Everybody of a certain vintage who follows non-mainstream rock and roll has a soft spot for ‘zines. One of the reasons you’re reading this electronic magazine is down to two, 48 Crash and Vicious Kitten.Munster Times is a hard copy zine from Melbourne that follows the same pattern as those 1980s zines. Filled by large chunks of typed copy and occasional scanned photos, its content is parochial, sometimes left-of-centre. Issue 21 has incisive interviews with Dave Graney, Off the Hip label and shop boss Mickster Baty and a borrowed Dinosaur Jr live review.
Issue 22 tackles subjects like wrestling god Bobby Heenan, Powerline Sneakers, Melbourne community TV broadcaster Bernie Carr and “Descent Into The Maelstrom: The Radio Birdman Story”. The latter is nailed adroitly.
The contents are unashamedly raw and unadorned, which is endearing, and often very parochial. That’s fine. Zines cover local scenes. The best have always been warts-and-all, unfiltered conversations between a fan and a subject in which we, the readers, are observers and sometimes participants, primed to latch onto a recognisable chord or disagree.
Personal touches - like a tribute to editor Matt’s late grandfather - are a human element you’ll never see in a shitty mainstream music magazine. (You won’t be missed, Australian Rolling Stone, by the way, at least in your recent form.)
Pick up Munster Times in any reputable Melbourne music outlet, I guess, or contact Matt via the Facebook link and work out postage. 
