Zine thing.

FIRST THING I gotta say is that if you are doing a 'zine and not mailing out issues when someone sends cash, you're beat. I got a record number of letters from dudes who sent cash to people and got nothing in return. And then they wrote and asked me if I would do something. Well, this is my call to Armpit mag in Canada: two dudes didn't get the issue they wrote for. But on the flip side, both dudes were writing from prison, and I know from experience some prisons are shittier than others about reading material they'll let slide to their inmates. I've had a few returned to me, and some I've assumed have just been thrown away. Bottom line is honesty, but sometimes shit happens. Final word: no need to write to me to complain 'cause I ain't no Better Business Bureau.--Wez Lundry

CATASTROPHE, #3

This is a well-done 'zine coveting some below-the-radar type art, including music. It's full color, and most of it comes out great for being a budget publication, I although some doesn't do the art justice. It's also got six pages of show listings for SD, LA, and SF, which could be helpful if you lived in or were going to SD, LA or SF. It's got a little self-conscious irony, but it's definitely a great read and look. Write: catastrophemedia.com for a free issue. For real. Well now, that's pretty nice.

HAPPEN, #13

It's always nice to see what's going off in other parts of the world, and this mag from Indonesia is a killer place to start. Photos and layout? Clean ... with a full color cover. It covers skating events in Bali and Java, and since most of it is in Indonesian you won't be able to read it. Still, the photos show that there is a heavy crew of rippers, and apparently a bevy of betties always on hand. And with plans for a mega-park in Bali, it's gonna make the trip that much more appealing. They even snaked everyone and published some of the earliest photos of Danny Way at the Great Wall, with photos from his website. Write: [e-mail] for info

SHARKBAIT, #22

The guy who does this one sent me the last four issues, but I am gonna write about the most recent since it's pretty much like the others. It's got a tagline on the cover that reads "Life isn't complicated when you're retarded," and I would add that doing double-sided copies isn't that complicated either, even if you are retarded. So, yeah, it's some stapled-together sheets of paper, but there's some appeal among the rough edges. A lot of it is snapshots of friends and randoms, most of it is handwritten, and there's a few reviews in there as well. Send a buck or two: 2201 N 14th, Apt DS, Ponca City, OK 74601. How did this guy get to issue 22 L without figuring out how to do double-sided and folded-over copies?

DROPOUT #1; SAUCE #1

Awight, in the interest of full disclosure, I got these two within a day or two of each other, and I knew both were coming for a while because both of them are done by friends who moved to Portland, OR. And The Whizzo is lurking around in 'em, so there you go. Dropout is done by Zach Connolly, and yes, the title of "Former 151 Team Goon" will follow him for the rest of his life. Hell, it's something to be proud of--well, most of it. Anyway, the mag's got a huge opening section featuring Neil Heddings (free Neil!), and some warts'n'all stories. It's also got a great short story, "Nailed Up with Fudgsicles," some Arizona road trip coverage, some great random stuff, pools and parks in the NW and CA, and Reatards, Spits and Chicago Blackout write ups. The mag's great, and the next one should be kill. And then came the Sauce, first issue. It's got a ton of NW action, Burnside stuff, some great writing (although why Pod would want to write "sk-8" is beyond me), Dave Tobin's indoor bowl project in P-town, and a ton of cool stuff collected over the last couple years. Send an e-mail to Dropout as there's no PO Box yet. ([e-mail]) and couple bucks to cover postage for the Sauce: PO Box 42124, Portland, OR, 97242