Posted on: February 24, 2008 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Go Metric #17 / 8.5 x 7 / 48 Pages / [email protected] / I don’t really know what to say about Go Metric! besides that it is another zine that injects humor at every turn. Seemingly one of about thirty zines that Rev. Norb (Razorcake) works with, #17 really shows the longer-winded, less-interesting side of the Reverend. This issue of Go Metric! starts relatively slowly, beginning with a somewhat-dated piece about what might happen if the United States decided to change behaviors that are traditionally given to French terms, as was done with French Fries and toast. What could be funny reveals itself to be simply a list of reversals from the original French. Striking a perfect balance between pop culture and independent music is the key to Go Metric!’s success, in that no part of the zine becomes repetitive. The Jack Cole (Plastic Man) piece flows into the aforementioned Rev. Norb piece, which in turn goes into a very informative piece by Tim from Dagger zine about his favorite zines from the 80s. While there are pieces that seem to not have enough drive behind them, such as “Elementary School Jukebox Jury!” and its’ oft-encountered premise, “For the Love of God…Zilla” drives home incredible amounts of information without becoming dry or the least bit academic. Many individuals might point to the large deal of coverage of pop culture as the common thread in this ‘zine, but each piece dealing with pop culture-topics in this zine seems distinct from the others. The end result is a minor amount of disorientation due to the differing styles that all attempt humor (and for the most part are funny).

Rating: 6.2/10

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