Lickety Split is a melange of stories, illustrations, pictures, poetry and interviews about sex, pornography and fantasy. It’s a zine that has such a carefully picked spread of artistic sexual creativity that it never succumbs to being a repetitive cry of repressed desire, or on the same note, does not come off as arrogant or superior like so many others “smut” zines do. Page after page is a celebration of people’s courageous attempts to figure out who they are and what they like, while throwing in some titillating images as well.
In “Something hard on the rocks” Sarah Beall tells a story of a sweaty Hallowe’en night coming to a close that boils between Sophie (a sexy nurse) and Sam until the two protagonists find themselves downstairs in an empty room as the party upstairs continues.
There’s an interview with Lil Pip, a 22 year old hip hop artist who is proud of her swelled ego and open about the fact that a lot of her rap revolves around sex. Also, a transcription of an interview with Annie Sprinkle, a 52-year-old self-proclaimed “prostitute/porn star-turned-performance artist/sexologist.”
Being a “smut” lover myself, I took pleasure in almost everything LS had to offer, but what had the most impact on me was a liberating journal excerpt from a grade nine student coming to terms with his homosexuality. This is the most beautiful purpose of this zine; it’s a way for anyone to speak freely about who they are and what they like, and not be judged.
Rick Trembles (pornographic animator and illustrator) said it best in an interview with LS: “I would like to think that people might at least, um, someone with the same issues might be able to relate to it & go; hey I’m not the only one.” (Robert Lines)
zine, P.O. Box 1783 Station H, Montreal, Quebec, H3G 2N6, licketysplitzine.com