Tag: Zines

Riot Don’t Diet!

Radical Cheerleaders of Santa CruzLiving in this cissexist, patriarchal, queer-hating world can sometimes make a queer want to yell. And, hey, if you’re gonna yell, why not yell in rhythm? For all your queer chanting needs, turn to the Radical Cheerleaders of Santa Cruz Cheerbook. This peppy zine has something for every queer guy, gal, and nonbinary pal, including the rallying “Riot Don’t Diet”, a Coming Out Day cheer, hair, body and sex positivity cheers, radical socioeconomic battle cries, and so much more. Want something to psyche yourself up before you masturbate? It’s in here. Want to say, “fuck you” to the man? You’ll find no more effective phrasing anywhere. Want to affirm your kinky lifestyle? Oh yeah, baby, you better believe there’s a cheer for that. In fact, if you search, you’re bound to find a cheer about almost any social issue a queer could think of. The Radical Cheerleader’s Cheerbook is an essential tool for the budding radical queer. So rah, rah, sis boom bah, read this zine and burn your bra!

Dac Cederberg is a summer intern here at QZAP. He’ll be reading and reviewing zines on the blog through August.
Dac recently graduated from the University of Montana with a degree in English Literature and Creative Writing. He’s a cisgender gay man, he/him pronouns, from Missoula Montana. His alter ego is drag-queen bombshell Lady Dee. He doesn’t quite know what he wants to do with his life yet, but he loves reading, writing, TV, pop culture, and all things queer. He’s a Gemini and his favorite color is purple. Feel free to contact Dac through QZAP with any questions or comments.

 

Forever Young

Homobody #6 coverYou feel empowered a lot, as a young person, because pretty much the whole world is reaching out to you saying “Do you like this? Will you buy this? Do we look cool?” Zines, however, are not always so eager to pander – many are very attached to the time period they have been written in, and as such you can feel out-of-touch as a young person without having done some background research first. So, here is a list of great zines for the young newbie looking to get a feel for what queer zines are like:
  1. Homobody #6 (and not just because QZAP is interviewed!) – I felt like this zine is a really accessible look at what I’ve come to know as a “queer zine” – a mix of humor, reflection, and most of all, attitude. And it also has that great interview with QZAP.
  2. Mevis is Feminist – I loved the attitude and personality of this zine, and how it moved discussion past traditional “old people feminism” (AKA white, rich, hetero women). Melvis hip-thrusted his way into my heart, and I think he’ll do the same for yours.
  3. Booty #19 – I mean, who doesn’t like booty? But aside from the title, this zine takes a really introspective look at the creator’s life and highlights how zines are personal as well as public artifacts.
  4. Cosmo Queer – This zine was angry, which was great, and I loved how it made a point of emphasizing that not all “queer people” feel included in mainstream “gay culture” (to the extent that it exists). Like Melvis, Revolution in Pink, the creator of this zine, moves discussions solidly into the 21st century.
Dylan Larson-Harsch is a summer intern here at QZAP. He’ll be reading and reviewing zines on the blog through August.
Dylan is a sophomore at Carleton College in Northfield, MN, the self-described town of cows, colleges, and contentment. He doesn’t have a major yet because Carleton is a hoity-toity liberal arts institution, but when he does, it will probably be English. When he’s not working at QZAP or the equally-thrilling job of relabeling the zones of a shoe warehouse, Dylan likes to run, write, and read all manners of things. Feel free to contact Dylan through QZAP with any comments or questions.

I’m Your Psycho #1 Fan

There’s something deeply endearing about total, over-the-top, unabashed obsession. No matter what it is, getting a look at something through the eyes of someone who really digs it is a deeply satisfying experience. Thus, Psycho #1 Fan.
Gary Coleman is the centerpiece of this striking zine’s front page, and a sizeable chunk of space is devoted to describing the author’s odd obsession with him. From there, P#1F covers the “5 Trashiest Girls in the USA” competition, including a deeply compelling description of how one contestant would handle being trapped on a desert island with JonBenet Ramsey and a bunch of hot dudes, a full two-page Donny Osmond spread (pre-1973 Donny Osmond, not the contemporary Y2K Donny Osmond), heart felt reviews of several other anachronistic male celebrities, a “what kind of fan are you” quiz (on a scale from “sorry excuse” to “psycho #1”), and so much more it’s hard to keep track. The splashy pages and crowded photos make this zine read like a punk parody of Tiger Beat, and it couldn’t be more effective. Because, really, at the end of the day, don’t we all have a little psycho in us?

Dac Cederberg is a summer intern here at QZAP. He’ll be reading and reviewing zines on the blog through August.
Dac recently graduated from the University of Montana with a degree in English Literature and Creative Writing. He’s a cisgender gay man, he/him pronouns, from Missoula Montana. His alter ego is drag-queen bombshell Lady Dee. He doesn’t quite know what he wants to do with his life yet, but he loves reading, writing, TV, pop culture, and all things queer. He’s a Gemini and his favorite color is purple. Feel free to contact Dac through QZAP with any questions or comments.

 

Melvis is feminist, and you can too

We hold these truths to be self evident: Everybody looks good in an Elvis wig, and even better in a Freddy Mercury mustache, and nobody isn’t fucking hot in glitter underwear. Well, Melvis the drag king wears them all, and he wants you to join him in undermining the patriarchy through explosive, performative masculinity.
Melvis is Feminist is a one-off experiential zine about the origin and exploits of its titular character. It includes a D.I.Y guide to male-drag on a budget, which covers everything from chest binding to bulge packing to hair-attachment. The central message of Melvis is how empowering it can be for women, especially queer women, to adopt the male role and experience some of the privilege men live with every day. “All the misogynist, sexist rhetoric, fried in my brain
 all the fucking bullshit you’re supposed to eat with a smile. I become that sleazy sexist pig and barf it all back!” Take a look through this raunchy, no-hold-barred exposĂ© on the masculine mystique, and who knows
 maybe you’ll find yourself up on a stage somewhere making all the ladies cream, just like Melvis.
Dac Cederberg is a summer intern here at QZAP. He’ll be reading and reviewing zines on the blog through August.
Dac recently graduated from the University of Montana with a degree in English Literature and Creative Writing. He’s a cisgender gay man, he/him pronouns, from Missoula Montana. His alter ego is drag-queen bombshell Lady Dee. He doesn’t quite know what he wants to do with his life yet, but he loves reading, writing, TV, pop culture, and all things queer. He’s a Gemini and his favorite color is purple. Feel free to contact Dac through QZAP with any questions or comments.

 

Pure Evil!

What better way to start your summer than with a little Evil? This punchy drag zine catches the eye with a well composed photo of Lipsinka on the cover. The issue is dedicated to wigs, “the art of illusion through the power of fake hair.”

The first section includes reviews, of film, theatre, literature, and food, which are so conversational and frank they feel more like chatting with a friend. Next is an interview with Bobcat Goldthwait, stand up comedian and “Police Academy 2” star, promoting his film Shakes.

Centrally this zine is an ecstatic homage to the wig, with interviews from Charles Busch, Lady Bunny (creator of Wigstock, the original drag convention), Julie Halston, and Lypsinka, each explaining how fake hair has made a difference in their lives. This zine also includes a comic hand drawn by Hedda Lettuce, entitled “How to Pick Up Straight Boyz” which really speaks for itself. If you’re looking for a snapshot of the drag scene in New York in 1992, (and who isn’t?) look no further.

Dac Cederberg is a summer intern here at QZAP. He’ll be reading and reviewing zines on the blog through August.
Dac recently graduated from the University of Montana with a degree in English Literature and Creative Writing. He’s a cisgender gay man, he/him pronouns, from Missoula Montana. His alter ego is drag-queen bombshell Lady Dee. He doesn’t quite know what he wants to do with his life yet, but he loves reading, writing, TV, pop culture, and all things queer. He’s a Gemini and his favorite color is purple. Feel free to contact Dac through QZAP with any questions or comments.

 

Erotica

Erotica.  Sometimes that word feels super loaded.  Like it thinks it’s BETTER than pornography.  But it’s not, really.  And it doesn’t think that.  It’s just different.  Maybe a little more ‘arty.’  Possibly less visual, though not necessarily.  Here at QZAP we’ve got a good mix of both porn zines and erotica zines.  While it’s sometimes hard to know the difference, we think that these two zines lean more toward erotica.

First, there’s IQ: The Sex-zine for Girls who like Girls who wear Glasses.  It’s more of a traditional zine of it’s era in that aesthetically it’s of a cut-and-paste / clip art / rando shit visual style.  The content is sexy and funny and as the title suggests, aimed at a certain demographic.

The next zine that we added this week is Inciting Desire #2.  This is further along on the artsy-fartsy erotica spectrum. The production values are much higher with some slick 1992-era desktop publishing layouts, deliberate typography, and artful black and white photos.

Finally, we also added Gawk #6 from the good folks who brought us Diseased Pariah News.  This is NOT erotica, but it is the comics issue.  There’s a delightful multi-page spread of Gay World: 3025, the continuing adventures of Captain Condom, and as with the other two, a page of zine reviews amongst other great comics panels.

On a completely different topic, we’ve been playing around with Instagram, so if that’s your jam you can follow us at @queerzines.  We’ve got it set up to post to our Facebook page and Twitter feed, too.  Isn’t technology neat?

Dykes and Bykes

Spring is here!!!!  Well, almost.  It’s still in the 40s here at QZAP HQ, but the daffodils have come up, the lilacs are starting to bud, and us pansies have started to ride our bykes on the regular.  Speaking of bykes, we’ve got a number of zines in the archive that are about queers and their bicycles.  Here are some to get started…

Finally, our newest addition to the archive is Raw Vulva #2.  It’s a fantastic snapshot of queer lady bike culture in San Francisco from 1993.

 

 

Pussy Grazer

We’re still well ensconsed in Larry-Bob’s collection and making out way through it.  We’ve recently added two issues of Pussy Grazer, both from the early 1990s.  As was popular at the time there are lots or scene reports, zine reviews, and tons of cut-and-paste delights.  Make sure to check out the critiques of Out Magazine, the gay and lesbian glossy made for straigh folks 😉

500 Zines and Counting

Archive.qzap.org has 500 zines and bits of ephemera in it.  Our 500th record is a zine out of Boston called Rock Against Sexism.  This it the 4th issue, from 1992.  It’s got a ton of interviews, a discussion about Political Correctness (funny, we’re having similar discussions almost 25 years later), zine reviews, and a report back from an ACT UP/Boston fundraiser

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