Zine thing.

PERNA, #12

What magazine is bold enough to ask the question: "Kuka vittu lahtee festareille oikeasti katsomaan bandeja?" Or has the balls to Ask skater Tommi Hakanen "No uskaltaisitko?" It could only be Perna, Finland's only skate mag. And the language could only be Finnish, completely indecipherable to me and any other Latin-based language speaker in this world. But hey, it's got some cool photos of the Finnish scene that you'll never see anywhere else, and really, when you boil it down, there is a lot about skateboarding that is universal (in fact, arguably most of it), so the mag's a good look through. And if you really want shits and giggles, try reading the thing out loud to a friend. What's with this month's cover ass shot?. Send a couple bucks to: YO-kyla 52 a 21, 20540 Turku, Finland

SWELLBOW, #8

Fuck yeah! A new Swellbow! And I had the pleasure (and occasional pain) to see a part of this thing's creation as the Swellbow guys made a whirlwind couch tour stop through my town. I got to make fun of them for misnaming a trick or two (and they did it again!), like I did in my review of the last mag, but nobody's perfect and youthful exuberance counts for way more than anal retentiveness. This one is thick with the goods and features Motorhead, tons of street and park and ramp stuff, an Arizona and California mad trip, and more. These guys are from Colorado, origin of the snowbruce, and can make fun of snowbrucing, so I'm all for it. Send these guys 20 bucks for an issue, it'd be worth it, but hell, you can get away with sending a couple bucks: 17423 E Chenango Dr, Aurora, CO 80015

SWASHBUCKLER, #13

This one's a screwball, kinds hard to peg; some seems great (the skating stuff, for example) and some if it you just have to slap your forehead mid say "only in Florida." For example, only in Florida would a band call their music "Swamp Hop," or would a band called Spore Print, described alternately as "psychedelic hootenanny," "electric bluegrassid" and a "fusion" "jam band" with "outlandish lyrics" rate a full-page write up. And what's with the creepy photo of the skateshop owner/goon? We all know how creepy those types can be (see, for example, I-Level. Or was it "Eye Level?"). And the guy on the cover is doing an awright air, but Christ! He's sticking his ass out like he's constipated! To end this on a positive note, the folks at Swashbuckler have gotten turned on to those Mexican porno mini-comics, and that ain't half-bad. Send a buck or two: PO Box 111351, Naples, FL 34108

MENTAL SKRIPTURE, #1

This here's a graff 'zine, and is nearly 100-percent photos of acts of graffiti vandalism/street art, along with a couple gratuitous boonie shots in there as well as a little collage work. Some of it is great: I like graffiti stuff that is pictures and not just somebody's name written in bubble letters (or some other font; are they called fonts?). This one is a little heavy on the names, though, Send a buck or two: 8890 SW Birch St, Portland, OR 97223

BORED, #4

Bored is getting better, from layouts to photos to content, with each issue. This one has a name-the-mascot contest, fame found in background props, a Marko Jazbinsek interview (who, I guess, is a Slovenian pro? Hey, I'm all for it), an old Girl video review, La Junta skatepark, an honest Ricta wheel review, the "JT (Jamie Thomas) to Later" trick tip, which is a good one, and more of the "pro-spotting" with names you might recognize. Good tongue-in-cheek stuff, always worth a trip or two to the shitter. Send a buck or two to: 1123 9th St #7, Santa Monica, CA 90403

NOTHING, #1

This is a great 'zine, thrown together but with some thought into it. And at times it makes you feel like 1984 again with all the talk of poseurs and what skating is and/or what it should be about, but that's killer in my book. There's a lot of punk stuff in here too, stuff on the Skulls, The Voids, a word search and crossword puzzle, and more. This is done by a guy named Marcus who was a local at the old Upland Pipeline skatepark, and he reviews the new Upland park in the meg. Sometimes shit does come flail circle like it's 1984 again, and that rips. Send two stamps or a buck: 8560 Vineyard Ave #507, Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730

THE VICE GUIDE TO SEX AND DRUGS AND ROCK AND ROLL

I know this isn't really a 'zine, but as far as reading room material goes, this collection of VICE magazine articles can't be beat. They went and repackaged some of their best articles on, you guessed it, Sex, Drugs, and Rock 'n' Roll. Also featuring a color section with the best of "Dos" and "Don'ts" as well as gratuitous amounts of Canadians, retards, hookers, addicts and all their fucked-up stories. Everything you'd expect from VICE. Probably not available at finer bookstores.--KC