Razorcake Issue #84 As A
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RIP THIS PAGE OUT WHO WE ARE... Razorcake exists because of you. Whether you contributed If you wish to donate through the mail, any content that was printed in this issue, placed an ad, or are a reader: without your involvement, this magazine would not exist. We are a please rip this page out and send it to: community that defi es geographical boundaries or easy answers. Much Razorcake/Gorsky Press, Inc. of what you will fi nd here is open to interpretation, and that’s how we PO Box 42129 like it. Los Angeles, CA 90042 In mainstream culture the bottom line is profi t. In DIY punk the NAME: bottom line is a personal decision. We operate in an economy of favors amongst ethical, life-long enthusiasts. And we’re fucking serious about it. Profi tless and proud. ADDRESS: Th ere’s nothing more laughable than the general public’s perception of punk. Endlessly misrepresented and misunderstood. Exploited and patronized. Let the squares worry about “fi tting in.” We know who we are. Within these pages you’ll fi nd unwavering beliefs rooted in a EMAIL: culture that values growth and exploration over tired predictability. Th ere is a rumbling dissonance reverberating within the inner DONATION walls of our collective skull. Th ank you for contributing to it. AMOUNT: Razorcake/Gorsky Press, Inc., a California non-profit corporation, is registered as a charitable organization with the State of California’s COMPUTER STUFF: Secretary of State, and has been granted official tax exempt status (section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code) from the United razorcake.org/donate States IRS. Our tax ID number is 05-0599768. razorcake.org/subscriptions Your gift is tax deductible to the full extent provided by law. SUBSCRIBE AND HELP KEEP RAZORCAKE IN PRINT Subscription rates for a one year, six-issue subscription: U.S. – bulk: $17.00 • U.S. – 1st class, in envelope: $23.00 Prisoners: $23.00 • Canada: $25.00 • Mexico: $33.00 Anywhere else: $50.00 (U.S. funds: checks, cash, or money order) We Do Our Part www.razorcake.org Name Email Address City State Zip U.S. subscribers (sorry world, int’l postage sucks) will receive either Radon, 28 (No Idea) or Radon, We Bare All (No Idea). Although it never hurts to circle one, we can’t promise what you’ll get. Return this with your payment to: Razorcake, PO Box 42129, LA, CA 90042 If you want your subscription to start with an issue other than #85, please indicate what number. Between Humility and Humiliation As I mentioned a couple issues back, I’ve become a ghost. said. “Good friends. They didn’t talk for two years afterwards. That’s I’ve been working on a novel and am digging deep into the guts of why I gave you the heads up.” Razorcake while still orchestrating the day-to-day of putting a bi- “Thanks.” monthly zine together. I won’t lie. It’s been a dark, challenging time. “I thought that you might want to punch me,” Jim said. I’m starting to feel like a ghost of a skeleton: barely there bones, a “Nah. I’ve just got a massive headache.” wispy suggestion of a skull. We talked for four hours. It ended with flights of tacos instead of A conversation Jim Ruland and I had recently could have put our insults, bent feelings, and bodily injury. relationship in jeopardy, perhaps ended it. If it’d happened a decade It’s hard to hear from a trusted friend that a 782-page draft isn’t ago—let’s just say he was still drinking then and my anger was seldom good enough, that I have to rethink a core principle of the book. Fuck far from the surface. him because he’s right. I’d given the novel manuscript to two people—Jim and Sean It’s fine if you scoff at this: I believe in the core behind DIY punk. Carswell. They’re two of my best friends. We went to school together. I respect the hell out of writers like Jim and Sean, Liz Prince, Cassie J. I’ve trusted them and respected them as fellow writers for the past Sneider, Cheryl Klein, Adrian Chi, Kiyoshi Nakazawa, Mike Faloon, twenty years. The first draft of this novel was finished in 1996. They Jennifer Whiteford, Jimmy Alvarado, and everyone in the thank you both read the new version and struggled to finish it. Before either of list right below, but I don’t feel like I’m in any sort of competition them said a word, I realized I still have a lot to learn. That’s humbling with them. The opposite. I feel a kinship, a community. I want to after putting twenty-five years into a craft. support them any way I can. Oh, I can be competitive and ambitious “Are you willing to re-write it?” Jim asked. and a righteous asshole—but with myself. I won’t step on anyone’s “Yeah,” I said. “I just need to air it out for a bit. It’s a lot to take neck to reach the next rung, whatever it may be. The advice Jim gave in.” He had read the third “finished draft” of the novel. I thought I’d me was hard to take, but it was given from the heart of a fellow writer pretty much nailed it and it was time to tidy the corners, do some light who knows my strengths and weaknesses; not from any sort of angle line editing, and start thinking about the cover and jacket copy. to push me down, minimize my work, or benefit from my failure. He “I’m glad to hear that,” Jim said. “I’ve got a lot of notes. It’ll take wants the novel to succeed on its own terms, not to poison me. a bit to put them all together.” And that’s the difference between humility and humiliation. “I couldn’t sleep last night when you emailed me that you didn’t I’ll start the fourth draft in a little bit. I just need to catch my love it,” I replied. breath and untangle some of these dark guts. “A buddy of mine had a similar talk with another writer,” Jim –Todd Taylor Cover design by Nation of Amanda Razorcake (nationofamanda.tumblr.com) THANK YOU: Such gorgeous watercolors, power of positive revision, full-color PO Box 42129, LA, CA 90042 thanks to Nation of Amanda for her cover; I bet Hobbes would have a band razorcake.org “Sometimes, if you just as good as Billy And The Boingers thanks to Brad Beshaw for his illo. in gorskypress.com Sean’s column; Photorealism of an illustrated world thanks to Marcos Siref for facebook.com/razorcake want to live and his illo. in Jim’s column; Your worst fears are plentiful and staring at you four twitter.com/razorcakegorsky breathe tomorrow, rows deep thanks to Steve Thueson for his illo. in Cassie’s column; Thirteen- youtube.com/RazorcakeGorsky year-olds and twelve inches—“Do you know Rancid?” thanks to Alex for his razorcake.tumblr.com you have to dive illo. in Nørb’s column; Dale baby sack—that’s conjoined to a quadruplet of razorcake-records.bandcamp.com into the black rock—thanks to Jackie Rusted for her Designated illo.; “I lost a fuckin’ contact gorskypress.bandcamp.com now?” thanks to Kasia Oniszczuk for her photo in the Chicken’s column; RZA instagram.com/razorcakegorsky depths today.” megafi st vs. Nardwuar extendo-fi nger thanks to Evan Wolff for his illo.; There are fewer arbitrary, more colonial concepts that do more harm than the enforced ADVERTISING / CONTRIBUTOR DEADLINE –Neal Stephenson Cryptonomicon law of “international borders”—the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo can suck it— ISSUE #85 Razorcake/ Gorsky, Inc. Board of Directors: thanks to Jimmy Alvarado, Andy Garcia, Jose Guillermo Cortez, Javie Martinez, Feb. 1, 2015 Todd Taylor, Sean Carswell, Daryl Gussin, Jeff Tsuji, and Eric Baskauskas for the Aztlan Underground, Part II interview, Visit razorcake.org/advertising Dan Clarke, Katy Spining, Leo Emil Tober III, Ad rates start at $40. and Catherine Casada Hornberger. transcription, photos, and layout; In that bear trap between hardcore and pop— that delicious, toothy snare that Amos from Tenement is absorbing from the This issue is dedicated to the births of Ottawians Joey Marc Collister and Nicke Williams speaker thanks to Shannon Z. Thompson, Patrick Houdek, and Matt “Criminally Underrated” Average for the Boilerman interview, photos, and layout; Bask in the glory of a saddle stitcher, an ergonomic razor cutter and… “eye contact when they put sausage in a backpack” (not a euphemism) thanks to Justin George, Welcome to the universe, Andy Garcia, and Lauren Measure for the L.A. Zine Fest transcription, photos, and Imogen! layout; Bike rack. Rack of beer. Coincidence? Sprocketed and cabled thanks to John Miskelly, Alex Daymond-King, and Becky Bennett for the “One Punk’s Guide Imogen’s mom and to Bike Touring” article, photos, and layout; Mattresses as sonic buffers in the living room and existential waffl e talk thanks to Danielle Kordani, Gary Bonetti, dad, Jennifer Jensel and Eric Baskauskas for the Peeple Watchin’ interview, photos, and layout. and Jeremy Richman are dear friends of Zines are physical things. They are not blogs. Records are physical things. They Razorcake columnist, are not untethered digital strings of 0s and 1s in a vast electronic darkness. Jim Ruland. You might I’m sticking to my guns on this one… Thanks to #84’s rotation of music, zines, remember his column books, and video reviewers: Bianca, Claire Palermo, Kelley O’Death, Lisa Weiss, Nicole Madden, Sal Lucci, Keith Rosson, Rich Cocksedge, Indiana Laub, Camylle about going to Newtown, Reynolds, Matt Werts, Ryan Nichols, MP Johnson, Mike Frame, Ty Stranglehold, Connecticut for their Steve Hart, Steve Adamyk, Paul J.