Tao Lin, Darius James, Brief Interviews, Werner Herzog, Arthur Russell,The Informant, Galit Eilat, Girls’ Guide to Rocking and getting 86′d

It’s been a busy month over at The Fanzine:

Tao Lin, author of Shoplifting from American Apparel, on Werner Herzog’s short documentaries.

Darius James, author of Negrophobia and That’s Blaxploitation! has written a pretty amazing, sad and hilarious piece on his childhood experience watching the film Revenge of the Zombies with an eye for race, identity and voodoo.

Jennifer Blowdryer interviews people about their experiences being kicked out of bars, apartments and restaurants in the the first installment of 86′d stories.

Thom Donovan’s profile on cellist and disco pioneer Arthur Russell and interview with Israeli experimental curator Gail Eilat about the Mobile Archive, an unusual traveling video art exhibit that specializes in war zones.

Daniel Hamilton reviews Chronic City, the latest from Jonathan Lethem and uncovers the latent critique of capitalism in Stephen Soderbergh’s recent films

Amy Meyerson closely reads both David Foster Wallace’s and John Krasinski’s Brief Interviews with Hideous Men and comes up with some engaging contrasts.

Also: new fiction from Joshua Cohen, who has an 800 page novel forthcoming from Dalkey Archive, and Mike Louie’s stellar review of Girls’ Guide to Rocking.

Finally, a write up and photos of Fanzine’s participation in Kaya Oakes’ independent media discussion panel at Skylight Books in Los Angeles.

The Fanzine: Slanted and Enchanted and New Fiction from a New Russia

I recently started working as  an assistant editor at the internet magazine The Fanzine. I has a great, very wide range of arts and culture coverage — where you can learn about the latest in experimental fiction as well as betting tips for the Kentucky Derby.

Two recent pieces I’d like to recommend:

Rob Tennant’s review of Kaya Oakes‘ Slanted and Enchanted: The Evolution of Indie Culture:

“The question remains: Who is more ‘indie’ – the O.C.’s Seth Cohen or New York poet Frank O’Hara? In Slanted and Enchanted Kaya Oakes reframes the debate by creating a wide-ranging lineage of independent media and artists, defying the categorical limitations that have arisen around the term in recent years. Mike Watt, Kathleen Hanna, David Berman and cartoonist Daniel Clowes all make appearances. Rob Tennant asks the ramifications of this heritage for the current state of independent culture.”

Also Olena Jennings’ review of Tin House Books’ Rasskazy: New Fiction from a New Russia. Jennnings shows how the shadows and literary tropes of the Soviet Union hangs over the Putin and Medvedev’s Russia. Also, Jennings brings insights into the translation process.