YOUTH IN REVOLT ISSUE.14

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Contents 04_ 12_ 22_ 30_ 32_ 34_ 35_ 48_ 49_ 50_ 57_ 58_ 60_ 66_ 74_ 75_ 76_ 83_ 85_ 94_ 104_

Michelle Luc Brendan Maclean Meagan Long How To Come Home Bloggerz - Lexi Laphor Bargain Buys k.i.s.s.i.n.g Dazed and Confused Punk Rocker Lauren Winzer Reader Rant Jack Byrnes Samuel Shanahoy Nowewe Akihido Happy Dre; An Extension Stay What The Hell Am I Doing With My Life?

Skye Sobejko Headphones in, World Out Egg Gracie Currier-Tait Kawaii Kills

Nicole Wilson Co-Founder, Editor-In-Chief Olivia Mroz Co-Founder, Art, Photography and Fashion Editor Diarmaid Murray Editor, Creative Director Cam Johns Music Editor Millie Clayton Intern 02

Letter from the Editor Since our last issue we’ve rebranded and launched our official website, launched YIR TV, expanded our team, taken on an intern who is now vlogging about her experiences with us (For better or for worse), filmed a promotional video and we’re in the midst of planning some really exciting stuff.

Things are moving really fast and sometimes everything just seems incredibly surreal. Luckily the new team which is turning out to be more of a family knows how to keep each other grounded.

So what can you expect in our 14th issue of YIR? Turn the page and find out you lazy fucks! Why are you wasting your time reading this half arsed piece of crap that we slip in simply to fill a page? -Too much? I apologise, I’m out of coffee, suffering from some serious writers block and I’m pretty sure I just saw a mouse run across the kitchen floor. This is not the productive morning I envisioned having when I crawled into bed last night with my YIR to-do list and violently circled ‘Letter from the Editor’.

‘Letter from the Editor’ is something that I’ve struggled with since I was out voted about its importance a few mag meetings ago. Firstly, how does one even speak on behalf of an entire a team, especially one with such talented members who all endeavour to make each issue of YIR better than the one that preceded it? Secondly, how can I even attempt to encapsulate the awesomeness of our contributors, both regular and ongoing? As a writer ‘Letter from the Editor’ may very well be one of the hardest writing tasks I’ll ever take on, in part because I’ve already accepted defeat before my fingertips even hit the keys.

As I’ve mentioned before Olivia and I are like proud parents and It’s a gutsy statement to make but I’ll make it anyway and I’ll stand by it, YIR is getting bigger and better with every issue that we release. So how can I critique a creative project that I am so incredibly proud of and believe in wholeheartedly?

You too may now be coming to the same realisation I myself did about a month ago, YIR is in serious need of a father figure. Someone intelligent and opinionated, someone witty but a little off beat, someone with a good sense of humour and mildly alcoholic, someone with a tact for sarcasm and a love for all things creative. Someone Irish. Enter YIR’s adoptive father, Diarmaid Murray. This ladies and gentleman, is not only the man who will push me to not cut corners on the little things, like the ‘Letter from the Editor’, but who will also inspire the entire YIR team to push themselves to be better in their chosen fields. He’ll also undoubtedly be the first of the team to crack open a beer, or Guinness even, when a new issue goes live. He’s just what we need.

There will be no hanky panky in this office though, to put it in words Diarmaid will approve of, Cock > Vag. So with zero chances of YIR gaining a playmate any time soon we did the only thing three responsible modern-day, de facto parents of an online publication could do, we created YIR TV. And from there spawned Millie’s Diary, Greetings from Paris and YIR x b0yd0g BTS, with more on its way over the next couple months.

Well we’ve come a long way from ‘Turn the page and find out you lazy fucks!’ haven’t we?

Admittedly I found myself some coffee and decided that it wasn’t a mouse but just a well-timed shadow. So now comes that inevitable part where I thank you, our readers, for your ongoing support and reassure you of how much each and every one of you means to us (You think you would be sick of hearing it by now, but I’ll tickle your egos anyway). Here at Youth in Revolt it goes without saying that we are one fucking dysfunctional family unit, but we hope that by now it also goes without saying that you guys are a part of that dysfunctional family unit too. Your ongoing support is the foundation of everything we have achieved so far and of everything we plan to achieve in the future, and without that foundation everything would come crumbling down.

So I don’t run the risk of ruining what has somehow turned into one of the most bitchn’ things I’ve ever put inside the pages of YIR Mag and provided you didn’t actually turn the page when my un-caffeinated self started hurling abuse at you, I’ll leave you to explore the pages of our highly anticipated (by myself mostly) 14th issue. From the entire YIR Team, we hope you enjoy.

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Nicole Wilson Co-founder, Editor-in-Chief

Michelle

LUC Written by Nicole Wilson Interviewed by Olivia Mroz

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rtist Michelle Luc says, art started as a hobby, but as she grew older she began to understand it, and it began to understand her. “I create because it’s the only thing that really frees me.” –Passionate and powerful words that are almost as gripping as her works themselves, and words I think many creatives can relate to, as well.

“My emotions always translate into my ideas and concepts, and eventually my works, both positive and negative.” Michelle is an artist that offers up to viewers much more than just a pretty picture.

“My art is my thoughts and emotions slowly taken apart and put back together on paper, or on Canvas.”

Every time Michelle Luc creates, she is offering up a piece of herself for the viewer. She describes these pieces of herself “Like quiet people who blend into the background of a party, but then burst into the scenery after a momentary lapse of insanity!” She emphasises the important role mystery plays in her work, explaining the extra layer ambiguity and second impressions can add to a work. Her works, she says, ‘Can be deep, lonely and wistful’ all at once.

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Tell us a little about your creations.

My works are usually ambiguous, sometimes they can be obvious, sometimes mysterious. They can give second impressions, they’re like quiet people who blend into the background of a party, but then burst into the scenery after a momentary lapse of insanity! They can be deep, lonely and wistful.

How old were you when you started?

I guess when I was starting the last years of high school did I start to take art more seriously, it was a time when I really thought about a dedicated and fun pursuit in the future.

Do your works have any specific meaning behind them?

Sometimes they do, sometimes I don’t recognize a significant meaning, but I’ll come back and something will hit me and it would make sense in my own mind. Usually they’re a part of my thoughts and emotions, slowly taken apart and put onto paper or canvas.

What do you do while you create?

I usually have music on (depending how I feel), it helps me relax and get into a state of mind.

What mediums do you use?

Mediums I usually work with are, ink, acrylic and graphite.

How old were you when you started?

I think I was a child when my mum enrolled me into art classes. At that time it was only a hobby, but as I grew older, it was something that understood me and I understood it.

Why do you create?

I create because it’s the only thing that really frees me.

What inspires you?

Everything inspires me, positive and negative emotions are always translated through my mind and into ideas, concepts and eventually works.

What do you do when you ’re not creating?

I’m day dreaming, singing and watching films or reading books.

Who’s your favourite artist?

I have many artists that inspire me, but one of my favourite artist would have to be Tom Bagshaw. I adore his skill of photo realistic portraits, that possess an eerie and haunting presence. The way he captures the expression and longing of faces and gestures of his subjects. There is also surging emotion through his images, these still faces that feel like they’re trying to say a thousand things to you all at once. It’s beautiful and melancholic all in one.

What ’s your favourite on-line site?

It would have to be Contemporary Art Daily – www.contemporaryartdaily. com. They have updates on fantastic up and coming emerging artists. It gives you an insight of the art scene and who is making what, why and how.

www.facebook.com/MichelleLucArt 09

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Brendan MACLEAN

by D i ar mai d Mur r ay

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rendan Maclean is a musician, songwriter, and actor from Sydney, He has been a radio presenter on Triple J and has a talent for tweeting better than most. Not too long ago I got to sit down and have a chat with Brendan, it was just after his successful crowdfunding campaign, where he asked his fans for their support in helping him to fund a new album and they answered the call. The campaign was also what got my attention, I had long been one of Brendan’s thousands of twitter followers but I had no idea of what else he had to offer. I sussed out his music and I fell in love, it sounds cheesy but it’s true.

It was a shock to find that somebody I had followed for a long time had a not so secret talent that I was completely oblivious to. I had to know more, so I got in contact and it was as though the stars had aligned because it happened that he would be in town for a holiday, so we caught up for a chat. We met at a little cafe and he bought me a tea, it was a little busy so we picked up a picnic blanket and headed out into the street “it’s a very Melbourne thing to do” he told me. The weather couldn’t have been better, I asked my questions and thisis what Brendan had to say.

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Why did you start making music?

Well, out of everything I do music was probably the last thing that came along. I used to be a dancer, I was a dancer for 12 years. Then I tried acting, I was alright at acting and then they made us all do a musical, they made us do The Wiz which is usually what people stereotypically call the black version of The Wizard of Oz because it was like Diana Ross and everything like that, and I hate musicals surprisingly... not all musicals i’m sure there are some that I like, which is weird because I can dance and I can act and I can sing, but I really don’t like musicals. So when I did my first musical I saw that I love singing, I didn’t just want to do covers or anything like that so I just started plonking away at the piano and I grew up in a pretty crappy suburb, I grew up in the Shire a la the TV show, and so it was just a place to sort of hide away and express everything that I was trying to deal with, and when you write your own music you don’t really even need to perform it, it’s very self satisfying, it’s one of the few arts where you can go home and almost entertain yourself with making the music, whereas I didn’t find I could go home and act or anything like that. So yeah it’s a big outlet for me especially when I was young and in high school it was important to find that.

When you were writing music were you listening to other music?

Yeah I was, not very interesting music at the time.

I think I was in year 10 I thought it was really cool to listen to Marilyn Manson and Silverchair and so nothing that was too surprising or anything, but then I started discovering, probably through the funnel of Ben Folds, because I was like he plays piano and I play piano, into Regina Spector and Rufus Wainwright and now after working at Tripple J for six years the umbrella is quite broad.

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How was working on the radio?

It was good, I filled in last weekend over Easter and I sort of fill in for the fill-ins now, but it was pretty magical working at Tripple J. It is the share house people think it is, it still feels very much like a community radio station, but that came around so weird it was just a call, I had been doing reviews on unearthed, and then the call came and they started asking me all these questions, asked me to do a take 5 and pick my favourite unearthed artists, some which I’ve gone on to perform with like Ainslie Wills. Yeah but two years of mid dawns the overnight 1am to 6am is kind of hell, but yeah it’s wonderful to be a part of that family or to have been a part of

that family I still sort of count myself as working there, but yeah it’s great it’s a wonderful station.

What’s it like being a musician working on the radio?

It’s tricky because there’s a bias thing, Tripple J really can’t play my music if I’m going to be presenting at the same time, so it’s a bit tricky to weave my way around. But it’s great that I get to go and see so many festivals and shows, I realised that when I come down for the Melbourne comedy festival like all my friends are comedians so I go and see all their shows, and I guess after 5 years of Triple J I forgot to appreciate how important it was to go and see that many gigs and how much you learn by going to a gig, and how important that is for the community to get out there and see as many shows as you can. So that’s cool, it’s great in that I learnt so much, it’s just tricky because of the administrative side of things, it still is but you get by.

It seems strange to me that somebody would come to Melbourne for a holiday, after growing up here I can’t imagine it being that place.

I guess when you’re from Sydney, like Sydney is wonderful and busy and I always say the same thing, Sydney is where I work and Melbourne is kinda where I want to live. I do kinda want to move to Melbourne just because I think I appreciate the music scene a little more here and feel a little bit more at home, even when I do my gigs here there seems to be more love and warmth for it in Melbourne, which is strange because you pitch so much to where you live that it’s a refreshing surprise to see that another state would be possibly more interested in you. I just love Melbourne, I love that there is a north and a south to the city where Sydney is just kind of this criss cross of “screw you buddy, who knows where you’re going” but yeah it’s gorgeous it’s stunning, it’s a world class city. I like the idea of still living here and jetting back to Sydney to work.

Do you collaborate with a lot of people?

That’s something that’s popped up more lately, even this month sort of. I guess my first ever real collaboration, real as in the song will be released, is with Nathan Hudson from Faker and Paul Mac and so when I met them we did a track together that will go on Paul’s new album this year whenever it may come out you never know. It was great, I was so nervous because I’ve released a little EP and I’ve released singles here 15

and there, but they’ve gone on world tours and won awards and sold thousands and thousands of albums, so it’s spooky to come to table and be like well this is what I have to offer this verse and this melody. Paul had made up the song and just said you’ll have to find the lyrics, and we did it, we got there, I remember sitting there with my napkin and he pressed play for the first time and I had my eyes closed so tight that I think they were almost watering by the end of singing the song for the first time because I was so nervous.

But we got through and we’ve kept working together and the track Stupid was produced by Paul and I’m hoping that the whole album is now going to be produced by him, which would be an absolute honour. I grew up listening to the Dissociatives and Silverchair and it’s bizarre to think that you can work with your heroes in any way shape or form.

It’s strange to find out that the people you admire are real people that you can work with.

Yeah, and that’s the thing with this collaboration idea and being overwhelmed by people’s greatness, is you realise a lot of the fear is just built up, you’ve read all of their PR releases and you’ve seen all the commercials that make them so powerful, and then you get there and everyone has the same struggles, everyone is nervous about the lyric they wrote and everyone feels awkward about their melody for the first time or doesn’t think their song is cool enough, and it’s a real leveler when you realise that even the most successful people are still so nervous when they’re showing off their songs for the first time.

I’m hoping to do some work with Megan Washington because we just did this set of really fun fashion shows together where we were just doing covers, and we got along really well and she was giving me a lot of hints and pointers, I feel like I’m sort of at the same point she was at when Cement came out, and obviously I can’t go and win the Triple j Unearthed competition because I’ve worked there for six years, but she gave me some great advice and then we sort of went why don’t we write something together? so hopefully that’s on the cards as well while she’s doing her album. So that would be great, I’m such a fan of hers.

You have quite an internet presence with a decent following. How did you build your following?

I don’t know if it’s a good now that I spend so much time on the internet, it kind of eats up your time in a dangerous way. But for me it just started because I had a song Practically Wasted which came out what feels like a decade ago now, and that was my first independent release and because you don’t have a team behind you, you don’t have a PR team or a manager and I still don’t, I still do everything myself, I knew that I needed a new way to go about releasing it and for me that was Twitter and Facebook and all social media that I can get my hands on I’ll try and understand as quickly as I possibly can and get all over it. People don’t always say that it’s helpful or people think you’re wasting your time but that sort of leads me to the Pozzible sort of stuff which is the result of it really.

I tell a lot of jokes on twitter, I keep it pretty light

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hearted and I think people appreciate that it’s not just press releases, it’s not just retweets of compliments, it’s not just a list of gigs and I don’t say anything else, I reply to everybody who asks a real question. I think that’s really important because maybe that will be the thing that gets me through, and obviously it kind of has, I transferred that jokey energy and asked people to help fund the album. So I sort of felt like I put four years of putting a lot of energy into Twitter and caring about it and sort of turned up at the end and said ‘well do you care about what I give you?’ and people said yes, that for me is the validation I needed, I can confidently tell anyone that social media is a very important part of my career. Maybe it’s not everybodies, I’m certain there are musicians that still busk and then get seen by someone, and play progressively bigger gigs, Passenger is a really good example of that, he exposes himself in a wonderful way in real life. But I don’t do that and maybe that’s because I play a piano and he plays a guitar, but I found my audience through the internet.

get lucky enough to get a good record deal or something like that, you know they’re almost impossible to get a good publishing deal or a good record deal, and if that ever happens I feel like I’ll be able to celebrate that with people and it won’t seem like I’ve just been pinched away from anyone because they’ll be able to see me still making my own decisions. So that’s really important to me.

You mentioned you’re not sure about the amount of time you spend on the internet, do you find that sometimes you need to take a step back?

Yeah, well I can see the difference between how I use it from before the Pozzible and now, there’s a lot less tweets for one, I’m pretty sure I used to, I still do when Q&A is on because I need to be there for that, but I swear I used to tweet 50 times a day and maybe now it’s 10 or something like that, and usually about things that I’m actually doing like this week I’ve just been tweeting about the comedy shows that I’ve been seeing and trying to share interesting I had followed you on twitter for a few things and certainly not boring anyone with my years and I had no idea about your music daily breakfast or something. It’s a lot less about and it popped up that you had a Pozzible me, I felt for awhile like I was stuck as that twitter and I thought I’d check it out and it was guy, especially after I won that Pedestrian ‘King amazing. of Twitter’ thing which was bizarre because I Which I think is really exciting. It’s cool that would do whole interviews without getting to people see different facets of me and I like that even mention music, which is awkward, I’m not people are following, like so clearly following the a comedian, I do write but I’m not a writer. So journey of my career and I feel like when I have a yeah I think I’ve moulded and it’s good to see win everybody else kind of goes Yes! Good work! that I didn’t lose all my followers. People are That’s great!, everyone was so used to watching still interested in what I’m saying and what I’m my videos max out at about 10,000 views or doing and hopefully even if I go and see a show 20,000 views and then Stupid got on Buzzfeed I can still figure out some interesting way to talk and it wasn’t just an ‘oh, Brendan’s done a thing’ about what I saw, It won’t just be ‘SEE THIS!!’, so I everyone was like cheering and celebrating and feel like I have moulded it, because that’s my PR sort of exhaled this sigh of relief that something it needs to reflect what’s going on in my life, and finally happened, which is great and it felt the as things are getting a little more professional same with Gatsby and I hope now that if I ever and I’m looking to release an album the focus 17

needs to be on what I’m actually doing instead of me just telling jokes and being distracted by all of that, because that’s what I did when I started I just told jokes so that hopefully every now and then I could poke in a video and people would check it out, which I guess worked but now it’s the other way around it’s mostly videos and mostly things that I’m doing, with a joke in there every now and then.

Do you think you needed to have that following for the Pozzible campaign to be successful?

Definitely. I’ve done a few talks about it, and of course you have to mention Amanda Palmer and her best sentence ever and I wish that all crowdfunding site would write it up “To crowdfund you need a crowd” like that is it, you have to have some kind of crowd, but the extension of that for me was to crowdfund you need an online crowd. I did interviews on Radio National, I went on The Project, I was in all the papers talking about my Pozzible and they would come out and nothing would happen, it was only when I or someone was posting online, something really detailed about it or why they found it important to back me, that I saw the numbers go up. None of the interviews, nothing helped, because it’s an online platform and that’s how it works, if I was walking around with a bucket and saying put 2 dollars in I’d get money then, but I can’t walk around with a sign saying go home and support me, people just don’t make that connection and that’s just a really logical and simple thing, it needs to be an online crowd. And you need to connect and it needs to be authentic, you know Neil Gaiman has like 1.2 million twitter followers and he tweeted about it and I didn’t get a dollar.

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Clare Bowditch, whose followers are music lovers who are local, said support our comrade and it went up like a thousand dollars. It’s about being relevant and authentic otherwise there’s no connection, so I guess what that says is after four years my 20,000 people decided ‘yeah, you’re jokey, you’re cynical, you’re sarcastic, that’s great but you’re also being yourself and so I’m interested enough to support you’ Which is how I think every business or artist should work really.

So do you think these crowdfunding campaigns are perfect for artists?

They’re not perfect for everyone. They are really great for artists who maybe have, for me it was I stuffed up really, I probably sent fifteen grand down the drain on recordings and I had no concept of how I was going to find any money, I was also unsure that I had an audience at all.

So for smaller artist who are growing I think that it’s perfect them or for big artists who want to do something really ambitious. I do get a little bit annoyed at artists who are well within their spending, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Eskimo Joe crowdfunding $60,000 to use a studio that they already own, that frustrates me it’s like ‘You already own that, why is Pozzible about that?’. What I would say for smaller artists is if you don’t have your own online crowd you need to start working months in advance to try and build that energy up, even if it’s on your own personal facebook page, and I would say that for anyone that’s doing it. The best one thaT I saw work was a magazine called Hello Mr where he must have spent three and half months telling people he was about to do a campaign, and it’s what I did as well so when your day hits

the energy is there, people are like “ok I’ve got my money ready” and it doesn’t just go pow and lag because everyone gets a lag in the middle, it’s a big U shape and nothing happens in the middle you don’t get any money. People want to give at the start and the end, so if your start isn’t big enough you have to do so much more work for the end. If you’re a small artist and you don’t have an online crowd yet, maybe it’s not right, maybe it’s still time for you to go and meet your fans and meet the people you think might give. I wouldn’t really do it unless you had access to at least five-thousand people, that’s just a number off the top of my head but I made $21,000 of twenty-thousand people, I don’t really get why people do pozzibles for less than $5000 it’s like couldn’t you just work at the cafe for a few months or something? and you’re also not aiming very high if you’re not aiming for a big amount of money. Small artists but you need an online audience, you do need an online audience or it just won’t happen, you might as well do some kind of fund-raising drive or some other kind of in-life gig where you can ask people directly for money. It’s tough and it’s tedious, you even annoy yourself posting everyday about it but you have to, you can’t stop, or the momentum stops. If you stop tweeting about it or posting about it for a day, people just forget it existed. If you kind find a way to convince other people to post about it, then the conversation just goes to the same people over and over again. It’s really old school advertising is how pozzible works, you need catch-phrases and buzz-videos and wordof-mouth. I even saw someone comparing to, if you want to get good at pozzible then watch the first series of Mad Men and take some of their advice, because it works, it really works.

and a few of the old singles, and then when I went back for the second round of auditions I walked in and Baz was just sitting in the room, I say casually as if I know him very well... Baz Luhrmann was sitting in the room!, and we just improvised a scene, he handed me a phone because the role hasn’t got much dialogue but obviously he needs to audition you to see if you can even deliver a couple lines. Like any whimpy performer does I tried to get the lowdown on what was going on and I was like “Oh you must be seeing heaps of boys today, right?” and he was like “Just one”, I ran out into the middle of the park and started bawling and laughing. so it took about two and half months to get the role, and we filmed at the end of 2011 into the start of 2012 and it was a pretty blissful two months on set, it was magic. So I’m playing Klipspringer who lives in a house with Gatsby and plays a few tunes on the piano and stuff.

Do you want to do more acting in the

You mentioned The Great Gatsby before, how did that come about?

It was a pretty standard audition, I hadn’t done any for a film at all, and they asked me to go into this giant building that had many boys lined around the block. I had to sing a song and I noticed that nobody else was using the piano in the corner of the room, they were all just sitting at the table miming and singing, which was fine they all had lovely voices, and I was just like “can I use the piano?” and they said “oh, sure. You don’t have to” I said “I’m just gonna use it” and went over there and bashed out some chords and had a sing, and that was great. I didn’t hear back for eight weeks so I just forgot about it, and then I got a email asking to send my video clips in so I sent in Practically Wasted and Cold And Happy

future?

I would like to but I do have so much respect for actors, it’s so hard to get any parts. I can set up a gig down the road pretty easily, but I don’t know how actors get a weekly output of artistic expression, because what do you do? do you write your own play and do that on the corner or something like that? I did another bit part in a film at the end of last year with Adam Driver from Girls and Mia Wasikowska and again that was months of auditions for this tiny part. So I was talking to the actors on set and I asked them 19

cabaret, I think cabaret gets a bad name here because we don’t see much good cabaret, but there are brilliant artists like Meow Meow and Trevor Ashley and iOTA who put on great shows and I would love to do that someday, once I get over making my pop songs, I’d love to make a show.

Do you have any short-term or long-term But yeah, the album and then whatever happens. goals for anything creative?

Yeah, well the pozzible did say the album was You have some amazing music videos that meant to be out by August but I’m finding that look like a lot of fun. even after the minute success that Stupid had, They are so much fun and that’s why I put my it didn’t get play on the radio or anything, the money into them, I do. I think a lot of people now workload that I had after it came out it took a assume that I have somebody else paying my month, if you think about an album is twelve bills but I don’t, and so they’re my indulgence, I tracks, it’s not coming out by August, that’s all work so hard on the music and I stress and I have I’m saying it’s just not. So I’ll be working on that headaches everyday worrying about the music probably until the start of next year. But otherwise so when I get to the videos I just find a director I want to finish this album and hopefully become that I love. The first two I went up to Queensland more of a songwriter because you need a long twice and my guitarist actually shot Only OnlyI term plan as well and my long-term plan would and then I got Brian and Karl to do Stupid and I be to be maybe not a producer but a songwriter just put in a little extra money so they set it all up, for other people. I’d love to collaborate with I rock up, I have an absolute party and then walk hundreds of people, I’d love to get on someone’s away and make them clean up all the cake that books and just get me over to write your lyrics or was smashed everywhere. I love shooting video something like that, but yeah that’s a long-term clips, it’s definitely an indulgence and miming plan. But working on the album is the first thing, your own music is pretty fun, you get to do a lot of good faces and a lot of emotional faces, or dance and have stuff smashed up behind you. I was so happy with how Stupid came out because I told them not to tell me what was going on so when I saw the first time I just cracked up laughing.

They’re fun, they’re really fun. So the next one I’ll just say that I’ve had leotards made up, a lot of leotards, so I imagine Winner is going to be pretty fun as well. So they’re cool and they help, especially online how many times do you want to listen to a song and just go to YouTube? so it helps to have a video that maybe gets people to listen past verse one.

They keep you coming back.

Yeah, Stupid was really good because people almost didn’t realise the girl was there until halfway through, which was great, and then they’d go back and watch it again, and I think that’s why it ended up going so well. Absolutely blew my mind I was so happy when it got to 20,000 views, and then two days late it was at 120,000 and I was just like WOW. So where getting Brian and Karl to do the next video clip as well, I think they deserve that. how do you usually get roles? and they were like well, you don’t, you just don’t get roles. They give the roles to established actors but no one really knows how to become an established actor. So yes, if it comes up I am more than happy to do more films but wow what a tough profession.

What revolts you?

I have a thing about belly button lint. I was in a and then I would love to one day work with and gym the other day and I almost vomited, I was artist whose name is iOTA who does brilliant all finished and there was a guy next to me who 20

had just gotten there so he undid his business top and he stuck his finger in his belly button and then wiped it on the seat. I just wanted to vomit everywhere. Then I was like yeah, I think I have a thing, I think that is the thing I cannot bare, I don’t know why but that is certainly my thing. especially when it’s bluish, why is it blue? even when you’re not wearing anything blue it just manages to be blue and disgusting. That’s what revolts me.

asking how much of this product do you want?

I will make that specifically for you, and not this bland generalised We’re going to try and sell this to everybody! which is what labels want you to do. I think a lot of labels need a good kick in the bum.

What would you like to revolt against?

What are you unhappy about in the world that you want changed?

Record labels and the deals that they give artists. There are these things called 360 deals, not named after the hip-hop artist, but 360 deals are when the label makes more than the artist from the dollar. So in your whole career if you’re on a 360 deal you never actually make more than the label does, and that’s from your merchandise, from your performance, from your royalties, even getting play on the radio they get paid first and then you get paid after. So if I could revolt against anything I would definitely revolt against record labels. Which I’m hoping that all of this Pozzible stuff actually gets rid of them and labels start to rethink maybe how important they think they are, because maybe artists don’t need labels money anymore. We can reach out to our fans and go well, I’ll make you the product, which is what I’m doing, I’m

Be sure to check out Brendan’s work iTunes Bandcamp YouTube Twitter Facebook

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M e a g a n Written

by

Nicole Wilson

L o n g

Interviewed

by

Olivia

Mroz

Born and raised in North Carolina and currently residing in NYC, Megan Long is a photographer and stylist using her craft to create both an escape for viewers and herself.

When discussing her process, Megan describes it as both an exploration and fabrication of scenarios based on the surroundings and the personality of the subject. Inspired by artists such as, Arvida BystrÜm and Grace Miceli, Megan too uses young woman as a focal point in her work. She speaks fondly of the two internet artists influences, praising them for exploring woman’s issues in thoughtful and refreshing ways.

Stylist and photographer: Meagan Long Model: Saraphina Makeup: Tawni Michelle Website: meaganlong.com Instagram: @meaglong Tumblr: meaganlong.tumblr.com 22

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How To Come

HOME

(Spoiler:

minimal sarcastic retorts and many feels.)

by Made Stuchbery

I

n the fashion of my fore-fathers, I am currently in the midst of packing up all my belongings, all my memories, thoughts and feelings as I prepare my soul for the journey across the seas from England to Australia. However, unlike my ancestors, I am not English, and I’m not being banished for stealing a pig (however, in hindsight if I had, my airfare back home might have been drastically cheaper). I have spent the past 10 months in Leicester, England studying, travelling and just generally hooning about and now, alas, my time here is up. I’m now faced with the prospect of leaving behind my gypsy lifestyle that consists of stealing bread rolls from hostels, living out of a backpack for weeks on end and altering my accent so the British locals don’t think I’m a colonial heathen. Here I sit, in the middle of this room that has been home for what seems like an eternity, surrounded by dirty socks, discarded pennies and the dusty memories of Australia that haunt me in my sleep.

There are many internet forums and articles online with tips and tricks for emigrating to another country. You can speak to people who have travelled to your destination. You can read all the Lonely Planet books you like. It’s fine to prepare yourself for your new life in another country. But there is nothing that can prepare you for the culture shock and emotional turmoil that is learning how to come home.

I came to England with the attitude and acceptance that everything was going to be completely alien to anything that I had ever experienced. And that was quite an accurate assumption. The weather is different, the people speak with that classic cut-throat English accent that scythes through you and renders you dumb. The money is papery and flimsy, and the beer is warm. Yet the people are kind, and reserved. When it snows in the wintertime it’s like there’s a kind little man atop a fluffy cloud somewhere dusting the ground with soft, powdery icing sugar. And there are no opencontainer laws, meaning you can drink freely and openly in public (I know, it’s wonderful). Because I landed at Heathrow with a mind as wide open as my smiling mouth, I readily accepted the challenges that I faced as a foreigner and relished the cultural differences.

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Yet the other night, I was Skyping a friend of mine back in Melbourne when I had something of a disturbing revelation. I could hear the television burbling in the background of our conversation, and a horrid, seemingly okka-Australian accent wafted into my ears. “What on Earth is that you’re watching? Some American take-off of an Aussie accent or something?” I said to my friend. “No,” she said in a somewhat bemused fashion. “It’s the 6 o’clock news.”

I felt quite disoriented when I heard that Australian accent. It had been so long since I’d been surrounded by my mother tongue that it sounded almost fake; like a crude, two-fingered repost by some American sketch show. I had to switch my radio on and tune into Radio One and revel in the soothing tones of the English accent until my heart palpitations ceased.

It’s one thing to feel a stranger in a far-away land, but it’s another to feel completely alienated by your native culture. As a result of this bizarre isolation, nostalgia for England; for Leicester, for cold wintery days and evenings spent huddled around the radiator with my British friends came slamming into me with the force of a red double decker bus. Instead of longing for warm Australian evenings and proper cold beers, I’ve been harbouring any English idiosyncrasies I have picked up during my time here (not going ‘up’ at the end of my sentences, greeting my friends with ‘you alright’ instead of ‘how ya going’ and maintaing that reserved, stiff-upperlip which is so common amongst the English) and rather neglecting the memories of Australia. I’m gripping tightly onto anything English because, at this moment in time, it’s what seems the most familiar and safe to me.

Australia, my home, my native land, is a stranger to me. And that hurts.

Iranian academic Azar Nafis once wrote, “You get a strange feeling when you’re about to leave a place. Like you’ll not only miss the people you love but you’ll miss the person you are now at this time and this place, because you’ll never be this way ever again.” And she’s right. Right now, I’m torn in two. I can’t decide if I feel like a local in England or whether I’ll be a stranger once I’m back in Melbourne. These are the things that no-one ever teaches you; the lessons that you have to learn for yourself.

And I highly recommend that you do learn this lesson yourself. Pack your bags. Sell your car. Untether yourself from the familiar and float on the breeze of life. For you’ll soon discover that home isn’t a place, a building or a country. Home is the memories that keep you warm in the evening and make you smile as you trundle through the countryside on the train or as your passport is stamped at customs. Home is a place deep inside you, in the hearts of your loved ones and the friends that you gather by your side.

So England; thank-you for the memories. Australia; I’ll be seeing you soon.

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Interviewed by Olivia Mroz

Lexi Laphor | Twenty-two | Virgo | Australian f e m m e a s f u c k . t u m b l r. c o m Where are you from?

I’m from Canberra which is the capital city of Australia but tiny! For the past few years I’ve been living in Melbourne. It’s my home right now.

What do you do?

I’m a student doing my undergrad arts degree.

Do you have any animals?

I wish! Growing up I had frogs and lizards, dogs, cats, guinea pigs. I like to travel and have no idea where I’ll be in 6 months time let alone years down the track, so no pets for me sadly. I want a dog so badly sometimes I have puppy dreams!

Who’s your favorite artist?

Yayoi Kusama, She’s amazing. Her art is so vibrant and colourful. My favourite work of hers is her peep show Love Forever which was an installation piece back in 1966. I’ve only seen footage and photo’s it must have been such an experience to visit. I really love how sure she is of her art, her vision. I love that she’s her own god! I love that she’s really eccentric and wears coloured wigs still at the age of 83.

Are you holding onto something you need to let go of?

Yes! I have a whole bedroom full of clothes and sentimental items. It’s hard to travel when you have all this stuff that ties you to a particular spot. I’m a very sentimental person.

Have you been the kind of friend you want as a friend?

Yes. I think that I’m open minded, non-judgmental, honest and communicative. I really appreciate this about myself and feel grateful to have friends who are like that too!

What would you do differently if you knew nobody would judge you?

So many things! Firstly I’d become a dominatrix!

What ’s your favorite thing to blog about?

Anything queer related! I love to blog about femme identities, slut pride, vagina love… self love really!

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What inspires you?

So many things inspire me. I’m inspired daily! Nature, movement and people are the most consistently inspiring things. I love being in forests and feeling connected to the stars, tree’s and rocks. I love dancing, doing ballet and modern mostly. I love the way it feels to move when I dance - when I bend, stretch, leap and spin. It inspires me to keep working hard in class so I can express myself further in those particular forms. I am also really inspired by people.

Hearing and learning from their lived experiences. I also am so interested in peoples art, performance and fashion. I love to see individuals proess’ when creating as well as the aesthetic outcome! I’m so so inspired to see people outwardly expressing themselves with absolute conviction and self love!

Do you create?

I think everyone creates. You are create a self that you love, you create relationships… You are in a constant state of creating everyday! I love to create magic. I love to manifest! I also love to create crafts, jewelry and clothes for myself. My glue gun is my best friend!

Do you believe in God? I believe in a higher power. I think a lot about the

be either very very old, or very very young!

If you could offer a newborn child only one piece of advice, what would it be?

Love yourself because you have to be with yourself forever.

What ’s something you know you do differently than most people?

I have a really strong sense of self and clarity.

universe as an entity that connects all. I believe in karma and rebirth. I guess I’m more spiritual rather then believing in any institutionalized religion.

What ’s your favorite sex position?

Have you ever seen a ghost/alien?

What ’s your sexual fantasy?

Yes. Both! I often see spirits. I’ve only seen a UFO in flying in the sky once. It was a very humbling but affirming experience.

What revolts you?

I’m such a switch! It depends who it’s with. I love topping and bottoming.

There are so many! I’d love a soft serve ice cream truck to be incorporated! I also love chains and the idea of suspension though I’ve never experienced it.

Sexism, racism and homophobia. Any sort of oppression really.

Do you have any fetishes?

What ’s your favorite sound/smell/touch/ taste?

Are you a virgin?

Mmmmmnnnn the smell of rain. The sound of rain on a tin roof. Mango! It’s my favourite food and feels so slippery in my hands as well as being a sexual experience when I eat it I feel similar to eating cunt!

I also love the feeling of my fingers inside cunt. I love the smell of cunt… everything about cunts really I love.

How do you feel about cannibalism?

I think in some cases it might be necessary in a survival situation… I hope I never find myself in that position!

Do you believe in true love?

I think people experience love so differently. I believe in soulmates and love that is meant to be. But I hate the word ‘true’ with love. Truth is so subjective!

If someone gave you too much change at a store, and you knew they did, would you keep it?

Depends what store it was. If it was a huge chain store then yes!!! If it was a small ethical business or a friends business then no.

If you started a revolution what would it be?

Radical self love. So everyone could focus on loveing themselves and not be fucked up to others!

I love bdsm. I love spanking and being spanked.

No a virgin. I was 17 when I first had sex. I was in love with someone and really felt ready. It was such a good experience for me it felt natural and pleasurable.

How many sexual partners have you had to date?

Oh my gosh more than I could count. Seriously. I love to learn from sex with different people it can be quite growth inducing and empowering.

Do you masturbate?

Often! Daily. I’m very sexual and have been masturbating since the age of 4! It’s sad that there’s such shame around it especially for females.

Have you ever had sex with a person significantly older or younger than yourself?

The biggest age gap was probably a woman who was 25 years older than me. We had a foursome over gay pride in SF with two other people. We are close friends and I often get told I’m so young and she get’s told she’s old within the queer scene there and we claimed that we were combating ageism!

Do you remember the first time you came?

I remember coming a lot as a young child masturbating. I’d get busted by my mum all of the time who really shamed me and told me my vagina would bleed if I did it.

How old would you be if you didn’t know Sex toys? how old you are?

I think sex toys are fun! I don’t use them often but I consider myself emotionally mature but I’m often hyperactive and curious like a 5 year old. I think I’d

when I do I really enjoy them! My favorite is the Hitachi!!!!!!! It makes me sqiurt!

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Cam Johns Record store clearance bins are a mixed bag, as one would expect. Sometimes finding a hidden gem, other times figuring out exactly why they have been relegated to this position. I have made it my mission to trawl through these bins and share my findings with you. I will be giving the albums a once over, with my initial reaction on whether to bin it or keep it. There will be no method to the madness, other than the cover intriguing me enough to pick it up and the asking price being no more then a fiver. So as Tone Loc once said “Let’s Do It”.

I Was A Cub Scout – I Want You To Know That There Is Always Hope 2008 This band name was too hard to pass up. I mean… come on. It is one of the most honest band names I have heard in quite a while, that is unless they were never cub scouts, but enough about that. A little research told me that they were an English duo that actually split just 4 months after the release of their one and only record, this one. With a very inoffensive indie synth pop sound, I can see fans of Death Cab For Cutie enjoying this… to a point. While the sound of this band is actually quite pleasing (albeit boring and slightly annoying), I find the vocals to be very uninspired which in turn made myself feel very uninspired to listen to it. Even with the last two tracks a slight elevation, what preceded it completely overshadowed it with its bland and safe nature. The best two words to describe this album, Just… Eh Tracks to check out: P’s & Q’s, Step Too Far Behind BIN IT. The Shrugs – How To Knit A Pony 2008 Attempting to research this band turned out to be a little harder then anticipated.

Typing the name into Google take you to several bands by the name The Shrugs. Who would have though it would be so popular? This particular album comes from a New Zealand three piece and I must say, I am extremely happy with this pick up. With definite personality in the lyrics and in the vocals, this album is just pure fun. With songs about “getting stoned and fucking like we used to” the mood of this album is summed up honestly in those words. While the vocals aren’t traditionally “good”, they are sung in such a way where you know he believes what he is singing. With very catchy songs and a traditional rock sound, this is one bargain that was worth every cent.

Tracks to check out: Your Criminal Past, Wilson Carlile, Fairy, I’m A Dork, Nasty Piece Of Work, Pretty Dart KEEP IT. Jonathan Crayford With Riki Gooch – BigFoot 2007 This is the type of album that has me searching for other things to do, including check every 10 seconds how much longer I have to sit through it. Coming from apparently one of New Zealands most well known Multi Instrumentalists, the sounds are interesting…

I suppose. They don’t seem to really go anywhere, with him opting for indulgence in his own work rather than captivating the listener. Interspersed between the actual tracks are “skits”, which seem to be there only to amuse Jonathan. Personally I found them energy sapping and any investment I may have found in the actual tracks, quickly dissipated during these pointless interludes. As I stated above the sounds are not horrible, but using the same tired and repetitious sounds made my eyes twitch and made me repeat the phrase “It’s still going…”. Even when a vocal was introduced it seemed extremely stale and out of place.

I can see the talent this man possesses, but stay away from this.

Tracks to check out: Nine, It’s You BIN IT.

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k.i.s.s.i.

n.g

Photographer: Olivia Mroz Models: Kate Mchugh Darren Parisella Assitant: Millie Clayton

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Dazed and Confused It is the most confusing time to be a woman ever. As a teenager, I would be having dreams about lesbian acts one night and then being a domestic goddess the next. Although you might misinterpret this information as being a signal of my confused sexuality, it is so much more than that. Investigating the art of dream analysis led to interpretations that I was struggling to achieve balance between my masculine and feminine sides of self. This concept is something that, I believe, so many men and women are having trouble with in this era.

Gender and sex are two very different concepts yet they have somehow become confused amidst the changes we have seen in female and male status over the last few decades. My beautiful gay man-friend happens to possess the opinion that women undoubtedly possess more power than men as nature has rewarded them with the ability to procreate. Contrastingly, I just happen to feel an utmost hatred of nature for having dubbed me with this responsibility. Isn’t my body supposed to be my own damn temple?

I don’t want to succumb to the biological urge to sacrifice my body like some form of bun oven yet I feel as if I am doomed. As if one day, a light switch will suddenly go off in my brain and I will just robotically seek to create wedlock with the next man I see on the street. The worst part is that at the age of twenty, I already feel the cluckiness in my loins whenever I see anything less than half my size. Even inanimate objects inspire “oohs and aahs,” like for example, the miniature Nike sneakers you see that are the size of your pinkie finger. Even miniature cupcakes send me in a surge of protect and nurture mode.

The confusion continues in all walks of life starting with dress sense and ending with social relations. I sometimes walk out of the house in a floral dress feeling confident and sassy.

It is only when I catch myself in a reflection and feel repulsed do I go back home and throw on an oversized shirt and shorts. I want to feel independent and capable yet I also want to feel taken care of and adored. Despite the progress made for women’s rights, I can’t deny that as a Feminist, I still perceive the quality submissiveness as a feminine trait.

It’s so easy to get caught up in a whirlwind of paradoxes when it comes to discussing this. Women want to be treated as equal to men in all arrays of life yet we still insist on men having tact when it comes to discussing issues revolving our weight. We encourage women to have a corporate role just to break the mould of biologically predisposed ‘caregiver.’ However, when women selectively choose to be housewives, it is easy for men to be accused of Sexism when he gets angry that his dinner isn’t on the table upon his arrival home. If I were in their position, I would be pissed too. But I am an extremely hungry girl so we may call that a wash.

The paradoxes can be seen everywhere which cause us to create shifts in how we act, feel and project ourselves to others. All aspects of gender have become institutionalised to a point where I feel as if I am constantly second guessing myself when it comes to being a woman in this society. If I ask a person of the opposite sex to coffee will they think I am doing it for platonic or romantic reasons? Furthermore, how do I communicate what I want in this situation given that I could either want to be friends with the dude or want something more? To theorise is one thing, I suppose, but to live is another. All I can do is to look within myself and the moment I am existing in to see what feels right at the time.

What is exciting about this time frame is that there are cracks in everything – but that is how the light gets in.

By Millie Claytom 48

Punk Rocker

Tommi Ravish

Jesus shit! Ladies and gentlemen I have not got the time or the energy or vocabulary to articulate exactly what I am feeling at this very moment, but darlings I have the passion and the panache to give it a good hard go anyway. You don’t know this but I care about you almost as much as I care about myself, and that is saying something. I just wanted to let you know that because I am about to fall apart and disintegrate into madness, and before I go I just want you all to know how amazing I am and how much I love that, and that you are all a close second.

So lets jump right into it then, balls deep, and see if I survive.

The madness, Darlings, is coming from a tune that will not go away. It’s a wee little diddy that is playing over and over in my mind and I cannot be rid of the damn thing. The problem isn’t that it won’t go away, it’s that the whorish song makes me so bloody angry, it almost infuriates me as much as the time my mother made me watch the biggest loser (choke on a scone you dirty old cow!). That however is not the end of my troubles, anger I can deal with, it’s the love that is destroying me, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. The song is cute, it is catchy, it’s short, but it is also a fucking joke.

I suppose we are at that point in our little piece. The song is I wish I was a punk rocker by The Devil Sandi Thom. Like the rest of us poor souls you have no doubt heard it before, and for that I am sorry (though I have no reason to be, if I have to suffer surely so must other people). The tune is great and her voice is delightful, but don’t be fooled. I love the the title line, I too wish I was a punk rocker with flowers in my hair, it’s a shame the rest of the lyrics aren’t worth being pissed on by a troll with a urinary tract infection.

The song basically states, and I will be basic because some of you aren’t exactly on my level of thinking (especially since I can’t remember how many glasses of vodka I’ve had), that the present day is shit because people don’t care about anything. Well I take umbrage! I bloody well care you filthy hippy! I swear it on the corpse of my beloved pet parrot (peace be with you my foul mouthed friend). I bet you care as well, at least I hope you do. Our parents are different when compared to us because they aren’t us. Their parents were different too and I think they cared about things as well, gods bless them they had it so much harder didn’t they? they like to tell us so.

This world is remarkable, we have so much and we can do so much and to say we don’t care is insulting. I would go into all the amazing accomplishments we have achieved but quite frankly it is all above and beyond me, I wouldn’t know where to begin and I would probably never finish.

Where was I going with this? I don’t even bloody know anymore. My glass is empty and that is my cue. Ta ta my darlings.

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Image from shareheads.com

Written by Maria Finna

Lauren Winzer is the ultimate internet-personality-anomaly, tattoo artist, visual artist and instagram icon. Lauren is most commonly known for her tattoo artistry. She works at Hunter & Fox Tattoo in Sydney, alongside owner and fiancée Heath Nock. Lauren’s web notoriety began on her tumblr page a personal blog littered with pictures of her paintings and illustrations. Over time her blog transitioned into more of a work documented portfolio, as she entered into her apprenticeship training under the tutorship of Heath. Just short of two years into her career as a tattoo artist, she’s already made her mark with an instantly recognisable style of thick traditional lines, iconic pop and disney-style characters and a whole lotta kawaii crystallisations. She’s even succeeded at adding her own flavoursome brand to the staple pop-cultural imagery that so many clientele wish to adorn their skin. Lauren’s multi-genre spanning ability also crosses over onto paper, as she depicts her adoration for things scaled, feathered and furred. Magical and naturalistic illustrated watercolours allude to other worlds within, a vastness and wilderness of spirit.

Having tens of thousands of online followers could confuse or get to a girls head, but Lauren’s kept her feet on the ground and her mind and heart open, which is an uncommon and refreshing characteristic to behold. In an interweb climate where self sexpoiltation will get you everywhere, Lauren has made a name for her self through her talent, originality and 4realness. Her sensuality, sexuality and beauty translates effortlessly reflecting what lies within, as her pin pricks ink their way to our hearts.

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photographer: olivia mroz creative diretor: maria finna art work behind model: tommi arm model: lauren winzer

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Are you a visual artist or a tattoo artist first? Which title do you identify with the most?

This is the hardest question ive been asked i think! foremost i think a visual artist but in saying that a lot of the drawings i do now are done in a tattooable way, im now always wary of how close my lines are to each other etc now that i tattoo and know what works in that way whereas before i tattooed id just do as many lines as i want and was a little more free. i think thats why i like painting so much its a chance for me to do art for me and get loose with it.

Do you wish you had more time to draw & paint? And do you have any plans to exhibit in the future?

Definitely! right this minute heath and i are frantically painting for our second flash day in the past month and its so hard to find time! a typical day for me is get up get to work at 10:30 tattoo/draw all day get home about 8-9:30 have takeaway and a coffee and draw until 123am ish most nights so we really dont have time for anything at the moment! after we get married this year we might both start taking it a bit easier so we can both paint more, i havent painting for myself in a long time now and its disappointing, time management isnt my jam haha!

is a teeny tiny town in the middle of the royal national park, we had things like crawtchie day where the whole town goes fishing for yabbies with meat in stockings then we would all race them at the local pub haha! im super happy i grew up there just to appreciate nature a bit more, especially now that i live in the city its a lot harder to remember that theres more If you don’t mind me saying, you have outside of all the business that goes on around an adorable bogan accent. Where did you. you pick it up from? And do you proudly represent?

Your illustrated water colours convey an Haha thank you! im actually super proud of that appreciation and love for flora and fauna. being in this interview because people don’t ever Where does your love of nature stem from? expect me to sound the way i do (including the Definitely from where i grew up, ive lived around potty mouth) i grew up in helensburgh which deer and possums and lizards everywhere. i love pretty much every animal/bird ive ever come in contact with. theyre just so interesting and different from specie to specie. theyre also super fun to paint because there are so many different parts to their aesthetic different colours and different textures, its a challenge!

When you first started tattooing, did you ever feel bad about hurting people, pricking them with your needle, sometimes making them bleed? Or do you generally have a strong stomach and tolerance for needles, blood and pain?

Haha yes!!!! not only am i seriously frightened of medical needles and blood but i tattooed my partner and best friend in the same day for my first real tattoos and i cried like 3 times that day (once when i was tattoo-ing) its so hard to White Elephant Arts: www.facebook.com/whiteelephantarts

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my job im really talkative and i have these girls, mostly, who will write me all this really outgoing stuff online and then they get in and dont have anything to talk about, no opinions, sometimes dont even look me in the eye! i guess they can take the time to word things certain ways online or take a photo to make them look a certain way online whereas in real life its in real time.

Why do you think some instagram webfamous personalities have amassed such ridiculously large fol-lowings for posting vapid, insubstantial content? And what are your thoughts on why web culture, or culture in general has veered in this direction?

To be honest i have no idea! most of them arent even interesting! i know some are followed for inspration whether it be weight, hair or any other part of their appearance maybe people want to look like them so they want to see what products they use or clothes they wear etc i know a lot of people also follow personalities like that because they like to lurk and gossip and think that these people have more interesting lives than their own when in actual fact they probably have really lame lives and thats why they are online so much taking the time to make up this big fake importance about themselves. i must admit i follow some of these train wrecks myself! i cant even explain why!

Do you equate web notoriety to success?

Definitely not! some of the most successful and talented artists (in all different forms) arent recognised on the internet. its really just the luck of the draw i think. sometimes your talent will see someone you love in pain because of you get you known online other times you just get and it definitely showed on both of them that known for other people knowing you then boom day which freaked me out! im fine now because everyone knows you, but maybe just knows you i know that they are 1. both little sooks 2. they for nothing. wow i said known so much!!! when i are literally asking for it and i know what it feels put up a tattoo im really proud of no one really like and how rewarding it feels to get through “likes” it but tattooists will like it and thats way the pain so i dont really think about it anymore. more important because they are my artistic i dont even realise what body part im tattooing peers and people i look up to, and that makes for the most part im just so concen-trate. getting me feel like ive done a successful tattoo then tattooed doesnt feel like a sickening feeling its i’ll post something that has hello kitty in it or more of a hot annoying pain so its definitely not something and it gets all these likes or gets something im scared of and when i tattoo blood really popular online and it isnt even that good doesn’t like squirt me in the face or anything i of a tattoo its just because of the subject, and dont really notice it for the most part :) that doesnt mean as much to me.

In your line of work you get to meet a lot of people, many that you ’ve connected with online. Do you ever find that the way people portray themselves online deviates from their real life personalties?

Most definitely. its actually so weird! because of

Do you have any strange OCD quirks or superstitions?

I flick cans of soda 3 times in fear they will explode when i open the lid, and i will never ever ever share dairy it just freaks me out!

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Do you hold any spiritual beliefs?

To be honest im not sure yet! im still kind of figuring myself out and sometimes i will feel strongly towards something then it dies of a little so im kind of just waiting for a mo-ment!

How do you keep your spirit clean?

By being alone. im constantly around a million people and to refresh myself i just spend some time by myself. most of the time doing nothing!

If you started your own religion, what would it be called? What would the core principles be? And would there be a deity to worship?

I actually asked heath what he thought i would do and at the same time we just said “sick cunts� haha i dont think i could start my own religion because it would be one with not many rules and i dont think that would work somehow! i think we would all just worship gold chains though haha! ;) Do you ever dance like a naked nymph in the woods? And if so, what is your favourite song to dance to?

I cant say i have but if i did i think it might be to heartbeats-the knife .. i guess i have some dancing to do!

www.laurenwinzer.com

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By Kieth Nallawalla

Get A Job Kid For some reason I end up talking to high school kids a lot. Though almost everything they say concerns and terrifies me, one thing that I find immediately alarming is that some of their parents encourage them not to get jobs during high school.

Though I don’t really have the credentials to advise anyone on how to live their lives, I’ve learned from my experience that this is not a great long term strategy.

My parents encouraged me not to get a job in school.

They didn’t want it to get in the way of my grades. So I spent most of high school with no money and wasted plenty of time on MSN Messenger chatting up hotties (this was before social networks) where I probably could have been earning money, meeting new people and learning skills that I could use to manage money and put on a resume.

After high school no one wanted to hire me cos I was 18+ and had no work experience. It was frustrating because a lot of places preferred hiring cheaper, younger people for the hours I’d have wanted (after uni hours) and other places wouldn’t hire someone who hadn’t worked in such a job before.

I think all teenagers should aim to get a part time job whenever possible during school. No shame in doing a few years in fast food if it means you will be able to easily get a job in the future. I’m not saying to stick to a fast food or retail career, just do it long enough to comfortably survive university so you can get a real fancy job down the track.

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Interviewed by Cam Johns Tell me about your life before music: I was born in Melbourne, and brought up by my mother and grandparents.

My father passed away when I an infant which gave me a different perspective on what the family unit means. Funnily enough my first real connection to art wasn’t through music but through film, mainly the old epic theatre films like Ben Hur, as well as those incredible low budget fantasy and sci-fi classics like Conan The Barbarian, Battle Beyond The Stars, The Dark Crystal, and Jason and the Argonauts. I did the standard school education, and even went to University (although I swore I’d never do it). Lived in Melbourne my whole life and been making music for a number of years now but really had a new perspective once I started exploring the nightlife Melbourne has to offer. I think exploring live and electronic music in bars and clubs, combined with my passion for music and creativity, really pushed me to pursue music seriously.

How did you get started in the music business?

I’d say my musical journey started in primary school. I joined the rock band as a vocalist and soon felt I had a real passion for it. Since then I’ve been in a few bands of my own and had the opportunity to work with some great talents both known and unknown. It’s been a sometimes slow yet eye opening musical growth understanding what music really means to me.

Describe your sound for me.

First and foremost I’d say I’m a pop artist with soul leanings. I’m most interested in amalgamating the organic with the synthetic. I’m an enormous fan of soul, jazz, blues, and funk but I also have a passion for electronic production, sampling and synthesis. I guess my ultimate aim is to bring an old world feel to a new world sound. I’m still trying to define it, and I think I’ll be doing that my whole life.

With your great power ful voice, have you had any vocal training or was it just natural?

I’ve had training at different stages in my life. This mainly came about due to a vocal condition I have where one of my vocal cords is permanently scarred. This can be challenging at times but it simply means I have to be more prepared and warmed up than some others. Any training I do now is to give my voice the best chance to perform well.

Why do you make music?

Well first and foremost I make it for myself. I think you have to do it for yourself and then hope that others will connect to it. I do it to elicit emotion and to tell a story – there’s something very powerful when you combine music and storytelling, whether it be in narrative form or otherwise. Finding the song, crafting it, and delivering it can be a very confusing and elusive process, it can be a battle – but I guess it’s that journey of discovery that is so important.

Which artists and/or people inspire and influence you?

There are so, so many, but I think the most noteworthy old-school influences have been, Marvin Gaye, Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, Jackie Wilson, Luther Vandross, Donny Hathaway and Aretha Franklin. But then there are some artists in the last decade or so that I simply am in awe of, such as, Jamie XX, Lana Del Rey, James Blake, Kimbra, The Black Keys, Azari & III, The Weeknd, Frank Ocean and Outkast.

Any artists you would love to work with?

Definitely Kanye West. Also Azari & III, Frank Ocean, Outkast and Daft Punk.

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What are you plans for the future? Album?

Touring?

Right now I’m concentrating on writing. I’ve compiled a whole bunch of musical ideas, recordings, and lyrics with an aim to develop them further for a future release. I’d love to tour at some stage in the next year but I want to make sure I have a strong collection of songs first. An album would be such an achievement, but as some very wise people have told me, it all starts with the song.

What are you listening to at the moment?

Right this second I’m listening to Daft Punks Random Access Memories.

Tell me about the making of ‘ You ’ve Been Left Behind ’ and how did you come about working with M-Phazes?

I’d begun work on the song with a producer by the name of Count Bounce. I’d met him through a mutual friend Bobby Flynn who had recently completed work on an album that Count Bounce produced.

I really dug his philosophy and approach to Bobby’s album and loved his use of sounds. Count Bounce really helped me lay the foundation work for You’ve Been Left Behind and it sounded great, but listening back I feel we never really hit the nail on the head with it. I was introduced to the idea of working with Phazes through his manager Nate Flagrant and Mark Richardson. Phazes had a different approach to the track which I encouraged and welcomed. He really turned the musical focus around incorporated the heavy synths in the introduction and verses which I thought breathed a whole new life into the song. He was a great pleasure to work with and I have high respect for both Phazes and Count Bounce – as well as the Melbourne Hip Hop community at large. Their no nonsense and no drama approaches really force you to do the best you can.

I think about it – but whatever I do and however it’s executed I’ll make sure it’s an exciting and emotive musical and visual experience. I’d love to play around with some digital art concepts, and projection pieces – but all in all I think I’ll keep it simple. The music will be the real force behind it all.

Outside of music, what hobbies and interests do you have?

I’m a bit of a schitzophrenic when it comes down to it. Firstly I have to say I’m a film fanatic and studying screenwriting so I’m forever writing down thoughts and ideas and working on a project or two. I have a real hunger for stories, history and anything odd and unique – always reading some article or watching a TED talk about something I never truly understand haha. On the stranger side, I’m a bit of an armchair expert of the Titanic, it’s one of those stories you hear in your childhood that never ceases to interest. Like most people I enjoy a good house party and a night out but I could be doing anything from touring an old mental asylum (which I did recently in Beechworth, Victoria) to eating Japanese take-out while watching bad reality T.V. If you were to create a National Public Holiday, what would it be and when would it be?

This is such a frustratingly great question. Hmmm.

I think a public holiday revolving around food – any type of food - would be perfect. Free food, if at all possible. And cake. Cake would probably fall into the food category but I’m just making sure.

Maybe call it – FFDC (Free Food Day & Cake)?

Check out Jack’s single You’ve been left behind Here or on Youtube, we highly recomend it.

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Where did you hear about Brian Funnekotter and how was the collaborative process in making your music video?

I actually wasn’t sure there would be a video to accompany the song until I was told it was online. It was a great surprise to see the clip and I think Brian did a very creative and fantastic job with the stop animation and illustration. So I guess you could say there was no actual collaborative process, but the result was quite a nice surprise.

Why should someone come to one of your shows?

I think intimacy and honesty are two words that come to mind immediately. I’m a person who wears his heart on his ‘vocal sleeve’ on stage and I think that’s a very important quality for an artist to have when they are playing live. Performing in the past I’ve earned a bit of a reputation from friends as a bit of a showman so maybe the words intimacy and honesty seem a little out of place now that 59

Samuel

Shanahoy

By Nicole Wilson

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eet Australian femme transboy who likes eating out of trash cans, Samuel Shanahoy. Identifying as a boy and describing his style by using words like angel, baby, freak and sixty nine, it’s not easy to envision Samuel’s creations without having them in front of you. Delve deeper and hearing about what Samuel offers up as some of his inspirations makes the picture become a lot clearer. Dropping influences such as teen culture, pop culture, the 90’s, My So Called Life, Clueless, John Waters films, Daria and others, you really start to get a fill for what the colourful and quirky imagery of Samuel Shanahoy may entail.

Unfortunately we have to warn you that any expectations you may have prior to viewing his work will be exceeded, so there really is little point entering his world with preconceived ideas. The only way someone can really get a feel for Samuel’s passion for cinematography, character development and aesthetic is by actually viewing his work. There’s an air of cheekiness and playfulness to Samuel’s work that some people may label ‘provocative’, however he has made them so intentionally to allow for an exploration into, why? Why is some subject matter perceived as provocative or risqué whilst others are deemed socially acceptable? Have we not reached a point in history where we can look at selfexpression subjectively? These are all valid questions that Samuel’s work acts as a springboard to discuss. It’s hard to say if Samuel knows how important and relevant art that raises these types of questions is to today’s youth, especially in Australia were we still live a largely sheltered life. Whether Samuel is aware of it or not, doing so puts him in a category of artist that are pushing the boundaries of Australian art and using their creative niche’ to lend a voice to the weirdos, the outcasts and the confused.

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Nowowe Akihido

by Maria Finna

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Nowowe Akihido AKA Aki, lives a poetic nomadic creative lifestyle. Born and raised in Chiba just minutes out of Tokyo, he’s been painting and drawing prolifically since he was 3. The imagery that inhabits his mind is part abstract, part expressionist, and part surreal. Richly coloured and textured, his work imparts an organic sentiment as he endeavours to uniquely translate the undying beauty that resides within all living things.

are living next to my box like the room is connected. Some of them are painted on the walls, which makes them inconvenient neighbours because they can’t come with me when I move.

Most of your paintings have beautiful stories behind them but sometimes appear paradoxically ‘scar y ’, Is that intentional?

I don’t find my imagery scary. I want to be genFor the past decade Aki’s has travelled and ex- uine and show things with emotional honesty, It’s hibited in places like the U.S, Germany, Poland the only way to be beautiful, to paint beautiful, and Belgium just to name a few, returning every its real, its what I have to paint. I’m not trying to so often to the motherland to prepare for the paint dark, I’m just doing what I’m doing and it next adventure. Now that his feet are planted in somehow ends up like this. How I can be so happy Australian soil (for the time being) I got to visit in this sick world without painting? his studio and talk about his travels, his desire to You ’ve travelled extensively over the create and his personal philosophies. past decade. How do you supplement funds for your travels in between exhibiYour imager y is surreal and ver y dreamtions abroad? like, what is the primar y subject matter I have a strong belief that as an artist it is posof your work?

My work is really personal, it’s only about me, my sible to live solely off your art. I very rarely do thoughts, desires. Even the imagery of women are anything other than art for money. I sometimes do representative of myself. I do not focus on using street portraiture, I also do pet portraits, commispainting as a tool in the way that, for example, sions, murals, and yumeya.

John Lennon used music as a tool to express a message. I paint to express what I’m feeling in the moment, that’s what I want to paint all the time.

That of course depends on if I had rice or bread for breakfast, if I have clean underwear on, who I’ve been hanging out with, what country I’m in, what the weather’s like, if I’m in my room...

Yumeya?

Yumeya is a session where people sit and explain their dreams to me and I illustrate them. Dreams are the same as feelings from your past memories, there is no other way to record that experience other than to draw it and re-experience it. I believe dreams are a real experience. The feelings we have during our dreams are real and they What ’s your creative process?

Usually I follow my hand. It’s a process of evolu- shouldn’t just be laughed away, we should action, it just keeps going until it’s independent from cept their reality. me. I’ve recently started creating animation using Why is it so important to express yourself the same principle. The best condition for me to creatively? Do you express yourself more paint is when I feel like I’m just watching what my with paint then words? hand is doing. This is what I’d like to feel every I think words are shit, I don’t believe in words. The time I paint, but it’s not always like that. When I’m most stupid inventions are words and vibrators. experiencing this, I feel like my concentration is Don’t use a vibrator if you’re a painter, use hands, high and it feels really good. trust hands, hands are everything.

You paint a self portrait ever y year on your birthday, why?

To celebrate. It’s also interesting to see how I see myself change every year, as well as seeing my style of painting change every year. I’m not set in having one style of painting, I embrace change.

You ’ve painted hundreds of images of ‘ neighbours’ and ‘ friends’, Are they real or imagined characters?

They are imagined. I call them neighbours, they

What do you do when you’re not painting?

Hang out with friends and jam with my band ‘Be nice to us’, we do experimental improvisational physical noise music.

What do you wish for the future?

I don’t know.

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Ha ppy Dre; A n Extension Sta y

By Sawyer

Had the pile of mattresses not been there outside, stacked on top of each other, we wouldn’t have ever wanted to remember the night. I remember the pills that kept us awake. The pills that pointed our direction to the mattresses for hours on. Well, it was a long night, fucking murderous and slow, and we were glued to the couch of a hotel room where we’ve imaginatively and creatively slayed ourselves. There was brain smeared on the door of the freezer, a head in the oven, an orphan drowned in the tub, and me, swinging by the neck inside the closet, in front of the sink mirror.

Smiling. Probably.

For storyline purposes, I’ll have the creep as the antagonist, the blood and cum sucking creep, guzzling beer and whatever was left of the breathable air in that puny room. When the rest of the party scudded on out the door, the creep, I swear, inhaled the air around the orphan with his feet 8 inches apart and his mouth salivating.

On the couch, a three dimensional glare reflected on all four walls of the room. The head pulled something from under the couch. Gracefully and gleefully, she pulled out a semi-automatic Remington 1100, given to us by God himself. A gift, he said. Or at least it was a holy enough moment to feel like God. We discussed who should cock and who should shoot. Or if the cocker should also be the shooter. Or if we should all just pass it around. And all the while, the creep shared stories to make himself hard. Conclusively, we stood up and the head cocked it. She turned to me and handed me the gun then innocently flashed me a grin. A gleaming one. Avec plaisir, I took it in my hands, pointed at the creep who paid no mind to the end (although protesting arrogantly through a slur of his incessant mouth), I pulled back the trigger. I shrugged my shoulders at the sound of a bang followed by a thud. None of us looked around or moved a second after. Just standing, patiently, with relief, then a sigh. The splattered brain walked up to the lifeless creep and motioned the head to examine.

Synchronously, they grabbed him by the wrists and ankles, walked him to the window, counted 1, 2, 3, 4, swinging, and tossed the filth out the window and down just missing a perfectly trimmed, square bush. The orphan sound asleep, we rested.

But in the morning, as the good would have it, the head in the oven and I walked down the stairs to the pile of stained, filthy mattresses to knock the sun down with us.

We left the orphan passed out on the queen-sized mattress and the splattered brain on the couch. They drooled while our eyes dilated to a morning peek. Eventually, the orphan awoke and joined us on top of the mattresses. We discussed how we are most likely sitting on dried up semen. Most likely.

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Image from shareheads.com

What the hell am I doing with my life?

G

ood afternoon readers. This article was written for you from the comfort of my white, clean bed in a hotel situated in Marseille, France. In a few days I shall be travelling to Milan, Italy, and the week after that I will be sunning myself into oblivion and indulging in far too many shots of Ouzo in Greece. Now I am telling you this not to pretentiously show you how amazing my life is. On the contrary, despite the fact that I am lucky enough to be in one of the most beautiful places in the world right now, or even because of it, I am really just hating on life right now. I never really empathised with people who said that they felt that their life-their existence on this planet, was meaningless. I mean, surely everyone on this Earth has a purpose, right? But right now, as the sun shines outside and the horny French couple’s continuous pounding in the hotel room next door make my sunglasses jump up and down upon this desk, I feel completely hollowed out and dark inside. And this concerns me.

(Not the sex, but the depression.)

I should be reveling in the wonder of nature by frolicking in the blue waters of the French coast.

I should be ripping the heads off fresh prawns and drinking a paralytic amount of Margaritas whilst chain smoking cheap cigarettes and ogling at the attractive locals in a lecherous manner.

Instead all I can think of doing is maybe building a window box for a house that I don’t even own, growing some Rosemary, Oregano and Thyme and just generally lounging about on the floor in my underpants, listening to Nick Cave and wallowing in the pathetic institution that is my life. And this is not a new sensation, either. For the last two months or so, there have been many an occasion where all I’ve done with my day was lie my bed, under the covers whilst the curtains are drawn and breath deeply and moan out loud. A couple of times I’ve even yelled out to the ether: “What am I doing with my life?” To be brutally honest, I’ve got no idea.

In a month’s time I will be back in Australia. I will be back at university. I will have to get a new job. I will have to find a new flat to rent. I will have to start paying my phone bill again, and doing laundry and being a committed, contributing member of society. But then what? Birthdays?

Graduation? A promotion? Death?

Basically, all I want to do for a good 6 months is eat Nutella straight from the jar, buy a record player, watch all of Wes Anderson’s films back to back and then proceed to listen to the soundtracks from said films as I gently fry onions and garlic in a listless, blithe sort of manner. However, one day, I will rise from the bed like a phoenix from the ashes. I will throw open the curtains, and I will brush my teeth. And I will sit at my computer and finish my novel. I will cry whenever I look at the photographs from my weekend in Berlin with that boy I was kinda dating, and then I will put on a clean shirt and score a wicked job at a radio station and be happy forever more.

So what I’m really trying to say is that, just for now, in a somewhat apathetic manner I am quietly going to accept that, right now, I’m a bit dead inside. I’m like a compass with no needle. I’ve got no direction, no motive, no heading. But you know what? I’m only in my 20s. I don’t know what I’m doing with my life?

So fucking what?

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Skye Sobejko

Photographer: Skye Sobejko Make-up: Elle Campbell Model: Si창n Sinnott Designer/Stylist: Shayli Harrison Hair: Tim Pascoe @ Head Studio www.skyesobejkophotography.com 76

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Kaytranada – Kaytra Todo 2013 Huh What & Where or HW&W for short, a small Los Angeles record label, is following in the tradition of Stones Throw Records and releasing some of the most interesting and slick sample based hip hop influenced music. Hosting a bevy of young artists each possessing their own individual flair, this is a label that should be watched. The artist that possessed me to trawl through the rest of the label goes by the name of Kaytranada. This Canadian beat maker has the uncanny knack to move every square inch of your body and his new release is no exception. ‘Kaytra Todo’ is 8 tracks of body moving beats that range from club bangers, like the aptly named Club Bang, to being very sensual, like All We Do. Hot Jazzybelle has to be the highlight of this release and was my first exposure to him.

As the title suggests this track is powered

by Jazz style piano and driven by a powerful drum beat that forces uncontrollable swaying of the head and shoulders. But suddenly halfway through the beat stops, and is rebuilt in a great way. With subtle beat claps and strings leading into the now pitched down piano parts, the build of the beat to its original sound is something to be in awe of. I recommend keeping one eye on anything with this guys name on it in the future.

Dexy ’s Midnight Runners – Too-Rye-Ay 1983 When I purchased a ticket to the last worthwhile festival I have attended, Harvest Festival in Werribee, I saw a certain band on the lineup that made me double take. Dexy’s Midnight Runners, the Come On Eileen guys were coming to perform. Now at the time I brushed this off until it got closer to the date of the festival, where I got a sudden urge to see them perform… at least that one track. On the day the crowd waited for it, and they waited until their last track to do it… and the crowd loved every minute of it. It made me curious as to what a whole album would sound like and with ‘Too-Rye-Ay’, their second offering, I was completely surprised at how much enjoyment I garnered while listening. Just like during their set at Harvest, this record finishes with Come On Eileen and is the perfect ending to this huge sounding and extremely energetic record.

The highlights include the saxophones, the fiddles and the amazing vocals of lead man Kevin Rowland. His passion really sets this record off, being able to soar effortlessly over all this instrumentation is quite astounding. All In All (This One Last Wild Waltz) is the best showcase of this and is the complete standout.

With its undeniable David Bowie influence, Kevin expertly sings over banjo, bass and some of the most perfectly placed violins I have heard. This record is the truest example of not judging an album by its “hit”.

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Charles Bradley – Victim Of Love 2013 Joy and pure child like glee is the best way to describe the reaction I had during my first experience of the music of American soul singer Charles Bradley. Having regrettably slept on his 2011 release ‘No Time For Dreaming’ I was adamant in not letting his latest release escape from me. From the opening seconds of lead single Strictly Reserved For You I knew that ‘Victim Of Love’ had to be the next record I bought. The need to hear his album consumed me, so to fill that void I researched his life, and what a life he had. Documented in the inspiring film Charles Bradley: Soul Of America, showcasing his rise from James Brown impersonator named “Black Velvet” to recording his first solo record at the age of 62. It showed his willingness to never give in and his general optimism with life, even when life threw out roadblocks. All of these events helped shape his voice, which is full of passion, pain, anguish, and of course love.

When Charles sings, you sit down and listen.

The title track is by far my personal favourite.

Victim Of Love isn’t the most complex song instrumentally, but showcases Charles’ passion and power in his voice incredibly.

With just an acoustic guitar, backing vocals, and a slight percussive rattle, Charles sings about being so in love he feels like a slave to it. By just a simple look, he can’t escape this love. This record sent shivers down my body with how amazing it sounded and will continue to do so all year.

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RDZB ft E-man – Dirty Little Dancing Shoes 2012 Young Melbourne duo RDZJB are not hampered by style or genre. Although describing themselves as ‘folklektro’ they incorporate many different styles, including the latest single going down the route of hip hop. An extremely catchy hook is the driving force behind ‘Dirty Little Dancing Shoes’. Featuring a simple guitar lead then incorporating heavy synths that hit hard, every sound adds a little something. Also featuring the vocal style of the recently deceased Emanuele Paku Tausinga, a.k.a E-Man, who flowed really nicely over this at times hectic beat. A talented artist in his own right, who did not get to reach his full potential. The song is now available through iTunes and all proceeds will be given to Beyond Blue. It’s worth a listen.

Image by fensterbme on Flickr

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Egg

Photographer: James Whineray www.jameswhineray.com Model: Egg eggeggeggegg.tumblr.com

Interviewed by Olivia Mroz Tell us a little about your creations: I often dream about design ideas before I make them. I had this one dream where I was in this amazing shop that sold dangling wool earrings in an arrange of colours. I remember I woke up disappointed that I didn’t think of that first.

Not too long after I realised I was an idiot and made some earrings that day.

I also source all my fabric, thread, bits and bobs from second hand shops.

What do you do in your spare time?

Ride my bike, spy on my neighbour Sue, frolick at the beach while befriending dogs, think about dinner and why I still have a crush on Richard Gere.

sure if it was on purpose or not, but I secretly love her.

What ’s your favorite thing to wear?

I have a t-shirt with the map of Middle Earth in the design of London’s underground.

Somebody, somewhere (possibly dressed in some-sort of elvish cloak) thought of this, and I want to hug them.

What inspires you to create?

While living abroad in Tokyo last year I was completely amazed at the fearless attitude towards dressing oneself. The Japanese’ attention to detail is unlike any other - I spent most of my days people-watching and eating connivence store boiled eggs, while mesmerised by the colours, the clashes and the individual creativeness.

I desire to see more colour and vibrance back here! I’d love to see girls and boys become more daring with their approach to fashion and not shy away from the unusual.

Who’s your favorite designer?

I don’t have one... Instead I would say I am inspired by the kids of Tokyo who re-mix and re-design their clothing for themselves. My favourite “designers” are the incredible shop/ studio spaces hidden around Tokyo that house young creatives re-making second hand Why do you create? clothes and basically having fun with fashion.

I want to be rid of boring fashion! Un-original, What is the concept for your next mass-produced clothes that every second person wears. I’d hope that others will regnozie collection?

To be honest I never know until I start making that you don’t have to be a fancy-pants design it! Mostly, it’s not until I make a mistake that I student to create your own things. Just egg it! realise what I want to create and just try and The dodgier the better! keep with the same materials. I’m obsessed with matching colours with accessories and What do you do while you create?

If i’m not huddled on my bed late at night with clashing fabrics.

The only thing certain is there will always be a unfinished necklace and Hugh Grant, I’ll be drinking copious amounts of tea and hassling colour! my male housemate to model all the pieces What ’s the most embarrassing thing you ’ve as femininely as possible. He does a great job as he has long hair and looks more like a girl seen fashion wise?

Once I saw a woman casually wearing an than me. evening dress with a trucker hat. I wasn’t quite

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Gracie Currier-Tait Photographer: Gracie Currier-Tait Model: Renee Marino

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Submissions

If you have something you would like to be in our next issue please do not hesitate

submissions@yirmag.com You can check out our guidlines for submissions at yirmag.com/submission/

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