Shit Starter #2

By C.N. Thompson and others

Trust me to write a dozen reviews for this site and then do nothing for two weeks. Go me!

But here we go, late but still one more day of updates.

This is a zine about sex, sexuality, and identity. Near the beginning there's a list of black feminist authors and books, which makes me think that the author of this zine is black, but maybe they're just really interested in viewing how different races/cultures view concepts like feminism.

The first piece is the punk sex theory, which is a "serious analysis" of "punk love" zines that are made. Thompson disses all perzines for being about 'love', says they're all about failed relationships and disappointing sex lives, and wonders if "the only punk kids that are sober or literate enough to actually publish themselves ... are the socially awkward ones".

There are some interesting thoughts on sex as a taboo and the idea of sexual repression in society, but I feel that at the absolute minimum Thompson is ignoring travel zines, which I feel are a significant part of the perzine scene. (Or do they not count as perzines?)

There's also an except from David Wojnarowicz's "Close to the Knives" about public grief and funerals, an account of getting herpes by Bastian Ryder, which is kind of gross, but also an important issue to discuss (sometimes I think that for something to be important is has to be a bit gross and uncomfortable for people to discuss), and a guide to making DIY sex toys.

It's all stuff that matches the proposed theme of the issue, but then we get information on complex proteins/amino acids, a recipe, and record reviews. It's kind of a weird change of pace from the rest of the zine.