Make It Mag Issue 5

ISSUE 5: NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2012

BRINGING YOU THE VERY BEST OF INDIE FROM AROUND THE GLOBE! 1

YOU CAN NOW BUY SOME FABULOUS INDIE GOODIES TO FILL YOUR

CHRISTMAS STOCKING!

CHECK IT ALL OUT AT MIM.COM/SHOP 2

It's Christmas!

IT'S CHRISTMAS AND IT'S MIM'S FAVOURITE TIME OF YEAR. WE'RE WRAPPING UP WARMLY EACH MORNING AND BRAVING THE ELEMENTS TO GET TO THE MAKE IT MAG OFFICE. THIS ISSUE IS STUFFED LIKE A CHRISTMAS TURKEY AND CRAMMED LIKE YOUR YULETIDE STOCKING. WE FEATURE EVERYTHING FROM SKIING BEARS, LEATHER CRAFTERS, SPACE WOLVES AND CHRISTMAS RECIPES TO FLAT EARTHS, MAKE BELIEVE POODLES, PHOTOS OF CHINA AND BITING PARENTS. WE ALSO INCLUDE AN EXCLUSIVE CHRISTMAS SECTION FEATURING A TASTER OF EVERYTHING TO DO AT THIS SPECIAL TIME OF YEAR. SO GRAB YOUR MITTENS AND A CUP OF HOT COCOA AND HAVE A GOOD LONG READ OF ISSUE FIVE OF MAKE IT MAG! HOPE YOU ENJOY! MAGGIE & THE TEAM MIM

Contents

ART & CRAFT

6

MUSIC

20

CHRISTMAS

30

SPACE

40

PHOTOGRAPHY

54

HANDMADE

60

AGONY AUNT

64

3

COMICS

46

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FREE DOWNLOADABLE EP WE ALL LOVE FREE THINGS, ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY ARE FREE DOWNLOADABLE MUSIC GIFTS FROM MIM’S UNDERGROUND RADIO VAULT. VOLUME FIVE INCLUDES SOME FANTASTIC INDIE TREASURES, BROUGHT TO YOU BY INDIE BANDS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE. CLICK THE LINK TO DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE COPY NOW! HOPE YOU ENJOY! MAGGIE & THE TEAM MIM

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THE ALUSKAS WALKING IN THE SNOW (From the Single 'Merry Christmas To You') thealuskas.bandcamp.com

Kicking off this Christmas Cracker of an EP are Great Western, an epic Alt Country outfit from Vermont, US.

This breezy gem is the B-side of The Aluskas first Christmas single. Both sides are set to become festive favourites.

GREAT WESTERN FEELING GOOD (From the EP A Great Western EP) greatwesternvt.bandcamp.com

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YASAMIN AL-TIAY 'PLATINUM & GOLD' (From the Single) www.yasaminmusic.com

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This song is a sweet introduction to Miss Al-Tiay and her soon-to-be-released debut EP is a treat we're all looking forward to.

SPACE WOLVES (((IT BROKE) MY HEART) (WHEN YOU FORGOT)) MY NAME (From the LP Space Wolves) space-wolves.bandcamp.com

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The first of two songs from new Buffalo duo, Space Wolves, this crazily bracketed title is punk-pop gold.

SPACE WOLVES 6TH STREET (From the Album Space Wolves II) space-wolves.bandcamp.com

'6th Street' is the opening track from Space Wolves 2nd album which was released only one month after their debut.

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SOFA CITY SWEETHEART STANLEY WAITED (From the Album The J. Lopez Collective) sofacitysweetheart.bandcamp.com

Think lo-fi Dolly Parton and you're somewhere in the region of this talented gal from Atlanta.

Wrapping up our festive EP is this sighing, Kinks style nugget from SCS's double album named after mainman J. Lopez.

ANNA KRAMER I LIKE TO HAVE YOU NEAR (From the Album Anna Kramer) annakramer.bandcamp.com

5

4

ells sleigh b

ring...

ou y e ar

?

listenin

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IN THIS BUMPER EDITION OF MIM, WE GIVE YOU MANY ART & CRAFT DELIGHTS TO KEEP YOU WARM THROUGHOUT THE WINTER. WE FEATURE EVERYTHING FROM ICE SKATING BEARS, FELINE FANATICS AND LEATHER CRAFTERS TO ROCK 'N' ROLL INSPIRED ILLUSTRATORS AND THE TRUE WEIRDNESS OF A MIM DESIGNER!

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MIM

Art & Craft

DESPINA GERONYMAKI

"I have to admit to being an almost compulsive painter and I tend to get anxious when I am not working for more than a couple of days" 8

MIM

ART & CRAFT: DESPINA GERONYMAKI

UK

MIM

The Little Fox (aka Despina) is a picture crafter, imagination enthusiast and daydreamer based in the UK. She currently lives in a small fox hole with her special fella and their Siamese cat. When she was but a munchkin, she filled her every waking moment drawing, reading and weaving her own fairy tales. She had one too many curious thoughts and too many questions for her poor parents.

UK

Years later, when her forever-child-of-a-soul awkwardly found itself in a grown-up's body, she started painting those curious thoughts and ideas. In early 2009, she created The Little Fox, (after her favourite character from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's The Little Prince) an online emporium of her art, paper goods and jewellery etc. She now spends (most of) her days in her little cosy studio, surrounded by vintage children's books and toys, her beloved Blythe dolls old fairy tales listening to music from the 20's and 30's.

MIM: CAN YOU TELL US WHAT YOU LOVE ABOUT PAINTING?

MIM: CAN YOU DESCRIBE YOUR TECHNIQUE?

DG: Gosh, there are so many things, I almost don't know where to start! I think I love that moment when a piece is finished and I can see what began as only an idea in my mind staring back at me from the canvas... I also love moment I sit down to start work on a new piece and I have a blank canvas in front of me (yep, pun is intended!).

DG: I love creating the 'stories' behind each work... sometimes I know my curious little characters before even realising them on canvas but sometimes their story reveals itself while the painting is in progress. One can never know, I guess! I never do preliminary sketches as I pretty much 'see' the final composition as I am working on the idea behind the painting in my mind. I do all my sketching directly on canvas, and as I work primarily in acrylics – which dry very fast – I can always go back and repair any mistakes, or things that don't look right!

I have been infatuated with painting ever since I could hold a paintbrush.

I think that being an only child reinforced my need to keep myself occupied with a creative hobby; I was always scribbling, drawing or painting something.

Perhaps, in a way, I was creating imaginary playmates all that time. I loved (and still do) old fairy tales and folklore and their ubiquitous language and this has shaped my own work immensely, even from a very early age. I have to admit to being an almost compulsive painter and I tend to get anxious when I am not working for more than a couple of days.

I paint and draw what appeals to my aesthetic and it makes me extremely happy that people respond and quite often relate to my little curious characters.

I think that subconsciously when I am creating something new, I want it to be something that I absolutely would love myself and I am a firm believer that when you infuse your work with yourself, chances are someone else will love it too.

You can buy my prints on Etsy at www.thelittlefox.net

Mim: Beeeautiful, thanks Despina!

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MIM

ART & CRAFT: BAUBIE SUNSHINE

BAUBIE

EIRE

SUNSHINE

10

MIM

Baubie Sunshine (aka Natalie McGlynn) is a Mixed Media Artist and Illustrator from Dublin, Ireland. She is responsible for designing this magazine and after much demand, she is now being interviewed inside it! With a deep love for all things weird and wonderful, Natalie has adorned many things with her quirky designs, including an illustrated picture book, Cranium Kid (the boy of the head) and The Baubie Sunshine Goodie Boutique which holds her prints, jewels and other knick knacks. Let the fantasy fuelled weirdness take you over, we love her - you should love her too!

EIRE

“AND where would I be without MIM? You guys let me run riot round here, I LOVE it!"

MIM: WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT DESIGNING? BAUBIE: It's got to be the feeling. If you are arty, you'll understand that if you haven't designed anything in a while, you start twitching and getting cranky. Then once you can create something, you feel energised and happy again. It's a great feeling (unless of course you create something really crap and then you feel worse than before!). I think by putting the things you've experienced in your life into your creative work, you can really express yourself very well. But, you might ask, "when did you experience a lady with a deer head and antlers?" That's clearly expressing my love for weirdness and hope that things aren't always as they seem!

MIM: YOU DESIGN BOOKS, COMICS AND PRINTS. WHAT'S YOUR FAVOURITE? BAUBIE: I function better when I have LOADS going on, that's why I like to try my hand at a alot of different creative things. Comics are a pretty new thing for me, however the ones I do are very similar to illustrated stories so it came naturally enough to me. I would admit that if I had to choose one thing it would have to be illustrating books... there's nothing like it! I want all the characters I come up with to have their own book, problem is it might take me 60 years. AND where would I be without MIM? You guys let me run riot round here, I LOVE it! You'll never get rid of me, NEVER! MIM: WHAT TECHNIQUES DO YOU USE? NAT: Most of my prints are made using photographic collage. I like to design people or characters using loads of different people's faces and body parts. This way, you just never know how they're going to turn out! I either scan photos in or else I use my digital camera directly into the computer. Then I stuff everything into Photoshop and mess around until it resembles something cool. Recently enough, I've started using vector designs; I use it for my Berserk World of Mishi mini comics. It's a nice change to the photo images and like I said earlier, I like changing it up!

Mim: It's nice to hear how it's done. We obviously dig this girl's work and she's right, we won't let her go anywhere!

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www.baubiesunshine.com

VIVIENNE STRAUSS

"I like to paint images that bring out emotion in people, whether it is laughter, melancholia or nostalgia" 12

MIM

ART & CRAFT:VIVIENNE STRAUSS

US

MIM US

MIM: CAN YOU TELL US WHAT YOU LOVE ABOUT PAINTING? VS: I like to paint images that bring out emotion in people, whether it is laughter, melancholia or nostalgia. I think it is important to paint something that the viewer can connect with, not just something which is decorative.

MIM: WHERE DO YOU GET INSPIRATION FOR THE CHARACTERS YOU PAINT?

A self-taught painter with a background in Philosophy, Vivienne Strauss works predominately with oil and watercolour. She is an observer and chronicler in the actual world in which she exists and also in the world of characters she creates. With ceaseless affection for all animals which turn up everywhere in her pictures, Strauss is also an admirer of classic films and literature, namely Dorothy Parker and John Cheever and engages in vintage spelunking with a particular affinity for old photographs, timeless typography, and sartorial styles.

They all come from many different places. I have a collection of old school annuals and vintage photographs, sometimes just a name can inspire a character or an interesting face. I read a lot and also watch a slew of old movies, American and foreign so I am endlessly inspired. Many develop out of my own overactive imagination.

You can buy my prints in my Etsy shop here http://www.etsy.com/shop/vivstrauss

Mim: What a great way to cheer up your walls!

Thanks Vivienne.

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RAQUEL AGRELLA

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MIM

ART & CRAFT: RAQUEL AGRELLA

SPAIN

"I can do anything I want, any way I want without worrying about it being wrong, bad or whatever you want to call it"

MIM

Raquel Agrella is a designer and illustrator based on the Canary Islands (Spain). She’s post graduated in Fine Arts and has been working as a graphic designer & web developer since she finished college in 2005, first for agencies and now with her own business (www.pizublic. com) Even though Raquel studied art for several years, she never drew a thing apart from school assignments because she thought her illustrations weren't any good. It was only recently that she’s started to feel comfortable with it and not to care anymore what people think about her work.

SPAIN

MIM: CAN YOU TELL US WHAT YOU LOVE ABOUT ILLUSTRATING?

MIM: WHAT INSPIRES YOU?

RA: What I love about it is that I can do anything I want, any way I want without worrying about it being wrong, bad or whatever you want to call it. I've been working on commercial graphic design and website development for several years and projects do not always end up the way you wish they would because you have to limit yourself to the client's requirements for the project. Illustration is a more a straight forward process for me.

RA: Sometimes everything, sometimes nothing at all. Animals, Rock 'n' Roll or everyday things like food are often present in my work. I like to create characters too but I really don't know where the inspiration comes for it. I start drawing without anything special in mind and sometimes I like the things I do and sometimes not so much. I keep drawing and more things come up so I guess that's the big secret.

You can buy my prints at Etsy www.etsy.com/shop/pizublic

Mim: How could this lass not be happy with her work? We certainly love it. Thanks for sharing your delightfully funny pictures with us! Rock on, Raquel.

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M+T DESIGN STUDIO

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MIM

ART & CRAFT: M+T DESIGN STUDIO

TAIWAN

A LEATHER ACCESSORY FROM CONCEPTION TO COMPLETION First comes the inspiration. It could be a bag or wallet that I see in a store and makes me start thinking about how I would have made it differently. My inspiration could be from any number of things, be it something my fiancÊ says or something I observe while taking my dog for a walk through the park. But once I get inspired, that's when the fun begins! The first part of the process is usually a sketch (I tend to do a lot of my designing pretty freestyle, but sketching is still very important, especially for more complicated designs. After I am happy with the sketch, it's time to make a pattern on paper. Again, I tend to love doing things freestyle, but some designs (wallets in particular) just won’t go together properly if your measurements are off even by just a little. Next, I cut the pattern out and place it against the piece of leather I have chosen to use for the project.

I trace the pattern onto the back side of the leather and I cut out the shape of what will soon be my latest masterpiece; I like to use a combination of scissors

and specially designed leather working razors to do the job. After I have my leather pieces ready, if I intend to dye them a different colour, this is when I do it. Now that my leather is cut out and dyed, I take out my hole punching tool, hammer and a special surface for this task and I punch holes all along the edges of the pieces that are to be sewn together. Once the holes are in place, I take out my needles and string (we typically use a needle on either side of one long piece of string when working leather) and I work alongside the edges, doubling through the holes I previously made. This ensures that the piece will stay strong and intact. Finally I tie off the ends, and unless there are buttons or other accessories to be added, my work is done. If it is a custom made piece, I package it to be delivered or store in a plastic bag after rubbing it with oil to keep it from wearing out. Then I move on to the next piece.

Mim: We really like this little fresh line, it's so nice to find out how it's done, thanks M+T!

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MIM

M+T Design Studio are a leather and cloth accessory line based in Taipei, Taiwan. They have teamed up with MIM to bring us a step by step guide to what goes into creating a brand new hand sewn leather goodie.

TAIWAN

WWW . BAUBIE SUNSHINE .COM

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J E W E L S • GO O DIES •

Music

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THERE’S A WHOLE LOT OF GREAT MUSIC BEING PLAYED BY INDIE BANDS RIGHT NOW. ISSUE 4 IS CHOCK-A-BLOCK WITH REVIEWS & INTERVIEWS. WE’VE GOT THE BLANK TAPES, GUITAR MAKER JOHN MORIARTY AND THE LEGENDRY LUKE SEERY, NOT TO MENTION THE USUAL ROUND UP OF THE BEST NEW INDEPENDENT RECORDS OF THE SEASON...

OUR FAVOURITE INDIE MUSIC OF THE CHRISTMAS SEASON OUR FAVOURITE INDIE PICKS FOR THE WINTER

“a countrified blast of blazing guitars and anguished outlaw singing”

FROM: Vermont, US RELEASED: 06.11.2012 STYLE: Rock / Country / Folk / Jazz

GREAT WESTERN - A GREAT WESTERN EP [EP] Great Western are four friends from Vermont, formed in the summer of 2011. They are Jason Pappas, Patrick Melvin, Ryan Hayes and songwriter Ryan Osswald and they play a brand of rock ‘n’ roll akin to that of alt country acts like Whiskeytown & The Cardinals (with a hint of Rolling Stones swagger thrown in for good measure). Their debut shot, A Great Western EP, is a countrified blast of blazing guitars and anguished outlaw singing. Opener ‘Feeling Good’s’ skittering drum pattern and boozily confident vocal belies the fact that this EP is their first. ‘I Know A Girl’ continues in a similarly relaxed vein and the simple lead guitar figure adds a melodically mellow twist in the middle of the song. But closing track ‘Backyards’ mines a deeper, jazzy avenue. Its lyrical wisdom (that you don’t have to go far to find what you might need) is a nice message and a great way to end the record. It seems there are big things on the horizon for Great Western.

“The song glides along on a sleigh of jaunty rhythms & electrifying licks"

FROM: Dublin, Ireland RELEASED: 03.12.2012 STYLE: Rock / Christmas / Pop

THE ALUSKAS - 'MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU' [SINGLE] When we heard The Aluskas were releasing their own Christmas single, we worried that it might be no more than a festive cash-in (as most modern holiday hits are). But we needn’t have. As always, their music surprises with every turn and the A-side, ‘Merry Christmas To You’ rocks in the best way a Christmas song can, recalling the trilogy of 70’s favourites ‘Merry Xmas Everybody’, ‘I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday’ & ‘Step Into Christmas’. The song glides along on a sleigh of jaunty rhythms, electrifying guitar licks and a rolling bass line that’s sure to have you dancing all winter. Like all of The Aluskas singles so far, 'Walking In The Snow' (the B-side), is the complete opposite, replete with exquisitely layered harmonies, duelling horns and tumbling percussion. No Christmas playlist is complete without both sides of this record and even better, by downloading it, the band will donate half the proceeds to Focus Ireland, a homeless charity in their native country. Get them now and you’ll have the best Christmas you’ve had in years.

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MIM

MUSIC: REVIEWS

I

“This Buffalo duo sure make a heady brew of punk tunes for all to enjoy”

FROM: Buffalo, US RELEASED: 06.10.2012 STYLE: Rock / Jangle Pop / Lo-Fi

SPACE WOLVES - SPACE WOLVES [LP] At around only 20 minutes long, Space Wolves is an exercise in brevity. But many of the songs on display here are pop gems in waiting. This Buffalo duo (consisting of drummer Chris Scamurra and the mysteriously named singer / guitarist NLR) sure make a heady brew of punk tunes for all to enjoy.

Having spent many years together honing their sound informally, the bands’ music really began to take shape in late 2011 so in the summer of 2012, they recorded the songs that make up this album.

Featuring as it does a mix of 60’s guitar jangle and Smiths-style melodies, Space Wolves is a breezy, primal pop collection. Released in October, followed only one month (!?!) later by Space Wolves II (discussed in the next entry), this LP is adorned with iconic album artwork and features lo-fi chestnuts like ‘Cherry Tobacco’, ‘((He Wants) To Be) Your Man’ (at 2:45, the LP’s longest track), and standout ‘(((It Broke) My Heart)(When You Forgot)) My Name’ (ridiculous brackets aside).

“nicely layered and reverbed vocals and some impressive drum fills”

FROM: Buffalo, US RELEASED: 09.11.2012 STYLE: Rock / Jangle Pop / Lo-Fi

SPACE WOLVES - SPACE WOLVES II [LP] Released only a month after their self-titled debut, Space Wolves II continues in much the same vein but somehow feels more robust. It was recorded while the band waited for their first album to be sent back from the cassette manufacturers. Like their debut, this LP has been completely made by the duo alone (as well as web-design and the running of their own record label UT Records). Again, the songs on display here are first and foremost fun and most of them sound like The Smiths fronted

by Richard Hawley but this time round, the pacing is more varied. Opener ‘6th Street’ sets the tone for things to come with it echo drenched guitar and insistent tambourine while ‘Stay’ features nicely layered and reverbed vocals and some impressive drum fills. But slower moments like ‘All The Talk’ & ‘It End’s, Love’ add a weight that their debut was missing. Space Wolves plan to release a third album in January and it seems there’s no stopping these guys. Next up - world domination.

“her debut single melds a reggae rhythm with the jazzy tones of her voice”

FROM: Auckland, NZ RELEASED: 19.08.2012 STYLE: Acoustic / Folk / Jazz

YASAMIN AL-TIAY - 'PLATINUM & GOLD' [SINGLE] Born in Baghdad, Iraq, Yasamin Al-Tiay has lived most of her life in New Zealand. Upon completion of her Science degree at the University of Auckland, Yasamin attended the Nelson School of Music where she really began to carve out her own identity as a musician. ‘Platinum & Gold’, her debut single, melds a reggae rhythm with the jazzy tones of her voice which is reminiscent of Bic Runga in many ways. As a first release, it is a very inviting introduction that leaves you wanting more. She has just completed the recording of her debut EP Chasing Melodies at Little Monster Studios and is currently mixing it with Dave Parker. Yasamin has plans to tour the EP in the New Year and the first release from that record will be ‘Missed The Ark’. We are currently at a loss to comment on these recordings (as we haven’t heard them yet) but if ‘Platinum & Gold’ is anything to go by, we are in for a big treat. Yasamin is a star in the ascent.

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MUSIC: REVIEWS

“tells the story of a man who is proud to wear a moustache”

FROM: Ottawa, Canada RELEASED: 01.11.2012 STYLE: Country / Folk / Roots / Alternative

JACK PINE & THE FIRE - 'MOUSTACHE IS KING' [SINGLE] We first featured Jack Pine & The Fire in Issue #2 with a review of their self-titled debut album.

Since then, the band has continued to harvest the fruits of their labour and new single ‘Moustache Is King’ comes as a great addition to their catalogue. Like their previous LP, this single was written and produced by band leader Gareth Auden-Hole (aka Jack Pine) and was recorded at his own Wee Vox Sound Studio in Ottawa. It has been released as a charity single for the Movember Initiative with 100% of proceeds going to Movember Foundation. The song races along at a hurried pace and tells the story of a man who is proud to wear a moustache. But where most charity singles are usually nothing more that cheap novelties with no lasting appeal, Jack Pine & The Fire have gone to great lengths to ensure that they have written a song that they can proudly call their own. With its rollicking Dobro playing and sincere vocal delivery, ‘Moustache Is King’ is a tune well worth getting your hands on.

FORGOTTEN GEMS: LOST MUSIC BY OVERLOOKED OR DISBANDED INDIE GROUPS

“the albums strength is hinged on the records flowing diversity”

FROM: Atlanta, US RELEASED: 2005 STYLE: Rock / Country

ANNA KRAMER - ANNA KRAMER [LP] Anna Kramer is the debut album of the Atlanta-based singer / songwriter of the same name. Recorded at The Living Room Recording Facility with Ed Rawls and Justin McNeight, the record displays the breath of Anna’s song writing and performing ability. The songs are a mixed bag of lo-fi recordings, 50’s country & western and rootsy rock ‘n’ roll. Her voice is extremely sweet and lyrically, many of the songs are either humorously or melancholically-tinged tunes of light and airy beauty. ‘C-Song’ brings to mind the Juno soundtrack and the upbeat guitar lines in ‘I Like To Have You Near’ are splendid. But the albums strength is hinged on the records flowing diversity. The raw ‘I Can’t Take It’ and Creedence style licks of ‘I’ve Got Nothing’ sees Kramer in rock mode, while the light two step stomp ‘I Don’t Want To Be Left’ is pure country honey. This is Anna Kramer, simple, honest, catchy and sweet.

“a treasure trove of early material & forgotten gems”

FROM: Los Angeles, US RELEASED: 06.04.2010 STYLE: Pop / Rock / Acoustic / Homemade

SOFA CITY SWEETHEART - THE J. LOPEZ COLLECTIVE [LP] The J. Lopez Collective is a 30 song compilation of acoustic demos and recording experiments originally recorded in 2005 by Sofa City Sweetheart, the moniker of main man J. Lopez. It didn’t see an official release until April 2010, by which time Mr Lopez had issued the Sofa City Sweetheart EP in September 2008. When The J. Lopez Collective did eventually see the light of day, it was a treasure trove of early material & forgotten gems (quite apt for this section). Most of the songs on display here are quite short and are interspersed throughout the records more substantial offerings.

The record moves from wistful Beach Boys style ballads (‘Anna Stay Home’) and Kinksesque chug-alongs (‘Stanley Waited’) to the intertwining vocals of ‘Andy’n Me’ and the seasonal glow of ‘Christmas Times’. Fast forward to 2012 and Sofa City Sweetheart have released their first ever single, the rocking ‘The Things She Do’ which is part of his new album due out early next year. Furthermore, J. Lopez has plans to put out a Christmas LP at the end of this year but unfortunately it wasn’t finished at the time of going to press. Keep your ears open for this musical maverick.

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DON’T FOR GET TO DOWNL OAD YOUR FRE E EP WITH T HIS COPY OF M IM

GO TO

MAKEITMAG.COM 23

SPACE WOLVES

MIM

MUSIC INTERVIEW: SPACE WOLVES

US

SPACE WOLVES ARE A PUNK POP DUO FROM BUFFALO, US. THEIR MUSIC IS CONTRADICTORILY FUN, MEMORABLE, BRAZEN, THROWAWAY, UPBEAT, INSISTENT AND LASTING. WE CAUGHT UP WITH THE GUYS TO TALK ABOUT THEIR PLANS FOR WORLD DOMINATION...

MIM: WHAT ONE WORD BEST DESCRIBES SPACE WOLVES?

I’ve done a lot of these recording projects in many different genres and Chris has been involved in most of them. Sometime in the winter of 2011, Chris and I, along with our friend Dan Licata (who is an excellent Keytarist) recorded a few songs in a very similar style to what Space Wolves would eventually become. But Dan left for New York and Chris and I were left behind to develop this sound. We wrote a bunch of songs and recorded them fairly quickly. At first, we just recorded them so that the two of us could listen to something good and maybe show a couple friends, but we began to realise that we had a coherent set of songs that were pretty good. I’d written off a lot of my early work as juvenilia, but I’m 23 now (22 when Space Wolves I was recorded) and these somehow seemed different. I wanted to put out our first 13 songs on tape and Chris was on board. Tape is pretty cheap and has no lower limit for pressing. I didn’t want to get burned pressing 500 LPs for $2000, so I pressed 100 tapes for a little over $100. Nobody’s going to wish that they hadn’t pressed up 100 tapes even if none of them sell. We never really stopped writing songs and recording and before Space Wolves I came back from the factory, we already had another 12 songs in the can. So I sent those away for pressing as well. If you have a bunch of good songs that you think other people might like, why wait? That’s why we have two albums out in the space of one month.

NLR: Jeez, in one word, Space Wolves are “listenable.” I don’t know, maybe “ultracrepidarian” or “Fun” perhaps?

CHRIS: Music.

MIM: CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE ORIGINS OF THE GROUP? CHRIS: We’re not so much a group as we are two friends. The origin of our friendship dates back to middle school and we became friends due to our dissimilar interests.

NLR: Chris and I have been playing together since we were 14. I was in a metal band when I was 13, but I really wanted to be in a punk band. It took me about a year to convince Chris to play drums with me. We formed a band called The Illiterates. I got kicked out of that band.

Getting kicked out of a band is just about the worst thing that a platonic friend can do to you.

It’s the platonic equivalent of getting broken up with. It totally wasn’t Chris’s fault though.

The singer, Ian, orchestrated it. So, they kept playing together until Chris broke his leg and then Ian kicked Chris out of that band. I sort of drifted around in a few punk and hardcore bands during high school, but I was always discouraged by how hard it was to keep a band together. You either get kicked out, somebody moves or somebody else loses interest. It’s hard. Eventually, I got more involved in recording projects; bands that exist as a blip in time to write and record a few songs before consensually breaking up. There are no hard feelings that way and you get the pleasure of creating something that you like.

MIM: TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOUR TWO ALBUMS, SPACE WOLVES I & II. NLR: Space Wolves I is made up of short, up-tempo songs. Space Wolves II is a little more towards the mid-tempo side of things. The songs are a little more complex on the second tape. I think we began to really understand our own style sometime in the middle of recording Space Wolves II and it shows. There are more vocal harmonies and more guitar parts on that 24

MIM

“If you have a bunch of good songs that you think other people might like, why wait?

That’s why we have two albums out in the space of one month”

US album than the first one. It’s a more nuanced album. But Space Wolves I might be a little more fun.

Wolves II, the neck got messed up. The really twangy guitar in “6th Street” is some 50-yearold Teisco that sounds crazy. I have a couple Teisco’s. I love old Japanese guitars because they’re dirt cheap, hard to play, and all sound like garbage in really unique ways. I have a lot of cheap guitars. A few of the songs on Space Wolves II also have a custom built electric tenor guitar on them. I have a couple of tenors. I made one, one’s an old Harmony - the kind that all the skiffle kids used in the 50s - and one’s a custom job. I got that one cheap because the maker confused me with the most famous tenor guitar player of all time who, coincidentally, shares my name.

CHRIS: I guess the first album is a little sillier, or at least a little more pizza. I think it’s important that that side of us gets portrayed in the music. I think there are elements of each tape those works well.

MIM: WILL YOU RELEASE OTHER BANDS MUSIC THROUGH YOUR LABEL, UT RECORDS? CHRIS: I would be very selective with other bands joining UT Records. Our ideal band would be The Beach Boys.

The mics were really cheap as well. I tend to break nice ones so now I just use three Behringer XM1800SKs. They were about $10 a piece. I also have a couple weird old Shure mics - a Unidyne 515 and a pair of UniSphere A-Model PE585s. Those are great because they use the old timey Amphenol cables with ¼” output jacks. I ran those through guitar pedals for all of the vocals. I also have two mics that are built from old rotary phones. They sound gnarly. The keyboard is a Casio Privia using one of the organ settings. I wish I had a real organ with bass pedals. That’d be neat. The recorder device was a 16 Track Korg D-1600 MKII. It would be nice if it was 2001 but it’s a little dated now. It runs on USB 1.0 and everything takes forever to transfer. A couple of the tracks are broken and some of the wires are crossed in weird ways (i.e. the panning knobs work for tracks that don’t correspond to their placement). It is great though. My friend Brendan Finn who plays drums in Big Ups lent it to me. He went to school for audio engineering and basically taught me everything I know. He also co-wrote ‘I Watched You Go’ with me. I want him to join Space Wolves at some point.

NLR: I’ve always been a huge fan of a bunch of DIY labels like Dangerhouse & Dischord and a lot of small local ones that my friends started (Third Party, Feral Kid, Art of the Underground). When we realised that we wanted to release some songs as Space Wolves I, I jumped at the chance to start the label. I had a little extra money around to finance the releases so I did it. UT only has two releases right now, Space Wolves I & II, but a few others are in the works. I’m putting out a tape by Aaron & the Burrs very soon (they’re an instrumental surf band), a split tape by Garbage Day and Makeshift (sort of bizarre psychedelic-punk bands), Space Wolves III is coming out sometime in early 2013 and I’m working on a couple of compilation albums of old bands (kind of like the Kill By Death record series). There are also a couple hardcore bands that are in their forming (or reforming) stages that I may end up doing tapes for as well. I can’t wait to lose a ton of money on all of these projects.

MIM: ARTISTICALLY SPEAKING, WHICH FAMOUS SONG DO YOU WISH YOU HAD WRITTEN AND WHY?

MIM CAN YOU DESCRIBE THE RECORDING PROCESS OF ‘6TH STREET’ FROM SPACE WOLVES II.

NLR: This is tough. There are a ton of bands that I wish I was in and a ton of songs I wish I had written but most of them are time-specific. If I wrote Dag Nasty’s ‘Circles’ today, nobody would care. But when Brian Baker wrote it in 1985 it was incredibly new. If I wrote Middle Class’s ‘Out of Vogue’ now, it would just be another mid-tempo hardcore song but in 1979, it had a wildly fast and new sound for punk music. With that in mind, I’m inclined to pick something that’s timeless like Sergei Prokofiev’s Symphony #1 in D Major. He wrote that in 1917 but it sounds like it came straight out of 1790. It’s amazing.

NLR: As with all the other songs, I taught Chris the song, part by part and we played it through a bunch of times. When we were eventually comfortable enough with the song, we began to get some takes of it. We set up five mics, all of which were dynamic. There was one on my guitar amp, one for the snare top, two for overheads and one for the bass drum. That’s the bare bones of it - the drum track and one guitar. And with that, Chris’s job was done so he went home (though I can’t possibly overstate how important Chris is to this band, so please don’t get the wrong impression). I then began to layer the song. I doubled the rhythm guitar track and I panned each one hard left and hard right. I then sang the lead vocals and immediately doubled the melody line with a guitar line - a technique I stole from baroque and classical era composers. Mozart did that kind of stuff all the time. At this point, I added in the keyboard. I started using a keyboard instead of a bass after my bass guitars were stolen last year but I ended up really liking what it did to the songs so I kept using it. The bass-organ is a lot more consistent than bass. It just drones on the root note and gives you a great shelf on which to build every higher part. All of those little guitar noodles effortlessly float above the droning bass notes from the organ.

CHRIS: ‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star’, speaking as Vincent Van Gogh. That song is a classic.

Everyone knows the words.

MIM: THERE’S A THIRD ALBUM IN THE PIPELINE. WHEN WILL IT BE RELEASED & WHAT CAN WE EXPECT? CHRIS: I don’t know that it’s in the pipeline. We don’t really use the pipeline system in general. We record our albums on a Korg and then mix them on a computer, so if it’s anywhere, that’s where it will be. We’re shooting for a late January tape release, but some factors could change that, such as the “Late January” target being moved. Or wind.

Then I worked on the harmonies and all the little touches that make the song interesting. I added tambourine throughout much of the song. There are hard panned parallel thirds on vocal ooo’s in the chorus. There are also hard panned parallel thirds in the guitar lines. Next up I added a reverby counterpoint vocal line. There are also two guitars playing the solo, accompanied for much of it by a vocal line singing nonsense syllables. I love parallelism, instrumental surf and close vocal harmonies - I really wish I could find other members to form an old-timey barbershop quartet. All of that shows in these songs. Basically, this was the fun part of recording where I just added lots of tracks until I felt like the song was finished.

NLR: Yeah, I’m making no promises about a release date. We get our tapes pressed at National Audio and they produce 90% of the pro-dub tapes in the world. It could be three months from the time we send it before we get our tapes back from them. So I don’t want to be more specific than “Early 2013” because I don’t want to end up lying. You can probably expect something similar to Space Wolves II. It might be a little faster than II, but probably not quite as fast as Space Wolves I. There will be a lot of songs about limerence and heartache, a few about random things that I like and probably a few more about depression.

Musically, I hope that the songs stay catchy, fun and have a lot of good harmonies. I have a few ideas for neat covers as well. It’ll probably end up being something from the LA punk scene circa 1979. I don’t want to give it away though.

CHIRS: Alternately, the recording of ‘Issue 363’ (a 12 second snippet from Space Wolves II) actually took months. We have several versions that we both thought at one point were final.

I can remember asking NLR what we’re going to work on today and he’d be like, “Let’s lay down another take of ‘Issue 363’. That’s how it is with some songs. We probably treat that one with kid’s gloves because it has such a direct and literal meaning. You can’t leave any room for misinterpretation when you’re put together a song with only one lyrical sentence.

Mim: Excellent. There you have it. Straight from the Space Wolves mouth. Thanks guys.

MIM: WHAT MUSICAL & RECORDING EQUIPMENT DID YOU USE FOR THESE TWO RECORDS? NLR: I used an old Peavey Bandit 112 amp. It’s kind of broken and rattles a lot, but it’s got a real spring in it for the reverb. It’s hard to find real spring reverb units these days. Some guy offered me $500 for it after a show a few years ago but I turned him down because I like it too much. My main guitar was a Yamaha SGV-300 but towards the end of recording Space 25

MIM

MUSIC: THE RECORDING DIARIES

THE RECORDING DIARIES

EIRE

by Ronald Bride

"Be ready to ride the big dipper of the mixed metapho r. Be ready to dip your hands in the lucky bag of life, gather the storm clouds of fantasy and ano int your own genius. Don't be afraid. If you want to do something, just go ahead and do it, but be prepared to take the blame, to feel the fall.

Don't just sit around waiting to be asked, to be given permission. Just get out there and do it" Bill Drummond-The Manual, How to have a number

1 hit the easy way.

These words echo around my mind as I advance towards the till of the music store, grasping a new 8 track recorder (Tascam dp-800) in my hands like Ram bo with a Kalashnikov. The smart arse behind the till with the silly Gareth Gates haircut says nothing; he can see the steely determination in my eyes. My teeth are gritted together as I thrust the 300 euro into his clammy palm. Silent, though I'm exhaling heavily from my nostrils. IM AS MAD AS HELL AND I'M NOT GONNA TAKE IT ANY MORE. You see, I've alw ays had a little part of my brain that's a bit like a hyp er little kangaroo. Every time I stand in line and someon e skips to the front, every time I use public transport and someone puts their feet up on the seat, every time I see a beautiful woman but lose my nerve when I want to say hi, the kangaroo inside starts hopping up and down using my hypothalamus as a punch bag. I think we all have this angry little marsupial living in our heads but most of us have just managed to cage him in a little corner where he ekes out his days watching chat shows while monitoring his carb intake.

I suppose it's necessary though. When I was a kid, the little Kangaroo (let’s call him Andy) was free to roam. He’d hammer holes in the bedroom wall for no reason. With the aid of a lighter, he'd use mothers Gloria Vanderbilt perfume as a makeshift flame thrower. He'd pick fights with kids everywhere he went and he had a string of girlfriends (even held hands with Sarah Gordon in 1st class - SWOON). He was captain of the football team, started the Birchwood Andre Agassi Tenn is Club and he even directed an imaginary film of his life with Michael J Fox playing the lead.

Andy got in to some scrapes alright and made a fool of himself sometimes but God Dammit, he was the bravest, toughest, most fearless kangaroo that ever lived in my brain. He had such parents, grandmothers and the local priest while the under 9 cup final took place. Now I can’t go if someone stands next to me at the urinal. What the hell happened to me? In “The Secret of my Success 2”, I was now well into my AC Milan career while Kylie Minogue stayed home and baked all day. I think it’s time to free Andy again.

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But even still, from time to time I’d awaken with song titles and melodies in my head; something was bubbling away trying to get out. However, I ignored it and got on with settling into the rat race in my white collar job in the Civil Service. The one thing that really struck me was the amount of people that trudged around full of regret. “Regret of what?” you might ask. Well I’m no sociologist but when James from accounts was 9, I don’t think he sat on Santa’s knee and told him he wanted to be a sweaty, middle management asshole who drove a crappy 96-D Mercedes and was still boasting to his “friends” (who he actually hated) about the time he flirted with the young secretary at the Christmas party two years ago. NO! He wanted to be a cowboy. No more, no less.

He clearly fell into this path thinking it was a stepping stone to one day becoming the king of the rodeo. THAT WAS 1979!!! Well balls to that; when I’m on my deathbed, I want to be able to shout “I WAS THE KING OF THE RODEO!” So anyway, I’m now barred from the LUAS for having a full blown conversation with myself about Kangaroos and Rodeos and stuff but who cares?

Let’s get down to business. This is Part 1 of the Recording Diary of a man and his imaginary kangaroo. Roll tape.

Marcel Duchamp once said “life is more a question of what one spends than what one makes”. After my first day recording I’d have to say I agree. I’ve just recorded ‘Why Are You Sawing That Shoe In Half?’ and it may not be the next ‘Hey Jude’ but it wouldn’t sound out of place on some weird box set compilation of homemade Dublin music. Next up, ‘Petri Dish’ could hold its head up high amongst anything by, say... well OK, so it’s not brilliant but I have to stick with it even when the inspiration is not flowing. I have to graft and get to the finish line.

DAY 1:

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I believed I was special; that my destiny was already mapped out and I just had to sit back and wait for things to happen. And it all somehow made sense. Through a series of coincidences I, like a lot of teenagers, ended up falling into music and joining a band when I was in school. I knew this was the path I was meant to take. It felt so right and with my friends by my side we just went for it. It felt good to be chasing my dreams but the older I got, the more I began to accept that dreams are bad, a waste of time. I should start living in the real world. I questioned and doubted everything I did. As I’d stock the Go-Kat on the supermarket selves with my crappy uniform and nametag, I’d console myself that trying to do music was the easy option and going out to work was the responsible, grown-up choice to make. So as life went on, I got sucked in and accepted that silly dreams were just another part of growing up. I set off on an exciting career in the Security industry (I should mention at this point that I was also experimenting quite a bit with mind altering drugs).

EIRE

Day 2:

There’s definitely a fire in my belly now. When I lay down in bed last night, my subconscious was still working out the bridge to ano ther song called ‘Leanne Battersby’. I just lay there and allowed myself to be carried by the stream that was flowing gently along. This morning though, I can’t remember how it went but fort unately I sang it into the Dictaphone.

From now on I’ll sleep with it by my bed. It reminds me of when I would go bee catching as a kid; you had to have your jam jar ready at all times of the day to grab the little blighter. The last 10 years I’ve been walking around without a jam jar.

Already in the last 25 mins I’ve listened to the bridge of a song, had an idea to start a new women’s football club and come up with the title of a book that was mentioned on the telly that sounds interesting. And all these different ideas are stored together like the time I caught a bumble bee, two wasps, a crane fly and a spider… maybe the women’s soccer team will get eaten by Playpower by Ric hard Neville?

Day 3:

I’ve written and recorded two whole songs today from scratch! ‘John Carew’ and ‘I’m A Condom Floating On The Ocean’. I got up this mornin g and thought sod it, I don’t care if what I write ends up being crap and with this thought, I felt a lot less pressure and expectation being relieved. When you give birth, you can’t criticise the baby’s fat nose or horrible breath cause that would be just weird. So why should I do it to my son gs? I will not criticise’ I’m A Condom Floating On The Ocean’ for having a disproportiona tely large face. I love him for what he is!

When he grows up, he’s going to be a Dancer!

I’m still practicing writing songs so I understand that some of the stuff will be bloody awful but as long as remember that it’s all training, I will end up writing a better song tomorrow thanks to the mistakes I made today. ‘Dolphins Barn’ will definitely be the stepping stone that leads me on to my first no 1. I’m not always this upb eat and positive but… I don’t know… maybe it’s the crisp Autumn air rejuvenating me or maybe it’s the realisation that every cock up and every single day of your life is a crucial step ping stone towards what you want in life.

Maybe your whole life is just a stepping stone towards something that becomes clear when you’re dead? What does it matter anyway; the whole galaxy is just a stain in the back of a cupboard somewhere and as we speak, someone is on their way to work thinking about that stain in the back of the cupboard and getting more and more stre ssed about it and when they get home, they’re going to sit alone in their dank studio apartment and just stare silently into the empty distance and finally snap! Then they will proceed with thrashin g the place, throwing the cupboard over the balcony. Sorry about that.

Day 4:

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MUSIC: THE RECORDING DIARIES

EIRE

we were teenagers and if I was listening back to tapes that me and my old band made when , I’d think they were really good!

I heard some of those songs for the first time today by a new band that they didn’t sound enough like At the time when we did them, I analysed them to death, thinking ring these new writing / recording the Stereophonics. So the lesson that keeps coming back to medu r as harsh on Stereophonics as I sessions is “Don’t Be So Critical of Your Own Stuff”. I was neve more life in a tramps vest”. was on me and the band and we never sang the line like “There’s

Day 5:

her their good or not.

Took a few old, unfinished songs and put an ending on them whet e and is bothering me more now ‘Spanish Villa Song’ has been cluttering up my brain for a whil cleaning! I listened to two pieces, trying to find an ending to it that will do it justice. I’m spring e the latter is a set of lyrics I sang one old, one new: the former is a little instrumental riff thing whil Hearing them back now, I think into the Dictaphone the other night on the spur of the moment. the recording, you can hear the TV they sound great and have decided to leave them as they are. On nd me of Trout Mask Replica. in the background but that just adds to its charm for me. They remi to Captain Beefheart! Even though Jesus, I’m only six days at it but I’m already comparing myself most of it just sounds like Neil Diamond without the edge.

Day 6:

y and just uploaded the I want to keep the momentum going so I joined Soundcloud toda s until they were “perfect” but demos I’ve recorded. Initially, I didn’t want to upload the song k all the songs could be better and time has taught me that “perfect” doesn’t seem to exist. I still thin at least I can look back on the last although I’ll probably hear them back in a few weeks and cringe, week and say I tried my best.

Day 7:

So here’s a brief recap of what I’ve learned this week. on 99% perspiration.

Be disciplined: Once you start – finish it. Genius is 1% inspirati times. Catch that bumble bee!

Carry a Dictaphone: Inspiration strikes at the most inconvenient Don’t be too critical: your work is never as bad as you think. ? There’ll be another idea Inspiration will come: If what you write today is awful, so what tomorrow.

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my veins. For lunch, I had tuna Maybe it’s all the caffeine and Carbamazepine pumping through e. and super noodle pita bread and watched Dragons Den on Dav

EIRE

It’s Christmas!

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CHRISTMAS SPECIAL

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W

ell one and all, Christmas is steadily approaching and needless to say, this is MIM’s favourite time of year. We have compiled a little Yuletide section for all you furry folks at home. We have a history of the things we love about Christmas, beautiful festive art and crafts, edible treats and some wonderfully fluffy Christmas stories that yule definitely love. Will the snow be flopping from the sky on Xmas eve this year or shall we find ourselves just lightly frosted and quivering? Who knows but I guess that makes it all the more exciting. Happy holidays folks, ho ho ho...

MIM

CHRISTMAS: A HISTORY OF CHRISTMAS

A HISTORY OF

Christmas “Odin was so happy with the children’s kindness that he repaid them by filling back up their boots with candy and little gifts”

FAIRY LIGHTS Christmas trees really would be as dull as old socks without those twinkly little fairy lights that we adorn our trees with year upon year. But where do they come from and what did people do before the discovery of electricity? Well, believe or not, they began to decorate trees in Germany in the 18th century with candles! These fearless fire fanciers would also attach tasty edibles such as apples, dates or nuts to the branches. In the early 20th century, electric Christmas lights began to gain popularity, however those lights were far too expensive for the average person and they did not fully replace candles until the 1930’s. These days there are a wealth of Christmas lights to choose from and the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree in New York City holds approx. 18,000 lights!

CHRISTMAS STOCKINGS The origins of the hanging of Christmas Stockings is uncertain but there are some really interesting legends that explain this festive tradition. The first one started in Scandinavia with their festive figure Odin. It actually didn’t involve a sock at all, but instead a boot. Children would fill one of their boots with sugar, carrots and hay for Odin’s flying horse, Sleipnir, to eat. Odin was so happy with the children’s kindness that he repaid them by filling back up their boots with candy and little gifts. Another is the legend of St. Nicholas. Nick wanted to help a poor man who wanted his three daughters to marry but couldn’t afford it. The man wouldn't take money so St. Nicholas crept down his chimney in the middle of the night and noticed the girls stockings drying over the fire. He proceeded to fill them up with little bags of gold. The next morning, they found the gold and were overjoyed. When others heard their story they began to hang their stockings for St. Nick to fill up.

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MOST OF US DECORATE OUR HOMES, HANG STOCKINGS AND DRINK MULLED WINE AT THIS FESTIVE TIME OF YEAR BUT WHERE DOES IT ALL COME FROM? WELL, LET US TELL YOU THE HISTORY OF EVERYTHING CHRISTMASSY, FROM FAIRY LIGHTS & STOCKINGS TO SANTY HIMSELF...

EIRE

MIM

SANTA CLAUS Santa Claus, also known as Saint Nick or Father Christmas is a big man with a white beard, a big round belly and a jolly disposition. His clothes are red with white trimmings and a black belt and boots. He lives up in the North Pole with a whole gang of tiny Elves who help him organise and make the toys for all the Children around the world on Christmas Eve. In Nordic folklore there is another being who sounds very much like Santa but who goes by the name of Tomte or Nisse. Nisse is a bearded man who wears grey clothes and a red hat. In Norway and Sweden they celebrated the Yule Goat until the notion of Santa made its way there. The Yule Goat is still a common decoration around Christmas in Scandinavia, usually being made of straw. In 1955, a Sears department store’s window advert misprinted Santa’s telephone number. Instead of children reaching Santa’s hotline they were connected to the Continental Air Defence Command (CONAD). The Director of Operations, Colonel Harry Shoup got the first call and instead of telling them they had the wrong number, he went along with it and told the child he could see signs on his radar that santa was heading south from the North Pole.

A tradition then began which continued under the name NORAD which tracks Santa to this very day via their website.

EIRE

SANTA'S REINDEER If it were not for the help of Santa’s Reindeer pulling his sleigh, he would not be able to deliver presents to all the children around the world. There are 9 reindeer that help Santa each year: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen and the most famous one of all, Rudolph. All of these names (except Rudolph) are from the 1823 poem ‘A Visit from St. Nicholas’ by Clement C. Moore. Donner & Blitzens’ names come from the Germanic words for thunder & lightning. Rudolph was added later to Santa’s reindeer team because, as legend has it, one Christmas eve, it was extremely foggy and, fearing that he would be unable to see to deliver the presents, Santa asked Rudolph to lead the way because of his glowing red nose. Rudolph gladly accepted and the rest is history.

KRAMPUS If Santa Claus is the friendly figure of Christmas, Krampus is the festive seasons scary man/beast who captures bold children and takes them away to his lair. He is generally a demonic, hairy, dark figure with hooves and the horns of a goat. He also has a long pointed tongue and his origins lie in Germanic folklore. On the evening of December 5th each year, men in Austria, Hungary, Slovenia and Croatia (amongst others) dress up as Krampus and roam the streets scaring children with rusty chains and bells. Sometimes Krampus appears with a sack or a washtub strapped to his back which he uses to cart off evil children for drowning, eating and/or for transporting them to Hell. The traditions of celebrating the idea of Krampus have always been discouraged, especially by the Catholic Church. In the 1950’s, the Austrian government went as far as to distribute pamphlets titled ‘Krampus is an Evil Man’ but his popularity continues to grow to this day.

So Children, this Christmas, ‘you better watch out, you better not cry, or Krampus could be coming to town’. Muhahahaha.

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SOMETHING YUMMY

from the

Christmas Kitchen 34

MIM

CHRISTMAS: CHRISTMAS RECIPES

EIRE

MIM EIRE

Snow Bear Mince Pies METHOD 1. To make the pastry, rub together the butter and plain flour, then mix in the caster sugar and a pinch of salt. Combine the pastry into a ball - don't add liquid - and knead it briefly. The dough will be fairly firm, like shortbread dough. You can use the dough immediately or chill for later.

INGREDIENTS

2. Preheat the oven to 200C/gas 6/fan 180C.

Cold diced butter 225g Plain Flour 350g Golden Caster Sugar 100g Pinch of salt 280g ready made mincemeat

3. Grease 24 holes of two 12-hole cupcake tins and press small walnut-sized balls of pastry into each hole.

4. Spoon mincemeat into the pies.

5. Get your smallest bear shaped cookie cutter and press out 24 bears. Add one bear to the top of each pie.

6. Bake in oven for 20 minutes or until golden and sizzling.

7. Sprinkle with icing sugar and eat hot with freshly whipped cream!

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MIM

HALLOWEEN: A CHRISTMAS TALE

A CHRISTMAS TALE Once upon a time in the deep depths of the freezing Arctic Tundra lived a little green elf called Colin. As his Nissan Sunny would pull out of the drive of his cosy log cabin every morning, he would curse every time the engine stalled or the cigarette lighter would not work “Haista Vittu!!” Yes, he was ill tempered at the best of times but he particularly hated this time of year. As he made his turn onto the freeway and the opening bars of ‘Head’ (his favourite Prince song) began to play, he was calmed by the memory of his first Christmas’ at Santa’s Grotto. Long before the boardroom takeovers, bottom lines and market share values, Santa’s motto was “peace and goodwill to all men”. The elves were so happy and although their life was more modest back then, the satisfaction of working for Santa on the production line with their friends was all the reward an elf could ask for. And so they worked morning, noon and night throughout the year with optional overtime in the Autumn months to make sure all the children’s wish lists were answered.

by Ronald Bride

EIRE

here. Things have been way too slack for far too long. Santa, that fat old fool, never had a clue and you are going to work like you’ve never worked before! You will refer to me as Mistress”. She disbanded ELPHIC, the Elves union, extended their working day, cut pay and replaced the chocolate in the vending machines with inferior quality, imported bars.

Gradually the camaraderie and good spirit within the Grotto was replaced by an atmosphere of fear and suspicion. The elves in the Grotto who earned the least were envious of the higher earning elves that had been longest at the factory. The elder elves were angry at the younger elves because they were lazier and had no respect for anyone. Where once, each elf felt he was like a small bead in pretty chain that they would decorate the trees with each December, now they only felt small and vulnerable. As the little elves assembled Go Karts on the production, they would bicker amongst themselves; “It was your fault Santa disappeared! If you’d paid more attention in the control centre, you would have noticed that Blitzen was having suspension problems!” “Well Ciaran, if you’d maintained the sleigh the way you were supposed to, Santa would have been able to make an emergency landing!”

“You’ve always been jealous of me Colin! Ever since I hooked up with Cindy! It’s not my fault you have no one!” “I DO! I HAVE MERLENE”, retorted Colin. “She doesn’t even exist you silly little man, you’ve never even met her”, insisted Ciaran. The two friends started rolling around the ground fighting and soon the whole Grotto turned out chanting “FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT!” Suddenly, Ciaran caught Colin with his trademark haymaker move and Colin collapsed to the ground. Mistress looked down from her window with a wicked grin on her face as she announced over the intercom for Colin to report to head office.

Colin found the job tough going at first but he soon got used to it and became a very loyal, hardworking elf. The great push of 1985 when he singlehandedly attached the heads of 10,000 cabbage patch dolls in one night became the stuff of legend. He was liked and respect by all the other elves for his dedication and his generosity to everyone and in the staff canteen, he was regularly voted Employee of the Month. Santa began to notice this little elf and took him under his wing where he learned everything he could about the factory.

How to unblock the play-do machine, how to pack the selection boxes, even the reason why you should not put marbles up your nose. Santa always reminded little Colin that the most important thing about Christmas was spending time with your loved ones and helping those less lucky than him. Around about this time, Colin had seen a picture of Jamaican sprinter Merlene Otty and it was love at first sight. Colin swore one day he would marry her. He carried her picture around everywhere and showed everyone his new girlfriend Prinsessa.

Yes the world was Colin’s’ oyster and he was growing up fast.

Colin was sacked for gross misconduct. Some of the elves rejoiced when they found out as they had always hated how he was so perfect and how he never spoke badly of anyone.

Soon things in the Grotto returned to normal until the Tamagotchi assembly line started.

This was Colin’s usual station and soon his absence was being noticed. The line began to slow as Ciaran and Phlagmon began to struggle with the LCD Screens and within no time at all they were overwhelmed! The backlog of toys became too much and smoke began to emanate from the engine drive of the belt. KABOOOMMM!! The explosion was deafening and sent toys flying everywhere! There was Lego in the gutter and Barbie dolls in the toilet. Poor Ciaran even had an Action Man lodged up his nose. Apart from the casualties it caused, the whole days’ work was wiped out. And right on the spot, Mistress sacked all the elves in the factory. They were immediately replaced with poor little Filipino women who would slave away all week for nothing more than a shiny penny each. She paid for the Three Bears, the Tooth Fairy, Cinderella, Cliff Richard, Noel Edmonds and a host of other corrupt celebrities’ were brought in as managers to supervise the poor women. They were most cruel. With all the spare money she made, Mistress bought a speedboat. The newly unemployed elves wandered about the woods all day with nothing to do except drink, fight and gamble on Premier League football matches. Soon all their money was gone and they were cold and hungry.

One day there was a huge kerfuffle in the Elves local and their annual Christmas Day celebration of Karaoke at the local pub was thrown into chaos as some bad news filtered through. Ciaran (another elf) had heard from the elves control centre that monitored the sleighs GPS system that Blitzen had disappeared from Radar and Santa was not returning the code word to say he was ok. They had rehearsed the S.O.S drill every Thursday so there was much alarm when Santa still hadn’t answered. “Control Centre to Santa, this is Control Centre calling. When your f-f-f-ellling pppeckish, p-p-pick up a *******. Do you respond?” But there was no answer. The hours turned to days, days to weeks and weeks turned to months.

The rumours spread like wildfire; some said Santa had been killed in a flash fire in a bedsit, others suggested he’d become lodged in a chimney but the theory most agreed on was that he had been assassinated by Miss Whitechapel.

Miss Whitechapel was the evil head of the local toy company that now had amassed a 48% shareholding in Santa’s Grotto. Santa had been forced to sell the shares after he had amassed large gambling debts. Miss Whitechapel hated Santa and his stupid jolly laugh and she believed his smelly little elves were all lazy. She hated the motto of “Peace and Goodwill to all men” and after seeing how the tooth fairy had managed to get a 30% share of the Chinese market, she was desperate for a piece of the action. Miss Whitechapel became the boss of the Grotto. The first day she arrived, all the little elves cowered in the corner with fear. No one had ever seen her and Ciaran started his rumours as usual: “They say she has hair as dark as Ravens blood, the complexion of Aphrodite, the all seeing eye of Cyclops and the fury of an Orc and the bosom of Dziwożona!” Colin was well used to Ciaran’s tales and relaxed against the canteen vending machine with his Bob Marley tape playing in his Walkman. “People are always worse when introduced through another’s tongue” he thought to himself slipping into a well-earned nap.

One day, Ciaran knocked on Colin’s door. “I’m under here”, answered a small voice. Colin had devoted his free time to repairing his Nissan Sunny and had replaced the worn out engine with a souped-up fuel injected Mercedes engine like the one Coolio had on Pimp My Ride. Ciaran gazed at the car. “Tis a most beautiful wagon”, he exclaimed. “Tis indeed”.

Colin was still in a huff. “Colin, we need you to stand up to the evil Mistress. The town has fallen into a life of disrepute. Everyone is out of work and has spent all their money on drink, debauchery and Czech lady folk. We need you to lead us against her and take back what is rightfully ours”. The two friends were happy to stop fighting. “United we can defend what is ours!” Colin rounded up the village and organised them into groups and treated all the elves with respect while leading by example. Soon the elves were making armaments, gathering food and carrying out reconnaissance missions. The men were full of Spirit and enjoyed helping each other. “She’s a brick house”, they would proclaim to the sounds of Colin’s Funk and Disco collection while they worked. Soon the Elves would be ready to take on Mistress and her army but Colin wished Santa was with them. He wondered where he was and if he was still alive. He went to the converted attic in his little cabin and released a Sky bar wrapper from the Velux window just like he had every night since Santa had disappeared.

Sky bars were Santa’s favourite.

Colin was shaken from his snooze by a mighty crack; he opened his eyes to see a pair of knee length stiletto boots towering over him. It was Miss Whitechapel. She had jet black hair, blood red lips, a tiny waist and a tight leather corset with large voluptuous breasts. She stood there holding two slavering Rottweiler’s on a leash. He had never seen a woman like this before. “Now listen here you little elves, there’s gonna be some big changes around 36

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Meanwhile, Santa (unbeknownst to everyone else) sat on the deck of his St Tropez yacht, looking out at the setting sun. He watched the millions of sparkles on the Mediterranean Sea and felt sad inside. Surrounded by bronzed underwear models sipping Cristal, he felt like the loneliest stunt man in the world. All he could think of was his friends back in Lapland. He noticed a blue wrapper come wafting down and land in Cynthia’s hair. With that he dived overboard and swam as far as he could. It was dark and the sound of the 6am work horn was sounded. Colin felt butterflies in his belly.

The first group of elves jumped into the truck that was delivering teddy bear eyes into the Grotto. The next group jumped into the truck delivering Kit Kats to the canteen.

And the last group had almost tunnelled their way under the Mistress’ office. As Colin’s cargo was transported onto the factory floor, he was shocked by what he saw; there were a group of small Asian women chained together while Noel Edmonds whipped them and hurled abuse at them. “You pathetic worms, I’ve seen better stitching on a Sainsbury’s better value soccer special football. What do you mean you fingers are too sore to stuff those Furbies? I once presented a Crinkly Bottom Christmas Special with a bad back! Get on with it you slime”.

EIRE

The elves leaped out of the cargo! Ciaran clamped his tough little limbs around Noels head while Worbo stabbed a swing-ball pole through his torso. Next thing, The Three Bears, Cinderella and Cliff Richard piled in! Punches and kicks were flying everywhere and Filipino women were running around screaming and terrified. Colin steamed into the melee that was taking place in the canteen where the second group of Elves were battling the Tooth Fairy, a Leprechaun and Noddy Holder. Xmas hits continued to blast out over the intercom despite the pandemonium which was now gripping the factory.

The Mistress fled to her office only to emerge with a flame thrower. She unleashed her Rottweiler’s and they tore into Geoff and Rhydian. Soon there was a pile of dead elves in the canteen. Colin hid under the corpses and prayed. The group of tunnellers had not emerged when they were supposed to. Perhaps they had been crushed by a landslide? They were too late now anyway. Noddy (who was now wielding a super soaker 500 filled with mace) carried Mistress on his muscular back while leading the rest of the managers down to the production line to push back Ciaran and the last of the surviving elves. “You’re so hot Noddy”, whispered Mistress. “You’re definitely in line for a pay rise after this”.

Ciaran and the rest of the elves found themselves completely encircled by the mob of furious managers. They slowly closed in on them “Make sure the investigation is thorough”, exclaimed Mistress who proceeded to let out a wicked laugh. Ciaran squealed as he ran and Cliff Richard grabbed him in a fierce headlock! He squeezed tighter and tighter. Little Ciaran’s face went purple; he knew it was the end. But suddenly, there was a rumble from above and everyone looked up in wonder. CRASH! BANG! WALLOP! FETANG! Santa’s sleigh slammed through the ceiling and crushed Cliff instantly. Donner and Blitzen were furious from the constant strain of film premiers and paparazzi they had had to endure. They went straight for the Rottweiler’s and mauled them horrifically.

But Colin heard the crash on the floor below (not knowing it was Santa) and decided that all was lost.

He felt he had no other option but to kill himself.

He had lost everything. All his friends were dead and Merlene was never going to come. How he longed for the simpler days when Santa was in charge. How he missed him. He trudged onto the production floor. Now feeling extremely tired and distressed, Colin believed he was hallucinating (he hallucinated regularly) because he saw Santa in the office fighting Mistress. He carried on trudging and waited for the hallucination to pass but the vision seemed so real that he just stood and stared. “Hey, down here”, whispered Ciaran from under a pallet of board games. “It’s Santa!

He came back”. In the office, Santa and Mistress fought a savage battle like Godzilla and Robosaurus. There was mighty banging and crashing and suddenly, a huge wail was heard as Mistress smashed through the window and lay dead with the star of the tree impaled in her skull. The elves ran into Santa and there was much rejoicing but Santa slumped in the corner. “We knew you’d return Santa, we love you!” But Santa was in bits and he summoned the elves to listen to his dying words. He told them all that Christmas was a time for sharing with loved ones and to make the most of every Christmas as it may be your last. “Don’t die Santa! Please don’t go” sobbed little Colin. “Who’ll deliver the toys now?” There was no reply. Santa was dead. So Colin jumped into the sleigh and delivered the toys to all the children and saved Christmas. When he returned, there was a massive celebration at the local pub. Colin met a sweet Filipino girl and soon they married and ran away to the Philippines and lived happily ever after.

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CHRISTMAS: KITCHEN DOLLS

GERMANY

KITCHEN DOLLS WE WANTED TO FEATURE SOME SWEET LITTLE HANDMADE FESTIVE DELIGHTS IN OUR CHRISTMAS SECTION AND VERENA SPRING'S KITCHEN DOLLS ARE JUST THAT. WE ABSOLUTELY LOVE 'EM...

All Verena's dolls are one of a kind, handrafted and collectable decorational dolly's. Verena, who graduated as a fashion designer and dressmaker, has a whole host of these pretty little guys for every occasion available in her etsy shop. Be sure to get yours in time for Christmas! Aren't they so pretty?!

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SPACE: EARTH

Space

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WHAT OH WHAT IS OUT THERE? THIS ISSUE WE CHAT TO PHILIP TINSLEY FROM THE ALUSKAS TO FIND OUT ABOUT THE PLANET WE RARELY CONSIDER WHEN STUDYING SPACE - OUR VERY OWN EARTH...

“We can be so in awe of the view of a clear night sky that we rarely stop to appreciate the very planet which provides this vantage point, our collective home, Earth” EARTH This month we turn our attention to a planet which is often taken for granted when it comes to discussing Space. Our gaze is often occupied with the far reaches of the solar system and galaxy we occupy and our heads filled with facts about the sheer incomprehensible sizes and distances that make up the universe and its contents. We can be so in awe of the view of a clear night sky that we rarely stop to appreciate the very planet which provides this vantage point, our collective home, Earth. Unlike the other planets in the solar system, Earth is not named after a Roman or Greek god or goddess. The name Earth comes from an English / German word meaning ground. It can sometimes feel that Earth is very ordinary, in comparison to our wild imaginations of strange planets, life forms and civilizations that are yet to be found. But this line of thought can distract us from the true wonder of the planet we call home. As far as we know, Earth is the only planet to harbour life; not just any life, but intelligent life capable of contemplating its own existence. This may well change one day and we might find that the Universe is actually full of life but for now, it remains unique to our planet. For a truly inspiring perspective on

Earth, I recommend Pale Blue Dot (a short film on YouTube). In it, astronomer Carl Sagan reads an excerpt from his book of the same name. The book was inspired by a photograph of Earth which was taken by the Voyager 1 spacecraft from a distance of 6 billion kms. Earth occupies a position in our solar system which has come to be known as the Goldilocks Zone.

In more official terms, it is referred to as the Habitable Zone. Our planets' distance from the Sun is neither too near (which would make the planet too hot for life to thrive as we know it) or too far (which would have the opposite effect of being too cold). The proximity to the Sun is just right for life to flourish; this is also helped by the planets axial tilt of 23.45° which gives us 4 distinct seasons. This means that for some of the year the Northern Hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun while the Southern Hemisphere is tilted away. This creates summer in the north and winter in the south which then reverses to create the opposite effect. Our axial tilt ensures an even distribution of temperatures across the globe, creating a stable environment for life. It’s now time to turn our gaze inward and explore some of the most interesting conspiracies and facts about our planet Earth.

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SPACE: EARTH

“all of the photographs of Earth from space are faked by NASA”

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EARTH CONSPIRACIES FLAT EARTH It’s a widely held belief that the Earth was thought to be flat by ancient civilisations and while there were some who held this view of the planet, there are also examples from as early as the 6th century BC to suggest that the Earth was thought to be a sphere. Either way, you probably thought that the idea of a flat Earth was a long dead one. Well, the Flat Earth Society is a modern organisation which aims to prove that the Earth is in fact a flat disc. On this disc, the North Pole is located in the centre and at the edges there is a 150 mile high wall of ice. Gravity is actually caused by the upwards movement of this disc in space, the Sun and Moon are just 32 miles in diameter and every government is involved in keeping this from you. The UN flag has even been taken as proof that the Earth is flat by a previous president of the society. Also, all of the photographs of Earth from space are faked by NASA.

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HAARP HAARP stands for High frequency Active Auroral Research Program and it is a site in Alaska. Its main goal is to analyse the ionosphere (which is a part of Earths; upper atmosphere) and to try to use the information of its electrical properties to see how it affects our communications and to hopefully develop new technologies to improve radio communication. Or so they say. The internet is littered with conspiracy theories that imply that HAARP is actually a weapon and not just any weapon. It is supposedly being used to control the weather. Hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, earthquakes and even burnt fish can be traced back to HAARP. At the moment, the main belief is that HAARP is only in the testing phase, so freak weather incidents that claim lives may not be the malicious plans of an evil government, merely collateral damage in the process of perfecting a doomsday weapon.

Which I suppose would still lead to the evil government assumption.

“we know more about the surface of the moon than the bottom of our own oceans” EARTH FACTS VARIETY OF LIFE I mentioned above that as far as we know, Earth is the only planet known to sustain life but just how many different types of life actually share this planet? Unfortunately, there is no straight forward answer; we know it’s a lot, obviously, but scientists have worked on this particular conundrum for years. The best estimates we have so far puts the number at anywhere between 5 to 100 million; some studies try to be a bit more definitive with their estimates but the truth is that it may be something which is unknowable. There are parts of this planet we have not yet explored and it has been said that we know more about the surface of the Moon than the bottom of our own oceans. Astonishingly, only 14% of living species on land and 9% in the oceans have actually been catalogued and some of these organisms may be extinct before we get a chance to record them.

EARTH'S SHIELD We can’t see it but surrounding our planet is a magnetic field. This magnetic field is thought to be generated by the electric currents in Earth's molten iron core. This invisible field cocoons the planet and serves as our protector. It deflects solar winds emitted from the Sun safely around our planet. Solar winds are made up of streams of charged particles. It is thought that without our magnetic field, these solar winds would strip Earth’s atmosphere and expose the planet to ultra violet rays. Essentially, without our invisible force field, we would be fried.

Mim: There's still so much to learn about our planet, can we ever know it all? Thanks Philip!

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s ' t a Wh r u o in ? n a e c O

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A bittersweet, Illustrated tale about a bodyless boy who struggles with being so different.

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GEE whizz! isn’t that terrific!

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COMICS ARE A SPECIAL ART FORM THAT WE WANT TO CELEBRATE. THIS ISSUE WE'RE SO EXCITED TO FEATURE A DOUBLE EDITION OF MELISSA MENDES' SCRAPPY, POODLE GOODBYE'S AND THE WEIRD AND WONDERFUL WORLD OF MICHEL FIFFE.

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Comics

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SCRAPPY

SCRAPPY IS A BITTERSWEET, AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL COMIC BROUGHT TO YOU BY MIM REGULAR, MELISSA MENDES.

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www.melissamendes.com

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COMICS: MICHEL FIFFE

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Michel Fiffe recently launched a new monthly action series, Copra and he is the creator of the comic series, Zegas, which he began publishing in 2011 on Copra Press. On top of writing and drawing Zegas, Fiffe has immersed himself in various comics projects such as editing the indie anthology Twisted Savage Dragon Funnies and conducting in-depth creator interviews for several institutions including The Comics Journal.

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"Comics were the things I responded to the most as a kid and I never outgrew that fascination"

MIM: CAN YOU TELL US WHAT YOU LOVE ABOUT MAKING COMICS? MF: There's something that appeals to me about making images and text work against one another. I think that's at the root of it. There's also the pleasure of craft, the juggling of many little tasks and functions to create this final whole. It all makes perfect sense to me.

MIM: WHAT WAS IT THAT GOT YOU INTO COMICS? MF: Comics were the things I responded to the most as a kid and I never outgrew that fascination. There was always something that drew me back in, something that compelled me to the point where I had to start making them. And I'm talking about drawing mini comics in my living room when I was six or seven! Nothing, apparently, has changed.

MIM: WHERE CAN WE BUY THEM? You can buy my comics directly from me at my shared Etsy store Whitehaus, or you can drop by Bergen Street Comics in Brooklyn, NY. Their selection of comics is beyond compare.

Mim: We find Michel's style refreshingly weird. We'll be folloing him, you should too. Thanks Michel!

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http://michelfiffe.com

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GOODBYE TO

POODLE

U.K. EIRE

MISHI LOVES HER NEW FOUND FRIENDS, BUT MA'S NOT SO KEEN. THE BERSERK WORLD OF MISHI CONTINUES COURTESY OF MIM’S OWN, BAUBIE SUNSHINE!

www.baubiesunshine.com

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Photography THIS IS THE TIME OF YEAR WHERE CAMERAS GET THEIR MOST AMOUNT OF ACTION. GET YOUR BEST CHRISTMAS JUMPER ON AND YELL CHEESE! THIS ISSUE WE FEATURE A PHOTOGRAPHER'S VIEW OF CHINA AND SOFT & MYSTERIOUS PORTRAITURE FROM AUSTRALIA.

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ALICIA HENNIG

MIM

PHOTOGRAPHY: ALICIA HENNIG

GERMANY

“I would consider China as my second home, my heart is so attached to it.�

MIM: CAN YOU TELL US WHAT YOU LOVE ABOUT PHOTOGRAPHY?

of perspective, composition and light or it will not be made available. I refrain from any post production to improve the appearance of my photography.

AH: What I love about photography is that it is a medium that allows me to share moments and impressions with other people. Through photography, I can capture situations and turn them into unique reflections of real life. Capturing and therewith preserving a situation is particularly very precious in the case of China where everything is subject to constant and fast change.

MIM: TELL US ABOUT YOUR TRIP TO CHINA. AH: My first trip to China was in 2005 when starting my first internship in Jiangsu province close to Shanghai. With China, it is like either you feel attached to this country the first time you go accompanied by the feeling that you have to come back again or you will simply never come back. I had to come back. Since 2005 I have returned to China every year for internships or travel.

Furthermore I love its materiality, this shiny piece of paper you can hold in your hands, offering a window to another world. Since I consider these paper pieces as a reflection of real life, I am therefore very dedicated to deliver these pieces in an authentic way. This means with a traditional, non-digital camera and without any later alteration via image editing programs. I follow a high quality standard when choosing my pictures after hand-development. A shot must be perfect right from the start in ways

During my first years in China I saw cities like Shanghai, Beijing, Qingdao and Xiamen amongst others. Then the rural part of China awakened my interest and I started travelling alone in more remote areas in 2009. I soon realised that having the

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When Alicia was still in her teens she dug out her Daddy´s old and bulky halfautomatic SLR. It was then that she started experimenting with exposure time and aperture. Today, her nondigital photography taken with an old school SLR built in the 1980´s is characterised by a distinctive retro look using coarse-grained Ilford B/W films.

Making photos this way allows her to virtually collect pieces of reality with an authentic character in contrast to digital and computer-edited pictures.

opportunity to take pictures there was a great and blessed chance since China is a country changing really fast. Practically, this means that if you return only one year later many things might have changed already like the infrastructure and with it significantly the number of tourists, affecting the authenticity of the region.

MIM: WHERE CAN WE BUY YOUR PRINTS? My prints are available for my international customers at www.etsy.com and particularly for my German customers at www.dawanda.de

My latest trip to China was in August this year. I have been constantly above 4000 metres altitude travelling in remote areas in autonomous regions close to Tibet. My travel buddy and I have been invited to the monasteries we visited to attend their festivities and share their sacrificial meals together. People have been overly friendly to us and we had such a blessed time. We even had the luck to be invited to a local lama´s residence. I would consider China as my second home, my heart is so attached to it.

Mim: She certainly has an eye for capturing special moments. Thanks Alicia.

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www.etsy.com/shop/handmaderealities

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CAROLINE VALENTI

AUSTRALIA

PHOTOGRAPHY: CAROLINE VALENTI

MIM AUSTRALIA

“Everyone has a story, you can see it on their face and in their eyes”

MIM: YOU HAVE ALSO DABBLED IN PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY, CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THIS? CV: Everyone has a story, you can see it on their face and in their eyes. I am never worried about what someone is wearing, for me it is about using the person's enviornment and the available light in their eyes. So you can capture someones true self in this simple form.

Working with both film and digital media, Caroline's work is created without using any digital enhancement and provides a glimpse of an altered state. In the past she had dabbled in unconventional techniques such as cyanotypes, bromoils, gum bichromates and polaroid transfers.

Caroline lives and works in Perth, Australia.

MIM: WHERE CAN WE BUY YOUR PRINTS? CV: You can purchase my prints through my Etsy store, Mrya9. They are very affordable and printed on the most amazing photo rag paper.

MIM: CAN YOU TELL US WHAT YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT PHOTOGRAPHY?

Mim: We really like the softness and spookiness of this girl's photography. Thanks Alicia!

CV: There are no rules. I love photography for it’s freedom to explore the unknown.

I don’t always capture what's infront of me. The excitement is still there after every shoot.

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WE LOVE THE ART OF HANDMADE HERE AT MIM SO WE HAVE PICKED OUR FAVOURITES OF THE MOMENT FOR GROWN UPS AND MUNCHKINS. THERE’S SO MANY SUPER UNIQUE AND LOVABLE THINGS OUT THERE, MADE WITH SO MUCH LOVE! ♥

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Handmade

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HANDMADE

HANDMADE

Felt Christmas Heart by Madiko.

Add some love to your tree! €12 / $15

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ENGLAND SOUTH KOREA

Rainbow Cushion by Pillow Throw Decor.

Brighten up that couch! €31 / $39

SWEDEN

Doggy Jumpers by Schuba 4 Your Pooch.

Furry Fashionista! €27 / $35

NORWAY

Bunny Ring by June Designs.

Matching earings available! €13.50 / $17

CANADA

Olive Wood Spoons by Tunisia Handmade.

Great for salad lovers! €13.50 / $16

CANADA

AUSTRALIA

Embroidered Necklace by Dandelyne.

Perfect gift for a great friend! €37 / $48

TUNISIA

RUSSIA

FROM POOCHY PULLOVERS TO RAINBOW CUSHIONS, THESE ARE OUR MOST FAVOURITE HANDMADE ITEMS FOR GROWN UPS. EVERY SINGLE ITEM IS CLICKABLE, BUYABLE AND OWNABLE!

6 Christmas Cards by Lalalabel.

Let it snow! €4 / $5

Woolly Hat Brooch by The Little Matters.

Yaaay! Festive pins! €7.50 / $10

Medieval Armor Pullover by I Am Knight €172 / $218

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MUNCHKINS

TURKEY

Air Balloon Mobile by Young Hearts Love.

So dreamy! €35 / $44

URUGUAY

Knitted Baby Jumper by Atlas Knit Shop.

Wrap up for Winter! €18 / $22.50

Small Clown Bear by Tulsi Creaciones.

A special present. €60 / $75

Cloth Dolly's by Poupeesk Look at those legs! €35 / $47

PANAMA

Fingerless Mittens by Rainbow Mittens.

Easy access to fingers! €31 / $39

BELGIUM

Christmas Cat Plushie by Dancing In The Rains.

Festive Kitty! €23 / $29

ROMANIA

LATVIA

VIETNAM

SOUTH AFRICA

THE VERY BEST OF HANDMADE AND INDIE FOR CHILDREN FROM AROUND THE GLOBE!

Ice Skate Ornaments by Lora Design.

They're like fairy skates! €5 / $6 63

Glass Ring by Pincelde Fuego.

So pretty! €13 / $16

QUESTIONS FOR

OUR AGONY AUNT MIGHT BE A CANINE BUT SHE CERTAINLY LOVES TO GIVE ADVICE. THIS ISSUE, COMET DISHES OUT SOME PARENTAL ADVICE...

COMET PARENTING TIPS Hello everybody and welcome back to my advice column. This time round were going to be talking about parenthood. I suppose you guys know that since the last time we talked, I was pregnant for like two months or something and gave birth to like, six critters. Before getting pregnant, I was trying to secure advice on the best (fastest) way to get a belly full of pups. And as it turns out, like I said in my last column, all I needed was just a lot of sex in a field. So I did, with Terris. He’s my boyfriend, he loves me. Haven’t seen him in like four months or something so I can’t wait to see that guy. Well as it turns out, I got pregnant and let me tell you something, Pregnancy is easy! What fun it is, I was all fat and I couldn’t jump so I got carried a lot. I got more ham than usual and I got sick a lot. But then that fun ended and I soon realised that pregnancy is a lot more than just being fat. I had to give birth to a lot of slimy mini rats or something. I was very upset. I mean, I know I’m not very experienced in this field but it’s just different than what I was expecting. "Well Comet, what were you expecting", I hear you say?

Well it sounds silly now but, I was hoping for maybe one or two fully grown perfect replicas of me. I Know, it sounds silly right? But I didn’t know what would happen; I thought it’d be like cell division, or something. Anyway six stinky, slimy noisy rats came out and after about four weeks I started to like them because they stopped looking like rats and more like the mini replicas I was talking about earlier. Those little dogs were fun! Really fun, but man they were stupid, I mean really stupid. They used to go wee where they slept and they’d be wet and not care or nothing. One time I came back from the park and one of those guys done a shit on the other one, like right on his head, and he didn’t even notice! I’d try to sleep sometimes and they would bark right in my ear. But that’s just the point of this article - to give you guys the sort of parenting skills necessary so you can raise six little critters that aren't stupid.

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LAURA FROM NIGHTTOWN: WHAT DO I DO IF I THINK MY CHILD MIGHT HAVE A FEVER?

COMET: While it is lying down, lick it until it moves; this stimulates the creature to feed off you. Then just let him feed. I don’t know really, none of my kids had fevers!

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AGONY AUNT: Q’S FOR COMET

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“You walk up to him really fast and bite him, until he lies down”

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HENRY FROM HARROW: HEY COMET! LOVE THE COLUMN! HOW WOULD YOU DEAL WITH A LITTLE KID WHO JUST WONT GO TO BED?

COMET: Hey Henry! You’re not a hoover are you? Only joking. Well it’s simple: if one of the little guys refuses to go to bed, you walk up to him really fast and bite him until he lies down.

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BARRY FROM CONKER: IF MY CHILD IS FIGHTING WITH ANOTHER SIBLING, WHAT SHOULD I DO?

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LYNN FROM MYANMAR: I HAVE TWO BOYS AND THEY BOTH REFUSE TO EAT THEIR VEGETABLES. THEY ONLY EVER WANT BURGERS AND CHIPS. WHAT SHOULD I DO?

COMET: You go right up to him and bite him on his legs. That should sort him out. If not, then pin him to the floor and bite him.

COMET: You should stop feeding them all together. When I stopped feeding them from my eight nipples, they would all cry really loud because they were hungry all the time.

I would eat my food really quickly, then jump in their bed and get sick up food for them.

They love that stuff.

Mim: If you are inclined to take advice from dogs, we cannot be held responsible for the canine-inspired madness that ensues! Thanks Comet!

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T G THA YTHIN D AND N A N EA TO GO AH MMEN .COM TO CO N PLEASE AG@GMAIL YOU! E IK L E D M H O L T T IT U , ED WO BACK MAKE IF YOUT HAS ADVIS BITCH AT Y NOT GET E A E L M M T O R IT C THE L MAY O EMAIL OMET. SHE C : FAO

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ISSUE 5: NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2012 Editor: Maggie Stills Sub Editor: Animal Kovax Illustration / Layout / Design: Baubie Sunshine Contributors (Issue 4): Jack Valentine & Ronald Bride (Music), Philip Tinsley (Space), Ronald Bride & Nanny (Christmas) Melissa Mendes (Comics), Comet (Agony Aunt) Published by Zebra In A Top Hat Press Cat No: MIM005 Text and Illustrations Copyright owned by MIM / Zebra In A Top Hat Press ℗ & © &☺2012.

All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without prior permission from the Editor / Illustrator / Publisher. www.makeitmag.com www.zebrainatophatpress.com

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