Flipside – #102 – Review

Flipside

#102 $2.50 (PO Box 60790. Pasadena, CA 91116)
by Joshua Brown

Yes, they’ve been the so-called counterpoint to MRR right from the get-go. In Al Flipside’s own words in response to a letter this issue, “I think Flipside has always tried to preserve the character and personality of its writers and not impose any sort of group conformity in ideas or content to its columns (the way that MaximumRock’n’Roll does, for instance)”. He speaks the truth when he says it’s a more open discussion, especially since the focus is, for the most part, on the music itself rather than whether a band is on an indie or a major label.

However, in part due to the double-edged sword of mentioning more bands per page than any other ‘zine you can name, the opinions expressed are flippant or fawning and not very believable. There is also a blatant tendency to plug their own shit, since Flipside is also a label, but they weren’t as bad in that aspect this issue.

Kudos for the Electric Frankenstein cover story, a cover-worthy band who lack widespread exposure but have a rabid cult following. The most verbose interview was conducted by mail with ex-Big Black bassist Dave Riley, who had a stroke that was wrongly diagnosed as a failed suicide attempt, and is now recovering and writing a novel. Other interviews were done (drily and with a marked lack of depth, I might add), with Ben Folds Five, VKTMS, Butt Trumpet, Snap-Her, Nomads (from Sweden), etc.

On the gonzo side of things we have a psychically “channeled” interview with Frank Zappa and a piece by “Subgenius” Bob Dobbs. The most intriguing parts of the ‘zine didn’t relate to music except maybe in a tangential way. First there’s D.M.’s usual “Just Say Know” column, which tackles drug issues from a chemist’s perspective, seeking the truth of the matter rather than providing false cure-all solutions or fatalistic nihilism. Two other things that caught my eye were columnist Shane’s relevant inclusion of an excerpt from Joseph Campbell’s book Masks of God, and the rather humbling letter from a Yugoslavian kid who tells the story of punks in a war-torn country who don’t have the time or energy to worry about whether Bad Religion are “sell-outs.”