issue #07 pdf - Razorcake

When Sean and I started the print version of Razorcake over ayear ago, we sat down and thought hard about the directionwe wanted to take the zine. Sure, it was going to focus around ourfirst love: punk rock music. We wanted it to be a little more but wedidn’t want to become blowhard assholes about it, either. You see,both Sean and I walk two lines. We both love a good fart joke andwe both regularly engage in serious political discussions. Usually,it’s just us two, hanging out, making each other crack up, listeningto records, eating beenie-weenie, and talking shop, taking turnsstanding on a milk crate in the living room, delivering speeches toone another. That’s not entirely how it is, but it’s pretty close.With that in mind, I couldn’t be happier that Razorcake’s beenable to pull off somewhat of a rarity. In our pages, we canembrace both the pseudo-rape, intellishock of The Dwarves and theedgy, arty, earnest audial Rome plow of Fugazi without contradiction.You see, it’s my personal belief that people are way too hungup on what is or isn’t punk rock, or what is or isn’t offending themthat they’re spending so much time looking at a hole in the groundto shove a band or a zine into that they forget that labeling isn’t thepoint. The point is to make yourself a life and hopefully have agood soundtrack to it and something worthwhile to read.In other words, Razorcake doesn’t and won’t let a specific, predetermineddoctrine become our boss. Mostly, we’re modelingthis zine after two lives full of hard work, lots of thinking, tons oflaughing, and almost endless struggle.AD DEADLINE FOR ISSUE #8April. 1, 2002EMAIL OR MAIL USFOR THE RATESAD SIZES• Full page, 7.5” wide, 10” tall.• Half page, 7.5” wide, 5” tall.• Quarter page, 3.75” wide, 5” tall.• Sixth page, 2.5” wide, 5” tall.• Covers are already taken in perpetuity(forever), but if you put in a request, we'llput you on the list.• Please make all checks out to Razorcake.ADVERTISING STIPULATIONS• All ads are black and white. There are noimmediate plans for color insides.• Make ads the right size and orientation. Ifads are the wrong size, they won't run orwe'll chop 'em up with scissors to fit.#7• We don’t reserve ad space. Get it to usby the deadline and you’ll be fine.• We will not accept electronic ad files.Hard copy only.• Send good laser prints for the ads. Usesolely black ink on all art. Do not outputyour ad on a bubble jet printer evenif it looks black and white. It will reproducelike complete shit when it goes to anoffset printer.• Only for full-page ads, we'll acceptfilm. Positive stats, RRED (right-reading,emulsion side down) only.• All photos must be halftoned using a85 LPI (85 line screen).• If you feel the need for us to invoiceyou, understand that your ad won't rununtil we have the cash on hand, so makethose arrangements before the ad deadline.• If any of this is fuzzy, don't hesitate tocontact us. We'll explain it.• Sean • Todd •• Rich Mackin • Nardwuar •• Designated Dale •• Rhythm Chicken •Everyone else can be reached c/o Razorcake.Razorcake is made by: Sean Carswell, Todd Taylor, ktspin, and Skinny Dan.Congratulations: The marriage of Jimmy Alvarado and his lovely wife Karla.Thank you list: Megaton thanks to Art Fuentes and Matt Average. Art drewthe illustration for the cover and Matt took the picture of Toys That Kill; JuliaSmut for all the printing know-how for the cover; Liz O. for her KXLU articlePO Box 42129, Los Angeles, CA 90042www.razorcake.comIn the perfect world, Redd Foxx would be playing chess withNoam Chomsky and we’d be in charge of the transcription.You’d get not only detailed commentary on how the drug war isfabricated by the CIA, you’d get a couple of fine hooker jokes andtips on throwing up in a cab. Serious shit and laughter. That’s whatI want Razorcake to aspire to.So, at the end of finishing this issue, I realized that we’veaccomplished our modest goal of filling in part of the gulf separatinghumor and seriousness, the sacred and the profane. It makesme truly proud that Nardwuar the Human Serviette can spur amemory from Ian Mc Culloch about a former bandmate beingsucked off by his German Sheppard; not because Nardwuar wasprobing for this particular story, but the fact that the story came upat all. Position such jocularity against what Sean and I tackle in thisissue. No matter how much one tries, talking about the connectionbetween Hitler and Henry Ford just isn’t a laughing matter. Thesame goes for Sean’s article on the inner machinations of independentpublishing. However, I like the juxtaposition and more so, Ienjoy the fact that we can publish a wide spectrum (from bestialityto world domination to eeking out a living on a shoestring) withoutalienating ourselves, biting our tongues, or fearing that our bossesare going to tell us to start all over again.-ToddMr. Henry Average's Skull-Clippin’ Top Five(in no particular order):1. Westwood Park 2. Skateboarding3. Trucks 4. Books, books, and more books!5. Walking and climbingAs far as music, he's rocking out to Discharge, Misery,Japanese and Swedish hardcore, as well as Cuban jazz.He picks what he wants to hear, and nine times out tenit's fast, noisy, and with big drums.and the KXLU staff for helping us with the graphics; Miss Namella J. Kim for her Tight Bros From Way Back When interview and herrecord reviews and Shawn Medina for a couple of the photos; Benjones for the clown sketch in Sean’s article; Brian Archer for being amodel in Money’s column; Matt Average for laying out the Al Quint interview, for the Henry picture, for his help on the Toys That Killinterview, and for record and zine reviews; Andy Junk for the Rhythm Chicken column pictures; Aaron Poehler, Donofthedead, Jessica,Harmonee, Kat Jetson, Roger Moser Jr., Sara Isett, Sarah A. Stierch, and Toby Tober for their record reviews; Joe for his zine reviews;and Megan Tesh, Kat Jetson, Art Fuentes, and Designated Dale for stuffing the inserts in the magazine. A truly thankless task.