zine review:
Insipidly Idaho
It wasn’t until halfway through this zine that I reaffirmed for myself that the subjects Remains writes about–his two friends who ran a fan club for Weezer and supported lots of emo and indie artists in the 1990s, and who died in a car accident–were women whose deaths I had known about as a teenage Weezer fan. Getting a closer take on the story than the immortalized legend I had told to me as a teenager, now 10 years later, was eerie and unexpected. Remains’ memoir of his friends is intricately laced with his experiences of punk rock and growing up in the 1990s, as well as a heavy dose of self-admonishment for what he sees as his flawed remembrances of Carli and Mykel. Insipidly Idaho’s a painful and awkward rumination, speaking bluntly to those moments when grief and memory don’t leave you with the closure you’re hoping for. (Sarah Pinder)
perzine, Ryan Remains, issue #1, $2/trade, enchantment under the stars, East Harrison, Portland, OR, 97214, USA