Puzz: A Look at Vermont-made 'Zines Winter 1995
By Brad Searles
Okay, so you walk into your local record store, comic shop, newsstand, whatever, and there's a pile of magazines all gathered together. Chances are that you usually ignore these magazines: they aren't full color and they aren’t very expensive. Sometimes they’re on colored paper, sometimes they even have one one color ink. You probably ignore them because you’ve never heard of them. Now you have.
What you overlooked is a pile of ‘zines. Not short for magazines, but short for fanzines. Magazines are made by lots of people in an office somewhere far away. Fanzines are usually made by one person, sometimes more, in a bedroom or living room. And because they aren’t tied into big, ugly corporations with massive worldwide distribution, most ‘zines you’ll find on the local racks were made by someone who lives close to you. Maybe someone you know, or someone who knows someone you know. Who knows?
That’s the best thing about ‘zines, and the very reason you shouldn’t pass them by. They’re local. They’re personal. They’re made by motivated folks who live near you and are taking the time to express themselves. Folks who are writing, or drawing, about things that might even be important to you. Things you can relate to. Things that might make you think, or laugh, or even feel bad, But they’ll almost always make you feel something.
So that's why I’m here. In each issue of Good Citizen, I’ll be writing about different local ‘zines, and the people behind them. To kick things off, I thought I’d take a quick look at a few ‘zines I’ll eventually be writing about. Keep in mind that, to varying degrees, the people who put these things out are friends of mine, so my “journalistic integrity” is out the window…
‘Zine content is different from ‘zine to ‘zine , some writing, some writing and drawing and some almost all drawing. I’ll try to briefly describe some of Vermont’s more consistent ones.
First up is Durchsehen (it’s pronounced derch-sayin,) which comes out every couple of months. Produced by Todd Kennedy, this ‘zine is usually around 40 pages of writing…articles, lists, lots of random reviews of local and not-so-local music, ‘zines and more. He just celebrated his first anniversary with issue #6
I’m Not Action Johnny Is Colin Clary’s little ‘zine. He’s the guy that plays guitar and sings for the Madelines and he runs Sudden Shame Records, too.
INAJ is all-writing, and usually just eight tiny pages, but hey, it’s free and fun to read! It’s mostly a per-’zine (that’s ‘zine speak for personal ‘zine,) which means that it tells you what Colin and his friends are up to…but it usually has local music information and other reviews, too. Colin also has his own page in the Vermont Collegian, the bi-weekly statewide newspaper.
Next up is James Kochalka Superstar, a comic book from that occasionally twisted, always interesting guy, James Kochalka. Sometimes fictional, sometimes not, James relays stories about himself, Magic Boy, and an ever growing cast of characters. The comics range from all-out funny to oddly disturbing. Check out the latest issue of the nationally published Comics Journal for a huge write-up on James with compliments galore. James was also in the band Jazzin’ Hell, and he has a new band called James Kochalka Superstar with a CD coming on the Dot Dot Dash record label, and he has a song on Split Records #4. Look for his comics in the Collegian as well, and a brand new one in the back of this issue of Good Citizen.
Poo-Poo Magazine brings us back to the mostly writing end of the ‘zine spectrum. Packed with random rants, interviews, music, and publication reviews…it’s perhaps the area’s most literally-meaty zine. It’s also one of the only local ‘zines with a “staff:'' Senior Editor M.C. Caucasian Pimp, Music Director Pope Homeslice IV, and Staff Writer Celina Christ. Poo-Poo also recently passed their one year anniversary with issue #7 and #8 came out in early January.
Back to comics, we have School Bus. Each issue is a collection of short stories drawn by Jason “Schoolbus” Cooley…part-time waiter, full-time music lover, full-time loser. Just kidding, Jason. Seriously, while Jason likes to tell people how much his ‘zine sucks, it actually doesn’t like J.K Superstar, a lot of the stories are based on Jason’s very own messed-up experiences, and the rest come from who knows where. Jason is currently working on a mammoth 60 page comic epic. It may or may not be considered an official issue of School Bus, but it’s sure to be pretty good.
Lastly, but certainly not least, is U.S Herstoree, The Burlington area’s only self-proclaimed “girl-zine.” It’s put out by Lila Rees, who slept through the photo-shoot for this article, so I put her in last (just kiddin’, it’s alphabetical.) Her ‘zine is bi-monthly, featuring the infamous “I Hate Men” page, a few random reviews, lists, and the obligatory Lila update. The best thing about U.S.H., and this is true of most ‘zines, is that Lila’s not afraid to say what she loves, or what she hates. Her latest issue (#7,) has a hysterical James Kochalka interview, plus some reprints of comics by James and Jason (love that ‘zine incest,) and a whole bunch of other stuff.
Well, there you have it…a very quick rundown of a few local ‘zines. There are a few more out there, and I’ll be writing about them in future issues of Good Citizen. Most of these ‘zines are available in Burlington at Blue Suede News and Tones. Go buy ‘em, tell the stores you read about them in Good Citizen, and if they make you think “Hey! I can do this:” maybe I’ll write about you, too