Hats Off To Tauntons New 'Fanzine', Seen

I certainly applaud those kids for getting off their arses and putting something together. Something professional too.

(I was almost about to twist this post into some kind of backlash against their naivety but have just thought better of it)

You see, This 'fanzine' is written and produced by a group of teenagers with a passion for music, fashion and youth culture. They're producing the 'zine' for other students who want to read the same ill-informed, ill-founded opinions as they want to write about. They simply do not have the maturity to cover some, perhaps any, of the topics they do which makes it almost impossible for anyone outside of their age group to take them or their 'zine' seriously.

For example, if I'm reading an article about DJing, I expect the writer to have experience as a DJ. Somebody who actually has some words of wisdom on the subject which they can share. I get the impression that the writer of that piece has never been record shopping in their life (simply ordering a Justice record or a smiths LP off the net does not mean you are a vinyl junkie)

But so what?!

They aren't writing it for cynical c+nts like me! They care as much about my horrible little opinions as I do about how 'Indie' The Paper Plane Pilots sound. The fact is that they are getting their heads together and putting something out there, who else is doing that around here? And the quality of their writing is actually pretty good - much better than mine. They just need some guidance, to step out of their scene and experience something else, to investigate a little further than The NME and Myspace.

Seen Magazine have thrown down the gauntlet. They have, like many artists/creative types, opened themselves up for attack but the fact that they have and such a bold way fills me with some kind of twisted hope for youth culture in Taunton.

I look forward to the next issue.