Ben Hunter is also in the band THE MEDVEDS, and this book/zine is pretty consistent with what the band does.
This is a collection of short stories, mainly Hunter's childhood memories, of wich some have been published in other fanzines before. Some are sort of funny, some are not. It's like watching Malcolm In The Middle or something. It's well written and most of it isn't too long, but the actual events he's based it all on aren't too interesting. We've all thrown stuff at passing traffic and public buses when we were kids. Every guy I've ever met has tried to brighten up a dull job with some sort of sabotage. Most punk rockers will have done things ten times as dangerous or stupid as what is described within these pages. If you're looking for punk rock shock this ain't it. Other stories are basically just showing you that Hunter was a jerk when he was in his teens. If you had a drink with Hunter and he told you the odd story he would be good company, I'm sure, but I wouldn't pay too much for this 60-pager. That said this is still a lot better a read than your average ''personal'' (read emo cry baby) zine, or some interview with a band you don't care about anyway.
Included with the book is a CD with some short stories read in the not so funny voice of Hunter's alter ego ''Mean'' Russell Taff. Three or four stories are repeated from the book.
The rest of the CD is a series of prank calls done in the late 80's. I guess the odd call was funny to them when they did it, but generally this stuff - and the fact that Hunter kept the tapes for more than 15 years - mainly tells you that he's a bit of a nerd.
Editor Richie Dagger has been busy getting 2 more issues out. The format is identical to the last issue - well designed, high quality, well written and well researched interviews with old and new bands.
There are no ads, so even if it's only around 20 pages long it's still great that it's free. Dagger pays for it out of his own pocket.
Issue #3 includes interviews with ROCKET FROM THE TOMBS, THESE ARMS ARE SNAKES and VENA CAVA. #4 has THE REZILLOS, PLANES MISTAKEN FOR STARS and HOT CROSS.
There are a few pages of record reviews and listings too. Check it out.
This swedish fanzine is one of the country's biggest and has been around for years. It's still kept at the fanzine level but it's getting closer and closer to the mainstream music press. Issue #11 covers everything from Swedish Hardcore (MASSGRAV) to Corporate Rock (WILDHEARTS).
The way it's written, the way they interview people and the general feel to this is a lot more music journalist than punk fanzine editor, which gets a bit annoying at times, with some factual errors and strangely distorted quotes, but reading it is an ok way to spend half an hour. Issue #11 features Q&A's with EAGLES OF DEATH METAL, THE VECTORS, MARY LOU LORD and THE PAYBACKS.
Issue #10 has ROCKET FROM THE CRYPT, SONNY VINCENT, ANGRY SAMOANS and BABY WOODROSE.
Both issues features 100's of reviews.
This is an Oi!/Punk fanzine (in swedish), with absolutely no horror connections whatsoever.
There are six interviews in this issue, the first one with the world's oldest looking skinhead FRANKIE FLAME wich is alright except that a list of his 50 favourite bands are repeated three or four times. French band BRIGADA FLORES MAGON are also interviewed, and it's alright too, but some more about their DIY touring of South America would have been interesting. Also featuring WARRIOR KIDS, FRENZY FOUR and MAD DOG SURRENDER.
Apart from interviews and a few record reviews there's a piece on a summer festival in which THE BUSINESS surprisingly gets slagged a bit. There's one thing in it I thought was somewhat crappy; an article about the history of swedish fanzines that is so random and incomplete that it's ridiculous. My guess is that it's based on one guy's rather small collection of fanzines that he's bought second hand somewhere. It's by a guest writer and it shouldn't have been included at all. I'm no fan of Ska, but the editors are so there's some of that too (THE LIPTONES).
The layout is done in a computer, nothing special but easy to read. 40 pages, with only a few ads.
What's really good about this fanzine - and many others run by skins - is that it's all about the bands the editors like, and nothing else. There's absolutely nothing fake about it.
