Ben Is Dead 15

Ben Is Dead #15 (October/November 1991)

Issue #15 of Ben Is Dead captures the zine at its peak as a chaotic meeting place for punk, alternative rock, underground culture and the kind of personalities unlikely to appear in mainstream magazines. The issue mixes music interviews, personal essays, scene reports and oddball humour, all presented with the DIY attitude that made the publication a cornerstone of 1990s independent publishing.

Among the featured pieces is an interview with Hole, catching the band during its earliest days before mainstream success transformed Courtney Love into one of alternative rock's most controversial figures. The conversation covers the band's formation, influences, the underground music scene and Love's typically outspoken opinions. Elsewhere, the issue includes a lengthy interview with Church of War, exploring the group's unusual philosophy, ideas about conflict and revenge, and its deliberately provocative outlook.

The issue also features "Jamming With Nancy Duran (And All The Really, Really Big Rock Stars)", a memoir-style piece by Monica Moran that traces Nancy Duran's adventures through the Los Angeles music scene, crossing paths with punk bands, independent labels and future underground legends. Alongside the major features are the magazine's usual mix of contributor columns, letters, advertisements for independent music and zines, scene gossip, dark humour and the irreverent editorial voice that made Ben Is Dead feel less like a magazine and more like a conversation happening in the back corner of an all-ages punk show.

Like many issues of Ben Is Dead, #15 serves as a snapshot of alternative culture just before it exploded into the mainstream, documenting musicians, artists, writers and subcultures while they were still operating on the fringes. The result is an entertaining time capsule of early-1990s underground America, packed with the energy, weirdness and creative freedom that defined the zine movement.

Has one image cut out of it.