Fanzines

The fanzine underground is a sprawling beast, with tentacles stretching out into every branch of pop culture and sub-culture you can name. Consequently, the zines that come out of it are hugely varied - from teen-c zines to comic zines, from lo-fi zines to metal and industrial zines, even the odd teenybop one pops up now and then. As you might imagine, the quality can vary as much as the content, which is why I'm not including any zines I haven't read on this page. I will include any zines I've enjoyed reading, which cover loosely the subject matters covered on Sugar Babylon, or include any of the bands I feature. Remember, style is just as important as content, and good value for money will receive higher praise than exclusive interviews with yr 'next big thing' Evening Session bands... If you do a zine you think fits in here, and would like me to stick up a review and order details, e-mail me and we'll get it sorted! For now, here are a few I've read earlier...


Iconoclastic Glitter#6
Manic Street Preachers fanzine, available for £2.00 + A4(61p)SAE (UK), or 2 blank C90 audiotapes + 3 IRCs(Rest of the world), from: Erika Sage, PO Box 41, Marlow, Bucks, SL7 1GD

Just what is it that makes this Manics fanzine so special its been honoured not only with numerous references in Everything, but also with its own counterpart in Lego on the ace LSP site? Well, why not take a peek and see for yourself! At Issue 6 IG shows no signs of flagging; the Manics are covered in style with a questionnaire from Mr JDB himself, comprehensive coverage of recent tours at home and abroad, loads and loads of breathtaking pix, a reprint of the fantastic '92 Smash Hits interview with Sylvia Patterson, and generally tonnes of MSP related stuff, from rants and personal opinions, to cartoons and reviews of Patrick Jones' play Everything Must Go, to analyses of the changing face of MSP footwear and explanations of just how the Nick the Skipper phenomenon came about. There's even plenty for the non-Manics fan, in the form of interviews with the lovely John Disco of bis, as well as Annie and Isabel from the up'n'coming Chicks, articles on subjects as diverse as the work of Amnesty International in Kosovo and Barbie's 40th birthday, book reviews and looooooooads of pictures of everyone's favourite drama queen, Courtney Love! Plus loads more itty bitty sugarfluff bits'n'pieces - just when you think you've read it all you discover something else you'd managed to miss first, second and third time around! Incredible value for money, IG is beautifully written, clearly laid out and wonderfully photocopied(I'm sorry, but anyone who's ever had a bash at producing a fanzine themself will know just how important these things begin to seem!), leaving you wanting more, and wanting it now damnit! Weeeeell, talking horses and Thompson Twins references, what more can a young girl ask for?! For those who like their troupers super and their trousers tiger print, this one's a must-have. Buy, buy, buy...


Spineless and Sublime#3
Placebo fanzine, available for £1.50 + A5SAE(UK), or £2.50(inc. postage)/£1.50 + 3 IRCs(Rest of the world), from: Gurdeep, Wychwood,Blackthorn Lane, Oadby, Leicester, LE2 4FA

Onto issue 3 already? This boy's just too enthusiastic!! Well, here we go with another issue of S+S, and once again its another ladyboy a-go-go glam-packed sensation. The cute'n'colourful cover's even better than the last one, and the content is no less impressive('specially as there's nothing by me this time, heh heh...), with loads and loads of Placebo reviews, pix, lyrics, interview transcripts from Teletext, Canadian telly and US MTV, another thrilling Life Of Brian cartoon, and loads of ace little bits'n'pieces, like explanations for how la Molko manages to walk down walls and what readers would do if they were Brian for a day. But all is not restricted to Placebo, why, far from it, you get interviews with Rachel Stamp and The Junket for your money too, as well as reviews of the Bratbus Tour, Cube and yes, more Rachel Stamp(Stamp-ism and the Cult of Robin is rampant in this zine...)! You want more? Well, how does a quasi-sci-fi MSP cartoon sound? And that's not to mention the zines'n'stuff reviews, pix of Barbie'n'Miffy, poetry, rantings against teachers and Julia Valet, schoolboy sniggerings over the word (ahem ~ladylike cough~)"cum", and of course the regular Kitsch Object feature(sorry Gurdeep petal, it's always v.funny, but I have to say I'm with those urging you to check out the OED definition of kitsch...). If you're a wearer of Spectacular's Iron Maiden nailvarnish, this one's for you, baby. We like :-)


Remember, when sending cash through the post, don't just stick loose coins in an envelope, or you're risking getting yr money nicked by a corrupt member of the postal service! Try to wrap coins up or stick them down in some way to disguise their shape...




There's no place like home...