I discovered this miniature zine, filled with the prose of one Golda Fried, just when I thought there might be a draught. It was in the zine-dispensing cigarette machine known as Distroboto that’s housed in Montreal’s St Laurent café, Casa del Popolo. It’s a conundrum press publication, so it looks lovely – there’s a full-colour cover, a sheet of cigarette foil inside, and teensy black and white images of a band called the Royal Trux, featuring Michael Hagerty and Jennifer Herrema. Weaving through the delightfully honest, refreshingly gritty narrative, which appears to autobiographical, we learn about Golda’s life as a newly married woman, and her four separate encounters with the Royal Trux over four years. “I liked them because there was a girl who had a voice and wasn’t all about cleavage,” she tells us. “That band made me take a white t-shirt and a black marker and write ‘ROYAL TRUX’ and cut off the sleeves.” The only criticism I have is that the zine is too short, there’s too little Golda. But judging by the longing expressed in the pages of this teensy book, Golda’s kinda homesick- Maybe, just maybe, she’ll come home- Either way, dishing out two bucks for this baby is a no-brainer. (Emily Pohl-Weary)
zine, $2, Golda Fried, c/o conundrum press, 266 Fairmount, Montreal, QC, H2V 2G3