The Flying Post - Issue #9

03 Vol 2

the

Bi-monthly

FREE!

underground issue Freeganism South West Photographers Urban Exploration What the Folk + More!™

The Flying Post

02

Politics Arts Music Culture

the

05 what's on?

08 freeganism 10 jack's ways of the word 12 grace gelder 14 Southwest photography 18 urban exploration

Managing Editor - Gustavo Navarro gus@theflyingpost.com Editor- Oliver Tolkien oliver@theflyingpost.com Marketing Manager- Jack Cunliffe jack@theflyingpost.com Photography Director - Robert Darch rob@theflyingpost.com Designer - Nia Gould nia@theflyingpost.com niaski.co.uk Web Editor: - Dan Wiseman dan@theflyingpost.com Advertising To request a media pack contact: advertising@theflyingpost.com Front / Inside Cover: Robert Darch robertdarch.com

Contributors: Whitey Fisk, Oli, Gus, Jack, Nia, Patrick Cullum, Grace Gelder, Brendan Barry, Eva Cooney, Samuel Bradley, Philip Harris, Becky Baker, Mark Montague, Antonio Curcetti, Chris Shannon, Ben Challen, Benny Gromadski, Michael Goffman.

Special Thanks: Mad Cat Lady – we’re back to our best, Minerva guys for the endless supply of beanies, all our contributors for being absolute legends and letting us publish their outstanding work, Whitey Fisk – you enigmatic and elusive bastard, Nathan and Hayley at NGNG, BikeShed, Phoenix, Spacex, Arnolfini, Spike Island, Richard at Toast Press, the Guys at Anorak, The Fleece, Bristol for the hook up, The Cellar, Southampton, Michael and Benny for making cynicism a trade, and to you – reader for liking these pages.

This issue of The Flying Post is dedicated to Palestine The Flying post welcomes all editorial submissions. No responsibility can be assumed for unsolicited materials. All letter and submissions will be treated for publication and copyright purposes and subject to TFP’s right to edit and comment editorially. All rights reserved on entire content; nothing may be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher. Opinions expressed in articles are those of the author. Any similarities between persons or places mentioned or alluded to in the fiction and real places or persons living are purely coincidental.

20 philip harris comic 22 theatre in the southwest 24 drop out venus 25 what the folk 27 short story 30 lets set the fads straight

So, the sane world breathes a collective sigh of relief as Mitt the Mormon doesn’t become the most powerful man on the planet. $6 Billion later, the most expensive presidential campaign ever was so widely covered in the Western media that most of us knew what Romney had for tea the night before the election. Here at The Flying Post we’ve tried not to concern ourselves with matters of such colossal gravitas, and have opted for the Underground theme. Coming as we do from this creatively endowed corner of the country, it wasn’t hard to find a selection of contributors willing to write about the wonderful subterranean happenings of the Southwest and beyond…

We start with a piece on food waste and the alternative eating practice of Freeganism, followed by a politicised and informative Ways of the Word. We are lucky enough to have an article from guest contributor Grace Gelder, the photographer and documenter, discussing her forthcoming project about sex and disability. In this brilliantly visual edition, we also profile three of the Southwest’s most prolific photographers, have a selection of Urban Exploration photos courtesy of photography director Rob Darch’s recent trip to Germany, and feature a comic strip from the outrageously talented Philip Harris. We also cover the rise of underground theatre in the Southwest, the region’s contribution to the Folk scene and have an interview with emerging ‘Junk Jazz’ trio Drop Out Venus. Not to mention our newlyinstated Creative Writing section and a review so shallow you couldn’t drown in it from Goffman & Gromadski about clothes or something. Splendid.

Cheers’en, TFP

theflyingpost.com | mail@theflyingpost.com

what's on

Matti braun

art neoreplicants

Matti Braun – Gost Log 6 Oct – 6 Jan, Arnolfini, Bristol

16 Nov – 19 Jan, Exeter Phoenix Matti Braun’s solo exhibition at Arnolfini will present a selection of key works by the Neoreplicants brings together the results of a partnership between Exeter Phoenix’s

Cologne-based artist from the last fifteen years, along with new works. Braun’s practice

annual Digital Art Commission and the University of Exeter’s Centre for Additive

explores cultural misunderstandings and their impact on forms and ideas, elucidating

Layer Manufacturing (CALM). This opportunity gave thirty South West based visual

social and aesthetic developments that may have been overlooked or buried. His work

artists the chance to explore the possibilities offered by the emerging technologies of

is often based on concrete histories and stories of specific people and notions, but

3D printing to their art making practice.

abstracts away from these into his own formal and conceptual explorations.

Laura White We Can Have It All

Ivan Seal – In Here Stands It 20 Oct – 9 Dec, Spike Island, Bristol

8 Dec – 23 Feb, Spacex, Exeter You’ll have a week left to catch Ivan Seal’s exhibition on at Spike Island. Ostensibly Spacex will be exhibiting new works by London based artist Laura White. White

working within the tradition of the still life, the British born, Berlin based artist’s small

considers value, profile, association and the meaning of individual and collections of

scale oil paintings complicate orthodox depictions of the inanimate objects with which

objects in specific circumstances. Relationships are created and questions are provoked

we surround ourselves; forms suggest a sausage, an ornamental figurine, a globe, a

in relation to these various ‘art’ objects concerning value and taste, and our relationship

vase of flowers. At Spike Island, these images are shown alongside sound works whose

to consumer culture. We Can Have It All presents a timely investigation into pre-

structure and rhythm are akin to the flow of canvases on the gallery wall. Seal’s body

conceived ideas and conditions that trigger our understanding of the everyday.

of work constitutes a lexicon of sorts, a new vocabulary of matter given inner life.

foals

music Sebastien Tellier 10 Dec, The Fleece, Bristol

Foals 6 & 7 Dec, The Cellar, Southampton & Sixty Million Postcards, Bournemouth Oxford four-piece Foals are heading out on a tour of smaller UK venues to showcase some new material in more intimate settings… intimate being the key word here as many of these places have actually already sold out. But, with some luck and

Sébastien Tellier is a modern day enigma. A hirsute lothario, conquering hearts with

persistence, you may be able to catch the guys doing their thing at one of the two

soulful music that brims with a seductive élan. Ever since he marched into the offices

venues we’ve listed. It’s not often a band of their stature opt for such egalitarianism, so

of Record Makers and announced himself with the melancholy Fantino, a slice of

tickets will be (and have been) at a premium. Failing that, you can wait ‘till 2013 for the

forlorn pop that also graced the soundtrack to Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation,

much awaited tour for their latest album offering Holy Fire.

Sébastien has been on a journey, characterized by reinvention and a desire to expose the truth. He returns performing tracks from his new Album My God is Blue and gracing us with golden oldies with his Gainsbourg like deliverance.

David Rodigan (MBE) London Elektricity, Mala + more...

19 Jan, Exeter Phoenix

The XX 13 & 14 Dec, Portsmouth Guidhall & Colston Hall, Bristol

Newcomers GetMe team up with The Deep End for a new year lineup of ludicrous proportions. For over 30 years David Rodigan (MBE) has been the top dog in the ganja-scented, bass heavy atmosphere of Britain’s reggae dance-halls. His radio career began in 1978 for BBC Radio London and has seen him play for Capital Radio, JBC

The xx exist in a time and space of their own making. In 2009 the south London trio’s

Radio Jamaica, BFBS and now Kiss FM, where he’s stayed for the last 22 years. Joining

debut album xx, quietly made at night over the course of two years, bled steadily into

him on stage will be Hospital Records head honcho London Elektricity, one of the

the public consciousness to become shorthand for newly refined ideas of teenage

undisputable big names of Drum & Bass, with the inimitable MC Wrec. Throw in one

desire and anxiety. Articulated with a maturity beyond their years, its hallmarks were

of Dubstep’s most respected forefathers in Mala, local-boys-gone-big Fred V & Grafix

restraint and ambiguity. In the age of the over-share, xx was pop with its privacy

and a host of local acts including Siege MC and some as of yet unconfirmed special

settings on max. Three years on, the group are back with new album, Coexist, and are

guests, and you have yourselves one of the biggest and boldest mixed-genre lineups

on tour.

Exeter has ever seen. Buttery.

made in china

theatre

RIOT 11 - 15 Dec, Bike Shed Theatre, Exeter RIOT was devised and debuted at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre in June 2011. Since

We Hope That You’re Happy (Why Would We Lie?)

by Made In China 27 Nov, Exeter Phoenix Premiering at BAC earlier this year, two-hander We Hope That You’re Happy (Why

Would We Lie?) transformed Made In China from theatre’s underground favorites to

then, the show has transferred to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival to critical acclaim, sell-out audiences and a nomination for The Stage Award for Acting Excellence. RIOT is a true story set in a lamp-lit flat-pack universe bursting with violence, chaos and more characters than you can throw a meatball at. Hammered together with physical theatre and music, The Wardrobe Ensemble tear up the instructions and disregard the diagrams to construct a comedic tragedy of a thoroughly modern kind.

a nationally recognised force. The show turned heads with an unhinged, riotous mix of new writing and live art that informs the company’s unique style. Jess and Chris claim to be lifelong friends, but then they also claim each other are liars. With a cooler full of beer, a goofy rapport, a series of dance moves and a sincere desire to make the audience happy (or so they claim) they examine the nature of consumerism, and information overload in a hyperactive world.

Latino Film Festival 28 Nov - 1 Dec, The Brewery – Tobacco Factory Theatre, Bristol The Latino Film Festival will maintain and develop the presence of Latin American culture in the Southwest. The Festival will screen twelve feature films, eight documentaries and five short films produced in Latin America and the Caribbean, and

keep updated - check our website for more art, music and theatre events. theflyingpost.com

by Latino filmmakers in the USA. The troupe have an arrangement in place for mutual collaboration between the Bristol Latino Film Festival and the New York Latino Film Festival. The Bristol Latino Film Festival is also the only audiovisual cultural event organised by members of the Latin American ethnic minority group of residents in Bristol and the surrounding areas. The festival celebrates and serves the whole of the Southwest’s multicultural community.

food waste and freeganism:

why eating out of bins is essential Words by oliver tolkien images by whitey fisk

Not all that long ago, I worked in a very busy and very expensive pub in the centre of

not be wasted after all. And then (after paying the bill) I thought to myself: hang on a

Brighton’s South Laines. Next door to the pub was a small but extremely popular Tapas

minute, who are the real idiots here?

restaurant, which on weekends would generally have people queuing around the corner.

According to lovefoodhatewaste.com, we throw away 7.2 million tonnes of food

Every night, at around one in the morning when I had to take

and drink annually, costing us £12bn. 7.2 million tonnes.

our rubbish out and bring in the tables and chairs, I would see

And that’s just from our homes; that figure doesn’t take

the same homeless man, bent over the Tapas bar’s bins after having sliced them open with a small knife, hurriedly scavenging through them and sliding as much of the nights leftovers as he could into two dirty cellophane bags. This man would endure the same inevitable torrent of abuse from the drunken passers by – and the scornful or pitying looks from those less inclined to verbally attack him – as he scooped the slimy remains of Patatas Bravas, empty mussel shells and Paella into his bags and hurried off. And every night I thought the same thing to myself:

In their bid to create an illusion

into account the vast amount of food supermarkets discard after it’s passed its sell-by date, which brings the

of perpetual abundance for

figure closer to 20 million. I don’t need to invoke a tiring

every shopper, supermarkets

villages for a year to highlight the gravity of that imbalance

routinely

of malnourishment on less than a quarter of the food that

and

deliberately

overstock in huge quantities

poor bastard.

Two years later I took my girlfriend to that same Tapas place for our anniversary. As someone who can’t bear the sight of

cliché about that waste easily feeding five hundred African (actually, the world’s one billion hungry could be lifted out is wasted in the US and Europe alone). So why do we do it? I can’t account for anyone’s personal food waste, but supermarkets can and should be held accountable. In their bid to create an illusion of perpetual abundance for every shopper, they routinely and deliberately overstock in huge

wasted food scraped needlessly into a bin (especially in profligate Western restaurants),

quantities. This wouldn’t be a problem if a suitable home (namely, hungry people) was

I was horrified by the sheer amount of food we left after ordering too many dishes, and

found for this unused food, but instead it is all bound for landfill. Many shops even

after repeatedly shooing the waiter away when he tried to clear our plates, was suddenly

deliberately ruin their food to deter people from going through their bins.

reminded of that homeless man. I felt comforted by the thought that our food might

The wasted food itself isn’t the only consequence of this ludicrous enterprise; every

dumped meal represents needless production, packaging, transport and refrigeration.

arguments leveled against it, both of which fall on either side of the political centre:

Britain buying unnecessary quantities of food in the global markets also inflates prices

first, and most markedly, people complain that it is unhygienic and unattractive.

around the world. In other words, we pay to have more food than we need at a huge

Secondly, as many Freegans live comfortably and are not, essentially, starving, they are

financial and environmental cost, which in turn costs a huge amount to dispose of

accused of taking the food from those who are truly in need of it, like the homeless.

needlessly, which in turn makes the food more expensive when we come to buy it again.

Neither of which, especially the former, are worthy reasons to eschew the practice.

Welcome to Western economics.

So, step forward Freegans. ‘Freeganism’ – a portmanteau of ‘free’ and ‘veegan’ – is,

Given recent unusually ferocious weather across Europe and the Americas, 2012 is a year of global, rather than regional, food deficit. As George Monbiot gravely wrote in

in short, the practice of eating discarded food from bins. According to Freegan.info,

The Guardian not long ago, “If 2013’s harvest does not establish a new world record, the

“Freegans are people who employ alternative strategies for living based on limited

poor are in trouble.” It is now more pertinent than ever that we are considerate of the

participation in the conventional economy.” Plainly, there is a strong anti-capitalist

amount of food we buy and throw away and conscious of the ever-steepening global

undercurrent to the practice, and an embracing of the ideals that counter modern

imbalance. Unfortunately, there is little we can do to alter the over-demand for food

materialism and moral apathy. Adam Weisman, founder of Freegan.info, told The

by supermarkets other than boycott them entirely, which I know is a hugely unlikely

Independent in 2006 that “Freeganism is a reaction to waste, but also to the injustices like

proposition. However, we can refrain from buying exotic food out of season from

sweatshops and the destruction of the rainforests that goes into producing the goods

developing countries and out-sourcing their economic growth by taking the very thing

in the first place. I realised that, as a purchasing consumer, I was complicit in that

they are in need of most. It is possible to make a difference, one sell-by-date at a time.

exploitation.”

Eat seasonally, buy British and if that’s too expensive then look elsewhere: namely, the

Sadly, and predictably, it is a practice met with public animosity. There are two main

nation’s overflowing bins.

s ’ k c a Jways e h t f o d r o w

Astro-turfing A Counter Culture movement can be defined as thus: a movement that rejects

Words by Jack Cunliffe illustration by pat cullum patcullum.com ‘Black Propaganda’ is astro-turfing that is made to look like it’s come from the

certain principles of mass culture. These ‘movements’ are hugely varied and can

opposition, using a twisted puppet version of the opposition so as to ridicule them

take many forms, and Counter Culture media can be a platform from which these

from within. Who to trust? Who to believe? The fake accounts can be spotted but

movements can present their views and encourage evolution through democratic,

they are now ‘pre-aged’ so as to look established and authentic. This pollution of

forum-based deliberation. Or, more often, fierce and embittered handbag smashing.

debate, of the very fabric of speech and opinion, is a pernicious act that must be

Whichever platform anti mass culture views are aired from, you can guarantee

stopped. Not only can it skew a movement’s direction, it can mobilise people to vote

that there will be a reflex of aggressive argument to counter the counter culture.

and campaign for something that is in direct opposition to their interest. But then,

The Counter Culture movements that develop on online communities and message

how can you argue against a natural development of public opinion?

boards are grass roots; they grow naturally out of a composite of other organic and

The very thing that can change draconian policies and power structures is being

natural conditions. They are a logical reaction to an aspect of society that threatens

used against us, subversion is being subverted. How else can you explain average

a social group, the Baader Meinhoff group were a reaction to Nazis still occupying

Americans voting for witches (an accusation O’Donnell later denied with the

most government positions after the Second World War; the Occupy movement

compelling argument of ‘I am not a witch’), the mad as batshit loons such as Rick

was a reaction to unfettered capitalism and the inequalities this developed and the

Santelli (a member of ‘Americans for Prosperity’) and serial gaffer Mitt Romney?

Suffragettes a reaction to rampant misogyny and unequal rights for women. Due to

Mitt Romney, who thinks middle income is $250,000 - £300,000 p/a, whose

their organic development these movements attain a certain confirmation of their

religion is based on aliens populating the earth, who is backed by corporate

authenticity.

billionaires who enslave Mexican children in their palaces of death, whose every

We are now facing a crisis, that of fake grass roots movements and techniques

policy is damaging to the working class, whose primary electorate is the same one

used to mobilise social movements that are artificial, or counter those that are

that he is continuously shafting but who return in a Stockholm Syndrome induced

genuine. Should you take part in an online debate, you could be arguing with mass

daze for more punishment.

drones run by companies such as HBGary, who post from hundreds of profiles

If Obama loses this election it is not down to the idiocy of the public, it is down

on any article that is derogatory to one of their clients (think arms dealers, tobacco

to the manipulation by the opposition of something that should remain sacrosanct.

companies and governmental parties). The last bastion of free speech – the Internet

Propaganda just got clever.

– is being polluted by digital lobbyists altering the direction of their own evolution (or devolution).

neoreplicants 30 SW artists explore 3D printing

Laura White

8 December 2012– 23 February 2013

We Can Have it All

Spacex

45 Preston Street Exeter, EX1 1DF spacex.org.uk Laura White’s studio featuring works from We Can Have it All, October 2012. Photo Rob Darch

16 Nov - 19 Jan

Sense and Sensibility, Sex and disability Grace Gelder discusses the events and influences in her life that have compelled her to view the world through a different lens, and her work trying to portray sex and disability in an airbrushed world.

Words by Grace Gelder

With documentary work of any kind, there is a compulsion to get closer and closer to your subjects and capture more and more intimate scenes

Drinking a bottle of port at 11am with a lawyer in

into people’s homes and witnessing a private moment in

The Juicy Society, which has become a home for the

western Mongolia, getting hounded by 16 year old girls

their lives – whether I set out to do this or not, it seems

work I do portraying the sexy, sensual aspects of people’s

at a prom in East London, helping a drunk Russian

to happen to me quite a lot. During an editing session

lives. Born out of private shoots for friends, friends of

granny climb a tree in Latvia and helping women across

with Robert Pledge from Contact Press, instead of the

friends and portraits of my friend’s Burlesque students,

the country to discover and express their sexy selves are

obvious technical questions about the images, he began

the feedback from people was so positive that for the

all situations I have found myself in during my 6 year

to ask us why we chose the subject matter and how

first time I felt like I had a real responsibility to keep

photographic and 3 year filmmaking career.

we thought it related to ourselves. It hasn’t eluded me

going. I’m developing the creative process of exploring

that my journey through all these different aspects of

different sexual identities for myself, which means I can

I realise now I have been capturing the many different

femininity in my photography relates directly to my own

offer more to the people who come to be photographed.

aspects of women’s lives. Women at work, mothers,

journey as a woman and the different masks that I have

I recently did my second workshop with the wild and

grandmothers, adolescents, girls, women in positions of

tried on along the way.

fantastic performance group “La Pocha Nostra”, who

authority, intimate moments, sexual moments, rites of passage and many other faces of women old and young.

really know how to unearth a whole spectrum of imagery When my friend Amy suggested I explore the idea of

and characters. There are a plethora of ideas ready to

making a film about a man she had been photographing

try out and weekend workshops and shoots lined up for

It began with the women in Mongolia who make up

who had MS and the incredible relationship and journey

London and Vienna in the spring. My philosophy for this

two thirds of the professional workforce - unbeknown

he has with his sex therapist, I had no idea it would mark

business is to produce images that are not retouched to

to most of the world - who posed for me so proudly in

a turning point for me with my own work too. Moving

within an inch of their life. I don’t believe that showing

their offices. The occasion of being photographed was

into the realm of sexuality began a huge journey for me

people nude or semi nude images of themselves that

a nice interruption in their working day and the ritual

personally, as well as revealing a whole range of social

have gone through the bizarre process of re-shaping and

of setting up the camera and moving things about also

barriers and discrimination about sex and disability. It

smoothing out the imperfections is all that helpful. We

played an important role. The prison director in her

appears to be fine to portray glossy intimate moments

have enough warped mediated images everywhere as it is,

macho uniform disappearing into the cupboard to apply

with perfect bodies on TV, but not disabled bodies and

so I’ve made it my mission to address that.

some magenta lipstick was a moment I will never forget.

the awkward moments that ensue when engaging in intimate encounters. Alongside director David Cohen

I realise now that with documentary work of any kind,

we are looking for development funding for this film,

there is a compulsion to get closer and closer to your

which we are producing with Mosaic Films and have

subjects and capture more and more intimate scenes.

already been informed is not suitable for the BBC (would

I especially like the challenge of capturing unusual

upset viewers) or Sky (Catholic CEO). The project is

moments when in a foreign environment – like going

ongoing … I have also recently set up a business called

Grace is a freelance documentary photographer and filmmaker based in London.

You can find her work at: gracegelder.net - Docuemtary Photography portfolios juicysociety.co.uk - The Juicy Society – Bespoke Boudoir Photography

south� west pho� tog� ra� phers Many will probably agree that there is a surplus of would-be photographers today capturing twodimensional, clichéd images and claiming some sort of artistic license. Endless blogspace and Flickr archives pay an all too accessible testament to this, most opting for the ease and accessibility of digital. However, there are many out there who present an authentic and dedicated alternative to this Instagram-driven influx, choosing to shoot with film and toil hours away in darkrooms instead.

Given the Southwest’s growing cultural capital, The Flying Post thought we’d profile a few of the region’s rising luminaries.

brendan barry Garden City Inn. Garden City, Kansas

North on 4. Bagley, Iowa

eva cooney great ocean road, victoria, australia

mildura, victoria, australia

samuel bradley martin

untitled

brendan barry

About: Photographer & Teacher based in Exeter.

eva cooney

samuel bradley

About: My name is Eva Cooney. I’m originally

About: My name is Samuel, I was born in Australia

from Germany, but have been in the UK more

and moved to just outside of Exeter before I

Inspirations:

or less since 2001, when I moved here to study

was a year old and lived there until university. I

Huckleberry Finn, anything written by Richard

Documentary Photography in Wales. Since then I

now live in East London and work full time as a

Ford, Walt Whitman’s Song Of The Open

have gained experience in the publishing industry,

freelance photographer.

Road, Raymond Carver’s short stories, Jason

completed an MA in Photography with distinction

Brown’s Why The Devil Chose New England

and also earned a teaching qualification. Currently

inspirations

For His Playground, Wim Wender’s road trilogy

I live and work in beautiful Cornwall, where I

At the moment it seems to be menswear brands

movies and especially ‘Paris, Texas’. Old 50/60s

teach on the BA Press & Editorial Photography at

inspiring me. I’ve been avidly researching Nigel

American road movies, The King Of Marvin

University College Falmouth.

Cabourn and looking at where he draws his inspiration from and the lifestyle his pieces inspire.

Gardens, The Straight Story. Alec Soth, Joel Sternfeld, Stephen Shore, William Eggleston,

inspirations

There was a fantastic editorial by High Snobiety

Robert Frank, Redheaded Peckerwood by

I don’t really have favourite photographers, but I

recently which involved them freezing a load of

Christian Patterson, John Frederick, Peto’s Still

find myself inspired by anything I encounter; may

Nigel Cabourn garments and shooting a beautiful

Lifes, Robert Bechtle’s San Francisco paintings,

it be various creative practitioners, my cultural

and authentic editorial. The imagery was timeless.

Christina’s World by Andrew Wyeth. Jonny Cash,

surroundings or life in general. I guess I am fairly

Men’s heritage fashion utilises photography in

and La Grange by ZZ Top (best road song ever!).

influenced by painting tradition, landscape in

a way that other areas of fashion cannot. It’s

particular…

more real, more aspirational. The stereotypically

Themes of Work: My work is about the journeys

masculine trait of taking pride over the quality

we make, and attempts to un-pick the traces we

and build of an object, especially clothing, is a

leave on the landscapes we pass through. I have

Themes of Work: I started out with the classic

spent much of the last two years driving, hitching

photojournalistic approach of the narrative, with

and walking around the United States, over 2200

the human being as the focal point. Together with

Themes of Work: Documentary, travel, masculinity.

miles so far, in search of something. Don’t ask

the concept of sense of place, the narrative is

Recently my photographs have taken a very

me if I’ve found it yet though, as I’m not entirely

still my main focus, but now I tell stories through

macho direction. I used to photograph almost

sure what it is I am looking for.

landscape photography, which can be interior or

exclusively female models, because I thought it

exterior.

was much easier to make them look beautiful. But

Future plans: Next year (with the help of

wonderful source of inspiration.

photography is more about aspiration. I shoot

two great photographers, Jessica Lennan and

Future plans: I only started out as a lecturer two

people I want to be, want to look like. I try to

Stefka Muller) I will be opening a dedicated

years ago and at the moment it is consuming most

create this world in which I think people would

photographic gallery in Exeter, The Dodo

of my time and energy to develop my educational

like to live. But it’s not a retouched, beautified,

Photography Gallery in an old shop at the

skills. However, I am planning a new project at the

hyper-real world; it’s simpler.

bottom of Fore Street, and attempting to find

moment and am hoping in the near future I can

my way back across the Atlantic to keep looking

find equilibrium between teaching and practicing

Future plans: Continue developing my fashion

for something that might not actually exist. And

photography.

work but I’d like to shoot for some more serious

2014? Exeter Photography Fringe anyone?

magazines and cover some more serious issues. I recently did some work for The New Statesman, and it rekindled in me the desire to document more of the world. I’d like to travel a little next year, make some more social and culture driven imagery. If the regular work and interesting commissions in London dry up or cease to be appealing, well then that seems like a good time to get out and see some more of the world.

urban exploration: a past half-remembered Words & images by robert darch Our Photography Director Robert Darch took a little jaunt to Berlin and Bavaria

who or what you might find down there in the blackness was addictive. Under an old

over the summer and spent a month indulging in the Deutsch lifestyle. In

carpet factory in Kidderminster we discovered a whole network of tunnels that had

between basking in the high Berlin culture and enjoying the South’s wooded,

been carved into the sandstone, probably hundreds of years old. The tunnels had

mountainous vistas, he found time to indulge in an old favoured pass-time:

names scratched into the walls dating back to the 1800’s. It was a lost history, rotting

Urban Exploration. Here he offers a brief explanation

in the belly of the Midlands. Back then UE was secondary to

of the origins of his explorative hobby, and selects a

skateboarding; it was a means to an end. Now my skateboarding

series of illustrative shots from an abandoned Soviet and Nazi army base.

‘Urban exploration (often shortened as urbex or UE) is the exploration of man-made structures, usually abandoned ruins or not usually seen components of the man-made environment. Photography and historical interest/ documentation heavily feature in the hobby, and although it may sometimes involve trespass onto private property, this is not always the case, and is of innocent intention.’

(Wikipedia) My interest in UE was nurtured back in the late 90’s.

Growing up as a skateboarder in the Midlands we didn’t

The creeping fear of not knowing who or what you might find down there in the blackness was addictive

days are all but over, age and inability putting me out to pasture.

The exploring though has still remained a part of my life.

The impetus for UE varies from individual to individual. The concept of psycho geography or urban wandering is the study of the precise laws and specific effects of the geographical environment, consciously organized or not, on the emotions and behaviour of individuals. It examines our emotional and physical response to specific urban environments, and our use of that environment.

Skateboarding and parkour are better known examples of how we interact with the urban environment, in a way that the space wasn’t originally planned for. The primary focus of UE is engaging with these often forgotten about spaces, exploring and documenting

have access to the purpose built skate parks that scatter

them.

the U.K. today. The scene was DIY, and the harsh winters

The psychology of why people choose to explore abandoned

forced us inside. We found our way into empty offices,

buildings is multifaceted: adrenalin, documenting, sense of place,

warehouses & factories, where we built ramps, hung out, and explored. By their nature

history, subversion, fear and the unknown... these are but a few motivators for Urban

the abandoned environments were risky and unsafe, often shared by users and the

Explorers. To be honest, I haven’t really analysed my interest, but it’s fair to say that

itinerant. We found our way around pitch-black basements by match light and firing

most of these apply.

off camera flashes. It was exhilarating, the unknown darkness, abject silence and

The following images are taken in an abandoned former Soviet & Nazi army base in

wavering match light all adding to the atmosphere. The creeping fear of not knowing

Germany.

comics by Philip Harris – philipharrisillustration.co.uk

An Audience with Intimacy:

The Rise of the Underground in Southwest Theatre Words by becky baker

Becky Baker is the co-writer of and actress in the hit play Flushed, which wowed local audiences this Autumn and enjoyed a host of sold-out performances across Exeter’s underground theatre circuit. The play, with its minimal set – a bath – and direct, confessional style, was a testament to the quality and innovation of grassroots theatre in the Southwest. Here, we hear from her herself about the bustling and vibrant scene of which she is so proud to be a part.

Some theatres are vast and stand high atop a hill welcoming internationally acclaimed theatre and dance to Exeter. And yet, in the heart of the city, it’s very own artistes industriously scurry, create and network the urban spaces, developing a bubbling theatre scene that is itself creating new work and unique, clandestine performances that constantly seek out new audiences and challenge convention.

Flushed was written over a period of six months and is a development of the play Gesig, which included original company members Chloe Whipple and Robin Styn.

The desire for continuously creating, sharing and developing work is driving the standards of the contemporary theatre that is currently emerging from this corner of the Southwest

The starting and crucial point of the process was, in both shows, the bath: the perfect platform for intimate and honest confession. What do we say when no one is around?

Where are we at our safest? Where are we our most candid, most naked, un-masked?

can join in. PUT collectively asks: how can we create more theatre, where can we create

These questions gave rise to the rants, fantasies and confessions that have drawn such

more theatre and what do we need to create more theatre? To which the resounding

responses from the audiences who saw the show at the Bike Shed Theatre in June and

answer (even before “funding!”) is each other.

compelled us to perform again at the Hourglass in August. A feature of the second run

The dual loveliness of having to source space for performers to develop work and

was the returning audience members, who brought friends, and again after the show

exposing potential audiences to new experiences also casts a spotlight on the many

we heard “I know so many people who need to see this play, when is it happening

unique and hidden spaces in Exeter, spaces concealed in layers of post-war greyness

again?” And happening, pertinently, feels like the right word. Particularly in the Hourglass

and hidden from view.

where the space is confined and we are looking directly into the whites of the audience

The Bike Shed Theatre, located in the centre of Fore Street and yet hidden below

members’ eyes. There was no staring into the middle distance or hidden spectators

ground level has, over the last two years, established a reputation throughout the

sliding down in their seats to avoid our gaze. No us and them. We all went through

Southwest as a hub for new writing and artistic development. October saw the

it together, and every awkward confession, every guilty laugh, every tear, belonged to

internationally acclaimed La Navet Bete take up a three-week residency. This gave us

all of us. Honesty has been at the heart of the process of creating Flushed, and it is

the opportunity to witness the groups’ newest work ‘Once Upon a Time in a Western’,

the honest responses of our audiences that drive us to keep developing the piece and

as well as other pieces from their repertoire which started with ‘Napoleon: A Defence’.

taking it further.

Placing theatrical experiences in non-traditional spaces reminds us what theatre is.

Fore Street itself will become a central character in 2013 as Theatre Rush launches Common Ground: Fore Street. This project seeks to tug at the curtains of the road,

Life; human experience; stories retold. And when you’re removed from the comfy

its residents and those that frequent it. As one of the most diverse and staunchly

velour seats, deprived of the interval and packed into a space tucked away from

independent streets in the city it has many stories to tell, which will be gathered over a

tradition and convention, you are disorientated and acutely conscious of the slim

period of three months, starting in the Spring. Common Ground is a beautiful example

distance between performer and audience member. No one can hide; everyone

of what our creative community does best. It will incorporate visual art workshops,

participates. You experience, rather than observe.

photographic work and a documentary by Chris Jones. At its centre is the collection

Necessity is the mother of invention, and thus a lack of affordable rehearsal spaces

of stories, historical and contemporary, that will be reimagined creatively and archived

and an ever-growing surplus of disused sites in the city has given birth to the Pop Up

forever by Theatre Rush. This project has the potential to thrive because of the

Theatre Collective (PUT). This sites in its Manifesto the importance of ‘Taking risks,

mutually supportive relationships between artists in Exeter. Let’s hope the funding

of utilising working spaces within the city and creating a continuous platform for new

application is successful…

and emerging work.” The desire for constantly creating, sharing and developing work is

The beauty of the underground is the sprawling network of disciplines that feed off

driving the standards of the contemporary theatre that is currently emerging from this

each other, symbiotically and selflessly encouraging growth between artists; unified by

corner of the Southwest.

affection and pride for the city in which we live, and creating a scene that is uniquely

PUT Exeter is not a theatre company, we are a collective of directors, performers, producers and interested parties who support and promote each other’s work. Anyone

ours and much bigger than the sum of its parts.

drop out venus Drop Out Venus, the self-styled ‘Junk Jazz’ trio from Bulgaria (current residence Deptford) have been causing a palpable stir on the underground music scene.

Elastic Teen Rent is a stunning debut single. Did you worry about the limited

In light of the recent release of their eleven track debut album Be Brave, we

exposure it would receive due to a lack of radio airplay?

thought we’d get in touch...

We weren’t worried about anything when we wrote that song. We wrote it with the Iva and Chris, do you come from a musical family?

intention to never really play it, like a secret song just for us, but then someone wanted to record it. Most of it was accidental.

Yes we do. Our parents always played us a lot of music, even before we were born. My mum says she was playing me Mozart’s Requiem when she was pregnant with me. Chris

In the video Iva’s stare straight into the camera seems to be challenging anyone

got Come Into My Life by Joyce Simms. That’s why he’s mentally different to the rest

watching it for titillation. How do you feel about people missing the point and

of us.

turning up to gigs purely on the basis of seeing ‘the sexy girl in that video’?

How do you divide your time between Deptford and Bulgaria?

A lot of people seemed to not get that it was a kind of parody. I’ve read a lot of Youtube comments that are to do with my ass or whatever, but I wasn’t too surprised.

We love Deptford a lot. We feel at home here, but Bulgaria is where we learn our

It’s just the way it is if you’re a young woman. I love performing and some songs bring

lessons. We go there to remember not to forget ourselves. Our family there is very

out my sexuality more than others, and I don’t think that is anything to be ashamed of.

poor, but they are the kindest and most generous people. They teach us how to be

It’s still not easy to be taken seriously as a girl on stage. But I enjoy my femininity. My

good.

sexy isn’t for sale so there’s no pressure. But the character in the video isn’t who I am. I can relate to aspects of her, but that isn’t me.

The two-guitars-and-drums line-up is not common, but you’ve proven it works

There are too few angry musicians at the moment, despite there being plenty to

to great effect. Ever been tempted to add any further instruments to the sound?

be pissed off at. You seem to have that venom that is so lacking in others, is this what drives you musically and lyrically?

We play two guitars and drums because they are the instruments we happen to have.

We love all instruments. If we had no instruments, we’d be slapping each other

I really don’t know. I didn’t know I was angry until other people told me I was. I’ve

rhythmically and crying melodically and writing those kinds of songs. Guitars are

always had violence in me, ever since I can remember. I was the kind of child that beat

affordable instruments and you can take them to gigs easily so that’s what we got. We

up her Barbies. I don’t know if that’s what drives me. I think it’s more the hope that it

are saving up to buy a keyboard and a saxophone for Chris. Also a friend of ours got

will go away.

given an old broken cello, but we’re trying to fix it so we can get sounds from it. We want to play everything.

Both tracks on the single are a harder, more direct sound than some of the lo-fi

Photo Credits – Antonio Curcetti

offerings on the EUI/Pool Sessions tape. Was this a conscious decision to make the maximum impact with your debut.

Almost nothing we do in this band is conscious. We just play and record what feels right and we take it from there.

We don’t have a strategy at all. Maybe we should. We’ll most likely die insanely poor because we didn’t think

We don’t have a strategy at all.

Maybe we should. We’ll most likely die insanely poor because we didn’t think about any of it.

about any of it.

In a time when downloads are the cheapest way for bands to distribute their

I am willing to spend my life on the road. Chris and Erhd also can’t wait. We’ve played a couple of gigs away from London but we haven’t had the money to do a tour yet. We’re saving up. Everything we get paid goes towards touring. I get e-mails every day from people from Manchester all the way to Brussels and America saying come play, and I have to explain every day that we don’t have any cash.

How do you define Junk Jazz, the genre you coined for your music?

music, how important are physical releases to you so, for example, artwork can be incorporated?

Recycling the musical past and putting it into a modern context that is both personal and relatable to others. Improvising. Never playing a song the same way twice. Stealing

Physical releases are hugely important to us. I love the feeling of buying a record and

from every genre and doing it our own way.

unwrapping it, smelling it, looking at all the details of the artwork, the weight of a vinyl or a tape or a cd in my hand. It makes me feel closer to the artist and it makes me

As far as mantras go ‘Be Brave’ is a great one. Why is this yours?

appreciate them more too. I see music in colours anyway, so the artwork always triggers bits of my brain which associate colours with melody. Every time I go to see a Rothko

I have had obsessive compulsive disorder since I was little. It would affect me in

exhibition, I come out with a song just because of the intensity of his colours.

so many different ways and I wouldn’t tell anyone about it, because I was scared.

What sort of deal do you get from the likes of Spotify and iTunes?

When I was a child, a lot of these fears would manifest themselves as hallucinations of monsters and demons, a lot of which stayed with me as I grew up. Sometimes I

Honestly, I have no idea. Our manager knows all about it, and I’m sure he’s tried to

wouldn’t be able to leave the house or eat for days. Last year when we started playing

explain it to me many times. All I know is that we have little money and we need quite

music to people and not just for ourselves, I had to overcome a lot of negative feelings

a bit more to go on tour and be able to afford to eat once a day. That would be a dream

that I had about myself and the world. So the only thing I could say to myself was Be

come true. Honestly.

Brave.

Are you in a position to play gigs away from London and if so are you willing to spend weeks on the road to get your music heard?

Words By Mark Montague

The Flying Post

Review

what the folk?

How the Southwest has been (and continues to be) a Major Contributor to the Genre.

Words by Whitey Fisk image by Robert darch

In much the same way that real ale has made a seismic comeback to popular culture against such unlikely odds, Folk music (and all it’s subsequent derivatives) has become an internationally recognised mainstream genre.

Unsurprisingly, this corner of England is responsible for a significant

As

well

as

having

produced

esteemed

members of the Folk canon, the Southwest

contribution to a scene which, The Flying Post discovers, continues to grow.

also

has

a

huge

pool

of

undiscovered

Folk music – once the bastion of awkward, bearded men gently swaying from side

talent on the cusp of popular success

to side – has thankfully evolved. A place remains, of course, for the traditional, and admittedly the lines of genre have become somewhat blurred, but Modern Folk and it’s

is Ben Howard, who was himself nominated for the Mercury award this year, with his

many sub genres: Alt folk, Psych Folk, Roots, Folk Rock ad infinitum, are now firmly

album Every Kingdom reaching 6th in the UK album chart.

part of the mainstream.

In America, Folk musician Justin Vernon (better known as Bon Iver) has been selling

As well as having produced such esteemed members of the Folk canon, the Southwest also has a huge pool of undiscovered talent and artists on the cusp of

out stadiums, collaborating with artists like Kayne West (we know) and this year won

popular success. Maz Totterdell is one such artist, who has now started to receive

the Grammy Award for best new artist and best alternative album.

serious media attention. She is currently signed to Indie record label Series 8, and

In the UK, Laura Marling was nominated for the Mercury Music prize in 2008 and

released her debut album earlier this year. She has been put on the BBC radio 1 playlist

2010 and won the Brit award for best female solo artist in 2011. Her former lover

and was asked by none other than Steve Lamacq to head up to Maida Vale studios

Marcus Mumford, and his band Mumford & Sons, won a Brit Award in 2011 for best

to record a live ‘introducing session’ for BBC 6 music. More impressive yet, Maz is

British album and have since taken their brand of Folk Rock from niche festivals to

still the tender age of only fifteen. Coming from a musical background, she started

sold out stadiums.

performing at age nine, teaching herself to play the guitar and piano. Happily, in an age

The Southwest of England has a rich folk history, and has in recent years produced

of constructed saccharine acts, Maz writes all her own music, having penned over forty

a host of successful artists like Show of Hands and Seth Lakeman, the latter of which

tracks already. There is an honesty and sensitivity to her music, delivered with a maturity

was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize in 2005. The most current success story

belying her years. It’s hard not to make comparisons to Laura Marling, who Maz herself

cites as an influence.

Small Town Jones is the moniker of North Devon based musician Jim Jones (not to be confused with the Rev). He released his latest album Freight Ships in July this year to critical acclaim, with Q Magazine awarding it four stars. In 2011 he was invited

harder to pigeonhole due to their blending of Folk, Pop and LoFi. The resultant sound is sweetly nostalgic. They recently released an EP on CD and 12”, and are currently recording new material. Keep an eye on this pair…

Phillip Henry & Hannah Martin are a Folk Roots duo, who recently supported Show

to London to play a live set on Dermot O’Leary’s BBC Radio 2 show. Jim has been

of Hands at the Royal Albert Hall. Phillip is a master on the slide guitar and harmonica;

building up a steady fan base in the Southwest, having been a regular headliner at

his up-tempo Roots is complimented beautifully by Hannah’s subtle fiddle playing.

many of the festivals in the region. Despite his undeniable accomplishments, it’s hard

Having played at the colossally prestigious Albert Hall, it’s hard to think of them as

to understand how Jim hasn’t enjoyed more success. It has been suggested that one

anything other than well established.

possible reason is his desire to stay in North Devon, close to the beaches and open

As you can see from this briefest of delves into a Folk scene which has taken root

oceanic panoramas that discernibly provide such an influence on his music. I always

and grown exponentially from the verdant hills of the Southwest, there is a wealth

feel lucky or blessed when someone introduces me to an artist whose music I instantly

of artists to write about, most of whom have unfortunately had to be left out of this

connect with, and I felt this way about Freight Ships the first time I heard it. The album

piece. This article has covered but a drop on the surface of an ever-deepening pool of

is simply beautiful.

truly talented performers, who we urge you all to support and enjoy.

Woodford Green are another act based in North Devon, though the duo’s music is

and with each day’s oncoming dusk the falling sun cast its light upon the tombs as a reminder that the Lord’s grace would shine on all souls that came to rest there.

A great deal of publicity was given to a break-in at the catacombs little more than a decade ago, when two men managed to steal a skeleton from its coffin and smuggle it home undetected. The skeleton was duly returned by the culprits several days later when police made an appeal, falsely claiming that the unearthed bones might cause a disastrous outbreak of cholera.

What is less widely discussed is that during the early part of the last century grave robbing was a far more common practice, and the catacombs suffered frequent attempts from treasure hunters in the early 1940s.

It was under these circumstances that Theodore Thackerey, a local doctor who kept a surgery in the adjacent terraced houses, volunteered to patrol the site in the late evenings. He was granted special dispensation by the constabulary to prevent trespassers from entering using any force within his means, trusting that given his temperament he would not require such measures.

All accounts suggest that Dr Thackerey was popular among his patients, and considered a gentleman of consummate professionalism who was happily devoted to his work, his Labrador and his wife, Pricilla. Mrs Thackerey, the daughter of an engraver, was known to be an abrasive woman, and though she spent her days carrying out the secretarial role in her husband’s surgery, all could see that she was the dominant partner and resented the subservient position her job entailed.

It appears he applied the same level of steadfast dedication to his new role, for there were no further reports of grave robbing during the ten months or so following his assignment as guardian of the catacombs. Whether his mere presence was enough of a deterrent to thieves or if he ever had to resort to hostility is unclear. Though what is evident from the few available sources we have is that the extra responsibility took its toll on Dr Thackerey almost immediately, and his well-being took a rapid downward turn.

According to statements made by his patients he developed a curious nervousness

creat ive wri ti ng se c tion

which began subtly, a ‘tiny vellicating muscle above his lip’ the first outward sign of

morbid curiosities

that he could no longer be depended upon to meet morning appointments, and when

Words by chris shannon Illustration by Bench Allen For this edition of The Flying Post we present our newly instated Creative Writing section, and this winning submission from local writer Chris Shannon, concerning the sinister past happenings of Exeter.

The foremost characteristic tourists seek when visiting a place, particularly one with an illustrious past, is a sense of authenticity. From early on in the sightseeing life of Exeter, guides have been happy to furnish visitors’ imaginations with tales and speculation of the sinister and mysterious histories contained within the city, of which there are many.

Though many of the buildings around the medieval cathedral are now reconstructions of originals destroyed during the war, and the surviving Roman ruins have been hemmed in by car parks and homogeneous high street shops, the inconspicuous fragments that remain like a begrudging footnote to the past at least give an appropriate sense of antiquity. The city’s historians rightly claim as their proudest accolades a labyrinth of ancient underground tunnels, which weave like a vast knot of capillaries beneath the municipality, and the catacombs, arguably the site of most intrigue.

Over seventeen thousand bodies were buried at St Bartholomew’s cemetery by the time it was closed in 1949, though according to records only eleven people were ever interred in the catacombs themselves. The gravesite was built in the mid nineteenth century with the needs of the wealthy in mind, the elaborate mock-Egyptian resting places facing West down the steep hillside overlooking a fast running bend in the river,

anxiety. As might be expected, the late nights spent manning the graveyard alone meant he was available, his mood was found to be unsettling to clients.

We have as a record of Dr Thackery’s declining health a letter his brother wrote not long before his disappearance, which states that the doctor had “a face that looks etched from stone, the skin around his eyes displays a topography that can only be forged, I must guess, by the strains of his work over many years and a tangibly antagonistic marriage... I found him unrecognisable from the brother I knew. As for the lady of the house, she seemed in unusually fine spirits.”

The common joke among the locals was that Mrs Thackerey must have been feeding his rations to the dog, for the more haggard he appeared over the next several months, the plumper the Labrador seemed to get.

When Dr Thackerey vanished in December 1942 without giving any notice of his whereabouts, Pricilla informed those who dared ask (with some tone of accusation) that he had taken the dog and gone for some much needed rest at his family home in Somerset, and did not wish to be contacted. The police, feeling indebted to Dr Thackerey’s service and undoubtedly nursing some sense of responsibility for his mysterious illness, chose to respect this wish. Mrs Thackerey later produced a letter, supposedly from her husband, which was largely illegible (typical of a medical professional), stating that he had been hastily posted to serve as a medic in the battle of El Alamein in North Africa. He would never be seen again.

After the war, Pricilla opened a boutique in the building where the surgery once stood, specialising in expensive, intricately carved bone ornaments and jewellery pieces.

She assured all her customers, with an ever-present smile, that they were purchasing a significant and authentic piece of history. And authenticity, after all, is the most priceless of commodities.

If you’re interested in having your story published in our next edition, please send all submissions to oliver@theflyingpost.com, or gus@theflyingpost.com

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26

The Flying Post

12/11/2012 13:47

Let’s Set The Fads Straight Words by Michael Goffman and Benny Gromadski ironic moustache by Nia Gould

Here our ever irreverent reviewers Goffman

those days are gone, and we are left with a kind of surreal Kafkan Metamorphosis; are

& Gromadski attack a series of fads past

just don’t know. What you do know is how low things have gotten when I’m 100%

and present simply because they either

they sharply dressed or are they just chavs in chinos with a short-back-and-sides? You certain when I say that I miss Chavs. Five years ago if a guy walked passed you with his hair gelled to his forehead wearing an old Henri Lloyd jumper and trackies you knew

don’t like or understand them. Whoever

what he was. What’s more, he knew what you were. You gave each other a mutually

said

are the fashion equivalent to Cronenberg’s The Fly – a hairless creep drunkenly throwing

this

mag

had

a

liberal

agenda?

Ridiculous Fad # 1 – Elastic bottom Chinos I cannot stress enough how much this fad disturbs me. Chinos were once the stronghold of sharply dressed urbanites and baggy-trousered skaters. With so few of them to be seen, I was once proud to own a pair. Turn a street corner today and you’ll see a host of pink, burgundy and blue chinos, some turn-ups and some elasticated at the bottom (seriously, what’s that all about?). Perhaps it’s a sign of ageing but I’m pretty sure that MC Hammer trousers were never an acceptable form of attire. Maybe one day I’ll just wake up and say, “Fuck it! Today I’m going to dress like some guy who stole the Prince of Persia’s pantaloons”, or “I’m gonna try my best to look like a piss-take avatar in a Barbie version of The Sims”.

respectful birth and carried on with your respective days, content as enemies. Trendies up in a corner as it licks it’s mutated limbs trying to figure out what the f*ck it is.

Ridiculous Fad #5 – The Mayan calendar/World ending paranoia Look! We are all dying. The thing about life is that we’re all sub-consciously aware that we’re going to die someday; it’s one of those heavy but bearable existential realities. So if you think it’s going to happen this year, seize the day and go out and slap somebody with elasticated chinos. Or trip a Nu-Raver in a club or cut a Pikey’s rat-tail off. Give Trendies a wide berth though, best not to interact with them. None of it matters anyway cos we’re all about a month away from cosmic oblivion…right?

Ridiculous Fad #6 – Brostep/Skrillex Listen to me and listen closely. I am not your bro. I will not dance to 150bpm music

Ridiculous Fad # 2 – Nu-Rave

while watching your face contort to the sub-woofer. If we were in fact ‘bros’ and truly

I am not even sure if this was a fad. Was it a fad or a legitimate music genre? All I

touches a raw nerve and the other smiles uncomfortably and walks off, later seeking

know is that one day I’m hearing about the Klaxon kids in some sweat-drenched pit in London, the next everybody is getting wet for fluorescent shit. I am 99% sure that the Mercury Prize Panel had their drinks spiked with MDMA when they gave the award to The Klaxons. The legacy was legitimizing UV paint for the masses – there is nothing more unsettling than seeing an Oceana herd leaving their club and heading for the Kebab Van with UV paint melting over their faces like a tragic industrial acid accident.

Nu-rave also legitimizes uppers for posh Indie kids – there’s little more irritating than an Indie kid trying his best to look cool while under the influence. You just have to say, “Listen mate – there is something you should know – give up on that haircut – your face is melting”.

did the things that ‘bros’ do, we would be having digs at each others’ ego till one of us retribution by farting on your pillow. That’s comradeship. That is what ‘bros’ do.

Ridiculous Fad #7 - Irony There is nothing ironic about what you’re doing unless it is the complete opposite of what had previously been said or is in fact happening, and vice-versa. How did we ever get to the phase where people wear things ironically? Seriously. If you’re sitting there on your ‘ironic’ couch, stroking your ‘ironic’ moustache, being complimented on your sterling effort in buying an ‘ironic’ t-shirt, reconsider your stance on irony, because unless all those things had magically appeared there, then we can safely assume that you meant to have them. Every time you take irony in vain you take a step closer to ‘ironic’ hell*.

Ridiculous Fad #3 – Rat-Tails

*It is in fact hell.

If you were born in the ‘80s, you know the deal. You might have even had them. But they died when Baggio missed that shot Mr Magoo-stlye in the penalty shoot-outs of

Ridiculous Fad #8 – Haters

‘94. I think after that people were suspicious that rat-tails affected your balance (extra weight on the back of the head?) or made you flat-footed. I am 1%* sure that they’ll be

Haters gon’ hate – so goes the saying. Be proud of who you are – don’t let the man get

making a comeback, considering our obsession with re-cycling shit…

you down. It’s a fad being a hater. Your granddad was hating Hippies and Commies, your parents were hating on Squares, Mods or Rockers. We’re hating on Hipsters and

*99% accounts for the fact that you would have to be an awful person to bring that

Brostep. It’s fashionable – as well as being a self-affirming statement of who you are (or

back.

who you think you are?). So please keep being contemporary and keep doing what you do best otherwise these pages would be more filled with nonsense than they already are.

Ridiculous Fad #4 – Trendies Trendies are a monstrous hybrid of chavs and hipsters. They reside in fashion no-man’s land, a cultural vacuum where no one is safe. Back in the day you used to be able to differentiate between sub-cultures. Those were the days when you were a skater and you could mud-bomb a Goth and run away shouting “go cry in a graveyard”. But

We promise the irony of targeting ‘haters’ as a fad after penning an entire article filled with hateful descriptions of fads we don’t like isn’t lost on us…we think. Anyway, we ain’t worried – it’s 2012. Not long left anyway.

The Flying Post

Review

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