Daydreamer Art | Music | Fashion | Life | Film
True Love Issue
Contents MUSIC 25 Owensie 76 Eric McGrath 93 Maud in Cahoots 100 Cock and Bull TV 111 James Byrne 114 Hired Hands 112 Hello Monroe FASHION 10 Simone Rocha 32 Did I Ever Tell You… 54 In My Closet 64 Did My Heart Love Til Now... 91 Celestine Cooney 103 Emma Manley 106 It is at Moments After I Have Dreamed… TV and FILM 44 Robert Sheehan 62 Diana Bunici 115 Philip Kelly 127 Monstros Film TRAVEL 45 India CHARITY 86 Jonathan Henderson FEATURES 12 My True Love 16 London: The Dream City 48 What’s Love Got to do With It? 74 My Shop 80 Girl Beats 112 Top Threes 116 Tea-Time with… 121 Tea or Coffee 124 I Love My Ma and Da
PHOTOGRAPHY 22 Lazing on a Sunny Afternoon 53 Johnny McMillan 58 I Follow the Sun 89 Ode to the Barbershop 94 Richard Gilligan 98 A Woodland Tale ILLUSTRATION 104 Mr Steve McCarthy
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SHOWCASE 28 Arty Smarty ARTICLES 24 Losing Letters 79 Dublin Loves You
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FICTION 42 Tongues 97 Nobody’s Daughter 126 Snoozing Suzy POETRY 9 Ceri Sleeps 47 Pins and Needles 60 True Love 92 Last Words
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Founders and Editors Arsheen Qasim and Anahita Tabarsi Features Editor Arsheen Qasim Art Direction Arsheen Qasim and Anahita Tabarsi Design Editor Anahita Tabarsi Design Consultant David McEnroe Flash Animation Barry Chapman Editorial Illustration Aimee O’Beirne Intro Music Ian Tierney Intro Film Anahita Tabarsi and Bobby Tabarsi Original Score Derek Conlon Player Music Derek Conlon, Eric McGrath, Hired Hands Words Katherine Beeks, Conor Creighton, Sarah Griffin, Colm Hall, Niall Morahan, Gemma Nic Conchra, Kerrie O’Brien, David Rudden, Anahita Tabarsi Photographs Annie Atkins, Peter Fingleton, Saibh Egan, Eimear Fitzmaurice, Richard Gilligan, Jane McGarrigle, Deirdre McGing, Patrick Hough, Katie-Lilga Mooney Sheppard, Eilish McCormick, Robert Murphy, Rebeccaa Naen, Lucy Nuzum, Anahita Tabarsi, Emma Turpin, Leonn Ward Art and Illustrations Hilda Allen, Derek Conlon, Leslie Cullinan, Joseph McCafferty, Mr Steve McCarthy, Joanna Medeiros, Orlagh Murphy, Gemma Nic Conchra, Aimee O’Beirne, Barry Quinn, Mahnaz Tabarsi, Jessica Timlin, Susanne Wawra Monstros Film David Freyne, Joana Medeiros, Eoin O’Faolain Song On The Trail by Patrick Freyne and His Bad Intentions Cover shot Photographer Anahita Tabarsi, Stylist Arsheen Qasim, Makeup Artist Áine Bane Models Brendan @ BScene and Alanna Lawlor Brendan wears a Folk white shirt and Fifth Avenue Shoe Repair black jeans both from Indigo&Cloth, a sailor stripe pullover and Cali fleece cape from American Apparel. Alanna wears Love Label Boutique prom dress, from Littlewoods Ireland and Sessún floral blazer from Dolls Boutique, a pearl necklace from Forever21 and lilac pumps from Penneys.
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EDITOR’S NOTE
I probably overuse the word 'love'. I love cheeseburgers, Spiderman comics, and my iPod with the tenacity of a world-embracing four-year-old. I also love homecooked meals, 19th century French literature and vinyl records. I have become almost too indiscriminate with my usage of the word. But should there be a distinct rating system for the things we love? If only to preserve the grandeur of the word, instead of turning it into a general term we bandy about and abbreviate to 'luv' or '<3' which seem to diminish its intensity. If only to evoke in the word 'love' the ardour of the emotions it stirs in us. I don't say 'I love you' to people very often. Not because I'm embarassed by saying so, but because the word 'love', when directed to a person, becomes heavy for me. A simple four-letter word, that I can casually throw out when talking about fast food, suddenly becomes a monumentally large word with many tangents, some misleading or ambiguous. I love you...we were separated at birth. I love you...I've created a playlist on my iPod with songs that remind me of you. I love you...no, listen, I really love you, let's do six more shooters. I love you...you're my best friend. I love you...as a friend. I love you...here's the key to my apartment. I love you...here's the key to my apartment, if I die, go in and clear out my contraband before my parents find it. I love you...so much it makes me sick. I love you...you give me butterflies. I love you...here's a song I wrote for you on my guitar. I love you...you're so cute. I love you...let's fall in love. A simple four-letter word can send hearts racing, stomachs fluttering, and worlds spinning. Maybe it's not so simple after all. Anahita Tabarsi Co-Editor
I get drunk on life quite often. I have this strange capacity to be stunned with it, like a newborn that finds wide-eyed-wonder in his toy rattle. I have never been swayed by promises of heaven, because being here - right here, right now - this is paradise to me. To be in this world, live and kicking, to be utterly human and utterly fallible, with everything that is good and bad, to be able to see, think, feel and do the things we can do, to run and dance, to create, to give, to move and do wondrous things with our brains, and hearts and bodies and souls all of it, I find sublime. The permutations and combinations that life has to offer, of chance meetings, peculiar encounters, strange coincidences, the most generous and kind people turning up when you need them the most, the weird ways things work out sometimes... and a lot of the times, even in the most mundane things, I see an extraordinary poetry in the way life is. But even when the bad stuff happens, the hard knocks and the downsides and the craters and the dark times - the human proclivities to survive, to persevere, to dust yourself off and to get back up, to try and try again, to do your absolute best, to be able to regret, and feel guilt, and remorse and yet have hope and longing, and be forgivable and forgiving, and... love, to love. To feel love and be loved and just unconditionally, truly love with all your heart and might - keeps me amazed. I love the strange and wonderful ways we are human, finding a harmony in the discord of life. I dig life, I love being human and alive down to the extremities of my fingers and toes, from the starry twinkling of that heartbeat within all of us to the rush of every tiny molecule dancing through me. This is my one true love. Arsheen Qasim Co-Editor
photo SAIBH EGAN
illustration DEREK CONLON
Poetry
teach me how to sleep like you do with soft lavender snores as I lie awake beside you wanting to ask you big questions am I your best friend? maybe I’ll just write it on your body in biro softly so not to wake you so in the morning you’ll see it in the mirror, puzzled unable to read it backwards but knowing it’s a love-message from your insomniac girlfriend best friend
Sarah’s book of poems and poetic prose, Follies by Lapwing Publications is now available at 9 Crow Street, Temple Bar.
words SARAH GRIFFIN photo KATIE LILGA MOONEY-SHEPPARD
Ceri Sleeps
illustration ORLAGH MURPHY
LONDON THE DREAM CITY
London Calling: Meet the four young Irish guys and girls who made the big move across the pond. They chat about finding rhythm in a home away from home and making room for big dreams in the city of dreams...London.
GEMMA WHITE Age: 25
Store Manager at Lomography Gallery Store, East London
Living in...Bethnal Green, East London. Live with…I live in quite a nice house but didn’t get lucky with my flatmates. They spend a lot of time in their rooms and I really wanted somewhere that was like a home so I’m moving in with a friend this week. The best season in London is…Summer. London becomes alive. The atmosphere is unparelled here, everybody is in such a good mood. One of my favourite things to do is have a few drinks in Victoria Park with friends. The thing about London that makes it so different to Dublin…is that nobody judges you here. Dublin is so small and I don’t think that you can really express yourself there. In London I can pretty much do or dress as I please and no one bats an eyelid. In London you have to…be yourself. London weekends always end with…great food. The Sunday Up Market which is near my work has the most amazing food. I always eat well on a Sunday. The best fish and chips in London…is Poppies Fish and Chip Shop on Hanbury Street. They wrap your chips up in newspaper!
Best place to dance the night away in London is…The Birdcage on a Saturday night. It’s a pub on Columbia Road that has kareoke every weekend. The pub gets jam-packed and has a great mix of young people and old East End locals. I moved to London because…there was nothing left for me in Dublin, no more room for me to grow, both personally and in my career. London is brimming with opportunities, everywhere you turn you find fresh inspiration. Here’s the funny thing about London…I love that I’m anonymous here, that I can walk down the street without bumping into 12 people I know. I enjoy getting on the tube and being completely uncontactable for a short while. My favourite shop in London is…Absolute Vintage on Hanbury Street, I bought some amazing vintage pieces there. The best place to get a haircut…Pimps and Pinups on Lamb Street. A head massage whilst listening to 1980s power ballads? Can’t go wrong. They call London the dream city because…dreams come true here. Simple as that.
NEIL BRENNAN Age: 26
News Editor at www.recordoftheday.com
of craic in people. Estate agents, bank staff, job interviews – all of my pithy one-liners fell on deaf ears. We nearly cried when a girl was nice to us in the bank. But I think as soon as you find somewhere in this city that's full of young, interesting, creative people, the first thing that really hits you is how many more of them are here in London compared to Dublin. Obviously it's a bigger city, but there's also a lack of homogeneity. The best way to get around London is…The Tube is the obvious answer, but where we are, the buses have been a revelation. And it's easier to earwig on other people's conversation on the bus as well.
Best place to see a band in London is…I've ended up Living in...Clapton Pond, which is in Hackney in East in XOYO more than any other venue to see Ganglians, London. It's a pretty smashing mix of hipsters, hippies, Clare Maguire and Crystal Fighters and each time it's and odd Turkish Men's Social Clubs. proved just the right size venue for the acts. Plus it's not hard to find and has plenty of buses nearby to get you in Live with…I moved over with my girlfriend Catherine and time for hot chocolate and bed. Rock and roll, innit. after a week or so in Homerton, we found two almost-identical basement flats on the same street. We My Sunday morning in London is spent…Eating picked the one we preferred (it had a working shower) scones, doing a little bit of work, and then trying to figure and after a quick trip to IKEA, it started to feel like home. out something cultural to do. If we can gather the energy, a trip to town is always worth the effort - the V & A or The first thing that hits you when you move to National Portrait Gallery are probably our favourites, but London is…We had a pretty tough run when we first I'm really keen to get to some of the smaller moved over, and I think part of that was down to the lack photographic galleries as well over the next few months.
London feels like…A hug from a slightly distant grandparent. Older than you, wiser than you, and full of secrets you can only hope to discover…but still a little bit cold. The city also feels like the centre of things, and rightly so. London has a certainty about its identity that's reassuring and strangely exciting. The best place to people watch is…Outside the British Museum is good for bonkers school-groups and tourists, but you need to get to the parts of the city that are a little further out to see the real characters. I work in Walthamstow, where seeing a man dressed as a bishop pushing a buggy with a microwave inside is viewed as the height of normality. A night-out in London starts with…Cheap booze bought from friendly neighbourhood grocer. Ours is a shop called Palm 2, but there are other little corner shops near us that attract small crowds who come in to the shop just to watch Eastenders with the shop-owner. Here’s the funny thing about London…It really doesn't rain as much as Dublin. They call London the dream city because…It's got the history, the Queen, the multicultural mix, and there is always something going on. All the things you hear about London - good and bad - will typically prove to be true.
LINZI MCGLENNON Age: 28
Senior Web Content Manager
The best place to get lost in London is…Shoreditch. Despite numerous pub crawls around the ‘Vegas of London’, I can still get turned around. My only landmarks are favourite bars. But as you wander, you’ll discover amazing graffiti art, a trendy new bar, saucy sex shops and street fashionistas.
Living in...Islington, Norff London.
I never expected London to be…easy.
Live with…A nine-month pregnant lady, her literature loving partner, the fluffiest, white cat you’ll ever see and her complete opposite, a sophisticated, black feline.
The best place to get iced coffee…is the Vietnamese iced coffee at the stall on Broadway Market, you might as well pick up a banh mi baguette while you’re there and maybe a cupcake from Violet Bakery.
The scariest thing about moving to London was…Finding a place to live. London real estate is tough, it’s like 50 first dates and you have to impress each and every one. I get around London by…My own two legs. London has great transport but it is best discovered on foot. You’ll learn to walk a mile in heels and think nothing of it. Merely the distance between you and the next shopping bargain.
When I need a time-out I go to…Look Mum No Hands, one of London’s hippest bike cafes. You can chill with their free wifi, exceptionally tasty ginger cake and a strong black. Watch the world go by, listen to bike enthusiasts chat and when the sun goes down, swap your caffeine for a beer. London smells like…Trouble.
Best place to party in London is…Stoke Newington. North East proper, Stokie has been on the rise as one of the coolest places to live in the last couple of years. Less East London than Shoreditch, you can pub crawl Church Street and bounce from trendy pub to dirty dive-bar.
The thing about Londoners is…They know how to dress and anything goes. You’ll have trouble raising eyebrows with your outfits in this city; these jaded commuters have seen everything and resolutely refuse to be shocked.
The biggest misconception about London is…That British people are polite. If you’re commuting, you better get tough because they are merciless. If you want that last spot on a crushed tube, be prepared to get your game face on.
They call London the dream city because…They don’t. London is a tough city, and it can kick you to the curb. But you’ll fall in love with the summer, bond over tube strike chaos, discover new boroughs and pretty soon, you’ll consider yourself a Londoner too.
SÉAN MCGOWAN Age: 28
Software Developer at Channel 4
Best place for a haircut in London is…Stasi’s Barbers in Archway.
Living in...Archway, North London.
The best place in London for food is…Borough Markets. It has the most amazing selection of foods you’ll ever need. Cheese, breads, chocolates that you never thought existed. They’ve got the freshest fruit and veg in London.
Live with…My little diva of a dog, Poop. She’s a Rescue all the way from Thailand. I rent a one-bedroom ground-floor flat, with a back garden for my dog. I’m lucky to have a garden as it’s more of a privilege in London. There's this cool shop I go to…all the music stores on Denmark street. I go there and just try out the guitars and bother the staff on a regular basis.
When I need a time-out I go to…my happy place, which is playing bass guitar along to my favourite rock and disco albums in the comfort of my flat. London weekend starts with…everybody leaving work early to avoid the tube rush. Then it’s drinks in Camden.
The best chocolate in London is…L’Artisan du Chocolat. It’ the best I’ve ever tasted, all kinds of flavours that you wouldn’t imagine go with chocolate.
The best place to see a gig is…Too much choice! Brixton Academy, O2 Arena, Wembley Arena, Alexandra Palace...I couldn’t pick one.
Here’s the funny thing about London…time seems to go by really quickly. It’s like a strange episode of Star Trek. Sometimes it feels like I only spoke to my family back home last week, but they remind me it’s been two months or more!
London has changed me…in that I’ve become a lot more motivated. Because life here is so fast-paced, you either take part, or watch time escape you. I’ve become a lot more focused on what I want to do. I’m also much more adventurous when it comes to trying different foods.
To become a true Londoner you have to…learn Cockney rhyming slang. Or you can master the art of reading the Metro newspaper back-to-back on a jam-packed tube in the morning.
They call London the dream city because…really, they call it that? Maybe because it’s so fast-paced and chaotic that it seems like a dream.
Photography
photos KATIE LILGA MOONEY-SHEPPARD
Lazing on a sunny afternoon
Article
Losing Letters words KATHERINE BEEKS photo DEIRDRE MCGING
I was always a writer, always a story teller and, when I was younger, I loved letters. On summer mornings you would find me inside a makeshift teepee with a daisy chain around my head, writing letters to strange creatures I had created, and in the afternoon I would write their replies.
A few years later my mum passed away and that small collection of letters became precious to me. Why couldn’t I have felt that way when she was still here? I should have replied to every letter, and given up the time I was spending tagging pictures on Facebook to let her know that I valued the effort she had made.
Somewhere along the line, I turned in to a lazy, apathy-ridden teenager. To the outside world I was a delight, to my parents – not so much. Just asking me to write a thank-you letter was a conversation that was destined for an argument. My point was clear: I could not be bothered.
For a while after university, I lived with my grandma who put a lot of value in a handwritten letter. Every morning she would lay out her post on the kitchen table and open it over breakfast. One time, she read me letters from friends sharing a funny anecdote, announcing the birth of a grandson, or reporting that the milkman had only left one bottle and given the other to the neighbours whose dog barks past six in the evening. But now all she gets are bills and junk mail. So when I moved away, I began writing her letters. And I didn’t have to write my own replies.
When I went away to university, my mum wrote to me every week, without fail. The letters weren’t about anything in particular – just chitchat about her day, plans for the garden, something silly the cat had done. I don’t think I ever replied and I cared so little for these letters that I threw some away.
illustration JOANA MEDEIROS
Showcase
Showcase
Jewellery
Angela Cuthill Arty Smarty Shop www.artysmartyshop.com
How did you come up with the idea? I had originally trained in ceramics and believe it or not my jewellery range has actually evolved from some ideas I had about contemporary ceramic jewellery, even though I don't really work with those materials now. Once you begin to produce things, they tend to evolve and you discover your niche and become part of a series rather than one-off ideas. What was the first piece you ever made? It seems like I have always been producing pieces, even since I was small, but one of the first pieces that I created under the Artysmarty name was a range of ceramic brooches. They were very simple, white stoneware with embossed papers pressed to give a very delicate pattern on the surface. These pieces were finished with a ceramic wax to seal them but keep a matte finish. I'd like to re-visit them actually. What is your favourite piece at the moment? I have a bit of a soft spot for all the resin necklaces, the bird motifs in particular. They are a bit less run-of-the-mill than many of the neck pieces out there at the moment and the simplicity of the material suits my anti 'bling' ethos!
What fuels your creativity? Like many people into design, I would say anything and everything can get the creative ideas going. I love all things craft, traditional and contemporary but also love and have a background in visual arts and film. When is the best time for you to work? Late at night, but I have tried to be a bit more disciplined about working when everyone else is working. Can be a bit solitary otherwise. How would you describe your work? Quirky, fun and affordable. Any interesting projects in the pipeline at the moment? I am working on a new range for launch in summer with some fresh designs that I am pretty excited about, but I would also like to make use of some of those empty buildings about Dublin at the moment. I would love to have some kind of creative spot where you could get a coffee and use a sewing machine for instance, or maybe have my studio and a little shop front. Will keep you posted! Where do you see your work in five years? It's possible that I may be working on something else completely in 5 years. I have a bit of a short attention span and there are so many cool jobs in the creative arts, I want to do them all!
Showcase
Showcase
Fashion
Did I Ever Tell You â&#x20AC;Ś
photographer Aoife Herrity assisted by Nikki Browne stylist Kieran Kilgallon makeup and hair Catherine Richard model Emma Rossi @ Morgan the Agency
Socks customised by stylist Penneys Shoes Topshop
Sweaters Cos Dress Topshop
T-shirt American Apparel Underwear American Apparel Orange Sweater Urban Outfitters
Stripe tee with pleated collar Cos Sequin top Topshop Skirt American Apparel Shoes Topshop
Shirt Urban Outfitters Sequin top and dress worn as skirt Wild Child
Blue jumper American Apparel Shirt American Apparel
Stripe tee with pleated collar Cos Sequin top Topshop
Fiction
Tongues words COLM HALL illustration DEREK CONLON
It was her accent that first drew me to her. From across the room. Warm and hard to place. Echoes from where the sound had come. Disguising their source. Her language seemed to belong to no place. Or no time. Or both.
The drop of a key sending shivers up the spine. The faintest flicker quickening the pulse. The slightest pause; between notes: a rush of anticipation. It seems beyond me: all this harmony of co-ordination and communication.
I could hear her from the opposite wall. Though it was not to me she was talking. But still, I hung on her every word. I could not take my eyes off them. I watched her re-invent each one and rhyme them all off with the next; weaving them around each other like ribbons. She strung me out: with her words. The way she glided between the sentences, arching up her shoulders, intoning her lines with form, syllables sliding down her forearms through to her wrists and out through her fingers in faultless, flowing sweeps. Her words never seemed to end, but instead to trail off and hang in the air, like plumes left to fade before your eyes. And I knew right then.
I have never heard a sound in my life. Not a noise. Not a note. Nor a bang. Not even silence. I was born this way. But, what of it? What of Bach or of Beethoven? Of The Beatles or The Beach Boys? Stravinsky, Strauss, The Streets or The Strokes? I can live in their ignorance. And have no grievance. I can forego all the pleasures of melody and song without a trace of loss or envy.
She is what I imagine music must be. Something beyond my comprehension.
And though, no power of description will ever allow me to understand, what it is that people are enabled to feel by the mysteriousness of music, when they are swept up in the movement of a symphony, or lost in the chorus of the latest summer anthem; nor could I ever explain to you, so that you too could hear, what it is I hear when I am listening to her hands.
Film
5Ws & an H ROBERT SHEEHAN Actor
What possessions do you keep near you? My phones (both UK and Ireland at the moment), wallet, key, and a small rabbit's testicle in my sock. Where can you be alone? At my flat, I live alone, and enjoy pottering about on my own of a morning. When will you take over the world? When everyone else does so with me! Why did you decide to become an actor? Really and truly only about two years ago, after seeing the Red Riding Trilogy, in which I played a part. How would you describe yourself? About 6 foot 1, and always a bit of craic to have around! Also changing all the time I think. Who would you like to have tea/coffee with? Either Ricky Gervais or Russell Brand. I listen to them constantly as I potter about on my own! Robert stars in Killing Bono, out in cinemas now.
photos LUCY NUZUM
Travel
India
illustration JESSICA TIMLIN
Pins and Needles specks of light stumble from your lips and I drown in the echo of your laughter I am coarse like metal you are delicate like a summer rain but here we somehow make sense together I have pins and needles in my heart from lack of use it has been asleep so long you have woken me you have filtered through the cracks and it troubles me even as it delights me too
words ANAHITA TABARSI photo REBECCA NAEN model HANNAH LOUISE MAY @ Morgan the Agency
Poetry
What’s Love Got to do with It?
Feature
We ask four Irish creatives the eight big questions on True Love
SARAH DOYLE Photographer
www.sarahdoylephotography.com
What does true love make you see? The beauty and truth within yourself and others.
What does true love mean to you? It makes everything and anything possible.
What is true love here for? There would be nothing without it. It is the genesis of everything.
What makes you fall in love? Beautiful minds. I fall for people based on how they think. Does true love persist inspite of obstacles? Love is often the obstacle that keeps you there. I can't think of anything more powerful than love, so when you are faced with adversity, love is the feeling that stops you from quitting. It’s the idea that to really suceed in loving someone or something we have to truly try.
Who do you love the most? The people and creatures that share my life. The joy that my work gives me, it’s a blessing that I am very grateful for. Five words for True Love Every day of my life. What’s your favourite quote/saying about True Love? Love has no other desire but to fulfil itself.
Feature
GARRETT PITCHER
Owner of Indigo & Cloth Boutique www.indigoandcloth.com
What does true love mean to you? I think all love is true otherwise it is better described as like. For instance, I like my friends, love my mam and dad and am in love with my girlfriend. In that sense true love to me is natural, you cannot control being in or out of love. What makes you fall in love? The person. Their personality and how big a heart they have. Does true love persist inspite of obstacles? Absolutely. Nothing is easy in this world and it’s worth fighting for. All good things are. What does true love make you see? The meaning of life. We were not put on this earth to work five days a week. What is true love here for? It’s here for us. To give us meaning and belonging. Who do you love the most? Me. If you don’t know how to love yourself, I don’t think you can love others. That may sound weird but it’s true. Five words for True Love Real, Rare, Blessing, Everlasting and Inspiring. What’s your favourite quote/saying about True Love? Don’t know any lovey dovey one’s. The best ones are the ones you end up saying yourself. That said I do like the ‘I love you more than a fat man loves cake’.
Feature
ALISON ARNOPP Singer
www.alisonarnopp.com
What does true love mean to you? True love comes with the people who leave imprints on your soul. Whether you know them for five weeks or five years, if you see them every day or every few decades, the love is still there. You carry pieces of them with you wherever you go and your life is better for meeting them.
What is true love here for? To help us grow. I think all love is ‘true love’. It always informs us of ourselves in a new way and helps us to realise who we want to be.
What makes you fall in love? Mysterious chemicals…
Who do you love the most? I’m trying to take Whitney’s advice and find the greatest love all of all inside of me…but eh, that’s easier (and cheesier) said than done. Singing helps me to love, to learn to sing is to learn oneself.
Does true love persist inspite of obstacles? Love can persist but relationships may not.
Five words for True Love Incomparable, precious, patient, fluid, cheese
What does true love make you see? True love makes sense of music. Love informs most arias and songs and to understand love better (both its pains and pleasures) makes me a better singer, a better actor, a better artist and a better person.
What’s your favourite quote/saying about True Love? ‘You are my sweetest downfall, I loved you first…’ from Samson by Regina Spektor.
Feature
JAMES GAVIGAN Actor
http://jamesgaviganonline.blogspot.com
What does true love mean to you? My grandparents have been married for 55 years and no-one has killed each other and from my own experience, letting your arm go numb to let your girlfriend fall asleep in her perfect way and then trying to fish it back without waking her up! What makes you fall in love? A magic night of the stars aligning and a few strong drinks. Does true love persist inspite of obstacles? Without a shadow of a doubt yes, if you want it too. The initial, buzz moment is easy, it’s making it last that takes the effort and compromise.
What does true love make you see? The world through twisted, distorted, lovely, endless-possibility-spectacles. What is true love here for? To highlight the good times and to get us through the bad. To keep us believing in our dreams and when we stop believing to re-ignite them all again in one fantastic moment. Who do you love the most? Well there’s a 100% loaded question. I love everyone who loves me the most and I'm also a pretty big fan of peaches. Five words for True Love All You Need Is Love...Right? What’s your favourite quote/saying about True Love? ‘The course of true love never did run smooth.’ - William Shakespeare
illustration BARRY QUINN
Photography
Milestones JOHNNY MCMILLAN Photographer
www.johnnymcmillan.com
First paycheque... My first big, proper paycheque would have been a shoot for Image that I did a good while back. Think it was the moment my parents realised that I could actually have a future in photography after spending 4 years in art college doing a degree that unfortunately didn’t look like anything was coming from. First friend... Would have to be my next door neighbour Rita who I’ve known since when I was about 4-years-old and went to primary school together. Rarely get to see each other these days, but I guess life has it’s own path for everyone and it’s when they cross, it’s nice to remember the good times you had together.
Last time you stayed up all night... Probably last week, a case of all clients wanting work done the next morning, so I loaded up on the hot Ribena and cherry bakewells and worked the night away. Last thing you learnt? Last thing I learnt was from my sister that when making instant coffee, it’s best to put the sugar and instant coffee and milk all together first and then add the hot water. Also, I learnt it’s possible to get sunburnt in March. Last time you cried... Toy Story 3. ’Nuff said. Apart from that, would have been the day my dog Harvey was put down. He never spoke back but was the best listener I’ve ever known in my life.
First travel... My dad used to travel lots with work, so I used to tag along a lot of the time, so I was extremely fortunate to see a lot at a young age. Probably the most memorable time abroad was when I was in Melbourne for a year, working, about 2 years ago. A place that I left a lot of good friends and have very happy memories.
Last book you read… Miranda July’s ‘No One Belongs Here More Than You’. Came across Miranda July’s work at the Whitney Biennial back in 2004 for a project that she did called ‘Learning to Love You More’ and this is a collection of her short stories (also you might know her from the movie that she wrote/directed ‘Me and You and Everyone We Know’)
First gig... Years ago my brother brought me to Sunstroke to see Soundgarden and White Zombie play...think that was back in ’95. Man, I’m getting old.
Last time you said ‘I’m sorry’… It’s quite a long story but I had spent a good few months getting over a bad breakup with a very close and dear friend of mine and for a good while I couldn’t understand it all. I go running a lot and I was running along the beach which is close to where I live and just one day I sat down by myself and said ‘Sorry’. Life is far too short to spend it arguing or worrying about simple things, and it takes the better person to say sorry in certain situations, even if it’s a case where you’re saying it to yourself on a beach.
First time you learnt to laugh at yourself... With work there’s always a serious tone to what needs to be done and what clients say but just a little bit of humour can go a long way to just enjoying your work and making sure that people who work on the day enjoy it too. As they say if you can’t laugh at yourself, then who can you laugh at?
In my closet...
DHAMMIKA UNA WIJETUNGE A Brief History
www.facebook.com/abriefhistory
How would you describe your style? I guess like a lot of people interested in fashion, I want to have fun when I get dressed. My clothes are more tongue-in-cheek than chic. Lots of unexpected things amuse me â&#x20AC;&#x201D; I really like mixing up things from different eras, and I get plenty of laughs from the whimsical jewellery they made in the 40s and over-the-top-girly clothes from the 50s. What's your earliest fashion memory? I can't remember a time when my mum wasn't taking me to yard sales in the States. It was great fun and a really good way to spend time with my mum. I still really miss driving around with her on those hot summer weekends. Back in those days, you could pick up a whole bag of 50s rhinestone jewellery for a dollar or a silk 60s cocktail dress for 50 cents. I bought all sorts of things, a lot of clothes that were too big for me, but that I just loved the look of. I guess I associate my current interest in fashion with those early days of curiosity.
Fashion
What do you like the feel of/texture of? You can't go wrong with silk — it's ultra feminine and always falls so well, but because I'm always cold (especially in Ireland!) and because I'm quite hard on my clothes, I've really grown to love wool of late. It's so hardy and when it's good quality, it can be incredibly soft. I have a 60s dress that feels like a cotton-silk mix, but it's actually knit wool...and it's so warm!
Who's your favourite costume designer? Oddly, I'd have to say Alfred Hitchcock. I don't actually know who did wardrobe for his films, but he must have had an influence, because costume is consistently memorable in all his work. If I had to choose, I think I'd say I loved the clothes in ‘Shadow of a Doubt’ best, but I even went gaga for the 70s stuff in ‘Frenzy’, and I'm not normally a big fan of 70s costume.
Who's your favourite fashion icon in the movies? and why? I don't have a fashion icon in the movies, but if we're talkin about the music scene, I really like Janelle Monae right now. She has this wonderful, androgynous, yet cultivated, pretty look. It's very defined and very odd. I love it. Although, I have also heard she may be an android, which is a bit worrying.
What's the craziest thing you have done in fashion?I Oh, boy. I wouldn't think of myself as being ‘in fashion’, really! In school, I made some of my own clothes and they might be classified as a bit ‘crazy’, I guess. I once made a combination necktie-vest thing out of this 60s remnant fabric. It was pretty hideous! I suppose you could say starting A Brief History was a bit crazy, but that was more necessity than lunacy.
What's the story behind A Brief History? I moved back to Ireland about a year ago and I was freelancing a bit, but fretting about finances and at the same time, strangely, having a really creative surge. It was a great time because I had a drive to make a bit of money and the freedom to do all the things I loved. I had been thinking about trying to sell vintage clothes for about a year before I moved back and I was lucky enough to have the time to start into it. The idea for A Brief History's name and the focus on 40s and 50s things came to me when I was using the free wi-fi in Juice. I spent a few hours creating a Facebook page over a couple of smoothies, and it was all go from there.
How do other people describe your style? Different. I've been told I have a good eye, but never that I have an eye for design. So I think, my strong point is in picking out things that are unusual, but I like to think I'm getting a lot better at knowing what's well constructed or made from good materials, too.
What's your favourite fashion city and why? Washington DC, where I grew up, is generally conservative when it comes to dress. Moving to London was a real eye opener. I don't know if it was because I was a bit older or because I had more friends interested in style or because there was such inventiveness on the streets or in the shops, but in London I really began to experiment and have fun with clothes again, like I had as a kid.
What's your weekend outfit? I can pretty much wear whatever I like in the office, so during the week I dress for comfort, for the most part. At the weekends, I really like wearing dresses and tend towards 50s things. If I'm feeling really energised, I might even put on heels.
What's your favourite item in your closet? Hm, so hard to say. At the moment I really have a thing for my collection of 40s celluloid souvenir brooches. They're whimsical without being too cute. If I had to choose an item of clothing, though, I think I'd say it's a 30s/40s cream, silk dress with a floral pattern. the knife-pleated skirts take to the air in kind of fluted coils when you walk – it's really beautiful.
I follow the sun...
photos EMMA TURPIN
Photography
Poetry
True love A true love story One that refrains from the gory, Nothing sappy (I’d say hearing this makes you happy!)
I suppose it started out as most things of the sort do And decided to take a risk Despite all the fears... It’s here their adventure began! She was eccentric and free No! No sense of normality
One day the boy in question had an exam Not your ordinary sort of test but one that challenged the best of the best! He was nervous But hopeful of a result that was.... Anything above a pass.
Was to meet him dressed as a fairy princess. I know what you’re thinking But it really wasn’t that sort of costume, One that gets the boys winking. It was what can only be described as a full length purple ensemble.
words and illustrations GEMMA NIC CONCHRA
Fashion
Did my heart love til now...
photographer Anahita Tabarsi stylist Arsheen Qasim makeup and hair ﾃ（ne Bane models Brendan Sheehan from BScene and Alanna Lawlor
Brendan: Floral shirt Topman, €40 Welt pocket pant American Apparel, €72 Charm bracelet Penneys, €5
Alanna: Green print maxi Vertigo Vintage, €45
Brendan: Shirt, Velour Indigo&Cloth, €110 Blue Jumper Topman, €56 Slim leg Jeans Penneys, €9 Alanna: Midnight blue 70s maxi dress Blondies Love Vintage ,€10 Blue necklace Penneys, €3
Brendan: Pinpoint Oxford Button-up American Apparel €56 Long sleeve thermal American Apparel, €25 Alanna: 50s floral dress Topshop, €76 Tan straw bag Penneys, €9 Pink bead necklace Forever 21, €10.90
by Jessica Timlin
Alanna: Bow-front prom dress Love Label Boutique, Littlewoods Ireland, €82 Floral blazer Sessún, Dolls Boutique, €220 Pearl necklace Forever21, €8.90
Brendan: Raglan white shirt Folk, Indigo&Cloth, €95 Black Jeans Fifth Avenue Shoe Repair, Indigo&Cloth, €215 Cali fleece cape American Apparel, €65 Finger puppets handmade from Peru for Amnesty International Paper crowns
Floral blazer Sessún, Dolls Boutique, €220 Pearl necklace Forever21, €8.90 Paper crowns by Jessica Timlin
Blue cardigan Topman ,€60
Blue floral shirt Topman, €40
Blue floral shirt Topman, €40 Alanna: Vintage pale blue chiffon maxi Vertigo Vintage, €45 Vintage blue jacket 9 Crow St, €20 Blue bead necklace Forever 21, €6.90
Brendan: Blue cardigan Topman ,€60
Pale grey knit jumper SNS Herning, Indigo&Cloth, €175
Alanna: Oversize shirt Penneys, €13 Maxi-dress Laundry Room, Arnott’s, €45 Pink kimono Penneys, €15 Pink bead necklace Forever 21, €10.90
Brendan: Charcoal wool jersey tee Fifth Avenue Shoe Repair, Indigo&Cloth, €75 Masks stylist’s own
My Shop DOC HUYSMANS Dublin City Comics
facebook.com/DublinCityComics
Name and location Dublin City Comics and Collectibles, 46 Bolton Street opposite the college around the corner from Cineworld Cinemas on Parnell Street.
What are your hopes for the shop? That it succeeds. I’ve no delusions of owning a string of stores across the globe. I just want my little shop to be a place for people to enjoy shopping/hanging out.
What do you sell? Comics, Graphic Novels, Comic/Sci Fi/Fantasy and Horror statues and busts, Models, Action figures, toys and more!
What’s the one thing you want people to know about your shop? That we’re awesome. We’re the cheapest, friendliest comic shop in Dublin and we’re the only place ye can buy your comics and sit down with a coffee and read em and yes, I know that’s not one thing but I felt like I was on a roll there.
How do you run the shop? Like a Boss! Selling comics, ordering comics, spend about 70% of my working day talking comic-related nonsense with my customers. How do you decorate it? With shelves and display cabinets upstairs, downstairs is a little more interesting though with couches and art tables, old school consoles and loads of awesome posters on the walls. What’s your customer like? Regular people like everybody else, they’re just a little more passionate about comics and movies. Favourite thing about the shop? It’s mine. Well mine and Christy’s. Christy looks after all the models and action figures, generally, all the serious collector stuff. The Geekeasy has to be my favourite part. The Geakeasy is our purpose-built hangout for comics and movie fans. It’s awesome!
What’s the most difficult thing about running a shop in Dublin today? The government making bits outta the economy, so people can’t afford their comics and toys. Cheeky buggers. What’s the importance of a comic book store in Dublin today? Comic shops are important as they provide people somewhere to escape the doom and gloom of modern Ireland. Comics are a cheap, fun way to relax and chill out. How does your shop reflect you? It’s basically what my friends and I always wanted from a comic shop. Somewhere to buy me comics and toys, but also somewhere to hang out with my mates and discuss comic/movie stuff without having to worry about the usual sideways glances ye get when discussing whether or not Boba Fett would kick Batman’s ass up and down Gotham City.
Music
zzzzzzDREAMzzzzzz ERIC MCGRATH Musician
www.ericmcgrathmusic.com My dreams are… Since setting up my home studio a few years ago, I have been getting carried away with my recordings and neglecting my need to rest. However, in a way, by spending so much time on my own music, I am actually living out one of my biggest dreams so I can’t complain. My secret dream is… a secret. I suppose it would be to some day provide my kids with the same opportunities that I was lucky enough to have when growing up. I would hate for my uncertain career choice to have any detrimental effects on anybody else. To dream is to… allow your mind to momentarily escape through a succession of thoughts. I have always found the whole idea of dreaming to be fascinating. We seem to take for granted the fact that we can simultaneously live out various parallel lives all within the boundries of our tiny minds. I recently read that the Piraha people of the Amazon put equal value on their dream experiences, as they do on those in real life. I find myself daydreaming about… having a clone! Really, I would love one. I have so many ideas at the moment that there aren’t enough hours in the day. Actually come to think of it, an army of clones would be great! The biggest dream I have realised is… To randomly turn on the radio and hear one of my songs being played on a national station. That has been a huge confidence booster. Having put so much effort into writing and recording my music, these little “pats on the back” from the industry mean an awful lot.
What is the last dream you remember having… For years, I have been waking from dreams of having just played on some TV or radio show only to be immediately shot down on realising that it never actually happened. However, last month, I woke in my usual hazy blur having just dreamt that for some reason Pat Kenny had invited me to play on his programme. It took a few minutes but it was an amazing feeling when I finally convinced myself that it was real and that I was to be a guest on his show that very day. What is your most vivid dream/memory… as a kid I used to have a recurring dream about flying over cities by night. It was great fun. I can remember vividly looking down on all the bustling lights below from my magic carpet-like bed. It’s funny, I hadn’t thought about that dream in a long time but I can still remember how real it felt.
photo EILISH MCCORMICK
Article
Dublin loves you... it’s just bad at showing its feelings words CONOR CREIGHTON photo ANNIE ATKINS On cold nights when the wind rushes at you from up and under, and the walk home is long, and the home itself is cold as the dead and the milk in the fridge might still be in date but probably isn’t and who knows what tomorrow will bring but maybe Youtube will cough up something fresh, love descends on Dublin like a raggedy fire blanket suffocating a flame. It’s not easy to be alone here. The beds are too cold. The windows were installed by monkeys. You wake three times in the middle of the night to beat life back into your hands and feet. The couch needs a counterbalance or it flips you on your arse and the cheap wine makes you depressed if you drink it alone. You build a home on an island that eyeballs the cold side of the Atlantic and you won’t convince anyone you’re a fan of easy. See, Dublin is a problem, so you share it by giving a half to someone else. And that’s what brings them together. There are no Cupid arrows, but there are darts and last buses and no one wants to take one on their own. Love is not blind in Dublin, it’s just able to compromise and strip away looks and personality until all you’re left with is some warm bones and hopefully enough loose change to bring your combined buying power to the price of bread and rashers Sunday morning. And in Dublin that’s enough ingredient to make a whole batch of love. Expectations aren’t high, because the need is strong.
Couples have a shared enemy in the wind and the rain and the mess. The shit makes your love shine. Dublin knows this. It’s part of its dirty charm. You take a step out of any bar at any hour of the night with a slight feeling of regret that you didn’t have the stones to talk to that person who was throwing you signals across the room, and a sudden pitter patter of rain or a howling gale will send you right back inside to force destiny. It’s like you’re on a plane and the captain’s just come on the tannoy to say ‘Ladies and Gentleman, that large bang you just heard was the left engine exploding. And the bang before that one was the right engine doing the same.’ And you look around and land on a pair of brown eyes looking back and you think to yourself, why the fuck not? Dublin loves you. It may feel like the plane is falling out of the sky, and you may ask if wet socks, neck cricks and a constant runny nose are the way this city shows it cares, wouldn’t I rather be alone? But no, Dublin loves you. It’s just playing bad so you’ll see the good in others. And when you’re staring into your lover’s eyes, and those eyes are jumping two different directions around a face more lunar than lovely and you say ‘I love you’ and they say ‘I love you’ back and it’s impossible that you can but you do, then you know this grand ugly mess of attraction has occurred for one reason, and that reason is Dublin loves you. Conor Creighton is a freelance writer and editor of Dear John Magazine www.dearjohnmagazine.com
Feature
Girl Beats We count the beats in with four girl DJs who truly love what they do â&#x20AC;&#x201C; spinning the decks.
Feature
How did you get into DJing? I started playing around with records when I was 17 and from then on I was hooked. My main loves in life are music and fashion, so I started doing independent fashion shows around London. This industry has a lot to do with meeting people, you have to be willing to take risks, go out to new venues, meet people involved in the music industry and most importantly promote yourself. How do you find the industry responds to female DJs? I find that the industry responds to female DJs the same way it responds to male DJs, at the end the day we are all doing the same thing: introducing people to new sounds. Although, I'd say girls are have more of a niche due to the fact there aren't as many of us.
SOPHIE DE VERE
be beginner, intermediate or professional, it all depends on if they’re really into it. You can hear great DJs anywhere, you can hear bad DJs anywhere, despite the sex. What do you truly love about DJing? The energy I get when I share my music, I love giving people that buzz, that euphoric feeling when you hear a great new song. The thrill of playing to a crowd, the excitement of a new place and meeting new, interesting people – there’s a natural rush which is hard to explain, it’s inspiring. What’s your go-to-song that fills the dancefloor? It’s hard to choose one song that gets people going, anything classic, anything with a general, uplifting feel, anything Stevie Wonder usually works.
How do you get the crowd going? By playing songs no-one’s ever heard before. People get a rush off new sounds and when you feel their energy, you can determine how far you want to take it.
What is your usual club gear? I wear comfortable most of the time, a great dress, a pair of lush jeans, ankle boots – basics. I can’t wear heels when I’m playing, too painful and not great for counting a beat in.
What venue/city would you love to DJ in? The Cr azy Horse, Paris.
What’s your best dance move? I guess I do my own thing. I dance like no-one’s watching.
Why are girl DJs better? Girl DJs aren't necessarily better than male DJs. They can
Where’s the party at? Wherever your friends are!
Feature
photo EIMEAR FITZMAURICE
SARAH BYRNE
How did you get into DJing? Like most people I just started following new artists and bands more, and getting more interested in clubbing. Me and my mate Alan blagged our way into DJing at an indie night and then we moved to London. Came back and started our own night called TAC in Button Factory, and that was it really.
Why are girl DJs better? They are often more prepared to give the ‘less cool’ tracks a spin, just because they are fun songs.
How do you find the industry responds to female DJs? To be honest, I don’t think the problem is how the industry responds to female DJs, I think the problem is more how female DJs respond to the industry. Girls need to be more confident with themselves and with decks.
What’s your go-to-song that fills the dancefloor? Ha, I do listen to more ‘credible’ stuff, but what can I say, love a bitta ‘Bad Touch’ Bloodhound Gang. Though Daft Punk ‘Around the World’/ ‘Atlas’, Battles are beautiful for mixing.
How do you get the crowd going? I like to play songs people don’t expect or haven’t heard in years. There’s no better response than when you play a song, and people almost stop as they begin to remember back, and as soon as they realise they start screaming ‘Oh my fucking God I love this song!’ Also unexpected mixes go down a treat. Alejandro into Backstreet Boys is a fave. What venue/city would you love to DJ in? I’d love to play in somewhere like Brooklyn, just cuz it’s so relaxed there, you could take some risks.
What do you truly love about DJing? Having a room of 700 people scream, because you’ve put on a song they never expected to hear. It’s addictive.
What is your usual club gear? Spandex, lace and feathers. Without irony. What’s your best dance move? What my friends would probably call ‘The Hoochie Mama’. Where’s the party at? Eh, shameless plug, WAR at ALT obviously! Or Mother at Copper Alley is also brilliant. Or my house. I’m deadly craic.
Sarah Byrne plays WAR, Fridays 10pm, at Andrew’s Lane Theatre, 9 St Andrew’s Lane
Feature
MO KELLY Why are girl DJs better? It’s not about being better it’s about being equal! How did you get into DJing? In art college I put music together for people’s exhibitions and fashion shows, but I had yet to actually DJ live. One friend just took the bull by the horns and booked me for a gig. I had a few weeks to get a set together, I borrowed a set of decks and practiced day and night. It ended up being really good and I got another gig straightaway and that was kind of it. How do you find the industry responds to female DJs? I think quite well, there is a keen fit in the fashion type events. However, promoters can be slow to give girls the top slots, preferring to see them in support. ‘Always the Bridesmaid’ syndrome. Though, things are changing slowly for the better. How do you get the crowd going? Keep an eye on them, play to them. As cheesy as it sounds, if you love a track and enjoy what you’re doing it transfers to the crowd. Also, the reverse is true. What venue/city would you love to DJ in? I’d love to DJ at midnight in the high-rise control tower DJ booth in Trash City at Glastonbury. It’s like something from Mad Max! With all the pyrotechnics and madness. And I know I could play as heavy as I liked.
What do you truly love about DJing? Everything! Travel and getting to play your own choice of music, really loud while out with your friends – what’s not to like? What’s your go-to-song that fills the dancefloor? Having a moment with these at the min: Justice, Phantom Pt.II, Boys Noize Remix, Groove me - Maximum Balloon and Rock N’ Roll (will take you to the mountain) - Skrillex What is your usual club gear? There are a few things you can’t really wear DJing – nothing too short as you can be bending down to a record bag, also anything with dangly bits, like jewellery can get caught in the decks or headphones, I have sent many an earring flying off into the night! What’s your best dance move? It’s hard to dance behind the decks with any great accuracy, your attached to them for a start and hunched over, so the best I manage is an up/down head bop movement. I do have gold medals in the Cha Cha and Foxtrot from when I was 12 though. Where’s the party at? Venice at Carnival, I was there last month, the whole city dons masks and cloaks and parties for two weeks pre-lent. Fantastic, definitely worth experiencing.
Feature
photo PETER FINGLETON
KELLY-ANNE BYRNE
How did you get into DJing? I had a really big vinyl collection as my parents were massive music fans. They brought me up listening to Tamla Motown, Bowie, The Who, Marvin Gaye and lots of soul, funk and disco. With all this great music lying around me, I made a mix-tape and sent it around bars. That’s how I landed my first gig in the Dice Bar.
Why are girl DJs better? In some ways I think girls are more open to getting the crowd going. Male DJs when they start out are much more competitive with each other about their technical ability, as opposed to making people have a good time. I’m not interested in competing with the DJ beside me. Obviously I’m generalising here, though.
How do you find the industry responds to female DJs? Being female worked to my advantage in many ways. I started playing in Dublin almost 10 years ago when there were very few female DJs, so I got quite a lot of gigs. You do need a strong personality though, because it is male-dominated, but I have to say that most male DJs supported me back then. It was a smaller scene. It’s different now because downloading has made it easier for anyone to play, so it has become much more competitive.
What do you truly love about DJing? I’ve had some of the best times of my life when I’ve been DJing. If you’ve got a crowd in front of you singing the words of a song in unison, it’s the best feeling in the world.
How do you get the crowd going? I love playing to the crowd, so lots of good disco usually works. People are out to have a good time, they want to go home feeling that they’ve had a great night and danced their socks off. What venue/city would you love to DJ in? If I could travel back in time, it would be Studio 54 in New York.
What’s your go-to-song that fills the dancefloor? Probably the Dimitri from Paris mix of ‘Lost in Music’ by Sister Sledge. What is your usual club gear? Hotpants and heels! What’s your best dance move? Boxstep! Where’s the party at? Every Saturday at ‘Mother’, Copper Alley, most people feel they’ve lost weight after they’ve been there, from dancing so much! Kelly-Anne Byrne plays at Mother, every Saturday, Copper Alley, Exchange Street, Dublin 2
illustration AIMEE O’BEIRNE
Five truths about myself
Charity
JONATHAN HENDERSON
Run 21 Challenge - Running 21 races for charity www.facebook.com/run21challenge
1 I’ve always wanted to be able to do two things, firstly, to play the guitar. I have two guitars at the moment, an acoustic and an electric, and I can’t play a single thing on either one of them. Secondly, to be great at a martial art of some kind – like really great, Hollywood blockbuster great! Maybe someday I’ll be a martial arts master, who by day plays great guitar, but at night solves crime. That’s possible right? 2 I get wrapped up in what I try to achieve sometimes. In the past this has gotten me into trouble with people. When I come up with certain projects to do, or targets to achieve in my life, I usually dive straight in and sometimes forget everything else that’s going on around me with everyone else. There’s a big chance that this might happen again this year, but hopefully people will understand, because it’s the most important challenge I’ve ever taken on. 3 I don’t like the idea that I haven’t or won’t have achieved anything that means something real in my life. I want to look back on my life and be able to say that I did something good, something real, and something that may have made a difference at some stage to someone or something. If I play my cards right, I’d have maybe sixty plus years on the planet. Would be kind of a shame to spend all that time here and not have something to be proud of at the end of it all.
I think everyone should have at least one thing in their life that they can look back on and say ‘Yep, I’m proud of myself for that one, that actually meant something’. Hopefully I’ll be achieving my something this year. 4 Public Speaking in front of a room full of people scares the living hell out of me. In college, we had a Communications class, for which we had to write a presentation and then speak about it to the entire class. To ease my nerves, lunch-time that day was spent in the pub. In my line of work now, I often have to present to the department, but there’s no pub- assistance these days. It’s just a case of getting up and getting it done, but more often than not, I still get pretty nervous. Strange personality trait to have, seeing as I was a lead singer in a band for over two years, and had no bother singing and performing in front of people in Vicar street. 5 I have three things that I wear every day. A ring, which one of my closest friends gave me a long, long time ago for a birthday. A chain that has two crosses on it, and a blue hair-band around my left wrist, which reminds me of two people who mean the world to me and as small as it is, it’s very important that I keep it with me.
Jonathan is running 21 races across the country, a total of 147 miles starting April 10th for Our Lady's Children's Hospital in Crumlin. Run 21 music fundraiser is on June 3rd at The Mezz Venue, 7.30pm
Ode to the barbershop
photos ROBERT MURPHY
Photography
photo SAIBH EGAN
Poetry
Last Words Before you go Know this You are different in every light But I know the way of you, How your heart moves I'll have you - again You will remember me My old rose We will swirl from the earth And come undone again Our folds are infinite
words KERRIE Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;BRIEN illustration MAHNAZ TABARSI
I will not bury you
Photography
One True Love RICHARD GILLIGAN Photographer and Skateboarder www.richgilligan.com
When did you become interested in skateboarding? Whilst watching “Back To The Future” for the first time or maybe seeing older lads flying out of a ramp in the Quinnsworth car park in Roselawn shopping centre. Either way it was mid to late 1980s on the Northside of Dublin. What random places has skateboarding brought you to? Israel, Oregon, Marseille, Dungannon, N.Y.C and Swords. What do you love most about skateboarding? Pushing fast through the city and frontside grinds. Skateboarding inspired you to… Pick up a camera and get out of Ireland. How is the skateboarding culture in Ireland evolving? It is getting better and better all the time, with the emergence of lots of concrete parks there has never been a better time to be a skater here. What’s your most elaborate skateboarding trick? Falling on my face with grace. Who’s your skateboarding hero? Jay Dords – a lunatic from Derry who is the unsung hero of Irish skateboarding.
photo JANE MCGARRIGLE
Fiction
Nobodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Daughter words DAVID RUDDEN photo LUCY NUZUM
The first man she ever let into her bed was a pirate in all but profession; a collection of the clichĂŠs young women love, all anger and bravado wrapped in his father's leather jacket and his mother's bronze skin. He loved her the way you love your first drink, with that curious possessiveness that becomes distaste in familiarity. He left her with shaking legs and the unfamiliar taste of cigarettes. Quietly, she dressed and became someone else. Her second was terrified of love and therefore her, seeing his death in her widened eyes and milk skin. He loved her anyway, unwillingly, with passion that faltered and flew.
He touched her like a boy, only the scrape of stubble against her cheek proving he had seen more of the world than her. Maybe it was a different world, she mused as he melted beneath her, sliding off her edges and pooling in her cracks. She stands now, a scarecrow collection of bones and small, high breasts, her first man's coat flapping impatiently against her legs. Cars spin by in skelters of violet and red, and she turns a cigarette over and over in her hand. Maybe she'll ask her third man to light it and his eyes will reflect the flame, or nothing at all but her open mouth and the sound of her voice.
photos LEONN WARD model FIONA O’NEILL skirt by FIONA O’NEILL
Photography
A Woodland Tale
illustration SUSANNE WAWRA
illustration HILDA ALLEN
Five things that changed my world
Fashion
EMMA MANLEY Fashion Designer www.emmamanley.com
My first sewing machine Little did I know that I would spend many years hunched over a grown up version of it. I got it for my 4th birthday and I haven't looked back since. I thought I was just like my mum, perched beside her attempting to make dolls’ clothes whilst she made beautiful wedding gowns. Moving to New York Firstly, I was naïve to do this and secondly, alone. But finding myself virtually homeless on the streets of Brooklyn with a rucksack on my back and a portfolio in my hand, was the start of everything. It was time to burst the bubble and step into the real world. My anonymity made me fearless. Jonathan Saunders While I was working as a Style Advisor for Topshop, the team were invited to a talk with Jonathan Saunders in London. I could barley contain myself. I got talking to Jonathan after and he gave me so much advice. His words really helped to steer my education and career for the following years. He was so normal, terribly humble and a complete inspiration. I met him again last year, and he was still all of the above. It’s
refreshing to know that people’s values can stay intact, despite immense success and industry acclaim. Trust me, after working for two years on the New York and London fashion scene, that’s a rarity. My Mac I love her so very much. I only shook off my techno-phobia and discovered her powers in the last year. I never thought I would be tied to a desk, but the majority of my working day is spent on my Mac, from updating the Manley website, twitter and facebook accounts, keeping my online shop in order, organising endless paperwork, my diary, accounts, banking, orders. I listen to my music off it when I’m designing and after work it’s my social pad for reading blogs, and watching all my favourite TV reruns. Without it I would be lost. Dave My Dad, an inspirational businessman with a work ethos and charisma like no other. He was an innovator and super supportive father and family man. I had the chance to watch and learn from him for 15 years and for that I am forever grateful. My family, friends and health are even more valuable to me now and I’m wise to the stamp one person can make on the world.
What... MR STEVE MCCARTHY Illustrator
www.mrstevemccarthy.com
What colours inspire you? Well, I've long been fascinated by a neurologically-based condition known as Synesthesia where a person’s senses become confused, so they taste sounds or hear colours. I love this idea, and I wish I could flick a switch and try it out for a day. I want to hear what Technicolor sounds like. What’s your life motto? I don't know yet, I suppose I haven't been around long enough. But if I had to come up with one for the purposes of this interview, I'd say 'Absolute Begonias'. I don't know what it means but I wrote it on a poster one day, probably with some meaningful intention, but then I totally forgot what it meant, and it’s still on my wall. I'd quite like it to become common usage. What attributes do you like/dislike in people? I like people who are wired differently to me, people who seem to have figured things out, I like being surrounded by people who impress me, and I am. I should let them know more often, but I don't, you don't want them to get all big headed about it.
What is your weirdest/strangest habit? Once a month I travel to the west coast and collect one Atlantic salmon. I then carefully transport it back to the Bray Aquarium in Dublin, where under cover of darkness, I release it into the Aquarium trout tank. I then take a single trout and make the long trip back to the west coast, where I release it into the Atlantic. I've done it for several years, and nobody has yet noticed. I don't know if you would call it a 'weird' habit, just rather tedious. What flavours do you like? Technicolor. What have you accomplished that makes you most proud? I once sang Neil Young’s "Heart of Gold" in the style of Jean-Luc Picard from the Starship Enterprise, I was rather chuffed with that. What would you recommend someone to try at least once in their life? Sing Neil Young’s ‘Heart of Gold’ in the style of Jean-Luc Picard from the Starship Enterprise.
Fashion
It is at moments after I have dreamed â&#x20AC;Ś
photographer Elena Gallotta mua/stylist Catherine Richard hair Mary T, Kevilles, Wexford clothes Dai Boutique, Wexford model Flavia Woulfe
illustration SUSANNE WAWRA
Music
Versus JAMES BYRNE
Any Other City Records www.anyothercity.com
Pulp Fiction Vs Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels Pulp Fiction Beatles Vs Rolling Stones Rolling Stones, Charlie Watts is the clincher. Brigitte Bardot Vs Audrey Hepburn Brigitte Bardot Marlon Brando or James Dean Marlon Brando Batman Vs Spiderman Batman Muppets Vs Sesame Street? Sesame Street – still teaching me about life. Francis Ford Coppola Vs Martin Scorcese? Martin Scorcese Kate Moss Vs Sienna Miller? Kate Moss, circa '96 only. Alan Moore Vs Neil Gaiman Neither, I prefer Garth Ennis.
Marvel Comics Vs DC Comics DC Comics. Chuck Norris Vs Bruce Lee Bruce Lee every day of the week! The Daily Planet Vs The Daily Bugle The Daily Bugle Jason Voorhees (Friday the 13th) Vs Michael Meyers (Halloween)? Michael Meyers. I’m a big William Shatner fan. The Brothers Grimm Vs Hans Christian Anderson Hans Christian Anderson James Bond Vs Jason Bourne James Bond, better posture. Muhammad Ali Vs Mike Tyson Iron Mike Tyson – greatest heavy-weight of ALL time. Salvador Dali Vs Pablo Picasso Salvador Dali Arnold Schwarzaneggar Vs Sylvester Stallone Arnold Schwarzaneggar, never been in a bad movie.
Harry Potter Vs Twilight Equally hellish.
Robert DeNiro Vs Al Pacino Robert DeNiro. Midnight Run PROVES he can do comedy.
Lord of The Rings Vs Star Wars Star Wars.
Conan O'Brien Vs Jay Leno Team Coco!
Tom and Jerry Vs Tweety and Sylvester Tom and Jerry, more heart.
The Three Stooges Vs Laurel and Hardy Laurel and Hardy.
Disney Vs Pixar Disney, but only the hand-drawn ones.
Zac Posen Vs Marc Jacobs Marc Jacobs, a bit more fun.
photo PATRICK HOUGH
Top three best albums I am no music snob, by any stretch of the imagination, so don’t laugh: Lady Gaga - ‘The Fame Monster’ - ‘The Fame’ was just to whet our appetites. I think this is her real breakthrough album, and will always be her best. Best track - ‘Monster’.
Top three websites/blogs www.jamesmcloughlin1.blogspot.com A photographing friend who is having the time of his life. One to watch, this photo-diary shows all of his day-to-day adventures, as well as his more professional side. Take note.
Robyn - Any of her ‘Body Talk’ albums- And to think I didn’t even know who she was at Electric Picnic last year. I missed out. There is nothing I don’t like about her. Best track - ‘Dancing on my own.’
www.vogue.fr A necessary resource to get the latest news and opinions and to see the most current shows. I read the French version as it helps me keep on top of the language.
Visage - ‘The Best of Visage’ - I am a whore for all greatest hits albums, and this is one my dad listened to, back in the day. A lovely blend of new-wave and synth. Best track - ‘In the year 2525’.
www.homotography.com Beautiful boys, with all the photos having a fashion slant. Nice for a bit of inspiration, motivation, and escapism.
Top threes with... STEPHEN MOLONEY Blogger www.stitchesfabricandsoul.com
Top three clubs nights Despite my trying to go out less and less these days, I’m all about: C U Next Tuesday - Two or three rooms every week in Crawdaddy with a completely different sound in each, Nirvana or Nicki Minaj for example. Great promotions, for drinks and American Apparel. I see all my friends there, so it’s nice in that regard too. Mother – For an unadulterated gay night out, I go here. Every Saturday night, in Copper Alley, until very, very late. The music is strictly synth, the ceilings are low, the prices are on the floor, and the vibe is perpetually positive, older, and sweaty. CHEWN - Same location as C U Next Tuesday, except on a Thursday. A similar vibe, with some really promising DJs and guests. I haven’t, in fact, been yet, but word of mouth has done this night wonders. Also, free naggins of vodka, anybody? Top three city destinations London - Might be living there for a while this Summer. For somewhere so close to home, I really should visit more. I sort of forget how international it really is. Venice - Yeah, there are probably a few too many tourists and pigeons, but I mean can you blame them for flocking there? This city is a wonder - its inception, its grandeur, its history. Finishing a holiday there with a midnight water taxi around the canals a few years back has me longing to retire there. If it’s still around, that is. Pray for a good thing. New York - No explanation needed.
Top three street-style trends There are no trends in street-style, that is what sets it apart - pure individuality. I would say the biggest influencers were: Fur - I am so tired of it, I won’t take another picture of it, but every time I see someone wearing it, I am happy. Extreme hems - I am very taken by floor-skimming daytime skirts, which I haven’t seen enough of. Also, I really like the shortest of the short once it’s done in a chic sort of way. These are very evening kind of lengths, so I guess that’s why I like it when I notice them on the street. Attitude - I love when a person’s whole outfit will be completely transformed by the way they walk, their mannerisms, a smile or scowl, and how they carry themselves. It’s transformative and non-transferable. It’s what brings individuality to a look, and seeing it is why I love what I do. Top three vintage boutiques Wild Child Originals, Drury Street - I like how they have introduced the ‘kilo sale’ concept to these shores. A really clean space, charming and interesting staff, and a hell of a lot of sequinned everything – what’s not to like? 9 Crow Street, Temple Bar - Run by two of my friends, it’s great to see this kind of get-go by young people. It’s probably one of the best-stocked shops in the city. I love how it’s bringing something different to independent retailers in Dublin by offering free gallery space, and hosting in-store gigs. Fancy Schmancy Vintage, Basement of Flip, Temple Bar - This guy told me if he could open a store just stocking fierce jumpsuits he’d be a happy man. With a proprietor with that kind of an outlook and goal for his store, you know you’re in for a good time. Top three romances There is only one.
A chit-chat with...
CILLIAN MURPHY from HIRED HANDS www.myspace.com/thehiredhandsdublin
How did you form the band? I met Dearbhla our other vocalist and Fergus our guitarist in Trinity. We shared a love of old folk and inevitably formed a group. We got my sister Olwen on board on drums, recruited Grace, also in Trinity, on violin, and I called up two old friends Dina and Darren who I had played saxophone with years before to add sparkle to the mix.
Music
What are your nicknames for each other? Hatchenator, Gussles, Cillatron, Dib, Graceface, Olly, Dinasaurus Rex... What are your party-tricks? Fergus’s glasses falling off during shows.
What’s the strangest thing that has happened at one of your gigs? A girl throwing her necklace down Darren’s saxophone (which he was in the middle of playing) while screaming What’s your most fun group activity (apart from playing her adoration at him. music together)? Eating. There’s no better activity before or after gigs than What kind of people come to your gigs? filling to the brim with chips, burgers and the likes. Other musicians actually. There’s a healthy community of How do you keep each other entertained? Grace handles that really. She is the willing brunt of all our jokes. Who gets the most attention out of all of you at a gig? My sister Olwen. There’s always some drummer bloke who comes up after the set who can’t believe he’s witnessed a girl drummer who can really play.
people who really dig music in Dublin and we go to each other’s shows whenever we can. Who’s the best dancer out of the collective? Undoubtedly Fergus. He shakes his skinny hips like’s there’s no tomorrow. Hired Hands Album 'My Heart Hung' launches on 23rd April at the Workman's Club.
Film
5Ws & an H PHILIP KELLY Writer/Director www.imphilip.com
What piece of furniture could you not live without? Bookcases. They are incredibly versatile. Not only are they very practical storage devices, most notably for books, they also aid in peacock-like displays of cultural prowess. I recently heard a statistic that a surprisingly high number of ‘The Wire’ boxset owners have never actually watched the series and merely keep it on display for the benefit of their watercooler buddies who are over visiting for fondue night. I find that my copy of Catcher In The Rye nestled beside The Anarchist Cookbook is an equally good conversation starter. Who can you count on? There are too many to list (Liam Ryan, Eamonn Cleary and JJ Rolfe would be the tip of the iceberg) and I can't even begin to tell you how supportive and understanding my parents are. But my rather jaded view is that you can really only count on yourself. When it comes down to the wire and it's all on you, ya gotta trust yourself. If you can't count on yourself, well... Where would you like to be right now? Hartland, Vermont, United States of America. I have friend living there at the moment and I would very much like to hang out with her. It’s been a while. When are you at your most original? My horibbily clichéd answer to that question is I don’t know if I’ve ever really felt original. I still feel like I’m following in the footsteps of great directors before me.
However, if you were to ask me when I feel at my most creative I’d probably say when I’m surrounded by a crew, particularly during pre-production on a project. When that many talented and amazing people get together to work on something, you can’t help but feel creative. Why did you decide to work in film? I suck at learning to play instruments. Seriously…I love stories and I love how images can evoke emotions so I guess I naturally gravitated to the world of film. Layer on top all the other forms of art and design that it pulls in, from human performance to music to illustration and I find it a very exciting medium to work in. Plus it’s surrounded by an industry that embraces facial hair and a slight disregard for health and well-being. How do you dance? Very well for someone with no formal training. Or so I’m told. 50% of all music ever created is made with the purpose of making you move. The other 50% is created with the purpose of getting you through break-ups. Now don’t quote me on those figures, but I’m pretty sure you know which half you’re most likely to hear at a party. I’m a slave to made-up statistics, so as a result you’ll usually find me on the dancefloor.
Pairs and Spares is a romantic-comedy short film written and directed by Philip Kelly. Keep an eye out for it on the film festival circuit this summer.
Rachel Brady and Jack Hickey, shot on location at Foam Cafe and Gallery, 24 Strand Street Great photographed by Anahita Tabarsi styled by Arsheen Qasim makeup and hair by Julianna Grogan ______________________
Rachel wears American flag sweatshirt, Topshop €46; Floral print shorts, Penneys €13; Straw hat, Penneys €4 Jack wears Navy stripe tee, Topman €20; Solid rib, long cardigan, American Apparel €47; Fleece zip hoody, American Apparel €46; Moto Jeans, Topman €30.
Film Rachel wears Floral print cardigan, Topshop €55; Floral jumpsuit, Penneys €21; Orange, strappy wedge shoes, Topshop €106; Stripe, pocket-frock, American Apparel €41. Jack wears Moto Jeans, Topman €30; Fleece Zip hoody, American Apparel €46; Turtlehead for Topman, red tee, Topman, €24; Yellow watch, Penneys, €5.
Tea-time with...
RACHEL BRADY and JACK HICKEY Actors
What is Pairs and Spares about? And what did you play? RACHEL: Pairs and Spares is a good old boy-meets-girl story, only it’s set in a bowling alley and there’s a twist at the end. I played Ashley, a bowling champion with a penchant for 50s fashion and winning at all costs. It was the best fun, the two characters (myself and Jack’s character) have a ‘bowl off’ which becomes a sort of dance-off. By the end we’re pirouetting and jumping all over the place. JACK: It's a bright, offbeat short which involves different types of dance, and movement. The character I play was pitched as a James Dean meets Gene Kelly, two very different schools but fun to play! How do you bowl? RACHEL: Atrociously…they usually have to put up the
bumpers for me. Jack and I learned from a professional coach, and there’s quite a technique to it. I did bowl one strike when we were shooting, but they didn’t get it on camera, dammit! JACK: Extend the arm and slap yourself on the back. Works in theory, in practice, I'm still not so sure. What’s your favourite style of dancing? JACK: Don't know if I really have one. What was interesting about this project was the various different dancing styles fused together. We had a great choreographer on set, Aisling Byrne, who helped us do that. RACHEL: I started out doing ballet, I’m back doing it now. It’s so disciplined and I find that really hard. In my fourth year of school I took up jazz, contemporary and hip hop, and I was pretty rubbish at first. I worked hard and got better but I think the important thing for me with dance is to find the joy in it. It’s not just about getting all the steps right. I dance burlesque at the moment and I absolutely love it! It’s all about fun and freedom really, a burlesque routine can be anything you want it to be, it’s all about the performance! I’m addicted to Got To Dance, and any dance films that come out, I have to go see them.
Rachel wears Stripe pencil skirt, Topshop €49; Orange shift dress worn as top, Laundry Room, Arnott's €59; Orange, strappy wedge shoes, Topshop €106 Jack wears Welt pocket pants, American Apparel €72; Print Jumper, Topman €50; Orange checkshirt, Penneys €13.
What’s your fashion style and what piece of clothing could you never part with? RACHEL: I love a bit of red lipstick, a vintage dress and a flower in my hair. My style is very eclectic, quite like this shoot. I have a hat with a teddy on it which is all stretched out of shape, but I love it. I feel about three-years-old when I wear it. JACK: Pretty simple I guess, like my check shirts and jeans. Would love to wear suits like Don Draper but seems a bit impractical! What do you like the most and the least about acting? JACK: Most, I would say it's the excitement of every job being unique. Every character, every play, and every film is completely different. Provides a new challenge from week to week. The thing I like least would be the waiting around, whether on a set or by the phone. That's why a lot of actors are creating their own work, for the Dublin Fringe Festival or Project Brand New. Two organisations encouraging and promoting exciting new work. RACHEL: That is a really difficult question. What I like? Well I love a good story. And it’s wonderful to be part of a really good story. Mostly, I love creeping into someone else’s shoes. It’s not because I want to escape who I am, rather it’s like there’s all these characters in me, wanting to
be brought to the surface. As a kid I had a big dressing-up box (my mum was a drama teacher so it was the best dressing up box in town!) and me and my friends would play all day as pirates, or clowns or secret agents. I love that my job still lets me play! What I like least is that it’s so, so personal. I’m the product. It’s me that gets chosen or not chosen for a job, me that gets reviewed. I am not separate from my art in any way, I’m all I have! Sometimes I wish I could paint or write in order to distance myself a little. What makes a good actor? RACHEL: Hard work. There are so many brilliant actors out there. The only way to have the edge is to work really, really hard. I think also good actors have excellent instincts. They have the ability to go with what their gut tells them at a particular moment. JACK: A million things. If it were easier to explain I'd have it! You need to be watchable, and willing to work hard. Who’s your favourite actor or actress and why? JACK: At the moment I'd say Tom Hardy or Michael Fassbender. I just admire the way they fully transform themselves from role to role. Fassbender recently spoke at my drama school and I loved his relaxed attitude towards the work, a really down to earth guy!
RACHEL: Vanessa Redgrave. I saw her in ‘The Year of Magical Thinking’ in The Gaiety, and I don’t think I breathed through the entire piece. It was a one-woman show, and she sat in a chair for nearly the entire thing. She had such incredible presence and stillness. She hardly moved, there was just one moment where she lifted her hand, and there was a kind of a collective gasp from the audience. It was such a powerful gesture. She was mesmerising. What’s the biggest myth about acting that you know? JACK: That most actors or at least the top ones are prone to diva-ish behaviour. Actors get their work from being reliable and easy to work with. It's the relationships you foster that get you your next job. So the top ones get there by hard work and being the kind of person people want to be around. RACHEL: People often say to me, when I tell them I’m an actor, ‘That’s a really hard career, acting.’ And it is an uncertain career, you’re not always working. But when I am, there is nothing else I would rather do. What are your plans for the future? RACHEL: Stick around here, and hopefully get some more really good roles. That’s the plan for the moment.
JACK: Continue to do work I'm proud of, and hopefully get a few lucky breaks on the way. The great thing about this business is you really have no idea where you could end up. In a film about your life who would play you? RACHEL: I haven’t lived enough yet, for them to make the movie! Here’s the plan – I’ll be ninety-five and a Dame with several Oscars under my belt by the time they’re making it. And it’ll be some young starlet – a cross between Julia Roberts, Anne Hathaway and Tyra Banks (obviously). No, I’ve no idea, my life is only just beginning! JACK: Ideally either of those two I mentioned before. But I'd love an older me to be played by Liam Neeson or Gabriel Byrne, something tells me they're the only ones who could pull off an irish accent!
illustration LESLIE CULLINAN
Tea or Coffee?
MARK GREHAN Landscape Designer www.markgrehandesigns.com Tea or Coffee? Coffee. I’m an early riser so by 10am a latte is a must, after the first flower orders are done. Flowers or Chocolates? Flowers! I eat, sleep, live them. Studied them for four years and work with them everyday in the store or designing them in gardens, there’s nothing more lovely than fresh blooms opening in the shop, as the day goes on. Friends or Lovers? I found this a hard one as falling in love is something very special, but I‘d pick friends. I’m still great friends with people whom I grew up with and they’re loyal and that means a lot. It’s great being able to still have fun all these years on. Awake or Asleep? Awake especially in summer time. I love the early mornings, I can never sleep in, not even on my day off, even though there’s nothing like a snooze mid-evening before you head out. Daisies or Daffodils? Daises. They open and close and grow everywhere. They’re timeless and I think are in fashion at the moment. Very popular in wedding bouquets this summer, mixed with other flowers. Fact or Fiction? Fiction. I’m a really bad daydreamer and my friends know well enough that I tend to zone out mid-conversation, and stop listening to them and be a million miles away, dreaming.
Romance or Tragedy? Romance. It’s hard to believe, but romance is out there and it’s the little things that someone does that makes me believe in it. Beach or Mountain? Mountain. I grew up in Connemara and it is were I get my inspiration for my design work daily, the landscape of a mountain-side and how plants grow in that habitat, rock formations down to the scrub even. Trying to recreate this in a window is fun. TV or Computer? Computer, if a laptop counts. I’d be lost without it, it’s like my bible. I tend to watch movies on it and even TV that I’ve missed. Skype makes it great when someone isn’t so near. Water or Wine? Water is a must, without it plants wouldn’t flourish; we need to start learning to respect it more and use it wisely and collect it from our roofs even. Cake or Ice-cream? Cake. I love the cakes from the Cake Café on Pleasant’s Place, especially on my birthday, it’s my favourite day and you get to have a whole cake. My mum is a great chef and her cakes are to die for, so when I return to the West, I always have a slice for her brown cake, yum yum yum! Sidekick or Villain? Sidekick. He knows who he is, and over the last year or so has been there for me big time making me laugh, more than a sidekick really, but I’ll keep that all close to my heart.
What were you thinking...
Music
AIMEE MONROE from HELLO MONROE facebook.com/hellomonroeband
What were you thinking when you started school? I went to an all Irish speaking school and I was thinking ‘This is great.....wait? Mam, where are you going? I have to stay here with these crazy speaking people alone? Nooo!’ and since then I always hated school. What were you thinking when you graduated from college? I was actually proud of myself since I had such an extreme hatred for school. At the end of the day I knew it had to be done and to have graduated in Music, I felt accomplished.
What were you thinking when you played your first gig? I was so so nervous. I think my first proper gig was with my old band, ‘I Fight Crime’ and everyone was unprepared because we weren't the most serious band. I was just scared of all the mistakes we were inevitably going to make.
What were you thinking when on your first date? First date was going to see Juno in the cinema with a guy I fancied for years and years, and I was so nervous, I needed to take my inhaler before I met up with him. What were you thinking when you got your first pay When I was walking up to meet him I kept thinking ‘Don't cheque? fall, make sure there is no lipstick on your teeth, make I was thinking ‘clothes, shoes, makeup’ on repeat, in my sure you say the right things, is there snot in your nose? head. You sure you should have worn this outfit? Is he going to pay? Do you pay? Do you kiss? What if he's a weirdo? What were you thinking when you first fell in love? What if he thinks you’re weird?’ There were a lot of I think when I first fell in love, the song ‘Nothing’s Gonna emotions and thoughts going through my head, but we Change My Love for You’ by Glen Mederos springs to mind, went out for almost three years after that, and he is the I was only 16 and I was with this guy for three years and we most awesome guy I know still. were cheesy like ‘No you hang up first!’ We were definitely thinking we were gonna stay with each other forever and What were you thinking when you turned 18? have babies and things like that. Kids eh? I was thinking ‘Party Times’! I couldn't get sick of the ‘Can you show me some ID?’ and I'd be like ‘Yeah! Boom! I'm What were you thinking when you first left home? 18...Let me in!’ I, unfortunately have never left home. But when me and Rona go to England to write songs or do photoshoots, we would go away for maybe a month at a time and you get what it feels like. And it’s awesome, since my dad is very strict. He's kind of like Liam Neeson in Taken. You wouldn't Hello Monroe play their headline show in the Academy on 26th April. wanna kidnap me cos he will find you…and he will kill you. Tickets available from Ticketmaster.
Fiction
Snoozing Suzy words NIALL MORAHAN photo EMMA TURPIN Flippant Fourtet twinkling from the grooveshark on a laptop yields and bows to bars of art music. This, while a real, snoozing Suzy unfolds on the couch, relieved of her social duties and the pressures of outside. ‘I’m just going to go into my room and send a few emails, and then we’ll have the chats.’
Have a snooze and fulfill your name, have a blueberry, let the hangover sun and the outdoor heat and noise fade away. The little Italian man with the van and the ladder will fix the electricity and the drainpipes. He’s in and out of there all the time, probably working for the reality TV show that goes on upstairs.
Downstairs there’s a haystack of letters to the Baineses, Tristan and Ramirez, Matthew Matthews and the manager of Hogan’s. They don’t live here any more, they’re out there somewhere, working away like high bees. I wonder if Suzy saw the post bale as she came in, post-bail, to look for her handbag, she thinks she left it here last night. She doesn’t really know me, but she sort of knows her friend Ben, who may or may not know me, or someone else in the apartment.
We’ll cook our omelettes with peppers and tomatoes and basil. We’ll sort out the missing post, or at least have some fun with the post, or with the words. But she stirs now, I hear from in here, her quiet, horizontal loll has come to pass and back to outside she will venture, I hope a bit replenished. “Goodbye Suzy!” I yell out the window, taller than I am. “It was nice to meet you!” I think she really believes that it was, but she can’t know just how much. Or maybe she can, then on a smaller level, but that goes back to what we were talking about last night. “Goodbye Suzy!” I think pleasantly. We’ll find the post for Suzy and the Baineses, Matthew Matthews and all the managers, mostly. We all just need to chill out some times.
‘Were youse in Crawdaddy last night? I was so drunk, I don’t know where my bag is! I’ve no money to buy smokes and I feel like faintin…’ Relax, Suzy, faint away here and relax. There’s no need for italics in this house, dropped ‘g’s or apostrophes.
Film
Monstros Film David Freyne, Joana Medeiros and Eoin Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Faolaoin Song On The Trail by Patrick Freyne and His Bad Intentions
Check out the Monstros film at http://www.daydreamer.ie/monstros.html For more Monstros, check out www.facebook.com/monstrofaces
illustration JOSEPH MCCAFFERTY
Thanks to... Our family, friends and the following people, Ceri Bevan, Leah Burke, Derek Conlon, Aisling Farinella, Eimear Fitzmaurice, Louise Fullam, Sebastian Hobart and Foam CafĂŠ & Gallery, Niall Jackson, Kieran Kilgallon, Kayee Lo, Joana Medeiros, Katie Lilga Mooney Sheppard, David McEnroe, Eric McGrath, Sean Montague, Cillian Murphy and Hired Hands, Peter Murnaghan, Louise Noone, Gavin Ă&#x201C; Cleirigh, Aoife Redmond, Brendan Sheehan, Jessica Timlin, Emma Turpin, Lorraine Wilders, Ms Murray and Class One of Ladyswell National School, Mulhuddart
Stockists 9 Crow St 9 Crow Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 2 facebook.com/9CrowStreet
Laundry Room Arnotts, 12 Henry Street, Dublin 1 01-8050400
American Apparel 114-116 Grafton Street, Dublin 2 Republic of Ireland 01-6706936
Littlewoods Ireland www.littlewoodsireland.ie
Cos BT2, 28-29 Grafton Street, Dublin 2 01-6056747 Dai Boutique 24 North Main Street, Wexford 053-9121613 Dolls Boutique 14a Emorville Avenue, Dublin 8 01-4736256 Forever 21 Jervis Shopping Centre, Heny Street Dublin 1 01-8781323 Indigo&Cloth Basement 27, South William Street, Dublin 2 01-6706403
Penneys 47 Mary Street, Dublin 1 01-8727788 Topman 41 Grafton Street, Dublin 2 Tel: 01 6793481 Topshop 7 St. Stephens Green Dublin 2 Tel: 01 672 5009 Urban Outfitters 4 Cecilia Street, Upper Temple Bar, Dublin 2 01-6706202 Vertigo Vintage www.vertigogovintage.com
Wild Child Originals, 26, Drury Street, Dublin 2 01-6759933