36 GALA DARLING 38 WE CAN’T SLEEP AT NIGHT 40 HENRY ROLLINS 42 EMALYTH EVENTS 44 COVER VIXXEN: MISS LAUREN 52 PENDULUM 54 ON TOUR WITH RED FIVE POINT STAR
16 PINK SPECTACLES 17 KRAFTY KITTEN 18 GRAVEYARD GOURMET
22 BEAUTY 21 FASHION 22 FASHION THROUGH THE AGES
24 INK AND IRON 28 RAMFEST JHB 32 HALF PRICE CD LAUNCH
4 EDITOR’S LETTER 5 CREDITS 6 STAFF SHENANIGANS 8 CONTRIBUTORS 10 RADAR 12 EAR CANDY 13 ON THE BIG SCREEN 14 READ IT 15 PLAY IT 60 OPINION
PHOTOGRAPHY BY CATHERINE LOUW PS - THAT IS NOT MY FOOT IN THE BACKGROUND!
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e have received an overwhelmingly positive response to the March issue from you guys, and we thank you for it. The fact that you enjoy this magazine makes us work that much harder. We shot our cover VIXXEN in the second week of March. Armed with cupcakes, champagne and Red Bull, Christelle and I set off to Lauren’s place (which is full of kitch trinkets – I can spend days just exploring) with our assitant photographer, Cayla Beder in tow. I met Lauren in December, when she emailed me regarding contributing in VIXXEN. However, after she showed me her portfoilo, I realised that she is the epitomy of what VIXXEN stands for – she is intelligent, succesful and real, and so I asked her to be our cover girl. Much to my delight, she
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accepted, and a date was set for the shoot. As soon as she got in front of the camera, I was in awe – this girl oozes VIXXEN – she is incredibly photogenic and she posed with such grace and confidence! It was a pleasure to work with her, she made our job so easy, and contributed to the idea of the shoot. Lauren can pull any look off, and the photos are a testament to that. Christelle and I had our usual bickering session, mostly me trying (and failing) to play creative director, and her demanding (and getting) more beer. Cayla was awesome as well – she arrived armed with Red Bull for us and helped Christelle and took behind-the-scenes photos. I am incredibly proud of this shoot. We also have features on Slovenian bands Red Five Point Star and We Can’t Sleep
At Night, who I was fortunate enough to meet. Again, I am delighted in the fact that the bands we work with are not high maintanence – they are simply musicians with a passion, who get out there and perform for the love of music. Our subcultures in SA are small and tight-knit, and the bands interact with the fans with no pretenses. And being able to hang out with bands from another continent is just a plus side to my job! Our contributor and designer, Norbert, did a piece on drum and bass outfit, Pendulum, who we got to see at Remfest. Although I am not a huge fan of drum and bass, this band blew me away! I included a piece on a lady that I really admire - Gala Darling, webmaster of the awesome www.
galadarling.com. I am always inspired by strong women, who are successful due to pure drive and determination, and I hope they will inspire you, the reader, as well. Last but not least, VIXXEN scored an exclusive interview with the godfather of hardcore punk, Henry Rollins, who is set to tour SA next month. He is one of my personal heroes, and I am still pinching myself. Our journalist did a great job with compliling some thought-provoking questions. I would sincerely like to thank Genevieve Twoco of Underground Press for this opportunity, without whom this wouldn’t have been possible. In closing, here is to another issue of Vixxen – I hope you enjoy all our hard work as much as we did making it.
behind the scenes
EDITOR: TINA KOULISHEVA ASSISTANT EDITOR: LAUREN JANE WHEATLEY
PHOTOGRAPHY BY CAYLA BEDER
PHOTOGRAPHY: CHRISTELLE DUVENAGE CATHERINE ANNE COFFEEBEAN CLEO BLACK ARNO VD WESTHUIZEN WRITERS: CLEO BLACK CHRISTELLE DUVENAGE OLIVIA MIKRUT JEN ROOMES FASHION & BEAUTY EDITOR: LILI NERLICH MARKETING MANGAGER & PR: MARISKA KRUGER DESIGN: TINA KOULISHEVA CHRISTELLE DUVENAGE JEN ROOMES MARISKA KRUGER CONTRIBUTORS: ROTTEN BUNNY, JUSTIN MCGEE, JACQUI VAN STAADEN, MIKE TARICA, CAYLA BEDER, ALI SCALLIWAG, NORBERT HAJDU
PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHRISTELLE DUVENAGE
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Ali was out December cover girl. She is loud and feisty and can kick your ass. She is also an awesome photographer and photographed the Half Price Album Launch for us this month.
Hailing from Serbia, RottenBunny is an evil yet sentimental, decomposing, tequila loving little bunny with a taste for zombie flesh and good rock ‘n roll! Having worked as a designer for a few publications, feature writer & photographer for a local music mag, being a muso and avid festival junkie, RottenBunny is immersed in all that is alternative culture. RottenBunny likes to spend the any given Sunday afternoons with a couple quarts of his favourite beverage, blasting death metal and playing xbox. Rotten Bunny interviewed Henry Rollins for us this month.
Jacqui is one kick-ass photographer! She is always out and about shooting bands and is the staff photographer for The Death Valley Blues Band. She followed Red Five Point Star on tour and wrote about it and photographed them in our Red Five Point Star feature.
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At last Tina found a fellow Eastern European who’s name is harder to pronounce than her own! Norb hails from Hungary. Althought he is a trained Industrial Designer, his super slick skills extend to the knowledge of graphic design. He designed Ramfest JHB and wrote and designed Pendulum.
Cayla describes herself as a vertically challenged vegetarian, who loves lomography, animals, music, tattoos and partying. She assisted in the cover VIXXEN shoot this month.
Mike is a video editor who moonlights as a photographer and shot Ink and Iron.
CLOSER Closer is a fresh collaboration between Tokyo Sky, Deconstruction, Kat Trim & Trouble Magazine. Expect an alternative music experience every Thursday night, filled with the music we love, beautiful visuals and an electrifying venue. We are playing with traditional formulas and mixing it up. The chemistry is volatile, the result is alchemy. It’s a new residence for alternative
NEW VAN COKE KARTEL CD & MUSIC VIDEO Van Coke Kartel are releasing their new CD, Skop, Skiet & Donner on the 12th April, and will be promoting it with gigs across the country. Also, their new music video, Maniacs on the Dancefloor launches online on 1st April. More info at www.vancokekartel.co.za
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music and culture in a non- traditional setting. Each week will feature Deconstruction and guest DJ’s with a blend of visuals, art and fashion, which is all incorporated through a dance floor, an open lounge area and exhibition spaces. Come through early, share a Bento box and enjoy a drink at the restaurant lounge and get in free. Facebook group: C L O S E R
HALF PRICE RELEASE NEW ALBUM VIXXEN loves Cape Town’s drunk punks Half Price so much, that we even made this write up in Marcus’ favourite colour, pink. The band just released their new CD, and it is off the wall. In fact, if we HAD an office, it would be playing there on repeat. Alas, now it’s playing in our respective cars. Repeatedly. The Monotamy of Monogamy is available at Look and Listen nationwide.
JADED INK A little over a year ago South African commerce gave birth to a small business called Jaded Ink with the launch event cascading above general expectation. One year later, the same tattoo parlour in the southern hemisphere is still as explosive as ever and planning their second annual body art fashion show, this time at the Barnyard Theatre in Broadacres Fourways. After turning heads and raising the benchmark in the tattoo industry, Jaded Ink presents 40 of its best tattoo pieces to date, live performances from some of Joburg’s hottest music bands. Urban Reign, One Day Remains (The start of their comeback tour after being in “recovery” after the lead singer was shot 3 times towards the end of last year) and a well seasoned SA rock band as a third mystery performer for the evening. A live tattoo exhibition will be performed in association with the illustrious SG (Suicide Girls), a brand born out of L.A. Come see arty deco-models heavily clad in the international New Rock shoe brand
storming down the runway including “live model statues” displaying Jaded Ink airbrush talents used previously in film productions ranging from Big Brother Africa to the highly anticipated Night Drive film. Plenty of prizes and giveaways during the evening with merchandise available from all partners involved with Jaded Ink. LOCATION: Barnyard Theatre Broadacres Fourways TIME: 19h00 for 19h30 TICKETS: Available from Jaded Ink in Fourways. Tickets are limited. VIP R200, normal R120. Tickets can also be purchased electronically by EFT which will reserve your tickets to be collected at the show under an ONLINE TICKET SALES list after the proof of payment has been sent to finance@jadedink.co.za. The EFT reference must be the ID number of the person purchasing. Please email tattoos@jadedink.co.za for banking details.
TOUCHED BY NAUSEA ANNOUNCE EUROPEAN TOUR Joburg based band Touched by Nausea are set to tour Europe this summer, playingGermany, Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Austria, Holland, Belguim and France. For more info visit www.myspace.com/tbnpunx
EMALYTH EVENTS Emalyth Events is committed to expanding and growing the alternative subculture and the arts that arise from them. Besides embracing and showcasing great music and new talent, Emalyth Events also provides a platform for alternative clothing designers, photographers, writers, models and other alternative lifestyle pursuits. One of the first choices in making money as a musician is playing live gigs. Emalyth Events puts the money profited from these shows straight into the artists’ pockets, as all gigs are organised at cost.
Focus is also directed on all alternative genres -- not only one or a select few. For those who prefer an alternative to the alternative; those in need of something less loud or a more chilled vibe, future plans include themed parties. In a direction that merges and unites all alternative minded people and increases industry growth, Emalyth Events will endeavour to provide easy access to necessary resources such as recording studios, merchandising, photographers and models.
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WORDS BY TINA KOULISHEVA
GBH PERFUME AND PISS
VAMPIRE WEEKEND CONTRA
After 30 years in the game, England’s original punks are back to reclaim the streets with this brand new riotous release. What follows is 13 fist-pumping, gate-storming, riot-stating tracks, infused with the band’s trademark that is nihilistic, optimistic, pessimistic, anarchistic, violent, humorous and deadly serious all at once. From start to finish, this album is a testament to TRUE punk rock, offered by true legends. Brilliant!
Vampire Weekend are back, and their latest offering does not disappoint. Their self-titled debut album carried charm that was conceptual, and it was a hit. However, on this one, they have outdone themselves. It’s more fully-formed– and it shows; the drums are bigger, the guitars are faster, and the songs are outfitted with synth beats and hip-hop, reggae and electro accents. It’s powerful and disconcerting, with a bit of soul. Absolutely amazing.
AIDEN FROM HELL... WITH LOVE Released as CD/DVD combo, From Hell... With Love captures the gothpunk quartet’s performance at Chicago’s Bottom Lounge, and although the 10-song set leans heavily on 2009’s Knives, there are some great choices of their previous stuff, encompassing what Aidan live is all about. The DVD also includes interview clips the with band’s members, recounting the history of the band, making it a must-have for die-hard fans.
OK GO OF THE BLUE COLOUR OF THE SKY This is Ok Go’s third studio full-length album, and, while it doesn’t necessarily contain indie hits such as Here It Goes Again, it does show that the band is perfectly capable of writing more grown-up, experimental material. According to them, the album draws on influences from Prince and 80’s radio, which is instantly recognizable - guitar breaks, vocal shrieks, sighs and catchy licks run through the fabric of the album building the theme. If you are a fan for relaxed, light indie, then give this one a go. However, if you expect an intense heartfelt experience, then you will be disappointed.
WORDS BY OLIVIA MIKRUT
KICK- ASS Out 23rd April
IRON MAN 2 Out 30th April
Dave Lizewski is an average high school student with typical teenage problems -- no girlfriend, too much homework, and a chronic masturbation habit. His love of comics has inspired him to do something with his life. And so one day Dave decides to become a superhero. Modifying a green wetsuit he buys online, Lizewski is soon transformed into Kick-Ass -- a masked vigilante prepared to fight the forces of evil to help those in need. Unfortunately, Dave is slim and slight and lacks anything resembling a superpower, so his first day on the job involves a brutal beating, a life-threatening stab wound, and a lengthy spell in the hospital. Battered and bruised but unperturbed, Kick-Ass is soon back on the streets, with a steely determination that matches the metal that now fastens his arms and legs. This being the 21st century, he does what any self-respecting modern-day superhero would do and sets up his own MySpace page. In no time at all he’s inundated with requests for help from a curious public, and when his first successful rescue attempt finds its way onto YouTube, Kick-Ass quickly turns into an online phenomenon. Although a tried and tested formula of a geek tring to succeed, this movie boasts witty dialogue and some funny mishaps.
Now that the world is aware that Tony Stark, billionaire inventor, is the iron superhero, he is under pressure from the government, the press and the public to share his technology with the military. Tony refuses and is unwilling to share his secret with anyone because he fears that the informationwill fall into the wrong hands and it could end up in disaster. While he is busy fighting personal battles against the government and his rival, who have teamed up to try and make a replica suit, a new villain emerges and Stark needs all the help he can get to overcome the obstacles in his way.
THE BOUNTY HUNTER Out 1st April The Bounty Hunter follows Milo Boyd, a bounty hunter who gets his dream job when he is assigned to track down his bail-jumping ex wife. He is convinced that it’ll be an easy mission to take on until she gives him the slip so that she can chase a lead on a murder cover-up. The two of them consistantly outsmart one another and Milo discovers that nothing with his ex wife was ever easy. They thought that their marriage tough until they found themselves in a situation where both of them were running and fighting for their lives when they receive an unexpected suprise waiting for them. Both of them end up in jail, will they kiss and make up? Or will this battle end up with a loser once and for all?
MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS Out 30th April Inspired by Jon Ronson’s nonfictional bestseller with the same name, this film is an eye-ipening and often hilarious exploration of the government’s attempts to get paranormal abilities to defeat it’s enemies. Bob Wilton is a reporter who decides to accompany Lyn Cassady, who is a shady character claiming to be part of an experimental U.S. Military unit, after hearing the crazy stories that have been told. The two of them are on a search to find Bill Django, the founder of the “warrior monks” programme, who had mysteriously gone missing. When they track down Djongo to a clandestine training camp run by renegade psychic Larry Hooper, the reporter finds himself trapped in a grudge battle between the two armies and also finds that he has to outwit an enemy that he thought was impossible to outwit.
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BY TINA KOULSHEVA & JEN SCREAMS
HOME ROCKANOMICS Heidi Minx Written by the lovely Ms Heidi Minx (who also runs in infamous www.punkrockdomestics.com, as well as a clothing line called Franky & Minx), this book is for those ladies out there who love to decorate, do D.I.Y goodies around the house and vegan cooking. Not your typical run of the mil decor book. There are 54 projects and recipes for a stylish edgy look. The only one problem I have with this book, is that the pics aren’t very clean, as they are all cut and paste (which I love) but you don’t always get to see the final product or process., but other than that it has some really neat ideas like how to make skeletal lamp shades and stencil art, as well as some recipes by bands members such as Street Dogs, The Bouncing Souls, Sick of it All and Flogging Molly. Get it, and support your D.I.Y punk rockers!
DAY OF THE DEAD CRAFTS Kerry Arquette, Andrea Zocci, Jerry Vigil Wow, I never knew such a thing existed! AA colourful, whimsical and symbolic craft book on how to make the most awesome sugar skulls. I just had to have it. There are more that 24 craft projects in here that celebrate Dia de los Muertos. There’s some history on it, as well as how to make some alters and memorials. There a couple of projects where you can make your own Calaveras (Skeletons with personality) which is really my favourite chapter. Calaveras prance and dance and mock death, and invite the living to do the same, their message is that “Death is no big deal, and you have no reason to fear it.” Really cool considering 90% of people usually see skulls as something bad. There are also projects on how to make masks, and decorate skulls, home decor, how to make sugar skulls, and jewelry.. really, you can’t go wrong with it, Their projects are so well done, and beautiful.
ARE YOU THERE, VODKA? IT’S ME, CHELSEA Chelsea Handler Comedianne Chelsea Handler presents us with a collection of memories and experiences, with anecdotes which cover a range of topics from sex to sibling rivalry to parental humiliation, all showcasing how smart and witty she can be-in hindsight. This is a hillarious account of her adventures and make for a great light read.
WHIP SMART: A MEMOIR Melissa Febos Febos’s candid, debut novel about her four years working as a dominatrix at a midtown Manhattan dungeon cuts a sharp line between prurience and feminist manifesto. After dropping out of school, Febos slipped into drug use and needed a way to finance it. An attractive law-school graduate neighbor in her Brooklyn apartment building mentioned that she worked as a dominatrix, and she decided to give it a go. She spanked grown men, professionals, fathers, and rabbis, sometimes inserted enemas, sodomized them with dildos, and otherwise verbally humiliated them, all for $75 an hour, plus tips. At first, Febos managed the grueling, unsavory work while high on heroin and cocaine, and gained a tremendous sense of confidence. With time, she also became addicted to her job. This book chronicles her struggle and is an honest look into the seedy underworld of domination.
In this account of the 1999 Columbine High School shooting, journalist Cullen not only dispels several of the prevailing myths about the event but tackles the hardest question of all: why did it happen? Drawing on extensive interviews, police reports and his own reporting, Cullen meticulously pieces together what happened when 18-year-old Eric Harris and 17-yearold Dylan Klebold killed 13 people before turning their guns on themselves. According to Cullen, they lived apparently normal lives, but under the surface
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lay an angry, erratic depressive (Klebold) and a sadistic psychopath (Harris), together forming a combustible pair. Cullen expertly balances the psychological analysis - enhanced by several of the nation’s leading experts on psychopathology - with an examination of the shooting’s effects on survivors, victims’ families and the Columbine community. A gripping read that reveals the disturbed workings of modern-day Americana.
WORDS BY LAUREN WHEATLEY
GOD OF WAR 3 Playstation 3 God of War 3 could not have been made at a better time. It seems as if the technology of HD television and next-generation consoles like the Playstation 3 were all made to honour this spectacular game. Apart from the usual fantastic action and brilliant characters we’ve come to expect from the God of War series, the third instalment is a feast for the eyes. The scenery is beautiful, and cut-scenes to real time gaming smoothly transition without a break in the quality of CG or the overall beauty of the game. Each second of the game is like watching a
blockbuster movie, with the game as entertaining to watch as it is to play. Kratos is possibly more badass than ever, and the scale of characters such as Gaia, and first person scenes involving the likes of Poseidon, inspire awe in the player and any spectators. An absolutely magnificent game.
COMING SOON:
Finally another Sonic the Hedgehog game is coming to consoles. And this isn’t a shoddy reinterpretation of the original Sonic games (Sonic Rush?) but in fact, Sonic the Hedgehog 4, starting right where we left off on the Sega Mega Drive. Sonic is officially going back to its old school roots and is finally back after more than 15 years. So far the game is said to be releasing on the Wii, but hopefully available for PS3 and the Xbox 360.
NEW NINTENDO DS?
We’ve all heard for a while now that Nintendo is releasing a new DS console, possibly this year. The latest news to circulate is that the new DS will be a 3D console, and is tentatively being dubbed the 3DS. With more than 125 million DS consoles sold to date, Nintendo is banking on the hopes that previous fans will be sucked into the 3D hype as opposed to just adding a couple more mediocre features. The new device’s 3D capabilities will also utilize the newest, “glasses-free” 3D technology, as seen on Samsung’s new 3D televisions. APRIL 2010
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pink spectacles
SUPER COMBO SOCIAL NETWORKING TOOL It seems that Google takes what’s already been done (Internet Explorer, Facebook, email, Twitter) and makes a free, vastly improved combo of the best Web 2.0 has to offer. So if you haven’t already, open your Google Chrome, login to Gmail and update your status on Google Buzz.
THE IT COMPANY OF THE NOUGHTIES I wondered how long it would take the internet super stars at Google to hop on the social networking bandwagon. And now they have, with the latest feature to be added to their already impressive line-up of internet time-wasters. Google Buzz is the latest attempt to take the best of two of the most popular tools on the net, Twitter and Facebook, and combine them. Share what you’re up to, Twitter-style, and have your Gmail contacts comment, share photos, videos and more. For a person who wondered why Twitter wouldn’t make a comment feature on tweets, only days before Buzz was released, this was a welcome effort on Google’s part. It seems Google took what Facebook and Twitter users 16 APRIL 2010
wanted the most and blended them all into one fantastic tool. Unlike button? Buzz ranks updates from the least popular to the most. Email and social networking in one? If you use the web and you’re alive, you most likely already have a Gmail account, so your social networking and email super combo has already been set up for you. I always hated how on Twitter you can either hide your tweets or have them 100% public. In the morning I might want to tweet about an article I’m writing and in the afternoon go on a tweet rant about something personal. The first tweet would be nice for my industry-related followers to read, but I don’t exactly want them to read why I hate my ex boyfriend. With Buzz, each update has its own privacy settings and so the power is now in the users hands.
If IBM was the IT company of the 70s, and Microsoft of the 90s, then the award for the IT company of the Noughties would have to go to Google. Not only did they create the most popular search engine on the net, but Google are constantly expanding and evolving, always on the pulse of the online world. Google is also said to be one of the best companies in the world to work for. With an office environment that includes sofas and beanbags, free gourmet lunches and dinners by highly-qualified chefs, and access to free babysitting services for employees, Google looks after their staff. The company’s knack for understanding the computer and gadget users of the 21st century is what gives them the edge and is what makes them the IT company of the Noughties.
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BY LISA NERLICH
MAC COSMMETICS ARE AVAILABE THROUGH EDGARS NATIONWIDE
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BY LISA NERLICH
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spotlight
Gala Darling WE LIVE IN TH AGE OF THE INTERNET. BE IT NEWS, ENTERTAINMENT OR SOCIAL NETWORKING, THE WORLD WIDE WEB OFFERS IT AT ALL YOUR FINGERTIPS. ONE DOESN’T EVEN REQUIRE TO GO OUT TO MAKE FRIENDS, WATCH A MOVIE, READ A BOOK, OR SEE A LIVE BAND, THANKS TO THE INTERNET. IF YOU HAVE HERMITLIKE TENDANCIES, THEN YOU CAN EVEN ORDER YOUR GRO-
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CERIES VIA THE INTERNET AND HAVE THEM DELIVERED TO YOUR DOOR. THROUGH THE CLUTTER OF INFORMATION BOMBARDING US DAILY ON THE WEB, ONE SITE STANDS OUT – WWW.GALADARLING.COM TINA KOULISHEVA SAT DOWN (ELECTRONICALLY) WITH THE BRAINCHILD BEHIND THIS INSPARATIONAL SITE, GALA.
spotlight TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF – WHERE YOU GREW UP, WHAT YOUR PASSIONS AS A CHILD WERE TO MAKE YOU WHO YOU ARE TODAY? I grew up in Wellington, New Zealand. I was an only child and so knew how to keep myself amused! I was always writing, recording tapes, running around or building time machines. I was pretty nutty. I definitely still am! DID YOU STUDY ANYTHING AFTER HIGH SCHOOL? I actually left high school a year early to go to university, but once I got there I realised it was not what I wanted to do. I was studying psychology, English, computer science & sexuality -- a potent combo, & actually sums up what I do now pretty nicely! -- & wanted to doublemajor in criminology & psychology. Anyway, I was bored. Again, I hated it. I dropped out & got a job instead.
CORPORATE WORLD DID YOU WORK IN BEFORE? AND WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO LEAVE IT BEHIND? I never really had a “career”, I just flitted around doing horrible office jobs. From selling newspaper advertising (cold calling from the phonebook!) to managing contracts for post offices, it was all bad. I just hated it. I was unfulfilled & I knew there was more to life than throwing in the towel & doing some awful job until the day I died. I quit my job at New Zealand Post to travel for a few months & move to Australia, not really sure what I’d do once I got there.
YOU ARE FROM NEW ZEALAND? WHEN DID YOU MOVE TO AMERICA? Yes, I’m from New Zealand, I lived there until I was 23 before moving to Melbourne, Australia. I moved to America informally in May 2008. My boyfriend at the time & I flew to New York for his birthday, he had to go to London for work & I decided to stay on. Since then, up until October 2009, I was constantly flying back & forth between New York & New Zealand, but now I’m here for good! I’m so happy, New York City is my favourite place on earth! YOU MENTION IN YOUR BIO ON YOUR SITE THAT YOU WORKED IN A CORPORATE ENVIRONMENT. WHAT
“ I WANT PEOPLE TO REALISE THAT LOVING YOURSELF IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS YOU CAN EVER DO”
HOW DID THE IDEA FOR THE SITE COME ABOUT? After I arrived in Melbourne, I realised that getting another office or retail job was the last thing I wanted. I interviewed for a job working in a clothing store and they turned me down. I was so mortified at the time, because I had
managed bigger shops before and it was a bit of a blow to my self esteem. But I am sure it was the universe winking at me. If I hadn’t been turned down for the job, I never would have started my website... which is the best thing I’ve ever done. I started it because ultimately I needed to earn a living. I had heard blogging was lucrative (haha!) and so I gave it a shot. It wasn’t the instant moneymaker I hoped, but over time it has exceeded my expectations in every single way. WHAT ARE YOU PASSIONATE ABOUT, MAINLY? I want people, especially women, to realise that loving yourself is one of the most important things you can ever do. I also want to show people that they have choices, options. You don’t have to do what your family or spouse want or expect. You can, & should, blaze your own path. We only get one life so we might as well have an absolutely amazing time! TELL ME MORE ABOUT LOVE AND SEQUINS? WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO START IT? I really wanted a way to communicate more information. My articles are quite long by general blogging standards but I had even more to say & I wanted a better way to do that. Love & Sequins is the perfect outlet. It’s an in-depth look at a subject each month. Every chapter is at least 10,000 words, often more, & it comes with an hourlong MP3 of me reading the chapter aloud, too.
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We Cant Sleep At Night THE CAME. THEY SAW. THEY PLAYED. IF YOU MISSED WE CAN’T SLEEP AT NIGHT LIVE IN SOUTH AFRICA SUPPORTING RED FIVE POINT STAR, VIXXEN BRINGS YOU AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH FRONTMAN GASPER VOZELJ HOW DID THE BAND COME ABOUT? We first started playing as a typical highschool band. When we tried learning cover songs, we’ve realizsed that we’re better off just making our own songs. We unexpectedly played our first concert, being told about it 2 hours before, and then we’ve just started playing concerts as much as we could. Eventually we’ve also started playing out of Slovenia and we’ve issued a couple of different releases. And then we came to Africa. WHAT ARE YOUR INFLUENCES? In one word: diverse. Some of our songs are quite obviously referencing some of our influences, for example, one of our songs is named Blockish (Bloc Party) and there’s a song called She Never Lost Control (Joy division), but mostly we try to make something new, where it’s hard to decipher what the influences are. TALK TO US ABOUT YOUR FRST LP? We’ve produced it in a kind of a do-it-yourself way, recording some stuff ourselves and some with the help of friends who professionally do something with music. It’s been our first contact with a serious recording process and I believe a lot of that freshness is captured on the album. AND ABOUT THE ONE IN 2009? Even more of a DIY album, we’ve made almost everything ourselves. Cleaner production than on the previous album, with and songs that are, in my opinion, more sophisticated. You learn a lot about how music works with each recording experience, so I’m quite looking forward to a potential new album, if it should come to that. HOW IS THE INDIE SCENE IN SLOVENIA? HAVE YOU FOUND A FOLLOWING?
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The indie scene in Slovenia is becoming relatively big. With Indie in the original sense of independent labels and the related do-it-yourself philosophy. The “alternative” scene has in general become much more interconnected with the rise of the Internet. There are a lot of people at the shows, especially in the capital of Ljubljana, so the trends are positive, but it’s still a fresh scene, so we’re hoping something unexpected doesn’t kill it. HOW WAS YOUR SOUTH AFRICAN TOUR? DID YOU ENJOY IT? WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE CROWD? It has really been a great experience. It’s been our longest proper tour so far so we had quite some things to learn. We’ve enjoyed it, of course. There are also things on tour that are not so perfect, but when you play a concert like we did in Grahamtown you forget everything else. Crowds varied very much, pretty much depending in what “scene” we were playing - from a sushi
bar, pretending to be a terrace band, to a super hot packed student place – just trying to make the best out of every situation. YOU ARE AN INDIE BAND. WHAT WAS IT LIKE PLAYING WITH A SKA BAND, RED FIVE POINT STAR? Well, Red Five Point Star aren’t exclusively a ska band, their music is much broader, so it wasn’t such odd pairing as it seems at first sight. From the feedback I got, I believe that people who came for the music of Red Five Point Star often also enjoyed in our concert. WHAT’S NEXT FOR YOU GUYS? Currently it’s a bit of a slowdown, since we’ve all got other things that also deserve our attention. We are all students of something. But we’ll try to make the most out of the time we have. Album? Tours? Videos? Everything is possible. As Pablo said: “Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working.”
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WORDS BY LAUREN WHEATLEY
Creative genius probably best sums up Miss Utting. An only child, Lauren spent her childhood free of computers, video games and TV but rather spent her time with music and a doll’s house, imagining up fantastical worlds and games to pass the time. Her father instilled a great appreciation of good music in Lauren and from an early age she listened to classic rock, the likes of David Bowie, Leonard Cohen and Pink Floyd. “Growing up obviously I wasn’t impressed that I didn’t have all the techie games and cool gadgets my friends had but as an adult I came to realise that it was one of the best things that could have happened to me.” Lauren understood from a young age that she didn’t quite fit in with the other girls. She was a complete tomboy, riding her bike everywhere and climbing trees. She describes herself as “very nerdy, painfully shy and very studious.” Her teenage years
saw her pushing the boundaries of her image, perhaps exaggerating the “outcast” image imposed on her by her peers. She began “dying [her] hair crazy colours, wearing really outlandish clothes, listening to the nastiest, meanest bands [she] could find and racking up a nice collection of atrocious piercings and tattoos.” Perhaps it was being an only child that gave her her uncanny sense of independence. She owes much of her creative talent and the pride in her work to the fact that she was an only child, having to use her imagination to keep herself company. Perhaps it was also this that instilled such confidence within her and Lauren was blessed with a natural talent to perform. From the age of 3 years old, she was trained as a ballet dancer and was convinced she would make it her career. Sadly her talent was over-shadowed by having the wrong body type and height to
be a professional dancer. Rather than seeing it as a failure, Lauren used this as an opportunity to keep performing, allowing her outlandish personality to come through on stage. She’s thankful for all the years of hard training as a dancer, “It gave me the very essential attribute of self discipline without which, I don’t think I would have been able to take on nearly as much as I used to.” Sadly at the age of 19 Lauren’s dancing career came to an end when a nasty foot injury left her unable to go up on Pointe leaving the young performer gutted after having spent the last 1617 years of her life dedicating herself to the art form. Again she didn’t let this set back stop her and instead focussed her attention on other creative outlets, namely art and drama. She continued her passion for music by learning to play the clarinet and the electric bass. However her love for the bass guitar was sometimes met with amuseAPRIL 2010
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ment when she found herself repeatedly joining bands of teenage boys, who were ignorant to her musical talent and saw her only as a “chick bassist.” After leaving school, Lauren took a gap year to figure out where to go from there. She worked in a record store before making the decision to move to Cape Town and begin her studies towards a BA degree in English, Drama and German. Despite her love for German culture and the language itself, she eventually switched to other social sciences where her love of Philosophy began to develop. Her love for the performing arts pushed her towards theatre directing and in her 3rd year she directed a play based on a Chuck Palauhniuk book at the Little Theatre. The play was a visual fest, albeit a controversial one, earning her a full house and a 21 age restriction. Lauren even managed to train and direct 1st and 2nd year Business Science students as her actors in the production. She muses, “I was so happy with the production afterward because for the first time it was solely my own creative work.” It was during her final year in Cape Town that Lauren came across a shop selling little stuffed felt people that she reminisces “were really expensive and quite basic. I loved the simplicity of the medium though and thought, I can make those and even better ones.” After buying a bunch of cheap felt and using a gingerbread man pattern on some baking paper, Lauren began making her own little
felt people (called Mini Mephisto’s) which were soon sold in a little art store at the UCT Michaelis Art Campus. Hence, Mephisto character design was born. Lauren moved back to Johannesburg after graduating and enrolled in a PGCE program at Wits University to study education. Her passion for the arts tempted her to stay in Cape Town but with a practical head on her shoulders, she decided that teaching would be a smart career move and enable her to pursue her projects with a certain level of job security, often a rarity in the field of the creative arts. It was during her time at Wits that Lauren was chosen by the Art Education Department to go on an exchange trip to a sought-after design college in Stockholm, Sweden. The experience changed her life and only heightened her passion for contemporary character design. Like her controversial play, Lauren’s character design pushed the envelope and she describes her design from that time as racy and tongue-in-cheek. Not only did Sweden expand her design horizons, it also exposed her to a country that she fell head over heels in love with. “A very intense love affair has developed between me and a country that is absolutely exquisite beyond words.” While in Johannesburg, Lauren and her friend, Tempest started a brand called ‘Club Soda.’ The brand was featured in issues of SL, GQ, Glamour and many other publications. The business soon snowballed into something so huge that APRIL 2010
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it became almost impossible to juggle it amongst varsity and other commitments. The company was dissolved mid 2007 due to a number of professional and personal reasons but Lauren wanted to pursue her own design brand that really captured her quirky and eccentric personal style. Mephisto Accessories was launched and merchandise sold through Ke Ai,
Toxic Candy and Silent Screams. Lauren has since put the accessories side of Mephisto on hold to pursue her character design and illustration 100%. Her characters have been featured in the exhibition “And Then” as well as at the Rage Expo. She is currently organising her own “collective” exhibition featuring the work of some 8 local artists and designers. Apart from studying towards
her Master’s degree in Applied Ethics, Lauren teaches at an international school in Johannesburg. “I’m a full time Art teacher and not only do I get to live my creative dream everyday, I get to share my talent, my love for art and visual media with young children and it is rewarding in a way that is almost unimaginable. In some ways it also helped me tone down that insatiable desire APRIL 2010
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so many creative people have to she’s also a keen DJ, having be famous and successful when played gigs at alternative and I realized that I was touching the Goth clubs, corporates, even lives of so many more people cage fighting and MMA (Mixed as a teacher. You also learn that Martial Arts) events. Her love for when you have this creative talmusic shines through in her with ent it is, in many respects, put to her ability to give the crowds much better use when you are exactly what they want while still using it in a philanthropic way “shaking it up a lot.” Anything or uplifting the lives of other from 80s to Psychobilly, Classic people.” Rockabilly, EBM and Dark Elektro. Not only has Lauren found it She is almost always found on rewarding on a career level (“I’m the dance floor as well as behind proud of the curriculum and art the decks. program I run in so far as while I Despite Lauren’s non-stop life teach children of the and neverSHE BELIEVES HER 8-11 age group their ending projIMAGE IS IMPORTANT ects, she art work is excellent and far exceeds what IN A PUBLIC DOMAIN, makes time I think people perPERHAPS KEEPING THE for the people ceive young children MINDS OF HER YOUNG she loves. of being capable Growing up STUDENTS, THE PARof.”) , but also on a as an only ENTS AND COLLEAGUES child, her personal level. The experience has been OPEN AND BEING LUCKY friendships somewhat humbling ENOUGH THAT HER JOB are extremely and has helped her important to WHOLEHEARTEDLY grow as a person. ACCEPTS AND APPRECI- her, consider“The nature of the ing them her ATES HER ALTERNATIVE job is that you have substitute IMAGE. to put the interests siblings. She of the students is constantly ahead of your own. I always say inspired by those around her, your imperfections are never especially her parents, of whom as bittersweet as when a child she thinks the world. “My mom is reveals them to you.” the most glamourous and selfLauren’s alternative image sacrificing person I know. While hasn’t toned down, even as a we may be quite different in our teacher. She believes her image outlooks, she taught me so much is important in a public domain, growing up about how to carry perhaps keeping the minds of yourself, how to be lady-like as her young students, the parents well as how to dress, how to and colleagues open and being create an inimitable and classic lucky enough that her job whole- style but most importantly how heartedly accepts and apprecito behave in any social situation ates her alternative image. and most of all to care about the As if Lauren couldn’t add any lives and well being of others. My more talents to her repertoire, dad in many respects is like my
hero. He instilled in me my love for music and literature as well as my love for ethics.” Lauren is also lucky in that she has found a partner with which she can share a life as crazy and non-stop as her own. When Lauren does choose to slow down (but never stop) she enjoys champagne and cupcakes with close friends, reading as much as possible, watching E!, Custom Car shows or classic VH1 music videos and many a time can be found “with a cup of Earl Grey tea nose-deep in the newspapers for the day.” And what does the future hold for Miss Utting? Lauren is currently completing her Masters degree in Applied Ethics and wishes to continue all the way to a PhD level. She doesn’t plan on ending her academic career there though, and is planning on studying Architecture as well as Interior Design. “I’d like to learn how to design sustainable living solutions for lower and working class populations that are sustainable both financially and environmentally.” She also plans on publishing a coffee table book centred around the Mephisto Character Design figures, illustration and photography as well as a book on contemporary art practice in schools. It doesn’t stop there. Lauren will be forever evolving, learning and passing on her knowledge with the grace of a lady and the mind of a genius. They say “youth is wasted on the young”, but in Lauren Utting’s case, nothing could be further from the truth.
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IN THE AGE OF SOCIAL NETWORKING, CLEO BLACK ASKS - ARE WE BECOMING LESS ACCESABLE AS HUMANS AND MORE ACCESSABLE AS PERSONAS? the saying goes, “No man is an island.” In my limited, but at the same time substantial, experience with men, and people in general, I have found this saying to be profoundly untrue. In the age of technology, we have hundreds of ways to keep in touch with those in the world around us; text messages, emails, traditional snail mail, phone calls, social networks like Facebook, Myspace and Twitter - the means to communicate are endless. We are able to receive, react to, and digest messages of all kinds, without a single soul knowing how we really feel about them, and then to respond in the way that we wish to be perceived, without ever having to show a hint of real human behaviour or nature. In our desperation to be closer to those not physically close enough to us, have we achieved the opposite? All of this occurred to me a few days before Christmas last year, as I was strolling down the passage in the centre where I work. I say strolling… what I really mean is, walking in stops and starts, looking up as infrequently as possible from my
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cell phone, so as not to miss something important with may or may not have been happening on my facebook page. I’m not proud to be admitting this, but when I realised it, it came as quite a shock to me. I was so immersed in what was happening on my “social network” that Prince Charming himself could have
text, and then replying to the reply”, “That call was so QUICK!”, “I really needed to know what was happening at my mate’s party… okay?!”, or one that I’ve definitely used, “I saw this part in the preview man. I’m just checking my Facebook quick, don’t get so pissy!” When I looked up from my online social life that day in the
I WAS SO IMMERSED IN WHAT WAS HAPPENING ON MY SOCIAL NETWORK, THAT PRINCE CHARMING HIMSELF COULD HAVE WALKED BY AND OFFERED ME HIS ARM, AND I WOULD HAVE BEEN TOTALLY OBLIVIOUS TO IT. walked by and offered me his arm, and I would have been totally oblivious to it. How many times have you been on a date, or with friends, with your parents or in a lecture, when you’ve heard the silent siren call of the possible mails in your inbox, or the not-so-silent ringtone that lets you know that someone (possibly interesting, or important) is trying to get through to you? You can use all kinds of excuses; “Ag MAN, it was only trigonometry, I can do that stuff in my flippin sleep!”, or “She didn’t mind, I was just replying to a
corridor, and looked around me, I didn’t just see people immersed in the daily grind of food shopping, paying bills or buying clothes - I saw islands. Lots and lots of little islands, with bridges to shore few and far between. Your home page on any social network is supposed to be an accurate representation of you and your life. Something I learned from my Myspace days is that the image presented on most pages is certainly not accurate. The fortunate thing about our online lives is that we can mould
and shape them into the lives we’ve into bridges to the mainland - other always secretly yearned for, but fall people in real life. Little by little, far short of on dry land. We presyour island-self edits and prunes ent only the aspects of ourselves away undesirable parts of your real that we deem worthy, or glamorous life; the way you turn that makes enough to be seen by the rest of the your face look chubby, that not-soworld; the best photos of us at the glam person writing not-so-glam best parties (only minutes after we comments on your wall, or filling arrive, before the business of serious your inbox with his/ her real life drinking, sweating and reality bewoes... burning one bridge at a gin), us shamelessly showing off our time. Before you know it, you find new haircuts in the bathroom mirror yourself (your real self ) following in a way that we would never do in the trend that your island-self has public (again, I’m not terribly proud set; weaving the sparkling illusion of of the fact that I’ve been that girl, relationships and contact with the and probably will be again). To my outside world, while secretly keepcredit though, there are some truly ing our gloves on. shocking photos of me on the interSeriously people - are we afraid of net that I have not, against my betgetting cooties or something? The ter judgement at times, untagged or trouble with life is that no mater deleted. I digress - my point is this; how hard we wish for our shiny, due to the largely fabricated nature perfectly coiffed lives of texting and of out virtual selves, “The Island” mailing to be the ones we really is born, while the real lead, they simply person sinks beneath NO MATER HOW HARD aren’t. And the the waves with not even trouble with burnWE WISH FOR OUR ing the bridges the smallest attempt to SHINY, PERFECTLY that connect us stay afloat. The isolation doesn’t COIFFED LIVES OF to the people we show its ugly face right is that they’re TEXTING AND MAIL- love away, its sneaky - you way harder to ING TO BE THE ONES build the second start out being a real person. I can prove it: WE REALLY LEAD, THEY time around. Antiright now, open a new social snobbery is SIMPLY AREN’T. tab on your screen, not going to win and go to your Twitter anybody over. or Facebook or better yet - (if you There’s nothing wrong with wanting still have one) your Myspace. Look to put your best foot forward - in at the first profile photo you put fact that’s a quality that should be up, and then compare it to some praised. The trouble starts when of the more recent ones. Chances Photoshopped, online versions of are pretty darn good that the more our feet are the only ones that we advanced version of you has styliput forward. Its like a disease. And est hair, and a far more practiced its spreading. The more real, rational smile than the good old first-photo people succumb to the shallow, version of you. You start your superficial way of “living” that I’m texting, emailing, Twittering and talking about, the more people blackberry-ing days as a human think that it’s the way forward. I’ve being with flaws and quirks. In my been there (well, I don’t think I was island theory, these flaws and quirks all the way there, maybe I just briefly (all of which are perfectly natural, visited a small town about 100kms and from an outside perspective from there) and there is not as fun often perfectly adorable) translate as it looks. Constantly catching and
judging yourself, making sure not to get too emotionally attached or to appear to detached, making sure to metaphorically brush the cheek and kiss the air without really making contact - its all pretty exhausting, and lonely to boot. Someone once wrote, “Loneliness is the human condition”. Somebody else wrote, “That’s a big fat, lazy ass excuse”. The first person was Janet Fitch, the second was me. Yes, if you’re real with people, they are going to be real with you. Real isn’t always fun, or pretty; people lie, cheat, steal, backstab and gossip. But real people also love you, support you, hold back hair when you vomit, and answer the phone at 3 am when you’ve just been dumped and you need to talk about it now. I’ve had the best and worst times of my life with my real friends, their real senses of humour and their equally real mistakes. My own real sense of style and choice in men has lead me to some disastrous (and then again, some fabulous) outfits and disastrous situations, but you live and you learn. In the words of one of the greatest bands of my high school career, Incubus, “I suggest we learn to love ourselves, before it’s made illegal.” Brandon Boyd has a point. “She woke in the morning; she knew her life had passed her by. She called out a warning; don’t ever let life pass you by”. Go make a mistake! Say the wrong thing, but for the sake of all that’s good and holy, say what you’re thinking. Build a bridge or five. Some may become disused, or fall down altogether but some will stick it out through floods, heat waves, or any of the multitude of weather conditions that “islands” experience. Stop fixing and editing the memories you have and go make more. Islands are only fun until the novelty of sand and sun wears off…
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