Semiotext(e) U.S.A.

by Jim Fleming, Peter Lamborn Wilson (Editor)

outsider sci-fi anthology

Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

Reviews

[Gabriel Thy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Punk counterculture to the hilt. I am featured in four pages of this book.

[Max Carmichael · Rating 3 out of 5]

I pulled this big zine from my "uncategorizable" shelf in a fit of nostalgia for the doom and gloom of the 80s. I remember buying it for the piece by old friend Peter Plate, but I don't think I'd ever tried to read through it until now, and for good reason - most of it is unreadable, a jumble of bad writing about naive European political theory.

But it's worth skimming for the few gems, and for the general tone: mainstream culture and society are fucked. A telling theme is the conventional anarchist notion of work as a bad thing. As an artist and proponent of subsistence culture, I embrace work as the foundation of a good life, but the 80s anarchists were really talking about JOBS, not work in general, and it's refreshing to compare their rants with the rampant enthusiasm of today's youth for their exciting, fulfilling jobs in technology and marketing. If I hear one more parent bragging about their kid's fabulous job with a really neat startup, I'll puke.

I especially recommend:
-The wonderful poetry scattered throughout the book
-Cartoons & ads
-Brag of the SubGenius
-The Discovery of the Secret of Levitation (my personal fave)
-Tell Me About the History of the World

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quality AND Volume.