did really like the drawing style and overall it was pretty entertaining. The good parts were very good and the bad parts weren’t that bad. 28 pages 8.5 x 11. Send $3 or maybe a trade to J. Sumii PO Box 140696 Boise ID 83714 jsumii@hotmail.com http://www.jimsumii.com/
HIGH MAINTENANCE MACHINE #21- This is one I got at the Boston Zine Fair and it has actually become something of a favorite of mine, having read exactly 2 of the 21 issues. These are diary comics mostly revolving around Matthew, his wife, and his cats. These comics kind of remind me of James Kolchaka’s though I’m not sure if there are any real similarities or if it’s just the fact that they both do diary comics and have a slightly similar drawing style. It can’t be easy doing a new comic strip every day and having it be both funnier and more insightful than pretty much anything you’ll se in your newspaper comics section, but Matt pulls it off beautifully. 36 pages half sized. Send $3 to Matthew Reidsma 31 Walnut St Somerville MA 02143 http://www.reidsma.com/
GERANIUMS & BACON #5- Another favorite from the Boston Zine Fair. More mostly auto bio comics by Cathy Leamy (I say mostly because while I can’t be sure I’m fairly certain the story about digging up a medieval mecha battle suit in her grandfather’s garden may not have really happened. ) I particularly enjoyed the story about Cathy going to the Filene’s Basement bridal sale just to see what it’s like. It’s an annual event and ever since I was a wee sprat I’d see clips of this on the news and I never understood the point of it all. It always just looked to me like a bunch of crazy woman literally tackling each other to get cheap dresses. It seems to me like it’s about as far away from fun as you can possibly get, but these maniacal mobs of women always seem to be smiling as they pummel each other for wedding dresses so what do I know? But thanks to Cathy I now know what it’s like so I have no more lingering curiosity about it. I like when people experience things I’m curious about but will never do and really never want to do. At any rate I like this zine a lot and you should too. for info e mail cathy@metrokitty.com comics.metrokitty.com
OPUNTIA 65.1- Sixty five issues. That’s a whole lot of issues, man. Props for Dale Speirs for making it that far. Since this issue is 65.1 that means it’s a review issue. Apparently the format of Dale’s zine revolves every 4 issues. It goes from a review zine to a per zine to an index to an APA zine. The bulk of this zine features a few in depth book reviews, several pages of zine listings that give a nice overview as to the zine’s contents, excerpts of various things Dale has read (which quite frankly went over my head.) an interesting bit on running a club zine and a bit on the state of zinedom where dale gives a year by year comparison of how many zines he’s received for said year. This is a nice, low key zine and Dale seems like an interesting guy worth getting to know. 5.5 x 8.5 16 pages. Send $3, a trade or a letter of comment to Dale Speirs Box 6830, Calgary Alberta Canada, T2P 2E7
MARAUDER #1 and 2- These are auto bio comix with some fiction thrown in. Truth is I enjoyed the auto bio stuff, many of which revolve around his old fast food job, getting high and sometimes both. The fictional stories revolve around the author traveling through time with a talking parrot which just didn’t do it for me. They were sort of a framing device, but I would have been perfectly happy with for auto-bio stuff. I did really like the drawing style and overall it was pretty entertaining. The good parts were very good and the bad parts weren’t that bad. 28 pages 8.5 x 11. Send $3 or maybe a trade to J. Sumii PO Box 140696 Boise ID 83714 jsumii@hotmail.com http://www.jimsumii.com/
HIGH MAINTENANCE MACHINE #21- This is one I got at the Boston Zine Fair and it has actually become something of a favorite of mine, having read exactly 2 of the 21 issues. These are diary comics mostly revolving around Matthew, his wife, and his cats. These comics kind of remind me of James Kolchaka’s though I’m not sure if there are any real similarities or if it’s just the fact that they both do diary comics and have a slightly similar drawing style. It can’t be easy doing a new comic strip every day and having it be both funnier and more insightful than pretty much anything you’ll se in your newspaper comics section, but Matt pulls it off beautifully. 36 pages half sized. Send $3 to Matthew Reidsma 31 Walnut St Somerville MA 02143 http://www.reidsma.com/
GERANIUMS & BACON #5- Another favorite from the Boston Zine Fair. More mostly auto bio comics by Cathy Leamy (I say mostly because while I can’t be sure I’m fairly certain the story about digging up a medieval mecha battle suit in her grandfather’s garden may not have really happened. ) I particularly enjoyed the story about Cathy going to the Filene’s Basement bridal sale just to see what it’s like. It’s an annual event and ever since I was a wee sprat I’d see clips of this on the news and I never understood the point of it all. It always just looked to me like a bunch of crazy woman literally tackling each other to get cheap dresses. It seems to me like it’s about as far away from fun as you can possibly get, but these maniacal mobs of women always seem to be smiling as they pummel each other for wedding dresses so what do I know? But thanks to Cathy I now know what it’s like so I have no more lingering curiosity about it. I like when people experience things I’m curious about but will never do and really never want to do. At any rate I like this zine a lot and you should too. for info e mail cathy@metrokitty.com comics.metrokitty.com
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Librarian666 chimes in with June reviews
Oh brave new world. Here is my first online post. In most other areas of technology, I am all for that thar Internet. Somehow, I feel rather attached to the paper world of zines and have some trepidation over what a world without them will be. My fears aside, I hope that you find this online format pleasing and that these reviews help guide you in your entertainment pursuits.
Read responsibly.
-- Librarian666
The Juniper #9: the meager words of a gentleman farmer.
Winter 2007/2008
Free or stamp by mail
Dan Murphy
P.O. Box 3154
Moscow, ID 83843
Juniperjournal@hotmail.com
If Thomas Jefferson ever had a vision of what he hoped the future of America would have been, it would have been summed up in Dan Murphy – Dan is a self-described dabbler and worker of the Earth. He is curious, willing to experiment and to examine how closely his actions match his values. The founding fathers would have been pleased with him, and sad that the rest of us are WalMart shopping, master consumers. Dan’s passion for “local economies, seasonal consumption, decentralized government, personal responsibility, community involvement, debunked materialism, DIY” are Jeffersonian ideals in a nutshell.
This zine is a breath of fresh air, and a good read for the non-committal gardener, biker and tinkerer. It’s inspiring because it is a gentle reminder of what “ordinary” folks are doing to connect to the Earth and her inhabitants by simply digging in the dirt and letting nature take its course.
Watch the Closing Doors, #40, ca 24 pp.
Subscribe: $10 for 4 quarterly issues
Payment in cash only to:
Fred Argoff
Penthouse L
1170 Ocean Pkwy
Brooklyn, NY 11230-4060
As an enthusiastic traveler, this zine appeals as a travelogue and as an amusing expose on mass transit all over the world. I enjoy it now as much as the first time I had the honor of reviewing it.
Train hairies will love it as there are pics of subway cars from all over the globe. Take a gander at the Singapore ones and you’ll see how far behind the US is in terms of mass transit.
Writing and layout are clear and easy reading. Text examines the quirks of systems and their users with humor and interest.
Optunia 64.1 B, Jan. 2008 (Book Reviews), 16 pp.
$3 if cash (for US readers), or trade or trade for letter of comment
Dale Speirs
Box 6830
Calgary
Alberta, Canada T2P 2E7
Always an interesting and revelatory read, Dale’s interest is focused on the esoteric details of history that are intensely personal and have profound impacts on society at large.
An example, in this issue (which is focused on book reviews, other issues vary in content) Dale has chosen the book, Postal Age: the Emergence of Modern Communications in Nineteenth Century America. Sounds like a snoozer, right? Look deeper. In it is an explanation of how high postal rates after the Revolution affected letter-writers and communication in general. Rates were so high that folks sent newspapers to distant relatives and friends as a way of keeping in touch. The postal rates had a profound impact on how people communicated with each other. It is mind-blowing to think about and how dependent we are on cheap communications nowadays. Although it makes one wonder on the depth of thought we give to what we say to each other since it doesn’t cost us much.
Dale has a marvelous eye and ability to discover the crucial detail and how it affects us all.
Maximum Rock n Roll #295, Dec 2007, over 100 pages?
$4 per issue, 6 issues for $24, 12 issues for $38. Californians and outside US, see website.
Maximumrocknroll.com
415-923-9814
This zine takes me back to my youth! Substantial, newsprint format, look and feel of a City Paper, but 8.5 X 11 size. Contains music reviews, letters to editor, personal and interesting essays, zine reviews, ads and all sorts of info on bands in US and around the world. Put together by a huge number of contributors, this mag hangs together well, is well organized, but still has a free-for-all spirit. So worth the money if you want to re-connect to the music scene or are looking for more info in general about rock-n-roll.
Eaves of Ass, #6: the music issue, ca. 38 pp.
$3 or trade
Craven Rock
1627 16th St
Oakland, CA 94607
Eavesofass@yahoo.com
Kick-ass collection of essays and anecdotes on friendship, the state of our society, and personal connections to all kinds of rock and roll. Makes me think about how deep the connection is between music (which is today’s version of poetry) and memories of youth and things past.
Includes great quotes from lyrics that support the text. Makes you want to read more of Eaves of Ass, call a friend and listen to CCR again.
Read responsibly.
-- Librarian666
The Juniper #9: the meager words of a gentleman farmer.
Winter 2007/2008
Free or stamp by mail
Dan Murphy
P.O. Box 3154
Moscow, ID 83843
Juniperjournal@hotmail.com
If Thomas Jefferson ever had a vision of what he hoped the future of America would have been, it would have been summed up in Dan Murphy – Dan is a self-described dabbler and worker of the Earth. He is curious, willing to experiment and to examine how closely his actions match his values. The founding fathers would have been pleased with him, and sad that the rest of us are WalMart shopping, master consumers. Dan’s passion for “local economies, seasonal consumption, decentralized government, personal responsibility, community involvement, debunked materialism, DIY” are Jeffersonian ideals in a nutshell.
This zine is a breath of fresh air, and a good read for the non-committal gardener, biker and tinkerer. It’s inspiring because it is a gentle reminder of what “ordinary” folks are doing to connect to the Earth and her inhabitants by simply digging in the dirt and letting nature take its course.
Watch the Closing Doors, #40, ca 24 pp.
Subscribe: $10 for 4 quarterly issues
Payment in cash only to:
Fred Argoff
Penthouse L
1170 Ocean Pkwy
Brooklyn, NY 11230-4060
As an enthusiastic traveler, this zine appeals as a travelogue and as an amusing expose on mass transit all over the world. I enjoy it now as much as the first time I had the honor of reviewing it.
Train hairies will love it as there are pics of subway cars from all over the globe. Take a gander at the Singapore ones and you’ll see how far behind the US is in terms of mass transit.
Writing and layout are clear and easy reading. Text examines the quirks of systems and their users with humor and interest.
Optunia 64.1 B, Jan. 2008 (Book Reviews), 16 pp.
$3 if cash (for US readers), or trade or trade for letter of comment
Dale Speirs
Box 6830
Calgary
Alberta, Canada T2P 2E7
Always an interesting and revelatory read, Dale’s interest is focused on the esoteric details of history that are intensely personal and have profound impacts on society at large.
An example, in this issue (which is focused on book reviews, other issues vary in content) Dale has chosen the book, Postal Age: the Emergence of Modern Communications in Nineteenth Century America. Sounds like a snoozer, right? Look deeper. In it is an explanation of how high postal rates after the Revolution affected letter-writers and communication in general. Rates were so high that folks sent newspapers to distant relatives and friends as a way of keeping in touch. The postal rates had a profound impact on how people communicated with each other. It is mind-blowing to think about and how dependent we are on cheap communications nowadays. Although it makes one wonder on the depth of thought we give to what we say to each other since it doesn’t cost us much.
Dale has a marvelous eye and ability to discover the crucial detail and how it affects us all.
Maximum Rock n Roll #295, Dec 2007, over 100 pages?
$4 per issue, 6 issues for $24, 12 issues for $38. Californians and outside US, see website.
Maximumrocknroll.com
415-923-9814
This zine takes me back to my youth! Substantial, newsprint format, look and feel of a City Paper, but 8.5 X 11 size. Contains music reviews, letters to editor, personal and interesting essays, zine reviews, ads and all sorts of info on bands in US and around the world. Put together by a huge number of contributors, this mag hangs together well, is well organized, but still has a free-for-all spirit. So worth the money if you want to re-connect to the music scene or are looking for more info in general about rock-n-roll.
Eaves of Ass, #6: the music issue, ca. 38 pp.
$3 or trade
Craven Rock
1627 16th St
Oakland, CA 94607
Eavesofass@yahoo.com
Kick-ass collection of essays and anecdotes on friendship, the state of our society, and personal connections to all kinds of rock and roll. Makes me think about how deep the connection is between music (which is today’s version of poetry) and memories of youth and things past.
Includes great quotes from lyrics that support the text. Makes you want to read more of Eaves of Ass, call a friend and listen to CCR again.
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