Russell Brand vs. Paxman More than just a Video?
Feminist love: Being a feminist in a relationship....
Coalition Promises Selling off the student loan book...
FREE PULLOUT POSTER WINTER ISSUE
Food Porn Getting steamy in the kitchen!
Editorial With each new academic year, comes new editors, designers and writers to [smiths]; and so the magazine has evolved once more and formed it’s own distinct personality and look. [smiths] magazine is a platform for Goldsmiths students to show off – their opinions, their art work, their music, their writing and their talent. And in our Winter issue Goldsmiths students are at their best. From direct interviews with artists studying here; from MFA fine art student Sarah Jung to electronic music producer Jago Pearson, to moving creative writing in the poems of Momina Mela, Christopher Whitfield and Emily Cooper. This issue is varied, something that [smiths] pride itself on. Flick through the pages and be transported to Jaipur, India, as Gabriel Jones retells his adventures, or head to the fashion section and learn about emerging Ukranian fashion designers. Feminism takes precedence in this issue: from Holly Boyden’s personal account of maintaining her feminist values in her past relationship, to Joanna Rowe’s opinionated article looking at the way female chefs are represented in the media, and Emily Benington’s interesting exploration into motherhood in her article ‘Home Truths’. There’s a lot packed into this issue, and as the newly elected editors, we’re very proud of the hard work that’s gone into it. From the beautiful design work by the new design team, to interesting articles relevant to Goldsmiths students lives inside and outside of the campus, we hope you enjoy the first [smiths] issue of the year, and will be encouraged to get involved yourself. The magazine wouldn’t exist without the students who contribute to it, so if you’ve got something to say, something to review, or something to design – get in touch and get involved.
This issue Fashion & Beauty The evolution of the bra p6 The size issue p8 Ukrainian fashion takeover p 10 Under the cloak p12 Return of the 1460’ p14 V&A fashion festival p15 Travel The doodads p18 The road is life p19 They play to heal, but they prey to be rescued p16 Hospitality p20 Love letter p22 Creative Writing The birds p 24 Samuels birthday parachute ride p25 Love in Deptford p26 The De-Cameron p27 Why is sex so much more difficult to get right on paper p28 Death of a naturalist p30 Politics Egypt and the western words duties p32 Calm the frack down p32 Warning: this article will drone on p38 Student handed another set of broken promises p40 Russell Brand vs. Jeremy Paxman: more than just a viral video? p42
UKRAINIAN FASHION TAKEOVER p10
Food Deep-fried Hedonism p44 Food porn p48 8 mistakes Brits makes when cooking Italian p50 Las Americas Brixton p51 The quarter million pounder p52 Arts and Culture
Egy p t p32
Free Pull-out Poster p36
Lots of thin ice and a bit of security p53 Behind the perfect picture: home truths p54 How can you be a feminist in a relationship? P56 The exponential rise of DJ’s and journalists p58 A theatre review of the curious case of the dog in the night p60 Music Where’s our: red wedge? P61 Suffocated in concrete p63 The earth as a relaxing space p64 Zulu p66
Smiths
Contributors Senior Editors
Lucie Horton and Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff: smiths.gsu@gmail.com Sub-editors
Arts & Culture: Priya Shemar, SarahVan Binsbergen & Lucy McKay smiths.artsandculture@gmail.com Food & Drink: Joanna Rowse & Adam Morby smiths.foodanddrink@gmail.com Literary & Creative: Giorgia Cowan, Momina Mela &Will Jamieson smiths.literaryandcreative@gmail.com Politics:Tedros Kostiw Getachew & Toby smiths.politics@gmail.com Music: Ella Daniel-Lowe & Katherine Cantwell smiths.musiceditor@gmail.com Travel & International: Heidi Martin & Rachel Dodson smiths.traveleditor@gmail.com Fashion:Taylor McGraa & Hannah Twiggs smiths.fashioneditor@gmail.com Designers:
Will Course Ted Low Sophie Hardcastle Maria Portugal smiths.designer@gmail.com Social Media Manager: socialmedia.smiths@gmail.com Karen D’Arcangelo Interested in filming and production? [smiths] T.V: Dan Svec & Allie Kurtz smiths.smithstv@gmail.com WRITE FOR US AND GET INVOLVED www.smithsmagazine.co.uk
-FASHION -ANDBEAUTYFashion & Beauty 5
THE EVOLUTION OF THE BRA Emily Goddard takes a look at the way the bra has evolved throughout the centuries.
Whether you’re burning them, parading them on a midnight ‘moonwalk’ or struggling to undo them, the bra is an ever-present element of daily life.The bra is a symbol of femininity and so mirrors the progression and social change of women throughout history. While evidence suggests that brassieres were worn as far back as 79 AD, they are a far cry from what we know as the modern bra.With many being fashioned from pieces of cloth, and sometimes chain, they were used to flatten breasts rather than to make the most of them.
Indeed, much of the bras in history sound more like torture devices than something you’d be happy to wear next to your skin. It was not until health professionals and feminists alike began speaking out against the restraining of breasts, fuelled largely by theVictorian dress reform, that they became more feminine, softer and supportive.
Mary Phelps Jacob’s bra
Image of bra discovered in Austria dated back to 15th century.
Bras, in one form or another, were also worn in ancient Egypt, India, China and Greece. In 2008, archaeologists in Austria discovered undergarments dating back to the 15th century, which featured ‘bags’ into which breasts were placed for support.
Perhaps the most notable landmark in the brassieres’ history is its first mention in Vogue in 1907. Four years later the word appeared in the Dictionary. In 1913, New York socialite Mary Phelps Jacob invented the first modern bra – two silk handkerchiefs tied together with pink ribbon. Under the business name of Caresse Crosby, Phelps Jacob received a patent for her design the following year and production got underway. The evolution of the bra has since skyrocketed. The word brassiere was shortened to bra in the 1930s and in 1935 cup sizes
were introduced. The industry was booming, with new manufacturers such as Triumph, Maidenform, Gossard, Spirella, Spencer and Symington coming into business. The ‘40s and ‘50s saw the rise of the conically pointed ‘Torpedo’ or ‘Bullet’ bras. Soon after, they began to feature on Hollywood stars in advertisements . Shortly after the creation of the Wonderbra in 1964, feminists branded bras as symbols
Image of ‘Freedom Trash Can’
well as featuring in exhibitions, the poster was voted the most eye-catching advert and included in the top 10 posters of the century. Image ofVictoria Secret model Bras are now a £1 billion industry in the UK, worn by thousands of women each day. Across the pond,Victoria’s Secret has played an enormous role in promoting the bra to Image Bullet bras
of oppression and claimed they sexually objectified women. In 1968 bras, along with false eyelashes, high-heeled shoes, makeup, and magazines such as Vogue and Playboy, were thrown into the ‘Freedom Trash Can’ as part of a demonstration in New Jersey. The bra began to regain acceptance in the ‘70s, as more options in colour, styles and fabrics became a possibility, making it something of a fashion statement. 1977 saw the invention of the first sports bra. Then in 1994 came that racy ‘Hello Boys’ ad campaign featuring a sensational Eva Herzigová in a figure enhancing Wonderbra. As
Image of ‘Hello Boys’ ad campaign for Wonderbra
icon status.While some women still go without, bras are now a veritable fashion accessory in their own right. From 1950s pin-up Bettie Page to Madonna’s infamous golden cone bra, the bra is something that represents the social circumstances of the time. Fashion & Beauty 7
THE SIZE ISSUE#
MELISSA MCCARTHY’S ELLE COVER
Hannah Twiggs analyses Elle magazine’s decision to put a plus size (!) woman on the cover.
October 2013 saw its fair share of controversy, from the American default to the Plebgate scandal and the Snowden whistleblowers. And the world of fashion was no exception. Earlier last month, Elle USA dropped its annual ‘Women in Hollywood’ issue. The industry’s seasoned celebrities, as well as it’s rising stars, are showcased in the glossys’ November edition as Hollywood’s pioneering and formidable females. The celebrated recipients include Reese Witherspoon, Naomie Harris, Shailene Woodley, Marion Cotillard, Penelope Cruz and Melissa McCarthy. Aside from a ‘nod’ from Elle, each transcendent beauty received their own cover. And of course, none have been quite so scrutinized as McCarthy’s. While Melissa adorns the mag in what critics are calling a ‘deliberately oversized’, woolen coat, her co-stars were outfitted in figure-hugging LBDs and barely-there Calvin Klein bodysuits. Amidst a storm of controversy from fashion heavyweights, as well as Vogue’s own readers, Saturday Night Live’s Andy Samberg dubbed the Marina Rinadli coat “Jacket-gate”, while June Thomas from Slate says “Perhaps photographer Thomas Whiteside only knows how to
photograph the usual stick insect models, because he clearly has no clue how to highlight McCarthy’s curves.” Preach. The dispute is understandable, given fashion’s controversial reputation with size. The contrast between McCarthy and her scantily-clad co-stars is also irrefutable. Still, I can’t help notice one strikingly obvious fact: She looks absolutely beautiful. Not only is her skin flawless, her hair has achieved that kind of glorious bed-head chic us mere mortals can only aspire to. Whilst her curves may be obscured by an oversized, woolen coat, they are not denied. McCarthy is glorious. McCarthy told E! news:“I grabbed the coat. I covered up. I had a great black dress on, but I thought, ‘It comes out in November.’ I was so sick of summer. I live in South
“Whilst her curves may be obscured by an oversized, woolen coat, they are not denied. McCarthy is glorious.”
“While Melissa adorns the mag in what critics are calling a ‘deliberately oversized’, woolen coat, her co-stars were outfitted in figure-hugging LBDs and barely-there Calvin Klein bodysuits.” Carolina. I was like, ‘Give me a big coat to wear. Give the girl some cashmere!’ I picked the coat. They were like, ‘The dress is really great,’ but I was like, ‘Yeah, but look at this.’” Is it fair that the world should pressure McCarthy into showing more skin if she not only approved, but also demanded the coat in question? Of course it isn’t. In my not-so-humble opinion, there’s something riotously audacious and exciting about a woman in an outfit that isn’t sheer and
short, whether it be Witherspoon or McCarthy. Indubitably, we can agree that this issue isn’t really about McCarthy or Elle or any woman in Hollywood. McCarthy’s cover challenges fashion to celebrate curvier women in a way that neither disguises nor points out their size. In 2011, McCarthy told The Hollywood Reporter, ‘Trying to find stuff that’s still fashion-forward in my size is damn near impossible. It’s either for like a 98-year-old woman or a 14-year-old hooker, and there is nothing in the middle.’ Has McCarthy found the middle ground? I’m almost convinced.
“McCarthy’s cover challenges fashion to celebrate curvier women in a way that neither disguises nor points out their size.”
UKRAINIAN FASHION TAKEOVER Athena Stylli and Amy Pattinson get a taste of the Ukraine’s emerging talent at the Ukrainian Fashion Show hosted by the Saatchi Gallery.
On October 18th, the Saatchi Gallery hosted a Ukrainian Fashion Show as part of a three-day festival showcasing Ukrainian art, culture, fashion and music.The runway show included work by designers Poustovit, Litkovskaya, Bezva and design duo KAMENSKAKONONOVA. Organizing the event were the Firstish Foundation and ‘Days of Ukraine’.
Kicking off the show was a short film showcasing a taste of what we could expect from each designer’s spring/ summer 2014 collection. For Poustovit, the lights dimmed dramatically to a moody midnight blue and pulsating music filled the crowded hall. Despite the dramatic start, the collection consisted of light silk dresses with dainty blue floral patterns, graphic t-shirts paired with polka dot pencil skirts and stripy maxi skirts. Every piece was clean cut and effortlessly assembled to appear super feminine but with a city girl edge. KAMENSKAKONONOVA, who caught the eye of Vogue Italy in 2013, took the opposite approach with a backdrop of natural lighting and the pattering of rain detectable under a steady drumbeat.
Luckily, the pieces were far from gloomy. Most of the outfits were monochrome with bursts of bright coral pink. The key piece was a versatile mustard yellow dress that epitomised the pop of colour needed on a rainy day. The young duo’s minimalistic approach accentuates the woman’s silhouette, providing a sense of freedom and lightness. Up next was Bevza, with her clean cut, classic and elegant collection. Models were adorned in monochrome dresses, cut at
sharp angles that accentuated the female form.When we caught up with the talented designer after the show, she embodied Ukrainian chic and surprised us by saying she finished her collection within a month! She took inspiration from everywhere, but originally from her bathroom.This inspiration, a morning cleaning ritual, is reflected in the purity of the colours and simple shapes, and more obliquely in the geometric tile prints in some of the key pieces. Rounding off the show was, Litkovskaya. The upbeat music and indigo blue spotlight reflected the collection’s strong cool aesthetic. The collection was all about adding twists and contrasts; faux hair on leather clutches, monochrome silk dresses with an architecturally structured neckline, creased leather dresses, black skirts nipped in above the knee and flared out. The collection’s combination of modern shapes appears simple at first glance, but the cut and shapes Litkovskaya feature in silks are impressive and unusual. The model Bethan Wasket, who was lucky enough to wear Litkovskaya, saw the clothes as ‘raw and strong’. These Ukrainian designers are definitely getting it right at the moment and are ones to watch in the coming year.
KAMENSKAKONONOVA, Poustovit, Bevza, Litkovskaya Collections
Fashion & Beauty 11
UNDER THE CLOAK Dubai, being a Muslim city, is probably imagined to be conservative and outdated in terms of fashion. However, as someone who has been born and brought up in this incredible place, I beg to differ. On the one hand, we have the expatriates, making up a shocking 91% of the total population in Dubai, that have the pick of worldwide fashions, and on the other hand we have the Emiratis who, although have a lot of restrictions due to religious and cultural reasons, leave no stones unturned in the fashion industry. It is admirable how they have managed to strongly maintain their cultural roots despite the globalization that has taken place in their city, particularly in the fields of fashion and art. What amazes me the most is the extent to which most of the Arab women are so passionate about dressing up. Their traditional and religious obliga-
Aditi Wagh lifts the veil on the fashion worn under the cloak by Emirati women.
tions do not prevent them from enjoying and making use of the brands available to them. Common in the gulf countries is a cloak for women, which is worn from head
“It is admirable how they have managed to strongly maintain their cultural roots despite the globalization era that has taken place in their city, particularly in the fields of fashion and art.”
“Their traditional and religious obligations do not prevent them from enjoying and making use of the brands available to them.”
to toe over other clothing while they’re out amongst the general public. This ‘abaya’, (Arabic for cloak), is usually made out of black synthetic fiber and is sometimes decorated with sequins or embroidery. But the cloak does not limit the local’s knowledge when it comes to fashion, and neither does it stop them from spending on some of the big brands, such as Gucci, LV, Donatella and Versace. Dubai is home to the world’s largest mall, and according to retailers has a growing appetite for consumerism. The city’s per-capita consumer spending, high retail sales and its position as a regional tourism hub makes it an attractive destination for retailers, and thus home to many internationally recognised brands. One thing that may surprise Westerners is the comparison that I noticed between the fashion of women in Dubai, compared to women from oth-
er cultures who are not expected to ‘hide under a cloak’. On the whole, I found that women wearing abayas wore more modern, revealing, expensive and brand-associated clothing than people from other cultures. The same is seen with hairstyles – these women have been seen to have the most exotic ones hiding under their veils. What’s more, most of the local women’s ‘abayas’ do not hide their faces, thus making products such as MAC and Bobby Brown big hit. Countries like the UK assume that cultures that exist in places like the UAE lack modernized fashion and I strongly urge people from these backgrounds to look deeper. Times have changed and it is now possible to have the best of both worlds; maintaining the culture of a place while enjoying the globalization of fashion at its best.
Fashion & Beauty 13
RETURN OF THE 1460’S Taylor Mcgraa ponders the rise of the ultimate boot – Dr. Marten’s are back in.
stagram feeds, recent pop culture has just been oozing androgynous visuals. Beanies, oversized sweaters, and now, the classic Dr. Marten, once sported by Policemen and Milk Men alike. Last Winter, I couldn’t look to the ground without seeing a pair of DM boots, or an ‘Airwair’ tag staring blankly at me; so being the ultimate non-conformist that I am,
“Chunky and clunky, I Last night I came home from work and it was dark. Thus, autumn is upon us, along with a whole new season of trends. And I for one am very excited. Although girlish hues and pastels are a heavily predicted trend for this season, so is the classic too-cool-for-you punk aesthetic. After all, what better way to keep yourself warm this October than with a flannel shirt and leather studded jacket? With familiar faces such as Cyrus and Delevigne covering our magazines and in-
“Recent pop culture has just been oozing androgynous visuals.”
ensure you that these
In the nature of any other timeless shoe, the DM 1461’s go with pretty much anything. Pair with jeans and a jumper, or even a skater dress, to transform yourself into the ultimate Agnes Deyne lookalike. I’m particularly looking forward to wearing mine with some comfy Christmas socks and Levis jeans. Noticing this upcoming trend, high street shoe suppliers such as Office have began to expand their range of Dr. Marten accounts, in order to make some of these more classic DM styles readily available to the public. I
shoes will keep you
“In the nature of any
going for not only one
other timeless shoe,
winter, but a long run
the DM 1461’s go with
of them”
pretty much anything”
I bagged myself a pair or Dr Marten originals – the 1461’s to be exact. With the 1461’s being the ultimate man shoe, I purchased mine in the classic black leather - although the oxblood pair did cry for my attention. Chunky and clunky, I ensure you that these shoes will keep you going for not only one winter, but a long run of them, with their oil/fat/acid/petrol resistant souls keeping you in good stead.
am in full support of this decision. So slap me in the face and call me silly if I’m wrong, but don’t be surprised if soon enough there are mini Sid and Nancy’s everywhere this season. And yes, I will be one of them. By Taylor Mcgraa
Nina and Jessica share their thoughts on the V + A’s annual fashion festival and ask that pivotal question: is a degree relevant for a career in fashion?
V&A FASHION FESTIVAL
On the 19th of October we visited theVictoria and Albert Museum’s annual Fashion Festival in hope to gain information and inspiration regarding the fashion industry, (and also secretly hoping to touch Henry Holland’s infamous quiff). The event has been running for several years and aims to engage, enthuse and give insight into the industry for young people who want to get their foot in the door. There was a confectionary of delights at the festival, such as drop-in lectures by ASOS and Henry Holland, fashion photography or illustration workshops, a rolling graduate show and free advice dished out by the likes of St Martins lecturer Jane Francis. The whole event was pretty informal as the festival was free. Everything was organised on first come first serve basis which was often frustrating, such as when we waited an hour to see ASOS. However, at a free event, we can’t complain. The atmosphere was a buzz of excitement and anticipation, and we found ourselves surrounded by many a young and aspirational fashionista.When we asked seventeen year old Esme Marshall what she was hoping to get out of the experience, she replied that she was there to ‘gain more knowledge and insight into the fashion industry’.We think that this was a hope most definitely satisfied by the array of lectures presented at the festival.The lectures touched upon on various aspects of the fashion industry and the roles it includes, ranging from PR and journalism to design and illustration. Such lectures explored the skills required for these roles and offered an insight into the specific career paths.
However, the same saucy word did keep springing up – internships. This provoked discussion about the relevance of a degree within the fashion industry when you can easily apply for internships and apprenticeships within companies for free. Luckily, we managed pick the brains of ASOS content editor Catherine Nieto about this whole university malarkey; (FYI she has a degree in economics!). Her answer the to our question was, ‘50% yes and 50% no. University gives you the context and discipline - a level of understanding. I guess it all depends on the person’. She explained how it is more than do-able to enter the industry without a degree, but also highlighted that a ‘degree gives you the chance to broaden your mind and self’. This kind of interaction at the festival was something that really made the trip worthwhile.We feel that the most inspiring words came from graduate and workshop helper Lucy, who bagged herself a job at Vivienne Westwood directly after graduating. Her most important advice was that ‘you just need to work, work, work!’. This statement definitely sums large part of what we learnt from the festival.We learnt that yes, the fashion industry is an exciting and a potentially prosperous career choice, but that in order to get into the game you, really need to work hard at making yourself stand out from the crowd. We realise that this all may sound a bit daunting, but in words of Gemma Ebelis, head of PR for the British Fashion Council, who also attended the festival; ‘If you love fashion enough it doesn’t matter what path you take because you have that passion and drive to succeed’.
Fashion & Beauty 15
Travel
They play to heal, but they pray to be rescued In the aftermath of the Arab spring that is still wreaking havoc in many parts of the Middle East, Marta Portocarrero takes a closer look at the re-emergence of Zar – trance-like music that acts in contrast to the violence experienced in Egypt.
Hands are clapping, feet are following the beat, and minds are both focused and relaxed. It seems a long way from the sounds of people screaming and Molotov cocktails exploding, but Tahir Square is only a few blocks away where the aftermath of the Arab spring continues to cause destruction. Here, in Makan – the Egyptian Centre for Culture and Art in the heart of Cairo – each week people spend time simply listening to music. Today is Wednesday and as usual the sound of the tamboura, the six-string lyre, and the mangour, a leather belt sewn with goat hooves, can be heard. The showroom is full of people. Egyptians and foreigners listening to the same music. There are nine people playing and singing.The group is called the Mazaher Ensemble, and
every weekly performance is valued, as it is never known when it could be the last.
Zar, the type of music the Mazaher Ensemble play, originated in Ethiopia during the eighteen century, and spread to Eastern Africa. It is “a kind of healing ritual in which people participate to feel relieved and relaxed through music and percussion”, explains Ahmed el Maghraby, director of the centre in Makan. Maghraby opened the centre back in 2002 in an attempt to preserve the dying culture of Egyptian traditional music. His beliefs are that because of Zar’s insistent and varied drum rhythms communication with unseen spirits is enabled and can lead to an altered state of consciousness, and even trance.The ritual has a bad reputation and is often seen as a form of exorcism.The music and the songs have survived in their original form without any major interference, but Maghraby says that the Mahzer Ensemble is the only Zar group in the whole Egypt now. ‘There are only 22 or 24 musicians that know how to play Zar.’ In the Mazaher Ensemble, women have the main role.This is uncommon in its self, and can be perceived as a small step forward for gender equality in Egyptian culture. Umm Sameh, the lead singer, learned to sing in a rare Arabic dialect and to play Zar from her mother, who learned it from her grandmother, and so on. But now she is not sure if young generations are interested in continuing with this ritual, and, if they are not, Zar will die in Egypt. ‘Maybe they can follow and learn the lyrics,’ Sameh says, sat in a chair and dressed in a traditional black dress, after one of her shows. Maghraby thinks that when the turbulence that Egypt is facing is over,
It is “a kind of healing ritual in which people participate to feel relieved and relaxed through music and percussion”,
culture has to be ‘society’s locomotive […] especially in these days when we have this Islamist current leading Egypt, which goes against culture and diversity.’ He pauses. ‘Although, there are people interested in Zar and so I think it will continue.’ Molotov cocktails will probably continue to explode in Tahrir Square. But, hopefully, one day it will all be over, and the Mazaher Ensemble will still be performing. By Marta Portocarrero
The ritual has a bad reputation and is often seen as a form of exorcism. Travel 17
Jessica Kazmin rummages through her box of treasured memories
The Doodads
Natalia Domagala describes the beauty of hitchhiking.
“Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life” - J.Kerouac
You will either hate it or love it, there is nothing in between. It’s like a drug – the mesmerising thrill of exploring the unknown, liberating carelessness and continuous contact with totally different types of people. Hitchhiking, if you do not condemn it after the first unsuccessful attempt, may turn into one of the best adventures of your life. Another torrid morning on a motorway berm. Still drowsy, with eyes half open, I’m
With dusty rucksacks still dumped on the side of the track, we stand up reluctantly and begin to hitch, ignoring the scorching sun.
THE ROAD IS LIFE
slowly nibbling a loaf of bread. Food supplies are running low and we are in the middle of nowhere. But no worries – even though the road seems to be endless, winding through grassy hills, we know that sooner or later we will reach civilisation. The vast Hungarian steppes, quaint French villages, neat German landscapes, humid Spanish seaside, Ukrainian wilderness... Hitchhiking is a perfect solution for inquisitive students rapt in
Beat Generation’s legend. There is no better way to explore foreign countries on a low budget.The easiest way to start is just to go. Pack the most necessary items – a sleeping bag, thermos, tent, torch, matches, warm clothes, some food and medicine just in case, depending on how long you will spend on the road. However, try to make your luggage as small and light as possible. Keep your money and documents close, a secret pocket sewn inside trousers provides a safe place to hide your valuables. Having a general idea about your final destination is a reasonable start, though nothing compares to the feeling of complete freedom when you spontaneously decide where to go. But don’t forget a map – I highly recommend detailed paper ones. So handy and reliable are they, that even if you are completely lost, you will quickly find the right way. GPS feedback is a useful addition, but it is never a good idea to rely entirely on electronic devices. Patience and stamina are the most desirable features of the aspiring hitchhiker. Hours of hopeless idleness are part of the deal, and the crucial thing is to persist. Be open, broadminded, willing to meet other people and cultures. Inviting you to their cars, they give you an insight into their customs and ways, so seize the opportunity to explore. Don’t be shy - always converse, try to interact regardless of the language they speak. If you have itchy feet and an unquenchable thirst for adventure, don’t hesitate. Maybe one day, standing on the remote, tranquil road, you will inhale the sensation of blissful freedom. Sated with extreme, careless happiness, you’ll remember Jack Kerouac’s words and they will fill you with anticipation. Travel 19
Hospitality Gabriel Jones recalls the day he was welcomed for dinner with Puran, the tuk-tuk driver and excellent host.
Puran - the driver responsible for my daily passage to the theatre project I was volunteering on in India - had invited us over for ‘snacks’. He was also responsible for introducing formula one to the Jaipurrickshaw scene, and for the consequent bruises covering my lower half. But I was hungry, so wasn’t going to mention that. Puran met us an hour outside Jaipur, and we followed him film noir style - us in a car, him in a motorbike. Two miles of dirt road later and we were stood in the rural village where he lived.The entire population seemed to be waiting, instantly transforming us into red-faced holidaymakers using a fingertip of red-vermillion powder on the lower forehead and Hawaiian necklaces of plastic floral cheer. We were given a tour of the village.
The architecture was aesthetically stunning; big, simple cubes of deep lilac with openings in the top, that gradually filled with stars as we talked.
Colour is good, colour is good was my jealous rhetoric as I thought back to the skyline of bright greys and experimental shades of muffin of Britain’s architecture. Bombay Mix-esque finger food was placed on Puran’s table and I dived in enthusiastically; emptying two bowls with ease and finesse (or maybe just speed).We were sitting in tiny, plastic nursery chairs around a low table. Puran’s extended family flanked the walls like a line of Victorian butlers, whilst the large doorway was stuffed with the chapatti-sized eyes of all the children in Jaipur. The summer evening atmosphere was fizzling, a silence broken by nervous giggles and self-conscious chomping. No one else was eating much -although this could have been the “Animals in a zoo” ambience. When Puran then banged a bottle of unopened whiskey on the table “Drink, Please” it began to feel like a social experiment; a village of teetotal Indians excited to see the mythical outcomes of combining westerners and alcohol.The bottle remained unopened. After a demonstration of traditional Indian bread making from the Village women, we returned to the plastic nursery upholstery, and to my horror stood four large plates of vegetables, piled rice and the freshly made breads. The Bombay mix in my now bilious stomached panicked. I looked around to share our mutual error, but just saw tops of heads. It turned out I was the only weak link, the only one to confuse “Bombay mix”
LoveLetter. also by Gabriel Jones
Aloo Gobi was hot. Red-CheekWatering-EyeSplutteringHiccoughing-hot. and “meal”. I was the limping gazelle at the back of the pack, full of snacks. We were left to eat in private this time -which was just as well - as the I ate a whole chilli garnishing the side of my plate, and it was less hot than the curry. Puran had done the impossible; he had made curry which had in it more chilli, than a chilli. I was off my tits on spice - and as an addict have sadly never found anything as good. It was very humbling to see this community living so closely, each house belonging to Puran’s Uncle, or Puran’s cousin’s niece’s Buffalo, and although I spent my evening trying to dangle myself off the high-pedestal I was being forced upon; this dose of purehospitality warmed me throughout. Travel 21
Love Letter. Gabriel Jones is honoured, and a little surprisedd, when he is asked to transcribe a love letter for a stranger.
I was mooching around the old city in Jaipur; a bustling hot labyrinth of well-kept dark pink buildings, with the intention of buying a duvet cover, when a tall man came up to me and enquired my level of English. I was tired, and a memory overflowing with similar encounters (always ending in me fighting to keep my money) spurred a degree of cynicism. ‘I’m alright at English’ I responded. This was obviously sufficient for him, as he quickly led me to a quiet area and started o dictate a love letter to me, expecting me to write.With an immaculately kept moustache, sweater slung casually over his shoulders and spotless pressed cream chinos, he resembled a nonchalant playboy.
I began writing his sentiment laboriously, but soon became engrossed; I was flattered that I had been chosen as his secretary,
the 69.’ I masked my surprise with a jokey wink and called him a Kutt– ‘dog’ in Hindi. After seeing his facial expression I am not sure this particular colloquialism transcended the language barrier, or maybe it was simply my attempt at winking, which looks a lot like my face is undergoing spasm. I expected this to be the end of our encounter, but he insisted on repaying me. I conceded to let him help me find bubble wrap and postage stamps.We found the stamps and then he quickly hailed a tuk-tuk and indicated I join him. Half-an hour later I was getting a private tour around a block printing factory on the outskirts of the city, then hypnotically purchasing a Pashmina scarf for the equivalent of five pounds.With no bubble wrap in sight I felt cheated and manipulated. However with hindsight, the man was genuine, the scarf was amazing quality, and the offered tour was a free and rare chance to witness the source of legendary Rajasthani cloth at it’s source.That beautiful scarf that I looked so fetching in has since been stolen, reclaimed and stolen again.This is how it goes.
Whilst traveling, the question
“So how did I end up here again” was never far from my brain. In the hot Bunsen flame of India, you are just a free electron. Being flung around situations without perceptible genesis or outcome, and here-in lies the excitement.You surrender to enjoy it - in the words of T. Leary. “Turn on,Tune in, Drop out” or more aptly “ Plug in,Turn on.., and find the plug doesn’t work”.
(promptly forgetting it had been accidental), and took it as a compliment to my skill as a writer; even adding my own romantic flare. It was a lovely letter, full of gentle prostrations at the length of time “Cyndi” was going to be away, and how the neat man ‘breathlessly awaited her return’. It then clicked; ‘P.S I hope you enjoyed
In my opinion, it was slightly ruined with the Post Script however, which took me four attempts to understand. Travel 23
Th e Bird s
You spread nets to catch them. Big green nets on barbed bushes of raspberries. You hung CDs, styrofoam and plastic bottles on strings above the blackberries. You roared at them when you were out digging with your dog.
Sa m u e ls Birth d a y Pa ra ch u te Rid e you should have come down more like the blind needle in the faithful navel of a kid sister with all that in my chest rolling what muscle can I expect to swell and what sort of shirt’s best for showing it off in Christopher Whitfield
And still they came. Emily Cooper
Creative Writing 25
Th e De -Ca m e ron
Lov e
in
De p tford
they trail the rubber slap of my sandals upon a pavement anointed in the cream of sour melons tracing the corners of my lips as I say hello my mouth full in the freshness of the Indus I rivered from, here- to walk the streets of smoked fish their glazed eyes glued in suspicion. the old men, the young men and the men with a million stories to tell shout through the drapery of turquoise silk Where are you from? I love you come back I love you as I stride with the water of the Indus in my eyes squinting at the sound of their chuckle their teeth like ancient tobacco cackling like rolling dice as I laugh away into the cavern of a market carrying the dimness of their smiles in my diaphragm too afraid to shout back I love you too.
Momina
Will Jamieson paints a picture of the prime minister getting a taste of his own medicine.
a thumbs-up. He winces as a metal speculum is inserted into his anus.
He sits in a swivel chair inside the makeup trailer. He rolls up his navy blue tie and watches it quickly unravel.The experts talk him through it, assuring him as they hand him a shiny white hard hat.The make-up artist darts across the mirror in front of him.
-Please relax, Prime Minister -It’s cold -Just relax, Prime Minister, the fracking fluid has been warmed to body temperature. -I appreciate the thought. -It helps if you cough. -Right.
-Morning Mister Prime Minister, how are we today? - Absolutely super, if you can make me look vaguely human.
David Cameron clears the back of his throat as the speculum is widened.Whispering. Occupational or salacious?
Smiling, he raises his eyebrows, leaving a polite gap for her reaction. She flushes a chuckle from her nose and wipes away the remains of his grin with her foundation brush.
-Is it too wide for you sir? -No, no it’s absolutely fine; you guys are doing a great job. -Thank you sir. That’s wide enough. Bring the fracking fluid!
-Ten minutes, Prime Minister! He fidgets. He wonders if waxing the area was entirely necessary, but Ed had said: -It’s the extra mile David, it’s demonstrating your mettle as a leader, solving the domestic energy crisis. If it’s good enough for the Prime Minister etc. Still, it made everything so unseemly. Though Samantha seemed to like it. Balcombe isn’t the Alaskan North Slope, thank God. -All done, pet. She’d got it all wrong. Looks different under the glare of the cameras, they tell him. Why couldn’t they get Nick Clegg to do it again? - Five minutes, Prime Minister!
He breathes in deeply and looks in the mirror. This is the very stuff that leaders are made of. -It’s time, Prime Minister. Good luck, Prime Minister. David Cameron stares ahead at his tie flapping in the Sussex breeze. An orderly lowers his trousers.The wind has a cooling effect on the hairless skin of his scrotum. The downward-facing harness suspends him above the ground. He can barely make out the tittering and guffawing of the press at the minimum fifty-foot distance. Very soothing, these fields. On each side of him are an equal number of medical and engineering professionals wearing facemasks and giving
A large blue hose with nozzle is hauled across the field. A doctor sprays disinfectant into the anus of David Cameron while an engineer measures the circumference. The speculum is removed and the nozzle is affixed to David Cameron’s body. Somebody behind him nods. A murmuring warmth spreads inside, excess fluid spills out onto his white feet. Fracking wasn’t so bad after all, thought David Cameron. David Cameron has recently expressed his support for hydraulic fracturing, or ‘fracking’, the process of drilling and injecting fluid into the ground at a high pressure in order to fracture shale rocks to release natural gas inside.
Creative Writing 27
Why
is sex so much more difficult to get right on paper? Alisa Vakkila explores the difficulty writers face when trying to articulate the experience of sex.
Sexual desires belong to all human kind. Writers are no exception. They have sex, love sex and know about sex just as much as anyone else. However, most writers feel less confident writing sex scenes than anything else. It takes a lot of courage to write about sex, as the writer’s vulnerability is increased to a whole new level; it opens doors to private places that might not be completely clear even to the writer. Everyone can write about sex. However, too often this is achieved by the simple use of adjectives, adverbs and the element of surprise, resulting in something resembling low-quality porn. Readers often find themselves amused or confused, rather than stimulated.Well written, arousing sex scenes that could be categorised as literature are what I’m talking about when I say: ‘sex is hard to write’.
”Readers often find themselves amused or confused, rather than stimulated”
One of the reasons why I believe many writers struggle with sex scenes is the vocabulary. How do you write about a vagina without sounding comical, clinical or vulgar? How about the clitoris, bum, penis, foreskin, and breasts? With all of the implications that dif-
”How do you write about a vagina without sounding comical, clinical or vulgar?” ferent sexual words and their euphemisms carry, it’s easy to get stuck. The diction is not the only issue to overcome. An easy way to push your readers to the edge of madness is to begin every sentence with ‘then’, ‘after that’, or ‘soon I felt’.The literary value and eroticism seem to vanish when a story becomes a report. The same applies to when the story revolves around sex. Unless you’re writing porn, sex should be a part of the storyline rather than the storyline being hidden underneath sex.
Thinking of good examples of sex and seduction from the literature that I have read takes me back to older and more descriptive books, such as Flaubert’s Madame Bovary. It is the loyalty to drama and romance that I feel makes these novels suitable for passionate sex scenes. Most modern literary novels that deal with sex are not written to arouse the reader with orgasmic scenes of mind-blowing pleasure between rebellious lovers, but instead to minimize the glory around sex
”The literary value and eroticism seem to vanish when a story becomes a report.” and in turn emphasise a casual tone. If you watch movies, the most arousing sex scenes often do not show actual sex but depict sexual tension and intimacy. Literary sex should be seen for what
“Simple use of adjectives, adverbs and an element of surprise result in something resembling lowquality porn.” it is: words on paper that attempt to portray the experience of a sexual experience. When it comes to writing about sex, there is no need for it to be explicit and literal. Maybe less is more? I could be wrong, but whether descriptive or casual, the tone of the writing alone can engage the reader sensually. The tone that’s born between the lines and created by everything: syntax, diction, setting, characters... Maybe that is where the secret to putting sex on paper lies. Creative Writing 29
Death of a Naturalist “What capacity can I have, as someone who did not know him, to express the significance of his life’s work?”
Giorgia Cowen considers the writers’ response to Seamus Heaney’s death in a small homage to the prolific Irish poet. “Now, to pry into roots, to finger slime, To stare big-eyed Narcissus, into some spring Is beneath all adult dignity. I rhyme To see myself, to set the darkness echoing.”
People always seem to respond to death in a similar way in our modern society. There is a scramble to capture every shred of their existence: the pictures, letters, emails, every single word they can be remembered saying, and a pervading sense of incomprehension that they no longer exist outside of these things. For writers such as Seamus Heaney every poem is entombed. He can no longer write or speak
Personal Helicon, Death of a Naturalist On the 2nd of September we buried an Irish poet. Newspapers and internet blogs everywhere were interspersed with articles about the death of the honoured Nobel Laureate, Seamus Heaney. I have seen articles almost entirely composed of quotes as writers struggle to express in their own words the value of this man, his poetry, and what his loss represents to people. So far no one has mentioned his odd obsession with flax. I admit I too am tempted to borrow the accounts and praises of others. What capacity can I have as someone who did not know him, as a young, English writer, to express the significance of his life’s work? I sometimes have a cynical fear that at least some of the faces at funerals, and some of the messages left in honour of the deceased, are due to emotional confusion and a sense of obligation to show respect.
“He can no longer write or speak another word to illuminate his meanings or add to the landscape he painted.” another word to illuminate his meanings or add to the landscape he painted. Admirers who have been moved by his art are left with a still image of his now complete life and works. It seems that everything left after the death of an author belongs to the living.
“His conviction and lyrical elegance moved millions” Seamus described the simple beauty and brutal horror he had experienced with clarity and honest emotion. He had an uncanny talent for exposing the complexities of these experiences and communicating them through words. Whether he was recalling memories of beautiful moments from his childhood, or imagining the atrocities suffered by people a thousand years ago, he expressed them with a conviction and lyrical elegance that moved millions. According to Seamus’s son, his last written words were a poetic consideration on the feelings of those he was leaving behind. Sent in a text to his wife, he wrote,‘“Noli timere”, don’t be afraid.’ This too will be added to Seamus’s canon, and could be considered a beautifully fitting end to his poetic career.
”Noli timere, don’t be afraid.”
Egypt and the Western World’s Duties
Should the Western world be doing more to help the plight of Egypt? Julia Haase considers the revolution and its repercussions.
Egypt has had a déjà-vu moment. In February 2011 former president Hosni Mubarak was forced to resign after a great wave of protests – the so-called 18day revolution. The same event recurred, perhaps even more dramatically, only about a year later, with the newly elected Muslim Brother, Mohammed Mursi. How long till Egypt finds its peace? The path to a functioning democracy is a long one. Egyptians thought they were about to enter a new era: an era of more political freedom and participation, as well as economic improvement and better labor market conditions for the younger educated generation. The fall of “Pharaoh” Mubarak, who ruled the country for 30 years, gave the Egyptians a taste of what they could achieve in solidarity.
With an increasingly interconnected world, it is simply impossible to ignore the interdependence of nations and the ideas of globalization. The term interdependence mostly alludes to economic alliances, which, in turn, mostly
depend on the political structure of the individual countries. If the latter diverges dramatically from democratic thought, it can become difficult for countries to co-operate and negotiate. And if the worst comes to the worst and some countries dig in their heels, then this can hinder international peace and partnerships. Interdependence also implies a stronger sense of responsibility and solidarity that arises. Egypt – having the largest population density in the Middle East – needs this particular attention.
Human rights should be universal. Human rights should be universal and therefore they must concern the whole world. People have to take corporate responsibility for those who are not able to help themselves due to their current vulnerable positions. The media discusses the “problem child” Egypt in a controversial manner. A travel warning has lead to a decrease in the country’s GDP because of the decrease in tourism, but some reporters have said that the political unrest has come to an end. Is that really the case? Egypt is struggling. A state of national emergency has been declared. And the argument that theWestern world needs to help is valid.
Food 33
Is fracking as bad as it seems? Jack Hillcox investigates the real story behind the anti-fracking campaign.
Fracking is getting bad press at the moment. The recent protests at Cuadrilla’s drilling site saw the appearance, and arrests, of everyone from former Green Party leader Caroline Lucas to the former page 3 model Marina Pepper. Fracking is believed to be dangerous and destructive. However, is it possible fracking may actually be a positive for the country? The perceived disadvantages of hydraulic fracturing come from the US. Josh Fox’s 2010 documentary Gasland was one of the first on the subject to receive widespread attention. Fox visited people affected by fracking in the US and found that many have experienced chronic health issues directly linked to air pollution and the contamination of their drinking water. Many of the issues raised in Gasland have formed the basis of the UK anti-fracking campaign. However, an important feature of the film that tends to be ignored by British anti-fracking campaigners. The film shows Fox’s involvement in congressional subcommittee discussions on the “Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act”.The FRAC act was proposed in an attempt to bring hydraulic fracturing under the federal regulation of the “Safe Drinking Water Act”. In 2005, Dick Cheney amended the Safe Drinking Water Act to specifically exclude hydraulic fracturing. Cheney also insured that firms performing hydraulic fracturing were immune from various other environmental regulations. Resulting in US fracking operations being effectively immune from Environmental
C
a lm The
Frack Down
Protection laws. No such ruling has been made in the UK and fracking firms will be subject to environmental regulations. However, anti-fracking campaigners tend to ignore this fact. Anti-fracking campaigners claim that hydraulic fracturing is an experimental volatile process, the dangers unknown.This is simply not the case. Claims of groundwater pollution as a result of hydraulic fracturing are heavily disputed. Not one aquifer in the US has proven to be polluted with fracking fluid or methane as a direct result of hydraulic fracturing. Scientist Matt Ridley “concluded that groundwater contamination from fracking is ‘not physically plausible’”. Ridley also argues that the water contamination illustrated in Gasland was entirely natural. The anti-fracking campaigners argue that hydraulic fracturing is not environmentally friendly. What is rarely considered is the
nature of the gas that we are currently using. North sea gas supplies are dwindling and Britain is increasingly reliant on imported gas. Britain has imported more than 1 trillion cubic feet in 2013.Although around 80% of Britain’s imported gas comes from European pipelines, an increasing percentage of Britain’s gas supply is transported on gas guzzling container ships coming from Qatar. David Cameron explained that fracking will create as many as 70,000 jobs and produce enough gas to power Britain for at least fifty years, if gas extraction is restricted to only 10% of the total supply. According to Cameron energy firms have agreed to reinvest 1% of their revenue which, according to the Prime Minister, could result in “as much as £10m” going to communities near fracking operations. If this is true, great financial benefit could be brought to the UK whilst stabilising Britain’s gas supply and perhaps reducing gas prices.
As long as fracking is regulated and energy firms are kept to their word, hydraulic fracturing can reduce British gas prices and provide thousands of much-needed jobs as well as a desperately needed boost to the economy. Fracking is by not without its faults and by no means be considered a permanent solution to our energy troubles. The report by the IPCC made abundantly clear that humans are now unequivocally the cause of global warming and changes desperately need to be made. If fracking is prevented, gas will continue to be consumed and imported, prices will continue to increase and Britain will be harmed.
Fracking will create as many as
70,000 jobs
Food 35
37
being given clearance from above, and a countdown from a superior standing behind him, he presses the trigger.
Warning: This Article Will Drone On With Amnesty International having recently stated that US drone strikes could be classed as war crimes, Nick – tells us the tragic story of Waleed, and the details of a recent report on civilian deaths in drone strikes which Goldsmiths contributed to.
For Waleed Shiraz life is about to completely change. He studies alone,and with a sense of apparent peace and quiet, totally unaware of the impending destruction, goes about his afternoon. Close by, his father takes a rest after a normal day. The week leading up this moment hasn’t been any different to the past month, or perhaps the past year even. A few thousand miles away, in a windowless room, in a nondescript control centre, a US Air Force airman is probably sat observing the computer screens in front of him. Images of a distant and unknown landscape flash by. This airman, trained to fly and subsequently target potential suspects, has probably never stepped foot in the country that he now looks upon with a beady eye and a resting trigger finger. Perhaps he sits unblinking, or maybe the morality of his job moves him somewhat, but what happens next is routine. After
Fighting a war of disconnectedness, through drones, has escalated with savage consequence. Its growth and the resulting victims, both enemies of the US and civilians alike, have gone under reported. The mainstream media’s reportage of drone attacks lack certain veracity.There is a rising trend of ‘collateral damage’ – businessspeak for non-combatants – in this new type of warfare. This means that the ordinary citizens of places like Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen, countries the US deem to be obstacles in their ‘War on Terror’, have been dragged in to a covert drone war. If you look at the numbers, civilian deaths vary slightly from source to source. But here at Goldsmiths research into drone strikes has recently helped towards a report given to the United Nations to discuss this controversial issue. The report specifies that during the past decade, of the 2,200 people in Pakistan killed in drone attacks, 400 were said to be civilians, along with a further 200 classified as ‘probable non-combatants’. In the US the dominant argument has dispelled criticism, leaving room only for the premise declaring the use of drone strikes as precise killings of targeted terrorists, enhancing US security, whilst maintaining minimal amounts of ‘collateral damage’. It is not only the military, but the media too. A move away from simply labelling the dead as ‘terrorists’, as well as further explanation is needed for transparency. For Waleed, the loss of his father, along with the use of his legs and the implications that this will bring, struck at a time when life’s regularity likely seemed peaceful. He used to love cricket, but was injured so badly
Goldsmiths research into drone strikes has recently helped towards a report given to the United Nations. that any chance of returning to the sport is unrealistic. By now he would
have also completed his MA in Political Science, something he can’t even dream of returning to. Waleed wasn’t a terrorist. He wasn’t a
threat to US security. He was just a 22 yearold student attempting to get along with his studies, not unlike you and I. Witness account taken from the report Living Under Drones: Death, Injury and Trauma to Civilians from US Drone Practices in Pakistan. Interview of Waleed Shiraz (anonymized name), in Islamabad, Pakistan (Feb. 26, 2012), Stanford International Human Rights & Conflict Resolution Clinic.
Politics 39
Students handed another set of broken promises Tedros Getatchew brings us up to speed with the coalition government’s time in power and the impact that it has had on students.
David Cameron announced a coalition government when he came to power. With opposition leader Nick Clegg at his side he promised to ‘repair (the) broken political system’ that was the result of what he called ‘chronic short-termism’. Ironically, the tripling of university tuition fees is exactly that. The annual average tuition fees for 2014 have been calculated at £8,647, with three quarters of universities charging the maximum of £9,000 a year. Encompassing living expenses, students are looking at around £26,000 a year for higher education. One would assume that this rise in costs would translate in a university education becoming more and more for the elite middle class. However, the universities minister, David Willets MP, has stated that ‘the proportion
of disadvantaged English 18 year olds applying to university is at the highest level ever.’ This is supported by a recent study by the Independent Commission on fees. So where is the problem then? Well firstly, in the current job market, finding a well-paid sustainable job that can support a family is near impossible without a university degree, thus it only makes sense that the proportion of 18 year olds applying is at an all time high. Secondly, the issue lies in the fact the PM told us he was going to fight ‘chronic short-termism’. The increase in university fees could result in a decrease in university applications in the long run, as most students are at university need loans. Those paying out of pocket are few and far between. The increased amount of money
They are selling off the student loan book to the private sector.
heading into these institutions’ accounts is only a short-term benefit. In the long run, it could be argued that the curve of applicants will dip and the overall benefit to society will follow suit. Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander, has recently confirmed that they are selling off the student loan book to the private sector. This will inevitably lead to an increase in the interest rates of student loans; thus making them unattractive to the poorest members of our society. Additionally, there has already been a 14% drop in applications from mature student since 2010. Especially during an election year, the government could benefit from the positive press surrounding their sale. This is because
the student loan book is part of the public debt, and what looks better than saying ‘we reduced public debt’? Call me a hopeless socialist, but I believe that it is the Government’s responsibility, not the private sector’s, to facilitate the education of the population. One must be skeptical of whether society can trust businesses and banks to do it. David Cameron promised us that we would be fighting for a better tomorrow and not an easier afternoon. And as the ailing Nelson Mandela famously said, ‘Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world’.The UK education system is already one of the most expensive in the world; must the price of knowledge rise even further? Politics 41
Joanna Rowse weighs in on Russell Brand’s most recent viral, and questions the effectiveness of his political statement.
Have you watched Russell Brand’s interview with Jeremy Paxman on Newsnight yet? If you didn’t catch its BBC screening, it’s likely you will have caught it instead on its journey around the online sphere. The YouTube clip alone has so far garnered millions of views. Head to head with a disbelieving and disapproving Paxman, Brand passionately and vigorously defends his right to edit a political magazine (the New Statesman) and therefore be pedestalled as a political commentator when he himself does not even vote. A spectrum of responses as big as the Internet exists. The Huffington Post’s Robin Lustig called Brand ‘not only daft but dangerous’; an IndependentVoices debate praised Brand’s ‘swagger’ and ‘charm’, but attacked his ‘apathetic cynicism’ and lack of political knowledge. A change.org petition even calls for Brand to stand as the face of the ‘None of the Above’ party (a voting option for Brits as disenchanted with modern politicians as Brand is). The interview has created a reaction which far surpasses that of other viral videos, whose consequences are generally confined to the very platforms which popularise them in the first place (Facebook, Twitter, Reddit and so on). Why has this video resonated so strongly with so many people? To me, it is Brand’s rhetoric. People are suckers for good speakers. Brand’s argument presents nothing original (Marx and Engels wrote about revolution of the working classes all the way back in the 19th century) and lacks any practical solution. This is not to
suggest inauthenticity on Brand’s part; his passion and enthusiasm cannot be disputed, and it has natural appeal to those as angry as he is. Indeed, it is magnified by its strong contrast to Paxman’s typically steely and cynical demeanour (‘who are you to edit a political magazine?’ Paxman opens with) but his first-hand experience of the failings of the British political system, vis-à-vis his early struggles with drug addiction, give his argument real fire and meaning.Viewers believe in his disgust, and they are disgusted too. But what are Brand’s followers to do with this inspiration? This is where Brand’s passion falls short. He can’t suggest an alternative to the current political system. He is sure of what the priorities of British society ought to be - combating economic disparity, ecological conservation and attending to the needs of the British people - but the only advice he can give to viewers is, like him, to
People are suckers for good speakers.
A spectrum of responses as big as the Internet exists. not vote, as a message of dissatisfaction to the UK government. So Brand’s ever enticing rhetoric, while as attractive as in his GQ Awards speech, his clash with American news anchors and his response to Thatcher’s death (all of which went viral as well), does not mobilise viewers to do that much. Sure, he is raising awareness, but with such little direction in his argument, at this point in time his words will probably just amount to more ‘likes’, ‘shares’ and articles on news platforms. Perhaps some people will be inspired to not vote - but I am sceptical that this will be enough people to destabilise British government. It will probably just give the Conservatives a higher majority. Brand is extremely good at arguing - he is charming, funny, sensitive, and pretty much has a thesaurus programmed into his brain. This is why the video went viral. But ‘Revolution Russell Brand’ is not going to happen.
Russell Brand vs. Jeremy Paxman: more than just a viral video?
Politics 43
DEEP-FRIED HEDONISM
DELICIOUS, 363 New Cross Road ATMOSPHERE 4/5 FOOD 3/5 VALUE FOR MONEY 5/5 At £4.30 with tea or coffee included, Delicious was the cheapest of the lot.Their breakfast was the same but for a strange taste to their sausage, which I suspect came from frying it in some dodgy oil. The décor was mismatched and tacky and the entire shop-front was opened out, allowing the cigarette smoke to pour in, giving the place a wonderful hint of greasy 90’s breakfast-time hedonism.
Adam Morby takes a wander around New Cross to try out the best of the greasy spoon breakfasts the area has to offer.
But this is where my journalistic endeavors come to an end, for I was incredibly full. As oxymoronic as it sounds I was a bloated waif. It was awful, the kind of bloatation that feels somehow irreversible, as though I would never recover. I was sweating and in the toilet mirror I could see that my face was a deep red and that I seemed to be weeping vegetable fat. As I went to leave, the guy behind the counter spotted my half-empty plate and asked ‘everything alright boss?’‘Fine, thanks, I’ve just got a massive hangover,’ I told him.Which was actually very true.
GOLDSMITH’S CAFÉ, 25 Lewisham Way. ATMOSPHERE 5/5 FOOD 4/5 VALUE FOR MONEY 4/5 Goldsmith’s is certainly the best all-rounder.The breakfasts are big, the prices are low, the toilets are in pretty good shape and the place is adorned with unintentional kitsch.The outside area is spacious and proper, and a few pieces of old fence effectively keep away the heavy traffic. It’s a pleasing environment, reminiscent of a cheap Mediterranean holiday. Given that I was reviewing three breakfasts in one morning, I strategically ordered a selection containing two eggs, one sausage,
bacon, beans and toast, but instead they gave me two sausages rather than one. It was the sausages that I was most afraid of, and there was no way that I was going to eat six of the bastards in one morning. All the sausages I ate that morning were cheap and dirty, but I was there for a budget fryup so I wasn’t going to get free-range organic, nor should I have been naïve enough to expect any. The waitress examined my plate and told me that they’d accidentally given me a free sausage. I was then forced, of course, to demonstrate my gratitude by eating the lot, throwing my strategy out the window.
THE RISING SUN, 275 New Cross Road. ATMOSPHERE 3/5 FOOD 4/5 VALUE FOR MONEY 3/5 Entering this café I already felt a little miserable.That feeling of doing something until you can’t do it anymore, rowing a boat, having sex, anything, and then having to do it twice more. For £4.50 I ordered a pick-and-mix DIY
breakfast. Egg, sausage, bacon, tomato and mushrooms.The breakfast took a while to arrive and whilst waiting I noticed one of the employees sneak through the door with a slightly conspiratorial look on her face and a pack of tomatoes under her arm. Which is why, I imagine, the tomato came sliced, charred, unseasoned and undercooked in the middle.With the breakfasts so similar, you’ve got to look out for the little
things. The café was clean and more upmarket than the other two, but not really any better for it. Although the sausage had little slits in it, and the mushrooms were fresh and nicely cooked, the portion certainly wasn’t as large as Goldsmith’s, and with no outside seating it seemed like we already had a front-runner. Food 45
When you think of famous chefs, who do you think of? Perhaps TV chef Nigella Lawson springs to mind, with her sensual descriptions of desserts and picnic foods, and her penchant for wandering downstairs while the end titles are running in a tiny dressing gown for a ‘naughty’ midnight snack. Perhaps you think of Gizzi Erskine, Channel 4 presenter, and recall the Sunday Times Magazine cover advertising her new column, in which she sinks her teeth into a chicken drumstick whilst concentrating her heavily made up eyes upon the camera with a suggestive gaze.
FOOD PORN by Joanna Rowse
And perhaps this article’s narrative is becoming obvious now, and you’re thinking about the Great British Bake Off and finalist Ruby Tandoh’s article for the Guardian describing how she had to endure relentless accusations of flirting her way to the final, unimaginative and gender-specific insults from viewers, and comparisons with other female bakers of who was most ‘shaggable’. Female chefs are represented in a very particular way, and Tandoh’s article shows that when they are not, misogynists are divided between sexualising them anyway, or spewing sexist insults.The attacking of women in the public eye is, unfortunately, nothing new, and the recent online abuse of Caroline Criado-Perez, a journalist who dared campaign for Jane Austen to be put on the new ten pound note (oh, and be a woman as well) highlights this.The sexualisation of famous women is nothing new either - one only has to switch MTV on for ten minutes to encounter image upon image of scantilyclothed, gyrating young women who are not dancers or models but, supposedly, musicians.
Ruby Tandoh had to endure relentless accusations of flirting her way to the final
The sexualisation of women in the culinary world is particularly interesting, however, when we look at the representation of male chefs, and consider the kitchen as the historically traditional domain of theWestern woman. Gordon Ramsay, Jamie Oliver, Heston Blumenthal these are chefs who are angry, chaotic, creative; they all possess strong and unique identities as public figures. The women, on the other hand, all get the same boring ‘domestic goddess’ image to deal with.Whilst male TV chefs are granted personalities, women who bring the realm of cooking into the public sphere must do it under the guise of ‘housewife’ – or it becomes indigestible to the viewer. Ultimately it is an unfortunate situation that is degrading to both men and women who love food, and subtly peddles old stereotypes that you would hope were confined to shitty lad ‘get back in the kitchen’ banter. But nevertheless, all is not lost – solace can be found in chefs like Rachel Khoo of ‘Little French Kitchen’, whose defining characteristics are her passion for recreating French dishes, and a chatty, friendly on-screen demeanour. Unlike the beloved Mary Berry, who believes ‘feminism is a dirty word’, television platforms should start featuring more female chefs with personality and passion like Khoo. I suspect that not just feminists, but true food-lovers as well, would welcome such a move.
Food 47
8B RIT S MISTAKES
M A K E W IT H ITA L I A N C OO K IN G
Karen d’Arcangelo gives the British some great, simple tips on Italian cooking (and insults us gently in the interim)
It is always flattering to know your country’s cuisine is venerated all around the globe. But it’s also frustrating to see the most simple, natural, tasty and healthy Italian dishes brutally destroyed by some habitual and very wrong assumptions.These 8 simple tips will hopefully help correct some unforgivable habits in British ‘Italian’ cooking:
1. SALT - it has been scientifically proven that it does not bite - use it! If you are worried about all that cholesterol/ blood pressure nonsense, give up one fry-up a week and you can add all the salt you want to your home cooking. As my Tuscan grandfather says,“non è mai troppo salato” - “there is no such thing as too much salt!”
2. GARLIC - Italians love garlic. Brits
abuse it! If you throw 2 or 3 cloves (full, not smashed) into your meal while it is cooking, the delicious flavour will infuse throughout the food without invading your breath, clothes and hair for the next 6 weeks. And by the way, garlic bread is not Italian.
3. ONION – Tropea, red, white, small,
big - Italians always use onions but never as 50% of the meal’s ingredients... ever.There is nothing more off-putting than looking at a pan full of chopped onions.
4. PIZZA – Pineapple and ‘meat feast’
pizzas are banned. Forever. And if it was frozen it’s not pizza, it’s a pizza-flavoured, circular, Italian style dough-snack.
5. PASTA – ‘Al dente’ is not a dream! It
actually happens, if you respect the cooking instructions on the packet, and take the pasta out 30 seconds before the suggested time is up.
6. SAUCE – That clichéd image of white
pasta with a drop of red sauce and a leaf of basil on top does not exist. After draining the water, pour your sauce into the pasta pan while it’s still warm.The pasta will absorb the sauce, creating a much tastier experience than plain, inedible, white pasta.
7. PASTA BOLOGNESE – Not boloneis,
bolonees, or any other strange British nickname (which took me almost a month to associate with ‘Bolognese’). Abide by rules 3, 5 and 6 for this dish. Chop one stick of celery, one onion
and one carrot, then add to a pan of hot oil and salt. Add mince, then after a few minutes, the tomato sauce.You will have a tasty and fragant Ragù, which does not taste of overpowering onion. Ragù is actually the real name of the Bolognese sauce - Pasta al Ragù Bolognese.
8. CAPPUCCINO – This is not a lunch
or dinner drink - cappuccino is a morning state of mind, which, when accompanied by a croissant or a pastry, will brighten up the day ahead. Every time you have a cappuccino for lunch, one coffee machine in Italy breaks down.
With faith, an Italian food lover (and protector). Food 49
by Adam Morby
THE QUARTER MILLION POUNDER Will the test tube burger be the next big thing in the culinary world? Joanna Rowse investigates.
here’s a restaurant review that’s actually worth a shit Sometimes it’s difficult to find a restaurant worth a review, but yesterday I found one, because yesterday I went to Las Americas. The restaurant is right at the back of Brixton market and is one of those places where you need to put your best cultural relativist hat on before taking a deep breath and plunging in. Because sometimes, when coming upon the truly authentic, you have to take the rough with the smooth. The rough being the butchers that’s right in the middle of the restaurant, spewing raw meat everywhere you look. How they get away with this I’m not entirely sure, but they do. And the smooth? I was called ‘Amigo!’ probably a dozen times yesterday. Were you? Thought not. Plus, the meal was utterly delicious and dirty and unlike anything I have ever eaten in all my life. Imagine somehow hollowing out an entire pig’s leg, filling it with meat, rice, peas, chilies, spices, and then sealing it up and roasting it. Then there was the pig’s intestine stuffed with rice and blood and meat and peas,
served with plantains and sticks of sweet potato. For something more stomachable, endless pasties; some regularly shaped, some shaped like strange bombs, dripping with slow cooked beef and potato and spices and carrots.They showed me how to open them with my fingers to further stuff them with their house salsa.To calm things down, leaves filled with minced sweetcorn and some kind of curd, delicious and wholesome and a perfect partner for all this meat and fat. Dessert, of course, was Churros. Dusted with sugar and cinnamon and served with a smoky chocolate sauce. For three pounds we ate our fill and had to leave a good handful of them behind. I have no doubt that there are thousands of places exactly like it in every market in Colombia. It is, every last bit of it, for better or worse, Bogotá. It’s not even ‘the essence’ of Bogotá, it is Bogotá. If you’re all about true culinary experiences, go there. If you’re broke, go there. If you’re in Brixton, go there. Even if you’re
not in Brixton, go there. Just go there – go there and delight in it, bask in it, here’s a restaurant review that’s actually worth a shit – it might be pretentiously, preposterously written, I might sound like a massive prick, it doesn’t matter, I’m actually giving you a genuine recommendation that you really should take.
Churros dusted with sugar and cinnamon and served with a smoky chocolate sauce
Perhaps the biggest food news story of the summer is that of the £250,000 burger, created not in the traditional way of raising, feeding and slaughtering a cow, but via a scientific process of culturing animal stem cells.The burger was touted as an environmentally-friendly alternative to the current methane-releasing, land-occupying, energy and water-rich method of rearing meat, as well as being an arguably more ethical choice. Discussed less in the mainstream reporting of the test-tube burger was the widespread disgust it generated. Although on one hand Dr Mark Post’s work is truly amazing – it could change the world, and end the suffering of millions of animals every year – the idea of growing real, red, plump, bloody muscle fibres from a bunch of stem cells is somewhat unsettling, both for the stomach and the mind. The unnaturalness of the meat is something that Phillip Matthews, owner of the Hampstead Butcher and Providore, feels
strongly about. He warns ‘it’s not going to be good quality meat– if it doesn’t look right, doesn’t smell right, it’s not going to taste right.’ From a vegetarian perspective, however, the idea of ‘torture-free’ meat is more appealing. Josh Hobson, a life-long vegetarian, feels that it is a ‘happy compromise where people can get what they want without animals having to suffer.’ However, he admits that he’s not sure he could stomach it. And he’s not alone,TheVegetarian Society have been running a poll on their website, revealing that 80% wouldn’t eat it. So what does the future hold? One can imagine a dystopian black market, where people hungry for ‘real’ meat, would gather and make illicit exchanges to get their hands on meat cultivated in fields and not petri dishes. Of course, that might be getting a little ahead of ourselves; should this stem cell meat really take off, the transition from farming to culturing stem cells would
not be immediate.With both options on the shelves in Sainsbury’s, would test tube burger eaters look down upon the ‘real’ meat eaters?Which would be more expensive? Could it become a ‘class thing’? When I first thought about test tube burgers, I considered the relationships certain societies and religions have with meat, and what this new farming method might mean for them. It’s interesting that so many people are repulsed at the thought of growing flesh in a laboratory, but seem unfazed by the meat industry, which can actually be truly revolting. After all, eating animals has to be normalized for children after their initial horror at finding out exactly where their chicken nuggets come from. It will be a long time before these chicken nuggets are made in petri dishes, but when they are, it will be very interesting to see how people examine their social relationships with meat. Food 51
Did you always want to be an artist?
Lots
I started as a linguist, studying English and German, but my linguistic professor was by far the hottest, so that’s what I was most invested in. When I found he wasn’t free I quit and went on to become a primary school teacher. That wasn’t right, so then I worked as a costume designer in theatre. I found it too subservient so I became a photographer. And when that was too flat I decided that I could combine everything and be an artist.
of thin ice and
a bit of security Goldsmiths Artists Profile: Sophie Jung, MFA Fine Art Sophie Jung, MFA Fine Art Student, is already making a name for herself outside of Goldsmiths. We chat to her as she prepares for her first solo exhibition Learning About Heraldry, exhibiting at the Ceri Hand Gallery this month.
That’s working out quite well, I’d say. You’re preparing for your first solo exhibition. That’s insane! Sounds like you made it in the art world?
No no no, that’s not the case! First of all, I doubt there is such a thing as the ‘art world’ – I try and teach myself that there are many ways to do your thing. I have far from made it – others made it for us to struggle in, it seems. But I am thrilled to have an audience
for what I do now - it makes my daily work relevant. I feel my work has changed a lot recently, become freer, more itself. I’ve found a way to work that makes me happy.
How would you describe that way of working?
The most important statement is to question everything. I guess my work is about finding new levels on which to question stuff, and the stuff itself is not the main thing.The act of constant renewal in your perception and assessment is what counts.
Any advice for aspiring artists?
Aspiring artists? That would be me!Well, my advice to anyone would be: do your thing. Really – as uncool as it may seem – if it’s exciting to you stick with it. Copying is too easy, and being strict with yourself is important! Add an element of something you are actually good at and take risks with the rest! Lots of thin ice and a bit of security. And be nice. Envy clogs you up.
“I play with categories, and I loosen the fence that keeps them in so they can go play with one another”
What is your work about?
My work is about generating the expected and transforming it through humour, language and associative combinations. I play with categories; be they brand identities, sound clusters, form and colour families or linguistic conventionalities and I loosen the fence that keeps them in so they can go play with one another.
And what about specifically the work in your solo exhibition, Learning about Heraldry? Learning about Heraldry plays on the idea that every visual element (as in a crest, a coat of arms) has its designated meaning, is a historically and socially fixed sign. I display bricolaged sculptural elements that merge video, sound and objects, and give access to the supposed meaning of their parts. I try and push the everyday into an uncanny space without taking away the mundanity.
Interviewer_SarahVan Binsbergen
Arts and Culture 53
Behind the Perfect Picture: HomeTruths Emily Benington questions why motherhood is so rarely associated with strength with reflection on contemporary photography and poetry.
The image of the Madonna and Child is the most prominent depiction of motherhood known in Western history. This motif has been used to represent what is seen as the most valuable and sacred role a woman can occupy in both society and in her own life: motherhood. These images can be compared to contemporary tabloid images of celebrity mothers and are guilty of presenting an idealistic, romanticised and overly simplistic representation of motherhood. Parent and child are seen almost exclusively in happy union. There is also a growing obsession with how quickly women can regain their ‘pre-pregnancy’ bodies. Photographer and writer Susan Bright rails against these traditional and contemporary depictions of motherhood in Home Truths: Motherhood, Photography and Identity, now showing at The Photographers’ Gallery. The exhibition collates the work of eight photographers curated by Bright. Each photographer’s work differs greatly from the next but is cohesive in the way it depicts maternity
as challenging the norm. Elinor Carucci’s contribution is an autobiographical series of self-portraits titled ‘Mother’, taken between 2004 and 2008, documenting her pregnancy and developing relationship with twins. Her photographs are largely nudes;
way at fault. In an interview included in the exhibition, Carucci comments: “as a society, we have not seen enough of the complexity of parenthood.” Home Truths is, in many ways, an attempt to present these complexities, specifically focussing on the lack of attention given to the supposedly less aesthetically pleasing elements of motherhood. The photographers make us question why motherhood is so frequently associated with beauty, docility and tenderness and so rarely with strength. It’s . nudity and unashamed, un-censored depictions of pregnancy, birth and infanthood remind us where we come from, or more specifically, who we come from. Whilst reflecting on the message of Home Truths, I was reminded of a poem by NayyirahWaheed:
There is a growing obsession with how quickly women can regain their ‘pre-pregnancy’ bodies the first in the exhibition, ‘My Belly after Giving Birth to Twins and C-Section’ is an unashamed look at the reality of the postpregnancy body, revealing swollen breasts and stomach, stitching and stretch marks. The nation’s shock over Kate Middleton’s post-pregnancy baby bump reveals how important it is that we are shown these images as society has become deluded by the myth that after giving birth a woman’s body will return quickly to its pre-pregnancy condition, and if it does not she is in some
Motherhood is still seen as an inevitable milestone for women, but the visual truth, struggles, and worries of this pivotal life moment are repeatedly hidden from the perfect picture we are so often presented. Home Truths draws us into this struggle and, in the words of Nayyirah Waheed and Susan Bright, asks us to have some empathy with the women giving birth to us all.
The photographers make us question why motherhood is so frequently associated with beauty, docility and tenderness and so rarely with strength.
What massacre happens to my son between him living within my skin drinking my cells my water my organs and his soft psyche turning cruel. Does he not remember he is half woman.
How
can you be a feminist in a relationship? Upon discovering the challenges of defending a feminist outlook and being a girlfriend, Holly Boyden examines how to reconcile feminist principles, whilst maintaining a romantic relationship.
I broke the terrible news that I was a feminist to my partner very early on in my previous relationship, and I immediately felt the need to justify myself before he could go down the ‘women-are-already-equal-to-men-whatmore-do-you-want-you-insatiable-shrew’ route. I wouldn’t say he was exactly hostile towards my admission, however, he seemed to treat it like a distasteful party trick, introducing me to his friends with ‘she’s a feminist, you better be careful’.Things began to grate on me, for example, his constant use of ‘terms of endearment’ like ‘babe’ and ‘hun’.These terms are considered to be wellmeaning diminutives, but my issue is that that’s what they are, diminutives, and what’s more, they don’t have male equivalents. Despite my qualms, my ‘feminist identity’ began to jar with my ‘girlfriend identity’ because I felt ridiculous, ungrateful even,
in voicing my discomfort. I feared that in challenging small acts of misogyny I would be doing a disservice to “real” examples, and people would be less likely to take me seriously.What is important to keep in mind, however, is that ‘it’s the banal and stupid stuff that is so pervasive and reinforces a culture that enables bigger things to go wrong’. (Lauren O of feministe. us/blog.) In all likelihood, the instance I refer to (the act of calling me ‘babe’) was not intentionally misogynistic, but like so many things in society it is tangled up with latent patriarchal attitudes that we as feminists are fighting to eradicate. By not voicing your opinions or emotions for fear of being ridiculed, or of losing the person
‘The act of calling me ‘babe’ was not intentionally misogynistic, but like so many things in society it is tangled up with latent patriarchal attitudes that we as feminists are fighting to eradicate.’ because they misunderstand why you are challenging what they perceived to be a compliment, cracks begin to appear. You keep quiet. You start brushing off actual sexist remarks as just banter, derogatory comments as reasonable, and eventually you find yourself putting up with aggressive and demeaning sexual practices. Objectively you may disagree with these behaviours, but when coming from your significant other you make excuses for them. Your feminist principles along with your selfrespect face being swept under the carpet, whilst you try and keep your partner happy. I found Cynthia Kane’s article‘Maintaining Your Identity in a Relationship’ on the
‘Everyday Feminism’ website very helpful. It challenges co-dependency and encourages us to keep oneself as the priority. The article advocates the idea that although I am the girlfriend of ‘x’, I do not lose my identity. By touching base with our requirements as individuals, and therefore as feminists, we can go some way in resolving the aforementioned dilemma. Being in a relationship does not mean that it is now your responsibility to make your partner feel good, and viceversa. Being in a relationship does not mean you must water down your views to please someone else. If that is happening then you are at risk of being oppressed, and the patriarchy is winning. Goldsmiths Feminist Society meet every week on Monday or Tuesday and tackle issues such as sexual abuse and domestic violence. Search Facebook to find out more.
Arts and Culture 57
The exponential rise of DJs and journalists
Olivia Bishop envisions a dystopia in which the life of a creative student is applied to the world beyond university.
‘Is anyone here a doctor!’ A hysterical man gestures to the collapsed person on the café floor. The year is 2028, middle age has landed comfortably and you’ve attained the career you’re currently aiming for: a DJ or a journalist, right? Guilty silence is sticky in the throats of the coffee drinkers. A man is fumbling around with his IPhone 63 frantically dialling 999. ‘Hello, yes, we urgently need a paramedic….’ ‘Sorry,’ the operator interrupts,‘we only have DJs available, urr… there’s a producer? … I could send someone with Instagram?’ Suddenly this ‘utopia’ becomes a dystopia. It was insisted upon me at the age of sixteen that university would ‘open my eyes to the world’, which it does of course, you learn the price of toothpaste and ketamine for example.Yet in so many other ways it has closed my eyes. When you can only afford a newspaper once a month and the oldest person you converse with, bar your lecturer, is twenty-six, your world becomes a small place that primarily operates between the hours of 9pm and 9am. Maybe it’s because we go to a university that focuses on the arts and boasts alumni such as James Blake that I imagine the
future to be akin to an episode of Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror. An episode where society eventually crumbles because we’re all on comedowns analysing the new track by Bodhi or Bondax or Boddika and there’s no one left to work at theWrigley’s factory. It’s hard not to meet students putting on nights as a side salad to their popular music course or writing for CRACK, VICE, NME, to supplement their English degree. This is meant without bitterness; I’m not dissociating myself from this mass of EDM loving youth. In fact it’s proving harder to separate yourself from a generation of budding journalists and DJs when you can’t go to a Wetherspoons without hearing Bashmore’s invasive ‘Au Seve’ on loop. In the midst of this DJocracy I just have to wonder why every twenty-one year old at the moment has a radio show, twelve mates who are promoters, and a girlfriend or boyfriend that’s writing about it for an online magazine. But, I welcome this dystopia. It’s forced into the typical Goldsmiths student’s face as profusely as faded Reebok sweaters and independent street-wear brands are. I just hope it isn’t me who collapses in that coffee shop.
“Sometimes I feel like I can’t meet an PHOTOGRAPHY BY LEON ECKERT English student who isn’t already writing for CRACK, VICE, NME, or another capitalised magazine.”
“When you can only afford a newspaper once a month and the oldest person you converse with, bar your lecturer, is twenty-six, your world becomes a small place that primarily operates between the hours of 9pm and 9am.”
Inside Out: I
A Theatre Review ncident of
of
The Curious
The Dog In
the
Night-Time
A recent classic, Nadia Ali reveals the successful transition of The Curious Incident of The Dog in the Night-Time to stage.
When Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog In the Night- Time was released eight years ago, many readers were quickly captivated by the originality of the story. A 15-year-old boy with Asperger syndrome embarks on a journey to discover who was responsible for murdering the neighbour’s dog, which soon leads to the uncovering of some uncomfortable truths about his family, and the way adults lie to both children and each other. Scepticism arose upon hearing plans to adapt The Curious Incident of The Dog In The Night Time for stage, given the nature of the protagonist, Christopher Boone, who is no doubt a hard character to identify with.
“Scepticism arose upon hearing plans to adapt The Curious Incident of The Dog In The Night Time for stage, given the nature of the protagonist, Christopher Boone”
Thankfully, Simon Stephen’s adaption both met and exceeded expectations for the play, which manages to remain theatrical and fantastically true to the spirit of the novel. The only dramatic shift in the play is Christopher’s retelling of the story, which is staged as a play itself upon the advice of Christopher’s special needs teacher, which works beautifully with director Marianne Elliot finding a way to strike the perfect balance between the hilarious and the heart-breaking. Whilst the novel allowed the audience to reach the mind of Christopher, the play extends further by allowing his internal interpretation of the world to become an external manifestation. The beautiful stage, which is designed by Bunny Christie, successfully looks and feels like a giant box lined with graph paper. It comes alive with LED lights, shadows and secret cupboards, and a toy train gradually puffs its way around the stage. This brilliantly externalises Christopher’s methodical and obsessive mind, and even helps to demonstrate his interpretation of what he is being told (particularly when he tries to explain the purpose of a raised eyebrow
- either meaning “to want to do sex with you” or to mean that what he said was “very stupid”). Meanwhile, leading actor Mike Noble manages the role tremendously, keeping the audience engaged throughout. He is almost unbearably emotional in moments of distress, but continues to keep the audience from pitying him by remaining likable. Trevor Fox’s performance as Ed, Christopher’s father, was also incredibly touching; highlighting the challenges of raising an autistic child to those with little knowledge. All in all the show bursts with intelligence and compassion and I can most certainly say that I walked away from the Apollo feeling slightly overwhelmed. In many ways the play could even be considered as a wider metaphor for the outsider in us all.
“In many ways the play could even be considered as a wider metaphor for the outsider in us all.”
WHERE’S OUR:
Ella
Daniel-Lowe
questions the lack of
?
politically
charged
movements
in music today In the Eighties, similarly to today, the majority of poorer people were having a generally miserable time as the result of brutal cuts made by Margaret Thatcher’s Tory government. As a means of gathering more support for the Labour party (who were far more left-wing then than they are now), a group of UK pop musicians from a wide swathe of genres including ska, mod,
electronic pop and punk joined together, with a common objective of getting the Tories out, and Labour in, during the 1987 election.They also aimed to stir political awareness and interest within the younger generations. This collective called themselves RedWedge; named after a piece of Soviet propaganda
titled ‘beat the whites with the red wedge’, which also inspired the movement’s emblem. The ‘whites’ referred to the anti-Bolshevik, white Russians, and was changed to ‘beat the blues’, in reference to the Tory colours. RedWedge followed the success of Rock Against Racism and the iconic punk movement of the Seventies, encompassing
Music 61
Su ffoca te d
in
Con cre te
What engages teenagers more than music?
Robbie Wojciechowski exposes South London’s emerging electronic music scene
its feisty spirit with a more finely honed version of its rebellious take on musicality.These qualities were fused seamlessly with the left-wing views of the musicians involved, while maintaining a sound that was impressive enough to win the hearts of many.
In recent years, the boom of bedroom-based electronic producers has brought a whole new wave of interest back to the South London music scene. Thanks to the likes of King Krule and Filthy Boy, Lewisham is back in the focus – and it’s not just those two acts that are attracting attention.
Musically, the bands of RedWedge varied: from PaulWeller’s mod and soul-influenced Style Council and the protest folk of Billy Bragg, to the reggae-influenced ska-pop of The Beat and, the very out and very left wing Bronski Beat – with their proto electro beats topped by the piercing falsetto of Jimmy Sommerville.
deeper within genres, however, it becomes clear that similar-minded bands certainly are still very much alive and kicking. It is merely that their widespread popularity has declined. Nowadays, artists tend to focus on single-issue campaigns, as witnessed recently by the support for Russia’s jailed femo-punksters, Pussy Riot, by stars such as Adele, Madonna, U2 and Red Hot Chilli Peppers. Although the members of theWedge were
occasional riots as the result of a consistently acute sense of unrest within working-class Britain. Although contemporary circumstances bear many similarities, it seems that the young adults of today – our generation – have a much greater sense of apathy. It is unfortunate that such a movement does not exist currently and looks unlikely to appear any time soon.The inspiration of famous musicians may well be what is needed to change the current political standing of Britain today, but it is difficult to locate a starting point when the majority of the popular music industry now consists of catchy club anthems or soothing indie-folk. Perhaps it is time for a change, as we’re given another opportunity to beat the blues.
It’s difficult to locate a starting point when the majority of the popular music industry now consists of catchy club anthems or soothing indie-folk.
Many of the bands of Red Wedge, which varied across a spectrum of pop styles, were featured in the UK Top 40 during the Eighties. It seems that there is a lot less variety and little political content within the charts today, despite the similar austerity of societal circumstances. If you delve a little
unsuccessful in their attempts to oust the Conservative government, they certainly did succeed in inspiring the younger generations to take action. After all, what engages teenagers more than music? The Eighties were ultimately riddled with protests and
Turn the clock back four years, and it was dubstep that was booming out of every club on Lewisham Way, a soundtrack to the industrialist backdrop of South London. It felt romantic, a youth movement in electronic music. Now, with a selection of new artists revolutionising the bass heavy sound a stage further, it’s time we kept our eyes open on an imperative chapter in South London’s electronic storybook.
1. Amane lives in a small tower block in East Croydon. Having moved to London alone at 16, he
instantly became fascinated by his surroundings, combing the back streets of the West End with only his headphones for company. It wasn’t long before Amane had started writing a soundtrack to match. Impressively, the 19-year-old has just signed to Rinse. With no big-marketing budget and no real online profile, Amane is the perfect example of a new musical movement of faceless musicians emerging from the capital.
2. Jerkcurb, the second of these new faces, turns out to be King Krule’s old next-door neigh-
bour. While trying to soundtrack his favourite films, Jerk started to play on a series of distant chord progressions that seemed to match the isolation of his early film viewing. “The films I used to watch had this romance to them, this bleakness and isolation that I think you also get from this city,” says Jerk. Funnily enough, it was also the same distant visuals and chords that would help build the bedrock of King Krule’s early writing, especially on his breakthrough single: ‘Out Getting Ribs’.
3. It was a similar story for Jamie Isaac, too. An old schoolmate of Krule’s, it’s been through a series of lo-fi demos, collaborations and gigs that Isaac has found industry backing. Influenced by a cool-cut selection of 50’s jazz, 90’s house records and 00’s bass music (like many of these producers), Isaac’s EP is a thorough blend of washed out sounds that feel akin to James Blake’s early work. His bedroom is a haze of drunken photos from nights out in New Cross and night bus journeys back home – and it’s these same images you can identify in Amane and Jerk’s work. “I’ve always taken pictures of places that look really strange, on nights out or when I’m just travelling about,” says Isaac. What’s captured my attention about these producers music is the distance they evoke to a city they all so dearly love. “It always baffled me how there could be more people on one street than there were in the entire town I grew up in,” says Amane. Having grown up subdued by information, their over-exposure to everything around them has left many of them craving for calm in a busy world.
63
The Earth as a Relaxing Space
“Joyous harmonies of guitar kept to a slow pace create a
Ed Ginn reflects on Explosion’s in the Sky’s third album The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place (2003)
sense of calm after a
Explosions in the sky are a four piece post-rock band from Texas formed in 1999 that have released six albums overall and provided soundtracks to films Friday Night Lights and Prince Avalanche.Their music is fully instrumental and consists of emotional, atmospheric sounds primarily made by three guitars, a drum kit and a bass. If you are into melodic, progressive music and something a bit experimental then this is the band for you. From the first track on the album;‘First Breath After Coma’ we encounter a piercing repeated note with a heartbeat-like bass
using more melancholic and brighter tones to convey different emotions. A great example of this is in track two ‘The Only Moment we were Alone’ which starts off with a mechanical screeching that fades off into an atmospheric guitar riff with a persistent twanging bass line.The first chaotic note of the song is accompanied with the growing intertwining of guitars and a passionate, hard-hitting drumbeat. ‘Six days at the bottom of the ocean’ really amplifies the intricacies of their guitar playing through delicate, fragile melodies. In contrast to its previous track,‘Memorial’
drum, as if we are experiencing the title.We are then lulled into an Eden of uplifting gentle melodies that break down halfway, slowing the excitement into a mellower mood. The bands third album differs from their previous work in its increase of structure, almost as if creating a story for the listener. The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place also has a more atmospheric tone and more varied rhythms and sounds in each of the tracks. Explosions’ use of progression and regression throughout the album allows them to control the pace of this story while
storm.”
has a simple rhythm and guitar pattern to it. For me this track sums up the album. It creates a tranquil atmosphere with a sense of hope.This song has an ecclesiastical chime towards the middle that is kept throughout to a progression of a tumultuous crashing of instruments, creating a brilliant contrast of sounds. The album comes to a close with ‘Your Hand in Mine’, which backs up the statement of the album that the earth is indeed not a cold, dead place. Joyous harmonies of guitar kept to a slow pace create a sense of calm after a storm. Overall, I feel The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place to be an extremely uplifting, well-structured album, which plays out a serene journey for the listener.This stress-relieving piece of music is great to relax to and can help lessen distractions from chaotic university life.You will be in awe of the beauty of each track. Check out nine other albums to get you focused, as suggested by Ed at www.smithsmagazine.co.uk
Lucie Horton chats to Jago Pearson, the dj and producer Zulu, about his musical influences, Goldsmiths, and his resistance to clubbing
ZULU
The first time I met Jago I was drunk around mutual friends, and so I had slight reservations that meeting him in the cold, sober light of day might be a bit awkward. But my reservations were put to rest when he walked in smiling, and approached me like we were old friends. Jago is a second year Media and Comms student, but he’s most well known as being the producer and DJ behind Zulu. His success is notable and his tribally African house sound is distinct amongst the ‘Au Seve’ copycats. Having released on Girls Music (Toddla T’s label), Zoo music (Monki’s Label), Enchufada (Buraka Som Sistema’s label), and played at Fabric,Village Underground,The Nest, Lux and Parklife, Jago’s had some success, and I get the feeling he’s in for a lot more. One particularly inspiring moment that stands out for him is a night out in 2009 to The Bussey Building in Peckham where he saw James Blake DJ. ‘I remember going to that and it just being like whoa, it was a kind of a mind-fuck. Going there from the countryside, it’s so raw and like, a bit sketchy. I didn’t actually know then that Bussey Building was a totally legal space, I remember looking up and there were wires coming out the ceiling. I’d never seen anything like that before.’ But it wasn’t just the urban scenery that enthused him, after watching James Blake, Jago went home and listened to his music;‘It was before ‘Limit to your Love’, it was when he was doing all his instrumentally stuff. I thought it was really cool. I think when people first start they need something to base an idea around otherwise you don’t really know where to begin. So I tried making music like that.’ Zulu’s sound is much more energetic than Blake’s, and has clearly undergone quite an evolution from that initial exposure.The song Fatherless by Breach, which he describes as sounding like ‘your in the middle of a tribal initiaition in West Africa’, helped Jago to ‘zone in on a particular sound’ A Tribal beat pulsates through the Zulu sound, and clearly initiated some of his unusual genre categories from ‘Zimbabwean Trance’ to ‘Tribal House’. But Jago doesn’t take it too seriously; ‘oh the genre thing was a bit of a joke… I think the whole thing is quite funny. I do take it
seriously, but I grew up in South West England. I don’t have much of an affiliation with Africa.’ With dance music acts like Disclosure topping the charts I’m interested to see what Jago makes of electronic producers becoming more mainstream. ‘I don’t think people should say that because a certain sound gets bigger that it’s a negative thing. But at the same time I do think there are so many things at the moment which are just carbon copies of each other.’ But ultimately, he likes the way it keeps producers on their toes; ‘it’s healthy and it inspires you to find a new direction to set yourself apart.’ But for someone who spends a lot of his time making music to be played in clubs, ironically Jago doesn’t like clubbing. ‘I think as I’ve got older I don’t like being in places fucked out of my head at 5 in the morning,’ he says. Clubbing to him is like a busman’s holiday; he spends so much time making that type of music, when he goes out he wants to listen to something totally different. ‘I prefer listening to a record at home rather than hearing it in a club,’ he explains. His decision to come to Goldsmiths is largely based on it’s location;‘I only wanted to go to uni in London really because I find the heritage historically, socially, and especially musically, really interesting.’ But our notoriously arty, liberal university hasn’t quite lived up to his expectations; ‘I kind of had the image of everyone walking around campus with a synthesiser, some paint brushes, or a shark cut in half.’ He laughs. ‘There’s an aspect to it that’s really good. But it’s so true the idea; that concept, not SFG, but people being wanky to each other. Sometimes last year I really thought everyone should just cheer up and smile more. There’s a judgmental aspect, which is stupid really.’ So what’s in store for the future? ‘I’m working on a new song to release on Monki’s label (Radio 1 DJ) and we’ve made a tune that sounds a bit different, focusing less on the club side of things. It’s a lot more like an actual song,’ he tells me.Working on everything from disco to melodic tunes, he eventually aims to have a large body of work. Jago is as high-energy and humorous as the music he produces- definitely one Goldsmiths student to keep watching.
“That concept, not SFG, but people being wanky to eachother, sometimes last year I really thought everyone should just cheer up and smile more” Music 67
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