Saturday, May 14, 2016

Zine Review: ROUGHDALE #1 and #2

ROUGHDALE: Southern Decay in the 21st Century issue #1
ROUGHDALE: Southern Decay in the 21st Century issue #2
Country of origin: USA
This zine is not quite like others in print this year. It’s more likened to how a tour report would read if penned by someone from the beatnik era of the fifties. On Facebook it is simply described as “Southern sludge meets gonzo journalism meets pulp commentary.” It’s sort of vague but still enough to attract people who have taken long trips to out-of-state metal fests. The description immediately following it offers some more potential information. Such authors as Hunter S. Thompson, Charles Bukowski and Bret Easton Ellis (Less Than Zero, American Psycho) are reference points for potential readers, next to Cormac McCarthy and Quentin Tatantino and then the Wu-Tang Clan and Pantera. In this zine there is no empty politically correct preaching about making the world a better place, nor are there moral judgments made about people living their lives outside of the glamor and glitz the media displays on a daily basis. The publishers of Roughdale call it “an exercise in free speech and ignorance” even going as far as to warn readers not to go further lest you grow disillusioned by a journey ultimately presented as pointless. We see a microcosm of society which has lost its meaning, that is if it ever had one to begin with. Depressing to be sure but in its own way it’s cathartic and an eye-opener for those who bought into the idea of the American Dream only to fail to achieve it in the end. The idea has been explored in independent film many times. But this is the first I have seen the idea laid bare in such a brutal manner. The second issue in addition includes poems and album reviews. Both of these issues are offered for free, so contact the editors at the email address provided above. -Dave Wolff

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