Fun_People Archive
1 Apr
...and maybe masturbation really IS "the thinking man's television."
Date: Fri, 1 Apr 94 13:24:30 PST
To: Fun_People
Subject: ...and maybe masturbation really IS "the thinking man's television."
[From the land of the double-latte midnight snack... -psl]
Forwarded-by: elshaw@MIT.EDU (Libby Shaw)
From: Lennon McAdams III <rwang@elwha.evergreen.edu>
Wangifesto Press Presents:
DYSTOPINION ONLINE #1
The following information and reviews have been culled from DystOpinion #s
12-16. We decided that in presenting our first e-zine we needed to offer
something different from just the text of the current issue of the
hard-copy zine. Due to the importance of graphics in DystOpinion that we
are unable to reproduce in this format, if you enjoy this e-zine, we highly
suggest you send a S.A.S.E. to Wangifesto Press P.O. Box 45622 Seattle Wa
98145-0622 for the latest issue. Since we are able to pick and choose the
reviews for this "best of" edition, we are only including those that
reflect things that we really enjoy, unlike the regular DystOpinion, where
we review honestly practically anything we are sent. Please feel free to
forward this publication to anybody who might be in the slightest bit
interested. We love you here at Wangifesto Press!
DystOpinion was thrilled to receive word from "Saucer Smear" the ultimate
in UFOlogical skepticism. Extremely cynical and in depth, Smear goes to UFO
and paranormal conferences around the world, and lets you know what is
phony, and in rare cases what might not be. Mixed in is gossip, odd
newsclips about people like Uri Geller, and letters from the likes of
Robert Anton Wilson. Send them something cool, and they might mail an
issue or two to you. P.O. Box 1709, Key West, Fl 33041.
It's not exactly a hip secret that with e-mail, the zine world has gone
boldly into cyberspace, but nonetheless, once you get online it's not
always easy to figure out where to get started. One highly effective
e-zine that we were sent is Assemblage, a "deliberately ephemeral,
occassional, mobile journal" about rave music and culture with "articles
on the social implication of this music (if any)" You can get an issue
e-mailed to you merely by contacting Russell Potter via
rapotter@colby.edu, and if you have any reviews or articles about techno,
ambient, house, hip hop, or related music and art, you are encouraged to
submit them as well.
Science fiction fans who want to experience exotic worlds in an exotic
culture will want to attend the First Baltic Science Fiction Convention
BALTCON and the 1994 Lithuanian National Science Fiction Convention
LITUANICON in Vilnius from the 24th to the 26th of June. Expect to see
interesting people from Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Germany, Poland,
Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and all over the world indulging in
films, panels, debates, RPG, exhibitions, and masquerade. If you can
handle the airfare, the con is cheap at $25 U.S. For more info contact SF
Club DORADO G. Beresnevicius, Antakalnio 65-33, 2040 Vilnius, Lithuania.
Be sure to request a copy of their excellent newsletter The Contact to
whet your appetite.
Not only is Bill Clinton the first U.S. President to admit having smoked
pot (sort of,) but he will also be the firs robot president to give a
speech at Disneyland. (We're not making this up!) It's a small world after
all...
Azalia Snail played to a disturbingly empty Capitol Theater in September.
Their music echoed in our collective cerebellum for weeks, more so because
Ms. Snail was so kind as to give us her album Burnt Sienna and single
"Into Your World" b/w "Warm Front." The songs are timelessly psychedelic,
with electric and effects-laden acoustic harmonics fused with minimal
percussion. Live the "drummer" plays thumb-pianos over a steel barrel.
Ms. Snail's voice is haunting, as is her personae when she sings. Songs
like "St. Nowhere" and "Hit by a Car" invade consciousness like sweet
aether and stay unceasingly. Send eight to ten bucks to Funky Mushroom
Records PO Box 100270 Brooklyn, NY 11210 for Burnt Sienna.
IF YOU REALLY WANT FREE
SMASH INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
The Experiment at Petaluma is a bizarre video of Terrence McKenna melting
in psychedelic cinematography while talking about the way that sqids
communicate using light, and they have to spray ink to get any privacy.
We rented our copy from Mandala Books, 1 block off of Roosevelt on 64th
Ave. in Seattle. You can buy it from Rose X, 17 Coleridge, SF CA 94110.
"The monster stumbles into pretentiousness and eats himself" is at least
part of the theme of issue #18 of FARM PULP Magazine, perhaps the
strangest and most well executed trip into the surreal to grace our coffee
table(s) recently. Top notch black and white graphics mix with textual
suggestions of monstrosity; some stories, some little more than ideas.
Luke McGuff contributes "On Getting Pierced", perhaps the most "realistic"
piece. Otherwise myth meets B-movie with no clear winner. WELL WORTH the
2 bucks. 217 NW 70th Street, Seattle, Wa 98117-4845.
The mailroom here at Wangifesto Press can get a little disorganized at
times... sometimes envelopes get lost. So when a band packages their
single like CONDEUCENT do, with just a weird logo on one side, and a
trippy picture of an archetypical little girl on the other, we can get
pretty confused as to who the hell we are listening to and where they are
from. Thankfully in this case we found the note with label address from
Zadfuc Noises 3468 S. 119th St., West Allis, Wi 53227. $3.50 ppd. This is
fine post-punk experimentalism and it wails!
We at DystOpinion were blessed to receive a copy of ZenArchy, a book by
Kerry Thornley that belongs on the shelf of any practicing anarchist. A
humorous and thought provoking book sure to keep even those with the
shortest attention span thoroughly entertained. Eastern philosophy bred
with the "no-politics-is-good-politics" ideology makes for a blissful
state of anarchy, thus the appropriate title ZenArchy. Illuminet Press,
PO Box 746, Avondale Estates, GA 30002.
BAN STRAIGHTS IN THE MILITARY!
Based on a tip left on our now defunct hotline by one of our readers, we
went to see Manufacturing Consent, the documentary film about Noam
Chomsky. We wish more of our calls had been so useful. This is a great
movie that we reccomend seeing by any means. There was a certain irony
viewing Chomsky attacking the media in very edited MTVish cuts, but the
film-makers are aware enough of what they are doing that it is doubtful
they missed this irony. While long (3 hours), it was never boring, and we
learned about the genocidal invasion of East Timor by the U.S. backed
Indonesian government, a fact that our "free press" has kept us quite
ignorant of for twenty-odd years.
FREE FORUM VS. THE ARM'S EXTENT: Definately two of the best literary
zines in Seattle. Free Forum features a lot of the more experimental
people who read at Red Sky Poetry Theatre, while Arm's Extent is more
connected with the Owl & Thistle scene. Both zines are very open to
submissions, but so far AE has considerably more women , and people from
outside Seattle than FF. Both zines are free if you can find them, FF is
perhaps easier to find with likely locations listed right on the zine.
Free Forum is available from Obscure Writer's Press at Box 33087, Seattle,
WA 98133. The Arm's Extent can be reached at 1209 E. Denny Way, Seattle,
WA 98122. (note: when we originally ran this "vs." column, the people at
Free Forum took issue to a lot of what we said, and decided that they
don't like us because of it, that's the risk you take in having an opinion.)
One of the most exciting and informative books of 1993 was, for us at
least, RE/SEARCH Incredibly Strange Music Volume I, a series of interviews
with obscure record collectors and fringe musicians. >From the Cramps to
Ertha Kit, from Amok Books to Lypsinka, the cultural refuse of thrift
store vinyl is picked apart and mulled over endlessly. The reader learns
about more than just music and bizarre album cover art, there's also tiki
barbecues and the Unknown Museum. As the words go by on the page you can
practically hear the soothing strains of early moog synthesizers and the
exotic sounds of Martin Denny. Warning, if you have overcome your urge to
buy and collect records, this book will get you started again! It even
has an index. Send an SASE for catalog to RE/SEARCH PUBLICATIONS 20
Romolo #B, SF, CA 94133.
The Colonists is perhaps the best serious U.F.O. Watch zine we have come
across. Not skeptical or cynical like Saucer Smear, they seem to be true
believers. The articles are quite well done, covering intersting topics
as well, such as EMFs. Box 1161, Ft. Washington, PA 19034.
While you're not likely to hear the name on the radio, Fuckface make very
interesting music, in the tradition of strange electirc noises emanating
from New York. "Tex/Thorn" is almost tribal in scope, and very aggressive
in delivery. Zadfruck Noises Label 3468 S. 119th St., West Allis, Wi
53227. Buy Now!
Not only does DystOpinion review music and noises by a wide variety of
independent and non-commercial artists, but we are now also loosely
connected with a radio show on K.A.O.S. 89.3 F.M. in Olympia, What's This
Called? airing at 2 A.M. Sunday Nights (Monday Mornings.) So now if you
send us something to review, and we REALLY like it, it will not only get a
positive review, but also air-play on public radio.
The northwest bible of hip hop culture, and an essential read is THE
FLAVOR. If you are into rap, or want to find more out, this is your
hardcore mainline. Not a lot about the big names, an underground
education. 20112 18th NW, Seattle, WA 98177-2210. (note: recent issues of
The Flavor have contained a lot more ads, and a lot more big label groups,
but nonetheless they are the only NW hip hop zine we've come across, and
they believe in their music.)
We put the new TVTV$ disc into the player not expecting much. The title
"Rap Music Is Killing America" seemed like silly sensationalism, and
comments by band members in Flipside always come across the same way. So
we had to be won over by good punk rock songs, and we were. Tunes like
"What about U.S." recall classic low-budget punk, while the title track
actually succeeds quite well as a white noise sampling anthem. It is
difficult to tell if the TVTV$ are sincere about the title (or anything!)
or if they are mocking media sensationalism in general. Of course if Rap
Music really IS killing America, then that is all the more reason to
listen to it. Flipside Records PO Box 60790 Pasadena, CA 91116.
Now that the city council in Seattle has managed to make it illegal to be
homeless, and for anybody to sit down on a public sidewalk, they are once
again taking aim at the musicians, artists, and political groups who use
the cities telephone poles as a means of communication. Despite a court
decision proving it contrary to the first ammendment to prohibit people
from flyering, fines of up to $100 have been levied against musicians
recently. It is time for the art community to take action. More flyers
with anonymous political statements are neeedes (direct them at JANE
NOLAND the ordinance's sponsor.) The Seattle music scene must stand up as
the powerful economic force it is against this type of bullying. This is
a battle that must be fought in the courts and in the streets.
Tacoma's most popular export, Girl Trouble, sent us a copy of their true
fanzine WiG OUT! (No. 21.) Kind of funny, since Empty hasn't sent us any
of their records, but way fun (of course) anyway. We defy anyone to catch
Girl Trouble live and not have a good time, and WiG OUT! is the kool
kitsch we krave. #21 contains a high school annual version of the
archetypical guest list. PO box 44633, Tacoma, WA 98444.
!@#$%^&*()_-+={[}]<,>.?/:;"'~`!@#$%^&*()_-+={[}]<,>.?/:;"'~`!@#$%^&*()_-+={[
}]
Will the REAL Bob please sit down.
What follows is a review of a musical recording and the reaction of a
couple of our readers. Sound simple? Not when the question of
intellectual property enters the picture. There can be no question that
"Bob Dobbs" the recording artist from Toronto stole his name and image
from Ivan Stang's Church of the Subgenius, who in turn stole their ideas
from too many places to list. But does that mean that the music
automatically sucks? Read on, listen, and decide for yourself.
Bob's Media Ecology, the cd by Producers For Bob, has been out for over a
year now, but we just got to hear it for the first time and are compelled
to spread the word. Bob Dobbs claims to have inspired Ivan Stang's
creation of the same name, while he himself seems like a cross between
Marshal McCluhan, and Tim Leary. The music is not unlike the orb; i.e.
slowrave. There is a humorous charm to this project, and maybe
masturbation really IS "the thinking man's television." DOVentertainment,
2 Bloor St. W. #100-159 Toronto Ontario Canada M4W 3E2.
Dear DystOpinion,
My enclosed letter to Urban Spelunker asks: who next will fall for
the Bob's Media Ecology scam? Now we know, it was YOU! My condolences
that you have joined the list of suckers. I know it is not pleasant to be
made a fool of. (why yes, we're sure you do - eds.)
I write to you as one who has been close to the heart of the
Church of the SubGenius for years, who knows Stang & has broken bread with
him in his home with his family -- and I can tell you that BMEco is a
rip-off of the dedicated toil of the many people who have labored to make
this church truly "the Greatest Joke Ever Told." Not only is it a slap in
the face to those who have given so much of themselves, but it's not even
that interesting of a rip-off. The church encourages heresy, schism,
faction & freelancing among its followers -- but the stale melange of
tepid Cyber-New Ageisms flatulated by this human excrement from the sewers
of Toronto barely qualifies as what it claims, implicitly, to be:
entertainment. (we disagree of course - eds.)
This outrage must be stopped. Please help to spread the truth,
and thus we shall SMITE this anti-"Bob" where it hurts -- maybe if people
stop buying his "product" he'll go back to peddling heroin to school
children, or whatever it is he does for a day job. Praise "Bob!"
Kenneth Huey
(206)632-3759
460 N. 39 #B
Seattle, Wa 98103
(Thanks for sharing - eds.)
The SubGenius Foundation
P.O. Box 140306
Dallas, Texas 75214
You guys must be pretty fuckin' DENSE to give "Bob's Media Ecology" the
time of day. -- Rev. Ivan Stang
But go ahead, SUCK the CONSPIRACY'S ANUS. GRRR.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~
THE ALARM is the voice of the north-eastern Earth First!, as well as a
great networking source for ecovists everywhere. They are pushing to make
the EF! movement more open to paganism, feminism, and queer politics. PO
Box 804, Burlington, VT 05402.
One of the most overlooked recordings to be released in the past year, and
one of the few that really makes use of the cd format, is actually a
compilation of material dating back as far as 1981. Steve Fisk's excellent
retrospective Over and Thru the Night, on K records, features 19 tracks of
brilliant tape manipulations, found sounds, and multi-tracked
instrumentalisms. Some of it, notably "One More Valley" works very well
as song, while other tracks, such as "Government Figures" are suitable for
answering machine messages. K Records Box 7154, Olympia, WA 98507.
Somebody once asked us if Wangifesto Press is an anarchist press. "No," we
replied, "we're not that organized." Nonetheless we do feel and affinity
for anybody who talks about smashing the state, and we do like to read a
good anti-government rag whenever we can. Two of the best we have
received are Wind Chill Factor (PO Box 81961, Chicago, IL 60681,) and
Unclean (2128 Ward St. Beserkeley, CA 94704.) WCF is almost impossible to
read in its entirety unless you are a graduate student in anti-politics,
and contains all sorts of great tips for reeking havoc on the phone
company and other fun corporations. Unclean is a bit more punk, and quite
a bit more violent. We tend to be a bit closer to WCF's "screw up the
system" than Unclean's "off a pig" attitude, but we really dug all the
neat posters and D.A.R.E. card that Unclean sent. In a related note, we
swear that we saw a black flag with a capital @ on it right next to old
glory on Willie Nelson's birthday special. Go figure.
If you aren't a disciple of the late paranoid genius Phillip K. Dick, go
pick up any of his hundreds of novels. If already a convert, you may be
interested in the PKD Society, and their now defunct newsletter. They
sent us a copy of #30, the swan song issue, containing a beautifully
delusionary letter from PKD to a friend, and one of his ex-wife's
rebuttals to his accusations. Back issue price list at Box 611, Glen
Ellen, CA 95442.
In the sleazy world of promo kits and lame overpackaged-underplayed cds
we get inundated with, its a pleasure to encounter non-music labels like
ROTENROLL and MARV RECORDS who have joined resources to put out the FREE
split 45 between hardcorers Negative Reaction and power-popsters
Whatsoever. This is great shit, and it's free! Write: N.R./WSE 7", 222
Jerusalem Ave., Massapequa Park, NY 11762.
Conspiracy of the Week: DystOpinion #14 contained info on the great
left-of-left, off-the-wall, public access show Political Playhouse. The
times given were wrong. Sources say thay former C.I.A. director Casey,
pretending to be dead for the past 5 years, while hiding in the Wa state
town of Ranier, snuck into our office and altered this very important
information to prevent YOU from watching this great program. The CORRECT
rimes are: 10 P.M. on Fridays and the 1st Tuesday of every month at 8 P.M.
That's channel 29 (Seattle only, sorry.) Readers in NYC can catch it on
channel 17 Mondays at 2:30 and channel 16 Saturdays at 9 P.M., and it's
also on Austin public access (check your local listings.)
Clinton Heylin succeeds very well at the difficult task of telling the
story of the early New York, Detroit, and Cleavland punk rock scenes in
his book >From the Velvets to the Voidoids - A Pre-Punk History for a
Post-Punk World. Undoubtedly there is an underlying bias of one fan's
opinion (such as Heylin's belittling of the Dead Boys), but that makes it
seem all the more sincere. It focuses on the following bands in roughly
chronological order: the Velvet Underground, MC5, Stooges, Modern Lovers,
pre-Pere Ubu roots, Suicide, New York Dolls, Television, Patti Smith,
Blondie, Ramones, Heartbreakers, Talking Heads, Dictators, Dead Boys,
Voidoids, DNA, and Lydia Lunch. Notably absent in the later half is Sonic
Youth, though there is mention of Richard Hell's work with with Thurston
Moore in the Dim Stars. There's a lot of info about what these bands were
doing that didn't necessarily ever make it on record. Makes us wonder why
there are so few bands today as good as most of these. Available from
Penguin Books.
Now that the Rocket has become a biweekly update of Major Label success
stories, where do you turn to find out about the uncorporate NW rock
scene? Besides DystOpinion? 10 Things Jesus Wants You To Know of course.
10 Things is fast becoming the voice of NW punk, and an undeniably audible
voice at that. #5 has Crunt, The Putters, Pain Teens and lots more
including zine reviews and music reviews with a very indie approach (even
some demos.) $1.50 cash or stamps to 1407 NE 45th St. #17, Seattle,
WA98105.
Tried U.F.O.s, Reincarnation, Neo-Paganism, a Bob or two, and you're still
looking for something new to cash in all your assets to believe? We
suggest Revelations of Awareness the newsletter of Cosmic Awareness
Communications and the Aquarian Church of Universal Service. The
newsletter is completely channeled, and answers such pertinent questions
as: who was Topiltzin or Quetzacoatl? Will our Constitution be
preserved? and Well pinhole glasses really help the eyes? Issue #416
deals with the Goddess Energies. Sample Copy FREE P.O. Box 115, Olympia,
WA 98507.
Punk lives in Reno! Second Guess is a very interesting read. While at
times juvenille, we're sure that's the idea, and editor Bob is very honest
in opinions (something we admire.) It would be easy to compare this to
MRR, but that would only lessen its unique impact. $2 PO Box 9382, Reno,
NV 89507.
Whether Bruce Roberts' compilation of writings about the political
conspiracy and the involvement of organized crime in the U.S. government -
writings that consider the Kennedy assassinations, the disappearance of
Howard Hughes, Chappaquidick, and Watergate - are reflections of fact, or
deluded ramblings, may never be fully known. We find The Gemstone File by
Jim Keith to be a noble effort to place the file in a historical context
without attempting to substantiate or invalidate any claims made within
the body of Roberts' work. By surrounding a synopsis of the Gemstone File
(the "Skeleton Key") with historical documents and interviews, Keith
examines the people and events in an even-handed manner. Available
through Illuminet Press PO Box 746, Avondale Estates, GA 30002.
Michelle Rau is an artist/writer who does work for Factsheet Five, and has
been corresponding with DystOpinion since the beginning. She sent us two
wonderful publications, A Rage of Maidens ($2 ppd.) and Horlodge House ($4
ppd.) Rage turned out to be some of the best erotica we've consumed: line
drawings of seductive clothed women, accompanied by text that should
arouse all orientations attracted to females. Horlodge is a collection of
dreams for the psychological voyeur. How Do You Spell It Productions, Box
460896, SF, CA 94146-0896.
Packed with elaborate (she even illustrates the edges of each panel)
strips of varying length with tales of 2-headed freaks, a pointy-boobed
owner of a pet scampi, a mermaid & her pez-necked friend, and our
favorite, the next holy virgin, comes Meat Cake #1 by the lovely &
brilliant Dame Darcy from Fantagraphics. Don't miss the chance to enter
the world of Dame Darcy (this comic is just the tip of the berg) she even
makes dolls. c/o Fantagraphics Books 7563 Lake City Way, Seattle, WA
98115 or Tedium House (box 424762 SF, CA 94142.) (reviewed by a woman in
case you care.)
Global Mail is a zine that takes networking to a new extreme. Kind of
like a postal version of a BBS. Ashley Parker Owens receives over 100
pieces of mail per week and lists every return address 3 times a year,
along with what individuals want or can offer. This is a monumental piece
of work, and uncopywritten at that! PO Box 597996 Chicago, IL 60659.
An incredibly good band with an incredibly big sound is Montreal's Megalo
who we caught at the Capitol Theater with four other good but lesser
bands. Megalo are a three piece who take the best elements of NoMeansNo
and Helmet, then throw in a singer with a good voice and sense of
restraint. We bought their tape for 2 bucks to help defray the $450 they
blew crossing our wonderful border to play in tiny clubs. It contains two
cool songs "T.V. RASH" and "BORN 2 DIE", and can be yours from P.O. Box
463, Place Du Parc, Montreal, QC, H2W 2N9. Booking Info. (514)849-8602.
:):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):)
:)
That's it for this first issue collector's item. There's a lot more where
this came from, and still more to come. If you were reviewed in
DystOpinion and we didn't choose to run your review in this issue, please
do not take it personally, we just got sick of typing! Write us and tell
us you would like it included in the next issue, and it will be done. If
you have anything for us to review send it to Wangifesto Press, P.O. Box
45622, Seattle, WA 98145-0622, unless it's an e-zine, then just e-mail it
to us. We love you here at Wangifesto Press!
![[=]](/GFX/FileDrawer.gif)
© 1994 Peter Langston
![[]](/GFX/envelope.gif)