Welcome to Behind the Zines Distro

Aanother  amazing zine by Donna Ramone,  the queen of researching weird shit.  Not only is this a  well-researched history of the wrestling character known as Undertaker,  it is also a perzine.  Donna talks about  her relationship  with wrestling, the love she had for Undertaker, then her evolving  mixed feelings about him as she grew older. If you like a  well-written  zine on a unique topic, then you'll like this zine.  If you  follow  wrestling at all in any way, then YOU NEED THIS ZINE.
 

Half-size, 12 pages, color-cover with color pictures throughout.   

Yet  another wonderful zine from the brilliant mind of Sharaya O., this latest full-color zine is the snotty teenage inner-voice of an adult saying all the things she WISHES she could say to her conservative Christian parents.  Put yourself in the mindset of “Geez, mom!” and then read about swear words, premarital sex, movies, birthday parties, and the liberal agenda.  If you’ve ever had a grown-up tell you how to live your life, you  will love this zine.

Quarter-size, full-color, 16 pages.

I loved Rachel’s first issue, I love this one more.  She documents her travels as she moves across the country from farm  to farm.  This issue’s theme is the animals she comes across as she travels.  Goats, cats, dogs, ducks…  She knows them, she names them, she loves them.   Not only are there lots of great stories about the animal-friends she  encounters, but lots of full-color photos as well.

Quarter-size, full  color, 24 pages. 

Written by Stacey Piotrowski, who also writes the zine Phases of the Moon, comes a new work of per-zine expression.  Well-written prose takes up the first half, as Stacey reflects on what it’s like to be an anti-capitalist in a Covid-world.  “I understood the need for protection, but didn’t want to have to purchase something.”  But buying masks is the least of her worries when her father goes in for surgery.  She makes a deal with God, and starts attending church.  But if the words are too much, then don’t worry.  The second half of this zine is filled with full-color photos, mostly of skylines and trees.  This zine hits hard at the front, then eases into tranquility by the end.

Quarter-size, full-color, sewn binding, 24 pages.

Subtitled as “Moral Fiber, the Movie!”  More of the same!  If you know it, you love it.  This issue is bigger and thicker, lots of weird illustrations with weird text and dialog.  Drawings?  Paintings?  I’m not sure.  Cartoons of gross teenagers with pimples, aliens, monsters, ducks that look sad.  It’s art, man, I can’t explain it.  If he were an art-major he’d charge $15 for this, but he’s a stoner snow-boarder, so whatever, bruh!  

Half-size, full-color, glossy paper, cardstock cover, 52 freaking pages long!   

Johnnie is obsessed with snow-globes, and always has been.  In My Snow-Globe Life, Johnnie goes one by one, telling those stories.  Some times the story is about the snow-globe itself, as there are dozens of different kinds.  Some times the story is about the place he got the globe, or who he was with when he acquired it.

Half-size, B&W with purple cover, 20 pages.  A lot of great stories for 2 bucks.

Ornery Cuss is a heart-breaker of a zine.  A photo-copied tome that reads like a short novel and tells the story of how a young lady escaped the  drug-infested depressions of southern Iowa.  Krystle Ratticus grew up living in poor conditions in small town on the Iowa/Missouri border,  dodging adult perverts and dealing with teenage bullies.

This zine is the raw sadness, the occasional triumphs, and the never-ending struggle of being human.  The beat generation is long gone,  and zines like this are as close as you’re ever gonna get to that level  of realness.

Half-size, 76 pages, B&W

Paruresis is the very real condition in which a person has trouble urinating in certain situations, such as in public spaces,  or while other people are waiting. Reading this zine taught me a lot about what it's like to live with this condition.
 

This perzine is full of personal stories of anguish, embarrassment, and torment.  He even tells about the childhood bullying incident that created his mental block.  This  zine is sad, but excellent.  If you, or anyone you  know, is pee-shy, this is a must. 

Quarter-size, B&W, 24 pages.   

This is the "College" issue, all about Mark's  time in college.  He tells stories of going to bars  and drinking all night long, having fun with his friends until his bladder is full. Unable to pee in public he lives a life of constantly finding excuses to leave the room, leave the bar, or leave the party.
 

This story is heartbreaking, sad, exciting, and intriguing.  Feel the uncomfortable embarrassment right   along with Mark as he navigates this world.
 

Quarter-size, color cover, 28 pages.  

This  issue is the "vacation" issue.  Mark talks about the extensive planning  he has to go  through just to travel.  How long will his plane ride be?   How long will  he be on a bus from one city to another?  The lengths  he must go to in  order to urinate are simultaneously fascinating and  depressing.  Yet, this zine isn't depressing.  If anything it feels empowering.  Part of his empowerment seems to come from  a new  girlfriend, the first person he's ever dated who has known about  his  condition. Having her love and support certainly seems to help him.
 

Quarter-size, color cover, 32 pages, all text. 

We all have challenges when it comes to getting hired at a new job.  Some people are unable to pass a drug test, which sucks, but Mark isn't even sure he can TAKE the drug test!  He doesn't do drugs, he just can't pee in the cup when he knows there is a nurse outside waiting on him.  Good writing to make you feel the nervousness he goes through in these  situations.  Mark also discovers that another friend has a similar bathroom secret...  Does he confront her and bond over their similar problems?
 

Quarter-size, color cover, 32 pages.

Part of dating, part of relationships, part of love, is the process of familiarity.  Getting to know someone so well that little by little  there are no more secrets.  But Mark has a big secret, and it takes a lot to keep this secret from one girlfriend after another. Something that is not so much  as  an after-thought for 95% of us is the ONLY thing Mark can think  about  most of the time. When should he pee?  And where, and how?This issue is the dating issue, the one we've all been waiting for.
 

Quarter-size, color cover, 40 pages.

Mike T. Fournier,of Zisk and others, brings  us a text-heavy story of his childhood in New England.  He weaves 5 or 6  stories together, telling us about punk shows, sporting events, his Catholic upbringing, his time in the Boy Scouts, and more.

But  wait, there’s more!  One half of this zine is Policymaker, the other  half is a piece titled, “2024 Isn’t Going To Be My Year,” by Donna  Ramone of Razorcake fame.  She talks about her youth, her family, and her life.  Along the way she spells out exactly how fucked up our own U.S  government is, and doesn’t pull any punches.

 Half-size, B&W, 20 pages. 

This unique zine is horizontal half-size, so don't let the image fool you.  It's the same size as a regular zine.  This is a travelogue describing  the daily events of a road trip from Hawaii to Maine!  Not only does the author describe various places that he and his wife visit, but he also talks about his own personal memories as he stops at  childhood homes and various locations from his past.  A lot of work went into  making this zine, and it was well worth it.

Half-size, cardstock color cover, color images, fold-out postcards, 40 pages.

A short little pocket-size perzine.  No photos, a few random  illustrations, but 99% text, just Billy pontificating on various topics.  Themes of fear, loneliness, depression, and how to conquer it all.  An  excerpt:
 

"Here’s  the thing: it took me years, years, to realize that when a person says,  “It’s cold,” what they actually mean is “I’m  cold.”  But they would  say, “It’s cold,” and I would immediately say,  “It’s not cold,” which  actually meant “I’m not cold,” and you can see how this could create  some very pointless arguing."
 

Quarter-size, B&W, 24 pages.

After reading a book called Selftitled, by  Nicole Morning, I was so inspired by her writing style that I grabbed my journal and wrote for 2 hours straight.  The result turned into this  zine.
 

Stories about camping, the lovely nature of New Mexico, the adventures with my partner, our travels to Baltimore, synchronized swimming, the impending doom of  Artificial Intelligence, and holding hands through it all.
 

Quarter-size, B&W, 16 pages.  Only $1. 

Sub-titled as “Five Days in Chicago,” Proof I  Exist #42 recants Billy’s return to the Windy City, relating his experiences through a series of lists.  A list of friends he hung out  with, a list of places he ate, a list of museums he visited.  Rather than deep, long-winded prose, this is short snippets of his vacation in a city where he once lived for 10 years.  Quick read, only $1.

Quarter-size, B&W, 16 pages.  

Proof I Exist #43 is a split zine with my  buddy, Ed Tillman!  My half is PIE #43, his half  is QRK5 #14.
 

We picked the theme of "Hot and  Cold," with me writing about the cold and Ed writing about the hot.  Ed's half talks  about living in Georgia, living in California, and  working on film sets  in Mexico.
 

For my half I tell one long story, all about the time they cut off the heat from our  punk house in  Chicago.
 

This zine is quarter-size, B&W, 24 pages long, and is TWO ZINES IN ONE!  Enjoy!

My buddy, Drew, is in a band called Orange  Drink.  In the year 2022, he  wrote and recorded one new song every  week, for the entire year.  But, if that wasn't enough, he also made a  VIDEO for every single one of those songs.
 

Proof I Exist #44 is one long interview with Drew about music, art, and life  .We talk about the creative process, artistic discipline, and the age-old question of "What is art?"
 

Half-size, 40 pages long.  Black and white on the inside, with color on the front and back cardstock covers.