Momentum
Adam Underhill01.08.10
It’s been a long time since we talked football (talk about momentum, not that we haven’t been watching). Most of my teams have gotten knocked out by now – the Giants first of all, the Falcons, the Bills …ah well this always happens with them, lately, but it doesn’t have to, I mean welcome back Jets, but that can only last a week, ’cause who knows, what evil, lurks in the head of Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis who may rouse his team from somnambulism for a rematch of last week (it didn’t as I write this, sorry Cincy and Ochocinco – change the name back, get the mojo back, if it helps). It’s wild card week from Adam Underhill (who must of got a Beatles Rock Band for Xmas…see last page). Art by Danny Jock. -CM
Greyson, Griffin, Guillermo
Matt Bell01.06.10
In the still nebulous world of internet fiction, Matt Bell is a writer who embraces its possibilities. He edits Dzanc Books’ online fiction journal The Collagist and when his novella, The Collectors, praised by Brian Evenson and Deb Olin Unferth, quickly sold out its limited print run, Bell posted the PDFs of the book on his website for anyone to read or print. His first short story for Fanzine "Greyson, Griffin, Guillermo" has a kind of old testament gruesomeness and the accompanying images are courtesy of painter Joshua Hagler, who shares his captivating and unsettling aesthetic. Hagler is also the creator of the comic book The Boy Who Made Silence.
Best of 2009, Musically Speaking
Mark Gluth12.29.09
Seems Limewire might have been a darling again in 2009, but If you could actually afford to buy any music this year, here are some of the best albums you might have grabbed up as suggested by Mark Gluth, resident of the PANW (Pacific Northwest as he explained to us) and author of the awesome new novella The Late Works of Margaret Kroftis. From Sunset Rubdown to Sunn O))) here we go…
Impossible Princess by Kevin Killian
Jesse Hudson12.28.09
Just in time for ‘Best Of’ lists, 2009 has been a hell of a year for writer Kevin Killian. Heck, he’s been blowing up this whole decade with some of the sharpest, wittiest, and most prodigious work of any writer in American Letters (though you still might find a lot of his words freely given in reviews on Amazon.com). As a San Franciscan for many years, it’s fitting that Killian’s latest collection of stories – Impossible Princess, one that mixes out-of-print material with new, darkly mature tales of desire and danger – is out on City Lights, the imprint that has defined the San Francisco lit scene for over half a century. Jesse Hudson reviews.
The Chase is Always Better Than the Kill
Michael Louie12.19.09
Michael Louie spent five weeks deep in the trenches during the first annual Brooklyn Fishing Derby, which happened to start the first day of mandatory fishing licenses for all New York saltwater anglers. He seeks out the secret and hidden fishing spots amongst the new development and regimented city property and finds that maybe he’s not quite the terrible fisherman he thought he was.
The New Era of Blackface
Louis Chude-Sokei12.17.09
Around Halloween the question was asked is "blackface Hitler" a culturally acceptable costume? Would it be viewed as an example of, as Louis Chude-Sokei says, "meta-anti-racism" or a bad joke in the worst kind of taste? Both? Chude-Sokei is the author of The Last Darky: Bert Williams, Black-on-Black Minstrelsy, and the African Diaspora, a finalist for the 2005 Hurston/Wright Legacy Award. With a perspective rooted in African diaspora, here he paints a sharp contrast between recent incidents of blackface in American pop culture, such as this season’s premiere of Madmen and Robert Downery Jr. in Tropic Thunder, and blackface traditions outside the U.S. in Mexico, Turkey and West Africa. As in his recent talk on murdered African reggae star Lucky Dube, Chude-Sokei offers a unique perspective on the communication between cultures.
The Show That Smells by Derek McCormack
Jamie Gadette12.16.09
Derek McCormack explained himself in a special guest post on author Dennis Cooper’s blog: “The Show That Smells – this is what carnies and circus folk call an animal show. It’s also what I named my new novel." The second installment of a planned trilogy that began with The Haunted Hillbilly and the latest in Cooper’s Little House on the Bowery imprint at Akashic, McCormack’s sartorial fantasy is an appropriately seamless blend of vampires, country music and acclaimed fashion designers. McCormack has been a contributor to The Fanzine since its infancy and interested readers might also enjoy his fashion columns on the history of the sequin, Santa costumes and tragic Hollywood costume designer Vera West. Jamie Gadette, music editor of Salt Lake’s City Weekly, reviews.
86’d Stories: Rob Shapiro
Jennifer Blowdryer12.13.09
Jennifer Blowdryer, editor of Good Advice for Young Trendy People of All Ages (Manic D), brings us this interview with Rob Shapiro, twin brother of comedian Rick Shapiro, in which he discusses purse snatching, sexiest life guard competitions, ass-less hospital gowns, the heyday of Studio 54, making out covered in blood and betrayal by trusted service workers. At least three bodily fluids make cameo appearances. Also, in a previous installment of 86’d Stories, Sammy Reid and Jeff Dickinson discuss hustling, speed and Bellevue. Art by Danny Jock.
Sex Dungeon for Sale! Coloring Contest
Michael Louie12.11.09
Patrick Wensink, the author of the short story collection Sex Dungeon for Sale! is having an interesting contest over on his site. It’s…
