The Can of Worms - Various unsortable zine gems

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	Applicant This is best described simply by quoting from the introduction: One night while rooting through the recycling bin for magazines, I found all the confidential Ph.D. applicant files for the biology department at an Ivy League university from the years 1965-1975. Stapled to many of the yellowed documents were photographs of the prospective students. They were treasures! I tore through the folders and rescued every portrait I could find. I had to have them. Only later did I realize I had to publish them. The recommendation forms supplied accompaniment, via their "strengths and weaknesses" or "personality" sections. The quotes below each photo are actual things said about the pictured students by their formed professors or employers, not intended to be seen by anyone but the application review committee. My selections are often unflattering, but perhaps insightful into these students, as well as their referees. [I would say, especially the referees --ed.] It it worth mentioning that, despite their shortcomings, most of the applicants went on to earn degrees and are now probably professors themselves (writing recommendations, one imagines). Size: quarter-letter, 52 pages, $4
	Artifacts Artifacts is the first issue of this zine which intends to document the unique space that is ABC No Rio in New York City. Although I personally heard about ABC No Rio through the punk rock scene over the years, it actually started as an art space following up an act of urban reclamation by NYC artists that wanted to protest the gentrification of their neighbourhoods, corrupt developper politics, and so on. Given cheap conditions to the space in order to get shushed, what was supposed to be a month-long exhibition turned into one of NYC's most enduring spaces. Other than these fortuitous beginnings, this issue also documents the first art exhibits to be shown at the space, including Tube World and Animals Living in Cities, the occasional concerts of the Cardboard Air Band, the beginings of enduring traditions at ABC No Rio, and some more. Truly a piece of independent art and underground scene history. (Note: while they aren't in this catalogue yet, we also stock two more issues of this zine, at the same price per copy.) Size: half-letter, 24 pages, $2.75
	My Cat Is More Punk Than Yours Punk: adj. 2. being in poor health. This is the biography of Toronto zinester Five: Seventeen's cat Maxwell, and the various illnesses that plagued his life. It is a heartfelt account that also includes some of Five's own life and family as he grows up along his cat. Much information and resources related to cat health and welfare is included through the story and also at the end of the zine, in particular about food type and quality from the point of view of a vegan. I was quite touched by the story written by Five, as you see that he genuinely cared about Max. Out of stock! Will be available again in the future, feel free to write to accelerate the process.
	Fish Piss Vol. 2, #4 This issue was long due on the site, but the contents haven't really aged. This issue of Fish Piss has a special feature on the recording industry. Louis starts off with the first part of his history of the industry, Ian McGillis has 25 reasons with vinyl is superior, Isabelle Bourret parle de ses obsessions magnétophoniques, Vince Tinguely gives a history of Canadian top 40 radio and K-Tel Records, Louis adds many layers to the K-Tel history, and then he talks to Morris Apelbaum of Silent Sound Studio. Other articles cover Divers/Cité's corporatization, racism and culture in South Korea, une anecdote sur la bêtise écossaise, Austrian architect Friedenrich Hundertwasser and an episode from the Great Blackout. Regular features such as For Money and DIY are there, along with a dedication to The Great Antonio, a fixture on the streets of Montréal for many years. Comics have infiltrated the zine like Al-Qaeda operatives in the Iraqi army: they're everywhere. Finally, there are tons of music and concert reviews, with a focus on the Montréal scene. Size: half-legal, 124 pages, $4
	Fish Piss Volume 2, #2 Another issue of the zine in love with and from Montréal. However, this issue is mostly made up of the special section on the Summit of America protests in Québec City, in April 2001. Louis gathered tons of information from many different places, ranging from the mainstream newspapers, to TV, to zines, to sources on the net. This creates, in my opinion as somebody who was out there, a rather accurate portrayal of the situation. There's actually lots of stuff I've discovered from reading in there, since I couldn't be all over the City all the time. This is good research and definitely something I'll keep as a sort of souvenir album of the Summit. Features a lengthy interview with 1-speed bike. Other than that, there are articles about the death of Trudeau and the Rocket, and what they meant to Montréalers (is Fish Piss turning into Maclean's or what?!), a harrowing tale of visiting Cleveland and how desperate and fucked up a city it is, "For Money" interviews a woman about her job selling adult novelties, and there are the regular articulate music and zine reviews. Great material. Oh yeah, don't miss the nice silkscreened cover, which comes in two different colour schemes! (You can specify which one you want if you fancy that.) Size: half-legal, 100 pages, $4
	Fish Piss #5 I read this issue of Fish Piss for the first time four years ago, and I thought it was gone forever. Luckily for you and I, there are still vast stocks of this issue, so I am proud to make it available to you. I read the issue again recently while travelling and I was struck once again by how amazing this zine was and still is. Except for a few (and not even all) news-related articles and the music reviews, everything stood the test of time. It starts off by documenting the origin of squeegee punks, which was pretty much a media-created creature that took on a life of its own. That's not too dissimilar to the punk movement when you think about it, so that makes sense. That story is also linked to a famous Montréal riot, and that's also documented in the frequent "Riot Stories" feature of Fish Piss. In "Holiday in Brownsville," Jesse Power recounts how he and a friend randomly decided to go trainhopping in the middle of winter, and how they ended across the border and into some trouble. Louis recounts how two spontaneous street parties came together and what happened there. In another story, he and Jason Gallagher interview this 84 year old nurse at a bar, recounting the old days of the Montréal of her youth, obviously much different from today. There are some record reviews, but also live reviews of concerts by Andre Williams, Gil Scott-Heron and Nashville Pussy, circa 1999. There is lots of other stories, poetry, divaguations, digressions, lots of surreal comics and art, and finally the cover is nicely silkscreened with vibrant colours and spazzness. I really dig this. Size: half-legal, 72 pages, $3
	Infiltration #22 - Caught Stories Volume Three From the introduction: Our last two "Caught Stories" issues were products of a kinder, gentler time. A time when you got jacked up on Peppermint Schanpps and then climbed a crane, knowing that the cops who waited for you at the bottom would simply tousle your hair, chuckle that boys will indeed be boys, and then give you a free ride home. Alas, those carefree days have come to an end. Nervous cops and arrests at gunpoint are dismayingly common themes in this first post-September 11th "Caught Stories" issue. The klaxon-blaring, hyperalert paranoid reaction to the terrorist attacks has led to a crackdown on suspicious behaviour in the vicinity of infrastructure and buildings. Unfortunately for explorers, "suspicious behaviour" includes such pursuits as climbing a bridge just for fun, taking a harmless look around a tunnel to satisfy your curiosity, or taking pictures of an abandoned factory out of aesthetic appreciation. On top of recounting these caught stories (including being caught in an old KGB estate), Ninjalicious and Liz offer their advice on what should be the response of urban explorers in face of this new climate of so-called "terror". Size: half-letter, 32 pages, $2 Many other issues available, write to enquire...
	Infiltration #21 - University of Toronto The University of Toronto is the biggest university in Canada, and one of its oldest. Many of its buildings are incredibly beautiful and old (by North American standards, anyway), and it is quite a place to visit, even when not infiltrating. On the other hand, if you wish to visit the hidden entrails of this institution, Ninjalicious and his accomplices have delivered here a most meticulous guide to the university, from tunnels and machine rooms to churches, the Medical Science Buildings, Convocation Hall, glass cones, residences, current construction sites, hidden floors, to conclude on the creepy and hauntingly beautiful One Spadina Crescent. I also learned a lot about my favourite building in Toronto, Robarts Library, which Ninjalicious lovingly refers to as an "ultrabrutalist concrete nightmare". Whichever architectural style turns you on, U of T probably has a building that demonstrates it, and this issue will give you an idea of how to reach for its most beautiful sights. Size: half-letter, 32 pages, $2
	Infiltration #20 - Twin Cities Spectacular This issue is exlusively about the Minneapolis-St. Paul area in the United States, where the natural sandstone formation the cities rest on has provided for the ideal medium over the years for people to dig an insane amount of caves and tunnels. Liz first interviews Max Action to give us an introduction to the Action Squad, the area's premier urban exploration group, and then different squad members write articles about the different discoveries they have made in the city. First they go through Hamm's Brewery, a venerably local institution that has closed recently, but that has been around a 100 years, long ago to build some nice caves, to store beer for example. Then we get into The Legend of the Labyrinth, a network of interconnecting tunnel systems that, in sptie of its wide coverage, was quite hard to access for our intrepid adventurers. Finally, the Action Squad try to reach an even more inaccessible space called "Scheik's Cave", a huge natural cave that rests under an old bank, deep under the city. To reach it, they will have to wade through waist-deep sewage and storm drains, face cockroaches and other forms of life, some rarely seen before... Definitely one of the best Infiltration issues ever! Size: half-letter, 32 pages, $2
	Infiltration #19 - Houses of the Holy This issue is almost exclusively written by Ninjalicious, who did extensive exploration of the churches for the wide variety of congragations present in Toronto. Pews, basements, belltowers, crypts, nothing escaped Ninj's and Persephone's inquisitive eyes, and avoid most of the unwanted attention... The only two churches not visited by Ninj are the St-Eustache cathedral in Paris, by Le Duc, and the Wat Po temple in Thailand by Jim Munroe. Out of stock! Will be available again in the future, feel free to write to accelerate the process.
	Infiltration #17 - Buildering "The zine about going places you're not supposed to go." After a hiatus of about 3 years from this website (although I happened to sell copies at zine fairs), Infiltration is back! This is the buildering issue, aka climbing buildings. Featured on the cover is the CN Tower, which was climbed by two Greenpeace activists interviewed in this issue. Also featured are climbers from the Netherlands and New Zealand, Julia from Dark Passages in NYC, and the letter section has an entry from a guy simply named "Subway Psycho," to protect innocent and guilty alike. Size: half-letter, 24 pages, $2
	Infiltration #16 The zine about going places you're not supposed to go. This is a zine about urban exploration of forbidden places, weird locations and forgotten caves. Although it isn't particularly about getting into illegal places or doing any illicit activities, some of its writers do get into unwanted territory. This issue is made up of stories of people that were noticed by the guys in blue while doing urban exploration, and how they did (not) get away with it: getting caught climbing a crane, exploring the subway, in underground tunnels in a university, looking for the secret FDR tunnel under Grand Central Station in NYC, in an international tunnel under the Great Lakes, climbing a Bell building, etc. Some really good tips about not getting caught by cops in there! Size: half-letter, 24 pages, $2
	Infiltration #11 Storm Drains! They're all over, err, rather, all under our cities. They're invisible, but our cities need them. The offlimits thus becomes the target of urban explorators. Ninjalicious has consecrated a whole issue to the exploration of Storm Drains. He first starts off with his own experiences in Toronto, Pickering, Ajax, Markham, etc. After his own explorations, he leaves the pages to the Cave Clan, a huge group of draining enthusiasts from Australia that number in the hundreds. They actually have an annual awards ceremony, held underground! The issue is completed with an article about the "Holy Grail of Minneapolis Draining," and a lexicon to Drainspeak, as the subculture has developped its own vocabulary. It's all quite fascinating. Size: half-letter, 28 pages, $2
	Infiltration #10 This is the first "Caught" issue of Infiltration, True Tales of How Infiltrators Were Caught In The Act, And What They Did About It. Here are some of the situations where people got caught... The Clannies ceremony, possibly the biggest meeting of draining fans in the world, in Melbourne, got busted. Someone else gets busted trying to see the twin domes of a nuclear powerplant, lots of people get busted for exploring university tunnels and someone gets busted for trespassing on a railway company's land. The pièce de résistance though is the people that get caught on Grand Central Station in New York City... Size: half-letter, 28 pages, $2
	Infiltration #9 This is basically an issue that covers a lot of the Paris Catacombs, their long history, and actual visit and some more. Besides that, there is a visit to the Milan subway tunnels and the botanical gardens of underground Glasgow. It's all pretty exciting--there's lots of odd and creepy otuff down there... Size: half-letter, 24 pages, $2
	Stolen Sharpie Revolution Third Edition now available! Most people know how to make a zine just by looking at one: write some stuff, photocopy it, fold the paper, staple it, et voilà! A zine. However, there is a little more effort involved in making a good zine. This is where Stolen Sharpie Revolution comes in with good advice on a variety of topics: Making a zine: tools, revision, layout, binding; How to make: block prints, silkscreen, paper, bookbindings, etc.; How to deal with distros and the rest of the zine community; How to run your own distro; How to put out a record. There really is tons of useful information in there, even for the seasoned zine publisher. This is especially recommended if you want to start making a zine, and want to avoid mistakes by learning from others. Size: quarter-letter, 100 pages, $5 For May only, get Stolen Sharpie Revolution for $4!
	Thanksgiving Sarah Pinder writes in this poetry zine about returning to her hometown for Thanksgiving. She reminisces about what her longings have become, and those that have erither stayed behind or returned. Thanksgiving is in the season of melancholy, just like her hometown... Size: mini, 8 pages, $1
	Zine World #20 Zine World is your bible to zine reviews. Hundreds and hundreds of zines are reviewed in there, mostly from the United States but from elsewhere too. For Canadians, it makes a good complement to Broken Pencil. Outside of the reviews, there are also lots of free speech news, with numerous and frightening accounts of clamping down of dissent, especially in highschools. An article covers a project by the US Postal Service to track every single piece of mail going through its system, including detailed origin, to be put in a database. As the article says, ""a database just waiting to be subpoenated and misused." There is an illustrated feature documenting the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War Two. Finally, the Word of Mouth Section has lots of news about the zine scene, be it address changes, store reviews, etc. All around it's an amazing resource for anyone looking for zines beyond what I sell here! Size: letter, 64 pages, $6 Discounted! Now only $2.
	Zine Grab Bag - 500g Get an assortment of up to 500 grams of zines for a mere four dollars! (That's more or less ten zines, depending on their weight.) I have tons of zines here that I don't sell on the website for various reasons, whether I choose not to distro them, or couldn't reach the author, or I just want to make space for new zines on my shelves. These zines can now be yours if you order a Zine Grab Bag. Great way for people who don't know what to buy or don't want to spend too much to get a variety of zines, but don't expect to received a "best of" from this catalogue either. $4 Canada, $8 United States