Print Reviews

Start Today #6

"Print is dead." This is the response that Egon Spangler gives in the first Ghostbusters film when asked what books he's currently reading. One could say that has kind of rang true in the hardcore scene. It seems like before, I used to go to a show and come home with three or four different fanzines to read while I lay on my bed listening to new music I purchased at a distro. Times have definitely changed, but I can safely say that Jeff is keeping the print fanzine alive with this new issue. Start Today zine is one of two of the reasons that I wanted to start this zine (the other reason is reviewed below...keep reading). One thing I really admire about Jeff is his complete honesty. Even if I wasn't friends with him, I'd feel like I was after reading his zine. His columns are really interesting and really let you get inside of his head, without coming across as preachy. And then there's the interviews. Champion, 108 and Gorilla Biscuits in one issue? C'mon! The Champion interview especially is a really good read, since I believe it is their "last" interview and it's definitely very comprehensive. I also got a few laughs during the GB interview. If that's not enough, there's a ton of record reviews, and throughout the whole zine there are pictures galore of bands ranging the spectrum from Rancid to The First Step. I really hope this isn't Jeff's last issue, because hardcore needs more fanzines like this.




The Anti-Matter Anthology by Norman Brannon

I remember Phil giving me a trashbag full of old zines years ago and in it there were a couple issues of Anti-Matter. I knew these would be the first ones I'd dig into since I was already a huge fan of Texas Is The Reason, as well as the Anti-Matter Compilation (I mean seriously, that Quicksand song on there is so good it's rediculous, this needs to be back in print). I immediately fell in love. The way Norm writes is just so cool to me. You can tell it is completely genuine and honest, and just like with Start Today, you really feel like you know Norm as a person just by reading what he writes. His interviews were very original and didn't just ask the same old questions. This was where the seed was planted for me to eventually do this zine. When I first heard that Anti-Matter was going to be released in book form, I was so excited. I think I first heard that rumor back in the late 1990s, and periodically rumors would surface again and then quickly be extinguished. When it finally became a reality and I saw that a website was made (www.myspace.com/antimatterbook) I was ecstatic. Upon finally recieving the book in the mail on Wednesday, can I say that it lived up to my expectations? Honestly, no. I thought the book was going to be a collection of issues #3, #4, #5 and #6, cover to cover with all interviews, reviews and columns in tact. All the book is is most of the interviews from the zine, no reviews, no fancy stuff. It's also missing a couple interviews, I'm pretty sure. I remember reading that Lifetime interview that is quoted in the back and thinking that was a good read. Is it in the book? No. And the column where he'd give a certain "scene" person a blank tape with five songs on it and ask them to review it...cool I thought. Is that in the book? No. Granted, the interviews that ARE in there are still great. The highlight interviews for me were Porcell, Mike Judge, and Jawbox. I won't give away any details of these for those who haven't read them, but definitely check these interviews out. I guess what I can say is that Revelation Records to me, are the MASTERS of dropping the ball. Look at their track record: Chain Of Strength "The One Thing That Still Holds True" (worst remix ever), those Youth Of Today reissues with the awful photoshopped layouts, the Gorilla Biscuits "Start Today" reissue that was supposed to be "jam packed" with liner notes and a DVD....and who can forget the other book they put out "All Ages: Reflections On Straight Edge." It was hard to mess this book up. You take the zines and scan the pages or whatever it takes, and arrange them in a numerical sequence from front to back. It doesn't sound that difficult to me, but apparently it is. Is the book worth the $13.00 from http://www.revhq.com/ ? Yeah. But you're probably better off using that money to look around on eBay for copies of the original zine.