BOOKS, ZINES & MISECELLANEOUS

TOLERANT #1

This is a zine done by a friend of mine. It is honestly a really good zine, especially considering it is her first ever atttempt. the main reason why I like this zine so much is because it is contains a pretty diverse range of music. It doesn't fall into the trap of looking at only Hardcore or only Punk rock, it looks at both.

There are rants galore (and they are well put forward) on the all-important topics such as racism, unfortnately something that really needs to be discussed more often (yes, the KKK and the One Nation party do exist in modern society). There's also plenty of music reviews (even a Shikers review) and interviews with bands like Grim Reality, X-Claim, Arms Reach and Stand Against. There is also a section dedicated to the reviews of the stuff donated by East Bay Menace Records. They are not Australian, but they are one of the best punk labels around releasing stuff like Grimple, Smut and El Dopa.

The whole thing is cut & pasted brilliantly and the cover looks great. It is a limited release but is available for $2 (unless you are me, then it's $5..he, he). I'll put a contact address up as soon as I find it. If you can't get it just look out for later issues. It is well worth a read!

COUGHING UP LEGOMEN #5

Every now and again I get my hands on something that changes my perspective (or at the very least reminds me what my perspective is in times of doubt) and this zine is one of those things. I've never read any other of the CUL zines but can't wait for the next one. I loved this from cover to cover. Hell, even the cover is interesting with Glenn Smith (ex Lawnsmell) doing the art on the front and my friend Glenn doing the art on the back.

Coughing Up Legomen is a queerzine ("Here, queer and evolving to a new solution…") but it doesn't at all alienate the straight reader in the slightest. There are a few articles that pertain to queer culture but the majority of articles and stuff are just related to fringe youth culture in general. Youth culture is what CUL is all about. It is not strictly queer, strictly punk or strictly doof. It is a combination of cultures that merely have youth energy as a common thread.

There are articles on the Reclaim The Streets parties that have happened in the past couple of months (there is another one soon so keep an eye out) which are really interesting, not to mention inspirational. Actually, I personally found the whole zine to be inspirational. It reminds me why I got into punk in the first place. It's not only about great music and fun, it is also about struggle and thought. CUL reminded me this at a time where I was beginning to forget. There is also an article on the history of Doof, some great anti-work stuff, an article on one of the people involved in the Boycott the Olympics (Fuckup 2000) collective as well as the usual music/zine stuff as well as a good reference list of people/collectives worth getting in touch with and the all-important personal rants.

Basically, I really loved the zine and can't wait to get the next issue (actually, I've already sent away for one of Chris' other zines so there should be a review of that up shortly after I get my hands on it). If you ever come across this zine make sure you grab it. Alternatively, you can get in touch with it's creator at PO Box 530 West Ryde 2114 NSW Australia.

KISS THIS: PUNK IN THE PRESENT TENSE

By Gina Arnold
This is a book that is designed to provide a critical analysis on the death of punk. Basically it seeks to dismantle the current state of and compare it to the original days of punk (the author sees this as being the Sex Pistols) in order to determine if punk really is dead. Although I have to admit I did buy this book so that I could just read it and pick out the problems with the argument for punk dying, some very valid arguments are put forward. However, in my opinion there are also may errors and false premises put to the reader. Gina Arnold's argument really had me confused for a lot of the book, one minute she says how punk is completely dead and never made any difference to the world and the next she is saying how alive the lifestyle and soundtrack to go with it is. The book gives good insight into bands like Rancid, Greenday and even into clubs like 924 Gilman St, Berkeley. Although there are mistakes such as putting Pearl Jam into the basket with bands like Operation Ivy, there are also many truths that are usually ignored that are exposed such as Rap's (think early days like Public Enemy) link to Punk Rock. As for the final conclusion, buy it and find out. It is a very informative book that inspires thought and emotion about one's opinions on our chosen lifestyle. It is released through St. Martin's Griffin and should be widely available, if it isn't it is worth getting you local book/record store to order it in.


Well, that's all for now. But, as I said this page will be continually updated so come back very soon. E-mail me at n9704088@scholar.nepean.uws.edu.au if you feel you need to contact me for whatever reason.
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