Some time around 1995 I got a note from a person named ‘Albatross’ (residing in London – and later Canterbury for a while) asking for help distributing this zine. It was the start of a lively correspondence and an inspiring friendship. It turned out that the person (Laura W.) was an American studying (sociology, post-graduate in children’s rights). She is a vegan, anarchist, straight-edge, feminist, used to skate and would over the years also start distributing zines (Goodies – the name of her zine-distro; later changed to Synthesis), (help) organise gigs, volunteer at the vegan café Pogo Café (in Hackney), etc. We met up and visited gigs together, and encouraged each other doing the things we were doing. Later she wrote a chapter in the book Sober Living For The Revolution (about political straight-edge), published by PM Press and did a blog. I already posted an interview with her…
And – inside-joke – she was also the only woman who actually proposed me to marry her…
Laura did 5 issues of her zine during the second half of the 90s. #1 (94/95) was still hand-written and had short bits about veganism, militant bicycling, etc. and a brief interview with Jello Biafra… #2 (95) contained interviews with ‘Avail’ & ‘Doughnuts’, and comments on sXe, vegan activism, being a girl; plus reviews (zines/books). In #3 (97) she wrote about her travels, elections, anarchism and more. #4 (98) had columns about human rights, revolution, punk, feminism, etc.; plus a big review-section (music/zines/books/films). Some of the topics in #5 (99) included global resistance, genetic manipulation, gentrification, animal-rights, etc. For this one she interviewed Saxon Wood (Green Anarchist and Animal Liberation Front) and yours truly contributed an interview with the Brazilian feminist band ‘Dominatrix’. There was also a survey where she questioned a bunch of people active in the HC/punk-scene about human nature. That’s reprinted here…
Brob Tilt's zine-world 