DEPARTURE / 4

DEPARTURE PETER WRIGHT

EXPLOSION

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MICHAEL MACGARRY

ANGRY AFRICA RECORDS

SIDE STREET STUDIOS

JOHNNY NEON

TAYLOR BINGAMAN

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UNITED BY FATE EST. AUSTRALIA 1994 WWW.GLOBE.TV

CONTENTS

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x x x x x x x x x x x

Betty Page Explosion Michael Macgarry Peter Wright Angry Africa Records Side Street Product Toss Neon Wax Junkie Body Death

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UNITED BY FATE EST. AUSTRALIA 1994 WWW.GLOBE.TV

DEPARTURE STEREO PICTURES

Issue 4 / AUGUST 2013

PUBLISHER Clayton Petersen clayton@departurequarterly.com EDITOR / ART DIRECTION Stefan Naude’ stefan@departurequarterly.com COVER Hayden Phipps haydenphipps.com PHOTOGRAPHERS Jacqui Van Staden Louis Vorster Hayden Phipps Tyrone Bradly CONTRIBUTORS Rick De La Ray Alice Edy (illustration) Ruan Scott Rouleaux van der Merwe

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BETTIE MAE PAGE 1923 - 2008 ILLUSTRATION ALICE EDY

WORDS ALICE EDY

I THINK I SPEAK FOR MOST US WHEN I SAY THAT WE HAVE ALL SEEN ENOUGH BETTIE PAGE TATTOOS TO LAST US A GOOD WHILE YET. SINCE THE 50S, HER PIN-UP PHOTOGRAPHS HAVE WALLPAPERED THE INSIDES LOCKER-DOORS AROUND THE WORLD, BUT, AS WARHOL SHOWED US WITH MARILYN - THERE COMES A POINT IN FAME WHEN A PERSON NO LONGER OWNS THEIR OWN IMAGE. Page is famous for her trademark jet black bangs, spike heels, and seamed stockings. She was first real celebrity of S&M, starring in some of the first bondage and fetish shoots.

Her unabashedly risque photographs paved the way for the sexual revolution of the 60s, and her influence on 20th century pop-culture extends to Madonna, Dita Von Teese, the Pussycat Dolls (the original burlesque act), Rhianna, Katy Perry, the SuicideGirls, and Pulp Fiction’s “Mia Wallace”. She is also unwittingly responsible for the hairstyle of every girl at a punk show in Edenvale.

Bettie Page was born in Nashville, Tennessee. Although she was molested by her father and spent a year in an orphanage, Page still got straight-As throughout school and was voted “Most Likely to Succeed”.

Her pin-up career began when she was 27, modeling for amateur “camera clubs” (ostensibly “artistic”, but really a thinly-veiled excuse for smut). Her photographs are what modern pornographers would clas-

sify as “cheesecake” images; no penetration/visible genitalia, but implicitly suggestive sexual content.

Mmm, porn and baked-goods in one edifying article.

In 1957, at the peak of her career, Page completely disappeared from public view. She became evangelically religious, later battling depression, mental illness, and poverty.

In the late 70s she had a nervous breakdown and stabbed her landlady, but Page was found not guilty on grounds of insanity, whereafter she was committed to a state mental institution for nearly 2 years.

Bettie Page never posed for another photograph again - nude or otherwise. She said, “I don’t want to be photographed in my old age, I feel the same way with old movie stars... It makes me sad. We want to remember them when they were young.” She died aged 85, but the legend of Bettie Page lives on - never a day older than 34. Her epitaph reads: “The Queen of Pin-Ups”.

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LOCK UP YOUR DAUGHTERS PHOTOGRAPHY TYRONE BRADLY

WORDS RUAN SCOTT

“IN TERMS OF HAIR PRODUCTS, BEER AND SWEAT SEEM TO BE WORKING WELL FOR US AT THE MOMENT... EXCEPT FOR ROADIE, THE BAND’S BUDGET TAKES A BIT OF A STRAIN WITH HIS EXCESSIVE USE OF ITALIAN HAIR PRODUCTS.” EXPLOSION So what’s up in ’Toti? How would you explain your hometown to somebody that has never been there before?

Jeez that’s a tough one right off! It’s a pretty much a great small town with a bit of a drinking problem.

There’s just a beach, a few malls and some pubs here, and not much else to do. As with any small town with little to do, people go absolutely nuts at the live music shows (that come around a few times a month) and grab the opportunity with both hands and tear the balls off of it.

Toti has a very chilled vibe and it’s guaranteed that when out-of-town bands come through they always get a great reception.

If EXPLOSION isn’t an acronym for “Evil X-rays Protect Lucifer Our Savior In Outer space Now sing”, then where did your name originate and how did you guys start playing?

Haha! You got that one in a nutshell, well done! The band started out as a bunch of mates getting together on

weekends with a few beers and just bashing out some rock ’n roll covers from some of our favourite bands.

Soon this led to the formation of our own ideas and we began arranging some original tracks. Eventually we had enough material to perform at a gig. The name “EXPLOSION” came about after we saw a headline in a local newspaper; there was an explosion in a nearby factory and the headline read “EXPLOSION ROCKS TOTI”. We found that a bit funny, and the name has stuck since then.

Could you introduce the band to us. Who does the most in the band and who does the least?

We have Wesley Davies on guitar, Kyle Keegan on drums, Liam “K.P” Brown on vocals and Sean “Roadie” Brydon on bass. K.P definitely does the least out of everybody, because when everyone’s packing up their gear, he just puts his mic down and he’s already at the bar! Kyle definitely works the hardest, because he’s always lugging a great big kit around, very enthusiastically at that.

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Although, nowadays, with our manager taking up drums too, he Kyle to have found his own personal roadie.

In terms of creating new songs and everything that comes along with that, everyone gets stuck in and does what needs to be done.

Do you think that being from KZN has stifled your efforts of being a potentially successful band on the South African circuit? Why do you think there is so little interest in bands from your side of the country?

The apparent “Durban Syndrome” has in fact motivated us to work harder to prove the stereotype wrong and pushed us to try and get to new levels and new places - as with many other great Durban acts.

What do you guys feel about the fact that most international acts always skip KZN? Are you guys starting to feel like Bloemfontein...

Bitch, say WHAAAT! Snoop Lion was just here! Bloemfontein never gots no Snoop Lion! As for the other acts that choose to skip Durban, we’re always keen for a road trip, if it’s worth it of course. Traveling to watch an international band that we dig always makes the journey seem like more of a party in the end.

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Durban has had a bit of a revival lately when Fruit and Veg had a huge article in Rolling Stone. Do

you feel like that has inspired the local band scene to take their music more seriously?

Any publicity of that level helps to disprove the aforementioned stereotype about the Durban scene. It hasn’t actually affected us much, to be honest, due to the fact that we’ve always done things at full throttle. Although our music has a very fun and wanton element to it, we’re always striving to achieve the highest the level that we can.

You guys are influenced by the greats such as Zeppelin and Budgie and your sound definitely swings to that classic high-singing rock. Do you think that genre will catch on again massively like it did in the 70s?

We’re not sure if rock ’n roll will ever catch on again like it did back then. It was a completely different era, people had different values, beliefs and tastes. That said, we’re not going to put down our instruments and pick up laptops and push out some sort of electronic-sonic-filth. This is the type of music we’ve always related to. It’s what we love playing and we have a blast playing it.

How did you get introduced to all the classic metal and rock which features so prominently in your music and if you could travel back in time who would you like to open for?

Individually, our tastes meander in to different genres. However the one thing that we all have in common is our love for rock ’n roll, which we all grew up with in some way or another. We were all introduced to it at different times and through different means, be it through our parents, elder siblings or BMXing videos. If we had the chance to go back and open up for some bands from those eras, we would have loved to open up for Mr Big, Thin Lizzy, ZZ Top, Loudness, Van Halen, Deep Purple, Rush, the list could go on forever…

Do you guys still drag that massive amp to your live shows? It looks like it came straight out of

The Rock ’n Roll Hall of Fame.

What’s the history behind that tower of sound?

Yeah, Wes still lugs that monster around with him. He was looking for a new amp a few years ago and his old man mentioned there was one lying in the garage, from back when he used to play in a band. He’d picked it up in the 60s and might actually have stolen it from the Rock ’n Roll Hall of Fame, god knows! It’s a 1958 or 1959 - we’re not entirely sure Marshall Plexi.

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COMPLETE THE SENTENCES HOWEVER YOU GUYS SEE FIT. If EXPLOSION got in a fight with a battle troll because of a stolen battle axe, it would be shit and can have serious adverse effects on the rhino poaching epidemic… which is also shit.

hermaphroditic midget lifeguard was on duty that day.

Your girlfriend is next and EXPLOSION would take her out for a nice seafood dinner and NEVER call her again.

Drinking beer while on stage is permitted only if Shivy Bust-TooSoon is the designated driver but it doesn’t actually matter because he always is.

We would like to say thanks to all the people that come and party at our shows and a big fuck you to last rounds.

The most rock ’n roll thing we’ve ever done was driving a Bentley into a swimming pool but it almost failed horribly because the albino

We will be playing in Cape Town when the weather is good so until then may the Gods of Rock keep the wolves in the hills and the women in your bed.

For more details go to www.explosiontheband.wordpress.com

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S K AT E B O A R D I N G C O L L E C T I O N

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MICHAEL MACGARRY PHOTOGRAPHY HAYDEN PHIPPS

WORDS RICK DE LA RAY

“VICE CAN BE A VERY USEFUL ALTERNATE OPINION, OR INTERNAL POINT OF VIEW ON ONE’S OWN WORK. TO SEE ‘A NEW’ YOUR WORK FROM TIME TO TIME CAN BE HELPFUL... BUT ON THE OTHER HAND, WAKING UP WEARING A SPEEDO IN A MALL PARKINGLOT AT 11:43 AM WITH A DEAD WARTHOG CAN ALSO BE UNHELPFUL TOO...”

TIME Magazine called Jean Michel Basquiat “the Eddie Murphy of the art world” in the 80s. If your work could be compared to a comedian who do you think would fit the bill?

William Hogarth or Maximilien de Robespierre.

Piero Manzoni’s work titled “Merda d’Artista” (“Artist’s Shit”) from 1961 consists of 90 tin cans filled with feces, with a label in Italian, English, French, and German stating: “Artist’s Shit, Contents 30 gr net, Freshly preserved, Produced and tinned in May 1961”. What is the modern art world’s fixation with human crap? I mean every now and then some artist will literally present their own shit to the art world at top dollar and get a standing ovation from the critics with tears in their eyes... It’s all very emotional.

If popularity meant ability then porn stars would win all the Oscars. Other

than to ‘shock’ – or rather, to attempt to shock – I have no idea why certain artists have been drawn to scatology, but I do think that Donald Kuspit (American art critic, historian and philosopher) said it best: “The artist has become an unreflective asshole, and art has been dumbed down to mindless shit, that most leveling and un-ideal of all substances.”

Is AVANT CAR GUARD dead? Do you think it’s about time to release the “Greatest Hits” album...

I cannot speak for Jan-Henri Booyens and Zander Blom – but in my opinion, yes, the good ship AVANT CAR GUARD has sunk, under its own weight. Somewhere off the coast of Somalia. We did do a “greatest hits” book a few years ago, but see how well that did...

The Standard Bank Young Artist Award was obviously a highlight in your career, at what point would you say it dawned on you that your work is actually going

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a lot further now than you ever thought it would?

Careers are strange, organic things and one of the main objectives – or directives, perhaps – that informed AVANT CAR GUARD at its inception, was the notion of exhibiting or performing so often that it would be impossible to ignore us. My early career followed a similar directive – to work and exhibit as much as possible. Such is the currency of being young and hungry. Perhaps my being awarded the Standard Bank Young Artist Award, was in part a result of this way of working – or even this coercision – I’m not sure. The notion that the work you make has a life and career beyond you is largely intangible and not neccessarily empowering. Sometimes the works do travel and surpass and surprise you, but I also make things that never leave my study or house, so it depends.

In Damien Hirst’s book On My Way to Work he comments “What they don’t realise is that I am following something. Working out how to do it. I am finding things. I am not creating anything. I am digging around in bins, dead artists’ bins trying to find things. I am looking for the world…” Where is your bin?

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Luckily, at the end of my garden, past the peach trees and the small boathouse – I have a massive, fes-

tering, smelly municipal rubbish dump. And everyday, the elves and I wander down there with shopping trollies and we find some new stuff.

When art writers and critics write about your work, do you sometimes find that they point out content or subject matter which you had not intended at all and how do you respond to that?

Yes, all the time – every human being on this planet has an opinion.

Even the dead ones. Art is aggressively subjective to the point that my intention with, or framing of, a work or project is often rightly rendered irrelevant or ‘unnecessary’ by an arts writer (I would be hard-pressed to identify any weapons-grade, factory-tested Art Critics in this country).

Some observations from arts writers can be useful in terms of contextualising my practice, but most often it is a case of having to re-read my own press-release with my name misspelt.

What are your viewpoints on religion and its side effects it has had on the human ape race? Do you think its possible to erase millennia of indoctrination, or has it embedded itself into our DNA by now?

“Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich.” – Napoleon Bonaparte

Do you think the age-old relationship between art, artists and vice will ever disappear? It seems to have been pretty important symbiotic experience since the start.

There is a long and colourful relationship yes, most notably during the birth of Modernism and another ‘highlight’ being the lamentable haze of the Pollock administration and onto the pain avoidance of Basquiat.

I think in most creative work – except for perhaps classical music – that vice can be a very useful alternate opinion, or internal point of view on one’s own work. To see ‘a new’ your work from time to time can be helpful. But on the other hand, waking up wearing a speedo in a mall parking lot at 11:43 AM with a dead warthog can also be unhelpful too.

Just saying.

Your work usually has a strong written component supporting it. How essential is the story/research/theory to you, and how important is the physicality (aesthetics/production-value/sexiness) of the object itself? How do you manage the relationship between the two?

I read magazines, newspapers, media, etc on African current affairs and socio-political events, contexts, developments. I also read a bit on political theory – both contemporary and historical. I also watch The Simpsons. I am concerned with the

context I live in. The writing component in my work developed from an “All Theory. No Practice.” dogma that I developed in the past and has largely fallen away as a function in my current work.

The material reality of my sculptural work and filmmaking has become very important, as the veracity or ‘realism’ I read about - then internalise, and ultimately manifest as artworks - needs to be present and tangible in the artworks themselves, and not just in the texts. So the form is political, the form is everything. I think this kind of formalism is directly at odds with the move away from such an approach that occurred in Conceptual Art in the 1960s in the West.

In the developing world – and particularly in African contemporary art – the form is hugely important and politicised, due to a number of key historical reasons and contextual specifics that are simply not faced by or present within the West.

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For more details go to www.alltheorynopractice.com

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THE CONCRETE WAVE PHOTOGRAPHY JACQUI VAN STADEN

WORDS RICK DE LA RAY

“HE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS AND TOLD ME TO CUT MY HAIR AND GET A JOB. FOR ME, THIS WAS NOT AN OPTION - SO I RENTED PREMISES IN MUIZENBERG AND THE CORNER SURF SHOP WAS BORN. THAT WAS 1ST JULY 1971, SO WE HAVE JUST CELEBRATED OUR 42ND BIRTHDAY. FROM THE WORD GO, I REALIZED THAT IF I DID NOT MAKE THIS BUSINESS WORK I WOULD BE BACK WORKING IN THE CITY... WHICH WAS SUCH A HORRENDOUS THOUGHT THAT I JUST COULD NOT ALLOW THIS VENTURE TO FAIL!” PETER WRIGHT When was the first ever time you can recall seeing a skateboard or someone riding one?

Back in those days choosing your type of career path must have been very left-of-centre to the rest of society. What made you decide “This is it; come hell or high water I’m going to live this lifestyle for the rest of my life”...

was living in the South Peninsula, where there were no suitable jobs to be had. I then set up a workshop doing woodwork and building surfboards in my father’s garage in Kommetjie. After a while, he had enough of this and told me to cut my hair and get a job. For me, this was not an option - so I rented premises in Muizenberg and The Corner Surf Shop was born. That was 1st July 1971, so we have just celebrated our 42nd birthday. From the word go, I realized that if I did not make this business work I would be back working in the city... which was such a horrendous thought that I just could not allow this venture to fail!

I left school and did the working-inthe-office thing in Cape Town. This meant that in winter I was leaving home in the dark and returning in the dark. I got really tired of this, but I

Could you give us an indication of how big the South African skateboard industry was in the 70s?

Was it purely surfers skating back then or were there already guys

I think that I probably came across a picture of a skateboard in something like the Surfer Magazine, in the early 60s. We then re-constructed our roller-skate trucks, with their steel wheels, to make skateboards.

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that strictly got into skateboarding only?

Well, it was big enough for companies like Pepsi to get in on the act, with skateboarding-orientated promotions and the sponsoring of comps. Initially, it was probably an alternative sport for surfers, but it did move beyond the surf scene and expanded inland, particularly in the Joburg and Pretoria areas.

Did you import any skateboarding magazines back then and who was the International pro that everyone looked up to at the time?.

We imported Skateboarder Magazine, which was published by the Surfer Magazine Group. The international pros of the day were people like Russ Howell, Jay Adams, Stacy Peralta, Bruce Logan, Tom Sims and Tony Alva... all heroes.

I discovered an original wood Wright Skateboard with Sims wheels and Chicago trucks in a shed in the middle of the Free State that is still in pretty good nick. Now that old skateboard memorabilia is so much in demand have you had any offers or interest in your old boards?

Oh yes - we have people who would kill to get their hands on some of our old boards, which is really funny as in the late 80s to early 90s skateboarding went so stone-dead that

we literally had to pay people to buy our dead stock. We actually sold the stuff off at a great loss and now people come into our shop specifically seeking these same boards.

Your Southwind skateboards came out in the 80s, who was pressing boards back then and is the press still around? What kind of wood was used to press the decks?

The Wright Skateboards decks were either hand-laminated and cut out fibreglass, or hand-shaped of American Oak. The later Southwind models were imported maple decks which we branded locally.

Is there a certain time in the life of Corner Surf that stands out a bit more to you and will always be close to your heart?

Probably the height of the “Southwind Era”; when we had some of the best local surfers riding Southwind surfboards, the best of the local skateboarders on our skateboards, and the Southwind long-sleeved tees were almost everywhere. I still remember “Bobs” Rossouw (a top S.A kneeboarder, Southwind Team member and a Corner Surf Shop employee) coming to work the day after a surf film had shown in Fish Hoek. He was really excited and asked me if I’d noticed that threequarters of the audience in the hall the night before had been wearing

Southwind tees? That generation are still buying Southwind shirts for themselves, their kids, and even their grandkids!

You seem to have lived a pretty interesting life so far. What do reckon would be the pinnacle of the Peter Wright story?

Well, my initial aim was to avoid ending up back working in the city... and it’s now forty-two years later and I have managed to do this. I reckon, I have done as well as, and maybe better than, a lot of my contemporaries and had a helluva lot of fun along the way.

When you started making boards in the 70s did you ever think that skateboarding would become such a multi-million dollar industry? I mean, if you look at the tricks guys are doing nowadays, did you guys ever think so much would evolve from that wooden roller board?

Back in the 70s I don’t believe I did foresee where skateboarding, as an industry, would be today. However I must say, without meaning to be negative, that I still see skateboarding as a cyclical sport - over time it seems to die and then reinvent itself in different forms. Some maneuvers return with the next generation; it’s as if they are rediscovered and given new names. I remember seeing Tony Hawk on the net, I think it was

the Ride Channel, discussing this whilst watching old vs. current skate footage. He was saying to his guest, “We used to call that move such-andsuch, didn’t we? ...but now they call it a ...” and they were both chuckling about the fact that they’d done it all before, back in the day. The current phase of skateboarding has been a long one. I think that the advances both in materials and engineering have helped to promote the sport.

There are also very much bigger companies behind skateboarding brands which, if for no other reasons than financial ones, want to keep the wheels spinning. The other factor, as put forward by my shop staff, is that the longboards, which are currently in vogue, are often used as shortdistance transport, meaning that boards have also become functional parts of people’s lifestyles, rather than solely a plaything.

How often do you get out there into the water, and do you still occasionally cruise a board around from time to time?

Yes, from time to time - not as much as I would like to... but I can still make the college kids choke on their sarmies as I skateboard past them outside our shop, which gives us a laugh.

What were your top 5 albums you listened to in the 70s - what were you rocking at the parties?

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I think there was a far wider range in music styles in the 70s than nowadays. It went from heavy metal and underground, hard rock and country rock, through to folk and blues, and all of the styles had major artists. I have always been a Stones fan, but if I think specifically along the lines of what we were playing in the shop in that era, I would say Led Zeppelin (LZ III), Deep Purple (DP in Rock), Jethro Tull (Aqualung) and Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention (Just Another Band from L.A), though there were lots of other influences like Dylan, Hendrix, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young - even Leonard Cohen. People seemed to be more receptive to completely different sounds. The same person who was a follower of CSNY, would be just as happy listening to Hendrix’s “Voodoo Child”. Music DVDs documenting this time, featuring the Stones or Led Zeppelin and their contemporaries, are still

enthusiastically watched by all ages in our shop. It’s amazing how many of the band members of those days are still considered amongst the best around, even though they are now in their sixties.

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For more details go to www.thecornersurfshop.com

LED ZEPPELIN LZ III 1970

JETHRO TULL AQUALUNG 1971

FRANK ZAPPA AND THE MOTHERS JUST ANOTHER BAND FROM L.A 1972

DEEP PURPLE DP IN ROCK 1970

JIMI HENDRIX VOODOO CHILD 1968

PERSONAL FAVOURITES.

BLACKLUNG / MAKE-OVERS 7” SPLIT PICTURE_DISC - ART BY HEIN COETZEE

ANGRY AFRICA PHOTOGRAPHY JACQUI VAN STADEN

WORDSRICK DE LA RAY

“I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO INHERIT MY DAD’S RECORD PLAYER AND COLLECTION OF CLASSIC ROCK AND FOLK RECORDS WHEN I WAS 18 YEARS OLD, SO THAT STARTED EVERYTHING. AT FIRST I ORDERED NEW RELEASES FROM OVERSEAS, AND ONLY LATER DID I REALLY START TO COLLECT OLD RECORDS FROM VARIOUS ERAS. IT’S NOW ANYTHING FROM OLD 78S TO 10INCH RECORDS THAT WERE PREDOMINATELY PRESSED IN THE 1950S IN SOUTH AFRICA.” HEIN COETZEE What is the concept behind Angry Africa Records?

ANGRY AFRICA RECORDS is a underground self-publisher. Unlike the traditional labels that sign bands and musicians, Angry Africa Records releases material that disrupts the popular realm, also creating important awareness about the musicians and melting their sound into 21st century analog mediums.

The concept behind the name Angry Africa is the projected state of being in the psyche off all South Africans - stuff is unstable and in times like these art and music plays a highly important role.

The new BlackLung / Make-Overs split 7’” will be the first release on Angry Africa Records. What made you decide on those two bands?

My decision was based mainly on originality of sound, their uniqueness of style, and the spectrum of captivation. Make-Overs and Black-

Lung are by far the most exciting bands to watch live in SA, and that was also an important factor. Both bands were recorded live on reel to reel tape and this gives the single a hard and loud edge without unnecessary phony digital production.

Not many musicians can record live and sound this mind-bending. MakeOvers just toured the USA playing at Hozac’s Blackout Fest in Chicago, and I’m sure over there people

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BLACKLUNG_CASSETTE - ART BY BLACK KOKI

MAKE-OVERS_CASSETTE - ART BY ELLO

had near religious experiences at their live shows. For a two-piece band their sound is super full, mindpiercing and gets your brain boiling. Whilst BlackLung is a relatively new 3 piece-band, they are already spreading like a friendly disease with a ferocious appetite leaving the host hooked. If you’re in Cape Town and you haven’t seen BlackLung you’re missing out on some serious ear and foot stomping time. They were so loud when they came to my house that it took the neighbors 5 minutes to almost knock the door down complaining about the noise.

the 1980s with some songs declared “unsuitable” (read: banned) by the old government, taken from the shelves and burned in a pile.

We will release this without changing any names, which Warrick Sony had to do back then, and there will also be an extended mix which will be released for the first time. The artwork for this release will consist of Warrick Sony’s art and collages created in the 80s and will include a booklet with letters from the government, protest/gig posters and other additional linear notes. In total there will be four sides with roughly twenty minutes of music on two vinyls and only 250 sets will be pressed. There will also be a special set that will include an original copy of Bigger than Jesus 12inch vinyl, that was found undesirable in 1989, but that will be strictly limited to 30 copies. The expected release date is the end of September and the launch will be announced on the Angry Africa Records website. The reaction was very casual with Kalahari Surfers, I’m sure he expected someone to come by any day and ask for a pos-

Rumor has it that your next release will be a Kalahari Surfers single with some unreleased material that was banned by the old government... How did Shifty Records react when you said that you wanted to release some of their music on vinyl again?

For once the rumor you heard is actually true. Angry Africa Records will be releasing a double 7inch vinyl of Kalahari Surfers material from

sibility of a rerelease. He’s also a vinyl collector and his son and daughter created the band Changeling and received their first test-pressing on vinyl the other day.

Are you interested in releasing any other music from their catalogue?

Yes most definitely. Recently the Shifty Records catalogue on vinyl and cassette has become more and more collectable and people are battling on bidding sites. The releases under Angry Africa Records and Shifty won’t interfere with the original Shifty releases on vinyl, but will close some gaps in your collection.

The South African audience is also more liberal at present and appreciate authentic cultural revival. Lloyd Ross from Shifty and Warrick Sony collected and released extremely important music and art in print and propaganda, making it crucial to rerelease this material with the new movement of music and art happening in South Africa. This will also aid artists and musicians with local reference, fueling the fire for the new generation. I think that next on the release list, if everything works out, will be a Shifty compilation with cult classics. Expect to listen too some Bernoldus Niemand, Happy Ships, Johannes Kerkorrel en die Gerefomeerde Blues Band, Kalahari Surfers, Koos, any many more in the comfort of your home, in front of your turntable. Angry Africa Records

will also be working with Warrick Sony from Sjambok Music to release a unique compilation of traditional South African music ranging from voodoo circle songs to traditional Shangaan cuts.

You also have your own shop called The Time Machine. How long has that been going and what can we expect to find there?

The Time Machine is open-by-appointment-only at the moment, it’s located in a underground storeroom in Cape Town. It’s been going for 3 years now, mostly for friends and collectors, where I sell and swap all kinds of original art, music, objects and other strange pop-cult relics.

Basically, the only way to find some of these objects again would be to travel back in time. The condition of the objects is very important to me; anyone can find an old turntable, but to find stuff like a guitar valve amp with a built-in record player that hasn’t been opened for 50 years, you need a time machine for that.

What do you think happened to the record presses in South Africa... have you ever looked into getting hold of an old press from back then?

Yes I looked into this, but was immediately stopped by some friendly dinosaurs... rumors of guys which bought up all and using the same presses by only changing the tem-

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plates and are now pressing disposable knives and forks. As simple as that. There is still working presses in Zimbabwe that opens and closes sporadically, and some South African musicians have used them in the past years.

What has been your personal favorite so far, which one would you say is closest to your heart and how big is your collection by now?

This is the most difficult question out of all of them... My favorite would be something like Ralph Nielsen & The Chancellors’s - Scream! 7inch single (1962), or instrumentals by Les Paul from the 1950s on 10inch. Also, the handmade South African post-punk stuff from Shifty, amazing leaflets, silkscreen covers and interesting sounds. And some 90s vinyl because I was in primary school when most of

the heavy stuff in the 90s came out, and I wasn’t allowed to listen to it so I used to steal my sister’s cassettes and listen to them when my family was out shopping or something!

Happy flashbacks. But it’s actually impossible for me to choose one record, I’m almost getting a blackout thinking about it. I lost count of my collection a few years back.

Do you collect specific genres, or do you go after the general rarities?

I collect specific genres but there are hundreds: anything from early 1900s Jazz/Blues/Folk to Unclassifiable Noise. Personally I like to collect the sub-genres of the period 1965-1971.

If I find some rare record and don’t like the music or content, I usually swap or sell it.

FOR THE FULL ARTICLE VISIT: departurequarterly.com

THANK YOU

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For more details go to www.angryafrica.com

A NAARTJIE IN OUR SOSATIE REBEL RHYTHMS

JOHNNY KONGOS & THE G-MEN OH BOY!

FREEDOM’S CHILDREN GALACTIC VIBES

KALAHARI SURFERS LIVING IN THE HEART OF THE BEAST

SUCK TIME TO SUCK

RECORDS TO LOOK OUT FOR IN SOUTH AFRICA.

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ELAD KIRSHENBAUM

LOVE THY NEIGHBOURHOOD

PHOTOGRAPHY LOUIS VORSTER

WORDS ALICE EDY

SIDE STREET STUDIOS IS A COLLECTION OF 3 BUILDINGS AROUND WOODSTOCK - OLD INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS THAT HAVE BEEN REIMAGINED AS STUDIOS. THESE SPACES ARE NOW HOME TO SOME OF CAPE TOWN’S MOST TALENTED CREATIVE FOLKS.

The force behind SSS is Elad Kirshenbaum, a familiar face to Woodstock locals; he can usually be seen in streets with Jersey, his faithful rescued pit-bull. He is a friendly, unpretentious guy - passionate about creativity and getting shit done.

Elad is always in the middle of a new project; sometimes functional, sometimes just to play... He’s grown a communal herb garden outside the cafe at SSS - tenants come harvest fresh basil for their lunch. Last summer, for no reason other than general radness, Elad installed one of those huge round plastic pools on the roof (as you do). It’s 5 stories up

and you can swim with a 360 degree view of the city.

Gentrification is a contentious topic; Side Street Studios is not about slapping fresh paint on an old building and making things look “trendy”, shudder... The spaces remain raw, respectful of their context, and bring life and energy to their surroundings.

Follow Elad @SideStStudios, @ EladKirshenbaum.

FOR THE FULL ARTICLE VISIT: departurequarterly.com

For more details go to www.sidestreet.co.za

THANK YOU

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STUART BIRD - GOODMAN GALLERY - WWW.GOODMAN-GALLERY.COM/ARTISTS/STUARTBIRD‎

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AMANDA BAYDA BAYDA - ILLUSTRATOR

ACADEMY OF MUSIC - RUS NERWICH - WOODSTOCKACADEMYOFMUSIC.CO.ZA

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PRODUCT OF THE ENVIRONMENT

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TOP LEFT TO RIGHT : FALLEN FORTE BLACK OPS / VANS – CHUKKA MID BLACK GUM / FALLEN – GRIFFIN SURPLUS GREEN / VANS – ERA 59 / GLOBE – MOTLEY CAMO CANVAS / FALLEN – SLASH PORT GUM

BOTTOM LEFT TO RIGHT - ALL BRIXTON FIDDLER BLACK / BISON BLACK / HOOLIGAN GREY HOUNDSTOOTH

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Originating from

the heart and soul of skateboarding

dusterscalifornia

@dusterscalifornia

dusterscalifornia.com

FLOWERS OF ROMANCE PHOTOGRAPHY JACQUI VAN STADEN

WORDS RICK DE LA RAY

“I HAD INSOMNIA AT THE TIME AND LOOKING FOR A JOB, WHICH WAS TOUGH. I JUST USED THE 80S SYNTHS AND WHATEVER I HAD AVAILABLE. OUR GARAGE WAS FILLED WITH WEIRD ELECTRONICS THAT I WAS INTO WHEN I WAS A KID, STUFF THAT MY DAD WOULD BRING BACK FROM HIS JOB AT THIS GOVERNMENT PLACE; SO I BUILT SOME WEIRD KEYBOARDS AND HAD A FEW SYNTHS, DRUM MACHINES AND SOFTWARE.” JOHNNY NEON How the hell are you doing?

I’m okay.

In 2006 you did an EP with One Minute Trolley Dash Records called Hot Lips, and your music is available for free on the net, when can we expect a full lenth album from you? It seems to have been years in the making...

I didn’t release the album on OMTD, I just saw the Wild Eyes cover that Richard printed and I wanted him to print the artwork I did for the ‘fake’ band at the time, so he screen printed the album for me, but it was never on a label. I’ve never worked with a label before; it’s all been DIY and self-made. I’ve been approached by a few labels but I stay away from that. I don’t think I will release a full length album - that’s for real bands!

I like to make songs when I feel like it, put it up on SoundCloud and then people can download it for free and enjoy it. I enjoy making it, so people

hopefully can enjoy listening to it. I don’t want to turn my love of music into a job where I put out albums into stores.

Where has your music taken you and what would you say has been your most memorable show to date?

I’ve tried a lot of different sounds with Johnny Neon, from punk to disco and french touch and pop, even metal. It’s all the music I’m into and I guess it’s difficult for people to get that, but I’m not making the music for an audience; it’s more my own expression of stuff in my head or in my life. I just use music to get that out. I have been invited to play overseas but getting there is a problem (visas and plane tickets, etc). If that day comes it would be cool, but I don’t really mind staying behind and letting the songs do the traveling.

What made you start making 80sinspired electronic music - where

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does the influence stem from?

I started writing the tracks at night when I couldn’t sleep after I finished studying in 2001. I had insomnia at the time - I was sleeping odd hours and looking for a job, which was tough. I just used the 80s synths and whatever I had available. Our garage was filled with weird electronics that I was into when I was a kid, stuff that my dad would bring back from his job at this government place; so I built some weird keyboards and had a few synths, drum machines and software. It was out of necessity really, because I couldn’t afford to record my punk music at a big studio. Also, I grew up with 80s music, and old synths just have that “80s sound”, so why fight it?!

You had a really good response to the video for Hearts. Who came up with the concept for the video?

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My friend Dave Meinert who works as a director approached me with the concept. It was after he had built a rig for some mini-shoot, and then put it onto our friend’s dog that he was looking after for the weekend.

I think that it started as a joke, but then we met for coffee and people went crazy when they saw this dog with a camera on his back; they just couldn’t believe it. So I guess that response made him think of doing a full video and I had a track that fit the mood. We shot a story about a guy’s dog that escapes for a day and what

he gets up to, and worked a little storyline into that whole thing... It was like all the stuff I do - very DIY! Rumour has it your busy working with Francois Van Coke at the moment? And there also seems to be something with The Frown?

I’m living with Kleinbaas (from The Frown) and I’ve played some shows with them. It was cool to see how he works and it has inspired me to try work with other artists, to expand and get some other input. Eve (Rakow) and I have also recorded some music together and I’m also working on a track that Francois did vocals on. I can’t say I’m very good at working with other people; I prefer doing my own thing, my own way, but sometimes it’s good to let go. Sometimes the results aren’t what you expected or wanted, but that’s just part of a creative process and it has got its own value.

You’re originally from Cape Town, but have settled in Johannesburg for a while - which of the two cities do you prefer and how would you compare the scenes happening at the moment?

I got a job at a magazine so I moved to Joburg and there was a cool scene happening at the time. That’s the main reason I started playing live shows with Johnny Neon. Unfortunately, that energy has since died and there’s not a lot of excitement in

the Joburg scene lately. As for Cape Town, we’ve always had cool shows here and there’s some good electro coming from the likes of Tannhauser Gate for instance. But Cape Town also has a lot of Flavour-of-theMonth types trying to be the “next sound” that’s happening in Europe or wherever.

You have been session muso with quite a few other bands, who do you enjoy playing with most?

I had a awesome time playing with Battery 9 at Oppikoppi, and I have been playing with The Frown for a few shows. We had a awesome launch show for their new album at Kitchener’s a while back. I enjoy taking a backseat on projects, where I can just focus on the instruments I play instead of having to front something and try to do everything at once. There’s a lot less pressure and

it’s more fun sometimes.

Your music has been labeled many different names and genres - which would say properly sums up your brand of music?

I guess it’s all pretty punk rock - even the pop stuff - in the spirit of DIY. I do everything myself in my room on old gear that I find on second-hand websites or stores or wherever. The music comments on our times and what we see around us, and most people don’t really get it. We have some pretty visceral visuals and I think we shocked a crowd into a pretty weird space a while back, and got some weird comments after the show. So it’s kinda Art-Punk-Performance-Art and Video Art... or a combination of all those things.

FOR THE FULL ARTICLE VISIT: departurequarterly.com

THANK YOU

For more details go to www.soundcloud.com/johnny-neon

THE OFFSPRING SMASH 1992

JOY DIVISION CLOSER 1979

DEVO FREEDOM OF CHOICE 1980

ALPHAVILLE FOREVER YOUNG 1984

DESCENDENTS SOMARY 1991

PERSONAL FAVOURITES.

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WAX JUNKIE

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REVIEWS BY ROULEAUX VAN DER MERWE

I AM OBSESSED WITH MUSIC. I COLLECT VINYL RECORDS. I HAVE REVIEWED SOME OF MY FAVOURITE ALBUMS. I HOPE YOU ENJOY THEM AS MUCH AS I DO. 01 | BLUE ÖYSTER CULT - Secret Treaties BOC are master storytellers. Not only with their lyrics, but the music paints a haunting image of dark, mysterious and unforgettable tales. Secret Treaties is my favourite album by these proto-metallers, and if you aren’t intruiged by the cover, with art by Ron Lesser, which depicts the band standing beside and sitting on and besides a German Me262 fighter aircraft, this line from the song CAREER OF EVIL will get you listening: ‘I’d like your blue eyed horseshoe, I’d like your emerald horny toad, I’d like to do it to your daughter on a dirt road.’

02 | FUGAZI - 7 Songs Who knew that when fugazi made their debut record in 1988 they would turn out to be the best band to ever walk the earth. That is not just my opinion, it is a fact. I mean there is just something about a band who stays true to the game and actually have ethics. These 7 songs started it all, and holds its ground pretty damn well among a fucking impressive body of work.

03 | CEREMONY - Ronhert Park Ross Farrar is pretty much SICK of everything. He and his band, Ceromony, makes that crystal clear from the 1st song of Ronhert Park. Cermony will make you go batshit if you like the pioneers like Black Flag, Minor Threat, Articles of Faith and Cro-Mags. This album celebrates the best of the 80’s hardcore punk sound with some unexpected and original material.

04 | HÜSKER DÜ - Zen Arcade Pounding drums, harsh guitar solos and distorted singing/screaming makes you love this record. Its a story of running away, joining the army, finding jesus, falling in love, death, losing jesus, dreaming and waking up. Think of it as a thrash version of The Who’s Quadrophenia (I stole that from David Fricke, but it sums it up perfectly) 76

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05 | RUSH - Grace under pressure You don’t like Rush? It might have some of the modern music elements (read synthesisers, electric drums etc) incorporated into the sound of the album, but dont let this put you off. This album will grow on you in ways I can’t explain. It is even up there in Propagandhi’s Chris Hannah list of ‘Things I like’ (see the Propagandhi album - failed states for the reference - you won’t be disappointed).

06 | MOTÖRHEAD - On Parole On Parole is the first Motörhead album ever to be recorded, though if you’ve been paying attention, you’ll notice that it was not the first to be released. The album is very blues inspired, dripping with a Hawkwind Lemmy-era-psyched-out drunk-asshole-on-speed kind of feeling.

This album might not be the heaviest music Motörhead ever recorded, or the best produced album but it is damn fun to listen to.

07 | TUBEWAY ARMY - Replicas Before Gary Numan used his name as his band name, he was in a group called Tubeway Army.

They were the 1st post-punk band to incorporate synthesisers in their songs. Replicas is sort of a concept album that sounds like the soundtrack to a science fiction novel. Gary’s nihilistic lyrics suggest an emotionless listening experience but it drips of originality.

08 | WICKED LADY - The Axeman Cometh Wicked lady existed in the late 60’s/early 70’s and they play proto-doom/stoner/psych metal.

Yes, I know those genres didn’t even exist back then, but that is just how far ahead of the curve they were. They never had a record deal. They recorded their music on a 4track tape machine and through modern technology we are able to listen to it on a beautiful double 180 gram vinyl. More obscure than the most obscure hipster’s psych collection, but by far some of the best fuzz you will ever hear. Listen to it loud.

VINYL IS KILLING THE MP3 INDUSTRY

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BRENDEN B BODY PHOTOGRAPHY JACQUI VAN STADEN

WORDS RICK DE LA RAY

“I LIKE MANY DIFFERENT STYLES OF MUSIC BUT I GUESS I HAVE ALWAYS CONNECTED BEST WITH PUNK ROCK. MY BROTHER BROUGHT THE SEX PISTOLS NEVER MIND THE BOLLOCKS ALBUM HOME WHEN I WAS AROUND 12 YEARS OLD AND THE MOMENT HE PLAYED IT I CONNECTED WITH IT, MUCH LIKE WHEN I FIRST STEPPED ON A SKATEBOARD; IT JUST FELT RIGHT TO ME.” Right off the bat - a few months ago you sold Session Skateboarding Magazine only to return a few months later to take back the reigns as the editor again.

What brought you back, or was it simply a case of the industry not being able to survive without your diabolical presence?

I sold the mag over a year ago, I had needed a change in my life for a long time. After 10 years of running Session (which were mostly all good) I was personally in a bad way; depressed, pretty broke, and bummed out on the things and the people around me, so I decided to quit and I took a year out to sort out my personal life. When the guys asked me a year later if I would be interested in coming back I was a little hesitant, but knew in my heart that it’s where I belong. I started Session in 2002 and it is all I have really done with my adult life. I’m also in a much better headspace now, so the time out did me some good.

Your other passion has always been fly fishing. Skateboarding and fly fishing seem to be two extremes; almost totally opposite to one other. How would you compare the two disciplines?

My dad got me into fly fishing when my legs were long enough to carry me so It has just always been a part of my life growing up. We would go on family holidays all around the country with our fly rods and I had some of the best times of my life doing that. I like it because it puts me in good places and I enjoy the solo time; like skateboarding you don’t need a team, just your board (or in this case a fly rod) and a place to go fish. I have spent my life, when not skating, wading around the rivers in SA catching and releasing fish. I enjoy the peace and quiet it brings me; when I’m fly fishing nothing else matters, I’m totally in my own world - much like when I’m skateboarding. Although both are very different, both involve exploring new places. I never keep any of the fish I catch,

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and also debarb the hook so the fish don’t take strain. It’s very nature conservation driven and all about fixing up our rivers and oceans and preserving our fish populations.

So you moved to Cape Town recently. How has the move been and do you miss Joburg?

The move has been good. I’m still adjusting but things are good here, it’s better for me here than living in Jozi, but I still don’t have a bad word to say about that town as it’s where I grew up and spent my life skateboarding. I miss my family and friends, and the comforts of living in a town that you know like the back of your hands. Jozi has a mad energy to it, although parts are filthy, I just love it for all it’s gnarlyness... anything can happen – it cooks!

You are a solid disciple of punk rock. What is your definition of the mindset and will there always be room for a healthy dose of anarchy in society?

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I like many different styles of music but I guess I have always connected best with punk rock. My brother brought the Sex Pistols Never Mind The Bollocks album home when I was around 12 years old and the moment he played it I connected with it, much like when I first stepped on a skateboard; it just felt right to me. I love the nervous energy of punk rock and the attitude and style

it brings along with it. I have been to a few memorable punk shows over the years, some to remember were the US Bombs show in San Diego where I got to see (a longtime hero of mine) Duane Peters play - which was mental. I also went to the Stiff Little Fingers 25th Anniversary show in the UK with Clint van der Schyf, we got to meet the band afterwards and they gave us a 25th anniversary shirt which I still have today. Paul Cook from the Sex Pistols would come in and shop at High Jinx, a store where I worked in London. He would always pay by card and I would steal his slips to keep the signatures, I’m such a kook like that. But I guess The Clash is my favourite band of all time, they represented punk rock at its best in my opinion - pure style and charm. I think punk rock represents an “Attitude Over Ability” type lifestyle as well as standing up against the social rubbish that people/politics/society can bring.

In your life Iʼm sure you have witnessed some incredible human situations and interactions. What would you describe as the most spectacular display of human stupidity that you have ever seen?

Anton Meyer mimicking Danny Way, trying to jump out of a helicopter on his skateboard into a sketchy quarter pipe in front of a crowd of drunk muppets in Bloemfontein. That could have gone all sorts of wrong.

What would you say makes a good bar, what are the essential ingredients?

A good bar has to have a good selection of beer on tap - number one.

It must also have a gold or silver edging around the bar and decent foot rest below. Music is key (especially if you can play your own) so a jukebox in the corner (combined

with a pool table) is also essential.

The same barman has to always be there, to recognize you as a troublemaker, friend and local... someone who can mentor you through your hard times and make sure your drink is always full. In my case it was Max at the George Lee in Parkmore, what a fuckin’ legend.

FOR THE FULL ARTICLE VISIT: departurequarterly.com

THANK YOU

TOP 5 FAVOURITE BARS IN SOUTH AFRICA: The George Lee Bar - PARKMORE, JHB “It was my local and second home.”

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THE BOHEMIAN - MELVILLE, JHB “Had all of the above, but I think it’s now closed”

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Clarkes - BREE ST, CT “It has a mini ramp and bowl in the back and a nice little deck onto the street. Plus some of my bros are the barmen..”

OLDIES THAT ARE NOW GONE: The White Horse Inn in Randburg; if you went there you’d never forget it... and 206 in Norwood, because you could smoke weed inside without worrying.

For more details go to www.sessionmag.co.za

THE CLASH LONDON CALLING 1979

JOY DIVISION UNKNOWN PLEASURES 1979

THE SEX PISTOLS NEVER MIND THE BOLLOX 1977

THE SMITHS STRANGEDAYS HERE WE COME 1987

US BOMBS US BOMBS THE WORLD 1999

PERSONAL FAVOURITES.

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JUST WHAT THE CORONER ORDERED ABANDCALLEDDEATH.COM

WORDS MARGOT HARRISON

BEFORE BAD BRAINS, THE SEX PISTOLS OR EVEN THE RAMONES, THERE WAS A BAND CALLED DEATH. PUNK BEFORE PUNK EXISTED, THREE TEENAGE BROTHERS IN THE EARLY ‘70S FORMED A BAND IN THEIR SPARE BEDROOM, BEGAN PLAYING A FEW LOCAL GIGS AND EVEN PRESSED A SINGLE IN THE HOPES OF GETTING SIGNED.

What separates artists who “make it” from those who don’t?

Sometimes it’s nothing more than being in the right place at the right time. In the case of a Detroit band called Death, a name may have spelled the difference between celebrity and obscurity. When the band recorded its carefully crafted garage-rock tracks with Groovesville Records in 1974, Columbia Records president Clive Davis liked the sound. But he reportedly begged brothers David Hackney, Dannis Hackney and Bobby Hackney Sr. to change their name.

Interviewed in A Band Called Death, an indie documentary from Vermont filmmakers Mark Covino and Jeff Howlett, the two surviving band members say they probably would have acquiesced to Davis’ request.

But David Hackney — who died of lung cancer in 2000 — had a vision for the band. For this preacher’s

son, death was the “ultimate trip,” a concept freighted with spiritual meaning. So the band stayed Death — and stayed unsigned.

In the ensuing years, Dannis and Bobby Hackney Sr. moved to Vermont and formed the reggae band Lambsbread. Before David died, he gave his brothers the master tapes from Death’s early recording sessions, telling them, “The world will come looking for these.”

He was right. The film chronicles how vinyl collectors in the early aughts discovered Death’s selfreleased recordings of songs such as “Politicians in My Eyes.” Word spread online, and prices rocketed on eBay. Music journalists began describing the Hackneys as “protopunk” rebels who defied both ’70s art-rock trends and cultural expectations for an African American band in the golden age of Motown with their raucous, inspired sound.

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Š 2013 Vans, Inc. Matthew Shultz/Cage the Elephant photographed by lifewithoutandy.com

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