Posted on: July 8, 2008 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

R.O.N. #5 / :15 / 28M / [email protected] /

What I first was freaked out about this zine is that the editor, who is never named, connected to me directly when ey mentioned 8 Bark, one of the first punk bands that I picked up. To this day, I still don’t think I’ve ever listened to that disc, but nonetheless, it was a weird opening to this zine. It is always rare to see Alpha-male, unafraid to piss everyone off attitudes in zines nowadays ,and Heckler’s Tales stands alone in that it has a narrator that is an asshole, but doesn’t need to be sexist, racist, or homophobic to do so. This type of asshole-façade is undermined though by self-deprecation, especially with little gems like “I was still really afraid to talk to her cuz I repel pretty girls like citronella does mosquitoes.” Where a second-wave feminist might see the editor as being sexist is in this same story where ey says “God damn she was piping hot…had on this shiny mini skirt thang and whhooo dang”. This is the perfect example of where a positive sexuality, just because it is espoused by a biological-male, is typically taken as being sexist where ey is just sexually excited at something. Sure, ey might be objectifying her, but is it any different when a guy would say “looks at that kid’s cock, wow-wee”? Anyways, the nuances of being a heckler are explained in detail, almost as if it is a specific profession. For example, “Once you start pointing out the flaws of a certain performer, you really put it on the line and make folks think about what they’re cheering for.” The zine is chock-full of anecdotes, always funny and well written. I have no clue on where to pick up a copy, but this is a zine I would love to photocopy just so other people could get the chance to read it.

Rating: 7.0/10

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