Curio Spring 1998 Review

Originally published in Married Punks #13 in 1998.


Curio Spring 1998

I like this magazine, and I don't. Mickey Z., the editor-in-chief, calls this his "personal surgical strike into the mainstream," and he's "dragging" as many friends as he can with him. When one attempts to jump into the mainstream expect boredom to be the result, which is what Curio often is.

There are some gems to be found amongst the lackluster attempts at art, corporate ads, and yawn inducing "coolness." Some of the rare finds come from other 'zines, notable a piece from fishwrap where the female workers at Playboy are put on the spot. Other decent reading material includes the piece on New Orleans and Hogshire's piece on scents. (God bless his poppy growing soul.)

I appreciate this magazine's effort to introduce the mainstream to the underground (the underground, it needs to be said, is well of the mainstream -- it just holds it in utter contempt). Curio should really get radical and take its own ad pitch and subversively think for itself instead of spotlighting clothes in a can and shaving devices for Yuppies. (As an aside, I wrote the original review for this at work where a guy came in dressed head to toe in Nike gear, including a gold Nike swoosh earring. His girlfriend was dressed similarly. That's the mainstream, folks!)