Cover Photo By: Andy Zavala
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ving a bad ght you were ha ou th er ev u yo canal Have ing a double root tt ge t ou ab w Mr. day? Ho ia? That’s what es th es an no ly te with absolu woke up n, at age 23, he he w do to d ha Frey all over blood and vomit ith w , ne la rp ai and on an hole in his cheek, a h, et te nt fro his shirt, no ppened. w any of that ha ho of y or em m no w that was the final stra de iso ep tle lit rehab, That aimed Minnesota cl ac an in m hi rislanded ally begins. Surp re ok bo is th re which is whe rkest, most him through his da w llo fo e w as y, mself ingl never accepts hi ey Fr , ts gh ou th what private responsibilit y for ll fu s ke ta He . as a victim ith drinking his life, starting w in ed en pp ha s ha ereafter. rd drugs soon th ha d an n, te e eding at ag r wanting and ne fo ize og ol ap t n’ He does l, he simply rugs and alcoho the oblivion of d chronicles his life. This book of ct fa a as it es . It is stat life, and beyond b, ha re in s le gg hic, his stru g, refreshing, grap in er w po em , ld riveting, bo , I know, it’s int of heart. Yeah fa e th r fo t no d ve me an book, so don’t gi h ra p O st te la e th the also th that it will be wor ee nt ra a gu I . any flack read.
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By: Andi Sotelo
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Magazine X Compilation Volume One
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Who needs Austin? We’ ve got the liv capital right e music here in the V alley. If you already hea haven’t rd or seen th e musicians on the first M featured agazine X c ompilation, give you a q I’ll tr y and uick rundow n. There a re songs from lo thirteen cal a rtists, a nd they a re and fascina diverse ting, much lik e the Valley have Jaime itself. You Ga rcia with all his acous fulness, and tic wonderSlow G rind w ith their insa metalness. ne ha rdcore Those would probably be tremes, with the two exthe remainin g eleven ba every other nds highlight facet of wha musicians a ing t w e call rock mus re in g re ic. Talented a t supply here cists, sk illed mixers, dyna , as well as, ers/magazine gifted ly rimic vocal st owners/friend ylists, and fa and take a lis s. You shoul ntastic prom d all go to m ten, you ma otyspace.com y be pleasa experienced ntly surprised /magxzine the incredib . And then, le monster th local music after you ha at this disc is, and go buy ve you should su your own co in McAllen a py. Proceed pport your nd to fund V s g o o to the RGV M lume 2. Don’ online.com usic Office t by shy, log and let us kn on to my spa ow who you ce or magxwant to see on the seco nd compilatio n!
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and
It’s that time of the year. The leaves start to fall. The weather starts getting cooler (ok, up north) & for one grand night out of the year we dress up like ghouls & goblins, witches & warlocks, things that go bump in the night. Yes, Halloween is just around the corner and who doesn’t like to be scared? So with that in mind we have decided to have a contest. What’s the prize? How about a pair of tickets to the scariest place in the valley! That’s right SCREAM FAKTOR! MagX & The Premier Haunted House in the Valley, Scream Faktor, have joined forces to reward those brave souls who email the correct (or closest to correct) answers to the following questions.
The BOOTY? A free ticket to Scream Faktor for each winner!!! So buy some “Depends” and prepare to soil yourself!
Email you answers to contests@magxonline.com What is the name of the 3 Trick or Treaters who kidnap Santa Claus in “A Nightmare Before Christmas?“ How many chapters of “Friday the 13th” are there? (yes the “Jason” series count) a.13 b.11 c.10 d. Way too many Where was Dracula from? What is the best way (according to legend) to kill a Werewolf? a. stake through the heart b. silver bullet c. silver dagger d. feed him raw meat w/ wolfsbane Write the complete song the little girls sing in “Nightmare on Elm Street. “Here’s a hint: “One, Two…” You are on page 9 • Magxonline.com
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The Dead End Cadets are a lot of things, an eclectic, guitar driven rock band. But they are not emo. We sat down withJulian, Rick & Pepper and tossed out a few questions. MX: Who are your main influences? DEC: Pepper :Ween, Rick: Disco (BeeGees),Pixies Julian: Pavement, Sax and Rock -n- Roll. MX: How have they influenced you? DEC: They all have in common, “pop simplicity” MX: Who is the lyricist? When you write, how much of your lyrics are drawn from personal experience? DEC: Rick, and Julian. Most of it is personal experience, and future involvement, where we want to go. MX: What is the ongoing theme in your music? DEC: Infatuation, the ongoing chase… ”pretty girls”. MX: How has the music changed you from when you started? DEC: It’s grown, more creativity, we’re more open-minded. It went from a hobby to a way of life. The music has always been upbeat, not depressing. We are not Emo!
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MX: What does DEC mean? How did you get that name? DEC: Originated from the idea. We have no other choice to do it. This is our only way out; we have nowhere else to go but here. MX: What kind of audience do you usually have? DEC: Mostly classic rock fans.
MX: What image do you want to present to your fans? DEC: Overall image is just ordinary guys, “were the boys next door” MX: nice guys ladies! (All laugh) MX: What is in your CD player right now? DEC: Rick: Pavement & Ween. Pepper: New Order & The Smiths
Julian: Superdrag and S.M. & the Jicks MX: What type of genre do you categorize yourselves? DEC: We have never categorized ourselves as anything, the public has said we’re indie rock. MX: Is commercial success important to you as a group?
NOTE: this sadly was the last show for The Dead End Cadets. They are going to take a break for a while, they promise to be back with a different, interesting sound. You are on page 12 • Magxonline.com
DEC: It would be great. But it’s not our main objective. We appreciate what we do; it would be nice to see a CD of us. MX: Us too!!! Ok last question, how do you differ from other bands? DEC: We can’t find the words, so just come out to see one of our shows.
Photo By: Andy Zavala
By: J3S
Welcome back to Cigarette Burns. I know that “CB” covers what’s hot in movies, but this month we’re going to do something a bit different. Since it is October, and Halloween is MY favorite holiday, we decided to give you fine folks our very own “Top 25 Movies To Watch On Halloween” (cue the spooky music). Now we’re talking about the perfect flick to watch after you have stolen the candy from the neighborhood kids, and are ready to settle in for a long night of the HEEBIE-JEEBIES! 1. (John Carpenter’s) The Thing: if you have not seen this movie yet, run now to find a copy. The images alone will give you nightmares for weeks.
to the left”…. ok maybe I have issues.
of clowns….what is it about them? Is it their? Ok! I’ll stop.
6. Swept Away: This flick starring Madonna is the scariest movie ever made. What the hell was Ritchie thinkin’.
14. Ringu/ Ju-Onn : from the land of the rising sun comes these two amazing flicks, way better than the american versions.
2. An American Werewolf in London: best werewolf movie ever, Nuff said!
15. The Creature from the Black Lagoon : classic B/W monster flick from the Universal Monster’s heyday.
3. Rose Mary’s Baby: that dog/man thing sent me straight to church the next day. 4.The CROW: James O’Barr’s classic revenge tale. R.I.P. Brandon.
21.Psycho (original) - Norman Bates, creepiest mama’s boy ever.
7.SE7EN: yeah I know it’s not really a horror movie, but it’s one of my top 10, and it still rocks on any night. 8.The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (original)- I know the re-make had the gorgeous Jessica Biel. But as far as horror goes the original one is still the best.
16. The Lost Boys: Vampires have never been cooler. “you missed sucka”…
9. The Amityville Horror: The Original is better!
17. The Eye: Creepy Chinese Horror Flick.
10. Halloween pts. 1&2
18. It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown: “I got a rock.”
11. The Shining: “Heeerree’sss Johnny!” Classic Nicholson.
5. Rocky Horror Picture Show: How can anyone not watch this & not want to join in the song & dance? “it’s a jump
22. The Sixth Sense: Best Ghost Flick Ever!
12. The Exorcist: great movie, but what I truly loved were the urban legends behind it. 13. Stephen King‘s: It: it seems people are scared
19. The Blair Witch Project: Dramamine not included! 20. Nightmare Before Christmas: THE MUST WATCH MOVIE FOR HALLOWEEN. Put this on, & the goths come a’ runnin’.
MAJOR NEWS!
Next Month: jes@magxonline.com
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23. Michael Jackson’s Thriller: yeah I know it’s a video, but it has zombies & a narration by Vincent Price! VINCENT. PRICE. 24. HELLRAISER: great visuals, great story & scary as all hell. 25. (George Romero’s) Night of the living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead. Nobody, nobody can ever out zombie Romero. Ok you have your list, ( in our best Vincent Price voice)
so from all the grim,& ghastly ghouls here @ MagX we bid you a horrid, & happy Halloween. Hope you sleep tonight.
ta mini-robots is no hobby, building y ild m bu to t ou ad d ro e Th unger, I sta rte yo as w I n he tio W the ac n linea r one. board to go with rd ca ese m fro es cl , I motor ized th ing vehi llection. Later on co e, y m ud m cr fro ild es bu figur gan to en gradually be TV vehicles and th e, ca rtoon and tim e th At . ys to e lik k tsTre bo ar simple ro e”, and St rmers”, “G.I. Jo fo ns sed ra ba “T es e: cl lik s hi serie build ve y inspirations to rs” ge Ro k uc “B were among m phaser and k” Tre r ta “S e Th on them. ples of this. are some exam ed electronics deriv n to add basic othan rn tu to s) Later on, I bega ok k (electronic bo did from Radio Shac ng that actually g, into somethi in th ts, y bo pt ro em of t ise lo w er ures a nce Fiction feat re then something. Scie any other whe m d an ” O 3P “C d an , 2” like “R2D robots. sted in real -life I became intere g it. Just like a ts? I enjoy doin bo ro canild bu I So why do d an ar tist uses ls and stone, an ise Like . ch rts es pa us c or ni sculpt rs and electro ca y to e , us I t, for what I build vas and pain va ry widely. As ts y, ec oj bu pr n y ca m hand, or all ar tists, what I have on on s nd e. pe tim de l e that al ading at th watching or re and what I am
Dave at o b o R t c a Cont 58 P.O. Box 10 8543 Elsa, TX. 7
You are on page 16 • Magxonline.com
with music my obsession n he w ith re su nversation w I’m not really er having a co discuss music, b m e m re I began. e usually hile back. W me “I my father aw ast. He told le t uss music a r since isc e d ev to ic y tr us r o ing to love m o g re beg e w to u .” I used knew yo four yea rs old ut cCa rto M b a ul re Pa e y you w Ivory” b nd a ny o b “E d recite all him to put on er. “You woul nd o W ie ev f.” He said. ney and St e your ass of nc a d nd yself lik ing a s the ly ric on I found m nt e w rs a ye A s the a lot of the idn’t. I liked d s d y ki st o m ent most of m music that e too, but sp as tim e ch th su t a ns s g ia hip thin of Music es lik e th e ith w uc s er, and Br listening hour s, John Denv ill W le b p Bo o e n, wp Roy O rbiso nly a very fe ha…I think o Hornsby (Ha ten I de know this). ed the age of When I reach other, who m y M lay piano. p to d e nt a cided I w
lesrranged my supporter, a ther st o e n g a ig r b fo y y m d is by fa r r I was rea te la s were s n th o n ss o m again le sons. Th ree s! So once in be m ru st d re e te Th in with my m endeavor. le b e ro p th ly The on So after re a rranged. te lessons. a h I I t t. a h th g u is lf ta ian ed to be se ing a music d rums I vow e , but I like to e th ic n o o h s c n o st e b less e th s a if that w don’t know cols. a attempt at w think it ds, a failed n elf a b ys r m u d fo n r Afte s, I fou in with d rug rkn o ru w f d rie n b a t a h distraug lege, and lly a n tio to o e m xas, e d on m in Austin Te ally dawne ,I c store. It fin si twenty one u t a m , a t So a t. is ing rt a lo k. c so ht tra ing as a and an eig sta rt record icrophone m h is ab p a ic e h h w c , a m bought y first albu m d ily, e rd o c s, re fr iend fam I w rote and ave them to g y solo d m n h a g , u id ro rr terest. Th in solutely ho d e a, w o d sh e w ho iel, melo ic and anyon , glockensp jo my n a to b d ys e to d ad ercussion p f o recording I r e b m , and a nu concertina decided to the valley I a rsenal. to d e rn tu lly, it was re Wh e n I io. O rigina d u st tle lit n discovlf a modest nly, but I the o make myse se u l a n o for pers dets and ofgoing to be ead End Ca D e ple th d lle d ca ha rge. Peo ered a ban sic free of c u m g ir in e rd th o c rd o al re fered to rec uld sta rt a re e that I sho on’t think I d I t a th y have told m sa ly st e n o I will h don’t like. studio, but nd band that I a rd o c re ord myself a ld cou tinue to rec n o c ill w I So with. I ie I fall in love and an Ind bands that ew Folk E. P. n a g in rk o w am currently m finished em to have the e p o h be giving th I P. E. ber and will to c O f d o n d a n by the e the internet, e up gh fr iends, e to look m away th rou sted feel fre re te in r u yo . at shows. If .com/cajah w.myspace w /w :/ p tt h t a
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Well, how to begin? I really don’t know how I began. I really thought I was born talented, nope it was pure boredom. I got serious about my work during my high school days ( puro P.S.J.A. South side!!) College was a rude awakening, but very exciting as well. I met some really cool artists and professors. I got a lot of good advice from local artists too. Most of my influences would have to be artists like Francis Bacon, Max Beckman, Odd Nerdrum, Goya etc. As for inspiration, it comes very natural. I like to sit around and just observe people, talk to them and who knows? Their might be some good stories or ideas that I could draw or paint. Right now, I’m currently working at IDEA Academy as an Art Instructor ( 6 yrs. and counting!). My latest works deal with local folklore from the Valley ( or local folklore). I’m very interested in the history of our region, and I would love to capture some of those images on canvas or paper. Yes it’s been done before. But not in my style! I like to think of myself as one of the best artists in the valley, for a good reason of course. I do good work, simple as that! Well I don’t have much more to say, but that I’m having a Halloween party at my place on 23rd street, in McAllen on October 22nd. You are all welcomed to join the fun! As for thankin’ people, I would first and foremost thank myself for being such a great artist and wonderful human being. My family, my girlfriend Marisa, and my friends for putting up with my sh*t and lies all of these years. Well it’s about that time to “wine & dine”. Lots of love. Marco A. Sanchez (Prince By-Tor) P.S. I would like to let people Know my favorite bands: YES, Genesis, Rush… Prog-Rock Rulz!!!
MagX has already alerted *M.C.P.D. of the party, they have assured us of using excessive violence to break it up.
* it was a joke, WE LOVE M.C.P.D.!!! You are on page 18 • Magxonline.com
by: Dr. David Oakes
George Ro
You are on page 19 • Magxonline.com
mero
28 Weeks Later. Resident Evil 3. House of the Dead 2. Dawn of the Dead 2. Return of the Living Dead 4 and 5. All of these zombie movies, in all probability, will soon shamble their way either to movie theaters or to DVD in the next few years. Zombies, after being regulated to straight-to-video projects for a decade, returned to the big screen in the past couple of years. Yet, this recent resurgence only opens a new chapter in a cinematic history stretching back to the early days of horror movies. The first zombies to appear on the silver screen derived from the rites of voodoo practiced in Haiti. The fear of mental enslavement to a voodoo priest manifested itself in the first zombie movie, 1932’s White Zombie. Starring Bela Lugosi as Murder Legendre, the living dead in White Zombie appear as menacing figures under the priest’s control, but they do little else. However, the film was a box office success, although it did not match the returns of such films as Dracula or Frankenstein. The voodoo-inspired zombie appeared on occasion in a variety of Hollywood movies during the 1930’s and 1940’s such as The Ghost Breakers (1940), King of the Zombies (1941), I Walked With A Zombie (1943) and Zombies on Broadway (1945). Although most appearances of the zombie continued to stem from the voodoo tradition, a transition to a new form of zombie began to take place. Edward Cahn’s 1959 science fiction movie, Invisible Invaders, portrayed the zombies as a threat to human civilization (albeit under the control of aliens) for the first time. The Last Man On Earth, inspired by Richard Matheson’s novel I Am Legend, portrayed a lone man struggling to survive in a world dominated by the living dead. Hammer Films 1966 effort, The Plague of the Zombies, harkens back to voodoo in its portrayal of the dead under the control of a voodoo master. However, the visual depiction of the zombies as slowly moving, rotting corpses marked the transition of the zombie to the form dominant since a low budget movie in 1968 directed by George A. Romero. The influence of Night of the Living Dead on the zombie genre cannot be understated; it set the model for the living dead that has shown up in the majority of zombie movies made since 1968. Romero set the template of the zombie as a shambling, rotting body that wanted to feast on the flesh of the living. Although they move slowly, the sheer numbers of zombies present a threat. Moreover, even the smallest bite from them doomed a person to join the ranks of the living dead. The only way to stop the corpses came from a shot to the head. Almost every portrayal of the zombie since 1968 adhered to these guidelines.
Romero’s movie stands out in a number of other ways than setting the standard for the depiction of zombies. The female hero goes insane within the first fifteen minutes of the film and ends up being close to useless for the rest of the movie. Few movies at that time had an AfricanAmerican as the central hero of the film. Romero also offered only a vague explanation for the origin of the zombies. There is reference to a probe returned from Venus, but nothing definite. Finally, the overall tone of the film reeked of bleakness and doom, a somber atmosphere only reinforced by the unhappy ending where the last survivor of the zombie attack ends up being killed by fellow humans and would-be rescuers. The influence of Romero’s depiction in Night of the Living Dead became apparent almost immediately in a series of zombie films from the early 1970s. Bob Clark’s Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things, Rene Cardona’s Invasion of the Dead, and Jorge Grau’s Let Sleeping Corpses Lie were just a few films that featured zombies influenced by Romero. Amidst the many films influenced by Night of the Living Dead, the Blind Dead series of Spanish director Armando de You are on page 20 • Magxonline.com
Ossorio depicted a group of unique zombies that are some of the must unusual in the genre. The skeletal Templars with their decayed robes present viewers with a striking depictions of the living dead. Ossorio’s zombies, however, did not influence future depictions of the living dead nearly to the extent of Romero. A large number of zombie movies appeared in the early 1970’s in response to the immense popularity of Night of the Livign Dead. However, by the middle of the decade, the zombie’s popularity largely faded away, but, in 1979, George A. Romero released what many consider to be his masterpiece, Dawn of the Dead. The apocalyptic vision of a society falling apart at its seems, the wry social commentary on consumerism, the humor, the excellent gore effects by Tom Savini all combined to help make Dawn of the Dead one of the most successful zombie movies of all time. It, like Romero’s previous film, influenced many zombie films that came after it. Indeed,
the flood of zombie movies that came out in the wake of Dawn of the Dead surpassed the surge from the original. Moreover, some of the films inspired by Romero’s second film developed their own cult following and had a significant influence on other movies. Perhaps the country that produced the most zombie movies in the wake of Dawn of the Dead was Italy. The best Italian director of zombie films is, without doubt, Lucio Fulci. His 1979 movie, Zombie (which was marketed in some areas as either a prequel or a sequel DOTD), stands out for its ample use of gore and its fantastic make up effects. Some of the goriest sequences in any zombie movie can be found here. Fulci also directed two other zombie films that are considered among his best, City of the Living Dead (1980) and The Beyond (1981). Although Dawn of the Dead inspired some excellent zombie films, most of them were not very good. The list of bad zombie movies from the early
80s is a long one: The Alien Dead, Burial Ground, Zombie Lake, and Oasis of the Zombies are just a few of these awful imitators. Indeed, the dismal quality of these movies helped end the revival of the zombie movie. Even the numerous zombie epics from Italy soon died down. No better symbol of the genre’s dying popularity exists than the fact that Romero’s third zombie movie, 1985’s Day of the Dead, did not receive a theatrical release and went straight to home video. The zombie movie enjoyed a brief revival of popularity during the mid 1980’s in the form of zombie comedies. The best one of these films, Return of the Living Dead, styled itself as a sequel to Night of the Living Dead. The movie turned out to be immensely funny and had a successful box office run. The success of Return of the Living Dead inspired two sequels and several other films that used the living dead for laughs. However, the zombie comedy soon wore out its welcome with theatrical audiences. The zombie movie did not disappear from existence; rather, the living dead continued to appear on home video. The easy availability of home video cameras also resulted in the creation of backyard zombie epics made on extremely low budgets. Most of these films, such as J. R. Bookwalter’s Zombie Cop and Todd Sheets’s Zombie Bloodbath Trilogy, were awful. Although many American zombie films left a lot to be
desired, some high quality movies were created overseas. The zombie movie found renewed life in foreign venues where some very creative minds made entertaining living dead films. One of the goriest zombie movies ever made, Dead Alive, arrived in 1992 from future Oscar winning Lord of the Rings director, Peter Jackson. Although a far cry from Academy Award winning potential, the energy and endless gore gave audiences that could find the film with an entertaining zombie romp. Directors from Germany produced such zombie movies as the Mutation trilogy, Premutos: Lord of the Dead, and others. Japanese directors made movies such as Living Dead in Tokyo Bay, Junk, Versus, and others. In England, a relatively unknown zombie movie created by director Danny Boyle, 28 Days Later, would later play a role in the revival of the zombie film as a theatrical force. In 2002, a movie based on
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the video game, Resident Evil, became a worldwide box office success. This film featured zombies in a prominent role amidst all the conspiracy, monsters and actions scenes. The financial success of the film caused Hollywood to take notice, and one studio released the movie, 28 Days Later, which had been unable to find an American distributor. This apocalyptic
tale of a rampaging disease that transforms people into homicidal running zombies struck gold at the box office. The
success of this low budget British zombie film helped pave the way, along with the success of a string of horror movie remakes, for the remake of Dawn of the Dead. This recreation of what many consider to be Romero’s best film opened not only to critical praise, but also went on to become a worldwide box office success. The immense windfalls that have come from these three zombie movies breathed new life into the genre, and even gave George A. Romero the opportunity to direct his fourth living dead movie (the first in twenty years), Land of the Dead. As to the future of the zombie genre, the current trend of studio releases will go on for a few more years or, depending on box office success, this resurgence could go on for even longer. Land of the Dead didn’t break any box office records, but it did earn its meager budget of $15 million back in the first couple weeks of American release, so by
no means does this signal the retreat of zombie from the theater. There are sequels being planned to successful zombie theatrical films. There are several film projects in the works by major studios based on video games that feature zombies. And, of course, independent and low budget filmmakers continue to produce zombie movies. The current spate of zombie films will eventually slow down eventually, but the genre will never (pardon the pun) be dead and buried. At some point in the future, the living dead will once again shamble their way into the theaters to provide thrills and chills for audiences around the world.
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