You know, I was curious on what the term Straint actually was, so I decided that I would go look it up. It means nothing in the dictionary that I tried to look it up in. Oh well. The zine seems pretty normal, even a little bit boring from the front cover, but it is truly what is inside that counts for this magazine. By far, one of the funniest reads that I’ve had of the year (its still 2002 here) is the almost Socratic dialogue in which three men talk about being hairy. The piece takes up about a half of the zine’s twenty pages, but never at any point does it seem as if it is too long. Other great pieces in the magazine include an interview with Wynne of Tracy and the Plastics, an act that I was not familiar with before the reading of this zine, and a list of second-tier holidays one can celebrate if they so choose. What I didn’t need, however, was a big hairy asscrack staring at me from the back cover, which almost tempts me to dock it some points. Nah, I’m just kidding. The magazine is a fun read that only goes by too fast, and if you wish to get a copy (I’m not sure if this is still the newest issue out) send $1 to Lane van Ham, 220 e. 15th st., Tucson, AZ 85701.
Rating : 7.2/10.