 |
|
What
is 'Stanzine'?
Well, in 1981 I decided to start a music fanzine - and for a fanzine by
Stan, what better name than Stanzine?
For a bit of history about
that 'zine and plenty more info / reviews, digital reproductions of a few selected
page examples, and issue 11 in its entirety, click
here.
|
| |
 |
|
The
Sleeping Party
Released in 2025. Paperback, 260 pages, 127 x 203 mm.
A book by pStan Batcow
written in fits and starts from the 1980's up to 2025, telling
surreal dreamworld tales alongside the gibberings of opinionated
buffoons, illogical reasoning, childlike fantasy, psychiatric
uprisings, punk rock happenings, freak show attendance and - of
course - your everyday typical mild-mannered necrophiliac serial killer.
Further description can be read on the book store page (click
below).
Costs about £10
though as it's print-on-demand, the actual cost will
differ depending upon your global location, exchange rates, your
hairstyle and the
colour of the socks you're wearing.
Click to be redirected to the book store:
- Review by Lawrence
Burton on his blog, Feb 2026
Veterans of the weirdy tape and/or mail art scene may recall former Ceramic Hob pStan Batcow as the prime mover behind Howl in the Typewriter and Pumf Records. He's been at it since the eighties, and not only has he failed to slow down a bit, as many of us have done, but if anything he appears to be accelerating. This is his first novel, although it doesn't read like a first novel having arguably spent at least four decades in the making with many of the texts found herein originating as Stanzines, as he deemed them - short zines of Batcow fiction or simple rumination periodically produced by the man seemingly because he just couldn't stop himself. I had a couple here and there, notably This Bleeding Heart which doesn't seem to have made it into the novel and which I remember as noteworthy. So the prose and general composition are confident and accomplished as the work of a man who found his voice - as the saying has it - many years before. This ain't his first rodeo.
The premise has a group of people monitored as they sleep, their dreams recorded herein towards ambiguous ends. It's structured pretty much as a loose tangle of unrelated lengths of super-8mm film edited together into a single continuous strand, and it would be fair to call it an experimental novel; although unlike a few experimental novels I've encountered of late, this experiment is undertaken by someone who has some idea of what the fuck he's doing. We meet our cast as the book opens, learn what they're about to do, and the rest is one individual testimony after another - either unrelated, or related by means which aren't immediately obvious. Former Stanzines appear as Rachel dreams about reading them in a library, which is cheeky as fuck in compositional terms but the material blends beautifully into the whole regardless. We alternate autobiographical musings with surrealism and punky philosophy and somehow it all hangs together as a sort of social realist Naked Lunch written under the influence of Lewis Carroll, amongst others. It kicks against the pricks while remaining generally humanist and refreshingly low on the kind of cynicism to which the Batcow might be entitled given a few of the more obviously autobiographical details. Themes emerging may depend on where the reader is sat, and I found something generally positive with a firm grounding in reality amounting to we're all in this together so let's not be arseholes, as proposed by our narrator's thoughts as he observes a couple of rats.
The crouching rat hadn't moved, but he sensed that it was very aware of his presence. It was plainly terrified, but resisting its natural instinct to flee. In a bizarre moment of empathy, he realised that these rats were mates, and the one lying dead was being watched over, protected posthumously by its loyal and mourning consort.
It was a touching tableau, sorrowful yet a somehow uplifting scenario. He was witnessing something that seemed to mirror what should be the very meaning of existence - something that should be duplicated in spirit as the blueprint for a perfect world.
It's a weird one, as might be expected of such an assemblage, but it holds together beautifully even if it isn't always obvious why, effortlessly drawing the reader though to the point at which it ceases to feel like random images.
Buy as many copies as you can afford.
- Review by Ear of Corn
#66(6), 2026
I read the first 109 pages (about half) of this book before my glasses debacle*. I'm really into it and looking forward to the day I can resume and finish reading it. Great book that is kind of like a dream journal / collection of short fantasy stories, interwoven into a story about a collection of people who are going through some strange sort of therapy that relies on them being asleep and having their dreams monitored. Truly wonderful writing. This book was many many years in the making, with passages dating back 40 years plus in some cases. Really fantastic stuff. I would highly recommend getting your own copy. Huge thanks to pStan for sending a copy of this gem!
* I had a bit of bad luck / lapse in thinking here recently. Some time in December, we got a new puppy, you see. Well, you know, he's a puppy, so he destroys all kinds of shit. Last week, I absent-mindedly put my glasses down and walked into the kitchen. When I returned, the puppy was devouring my glasses. I am currently wearing an older pair that do not work well.
|
| |
 |
|
HOWL
Published in 2020. 15cm x 10cm, 16 pages, full colour throughout
HOWL is a booklet featuring
images of artwork created by pStan Batcow for inclusion in a music video to
accompany the song 'Howl in the Typewriter' by Howl in the Typewriter (click
here if you'd like to watch it). It
will take you much less time to enjoy the booklet than it took to create
the artwork.
SOLD OUT,
sorry, but click here for the digital version

- Review by Node Pajomo 2.6, Jan 2021
Not the Allen Ginsberg poem but rather a brief booklet consisting of images of the title written with various items: gum drops, candles in the shape of Scrabble letters, etc.
Celebrating the band Howl in the Typewriter I imagine.
|
| |
 |
|
The Grouch
Published in 2011. 15cm x 10cm, 8 pages, full colour throughout
The Grouch is a 2011 poem written in a Seussesque style by pStan Batcow, who then sent it to
Dr Adolf Steg for illustration. Dr Steg found and assembled art pages from a variety of places, including some drawings by Carlito
Juanito, and returned them to pStan Batcow who added colourisation. The whole thing was then rounded off with a cover illustration by Andy
Paciorek.
Click here for the digital version

Costs £1
(If you buy items from
both Stanzine and Pumf, they will go into the same PayPal cart).
Add all the publications
you would like to your cart, then add postage.
|
| |
 |
|
You're Making My Noise Wheast
Published in 2011. 7cm
x 7cm, 12 pages, full colour
cover
A fascinating little collection of some bizarre stories
taken from newspapers in the late 1980's and early 1990's which evidence pranksterism, from the harmless to the darker side.
Click here for the digital version

Costs £1
(If you buy items from
both Stanzine and Pumf, they will go into the same PayPal cart).
Add all the publications
you would like to your cart, then add postage.
|
| |
 |
|
God is your Microwave Oven
Published in 2010. 7cm
x 7cm, 11 pages, two colour pages
inside
A fascinating little collection of some bizarre stories
taken from newspapers in the late 1980's and early 1990's which evidence the more unusual or extreme ways and motives people have of murdering each other.
Click here for the digital version

Costs £1
(If you buy items from
both Stanzine and Pumf, they will go into the same PayPal cart).
Add all the publications
you would like to your cart, then add postage.
|
| |
 |
|
The Crime Prevention Coloring Book
Published in 2010. 7cm
x 7cm, 8 pages, full
colour
If you want to colour it in, you can; there are lots of places where you can try to keep inside the lines. It's by no means compulsory, though.
Click here for the digital version

Costs £1
(If you buy items from
both Stanzine and Pumf, they will go into the same PayPal cart).
Add all the publications
you would like to your cart, then add postage.
|
| |
 |
|
Evil Things
Published in 2010. 21cm x 15cm, 24 pages, full colour throughout
pStan Batcow wrote Evil Things in
2001 (it ended up being part of his still-as-yet-unpublished novel The Sleeping
Party). Andy Paciorek illustrated the story with drawings which were then digitally manipulated by Dr. Adolf Steg. This is the result . . . and it's truly beautiful, if more than a little grotesque. It tells the story of brave twins Tim and Thom who visit a travelling Rogue's Gallery, and the strange, disturbing and possibly terrifying things they encounter there. It's a Fairly Story, which could be read to small children
- but they'd have to reassure you that it wasn't real, as you were reading it to
them.
Click here
for the digital version

Costs £2
(If you buy items from
both Stanzine and Pumf, they will go into the same PayPal cart). Add
all the publications you would like to your cart, then add postage.
|
| |
 |
|
MAN
Published in 2008. 15cm
x 10cm, 16 pages, full colour cover
MAN was illustrated by Andy Paciorek and written by pStan
Batcow - the illustrations preceded the writing. It is a tale of confusion, of alien possession, of the struggle against reality we all endure, of the way different people perceive the same events. It is written in an unusual style of stilted sentences and reduced language, in order to force the reader to work harder at uncovering whatever meaning is most relevant to him or her.
(Goodness, that all sounds like new-age bullshit, doesn't it?)
SOLD OUT,
sorry, but click here for the digital version
- Review by
Node Pajomo, Summer 2012
[MAN] is a very difficult to read existentialist tale with simple but potent images. Here is an example of the text: "Man whole head fill sad, fill big and big then no room left." It almost gives me a headache, but there is a story buried in
there . . . |
| |
 |
|
Taciturn
Published in 2007. 15cm
x 10cm, 16 pages, full colour cover
A short comic featuring
Taciturn the Norwegian Owl in a variety of situations, using words of
wisdom (as sung by the Beatles) for good ends. Dreamt by Caroline Brooks, written by pStan Batcow, drawn by Andrew L.
Paciorek.
SOLD OUT,
sorry, but click here for the digital version
- Review by Andrew Truth, 2010
Taciturn is my new guru. This owl responds to all questions and quandaries with Beatle quotations. Wonderful illustrations from Andy Paciorek and, for those with anorak tendencies, extra entertainment can be gained by trying to place the lyrics in the appropriate
song.
|
| |
 |
|
The Batcow Bestiary
Published in 2006. 15cm x 10cm, 48 pages, full colour cover plus six full colour pages
inside
Renowned naturalist Andrew L. Paciorek spent several months living alone in a cave in the wilderness whilst researching this book, making copious notes and drawings. He only ventured into populated areas when investigative purposes made it totally necessary, before then going back to his work and prolonged hermit-like existence. Upon his return to civilisation he presented his findings to pStan Batcow, who was inspired to attempt to produce sculptures of the newly discovered creatures in various materials.
This book documents the results of their work.
Further information is available at
Batcow Artworks, where a selection of similar artwork is on display and available for purchase.
Click here
for the digital version
Costs £2
(If you buy items from
both Stanzine and Pumf, they will go into the same PayPal cart). Add
all the publications you would like to your cart, then add postage.
- Review by Nude
magazine,
2008
According to legend, the story behind this utterly bizarre and fabulous little zine is that renowned naturalist Andrew L. Paciorek spent several months living alone in a cave, and discovering new and exciting creatures. When he returned to civilisation he presented his findings to pStan Batcow who was inspired to produce sculptures of these beasts. This zine documents their work. Their 'discoveries' include the 'common
chavfinch' (latin term 'Yobbo vulgaris'), the bohemian aartvark (Beatnika
poetica) and the servile sycophant (Skivvy brownnosus). It's life Jim, but not quite as we know it. The authors obviously had fun creating this alternate
world.
- Review by Andrew Truth, 2010
What a delight! This compact booklet consists of fictive creatures, giving their names, cod-Latin variants, an amusing spiel and illustrations. My particular favourites are the Bondage Brain-Ape
(Intelligencia de sade) and the Common Chavfinch (Yobbo vulgaris). I suspect this would have been as much fun to create as it is to read. To add to the joy of this project, pStan Batcow has actually created sculptures of the assorted mammals and insects using, mainly, scrap
metals.
|
| |

|
|
Bullshit Batcow
Published in 1985. 10cm
x 7cm, 16 pages
A mini comic with plenty of very rude words and little else.
Bullshit Batcow 2
Published in 2006. 5cm x 5cm,
50 pages, full colour cover
In 2006 it was decided to
revisit Bullshit Batcow
(21 years after issue one) in an attempt to prove that the same jokes are just as funny at the point of coming of
age, so a remix of the original was produced. The attempt failed
miserably. This is just another mini comic with plenty of very rude words
and little else.
Bullshit Batcow
SOLD OUT,
sorry, but click here for the digital version
Bullshit Batcow 2
Click here
for the digital version
Costs £1
(If you buy items from
both Stanzine and Pumf, they will go into the same PayPal cart). Add
all the publications you would like to your cart, then add postage.
- Review of Bullshit Batcow by
Blank Reception #2, 1986
Who was it that said VIZ was the best comic zine? - I showed this comic to my mum but she didn't like it, my dad and sis' loved it.
- Review of Bullshit Batcow by Soft
Watch, 1992
This is an A7 comic / zine with only 14 pages plus cover. Some of the
features are original artwork, while others are clearly adapted with
Tippex and imagination - Hagar the Horrible and Henry's Cat brought into
the adult world. To be honest, they're all pretty much the same - short
observations, mostly abstract or surreal in content, which all conclude
with some form of taboo (swear) words.
|
| |
 |
|
Paragraph
Published in 2003. 14cm
x 14cm, 28 pages, full colour cover
A collection of words which, if loosely strung together, could feasibly form a Paragraph. They are accompanied by images chosen and carefully placed to impart either more, new or no meaning. Phraseology - Stan Batcow. Image Manipulation - Andy
Paciorek.
Click here for the digital version

Costs £2
(If you buy items from
both Stanzine and Pumf, they will go into the same PayPal cart). Add
all the publications you would like to your cart, then add postage.
|
| |
 |
|
BLIP!
- My Life in a Child’s Imagination
ISBN 1 898494 01 0
Published in 1999. 21cm x 15cm, 28 pages, colour cover
This comic-strip version of the terrors of childhood, written by Stan Batcow and drawn by Andy
Paciorek, is a conglomerate of all those childish fears often laughed at when your friends and you talk about how grown-up you are (but
never after dark) . . . Recall the hideous terror of discovering The Toilet Monster and The Things That Live Down The Plughole . . . the flesh-crawling realisation of The Beings Under Your Bed . . . the stark, madness-inducing knowledge of what was waiting for you in The Dark . . . and all those repetitive rituals which kept you safe. It's no wonder that we're a nation of eccentrics - more wonder that we survived the rigours of childhood at all. This publication is a comprehensive account of these fears, researched in great detail from many sources, which may lay them to rest for you once and for all . . . or simply bring them back to unreality larger than ever.
Dare you risk it?
Sometime around 2013 a
spoken word version of Blip! was broadcast on Preston FM radio station. It
was read by Joe Morrow with backing by The People's Band (a live recording
from The People's Theatre in Hackney). If you would like to listen to the
recording, click here.
Click here for the digital version

Costs
£2
(If you buy items from
both Stanzine and Pumf, they will go into the same PayPal cart). Add
all the publications you would like to your cart, then add postage.
- Review by M&E newsletter, 1999
This little comic-style book . . . it's a work of pure genius. It's quite magical. Reading it stirred all kinds of childhood memories that would otherwise have remained buried in the dark little corners of my mind. It's both familiar and alien, amusing and
nostalgic. Smile as you recall the strange beings that scared you shitless when the lights went out and mummy and daddy had the telly on too loud to hear your stifled cries for help. I'd strongly suggest you treat yourself to a copy, buy a few more for friends, you'll thank me for it, promise. Unless you'd rather have Old Joe Crow pecking the bottom of your feet one night
soon . . .
"Special commendation must go to Blip - My Life in a Child's Imagination, which is truly excellent, and indeed . . . bloody marvellous. The illustrations are perfect for the text, and of a very high standard / quality - the centrefold with all the children's characters from Scooby-Doo to the Cat in the Hat (there were only about two I couldn't name) is astounding - it seems to encapsulate the whole of my childhood, as if it had been physically wrenched from the dim, distant and forgotten corners of my brain. The idea behind the whole project is superb, and had I been contacted with regard to your research, you would have got similar results - indeed, I find much to identify with ("Oh God, someone else did that too!") - demonic kid's toys, paintings coming alive, things under the bed - yup, I had all these things too."
- Stream Angel -
Review by Node Pajomo, Summer 2012
[BLIP!] is a fantastically drawn comic about a seemingly psychotic child's visions. The art is occasionally horrifyingly psychedelic and the story seems to beg for little Joey to get medicated. At the end is a section to write in your own childhood fears and dislikes after pStan explains what lead to the creation of
the comic. Disturbingly entertaining.
|
| |
 |
|
Teeth
Published in 1998. 16cm
X 14cm, 10 pages, printed on coloured paper (green cover, pink pages,
yellow centre pages). Warning: this booklet is circular
A short history of the mental dental experiences of Stan Batcow. Some scenes are best read through a covered face, or from behind the sofa (just like watching ‘Doctor Who’). Gruesome!
The text of this booklet
was included on the Ausgang website, which you can see
here.
Click here for the digital version

Costs £1
(If you buy items from
both Stanzine and Pumf, they will go into the same PayPal cart).
Add all the publications
you would like to your cart, then add postage.
- Review by Node Pajomo,
Spring 2012
A Brief Dental History of Stan Batcow is actually ROUND. There is only print on one side of each page, though. I haven't read it yet because it looks like a dental horror story and I have to be in the right frame of mind for horror.
- Review by Node Pajomo, Summer 2012
It is rude to make fun of others, particularly an entire nation, but say "Teeth" and "British" in the same sentence to most Americans and we're half way there. Why I have a copy of "The Big Book of British Teeth" right here! It is right beside pStan Batcow's
'Teeth' in which he shares his dental history. Just having this near made my filling hurt, and it was just as bad as I expected. I refuse to recount any details, but
everything that can go wrong goes and you should go brush and floss right after you send away for this horror show. Oh, and the zine is round, on colored paper and every page is blank on one side due to the abovementioned roundness I suppose. But brush. Brush.
|
| |
 |
|
Deja What?
Published in 1998.
30cm x 21cm, 16 pages plus full colour
cover
A collection of photomontage pieces created to invoke reaction, doubt, bewilderment and scepticism. Some truly stunning examples of juxtaposition will provoke your thoughts. There's no reading to speak
of - but can't images speak louder than words?
Only the cover of this publication was ever printed in colour, and the print quality of the inside black and white pages was
questionable, so the creation of a digital version (below) made sense - it also has three bonus pages that weren't originally
printed.
Click here for the digital version

Costs
£2
(If you buy items from
both Stanzine and Pumf, they will go into the same PayPal cart). Add
all the publications you would like to your cart, then add postage.
"Deja What? Is
fandabbydidjeridoovy. Collage is my favourite art form in any medium (music, art, salad etc.) and I shall never use the word 'juxtaposition' (well, I shan't use it again, anyway). For ages I've had the idea of doing a booklet of collages like that, so that's further inspiration . . . yes, this is excellent stuff, and [Stan Batcow] does have quite an artist's eye."
- Stream Angel
|
| |
 |
|
Toilet Humour for Dogs
Published in 1997. 15cm x 15cm
sort-of triangular, 16 pages
Have you ever wondered what the canine population does for a laugh? Here's a doggy version of 'Viz' comic but much more blatant. Presented in the most bizarre publishing format ever.
Click here for the digital version

Costs £1
(If you buy items from
both Stanzine and Pumf, they will go into the same PayPal cart).
Add all the publications
you would like to your cart, then add postage.
- Review by Node
Pajomo, Spring 2012
. . . sixteen triangle shaped pages of images of dogs with jokes only a dog could love.
"A despicably pointless mini quasi-comic."
- Smart King Dan
|
| |
 |
|
Shrewd
Published in 1996. 21cm
x 15cm, 16 pages, colour photograph cover
A cautionary tale for small mammals, carefully told by Stan Batcow from real-life events. This comic book version of a true story involves a long hot summer, 'The Cat', a packet of Spangles, some quadratic equations and an unpleasant surprise . . . beautifully drawn by Crayola Summer in a child-like style subliminally oozing malevolence.
Click here for the digital version

PLEASE NOTE: there are no
more copies of the comic available with the photo of the cat on the cover:
we were too cheapskate when we got the comics printed to buy enough of the
photostickers. Therefore, if you buy a copy, it will have a red cover with
a grey star on it (the points of which can be seen on the image to the
left, peeking out from behind the cat photo). No cat. Shame.
Costs
£1
(If you buy items from
both Stanzine and Pumf, they will go into the same PayPal cart). Add
all the publications you would like to your cart, then add postage.
- Review by NE29, 1997
Yes, at long last we don't have to put up with the oh so nice and cute
little mice any more, feed 'em to the snakes I say! It's a hard life being a cat, especially when the tourists tell you to
"BUGGA OFF!" all the time. Plus he's got no mates coz all the
fluffy little woodland creatures don't trust him (wonder why?). The
childlike drawings make it that bit more funny and you have to feel sorry for THE CAT, well he is hard done by. Bottom line, if everyone had been nice to him he wouldn't have gone over the
edge.
|
| |
 |
|
A
Nod’s As Good As A Wink To A Blind Bat
Published in 1994. 21cm
x 12cm, 10 pages, green paper cover, orange paper pages
- includes 49 cards to be used as construction materials
This is more of a
'do-it-yourself' Art / Construction project, containing ideas and the
materials you will need for the creation of sculptures (in the paper
engineering technique) and other things. It’s a piece of art in itself!
(Nudge, Nudge). Great fun for all the family.
Click here for the digital version

Costs £2
(If you buy items from
both Stanzine and Pumf, they will go into the same PayPal cart). Add
all the publications you would like to your cart, then add postage.
- Review by Node
Pajomo, Spring 2012
. . . a limited edition zine of instructions on what to do with the included 77
'Nudge' cards. If I had the time, I would make the Pentagonal Dodecahedron.
|
| |
 |
|
Life After birth
ISBN 1 898494 00 2
Published in 1993. 21cm x 15cm, 32 pages, colour cover
A book of grotesque and extreme short stories by Stan Batcow. From diary-style recollections of true events to dreamlike musings, from slices of raw horror (both manifest and headbound) to whimsical, if slightly surreal, fairy stories. All these tales are told in an engaging manner and with a somewhat slanted perspective on life. Essential reading; if you've already got one - buy another! With accompanying illustrations by different artists. Not for the weak of heart.
Click here for the digital version

Costs £2
(If you buy items from
both Stanzine and Pumf, they will go into the same PayPal cart). Add
all the publications you would like to your cart, then add postage.
- Review by Vacumn
Head #1, 1993
A collection of short stories by Stan Batcow. From the perverse to the paranoid and some very strange tales inbetween. Very dark and oppressive in
places, however
'The Realm Wyfforn' is a delightful Lewis Carrol 'Jabberwocky' inspired tale. Worth buying for the imaginative story lines and great accompanying
artwork.
- Review by Aural Response, 1994
Some provocative, some thought-provoking, all short, sweet and interesting. A bit out of the ordinary. The illustrations
complement the stories well,
too.
- Review by Riot of
Emotions #4, 1994
This is a collection of prose and short stories by Stan, illustrated
by 6 artists. Stan's work is full of strong, dark and strange imagery, sometimes fantasy, sometimes frighteningly real, but always shockingly nasty. Overall this is an excellent project which has come together really
well.
- Review by NE29, 1997
This little offering to the gods of chaos is certainly not for the squeamish. If, on the other hand, you're into all things dark and sinister then this little book's for you. Sometimes amusing but definitely filled with someone's worst psychotic nightmares from hell as they fall further down the downward spiral . . . Sometimes reminiscent of American
Psycho.
- Review by Bypass #1 (1994)
Eleven short stories and one poem by the producer, Stan Batcow, with 12 illustrations by various artists. To quote the editorial, “some of these stories may disturb you - I
certainly hope so”. I couldn’t read one of them unfortunately because it ran off the page, but the others are a curious
bunch - there’s a fair bit of bloody gore, and quite a lot of surreal dream-type sequences and some quirky humour. Really liked ‘Next Stop: Extremity’, featuring psychiatric hospital residents and possibility theory; also one about flies fucking, and a piece on sado-masochism (a prize winner apparently). My favourite though was Realm Wyfforn, a really quirky longer (4 sides) piece full of mythical characters and a free flowing, nonsensical narrative
- great stuff. Other tales include orgasmic death, nightmares, destruction of self, and more.
|
| |


|
|
This
Bleeding Heart
Published in 1984. 15cm
x 10cm, 16 pages
Another Bleeding Heart
Published in 1986. 15cm
x 10cm, 20 pages
Love and
Hate: Life and Death; What’s the difference?
(Yet Another Bleeding
Heart)
Published in 1989. 15cm
x 10cm, 20 pages plus colour
cover
Three little booklets presenting a selection of thoughts, opinions, emotions and artwork in the poetry / prose mould.
This Bleeding Heart
SOLD OUT,
sorry, but click here for the digital version
Another Bleeding Heart
SOLD OUT,
sorry, but click here for the digital version
Love and
Hate: Life and Death; What’s the difference?
(Yet Another Bleeding
Heart)
Click here
for the digital version
Costs £1
(If you buy items from
both Stanzine and Pumf, they will go into the same PayPal cart).
Add all the publications
you would like to your cart, then add postage.
- Review by Soft
Watch, 1992 (Love and Hate)
I'm no great expert in the field of poetry and may call on someone more
versed in this field of written art to review such material in future.
This small booklet has only 20 pages, 18 of which are short poems, while
the centre pages have a black and white drawing in a cartoony, light goth
style. The styles inside vary a lot - I don't imagine this is exactly
Betjeman quality, but there are interesting rhythmic workings to be found.
My two favourites are what I imagine would be called 'Another Cat is
Dead' which has a nice flick-back metre, and something akin to Lewis
Carroll's 'Jabberwocky' - all absurd words in mock Olde Worlde style. None
of the pieces are actually titled, but you'll soon spot the ones I refer
to. There's surrealism, realism and snatches of dreams, as well as all
those subjects mentioned in the title. It won't cost you much and you
might find it worthwhile sending for - it entertained me, which is the
best reason for anyone to buy a copy.
- Review by A Riot of
Emotions #2, 1992
Poetry by Stan of Pumf, thoughtful and well written.
- Review by Bypass #1 (1994)
Yet Another Bleeding Heart, by Stan. The first poem in this little chapbook ends with “and I
wonder / why it is / I never understand / poetry?”, which came as a great relief to me 'cos I’m a bit scared of poetry. I was surprised by how many of these 18 poems I liked too, the lines “One morning my plug came out and all my feelings drained away” I thought were particularly fine. The poems range from short, pithy and uncompromising to mad (well I thought so), chirpy nonsense and deal with love, life, despair, memories, truth and the meaning of life
- well what would you expect? A certain sense of cynicism, a touch of irony(?), and some nice word-play. Also one double-page illustration.
|
| |

|
|
We Worship the Frenzied Tasmanian Crow Chainsaw Adventure
Published in 1986. 21cm
x 15cm (one huge sheet of paper printed both sides, folds out to 60cm x 42cm), 16
pages
We Worship the Frenzied Tasmanian Crow Chainsaw Adventure, Too
Published in 1992. 21cm
x 15cm (two 42cm x 30cm pages folded lengthwise), 16 pages
Issues one and two of a publication
born out of wanting to assemble the pages that Stan Batcow had produced as contributions for other people's publications. Made up of articles, fairly stories, adventures in surreality, artywork and weirdness - these are essentially pages from A 'Sex' hat dance magazine that were printed in other magazines,
instead.
We Worship the Frenzied Tasmanian Crow Chainsaw Adventure
Click here
for the digital version

We Worship the Frenzied Tasmanian Crow Chainsaw Adventure,
Too
Click here
for the digital version
Costs £1
for both
(If you buy items from
both Stanzine and Pumf, they will go into the same PayPal cart). Add
all the publications you would like to your cart, then add postage.
- Review by Robin
Duke, Evening Gazette, May 1988
(Stan) has also published another of his quasi-fanzines - this one with the enigmatic title of
'We Worship the Frenzied Tasmanian Grow Chainsaw Adventure or Adventures In Surreality by
Stan'. If self-indulgent mental meanderings are what you want . . . then look no further.
"Probably the longest title going, a booklet that defies comparison, mainly focusing on the personal side of life through literature and artwork - recommended."
- For Want Of (mail order list), 1990
- Review by Soft Watch, 1992
(issue 1)
OK, I admit it, I'm thoroughly baffled by this. What I do know is that
it's a double-side-printed A2 sheet folded into A5 featuring many small
pieces of writing / art / collage. Other than that all is slightly misty.
It's mostly written by 'Stan' who might exist, whose surname might be
Batcow, on the other hand it might be 'M' (or Sheila) Standing. The writing itself is surreal and mind-twisting,
far more so than, say, Mind Crash or Tabtoblockbicuspid. About the most
'sane', easy to read piece is Stan's Guide to Suicide featuring the top 7
most popular ways to 'do it' (the 'Top' seven?) Strange and fragmented, with returning sentences
and references to "A 'Sex' hat dance" on almost every page - plain
weird!
- Review by Soft Watch, 1992
(issue 2)
Comes in the shape of two A3 sheets, stapled 'against the grain' with the
various pieces of writing tumbling at odd angles on each of the A5 folds.
As with the first publication under this heading, it consists of various
writings Stan has done for other publications, gathered together into one
single work. The style nods boldly in the direction of Monty Python - from
the bizarre and often gross children's tales ending in grisly fish-tail,
to feasts of breakfast cereals, Sloths, Mangoes, Fruit Bats, chocolate
fancies and cheeses of the world, there are many parallels. And many
inventive diversions - from explaining bicycles to the layman to touring
Blackpool; from judging evolutionary dead-ends (for man) to 'Stan on
tour', they cram a lot into these few pages. Maybe not everyone's
cup of tea, but there is something warmly likeable about these writings.
- Review by Vaqume Head, 1993
Strange tales of personal experience and imaginative writings by Stan Batcow. Weird, wonderful and so full of variety that I'm not even going to attempt to describe it
further. Good stuff.
- Review by Steve
Snelling, Skeletons Making Love, 1987
. . . contains some very useful tips if you are thinking about topping
yourself, a day in the life of Stan Batcow's belly button and lots more
besides. Not only is it an excellent zine it also makes a great poster. - Review by
Dddd #54, 2000
Old zines written by Stan Batcow, over ten years old, haven't dated in the least - how could they have done? - the
'zany' selector switch is flicked - old-style typeface (swoon) and
black'n'white (swoooon), they each provide some dozen or two or so minutes of
individual sunsplashes and manic barks from the jolly inmate with the life-sentence inside
Stan's brain - good advice on how to wash yr hair ("I recommend using a shampoo
most suited to yr type of hair"), a plea on behalf of teacups, a guided tour round suburban
Blackpool in search of the school etc where some old guy out of Jethro
Tull once wandered - but Stan is never sure of any exact addressee and you generally have to squint while looking at whole streets
and telling yourself "somewhere near here Ian Anderson had his first wank". Being
'zany' and being 'funny' are usually two very different things, but Stan has the gift of often making them copulate together nicely. Hope he won't still he trying to
shift old stock of these zines in another ten years . . . but . . . - Review by
Lecithin Wash, 1990's sometime
Annoyingly shaped collection of nonsense, half sense and less
sense.Stories to make your nails shrink by the appropriately titled Stan
Batcow. Stories, accounts and rambles through verbal tract which make for
an enjoying read, unlike some . . . - Review by
Bypass #1 (1994)
#2. Looks-wise, a breath of fresh air amidst the economically determined conformity of zine formats
- A5 opening out into a long, thin half-A2 mag. The contents are a dozen-plus collection of graphics and short, silly (that’s the word) stories. A compilation of a load of ads for other zines and tapes in the form of bad children’s stories or fairy tales and other nonsense. The only one that did anything for me was the list of the seven best places to observe the sun rising, which contained some genuinely suggestive ideas.
#1 is A5 opening to a whole A2 sheet. Contents follow a similar pattern, with some straighter reflections thrown in
- death by orgasm, thoughts on relaxed sleep and work, in praise of the Breville toaster, a shopping list and other pieces of studied banality. (Repro on neither issue is too hot).
|
| |