“We have nothing memorable to say, that’s sort of our trademark.” That’s how one of the interviews with a band finishes. If any band tried to register that, there would be the hugest mother-fucking trademark lawsuit in history, as 90% of the bands out there could claim the label. Anyway, that’s kind of the problem with interviews in music fanzines – the bands are asked about their instruments, their current tour, interesting tour stories, and they don’t go anywhere in-depth. This zine follows this tradition in their coverage of the Epifat(tm) kind of punk rock. There are some well-researched but short articles on political issues (American involvement in Colombia, disappeared people in Algeria, and other Amnesty International-sponsored causes), an article on hype that kinda strays when the author is scandalized that a teenager got condemned for hyping stock. What’s funny is that they bring this topic up again when they interview goth punk band A.F.I., and they obviously don’t have a clue either. There’s a really cool feature about the Médiathèque Terre-de-Ciel in Paris, where you can borrow books, discs or whatever for as long you they wish. I dug the “Where to Skate” guide to Toronto, complete with rail and ledge descriptions, warnings about how tight security is, and if security will confiscate your board if you get caught. Now that’s investigative reporting! (Not from these people though, as they got it from another zine). Finally, the story of the evolution of Kiera’s relation with the punk crowd in Toronto rang true to my ears. This issue is better than the last issue I read, and is an above-average zine. (Frandroid Atreides)
zine,#3, 44 pages, Kiera Ormut-Fleischman and Stephanie Silverman, $2,151 Strathallan Blvd, Toronto, ON, M5N 1S9, [email protected], http://www.geocities.com/dollfazed_zine