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While it's become quite apparent that if you ignore Scandinavia, you're missing out on some truly brain-blowing and inspiring music, it's still difficult to discern the true status of the various local music scenes relative to the States. Is there any sort of grassroots media that helps prop up the countless hordes of bands that overseas fans have not heard? Is the same political punk zeal teeming in the blood of our Scandinavian music-fanatic counterparts? Perhaps Sarpsborg, Norway's Fashion Freak Fanzine #5 can provide some enlightenment.
Quizzically entitled "The Fuck You! Issue" and tattooed with the soft faces of presumed Norwegian youth giving us the proverbial finger, this simple 'zine certainly sticks out, even before you've begun to digest the media rants that fill its pages. Your eyes are immediately drawn to the words of numerous Norse-named contributors who are discussing the true meaning of the "Fuck You" issue. Written in relatively strong English (hey, it's way better than any Norwegian that I can muster), each of these contributors discusses their personal feelings regarding living the punk rock lifestyle, the local music scene and formulating your own unique opinions. If you've ever squandered some time by thinking outside of the box, each of those topics probably sounds a bit familiar. Between stereotypical teen angst, pent up hostility towards the anti-punk, corporate-rock society and occasional jabs at censorship and faux-DIY types, as well as brief moments of reflective introspection, it's clear that each of these unknown writers has a grasp on the complexities of society that awaits everyone as youth blurs into adulthood. However, it becomes a bit of a tedious read, as the wordy sentences of local Norwegian youth begin to overlap one another, both topically and anecdotally. But Fashion Freak Fanzine wasn't meant to be some high-class, top dollar 'zine that you buy at your local bookstore after you sip your coffee shop latte, so it's okay that any serious editing has been avoided.
Fortunately, for the fascinated music fan, there are four interviews here, which range from informatively organized to clumsily orchestrated. Serving as the lead article and main reason to read this edition of the zine, the interview with Moss, Norway's Skarnspage provides a brief, yet interesting read on this relatively unknown, spastic two-piece. Other pages cover Billion Dollar Mission, The Album Leaf and a chaotically organized e-mail interview with metalcore aficionados Seraphim. If you're scratching your head and whispering "Who?" to yourself, there's yet another reason for a little musical enlightenment time.
The staple of any 'zine is the requisite record reviews column. Fashion Freak Fanzine does its best, adding its own words of musical criticism on the back page. Perhaps the editor should solicit a few more labels, as out of the ten reviews here, five are of Burning Heart Records releases, leaving this column as anything but representative of the hordes of music available for public consumption. Hopefully the next issue will focus on a better variety, as well as stronger focus on the local music scene. If I want Rancid and Sick of It All reviews, I can go bury myself in another sickening issue of Rolling Stone.
There's definitely potential here; Editor-in-Chief Lars Vedo does his best to avoid producing another photocopied 'zine of banal record reviews and interchangeable interviews. With a stronger focus on local rather than global musical exhibitions, Fashion Freak Fanzine could prove to be an engaging resource. More importantly, Vedo has taken the bold step of sending his local 'zine across the Atlantic to hopefully entice American readers into discovering the potent and grossly overlooked Norwegian music scene.
-- Andrew Magilow
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