Shawn who does the punk zine Johnny Can’t Read has decided to start up another zine that will focus more on the political aspects of D.I.Y. culture. This first effort is pretty solid, reprints by the likes of Emma Goldman and Chumbawumba (I think), a lament over the demise of the NDP, and various mini-rants concerning India’s nuclear capacity, and the CBC’s Anne Petry. I’m not sure if quoting at length from the God Hates Fags website is really necessary, I’d just as soon have had something more positive in that space. My main critique is that Shawn’s politics seem pretty global and, as such, hard to really understand in terms of his own day-to-day. I’d like something more personal in this zine, maybe something about life in TBay, not exactly a bastion of liberal thought. One of the most compelling articles in this zine was the very personal Scraping By, written by Jon Hillman on the subject of his daughter’s summer visit. More of this less amorphous writing would give What The? an identity beyond that of generic leftist rant zine. The latest Johnny Can’t Read is pretty similar to What The…? though it’s a bit more successful, in that it doesn’t come off as generic. The interview with Joe Keithly of DOA is great, particularly his comments on his involvement with local politics and the Green Party. (HN)
zine, #1, 20 pages, Shawn, $1, Box 2015, Green Acres PO, Thunder Bay, ON, P7E 6P2