am – 0 2 page 1
AM issue 02.indd 1
8/9/18 9:24 PM
AM issue 02.indd 2-3
8/9/18 9:25 PM
AM issue 02.indd 4-5
8/9/18 9:25 PM
AM issue 02.indd 6-7
8/9/18 9:25 PM
AM issue 02.indd 8-9
8/9/18 9:25 PM
created by Erica Buenconsejo Thomas Macie
False Accounts and How They Happened In My Head Lately the world has felt cold and I’m not the only one feeling it. It has seemed like the mundane and humdrum people have been the only minds in the light, causing everyone around them to fall into this droopy way of living. I’d like to believe that unique and intelligent individuals in the world are not becoming extinct but lately it has seemed as if only the negative is everyone’s focus of attention. I’m caught thinking about a false reality where maybe, just maybe, there will be a day where I don’t see something somewhere that makes me want to stab a fork backwards all the way through my brain.
editor and art direction Thomas Macie
antimedia magazine is printed when we want. we do not adhere to the cultural norms dictated by past generations regarding the distribution, content, and purpose of print media.
contributors* Alexis Avena Darling -canada Sam Dybeck ROMA ROSA The Travelers Club Jonathan Rodriguez Duke Quiseng Caitlyn Gaurano Santiago Torres Gabrielle Giuliano -LA Kevin Bass - philadelphia, PA Angels Anonymous Tiki Callaway Pinche Gato Open House Label Nathan Phillips Jonathon Rios Edwin Negado Mason Gray Daniel Huynh Badventures - vancouver, BC SPEEDSNAKEPOSSE Carl Jungle Luke Duncan Melly Hundy Wesley Wade Harding Kowboy Karol -NY
Unidentified Corporation Jarrod Hine -LA Endo Rosales Tate Kim Jack Acosta Randy Navarro Stephen Briggs Danse Luis Valencia Goldie LaMoar 1001 Skateshop Cola Freak Records Sam Silva
*all contributors from san diego unless otherwise noted.
do what you want. be nice to others. grind against the grain until you bleed. we are here for you, if you need it. do not hesitate to reach out.
contact
please send all submissions to
printed in san diego, california. antimediamagazine@gmail.com antimedia magazine 1 619 751 2058 summer 2018
But isn’t it hypocritical how I am typing this out describing the redundancy of trends and the abundanc eof small-minded individuals in the world, all the while being negative myself ?
YES. But... you should know I am typing this in all hopes that people will find the decency and brain power to get out of this small box that we all seem to be trapped inside of. The secret that has finally been unlocked and that has finally been able to free my brain from the cage it has been living in is one word: DISCONNECT. Disconnect yourself from hateful people, disconnect yourself from trends, disconnect yourself from the opinions of others, and disconnect yourself from expectations. The fact of the matter is that YOU and only you are the one that is in charge of YOUR life and whether you choose to be a good person or not, the world and myself will return the favor or lack thereof. I imagine a world where everyone can finally put both feet on the ground and realize that being a good person is really not that hard. And you and I, and we, can change what is going on around us for the better by realizing that not everything around us will ever change. The trick of the trade and the key to unlocking the door that is ‘DISCONNECT’ is introspection, self reflection, and self to brain connection; your brain is a powerful tool, more powerful than any computer or drug or substance, it is more complex than anything, and to be able to control it and understand it is the biggest challenge any of us will ever face. Because to be in control of your brain is to be in control of your life. Being able to govern the negative thoughts inside of this complex machine and quite literally disconnect the metaphoric USB that is sending your image of self into a spiral of hatred is the pivotal stepping stone that all of us are skipping. But before I get into a crazy rant on self discovery, please just see, read, and hear for yourself, what it is like to finally disconnect because nothing is going to change based on what I tell you.
Change will only come with a change within yourself and hopefully the crazy people, myself included, in this magazine can take you one step closer to finally making that leap.
we apologize in advance if we do not use them sorry
-eb
am – 0 2 page 10
AM issue 02.indd 10-11
am – 0 2 page 11
8/9/18 9:26 PM
nathan phillips o f
M AT O L EA
te
sum
me
n
spermin hermin’s
r top
san diego illustrator and artist Alexis Avena
am – 0 2 page 12
AM issue 02.indd 12-13
8/9/18 9:26 PM
4.
9.
funeral punk band from Dallas, Texas. early 80s with aggressive lyrics, raucous music style, and the former vocalist of Teenage Queers.
Summer Songs from from from from
the the the the
vault vault vault v a ubyl erica t buenconsejo
12. psychedelic rock from France. A very endearing song about taking care of your kids... that I saw in a skate video
8.
Korean-American artist/DJ from New York, Yaeji brings this house infused track that will bump up any party or mood this year.
11. shoegaze dream pop band from London, released in 2011
1.
indie shoegaze rock from 1993 based out of Washington D.C. This band was only together for 2 years but released music (especially this song) that can put anyone into nostalgia ultra.
2. England based band, ground with the grooves of the 70s mixed with the vocals and dance rhythm of the 90s, (watch the music video) you won’t regret it.
10.
grunge rock from Boston released in 2013. the perfect amount of fuzz and distortion.
13. abstract weirdo rock from Portland. One of the best bands ever to exist brings this song off of their 2016 release, Borrowed Floors.
7. synth god and amazingly talented producer, Matt Martians, formerly known as a member of The Internet, brings this summer love song.
5. listen to this in the sun on a cloudy day and understand that everything is going to be okay even through life’s redundancy...
3.
14. beautiful spanish indie alternative music from San Francisco based band, Part Time.
6.
am – 0 2 page 14
AM issue 02.indd 14-15
ho Chamber 13. Angel, I’ll Walk You Home - Unrest 14. Supernova - Liz Phair
this song brings simplicity and perfection into one, from Indie Post-Punk Weirdo Rock trio based out of Atlanta, Georgia.
ence - Black Beach 9. Back Door - Clan of Xymox 10. Burn on Burn - LITHICS 11. Mallory - The History of Apple Pie 12. Be Proud ofKids - Melody’s Ec-
1. Raingurl - Yaeji 2. Come On Let’s Go - Broadcast 3. Soñando De Ti - Part Time 4. Christian Rat Attack - Stick Men with Ray Guns 5. Wire - Omni 6. Beautiful Blue Sky - Ought 7. Baby Girl - Matt Martians 8. Awkward Consci-
Dutch darkwave synth electronic band from the early 80s.
love song from 90s sweetheart, Liz Phair. hopefully someday all of you can sing this 1994 gem to a lover like i’m doing right now
am – 0 2 page 15
8/9/18 9:26 PM
AM issue 02.indd 16-17
8/9/18 9:26 PM
co-opting
AM issue 02.indd 18-19
Nike’s Just Do it
8/9/18 9:26 PM
*for those born after 2007
am – 0 2 page 20
AM issue 02.indd 20-21
am – 0 2 page 21
8/9/18 9:26 PM
am – 0 2 page 22
AM issue 02.indd 22-23
am – 0 2 page 23
8/9/18 9:26 PM
Randy Navarro is a skateboarder and artist who lives in San Diego. Although I don’t know him extremely well, I think he’s probably a pretty swell guy and will look you in the eye when he shakes your hand. He can also handle a paintbrush just as well as an X-Acto, and his skating speaks for itself. -tm
am – 0 2 page 24
AM issue 02.indd 24-25
am – 0 2 page 25
8/9/18 9:26 PM
what is something you’re currently working on? Myself… Filming a video part currently, and staying busy designing stuff for Danse. Working with this artist from Seattle. I met her through my friend Nolan and her art kind of speaks to me and I feel like the collaboration just makes sense. have you always lived in San Diego? This is where I hatched, I’ve been here my whole life. SD artist! what made you first start skateboarding? I think playing the game Tony Hawk. It just looked really cool. And seeing stickers of Wet Willy and Flame Boy and The Grim Reaper, Blind, and I just thought that culture was sick. I was probably 10-years-old but didn’t start skating until I was about 13. It’s all a blur to me but every time I step on my board I feel 13 again. It’s this weird paradigm shift, like the story of Peter Pan and Neverland, that’s how it feels to me. Like as soon as I roll in or I’m on my board, all of a sudden everything just kind of blends in, I forget how old I am and I’m just back to being a pure ball of energy that is creative and has nobody telling me how and what to do. In short though, it was the video game. Hahaha
am – 0 2 page 27
AM issue 02.indd 26-27
8/9/18 9:26 PM
AM issue 02.indd 28-29
8/9/18 9:26 PM
where did the inspiration for Danse come from?
I feel like it was something that I always wanted to do. The idea was kind of to create a culture ambiance that is loving and caring and kind to one another. As a person, it’s hard for me to articulate the things that I want to express and I guess that’s what an artist is. They express the things that they can’t really communicate, but in their own mediums, whether it’s paintings, videography, poetry, etc. So that idea was always floating around and it wasn’t until I started this thing called Danse Magazine, which was supposed to be an outlet for my film photos. It was just for fun and I wanted to come up with a name that had half of my name in it. But it also wasn’t until Edwin (of Gym Standard) saw a sweater that I made that said Danse Magazine and said ‘Why don’t you just start a line called Danse? It’s simple and people will back you and it can mean anything’ and so over time it became more clear to me what I wanted to do with that brand and I thought it would be a good outlet for positive and beautiful ideas in an easy to understand way and a fun style. I guess it’s the freedom of expression and I can do whatever I want in my own world: Danse House. It’s a part of me and it’s almost meant to just be a metaphor for that creative spark that we are all connected to and it’s within us. As long as the message is being pushed out, the product is just secondary.
AM issue 02.indd 30-31
tual spiri a having “I think
For skateboarding I want to film my first video part by the end of this year. Time is ticking! I also want to film clips for the Gym Standard/1001 video that we are currently working on. For the brand, I think I want to just get the name out there and like I said, what’s important to me is just creating that cultural ambiance that is about love and kindness. So the story is more important and the product is just a symptom of the story, its secondary. I want to use it to inspire people. It would be cool to make something weird for it too, like a yoga mat or some incense or essential oils that you can smell and automatically be uplifted.
I think having a spiritual connection with yourself is something that is very slept on. Because I think people look outside in the material world to answer their questions that honestly only they know the true answers to. People elect to ignore the spiritual and it causes a deficit within the culture and within ourselves and society. I feel like a lot of people are living in a fearful paradigm with anxieties of death, not being good enough, always comparing themselves to celebrities, etc. what are some things you’re involved in that you’re looking forward to 2k18?
lf is s omet o n. ” hing that is very slept
Looking forward to pushing Danse more and steering the ship that is Gym Standard. And just somehow try to do more for the community and be more helpful and inspirational. Try to get more skate clips for sure. any last words? advice?
yo u
r se
Continue to connect with yourself and your soul and keep creating things that you like and try not to compare yourself to other people and let your work speak for itself versus being all talk. Just continue creating. If you like it then at the end of the day, if it fails, at least you can go home at the end of the day and just be happy with the things that you’ve created and manifested. Your lifestyle can be a protest, just the way your life is a big statement without saying to much, it’s like a silent revolution. Continue doing what you’re doing and just being happy within your hearts :)
ith
I feel like as human beings we all have this capacity for selfishness, lustfulness, greed, egotism, but that’s not all that we are. We also have the capacity to be beautiful to one another, kind, loving and in a time where we are experiencing madness, chaos, and crazy behavior in society, our culture tells us that there is no meaning, that we are just this material trapped in flesh here to consume and a lot of us have this century mindset that we’re only here for a short time so lets just fuck shit up and we’re losing our connection to the world and our souls and doing things that are pushing our souls out. And we are in a time of madness but I think it’s doing that so it can be transformed, we have to experience both sides of the spectrum, you have to
what are some of your goals for the future involving skateboarding and your clothing line?
what are some things you don’t think people know about? what is highly slept on???
why do you think that message has stuck with you so deeply?
am – 0 2 page 30
any travel plans to go skate new places anytime soon? what places would you want to go? oooooo I’ve never been on a skate trip that’s out of the country so that’s something I want to do. But I also want to go to the Pacific Northwest, Seattle, Portland, all the parts up there. I want to camp out, stargaze, skate, repeat. But as far as out of the country, I really want to go to Europe or Japan.
get burned in order to feel the coldness. The madness that we are experiencing is to show us that we need to change ourselves. It sounds deep, but I got it from ROCKY IV, with personal change you can change the entire world. what are some of your inspirations in general? Flowers, Clouds, anything that reminds the souls of beauty and life, whether it’s beautiful music, beautiful foods, beautiful flowers, people, scents, and that’s really my main inspirations. Just the beautiful things in life. Personal inspiration though would definitely be my friend Chad Yee, I see him as my spiritual advisor. I could say he is one of my greatest influences when it comes to how I see the world and without him, I wouldn’t be the person I am today. Before I met him, I was in a weird time with no meaning and wondering why I was here, just in a dark time, and he brought me out of that. He planted the seeds and now they are just blossoming.
ion ect n con
w
am – 0 2 page 31
8/9/18 9:26 PM
_
Camping in Yosemite has been a dream of mine for a very long time. So when my good friends Bilal Mohammed and Alex Stang proposed to me an idea to camp, I couldn’t refuse. To be real, camping isn’t something us “black folk” do on a regular basis, so when I first thought of the idea I was pretty skeptical. Instead of being scared camping really changed the way I looked at society and how we are so glued to this little thing we call our phones. Being in the woods without any cell service or internet roughed me up the first day, but I learned quickly that I needed to enjoy my friends presence and the beauty of
Yosemite National Park.
am – 0 2 page 32
AM issue 02.indd 32-33
8/9/18 9:26 PM
am – 0 2 page 34
AM issue 02.indd 34-35
am – 0 2 page 35
8/9/18 9:26 PM
hailing from the greater los angeles area, GIRL PUSHER comprised of drummer Jarrod and the most genuine, committed artist we have had the pleasure of befriending, Gabby . GIRL PUSHER will kick in your door and s cream in your babies face, but they may also change, coddle, and raise that baby with more love than you may be comfortable with...
we had a chance to sit down and pick their brains. enjoy.
AM issue 02.indd 36-37
8/9/18 9:27 PM
what is your biggest challenge you’ve run into as a band and how were you able to overcome it? Gabby: I think the biggest challenge is we’ve never lived in the how long have you known each other? when did you start Girl Pusher and what inspired you to make music together? Gabby: I met Jarrod in 2010 or 11 and I was an idiot and he was an idiot and…
nothing changed!
Jarrod:
Gabby: how we met, I had a tumblr, he had a tumblr, and we
found each other from a mutual friend that I had from
New Orleans. But we started skyping and stuff and then
we planned on meeting at a show together and he
bought a ticket and I was in high school and it was
a wednesday or thursday and it was in San Francisco
and I was like ‘bitch, I can’t do that’ because I’m in high
school and I can’t just go to a show on a school night
and so he drove to Bakersfield so we could go to San
Francisco and we met at Denny’s and it kinda just took
off from there. Just best friends going to hardcore shows.
what genre of music do you consider Girl Pusher to be? where do you draw influence from??
same city. We never practice. We have day jobs and obligations and its hard. Jarrod: Yeah, we only do this when we get off work. I just work all day and can come and play and be a psycho. Gabby: But that’s why we do it… It’s catharsis. But yeah… that’s probably the hardest thing and it’s not even that hard. But we always make it work and hit the ground running. Jarrod: the hardest thing is probably dealing with people… Gabby: OH MY GOD, hardest thing is meeting shitty people and circumstances of becoming friends with bands that
you thought you could support and then finding out
they’re shitty people. I think that’s probably one of the hardest obstacles is being able to navigate through people because especially with millenials and social media… Jarrod: everyone has a motive… Gabby: that and everyone has an ulterior motive and a fake face to make you like them or make things easier to digest and it is really shitty and really cheeky but me and Jarrod
always have each others back and it always works out in
Jarrod: No idea for the genre
the end because all we need is each other and that’s what
Gabby: nothing, prius tires and bronco headlights is our genre
I tell my partner, and my best friends:
Jarrod: for influence?.. Just shitty stuff Gabby: I don’t want to burn it out but we listen to a lot of
Dystopia and there is this one show that we went to that
I remember so vividly, it was at union beat. Media Blitz!
And we were going to a ton of ACxDC shows and
a bunch of grind and powerviolence shows.
Jarrod: if anything we are punk, but not traditional Gabby: that and Jarrod’s mom showed Jarrod a bunch of cool shit like Nine Inch Nails… Jarrod: I saw Ministry in the womb and was raised on industrial
so we’re like my moms favorite band and it’s pretty cool
Gabby: here’s a funny story: my dad does custom cars, he paints
cars, he does low-riders, he did cars in the tokyo drift
fast and furious movie… so he always had a painted car
and one time there was a car with butterfly doors and
everyday he would pick me up and he would play
Michael Jackson or Elton John and there’s that Michael
Jackson song with the door creaking, I think it was
Thriller, and he would perfectly time it where the door
creaks and it would just embarrass the shit out of me.
But it was a good story, I’m glad he did it. Or Yellow
Brick road was playing with a really good subwoofer.
ANYWAYS favorite bands are friends bands. the only
celebrities I care to know are my friends.
“It takes less muscles to smile and more muscles to frown, it takes more muscle to be shitty and be involved with shitty things, its so easy to just be a good person, stay in your lane, mind your business, and do what’s right.”
am – 0 2 page 38
AM issue 02.indd 38-39
8/9/18 9:27 PM
there has been a number of people in the scene recently that have been called out. As advocates for sexual abuse survivors, what are your thoughts on what is happening in the scene?? Jarrod: fuck them all. We won’t play with anybody that has a public record. Gabby: we only always want to play a safe space. I think we
have said this in every interview because we want it to
be a very public thing and that is: If we are playing with
someone that is a known abuser or we are playing with
someone that has abused you, let us know.
It’s a little black book rule:
If your friend tells you they don’t fuck with someone, you don’t fuck with that person either! It’s that simple.
Where’s the loyalty or
We will drop a show.
integrity anymore… it’s so easy to say no and walk away
Jarrod: we will 100% get the fuck off that show real quick.
from an abuser. Don’t waste your time!
It’s that easy.
Jarrod: if you’re tough, fight them.. I’m not tough.
Gabby: I’m a survivor myself so I take that shit very personally. Gabby: I’m tough, I’ll fight them.
You can make it private and not say who you are, we
how do you think social media has effected the music scene? is it can make it private and not confront the person, we will amplifying dangerous people/situations or making the scene safer? just let it go. There’s no question. Gabby: both. Because good people have social media and bad how do you feel about how people are uncomfortable at certain people have social media.
venues/shows because of outed abusers? how is this going to be fixed?? Jarrod: I’m glad the bad people have social media because then Jarrod: WE’RE uncomfortable at certain venues and shows...
we get to see them being bad and everyone knows.
Gabby: the only way it can be fixed is to stop giving it attention Gabby: yeah, you really can’t slip up. If you have a swastika on
and stop fucking with those people. This needs to be
your shirt, it will be screenshotted and it will be shared
known: call out culture is very dangerous. Because let’s
on social media to be dragged to hell and stoned to
say that I’m a victim of someone and I call them out.
death. I was thinking about this today: it’s so
I face all the repercussions of calling them out, I can
unintelligent and boring to be edgy and be into GG
face more abuse from an abuser calling that person out,
Allin and say problematic things and rap about beating
friends will attack me for calling this person out,
women... when are people going to bring something
it doesn’t need to escalate into a call out culture thing.
intelligent and new to the table? Like that is such a mun-
It can be privately done in word of mouth, telling
dane and redundant thing to fall back on. It takes less
venue owners…
muscles to smile and more muscles to frown, it takes
Jarrod: you can END that band without calling them out.
more muscle to be shitty and be involved with shitty
Gabby: telling other bands, tell the show promoter, but it can
their
things, its so easy to just be a good person, stay in your
be fixed by not fucking with it! It’s that easy, all you have
lane, mind your business, and do what’s right. It really
to do is say no, and just don’t show up. It would be so
takes no effort at all. And that’s why it’s so disappointing
hard, and I’m waiting for this to happen, where
to see people not give a shit and not react to violence
someone agrees to a show and then finds out there is an
and abuse. There’s more people that are hurt in this
abuser and then just doesn’t show up. Just say no to that
world than are projecting hurt, I would like to believe.
show and walk away. Don’t waste your time on people
But there are so many people that are closeted and kept
that don’t deserve it. Just don’t go. It makes me angry!
quiet out of threats and being abused and there is the
People just need to pay attention and stop dismissing
stockholm syndrome of it. But social media… it’s good
what people say. If the truth is told to you twice, it is
and it’s bad… because everyone has it. So people are
very true. You need to listen to it, pay attention, and
gonna see the truth on it and people are going to see the
react. I think that’s a problem happening now, people
lies on it. But I think with your moral and your character,
are saying things on social media and telling you one
you can weed out what you receive and what you see as
thing to please you and don’t actually react to it. Block
good and what you see as bad. It’s super easy. Just pay
them on social media, don’t talk to any of their friends.
am – 0 2 page 40
AM issue 02.indd 40-41
the fuck attention! That’s all I can keep saying...
am – 0 2 page 41
8/9/18 9:27 PM
as artists, are there other projects you are working on separate from Girl Pusher? Gabby: Jarrod has this thing called Resign where he makes
beats and they are really cool, he’s worked with various
rappers... Jarrod: When I make a beat that doesn’t fit for Girl Pusher, I put
it there. I’m not actively pursuing anything.
Gabby: It’s funny because people will ask me, ‘Do you think
you will ever be in another band?’ and I’m just like why
would you ask that? No. This is just me and my best
friend. I’m not doing anything else. ALSO, me and
Jarrod have made a will, where if I die, he is going to
keep doing Girl Pusher because he has so many psycho
voicemails from me being fucked up or freaking out.
He has so many recordings of my voice to where it
could perpetuate into the future. It’s always us together
first. It’s never individual. I have Jarrod, Jarrod has me.
We’ll always be each other’s #1 at the end of the day,
it’s so easy. you’ve announced that you’re going to release an EP soon, what can you tell us about this release? Jarrod: call 911 Gabby: call 911 means call us. Just call Girl Pusher. Instead of
calling the police, just send us a voice memo because
fuck cops. what is the current direction for Girl Pusher/ are there any other things to look forward to coming soon? Jarrod: we are going to continue exactly what we are doing.
Release music when we want to, play shows when we
can, fuck ‘em. Gabby: I don’t think I’m gonna stop being crazy until I die so
when I stop being crazy, it’s over. Things for the future
though, whenever something happens that makes us
really fucking angry is when something new happens
because that’s always how it happens. Like ‘Hey Jarrod,
I’m really fucking mad, send me a beat.’ or he’s like
‘I’m really fucking mad, send me some vocals.’
I’m mad because you’re mad! any last words? Advice? Jarrod: Don’t smoke cigarettes. Like I do. Gabby: Don’t be a crackhead. Jarrod: If you’ve got some sketchy past, just be honest about it. Gabby: trust your fucking gut. Jarrod: shoutout to SPEED SNAKE Gabby: SPEED SNAKE POSSE, i love you Jake and Hayley. Jarrod: final words just do it! Go for it! Make a band, do WHATEVER you want. Have fun Gabby: let you freak flag fly high!
am – 0 2 page 42
AM issue 02.indd 42-43
8/9/18 9:27 PM
los pinches dull boys jonathon rios, ollie by jonathan rodriguez
distrito federal - 2018 jonathan rodriguez
AM issue 02.indd 44-45
8/9/18 9:27 PM
Social Media Addiction your neck will thank us...
Endo Rosales
A few of these people I followed, ended up being lifelong friends, ones that would become brothers I would go to Japan with for the first time. Yet, that aspect of “community” was overshadowed by a particular thinking pattern that involved sharing my passing thoughts, and opinions to the world. Why do we even share things like photos, or 140 character thoughts to begin with? Either way, my posts had largely nothing to do with being a part of the community at large besides surface level updates to my friends that were interested enough to read my “content”. I took a step back and realized that sites like Twitter were enabling a lot of shitty behaviors and time-wasting practices:
I would sub people to passively let out my frustrations. I thought if other people subbed it was about me. I would make “like baiting” bold assertions and opinions to stroke my ego. I lurked on social media, going through a catalog of different faces and usernames in the hopes of “networking”, finding love, and being more well known. I started to think about follower ratios as a form of social currency. I wanted to be viral and “social media famous”. I would spend time following particular people, in the hopes that they would follow back. I felt inadequate, like my life wasn’t as interesting as the people I was following, watching their curated lives through stories or pictures they posted. I would experience severe FOMO and think I didn’t have true friends mainly because I saw people posting videos of their awesome night out while I stayed at home and sulked around.
By the end of 2016, I had gone through so much negative shit, that I needed to cleanse myself from all these toxic habits I had hardwired my brain into accepting. Maybe 2016 was just a bad year for a lot of people, but personally, it was a necessary experience to go through an ego death of sorts. Sometimes bad experiences are a great catalyst for growth. By the Fall of 2017 I had already deleted my Twitter account. I debated keeping it, trying to convince myself that I NEEDED it to be successful. And in an act of impulse, I pulled the plug, releasing myself from my own toxic echo-chamber. I felt like a chapter of my life closed, like its prevalence in my life outstayed its welcome. It didn’t have that spiritual-like cleanse you get when dump your head in a river or shave off all your hair, but damn, did it feel good to know that I didn’t have to think about TL drama between people I follow or how many retweets my tweet got tweeted or whatever stupid meme people were sharing at the time. I decided to stay on Instagram, but with one out of the way (twitter), the other began to just swallow up the time I would’ve given to the other. It was hard for me to stay off it more than a day, I remember giving in only after 3 days - anxious to know what my friends were up to, what I was missing out on. I pondered if it were possible to still be involved in the local community without being on social media, could I still be informed? Could I still share my creative work? Should I care about sharing my work? Will people forget about me? Could I still maintain friendships? It was a constant ideological battle between being “connected” and being “off the grid”. I was already thinking about the topic for a while, but everything came into light when I took an online class at school on information literacy. The class taught us how to research and discern quality information and facts. One of our projects had us come up with a research question for a mock paper and through what I could only describe as a series of particular coincidental events, lead me to my final choice.
“What are the cognitive effects of social media on Millennials?” I spent hours digging into this topic, I watched videos, rented books from the library, looked at online databases for academic journals and talked extensively with my close friends on the issue. Ultimately, my research led me towards the more specific topic of social media addiction. Social Media is the global common thread of our modern society. Almost everyone has one or has used it in the past. The entire earth is starting to connect itself to the internet. Currently,about 3 billion people all over the globe use social media as means to stay connected with family, friends, and the state of the world. It is still a fairly new aspect of social technology that we are barely starting to understand. Because of its young prevalence in our human history, we did not initially know how social media was going to affect our society. Through academic research in recent years, we are starting to discover how social media is affecting us cognitively, physically, socially, emotionally and even politically. It is important to know how social technologies are creating psychological addictions. In understanding our behaviors online we start to unravel the unknown mechanisms of how our brains work. Some may not even consider it possible to be “Addicted” since it’s such a normal day-to-day use technology. Through herd mentality and consumerism, we have normalized particular problematic behaviors... Friends scroll their feeds as they have lunch and “talk” with one another. People are more concerned at looking at their phone, than waiting to cross the street to look for cars. People are using their followers as social currency, to establish dominance or self-importance. People are getting their news at face value from social media... through memes. The dependency of social media and our rose-tinted view of being “connected” and “aware” is hazy at best. We are filtering ourselves online, and creating echo chambers of discussion. True dialog is watered
“Hell, even physical issues like neck/spine problems are developing as a result of staring down all day.”
am – 0 2 page 46
AM issue 02.indd 46-47
am – 0 2 page 47
8/9/18 9:27 PM
down by acknowledging people’s comments through likes, memes, short responses and that’s it. Hell, even physical issues like neck/spine problems are developing as a result of staring down all day. My concerns fall mostly on the younger generations and my peers that have a more intimate connection with social media as opposed to our parents and their parents. We still do not know the full extent of social media over usage, but through current research we are discovering some of the problems that can occur with this aspect of technology that has invaded our lives over the past ten years. Dr. Cal Newport, a computer science graduate from MIT, describes Social Media usage best by using the analogy of a slot machine in his Ted Talk, “Quit Social Media”: “Social media is not a fundamental technology. It leverages some fundamental technologies, but it’s better understood as this, a slot machine. Which is to say, it’s a source of entertainment, it’s an entertainment product. The way that technologist Jaron Lanier puts it is that these companies offer you shiny treats in exchange for minutes of your attention, and bites of your personal data, which can then be packaged up and sold.” He goes on: “My use of the slot machine image here also is not accidental, because if you look a little bit closer at these technologies, it’s not just that they’re a source of entertainment but they’re a somewhat unsavory source of entertainment. We now know that many of the major social media companies hire individuals called attention engineers, who borrow principles from Las Vegas casino gambling, among other places, to try to make these products as addictive as possible. That is the desired use case of these products: you use it in an addictive fashion because that maximizes the profit that can be extracted from your attention and data. So it’s not a fundamental technology, it’s just a source of entertainment, one among many, and it’s somewhat unsavory if you look a little bit closer.”
am – 0 2 page 48
AM issue 02.indd 48-49
“Social media is not a fundamental technology. It leverages some fundamental On June 16, 2018 I deleted my personal instagram in another act of impulse. technologies, but it’s better understood I now only use instagram for business as this, a slot machine. Which is to say, purposes, and to stay updated by bookmarking it’s a source of entertainment, particular accounts that keep me informed. The personal “social” aspect however, is no longer it’s an entertainment product.” Social Media Addiction is still not classified as an official disorder by the DSM-IV because the full extent of research and its consequences have not been universally agreed upon. Facebook, Twitter & Instagram are three of the most popular social media websites. 45% of Americans use Twitter and 68% of all Americans are on Facebook. 76% of Facebook users check it every day Overuse of Facebook has been linked to depression 90% of Instagram users are under the age of 35 People on average spend 135 minutes a day on social media
Young adults (18-25) spend around 2-4 hours daily using their smartphone
*
In our lifetime, we will have spent 5 years and 4 months using social media
there for me. I can’t speak for everyone’s career ambitions and the importance they hold on being connected through social media, but I don’t think it is very necessary. Some may argue that it’s a powerful tool for artists, businesses, and people in general. But I often speculate on the quality of these claims. Dr. Newport touches on this common argument for social media I suggest that people quit use: “When social media. The objection goes as follows: Cal, I can’t quit social media because it is vital to my success in the 21st century economy. If I do not have a well-cultivated social media brand, people won’t know who I am, people won’t be able to find me, opportunities won’t come my way, and I will effectively disappear from the economy. My reaction is once again: this objection is also nonsense. I recently published this book that draws on multiple different strands of evidence to make the point that, in a competitive 21st century economy, what the market values is the ability to produce things that are rare and are valuable. If you produce something that’s rare and valuable, the market will value that. What the market dismisses, for the most part, are activities that are easy to replicate and produce a small amount of value. Well, social media use is the epitome of an easy to replicate activity that doesn’t produce a lot of value; it’s something that any six-year-old with a smartphone can do. By definition, the market is not going to give a lot of value to those behaviors. It’s instead going to reward the deep, concentrated work required to build real skills and to apply those skills to produce things that are rare and that are valuable. If you can do these type of activities which require deep work, that produce outcomes that are rare and valuable, people will find you. You will be able to write your own ticket, and build the foundation of a meaningful and successful professional life, regardless of how many Instagram followers you have.” Dr. Newport con-
tinues in his Ted Talk about the topic of fragmenting your attention span: “We have a growing amount of research which tells us that if you spend large portions of your day in a state of fragmented attention - large portions of your day, breaking up your attention, to take a quick glance, to just check, - “Let me quickly look at Instagram” - that this can permanently reduce your capacity for concentration. In other words, you can permanently reduce your capacity to do exactly the type of deep effort that we’re finding to be more and more necessary in an increasingly competitive economy. So social media use is not harmless, it can actually have a significant negative impact on your ability to thrive in the economy. I’m especially worried about this when we look at the younger generation, which is the most saturated in this technology. If you lose your ability to sustain concentration, you’re going to become less and less relevant to this economy.” How much of this “vital” connection is overshadowed by memes, sponsored posts, our friends daily musings, and other media we habitually scroll past every day? It’s certainly helped connect the dots in the city, promoters and individuals creating together, going to events and being part of a community. But do the pros outweigh the cons? Does knowing about a party outweigh our general health? Are we inadvertently, causing other issues such as depression, self-image problems, fomo, ADHD, narcissism, jealousy and other debilitating issues by using
am – 0 2 page 49
8/9/18 9:27 PM
these platforms in the rose-tinted hopes of being “connected” with others? If there’s anything I hope you, the reader, can take away from this are these few practices that I believe people should practice if they believe they have a problem with social media: 1. It’s ok if you’re addicted, acceptance is the first step towards recovery. Take the necessary steps to take control of your own life and habits. 2. My best suggestion is to just delete your social media accounts completely. 3. If #2 is not possible for you, perhaps a detox is necessary. Delete the apps off your phone, take a one day break, then a 3-day break, then a week break, a month and so on. Lessen your use on these platforms. Keep track of how much time your spending on these apps. 4. Stay connected by reaching out to your friends. If you’re worried that you will be forgotten, exchange #’s with people if you haven’t already. Check in and just ask how people are doing, you don’t need to hang out, or ask for anything. A text asking how someone is doing or what they’re up to can go a long way towards true connection with your peers. 5. You can still be informed with what’s going on. Just bookmark particular accounts that you followed. 6. Don’t lurk. I’m sure it’s tempting to peek at what all your friends are doing, but it won’t lead to anywhere important. You can’t even make a connection with them online if you’re not logged in or don’t have an account. Sure, you might know a bit more of what’s going on in their lives, but they don’t even know you’re part of the audience. See #4 if you want to be involved in other people’s lives. 7. Not using social media isn’t a big deal, and you shouldn’t treat it as a “Oh, I’m better because I don’t use it” type of mentality. Despite its prevalence in our lives, social media is still only a portion of the whole picture in regards to our human experience. Social Media is just another form of entertainment. People still have lives and experiences outside of social media, using it or not using it doesn’t make you different from anyone else.
am – 0 2 page 50
AM issue 02.indd 50-51
8. Find a new way to spend your time. Read books, make art, play video games, learn magic, study, workout, go outside, socialize in person... There are a myriad of different activities you can do throughout your day to benefit yourself more in the long run. Social Media is affecting the way we behave and perceive the world around us. It is important to remember that all content posted by individuals is curated, and by no means the full picture of our perceptions. Our experiences in using this new form of social technology is resulting in a number of case studies that are painting a more accurate picture of how social technologies are affecting us. We are starting to see the real world costs of using these types of technologies. People are starting to develop low attention spans, Anxiety, Depression, ADHD, FOMO, Narcissism, Nomophobia, and a number of other issues related to Social Media addiction.
Our brains have not evolved in the past 200,000 years to be equipped with the capability of withstanding mass amounts of over stimulation. Our brains are slowly being trained by habit, hardwired to consistently seek out these social media “pleasures” whether it’s through the validation of likes, followers, comments or retweets. We must change our perspectives on social media, and internet usage, to see that they too, are possible to be addicted to. Most would not compare using social media daily to someone who abuses drugs on a daily basis. But when we study this phenomena and see that it’s having a slow detrimental effect on our cognitive chemistry and our focus as well as other social aspects of our human experience, it’s hard not to make the scientific parallels to substance abuse addictions. Be aware of what you are using and how it is affecting you. It is through clear education, that people can be equipped with the knowledge, critical reasoning and focus to make the choice of using social media responsibly.
“We have a growing amount of research which tells us that if you spend large portions of your day in a state of fragmented attention... ‘Let me quickly look at Intagram’ that this can permanently reduce your capacity for concentration.”
am – 0 2 page 51
8/9/18 9:27 PM
Introducing artist, creative soul
tat e (taint) kim the whispering night worlock
goldie laMoar #pawnshoppepistolgrippump
the following pages contain drawings made in an analog fashion with mark making devices and paper, but the images created in these drawings are not always limited to paper, they have been known to grace the surface(s) of skin, concrete, epoxy, wood, griptape, shaped fiberglass magic carpets, bedroom walls... i am sure the list continues.
along with the analog drawings made by tate kim, his digital drawings are also engaging. throughout his work, across various mediums, tate seems to obscure and mock the figure as he inter prets it’s place in our contemporary s o c i e t y. unnatural poses and strange surrealist facial features combine with vivid colors in his work that induce dreamlike worlds for the viewer.
am – 0 2 page 53
AM issue 02.indd 52-53
8/9/18 9:27 PM
AM issue 02.indd 54-55
8/9/18 9:27 PM
santiago torres vocalist of LAN
creative soul behind
Starting music with no prior experience I mean the hardest part is always just starting. For anything. 100 percent that’s the hardest part. For learning something new, or just jumping into a hobby, but I mean it’s pretty cool you just got to go for it and you’ll just learn along the way I guess haha. Alternate persona when performing It’s still me, same awkward little dude. I mean it appears so just because I’m still extremely nervous to go in front of that many people at a time, so I just feel really weird and act a certain way I guess I don’t know. Performing It’s super vulnerable, you’re projecting a piece of yourself which, I don’t find this [the vulnerability] so much in LAN party because that’s just basically we’re goofing off just having fun, but if it’s a very personal project then 100% its difficult. SO SUPPORT MUSICIANS. Starting Abductee LAN party is inspired by the internet, or computers, or whatever, but there’s no synthesizers, it doesn’t really sound like the name I guess. so my new project is just 100% what I like and what I want to do which is nice and it’s fun.
party
ABDUCTEE
Finding the name Abductee So my buddy tate, being the nomad that he is, was driving somewhere and saw a car covered in bumper stickers and just crazy stuff and one of them said I believe it was, “I miss my alien lover” and ABDUCTEE. And I was like oh that is a cool name, abductee, I think I’m going to go by that now, and that’s the name. That person driving the car is probably nuts, but probably not. What do you want to do with the music? Just express myself, for exactly who I am, I guess, and I don’t really care if anyone likes it, I mean I released a couple of tracks on Bandcamp and they’re fun they’re just little tracks that I wanted to put something out there but I think I might just keep it on cassette and give it to my buddies, its more fun. Influences Science and space, that’s really what influences me. Nature, the universe, that sounds pretty lame but, it’s kinda true. We are all very connected to this grand thing, yet we disconnect ourselves. Space I really like space, there’s a lot we don’t know. A lot I want to know and ummm I think we should all realize that we are connected to something grand. School Just because you’re not good at something right away if you put enough effort and practice into it, you’re going to be great, even if it’s at your own pace. Which school doesn’t really understand. We’re too focused on the job factor and not the
learn factor.
am – 0 2 page 57
AM issue 02.indd 56-57
8/9/18 9:27 PM
What does punk mean to you It’s just the same as it was back in the day, doing whatever you want, how you want it, don’t care about anyone else, and just doing things yourself with limited resources yeah exactly, making the most of your surroundings, I don’t really throw shows or anything so I can’t really talk in that aspect, but go throw shows and I don’t know, in your friend’s garage or something. Yeah I think we, I mean, with our media and social media we see people doing these crazy extravagant things at a young age and it kind of puts us down thinking like “oh I’m not really doing anything”, but you know what, FUCK THAT, because really it’s just what you make of it. If it’s just your friends, and your 10 friends come to your show, that show is fucking awesome, as long as you’re having fun and everyone is having fun and enjoying it, do whatever you want, and see, it doesn’t need to get thousands of views, NO, or the respect of anybody, no definitely not. What do you have to say about having talent and not having an adequate attitude to accompany said talent, AKA talented people that are just dicks... Well, I think that might be because people are always telling them they’re talented, not because they put in the work. I talk with my sister about this often, that no one is, well maybe some people are born talented, but there are some people who work very hard, and the people who do sometimes exceed them are not the nicest of people. So those people that are talented and are just jerks, I think it’s because people are always telling them they’re amazing, they’re not like anyone else, and maybe it gets to their head, or maybe they’re just entitled, who knows, I can’t really say but that’s what I think. Last words Thank you for everyone who supports anyone. And thanks to my girlfriend and my friends, all very supportive too and I hope all of you go out and have fun and do what you love and I think that’s it.
You wake up in the morning. You hadn’t made music the day before, so you’re fresh. Open clean slate. Fresh canvas. First thing you do is…. Well, I go to my drum machine first and I lay down just sounds I like, lately I’ve been creating all my drum sounds on my synthesizer and that really inspires me because you could just touch something and it’ll spark something in your brain and you just know exactly what will sound cool with that, and from there just make a loop i guess. I like drums that sound like there’s a caveman banging on some ancient drum or something like that. How is the process of making a song from being to end It’s very quick and sometimes that scares me. Sometimes I can make a track in an hour, or I think anyone can. But it almost feels like it’s lacking quality, but sometimes maybe it’s not, but I don’t know. Sometimes I will be in a bad mood and I’ll make an angry sounding song that probably doesn’t sound that angry, but, I am angry. I’m not in bands, but thinking about it, it’s going to cause internal problems... Yeah, and that’s what’s cool about having a solid group of dudes that you all kind of think alike and enjoy the same things yet you still enjoy your own things, everyone’s kind of their own person. Everyone brings a different thing to the table, it’s nice and yeah just do it. That’s what’s cool about punk music, you don’t need to really know how to play anything you could just play whatever comes out of your guitar and yeah just be nice and do what you like and you’ll have fun. (laughs)
Photo: sam silva
if
Just because you’re not good at something right away if you put enough effort and practice into it, you’re going to be great, even it’s at your own pace
am – 0 2 page 58
AM issue 02.indd 58-59
8/9/18 9:27 PM
AM issue 02.indd 60-61
8/9/18 9:27 PM
Jack Acosta. Queens, NY tuck by Thomas Macie (top) and Brooklyn storm door tuck by Kevin Bass. Summer ‘17
am – 0 2 page 63
AM issue 02.indd 62-63
8/9/18 9:27 PM
AM issue 02.indd 64-65
8/9/18 9:27 PM
Erin Mcgruber Portland 2018
photographs by Caitlyn Gaurano
Coi O’meara Flynn Portland 2018
AM issue 02.indd 66-67
8/9/18 9:27 PM
linocut on found paper by Sam Dybeck
am – 0 2 page 68
AM issue 02.indd 68-69
Luke Duncan
“For me, naturally occuring scenes are the most interesting. Generally I enjoy subjects that aren’t conciously manipulated but rather free in how they exist when a camera isn’t present. I think those are the scenes I’m most drawn to.”
El Diablo Luis Valencia li n o c u t 2018
8/9/18 9:28 PM
AM issue 02.indd 70-71
8/9/18 9:28 PM
“It is important to me that I render space and light in a way that is visually engaging. I want my images to play on the manner that scenes are traditionally documented in.”
photog ra pher Sam Dy beck
AM issue 02.indd 72-73
8/9/18 9:28 PM
it’s easy to call it quits, pack your bag, and go home. it’s “easy” to take fratboy pulls from a bottle of tequilla when you’re drunk. what’s not so easy is a stingray zap to your foot and a load of tequilla to the brain all before breakfast.
some where in baja. 2017. captured by Melly Hundy
“I love how [they] never say goodbye, it’s always see you later.” pelly, south of the border, on the trip we scored this perfect wave. all to ourselves :)
am – 0 2 page 74
AM issue 02.indd 74-75
8/9/18 9:28 PM
AM issue 02.indd 76-77
8/9/18 9:28 PM
If you were to die tomorrow, would you have done everything that you wanted to do in your lifetime?
“no,” Quiseng mumbled, “there is always more to learn and there is always someone better than you... there is always more to just listen and educate yourself with. Being able to listen is a big secret...
Everybody has their own opinions but not everybody is willing to just LISTEN...”
Duke Quiseng, in his lifetime, has been an entrepreneur, a painter, a photographer, a professional boxer, a plantation worker, a telephone operator, a bank teller, a park ranger, a ukulele teacher, and more. He hikes every weekend, swims daily, and plays music in his free time. If you could learn anything from the man that has done everything, I leave you with this quote...
general youth movement
“I was very lucky. In life you need talent, luck, and hard work... and if you have hard work, you really don’t need one and two...”
am – 0 2 page 78
AM issue 02.indd 78-79
8/9/18 9:28 PM
Wesley Wade Harding discusses Why the DIY Ethos is Crucial. If existence in itself is the source of its own value, then it would have no reason to not remain a static and unchanging entity for all of time. What need would there be for progress, adaptation, and learning, or a framework for those to take place in at all, if the value of existence did not arise from consistent change? Experience shows us that we must not remain still if we seek to live; struggle and creation are necessities to experiencing a human life in its greatest state. If we don’t eat or drink, then we fade away and cease to be. Creative energy and problem solving are pillars of being, for without them there is no movement and therefore n othing at all. A common pattern pervades our consumer-oriented society. We are given just enough to survive, not enough of what we need to have the strength for radical transformation, and too much of what we want to complain in our pacified and distracted state. Our needs and wants are force-fed to us through the tubes of the state, never quite satiating us but never quite leaving us completely starved. In nature, of which our physical form and instincts are a reflection of, our needs must be consistently and creatively met. In this idealized “natural” existence, there is little disparity between the real world and the concept of the world that resides in the mind. For any individual conscious of the society we live in today, the rift between what is real and what resides in the mind is separated by empty abstraction, desultory instincts, and untruth. How did we get here?
Inevitably our creations are influenced or made possible by others. For some mammals, strength is implied by their solitude and lonely conquest; however, for humans, our strength derives from our ability to cooperate and combine our creative abilities. With this said, creative energy still plays a crucial role in the individual, and the greater their creative role is in constructing their own world, the more truly satisfied they become. However, the degree of collectivity that prevails today actually isolates the individual from their own creative impact. Commodity and convenience distributed by the other, usually those in a position of privilege or power to fund an operation of mass distribution, have replaced the i ndividual’s struggle to create for themselves. In this the individual is often convinced subconsciously that they themselves cannot create the product which they could instead buy, and therefore must rely on the producer. The core element of our being is subsequently hijacked and sold back to us as placid comfort, and in our stagnation we become lost and absurd without a sense of purpose.
“the degree of collectivity that prevails today actually isolates the i ndividual from their own creative impact.”
The state of the world that is given is full of distraction, danger, and potential. It is necessary to reclaim the one freedom which is always available. Our art and technology, as expressions of our highest and most personal instincts, are our only tools we have for expressing our vision beyond us and the present. Success in the hands of another is forever tethered to the one who made it possible. Success in the hands of the creator is
g
o
d
-
l
i
k
e.
am – 0 2 page 80
AM issue 02.indd 80-81
8/9/18 9:28 PM
AM issue 02.indd 82-83
8/9/18 9:28 PM