Following in the X-Filesish tradition of turning everything into a conspiracy, the death of Nirvana's Kurt Cobain was a shock to the systems of most of those in the alternateen cesspool. Conspiracy theories ranged from "the government killed Kurt" to "Courtney killed Kurt" ... everything except the obvious, "Kurt killed Kurt."

This tongue-in-cheek zine, put out by the creator of That Girl and 20 Bus, is a half-sized, incredibly well-laid-out look at an unexplored possibility: that Cobain was lactose intolerant, and his love for cheese is what drove him to suicide.

As strange as it sounds (and strange it is, I have to admit), the author puts the information about lactose intolerance out there in a comprehensive, personal-experience manner that actually sounds feasible by the time she's done presenting it. I may not think it's any great loss, but I do have to admit that this may have contributed to his death. It's a well-written argument.

Best, the layout is full of altered pictures (Cobain holding a pepto bottle, a milk carton with Courtney's picture on the side) and lactaid package wrappers. There's even a manifesto on the first page as to what the cause is for her argument, and illustrated "exhibits" that "prove" her theory.

It might not be high art, but for a dollar, you can't go wrong. If nothing else, you can whip it out at parties and giggle over it. Send your dollar to Kelli at P.O. Box 170612, San Francisco, CA 94117.

[ by Elizabeth Badurina ]