Zine Reviews: Razorcake, As You Were, and Perfect Mix Tape Segue Issues

Written by A. Iwasa

Reviews and recommendations of other great music zines, this roundup including issues of Razorcake, As You Were, and Perfect Mix Tape Segue.

Razorcake #120, 20th anniversary issue

PO Box 42129
Los Angeles, CA 90042
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​With the passing out of print of Maximum Rocknroll, Razorcake stands alone as the survivor of the early 2000s major punk fan 'zines such as Profane Existence and Punk Planet, who were also juggernauts of an earlier era, but never quite as good as MRR in my opinion.  Being myself, I quickly opened to the table of contents to find Liz Prince's and Ben Snakepit's comic columns gone.  Prince was no longer in RZC last time I read it, but I was hoping that was a fluke.  Snakepit's absence made it a double slap to the face. Please look them both up if you're unfamiliar. 
 
My disappointment was quickly gone as I started to read columns by thoughtful writers I've also first encountered in the pages of RZC:  Donna Ramone writes about the pressures of being the child of an immigrant, of color and not of the Judeo-Christian tradition in the US (all experiences I share from my father's side).  Like perhaps, if you assimilate in one of the worst possible ways, like becoming some sort of cop… maybe YOU can become vice president of the United States! 
 
Jim Ruland writes about the joys of actual record collecting, specifically the ephemera, which is also the thing I like the most about physical copies of musical recordings.  He goes into great detail about old school catalogs, as I have also here on T&E's website, so of course I felt an affinity.
 
There is also the frivolous yet fun, like the Rev. Norb forcing me to revisit Elvis for the first time in about a quarter century, and I must admit!  “Bossa Nova Baby” and “King Creole” are total bangers.  It's a crying shame that songs like “In The Ghetto” are what tend to get airplay.
 
Tons of great photography and other art, and record, 'zine and book reviews.  If you haven't already, please check out their website for all of these sorts of things and some epic podcasts:  http://razorcake.org.
 
Purchase the zine here:  Razorcake 120, 20th Anniversary Issue featuring Partial Traces, Candace Hansen, Moxiebeat, and One Punk’s Guide to Sludge Metal – Razorcake
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As You Were:  A punk comix anthology, vol. 5 THIS JOB SUCKS! 

Silver Sprocket
1057 Valencia St.
San Francisco, CA 94110

​I almost can't believe I forgot to mention As You Were volumes 1 & 4, House Shows and Living Situations, when I wrote about punk house dwelling for T&E!  I also almost can't believe this collection was out for some four years before I realized it was out.  Well worth the accidental wait!
 
As many people in 'zine world know, crappy jobs are one of the ties that bind us, and it's cool to read how other people deal with these situations, even if it's pure fantasy.  Burn Collector by Al Burien for instance, or early Cometbus.  In fact, there was even a ‘zine called McJob for a while, but I only know of it from an interview with its editor, Julie Peasley, done by V. Vale in one of his ‘Zines! anthologies.
 
This issue includes some people I've been a long time fan of such as Julia Wertz, Rick V. and Ben Snakepit, though I only learned with this volume that V. is in a surf band, Found Drowned, with fellow contributor, Emily Timm.
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Sad I’m only hearing this band now since I love surf music, and have been reading Rick V. comix for years.  But as we used to say at Starving Artist Movers, better late than never!
 
It also includes 'zinester Anna Vo whose writing I have been a fan of for years, and a slew of artists whose work was new to me, or that I recognized from the past.
 
Other great artists from this collection: Joshum is in the bands Hang the Old Year and Strangeweather, Adrian Chi is in Spokenest and Badlands. 
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​Spokenest is the kind of project that makes me a bit self conscious, like how does Adrian Chi rock so much as a musician, vocalist, writer and a visual artist?!  I mean, I know the answer is largely practice, but still… Some great two-piece, two-vocal punk:
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More to my point, Adrian Chi wrote and recorded this tape.  Much mellower than Spokenest, it’s still cool for it’s stripped down music, and vocal harmonies.
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Not to be That Guy, but I’m not a fan of what younger people are calling Progressive Rock these days (Rush, ELO, etc. on the other hand?  Hopefully more later on that sub-genre.)  But maybe if you like the new prog rock you will like this?  Perhaps most relevant here, epic art by Joshum!

My knuckle dragging tendencies with music fandom shine through when I try to listen to something like this… It’s musically amazing, but not my thing at all.  But the cover art of all three of their recordings are epic.  And to boot, the first and most recent are by artists other than Joshum (this cover is unattributed).  This makes me wonder about the visually artistic milieu Joshum is a part of outside of Silver Sprocket.

Purchase: As You Were, Vol 5: This Job Sucks! (Comix zine) – Silver Sprocket

Perfect Mix Tape Segue #4:  GOING ON TOUR by Joe Biel, 2020 edition

Microcosm Publishing
2752 N. Williams Ave.
Portland, OR 97227
 
Mostly a tour recap of Biel's 2004, lower 48 state tour for his first feature film, $100 & A T-Shirt, a documentary about 'zines; with Nicole J. Georges touring for her first book, Invincible Summer; Dave Roche, with his first book, On Subbing; and Jack Saturn, also with his first book, We Ain't Got No Car.
 
Full disclosure:  I scored my review copy from Biel through a 'zine swap, while I was working on a manuscript for Microcosm Publishing.  All this and more can be yours!  Some people are shy, not realizing how accessible many ‘zinesters are as far as doing swaps and kicking down review copies.  But to me, this is a large part of the joy of being a ‘zinester!
 
After introducing the tour, Biel goes on a bit of a tangent on "Punk Damage," a noun from the Lesbian Lexicon meaning:  "the sordid underbelly of self limitation that comes directly from having come of age in a punk scene; often marked by an extreme distaste for the making or spending of even small amounts of money." This part seemed to go on for too long, but maybe only because I had already read Biel's Punk Damage:  How DIY Punk Saved My Life After It Stopped Screwing It Up, which I also recommend. 
 
Since catching the Sister Spit Tour in Tucson back in 2012, I've been intermittently obsessed with the idea of doing some sort of 'zine tour.  This issue of Perfect Mix Tape Segue gave me a better idea of how I might pull something like this off if this whole COVID thing ever blows over and I survive.. It also got me to check out the band Gravy Train!!!!, and I intend on checking out all of his tour mates' work.
 
I'd also recommend checking out every from the Sister Spit Tours, especially Michelle Tea, whose work I've been able to find in public libraries from coast to coast.

Purchase the zine here: Perfect Mix Tape Segue #4: Going On Tour | Microcosm Publishing

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