JUDAS GOAT QUARTERLY

no.13  Spring 2002

Writer/Editor/Publisher: Grant Schreiber

      Entering his fourth year, Grant Schreiber continues what is in many ways the chronicle of his personal and political odyssey. If pressed to come up with a unifying theme, it's an examination of popular culture and how it both reflects and influences the culture at large. Generally it's a mix of past and present, as Grant tries to point out interesting discoveries he has made. His politics are unabashedly, unashamedly - actually proudly to the Left of nearly anything one's going to find in the mainstream. I leave it to each reader to come to his or her own decision as to whether Grant's an irresponsible lunatic, a man isolated by his clear-thinking leading him to unpopular and inconvenient stances on issues, or is intentionally pushing extra-hard to the Left of mainstream because the popular "center" has moved so far to the Right in the past couple decades that anything less wouldn't have a chance of having an impact. To put it another way, readers are at best unlikely to ever find anything sincerely in support of the Bush administration (either one.) The GOP-inclined shouldn't feel too isolated, though, as he was primed to regularly berate Gore, too, had he won the coin toss.

     This is one of those home publishing projects those in the know refer to as zines. Twenty black and white pages per issue (save for the use of colored paper for the front color) one will almost certainly not always agree with everything he says - which is fine, as I believe Grant would see it as a personal failure if he wasn't creating a work that challenges its readers, even if simply by motivating them to put reasons behind any sense of outrage they might feel. One will find mistakes, but that's part of what comes with such a one-man production. If one's going to gripe about the occasional misspelling and stop there, then one's scanning too shallowly.

     Issue #13 includes pieces on the graphic storytelling work of Jason Lutes, something on the history and arwork of Van Gogh and Gauguin, along with a variety of pieces turning a frequently sarcastic spotlight on the business of war and the war business wages on the common man, more challenges to the mindset of never-ending, always-expanding consumerism, and a general call for a revolution in thought, leading to the same in politics and society. This issue sees more poetry - some intended purely for speaking, though most are intended for song. Agree or disagree, it's challenging material. None of it is delivered in a pedantic manner, though, as Grant's up-front with the fact that much of what he's presenting - with respect to art, literature and history - is new to him, too. This is the work of a man who's regularly appalled that he's come this far in life only recently realizing how much he's missed, and like any person who's noticing something exciting for the first time he's enthusiastically spreading the word. His discoveries, he hopes, will become yours.

      As the title implies and the note that this is the Spring issue reinforces, JGQ is produced quarterly. Grant takes the schedule very seriously. One-year subscriptions are available for $10, with individual issues available directly for $2.50, which includes mailing costs. If you're in the Chicago area you may be able to save the postage costs by buying a copy from one of the local distributors. Take a look at the zine's site, or just  contact Grant for details.

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                                                                                                                                          ---Mike Norton