Customer Reviews

Zine: How I Spent Six Years of My Life in the Underground and Finally...Found Myself...I Think

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Zine is a term that gets tossed around a lot nowadays and, like all overused terms, the original concept has become obscure. A zine is an independently produced publication that is usually somewhat underground in orientation. Over the years, zines have surfaced as everything from hand-written pamphlets to xeroxed broadsheets to even a few glossy periodicals. However, in the beginning of the so-called "Zine Revolution" at least, what they all had in common was a desire to give exposure to unique voices that, probably, would have been ignored by more mainstream, commercial publications. That's not to say that it always worked out that way -- from the beginning, there was always a handful of zines that weren't quite worth the effort. However, when a zine did live up to its ideals, the results were often amazing. Over the next couple of years, an underground community of sorts was formed on the basis of these zines circulating across the country until soon, it seemed that everyone you met had their own zine (myself included, though hopefully all copies have been burned). Which of course, pretty much led to the whole thing collapsing underneath its own weight.
Before that collapse however, one of the best of the so-called "personal zines" was written and created by one of the zine world's most talented writers, Pagan Kennedy. Her zine was one of the founding publications of the "zine revolution," and many other lesser zines later tried to copy her unique style. However, as this memoir of her life in zines shows, Kennedy was a truly a unique and individual talent.

For the most part, "Zine" is a reprinting of the eight issues of Pagan's Head and for that reason alone, this is a valuable book. Each issues took a tongue-and-cheek look at her life and over those eight issues, readers followed Pagan as she broke up with boyfriends, travelled across the country, attempted to get her stories published in mainstream magazines (her reprinting of various politely shallow rejection letters is a highlight for any aspiring writer), dealt with her father's death, and -- in the final, touching issue -- the possibility that she herself might have cancer. Her writing is both insightfully witty and likeably self-mocking in its own self-absorbed way. However, for me, the best parts of the book are the sections where Pagan writes about what was really going on in her life when she was creating her zines. She writes of how, through her own personal zine, she was able to basically split herself in two -- one side being the real Pagan who had to deal with pain, insecurity, and all the other less cinematic bits of reality and the other being the zine Pagan, the one who faced life with the attitude that the real Pagan wished she could have. As such, Zine ultimately becomes a rather melancholy memoir of a fun time and, as admirable as her zine was, the reader also understands why it was something that the real Pagan eventually had to abandon and leave behind. As such, this book becomes an inspiration for any aspiring artist or anyone else who has ever felt trapped by mainstream society. Pagan Kennedy is to be commended for not only creating the eight issues of Pagan's Head but for having the courage and the insight to tell the truth behind the words.

I have read this book, and read it again, and read it another time. If having a PhD gives me credibility, I have one, so LISTEN UP! Read this book. Pagan Kennedy took me through both carefree and frightening times in her life, and all was done through an authentic reprinting of her ZINE, an endeavor she undertook several years ago. The zine contained information about her life, as well as musings on her childhood and more recent periods. She ascended into flights of nostalgia (retelling of her infatuation with television personalities) as well as recreated trips she took with friends and tragedies endured by her family. This was all done by way of a cheaply yet affectionately homebuilt and jerryrigged 'zine suitable for passing out at a shopping mall, except that it's damn entertaining and revealing and you can't put it down in an earthquake. I got to know Ms. Kennedy through this book, at least somewhat, and my sporadic correspondences with her via email or postcards have verified my suspicions. What I mean is, ZINE is like talking all night with a good friend who makes you laugh and ponder and feel sorry about and happy about life all the time, and often all at once. The book lets you read the actual copies of the zine itself, plus Ms. Kennedy's explanations of what each issue meant in her life. It's lively and unlike the cookie cutter writing I see too often, and of which it's so easy to tire. ZINE is enjoyable, fun and good writing. It's one of my favorite books.

I have read this book, and read it again, and read it another time. If having a PhD gives me credibility, I have one, so LISTEN UP! Read this book. Pagan Kennedy took me through both carefree and frightening times in her life, and all was done through an authentic reprinting of her ZINE, an endeavor she undertook several years ago. The zine contained information about her life, as well as musings on her childhood and more recent periods. She ascended into flights of nostalgia (retelling of her infatuation with television personalities) as well as recreated trips she took with friends and tragedies endured by her family. This was all done by way of a cheaply yet affectionately homebuilt and jerryrigged 'zine suitable for passing out at a shopping mall, except that it's damn entertaining and revealing and you can't put it down in an earthquake. I got to know Ms. Kennedy through this book, at least somewhat, and my sporadic correspondences with her via email or postcards have verified my suspicions. What I mean is, ZINE is like talking all night with a good friend who makes you laugh and ponder and feel sorry about and happy about life all the time, and often all at once. The book lets you read the actual copies of the zine itself, plus Ms. Kennedy's explanations of what each issue meant in her life. It's lively and unlike the cookie cutter writing I see too often, and of which it's so easy to tire. ZINE is enjoyable, fun and good writing. It's one of my favorite books.

'Zine Queen'? There are a number of women (and gay men, but that's another topic) out there who can lay claim to this title: none of them are Pagan Kennedy. If the title of the book's attracted you here and you want to see what a good zine's capable of, go elsewhere.

If, however, you're interested in a sometimes-engaging, sometimes agonizingly-self-absorbed series of journal entries from an intelligent 20something, enjoy. Kennedy can be a good writer and artist; it's just that when her only subject is herself, and she rarely does anything interesting, it's very hard to give a hoot.