razorcake_14_cover

Razorcake Issue #14 from 2003 featuring The Orphans, The Stitches, Avail, Broken Bottles, The Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr, Elijah Wood

Oct 11, 2011

Click to read Razorcake Issue #14 as a PDF

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Cover stencil art by Kiyoshi Nakazawa of Drunken Master zine.

Avail the band that Sean Carswell put his faith in to make a friend believe in punk again. It worked. Sean met up with lead singer Tim on his last pass through LA. Sean gets Tim to talk about bonding through fistfights, pencils stuck up dickholes, and what happens in a fight if one side has guns and the other baseball bats.

The Orphans: Interview by Namella J. Kim: Possibly one of the most powerful live bands around LA now, you're never sure what to expect from them. Bottles are broken over heads or hit like baseballs off the bass. Wade, the bass player, tried to blow fire at the audience, but hit his hand instead. Jenny, the singer, falls down a lot. Find out who Greg Lowery of Rip Off Records wanted to shave before he'd sign them (and if they did it), who just might have a thing for Brett Michaels, and who has the worst tattoo.

Broken Bottles: Interview by Todd and Sean: Todd and Sean head into the heart of suburbia and end up finding out which member wants to get it on with "the fat Donna'"s puckered starfish. Also discussed are who currently has scabies, how peeing is the best revenge when you're five, or when there's a cop car, and who got a blow job from a shark.

The Stitches: Interview by Todd: Todd describes the Stitches as, "one of the most mythologized, punk with a big p, drug-addled Orange County bands to grace our pages." Todd gets to the heart of the matter and discovers who works for his mother's skin-care company, who's been in a naked knife fight, and who almost had their arm amputated from dancing to James Brown.

The Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.: by Joe Biel: Joe takes on the situation surrounding Martin Luther King's assassination. His heavily researched findings point to an intricate conspiracy, involving even the CIA. Think it sounds like something for the X-files? Joe's article brings to light Janet Reno's ruling of Martin Luther King Jr.'s wrongful death and that there was a conspiracy involved. The repayment to the family: $100.

Rhythm Chicken continues on his mission to bring ruckus to Poland (even without the chicken kit!) and discusses the concept of Wisconsinism.

Art Fuentes makes you work for him this time with his fun page. When it comes down to it, we're all Art's bitches anyway.

Maddy is on spring break! You're thinking body shots and Girls Gone Wild, right? Well, sort of. Maddy goes wild in Appalachia, seekin' out historic labor struggles, a coal mine, and a $32 a night hotel.

Ayn Imperato moves into a new place and balances her interest for her new apartment with nostalgia for the old one.Money gets felt up by a man and sleeps with his first prostitute, all in the same night.

Rev Nørb gives priceless advice and then moves on to his personal list of the "The Rock Goddess 50." Rwwwworrr.

Nardwuar takes on Elijah Wood, well, not in a dirty sort of way. Here's an excerpt:
Nardwuar: Elijah Wood is a great porno name, isn't it?
Elijah: Oh the 'Wood' yes. Yes it is.
Nardwuar: "Elijah teach me about your sword."

Gary Hornberger watches some TV, then he reviews comics. I laughed. You could, too.

Designated Dale takes on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and he's pissed. Let's just say there's a picture involving the Eagles and dildos, 'cause as far as Dale's concerned, they can go eat a big bowl of dick.

Felizon Vidad deals with the deaths of acquaintances and ties it into the situation in the Middle East.

Sean Carswell adds to his last column by introducing us to the case of Fred Korematsu, an American-born Japanese man who was sent to the American interment camp during World War II. His crime? Not reporting to jail because he was Japanese. When taken to the Supreme Court it was upheld that it is constitutional to imprison someone because of their ethnicity if they are perceived as a threat for no other reason than their historical country of origin. This ruling is still on the books today.

Ben Weasel takes us through the process of changing his perspective towards punk as he's aged. Instead of coming off as jaded, he just seems comfortable. "One of the great things about growing up is that you no longer feel the need to take your own bullshit so seriously."

Plus, as always, book, zine, video, and an ass-load of record reviews.

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