Here is another ‘zine that was absolutely packed to the gills with content. It focused on grindcore and black and death metal, and featured interviews with bigger bands (MORBID ANGEL, DEATH) as well as smaller ones (PAINEATER, MILK AND COOKIES), but editor Bryan Daniel had a knack for getting awesome bands to do interviews. The type was tiny, so even more was crammed in. A lot of the interviews were short, but that made room for more. It also had an extensive reviews section with (mostly) longer reviews (not just short blurbs like most ‘zines).
I know a lot of people who were very influenced by this ‘zine. I’m not sure when this issue came out (’89 to ’91 I’d think), but it was good stuff.
Chas Balun passed away in December of 2009 at the age of 61, but in the 25 years or so that preceded he wrote and wrote for quite a few horror and gore books and magazines including Fangoria, Gore Zone, and his baby (and I think his first) Deep Red. It only made it to 5 or 6 issues, but they were all great, packed full of well written commentary, exposes, criticism, and in depth analysis of some of the best horror movies that were coming out at the time.
The writing is professional but not dry or pretentious or snobbish- you can tell he just loves horror and particularly gore movies, and his enthusiasm is contagious.
This issue came out in March 1988, and features a very good article on zombie movies; long discussions of the movies Redneck Zombies, Return of the Living Dead (two of my favs), Hellraiser, and Dr. Butcher M.D.; a Sybil Danning biography, an interview with horror make-up artist Mark Shostrom, an article written by Gunner Hansen about being Gunner Hansen; letters; news; movie and ‘zine reviews; and lots of cool pictures. It was only the second issue and it came out firing on all cylinders. It’s really too bad it didn’t last longer, it was a great ‘zine and highly recommended. Try to find some and buy them if you love horror and gore movies.
Stink was a sick fixture in the sleaze/ gore/ exploitation flick ‘zine culture, and was produced quite regularly by it’s creator/ editor Nick the Yak. The issues weren’t very big, but were packed full of tons of reviews and other content lovingly dedicated to all things violent and sleazy.
Nick’s reviews were unpretentious and to the point and written from the point of view of a regular slob who just wants to see entertaining movies with lots of violence and nudity (basically, most of us). He later became a born again Christian and quit doing Stink, but I believe that didn’t last too long (the Christian thing- I don’t think he ever started Stink back up after that).
This was the ‘biggest issue ever’, and at 34 pages, possibly the biggest one they ever did. It features several pages of movie reviews, plus some music and ‘zine reviews; a report on their collection of sick shorts they were shooting/ compiling (I wonder if they ever got finished?); full page articles/ reviews of the movies Basket Case 2, Beverly Hills Girls, and Violent Shit; a report from that year’s ‘Fangoria Weekend of Horrors’ convention, a piece on that issue’s ‘Hellhoney’ Brinke Stevens (who I recently saw in a terrible newer straight-to-dvd quickie called Dead Clowns– don’t get it. Boooooriiinnng!) and former Hellhoney Michelle Bauer (back by popular demand); part 2 of a sicko fictional tale; a comparison of Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, Nekromantik, and Violent Shit (“which is sicker?”); and a couple of pages of old school grindhouse ads.
I miss old ‘zines like Stink– we could use their candor and non-snobbish approach to reviewing movies and non-apologetic cinematic bottom feeding. It’s fun and entertaining. Now go watch something sleazy and so-bad-it’s-good entertaining for ole Nick the Yak.
You ever wonder what all the old school subversives are doing now? Is Richard Kern doing ads for Esquire? Is Nick Zedd doing commercials? I know Rollins is doing documentaries. How many of them are dead, or worse- born again Christians?
Well wonder no more when it comes to Lydia Lunch- she’s still tearing it up performing music, spoken word, acting, attacking Joe Rogan, and writing a book (and not the type you might think). A cook book, to be exact, called “The Need To Feed”. Here’s a sample:
I Said Jerk That Chicken!
If it’s hot…no doubt I’m going to want to stick it in my mouth. Just the way I am. I love any food that makes me break a sweat. Slowly savoring the healing heat as it penetrates every cell, kick starting the nerve endings and revitalizing the synapses as they gush with endorphins. Gooey good fun! Jamaican jerk marinades are magic to the mouth. The combination of heat, sweet and pungency create a powerful tangy rush of oral delight! Jerk is exotic, deeply penetrating, incredibly satisfying and yet highly addictive goodness. Gotta love it.
1-tablespoon ground allspice 1-teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2-teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/4-teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried thyme 6 scallions, green tops only, thinly sliced 2 small yellow onions diced 2 large cloves of garlic minced 1 inch of fresh ginger minced 2 – 3 Scotch Bonnet chili peppers deseeded and chopped 1 tablespoon dark-brown sugar 1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice Juice of 1 lime 1/4 cup red-wine vinegar 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce 1/4 cup olive oil
METHOD:
Toast the allspice, cinnamon and nutmeg in a dry pan on low heat for 1 minute. Transfer to a blender adding cayenne, black pepper, thyme, scallions, onions, garlic, ginger, chili peppers, brown sugar, orange juice and lime juice, vinegar, soy sauce and olive oil. STAND BACK! And blend. Refrigerate for a few hours.
Use as marinade for chicken, turkey, pork or vegetables. Lather both sides of meat in jerk sauce and marinate for at least 2 hours in the fridge. Reserve the rest of the marinade for dipping. Grill, broil or bake. Use to brush on vegetables before grilling. Serve with rice and Mango Salsa.
I always wondered what would happen when we all became grandmas and grandpas- I’m happy to see some of us refuse to age gracefully. Go buy her book, and I’ll be awaiting Lung Leg’s knitting guide expectantly…
U.S.D. was a thick (tho half size) ‘zine full of death, black and thrash metal, crossover, and grindcore from France. It was put out by Laurent Merle, who went on to do Peardrop ‘zine and form Listenable Records (who put out records by such notable bands as IMMOLATION, GOJIRA, ABORTED, SOILWORK, GENERAL SURGERY, INCANTATION and tons more). They crammed so much in that it was a bit cramped, and didn’t have much in the way of aesthetic or design appeal, but when it came to exposing underground bands to it’s readers, it definitely got the job done. I discovered several awesome bands by reading it, and tho the English isn’t so great that really just adds to the charm (he’s a pretty funny writer, in a kind of hokey way. Example (from the demo reviews): “…let’s continue with a French band: MUTILATOR… oh! Excuse me! I want to say MUTILATED… I forgot to mutilate the “OR” hihi”
The one thing it doesn’t have much of is ads, probably because it’s so packed full of real content (tho back in those days the ads were just as much a way of finding out about music and ‘zines as anything else).
This was a cool little ‘zine, and I got a lot of tapes because of it…
Trash Compactor was a Canadian film ‘zine that came out in the late ’80s/ early ’90s, and unlike most other ‘zines every issue had a theme. Some of the themes included ‘Obnoxious Hippy Movies’, ‘Gay Movies and Culture’ and ‘Made In Japan’.
This issue we’re focusing on centered around actor/ producer John Ashley (Apocalypse Now!, How To Make a Monster, 2001: A SpaceOdyssey, Frankenstein’s Daughter, Hell On Wheels, The Big Doll House, tons more), and includes several articles on him (including a biography and top 10 film reviews), filmography, and even a recent (at the time) interview. On top of that, it also includes some art (contributed by readers? It doesn’t really say), a few other movie reviews (besides the John Ashley ones), some ‘zine reviews (including my old ‘zine Chunk Blower), part 2 of an article about comic artist Basil Wolverton, and an article on Charles Schulz. 44 pages in all.
The writing in it is a little dry and academic, which isn’t my preference, but it was still a fairly nifty little ‘zine…
A week ago was the latest episode of America’s favorite popularity contest the Academy Awards, in which a bunch of people in the motion picture industry celebrate themselves and their fellow members of the motion picture industry by dressing up in clothes that cost more than my car and giving each other awards.
This year I actually saw 2 of the movies nominated for best picture, and here’s some brief thoughts on them:
Django Unchained was basically Quentin Tarantino’s version of Blazing Saddles, and as such was quite entertaining. I suppose it wasn’t quite as ridiculous and slapsticky as Blazing Saddles, but it was close. Leonardo DiCaprio does a decent Vincent Price impersonation as the main bad guy, and Samuel L. Jackson is quite entertaining as his soulless weasel lackey. James Remar gets killed twice! (how un-Warriorlike) and Tom Savini has a small cameo. The original Django (Franco Nero) also contributes a substantial scene…
The other one I saw was Silver Linings Playbook, in which charming and attractive people with quirky mental health issues and seemingly no realistic or financial problems experience love, triumphs, and wacky hi-jinx with no real repercussions. It was entertaining if you can sit back and not think much about it- just let it flow over you like air conditioning.
My fav movie of last year was of course Cabin In the Woods (tho anyone who likes horror movies already knows about that one, so no need to carry on about it), but there were a lot of awesome productions that came out last year- more than usually do.. The slick and soulless movies that come out in increasingly larger amounts every year haven’t completely taken over yet. And that’s a good thing.
Before the internet people in the underground wrote to each other and traded/ sold tapes, records, and ‘zines between countries and states. You would send something off and have to wait awhile (days to sometimes weeks) for a reply, but it created an international community that shared, discussed, and bartered underground movies, music, and ‘zines beyond borders. The taglines “no rip off” and “send my stamps back!” were repeated endlessly throughout the ’80s and ’90s (for those who were wondering, postage got expensive and most people participating in this were young and broke or poor, so to save money they would put a layer of soap over their stamps, which would keep the post office’s stamper from marking them, and then they could use them again. Hence the request to send their stamps back).
One way that bands and ‘zines got the word out about their projects before the internet was little ads they made and sent through the mail. Other people would also put these ads in their letters and packages, so when you would get something you would also get a bunch of little cut out ads informing you of various underground endeavors and where you could get them. Here is a sampling of some that I still have:
We’re going to start off bursting out the gate with a huge 80 page monster of a ‘zine that specialized in underground hardcore and metal music with a few pages of book and movie reviews thrown in for good measure. Some might wonder why I’m starting with such a huge but not very famous or wide-spread (compared to other underground music ‘zines of the time like Slayer, Morbid, Uniforce, MRR, etc) ‘zine. The answer is because I know the creator/ editor very well. It’s me. Godvomit issue 1 came out in 1990, after I had put out a couple of issues of another music ‘zine called Hatefilled (which has been lost to the sands of time, but was basically the same format as Godvomit but smaller and featured interviews with bands such as CRYPTIC SLAUGHTER, FEARLESS IRANIANS FROM HELL, PISSED HAPPY CHILDREN, IMMOLATION, FATAL, CURRICULUM MORTIS, BACCHUS, and New Jersey’s HATRED). Godvomit got it’s name from something it says in the Bible about how God regurgitates every time a Christian follows his rules only because they are afraid of the punishment of hell if they don’t, which leads me to believe that heaven must be knee deep in God’s vomit. It was purposely chaotic and sloppy looking as an antithesis to all the generic looking desktop publishing fanzines that were coming out at the time.
Unlike the other ‘zines I’m going to take a look at on here, I have permission to scan and post this one in it’s entirety, so I won’t go on much about it, and just let the magazine speak for itself (warts and all)…
Includes interviews with IMPETIGO, MORTICIAN, THERION, WINTER, DEAD HORSE, THE ACCUSED, DEVOID, HIDEOUS MANGLEUS, SPLATTERREAH, NUCLEAR DEATH, SOCIAL DECEIT, NECRO-SCHIZMA, DERKETA, EXIT 13, NUNSLAUGHTER, and FUNEBRE.
