If you’re looking for a portrait of an artist as a young man, look no further. Electric Mayhem is the security blanket of Ottawa-based musician/writer Sean Zio, and serves as a tool to piece together parts of his life and to reflect on these moments in the present. “Happy childhood memories” is a theme for this issue, and Electric Mayhem delivers…for a few pages, anyway. Through seriously straightforward discussions of life, death, religion and sexuality, Sean paints a self-portrait of a kind, caring soul who is maybe more than a bit lost in this world. There’s a sense of sadness that comes through in his words, soaking the sheath of the reader along the way. The stories are pretty intimate but not in a good way. After reading and then re-reading, I felt almost intrusive, which is odd since Sean obviously wants to share these tales. In any event, the thoughts and hopes and dreams held within Electric Mayhem are a bit scattered, which makes for a bit of an uneven read. However, if you’re looking for an intensely personal glimpse at one man and his place in the world, this is the zine for you. (Cameron Gordon)
Zine, Sean Zio, $2, 40 pgs, 5-490 Gilmour St., Ottawa, ON, K1R 5L4, www.myspace.com/sean_zio