As always, this mag does its best to present a snapshot of the social, cultural and ideological goings-on in Quebec City. It’s achieved through some fine reporting, commentary, fiction, comics and poetry. One poem, S. Richer’s “Bilingue,” struck home for me, being a bilingual Montrealer myself. It neatly alternates french lines with their english equivalents, until a french word comes up that has no english equivalent: “criss”. One might think that the presence of irreconcilable differences is just plain bad, but in reality it’s a great advantage having things in both languages which can’t be said in the other. Taken together, the two say more than either one could alone. A good piece of reporting on the well-run Tam-Tam Cafe and a nice picture of la Rue St-Joseph are among the things which help La Muse Gueule portray a pretty good impression of Quebec City – or so I assume. At least, it makes me feel like I have a good impression of the place, which is as good as it’s gonna get because I haven’t been there. A call for submissions about ‘les maudites jobs’, well-informed and engaging by Paul Wood, indicates that this mag will continue rewarding us with the fruits of its passionate commitment. It’s one of those rare zines that shines both politically and poetically. (LR)
#6, 32 pages / $2 / 393 Lasigueur, 3eme etage, Quebec, QC, G1R 1B3