J’aime des livres des livres (I like pounds of books)
FAGGO #3: SPIT AND GLORY, ed. by Kim Kinakin, $5 CAN (try
[email protected] to contact, look for www.faggo.com someday; distribution by AK Press, 674-A 23rd St. Oakland, CA 94612-1163 USA, phone 510.208.1700, fax 510.208.1701, www.akpress.org, [email protected])
It’s been a while since the last issue of this Vancouver, British Columbia queerpunkzine, and it’s mostly been worth the wait, though it does mean that much has happened since last it was seen.
Tragically, this includes the fact that a friend of editor Kim Kinakin – a gentleman by the name of Aaron Webster – was killed in a cruising area, which is the subject of an introductory piece in the publication; to wit, that the anonymous yet popular nature of such sites means that (a) witnesses are not likely to come forward and (b) there were witnesses.
This ‘zine contains a lot of transgressive, sexually charged material (just try and use an Avon foot massager after reading this!); some musings on gay culture and community; some sappy and now out-of-date rambling about monogamy and possessiveness (by me – just keep on turning…nothing to see there…); an interview with the editor’s band Skinjobs; an essay on tattoos; a fair amount of one-handed reading; and even some ‘zine, book and music recommendations.
Kim has once again put together a diverse collection of ‘punk’ voices that will never fail to entertain, horrify, stimulate (in every sense) and move you. Buy and/or die…
GARAGE AND BEAT! #5 and #6 ed. by P. Edwin Letcher, $3 US/$4 CAN each (2754 Prewett St., Los Angeles, CA, 90031,
www.garageandbeat.com , [email protected])I happened across #5 of this magazine, whose title pretty much reveals its obsessions, and thought I would take a chance upon flipping through it. Was it the poorly reproduced photographs? The obsessive fan-boy writing? The juvenile humour? Of course it was, kids! Therefore, when I saw #6 (apparently, I found #5 just in time, as it was about a week before #6 materialized on the stands), I jumped at it too (not literally – it was on the bottom rung of a magazine rack, and jumping at it would have resulted in me banging my toe…).
#5 deals with such coolsters as The Sonics (an interview); The Electric Prunes (ditto); an obscure Swedish band, Namelosers, who sound worth seeking out; and so much more, including many record reviews.
#6 covers The Monks (a legendary early 60s American-band-in-Germany); The Chesterfield Kings (a modern garage band still going
strong after nearly twenty years); a profile on the label Blood Red Vinyl; and features on obscure acts such as Tages, Lemon Drops and The Creation; and, again, mucho vinyl versification.If you have any affection for boys who can barely play three chords and have bad attitudes (note: the two issues I’ve seen HAVE been a bit skimpy on the girls – the Trashwomen get mentioned, though, and a band called Mama Guitar are reviewed, along with a handful of other women. Perhaps a piece on The Brood someday?
J ), this is YOUR required reading.
SOUND COLLECTOR AUDIO REVIEW #2 SUMMER 2002
ed. by Laris Kreslins and Fred Cisterna , $2.95 US (195 Chrystie St. #503, New York, New York, 10002, [email protected] )
When this publication was exclusively a literary-journal-size thing, with CDs included, I tried not to miss an issue (well, once I heard about it, which was around #4).
Now it’s branched out into a tabloid format, jam-packed with record reviews and reminiscences of the best kind (the variety which reveals almost as much about the writer as the product s/he’s critiquing).
Unlike its big sister, this paper is not exclusively dealing in the obscure or the experimental, since The Byrds, Gram Parson and (shudder) Abba get their due as well, among others.
Jean Smith discusses both Au Pairs and Meredith Monk. As this is the woman from Mecca Normal,
these are not terribly surprising choices, given the polemical nature of the former and the peculiar voice of the latter, but they are still works of love and insight.Not to worry – free jazz, electronics and noise get their proper attention too – but this branches way out and probably could make some new friends along the way (and, with the possible exception of George W. Bush, we could all use and make some new friends…).
STAY AS YOU ARE #8
by Brad Yung, $2 CAN/US (P.O. Box 30007, Parkgate P.O., North Vancouver, BC, V7H 2Y8, CANADA, 604.929.1789 (noon to midnight, presumably PST), [email protected] , www.stayasyouare.com)
Brad Yung
continues his wordy, minimal cartoon strip (having sort of done such a thing between about 1975 and 1990, with the occasional visit since, I can relate…), full of irony, sarcasm, cultural critique and, of course, smoking squirrels, banal birds and ninja bears.I know that probably doesn’t tell you much – but it’s interesting stuff, chock full of good brain food. Give it a chance…
TRADE QUEER THINGS VOLUME 3 ISSUE 2 ed. by Jon Pressick, $4 CAN (1547-B Dundas Street W., Toronto, ON, M6K 1T6, CANADA,
www.tradequeerthings.com, [email protected] ; 1 year subscription available from #209-175 Hunter St. West, Hamilton, ON, L8P 1R4, CANADA, for $15 CAN ($30 for rest of world), concealed cash or cheques to Jon Pressick)
This is another publication I’ve seen around a bit and just took a chance on now. It was largely because of the piece on Hidden Cameras, who I was going to see later on the evening I picked up Trade (ooooh –picking up trade – that doesn’t sound like me at all!
J )However, the article on Seen and Heard, a London, Ontario program to help queer youth express themselves; a lengthy interview with Sky Gilbert that was nothing if not provocative; some lesbian erotica (just because you don’t see that much of it in queer culture as a male, and it’s important to realize that women are sexual beings too, in light of the Pussy Palace raids, and that women’s liberation and queer liberation are interconnected); an interesting meditation on how bisexuality and swinging are not necessarily synonymous; some sarcasm on corporate queer culture’s harmful effects; a few book critiques; and so much more.
Intriguing, and hopefully long-lasting (it’s made it through several years, so here’s hoping…)
OUR BAND COULD BE YOUR LIFE
by Michael Azerrad (Back Bay Books, NY, 2002, $15.95 US/$22.95 CAN)
This book profiles 13 bands who were part of the ‘American underground’ from 1981-1991 (some are still around, of course, but it focuses on those years), and does with a combination of interviews, archives, quoted reviews and obvious fandom.
The pieces on Mission of Burma and Beat Happening were particularly revealing, as I knew very little about the members of these groups outside of their records, but all of the analyses (some of the other subjects include Husker Du, Sonic Youth, Butthole Surfers and Dinosaur Jr.) are at least well-researched and at best a joy to read.
ONE MAN’S TRASH by Ivan E. Coyote (Arsenal Pulp Press, Vancouver, 2002, $13.95 US/$16.95 CAN,
www.arsenalpulp.com)In this, her second collection of short stories, Ms. Coyote continues a simple but effective dissection of life as a queer individual with an uneasy relationship to gender and ‘community’ (any kind).
She also branches out into an exploration of societal roles, expectations and pettiness in general (in such stories as ‘Queen Mother’, in which the narrator’s mother emerges triumphant years after a beauty pageant of sorts).
Her stories are beautiful explorations of oddballs and rebels (and part of their savage beauty is their realism – the oddballs and rebels don’t always win…), culminating with the hilarious and touching ‘Fear of Hoping in Las Vegas’, about the narrator trying to marry her girlfriend.
These pieces are simply but effectively written, highly spare and sometimes more about ideas than action, but never in a boring, preachy way. As an oddball myself, I could relate to so much of it…
J
HAPPINESS
by Will Ferguson (Penguin, Toronto, 2002, $10.99 CAN)For whatever odd reason (perhaps some private joke on marketing, which some of the sharpest points in this satirical novel are reserved for), this book, which was originally published as Generica, has become Happiness for its mass market paperback debut.
Whatever…follow your bliss…
Essentially, it deals with the creation of the ultimate self-help book, and how it nearly brings western civilization to an end (here’s a hint: for all its chain-smoking, wine-guzzling, fornicating ways, the author, or at least his narrator, prefers that construction to one of mindless, banal peace – and I’d generally agree with him). I couldn’t reveal more, except that it really is quite nasty, heartless and funny as hell, skewering everyone who deserves a nice shiny steel rod through them and giving a sort of stoical praise to anyone who resists the ‘nicing’ of the world.
THE LITTLE BOOK OF NEUROSES
by Michael Thomas Ford (Alyson Press, Los Angeles, 2001, $14.95 US/$23.95 CAN,www.alyson.com, www.michaelthomasford.com)
This is not quite as funny as the previous three volumes, but it still has some points to make.
I could relate far too well to "The F Word" (about being genetically incapable of theabandoned revelry some people can do at the drop of a hat).
There are interesting surveys you can take (hint: I’m a bad drama queen, slut, drag queen, and gym rat, but a pretty good leatherman), meditations on the likes of Tiger Beat (I refuse to comment on whether I may or may not have wanted the picture of Leif Garrett that was in some issue my sister had way back when…); and much, much more.
Some of the sarcasm this time around is a little too obvious (needling the obligatory straight-interviewee-in-gay-magazine; how to become an ex-straight; means to torture the Beautiful People), but the most serious piece, "For Better or For Worse", has caused me to question my rigid views on marriage – and that’s got to count for SOMETHING.
You won’t laugh quite as much – but you might think more (hint: that’s good).
LEXICON DEVIL
by Brendan Mullen, Don Bolles and Adam Parfrey (Feral House, 2002, P.O. Box 13067, Los Angeles, CA, 90013, www.feralhouse.com, [email protected] , $16.95 US/$27.50 CAN)Like Please Kill Me or We Got The Neutron Bomb, this is a punk narrative which is built up from quotes and clippings and reminiscences from a variety of voices.
However, this one focuses exclusively on Darby Crash and Germs, a musical project in Los Angeles from 1977 to 1980, and, through pictures, memories and excerpts, puts together a portrait of a conflicted gay boy who could have done a lot, but ultimately did not, and why (here’s a hint: it starts with ‘H’ and ends with an overdose).
EVERYONE IN SILICO
by Jim Munroe (No Media Kings, 10 Trellanock Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, M1C 5B5, CANADA, www.nomediakings.org , [email protected], $20 CAN)In this, Mr. Munroe’s third book, we see that his exploration of issues of identity, gentrification and corporate manipulation continue.
This is a good thing.
However, in his exploration of a dystopic utopia set some 35 years in the future in Vancouver, British Columbia, he may have concentrated a bit too much on the ideas and not so much on the plot and character development.
The ideas are very sound and worth exploring: the struggle of the traditional artist against computer manipulation; the desire to provide a good life for one’s family in a world which requires a certain degree of evil and anti-family actions to do so – but the people and events in the book seem a bit remote and cold.
A nice try – but not ultimately a big success as a work of fiction. As an essay or a treatise, pretty good, though.
CHELSEA HORROR HOTEL by Dee Dee Ramone (Thunder’s Mouth Press, NY, 2001, $13.95 US/$21.50 CAN,
www.deedeeramone.net)
Let us simply state that a book in which the narrator is surrounded by drug addicts, murder, perversion, enabling spouses and the banality of evil, ultimately descending to hell from the basement of the Chelsea Hotel at the end, is, no matter how cleverly written and occasionally cartoonish in its violence, a disturbing read in the aftermath of Dee Dee’s death.
Perhaps let it sit for a year or two and then come to it. Having read this and his autobiography again in the wake of his demise, I found it intensely painful and more than a bit grimly prophetic.
NEW YORK ROCKER by Gary Valentine (Sidgwick and Jackson, London, 2002, $21.95 CAN)
Gary Valentine
played bass in Blondie in 1976-1977, co-wrote ‘X Offender" and ‘Presence, Dear’, and then, for most intents and purposes, vanished from the music scene.While this memoir is quite interesting, and informative, it does come across as a bit bitter, somehow, particularly in its take on Debbie Harry and Chris Stein (Debbie essentially comes across as the enabler to the mad genius Chris, or a puppet, which are both not impressions I had ever had of her), and not to mention the occasional swipe at Wayne County and Patti Smith.
Style-wise, this is well written – but it does ultimately read as sour grapes.
DANCING WITH DEMONS
by Penny Valentine and Vicki Wickham (Coronet Books, London, 2001, $11.99 CAN, www.dustyspringfield.nu)
Vicki
used to manage Dusty Springfield, so she would presumably have some insight into her character.When this book came out, there was furor about it telling tales out of class. At first, I could not see that, as it seemed carefully written and frank.
However, there is a certain sense one gets that it DOES dwell on the hospital visits, cutting-up, drugs, bad relationships, etc. a bit MUCH. Surely the woman had some moments of happiness in her life. There can be no question that she danced with demons – but she could sing like the angels, and there must have been moments she was borne up on their wings. For the most part, you won’t find them here, which is disappointing. Dishy, yes, but where is the love?