GUM / issue 01 / 2011

features / art / fashion / politics / music 01issue

2011 / FREE

2 GUM / issue 01 / 2011

GUM is back in town.So here we are again, another semester underway. Luckily, this also means that Scotland’s oldest student magazine is back with a brand new mix of inspiring content.

What we would most like to bring you this time of the year is a bit of warmth. We all need it when the mornings get darker and every day seems a little rainier than the last. So, in this issue we have featured some truly warming content that we hope will take your mind off that dreary Glasgow weather for a minute or two.

Our Features section will take you far abroad, with exciting reports from around the globe. Nico Ferguson cover the student protests in Chile, Karl Sorri shares observations made in South Korea and Irina Zilke writes about the time she spent in the city that never sleeps.

In the Arts section, Claire Maxwell shares some beautiful summer photos and Lucy Cheseldine reminisces over sunny summer days, spent in a remote valley by the sea in Turkey. And if that’s not enough to warm you up then head on to the Fashion section, take a look at our literally red-hot fashion shoot and get inspired to knit your very own woolly scarf.

Feeling a little cosier? Good, then sit back and allow yourself to be intellectually stimulated by our Politics content, ever so thought-provoking. Keith Marin meets the Scottish Justice Minister himself and asks some important questions, whilst Judy Barrett examines the ethics of volunteer work and Linus Sioland shares his thoughts on the Arab Spring.

Then wind down with some music. Megan Donald takes you right into the heart and soul of blues music and Alexandra Embiricos talks to folk band Matt Norris and the Moon over a pizza. And don’t forget to give the songs on GUM’s very own Autumn playlist a listen – you won’t regret it.

Finally, even though she can be mean sometimes with a sudden downpour as you leave for your 9AM lecture, we haven’t forgotten

related pieces, with everything from a story on the experience of moving to Glasgow, to Glasgow fashion blogs, knitting groups and tattoo artists.

Enjoy.

Ina Andersson (Editor)

CONTENT CREDITS

Cover Andy KingWritersIna Andersson, Ryan McNab, Karl Sorri, Nico Ferguson, Joelle Fogelman, Morven Clements, Irina Zilke, Lucy Cheseldine, Abraham Parker, Phoebe Crompton, Catriona Perry, Rose Henderson, Keith Marin, Linus Siöland, Jordan Mulligan, Judy Barrett, Daniel Patterson, Megan Donald, Ross Watson, Jessica Secmezsoy-Urquart, Alexandra Embiricos, Tom Clarke, Paul

PhotographersSean Anderson, Gustaf Klinga, Ania Chawluk, Claire Maxwell, Andy King, Morven Clements, Agathe Weiss, Istvan Magyar, Ina AnderssonArtworkAndy King, Ina Andersson, Robyn Dale

features art

editor's letter

fashion politics musicCREDITS

Editor (contents): Ina AnderssonEditors (design and layout): Ina Andersson & Andy King

SECTION EDITORS

Features Ina AnderssonArts Laura Stockwell Fashion Ginger ClarkPolitics Keith MarinMusic Megan Donald

Website Martyna Maron

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Want some more?If you can’t get enough of GUM, you can follow us on our website all through the year. We keep an eye on events all around the city and bring them straight to your bedroom. Find everything from great nights out to live reviews on:

http://gumagazine.wordpress.com

www.facebook.com/glasgowuniversitymagazine

Go on, we like you too.

3GUM / issue 01 / 2011

Fully Funded Study in the USAUp to TEN awards, each with a total value of approx US$80,000 per year, covering tuition fees and living expenses, including travel in the USA, will be available (for 1 or 2 years) from 1st September 2012 for candidates who wish to pursue a postgraduate programme at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA.

Please visit www.thouronaward.orgor contact Jennie Eldridge, Award Administrator on +44 (0)20 7848 3376 quoting ref TA11.

www.thouronaward.org

Applications are invited by 5pm on 1st November 2011

Thouron Awards were created by Sir John and Lady Thouron for the promotion of academic exchange and experience in international friendship between the UK & USA.

in association with

13170 Thouron_Glasgow_67x105mm.indd 1 26/09/2011 08:53

4Bright Club is a comedy night where academics from universi-ties, including PhD students, postdocs and professors, take to

an 8-minute stand up comedy set about their research, with support from a professional comedian. This new take on a comedy night started at UCL in London and after a successful gig at The Fringe in Edinburgh this year, Bright Club is now ready to take on Glasgow. Come and see if you can spot your lecturer. THE ADMIRAL November 17th 7.30pm 72a Waterloo Street £3.50

5 Bold Souls Embrace your inner McCartney or Cavalli with fashion collec-tive Bold Souls at Arches this November. At this upcoming event you can buy independent

fashion pieces, get styled up and mingle with designers. You also get the chance to swap your unwanted clothes with more desirable items at the Swap It Shop. Help the fashion community and your own wardrobe with some recycling and restyling. Bold Souls: Santa, Baby 2! ARCHES November 26th 12- 5.30pm 253 Argyle Street £2

6 VitaminsKeep your eyes peeled and your ears to the ground for details on the next Vitamins Glasgow. There is no better place in town to get your rave on and dance

yourself sweaty. Best friends with Glasgow University's Subcity Radio, Vitamins brings you some brilliant tunes and a banging party.

Follow on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/vitamins.glasgow

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Lucy Cheseldine:

"I'd swap lives with the cast from 'Made in Chelsea', because they do nothing all day, drink far too much and have money to burn..."

Ryan McNab:

"If I could be anyone for the day I'd be Rog-er from American Dad. Who wouldn't want to be an alcoholic, cos-tume wearing, acidic tongued, effeminate alien?"

Morven Clements:

"I'd swap lives with 'Slava' the lead clown from 'Slava's Snow Show'- he's on a never ending tour and spends his days on stage hav-ing a carry on!"

Dear Contributors, if you could swap life with someone for a day, who would it be?

1 Fancy some Aussie rock’n’roll? Glasgow is proud to host the only AC/DC exhibition ever to have been approved by the band. Celebrating the 37-year old rock bands career, it contains material

never shown before, including stage cos-tumes, handwritten lyrics and one of Angus Young’s custom made guitars. The exhibition highlights the band’s strong connection with Glasgow – the only place in Europe to host it. On until 12 February 2012 KELVINGROVE ART GALLERY Argyle Street £2

2 The GmbH Shop is a Glasgow outlet offering a range of maga-zines, books and publishing from all around the world, with a focus

-sic, lifestyle, culture and current

affairs. It’s a great place to get some inspira-tion for that ambitious art project you’re planning, just browsing the aisles will get

Lighthouse, Glasgow’s centre for architec-

GMBH SHOP 11 Mitchell Lane

3The Freak Beats ClubGet groovy at Glasgow club The Flying Duck this autumn. On Saturday 5th of November you can move your feet at their 60’s dance party, playing mod,

soul, psych and ska from 23.00 – 03.00. If you think the 5 pound entry is a bit steep for your student economy, then you can get free guest passes from CCA’s pre-club party, Get The Records On. We will see you there.THE FLYING DUCK 142 £5

all about glasgow

4 GUM / issue 01 / 2011

A Glasgow newcomer, Ryan McNab shares his thoughts on moving to a city from the country.Before moving to Glasgow, the impression given of urban life was one in which the atmosphere was like some thick ragged cloth, soaked in petrol, chewing gum, and cigarettes. I had a vision of

something completely otherworld-ly, glamorous, but also seedy. Of course, I’ve been to many cities, but having never lived in one, I seemed to be deluded as to how this alien world existed day to day. In my head I saw myself as immediately changing when I arrived in Glasgow, Stars in Their Eyes style. Once here, I

pictured myself both street smart and sophisticated; the offspring of Humphrey Bogart (delusion, remember) and Carrie Bradshaw. That’s right, Carrie Bradshaw.

Having lived here for well-over a month now, I can inform you dear reader that city life certainly is different to the quiet, pastoral (almost Songs of Praise-esque) lifestyle that living in the country appears to promote. Naturally, the country pulse in my veins is still trying to acclimatise to the sirens, car horns, and anonymous faces that one encounters day-to-day

most perplexing is that Glasgow almost feels like my hometown,

only a hell of a lot bigger, so many more people, and endless things to do and places to visit. Even just walking down Byres Road and looking into the cafes and restaurants, I seem to turn into some sort of Woody Allen

wannabe (even more so as I write this at 2am.) I see people, all with their cappuc-cino buzzed conversations and I convince

myself they are, paradisaically, theorising their latest fuck. Natu-rally, being the imaginative indi-vidual that I am, I also convince myself that the glass between is only ephemeral, that one day, as a true city-slicker, I’ll be doing the theorising too.

The thing that excites me most about the city is the amount of possibilities, so many people, so many conversations, laughs, and relationships to form. Glasgow seems to be a cornucopia of potential and - excuse me while I become misty-eyed with senti-ment - it’s going to be the setting of so many brilliant memories.

So, despite being a country bumpkin now, I’m sure in time that the city will claim and convert me. It’ll make me see that whenever I hear stilettos striking sparks on the pavements, or the whoosh-ing-roar of a taxi goes past my window, when I dart between big issue sellers and lift my shopping bags in the air to avoid children and dogs, I’m a part of the city. And I know that Glasgow is living.

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great expectations

"Even just walking down Byres Road and looking into the cafes and restaurants, I seem to turn into some sort of Woody Allen wannabe"

5GUM / issue 01 / 2011

Last year when I went on exchange to Seoul, South Korea, I had no idea what to expect. I knew that the city’s population was over 10 million, and that it wasn’t too far away from North Korea and Kim Jong-il. I knew about Samsung and Hyundai, but apart from that South Korea was a total mystery, and that was part of the reason why I went there.

is one of the best kept secrets in the world,

it all was. I felt like I was walking through a set in Blade Runner, with gigantic TV screens portraying the newest gadgets on skyscrapers that defy laws of physics. At the same time, old ladies with perms were selling spicy rice cakes next to statues of ancient warriors and old Buddhist temples – the culture was so unique and strong, and there was so much going on.

Every day that I spent in South Korea I grew to love it more and more, and this was largely due to the people I met. South Koreans are considered the ’Italians of Asia’: they love football, eat a lot, are beautiful, and are ex-tremely good at showing their mood with grand hand gestures and dramatic facial expressions. They never ceased to amaze me with their hospitality, and I enjoyed plen-ty of encounters with the quirkier bits of their culture. For instance, couples like to wear

gifts when I bought a coffee. One thing I es-pecially liked was the lack of tourists, which made me feel like I was somewhere that protected itself from Big Mac globalisation whilst still being a highly futuristic society.

on their phones, plastic surgery is simply the make-up for the modern person, and

cabinets for their employees.

Contrary to my prejudices, Koreans are also enthusiastic party-people and the nightlife is surpisingly fun. On a typical night we would start off at a Korean barbecue restaurant where you cook the meat your-self on a big hot plate and mix it fajita-style

the korean wave

with salad and rice. Then we would continue to an ’alcohol house’ where you order 5 litre pitchers of beer, mix it with rice wine, and play drinking games like ’Baskin Robbins 21’ . This goes on until everybody is ready to head out to an epic club where all customers are served like royalty, which is something I would like to see in a Glasgow club!

at ’norebang’ (Korean karaoke houses), dress up in wigs in a private disco room, and sing anything from classic Korean ballads to Justin Bieber. Of course, there are plenty of other things to do besides drinking. If you like

-ful palaces or museums of the Korean War. You can even go the De-Militarised Zone (DMZ) and see for yourself how tense the North-South Korean border actually is. Otherwise, you can bike along the Han-river, under the Rainbow Fountain Bridge (which, you must admit, sounds like something from Mario Kart), and end up at a ’jimjilbang’ spa where you can relax in hot and cold baths all day and night. However, it's good to

know that this in-volves being naked in front of a bunch of other people. Personally, I don’t

-lieve that South Ko-rea has experienced

the extent where the phenomenon is called the ’Korean Wave’. Korean Pop,

South East. Korean is a popular lan-guage to study and Korean food is like Italian food in Europe. Japanese tourists have also chosen downtown Seoul as their shopping paradise. Combine this with the fact that South Korean automo-biles and electronics are already global household names, and you have a fairly

All things considered, it felt tremendous to catch a glimpse of what goes on in this remote but vibrant peninsula, and to meet some of the most lovely people on the planet. If you don’t enjoy waiting in queues with other tourists, and don’t mind not always knowing what is going on, then Seoul has a lot to offer. But, be sure to be quick, since South Korea won’t stay a secret for long.

Karl Sorri shares his experiences of the country he claims to be a well-kept secret.

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"For instance, couples like to wear identical

received random gifts when I bought a coffee"

6 GUM / issue 01 / 2011

Glasgow graduate Nico Ferguson reports from a stirring Chile where students demand better conditions for their education.My bedroom window looks down onto the Alameda, one of the main streets of Santiago and one that has recently been the setting of several protests regarding the current educa-

is forced to come to a standstill as the street is invaded by thousands of Chileans united by a common goal; equal access to education for all. Having arrived in the country a mere month ago and with memories of the student protests across the UK still fresh in my mind, inevitably I cannot help but draw some rudimentary com-parisons between the two.

Perhaps the most evident difference is the sustained nature of the protests and occupa-tions. The student protests have been occur-

ring since May of this year and have continued religiously since. If this situation continues for much longer one very real outcome facing the students boycotting classes is that they will be forced to repeat the academic year. The per-

in their cause and furthermore has served to highlight their case internationally.

Another factor that to some extent differs to that of the situation in the UK is the amount of sup-port for the students from the general public. Opinion polls suggest that the students’ cause has been gaining momentum and support, whilst the popularity of Piñera’s government

students has come in many forms and from

participants of some of the marches which can range from toddlers through to pension-ers. The general atmosphere tends to be fun and relaxed, where chants are accompanied by samba drumming and other musical instru-ments. Over time the students have come up with novel ways to get their message across to the rest of the country, and in turn to the world. These have for example included a ‘superhe-roes’ themed protest and another protest organised in July that saw hundreds of couples lock lips and kiss for education.

Unfortunately not all of the protests have ended in such a peaceful or playful way, and a small minority have clashed with the police. Prior to the weekly Thursday morning protest

-lice vehicles, shops close their shutters and

have taken a hard line when clashes and riots have occurred and seem quick to resort to tear gas and water cannons. Much like in the UK the media tends to focus on the few individu-

the chilean springf e a t u r e s / art / fashion / politics / music

"Much like in the UK the media tends to focus on the few individuals that cause disturbances, as opposed to the thousands who act in a peaceful and respectful manner"

7GUM / issue 01 / 2011

the chilean spring

als that cause disturbances, as opposed to the thousands who act in a peaceful and respectful manner.

It would be naïve to suggest that the UK educa-tion system, cuts and increased fees can coher-ently be equated to Chile, as the roots of each movement and society are undeniably different. Chile emerged from the dictatorship of General Pinochet over twenty years ago but the vast gap between the haves and the haves not serves as a constant reminder of past wrongdoings. It has

since the end of the dictatorship that people are intent on getting their voices heard. Aside from various distinctions both Chile and the UK expe-rienced a period of lethargy amongst their youth.

but there now appears to be a resurgence in young people organising and mobilising them-selves to stand up for what they believe in.

One obvious similarity between the two is the discontent and opposition to the concept of applying Free Market ideals to education and serving it up as a commodity. It is impossible to know what the outcome of the ‘Chilean Spring’ will be and what further changes it will achieve, however I feel certain that I have arrived at the start of a crucial time for this country and that the coming year here will be far from uninteresting.

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"It has been suggested

times since the end of the dictatorship that people are intent on getting their voices heard"

f e a t u r e s / art / fashion / politics / music

Joelle Fogelman asks the eternal question of whether to get your body permanently inked or not and discovers a new way of making the decision a little easier.Tattoo. A word that, quite literally, conjures up innumerable images. The tradition of mark-ing one’s skin can be traced back thousands of years when it was used for healing purposes, spir-itual reasons or to establish someone’s status. Nowa-days the expression “tattoo culture” has emerged to describe our frequent use of body art as statement pieces. But, how can you be sure that everlasting artwork on the skin is

-proached with full consideration? After all, you want to get it right.

Dael Links, owner and creator of www.thinking-ink.com, explains his business to me: “We create custom temporary tattoos for clients to try out before they go ahead with

the real thing. It lets people know what they are getting.” If you’ve been deliberating over a de-sign, not 100% sure how it might turn out, or have been scared to take the plunge, this is the

-manent. Dael’s idea came to him early this year and although his company only launched re-cently, it has already attracted a lot of clientele. It’s simple really: by going onto the Thinking-ink

-tions of your desired tattoo, a Glasgow School of Art student then draws her or his interpreta-tion of the description, you are shown the out-come and if you like it you’ve got your very own

temporary tattoo to test out.

“It also gives people who already have tattoos inspira-tion for their next ones.” Dael says. Supposing you had a

vague idea for an image but couldn’t decide exactly how it should look, Thinking-ink could be your answer.

Dael is no stranger to permanent tattoos, hav-ing two full sleeves of them and one on his chest. was about 18. At that stage I wasn’t planning to get many tattoos, but over time they built up and I’ve become more involved in the tattoo culture,

meeting people who are completely covered in them.”

Many of my tattooed friends say they plan their next design moments after leaving the tattooist. I do not have any tattoos, although I have often entered the realm of the daydreamer, contem-plating what illustrations I would like to exhibit on my body. Actually, if I were as bold as make-believe me, I would probably be tattooed from neck to toe. The realistic me is dissuaded by the permanence: who wants to wake up won-dering if putting Spongebob on their ankle was the wisest of moves? Laser removal is an option but comes at a hefty price and when it comes to the other solution - altering what is already there - let us not forget Johnny Depp’s “Wino Forever”.

Tattoos are fascinating and can tell a personal story. In that sense, body art is for everyone and anyone who wants it. So, with this in mind, would you make exhibition of yourself?

making an exhibition of yourself

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"Many of my tattooed friends say they plan their next design moments after leaving the tattooist"

"He is certainly not the

9GUM / issue 01 / 2011

Irina Zilkeseduced by the city that never sleeps and ponders on why it may be that this fascination is shared by so people across the globe.One should only go to New York if you are really lucky, people say. If you are lucky, New York can really become your city that never sleeps. If you are not, it can quickly become the city of a thousand shattered dreams.

This truth is there in people’s minds but, never-theless, this city has the ability to seduce over 20 million people every day to its realm. Peo-ple like me, who are irresistibly fascinated by art, fashion jazz, Broadway and of course the idea that everyone can make it in New York - if you only bring enough luck with you. Believing

strongly in my luck I decided New York should be the place for my summer internship. I want-

in total across the narrow island of Manhattan. A couple of weeks and one Skype interview later it was settled; I was going to intern with a gallery in NYC district Hell’s Kitchen.

Needless to say, for the following three months before my internship my heart was beating at an unbelievably fast pace.

fashioned dormitory for women (no boys allowed!) in Midtown Manhattan, I realised fully for

of the city - its diversity of peo-ple from every class and every country in the world. Imagine a place where you can get everything you ask for, really - if

York, it doesn’t exist.

kind. Mine was the least glamorous of them all. In art, theatre and cinema form it exhibited the social predicaments of the world with brutal honesty. Inhuman immigration laws, unfair so-cial systems, contemporary slavery, pollution of our environment – despite the gallery’s certain pretentiousness, it is surprisingly engaged in

uncomfortable truths. You could say the gal-lery mirrors everything in New York that is ugly and grotesque. But it does it with elegance, be-ing situated in a white art deco style building with a nice view of the Empire State Building. It doesn’t get more New York than that.

Living as a part of New York, one can’t help but love the city even more. Maybe because there is always the dream, or rather the hope,

of endless opportunities. May-be it is because you know you were one of the lucky ones to have made it to the city in the

So why does New York never cease to be so appealing? It is

the open-mindedness of the people here; their friendliness and their incredible optimistic striv-ing to succeed that make the city so irresist-ibly seducing. And when you get the opportu-nity to attend an open-air cinema in Brooklyn Bridge Park at twilight and the screen shows Tony Curtis starring in “The Sweet Smell of Suc-cess”, with a thousand lights from Manhattan skyline surrounding you, that is when you start to truly appreciate the New York that gives you the chance to succeed - if you simply believe in your luck.

what you are looking for in New York, it doesn’t exist"

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10 GUM / issue 01 / 2011

this side of kabak paradise

"I began to experience what the wise old men call ‘the spirit of the valley’ "

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Lucy Cheseldine reminisces over weeks spent in a remote valley, hidden somewhere deep in a very real Turkish paradise.As I lay on a roof terrace, watching the full moon slowly curve around the hip of the moun-tain like a gentle hand and turn to a blazing red, I began to experience what the wise old men call ‘the spirit of the valley’. I was in a place between heaven and earth, space and time. But this was real.

Turkey now, is seen by many holiday-makers as an escape from the collapsing Euro and a destination with a hint of the exotic, but this popularity brings the inevitable build up of resorts and commercialism which I sought to leave behind. Passing through Olez Denis en route to the hidden valley of Kabak in the south

of the country, my eyes tried to avert the loom-ing blackboards. Like propaganda, churning out prices for a traditional English breakfast, constantly repeated in a hypnotising chant. I felt, as Alex must have, having his eyes pinned open to the horrors of modern society. But I was reassured, as I looked to my left, by the aging hippy driving a car as old as himself, with one hand on his beer and the other lighting a ciga-

road. Seamlessly, as if we were already sewn into nature’s quilt, towards the small camp in which I was to spend the next six weeks.

named Last Stop café, the road ended and we were greeted by a twenty-minute trek down the mountainside, following the red and white stones of the Lycian way. I felt as a camel, lug-ging my rucksack full of needless things, head-ing for the oasis, Sultan camp, at the bottom of the hill. The camp has tents and wooden bun-galows as the valley permits building only with natural materials, this includes a stone-built plunge pool with fresh mountain water, like a

jewel, it twinkles in the midday sun, glazing the body in icy perfection as the temperature sim-mers.

The valley is the retreat of travellers and aging hippies, who stop off to lounge naked in the gushing waterfalls and swim into the ancient cave just off the shore of Kabak beach. In this fragile balance of secrecy, the tiny boats bob in the bay, swaying to the distant beats of reggae music. It was to this beat that one night I fol-lowed the spiritual calling of the valley to meet the turtles that make their journey once a year to lay their eggs.

In this place, they are royalty, as they clamber onto the beach, metres from where we had set up camp for the night, their crowns glinted in the moonlight as humans retreated to their can-vas shell, making way for these ancient kings to lead the path for their next generation, pre-serving paradise. We walked along the sand as they returned to the ocean; here we are just like them.

11GUM / issue 01 / 2011

Legs like two lovers folding into each other,Setting the bed alight Rippling the orange, red and blue which lick at every mark and indentation,

And gasoline to blood.

Overhead is the pink sky of possibility,Plush with stagnant evening,Holding in its colour a people, a place, a peace.

A colour to melt all boundaries

Leaving its trail of untame wax as the dayDrips away.

Dusk.

Poems by LUCY CHESELDINE

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features / a r t / fashion / politics / music

12 GUM / issue 01 / 2011

Theatre or therapy? Abraham Parker Clare takes part in an unusual performance at the 2011 Arches Live.Entering the theatre space we felt as though we had stumbled into an alco-holic’s anonymous meeting. A small circle of ten, we perched hesitantly on our chairs. Creators, Nic Green and Peter McMaster, sat amongst us in the circle and welcomed us with warm eyes and smiles. We had all been informed of the ‘nature’ of what we were about to partake in (the

-ence members must remove all their clothes during the performance), but we had no idea what to expect.

After a short physical sequence in the centre of the circle – a humming Green twisted and turned slowly be-fore us, managing to balance a small candle on her head, thigh, lower back and neck in moments of still-

invited next door, where the circle reassembled, but this time nude. We then ducked into a silver tepee, sens-ing that inside, the piece would really

platter of hot coals heated the tepee like a sauna. Green and McMaster told us the deal: the single candle lighting the tepee would be blown out and we, in no particular order, would speak of what was burning within our lives at the moment. Once one person’s offering had conclud-ed, Green would pour water onto the coals, steam would rise from them and the next offering would begin. Was that okay with us? Heads nod-ded and the candle was blown out.

In the black, something wonder-ful happened. A group of strangers loosened inhibitions and shared deep, true feelings with one an-other. Ten minutes must have nearly

spoken, but by the end tears had

angers, anxieties and joys were re-leased. Open and truthful, the ten of us disclosed pieces of our lives

which thickened the darkness with a sense of togetherness. We left the tent rejuvenated. We were washed two at a time by Green and McMas-ter – who had each offered an articu-lation of their inner-burning the same as the rest of us – and returned to the circle where the performance wound down with cups of herbal tea.

Nic Green’s fresh and dynamic ap-proach to theatre. She is a prac-titioner who favours involving her own genuine experiences in her work, performing as herself rather than simulative acting, and breaking down barriers that isolate audience members from many productions. Here she and McMaster encour-aged their audience to bring their own personal experiences to life in the performance. The piece left the audience feeling refreshed and good about themselves, as much of Green's work does. Her marvellous feminist production ‘Trilogy’ ends with female audience members taking to the stage in the nude and

singing Blake’s Jerusalem. It is a powerful and joy-ous climax. ‘Tril-ogy’ is not overtly provocative but rather champions femininity and cel-ebrates the female

body. McMaster’s solo work also di-

himself in and considers his gen-der. He has developed a version of Wuthering Heights with an all-male cast which, in his own words, tries “to interrogate the state of modern masculinity”. In their collaboration at The Arches the two artists have done what they do best, bring the stories that surround them to life on the stage.

Anything but your typical play, ‘The Fire Burns and Burns’ is more of a therapeutic opportunity to unwind. Green and McMaster create an en-vironment which lets loose the audi-ence’s emotions. They come away feeling lifted. The social barriers en-forced in everyday life disappear in a warm, liberating darkness which gives every word and every feeling a relevance. For those who experi-enced it, the memory of this piece

inside them for a long time to come.

Engaging opportunities…

The Hunterian’s rich and diverse collections are right on your doorstep and a range of opportunities are available which can be accessed as part of your studies. If your course doesn’t bring you to us directly, we have an exciting exhibitions and events programme for you.

Visit our website and sign up to our e-newsletter, fi nd us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

www.glasgow.ac.uk/hunterianThe University of Glasgow, charity number SC004401

warned that audience members must remove all their clothes during the performance"


13GUM / issue 01 / 2011

Engaging opportunities…

The Hunterian’s rich and diverse collections are right on your doorstep and a range of opportunities are available which can be accessed as part of your studies. If your course doesn’t bring you to us directly, we have an exciting exhibitions and events programme for you.

Visit our website and sign up to our e-newsletter, fi nd us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

www.glasgow.ac.uk/hunterianThe University of Glasgow, charity number SC004401

14 GUM / issue 01 / 2011

Phoebe Crompton explores the mysterious garden of a deceased poet and reveals its hidden secrets.Up in the Pentland Hills near Edinburgh lies Lit-tle Sparta, the garden of deceased poet and philosopher Ian Hamilton Finlay. Framed by the surrounding barren landscape, his care-fully placed sculptures, concrete poetry and artifacts form what is arguably Finlay’s greatest work of art and regarded as one of the promi-nent imaginative modern gardens in Europe.

Taking its name from the original Sparta, in op-position to Edinburgh’s nickname “Athens of the North”, Little Sparta has the air of an an-cient landscape waiting to be explored. All visi-tors are made to walk the half-mile uphill to a house, ascending to views over Dunsyre and

The sculptures make references to all aspects of the arts and science, and would serve as an entertaining, educating puzzle for a great intellectual. As someone of average education,

some of the artifacts’ meanings.Established from very humble beginnings, on

a lonely croft at Stonycroft in 1966, both Fin-lay and his wife gradually built up this avant-

worked upon the stony land to cultivate a 5-acre span comprised of individual land-scapes, each with its own mood and character, including a miniature lake called Lock Eck.

This makes for a feeling of exploration and dis-covery, as you pass from one carefully craft-ed space to the next. The cottage garden is

poetry’, with lines of phi-losophy carved into the bricks of the pathways. Everything is carefully placed and given greater

-roundings. Around a tree, whose moving branches apparently recalled the sound of the sea to Finlay, is a bench inscribed with the verse THE SEA’S WAVES/ THAE WAVES’ SHEAVES/ THE SEA’S NAVES, echoing the sound of the ocean.

Delving deeper into the garden, there was a miniature forest planted entirely by Finlay and his wife. The stone sculptures in amongst the trees and bushes gave the impression of found artifacts in some strange, unexplored wood. A stone pyramid stood on a podium above the

undergrowth, bearing the dates of German painter Caspar David Friedrich, served as a solemn memorial.

As I was directed along the grassy paths lined with trees there was a great sense of antici-pation as to what I would come across next. Almost like a country walk, the garden made the sculptures strange, as if something myste-rious and important had been hidden away. At one point a huge golden head, framed by two

sloping tree trunks and with the inscription “Apol-lon Terroriste” carved on the forehead, at an-other a small pond with a chained boat moored at a solitary dock.

Each artifact worked in the context of its surroundings, ruling over its particular space and gathering meaning from

where ultimate works of concrete poetry: sculp-tures which conveyed their intended effect through their arrangement with nature. Leaving the grounds, and walking back to the car, I felt I had left something eerily important behind. All in all, the garden of Little Sparta is a strange

as Scotland’s greatest work of art.

"These where ultimate works of concrete poetry: sculptures which conveyed their intended effect through their arrangement with nature."


"The stone sculptures in amongst the trees and bushes gave the impression of found artifacts in some strange, unexplored wood"

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"Photography is my preferred way of storytelling and recording""These photos were taken on Ile d'Yeu, a small French island. Sun, sea, sand, cycling, discovering and good food. It was a lovely escape. My favourite summer memory, though? Driving up the east

I've ever felt so free. It was incredible."

Summer through the eyes of ClaireMaxwell

See more of Claire’s works: www.clairemaxwell.com

features / a r t / fashion / politics / m

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16 GUM / issue 01 / 2011

Hot Glaswegian Child in the City: Model Adrian SkylerAdrian Skyler is going to be one of next season's biggest things, having already set a high bar for himself with his debut at Aber-crombie and Fitch. Originally from Glasgow, Adrian has lived in NYC for the past 4 years, drawn there by its notorious bright lights.

How did you break into modelling? New York held for me the same appeal it has and does for thousands. It’s an indescribable town, every bit the Melting Pot it’s said to be so when I was offered a place at Drama school, I upped sticks and took it! During my time there I was scouted when en route to the gym and got my break into modelling.

What has been your best experience in New York so far?It’s actually hard to say, there have been so many. A real highlight for me so far was working New York Fashion Week: it’s hectic, you have to rush all over town to different castings and, between the work and the parties, you get very little sleep. It’s amazing though, you get to meet so many great people in the industry and it’s a real chance to get yourself

fashion all under the one roof – it’s surreal.

Tell us about your New York, your recommendations? The buzz in Manhattan is indescribable; you have to experience it

there are always tons of places open all night, how friendly people are, how stylish the city is, I love how every single tiny neighbourhood in New York is so different to the next.

Finally, for you, what are Glasgow’s best bits? My family are in Glasgow, its where I grew up, so it will always be home. On a less sentimental note though, I love Glasgow’s uniqueness in that everything you need is practically on your doorstep, good eateries,

its main street: it has so much to offer, like its little vintage stores and cosmopolitan cafes. I enjoy breakfasts as Stravaigin and drinks on the wine terrace of the Ubiquitous chip, especially when the sun is out.

hot child in the city

fashion

Hot Glaswegian Child in the City: Designer Hannah BarrHannah Barr, 24, has just graduated from the highly esteemed Central Saint Martins and now has a place on the college’s much-coveted Master’s course in Women’s wear. Having lived in Paris and New York, Hannah tells us why London is her favourite.

Who inspires you? My muse changes from day to day: she is hard to pin down, but I usually get inspired by a mood from a photograph or from art. For

everything, particularly London streets where there is a whole plethora of activity and people: as a fashion capital it’s unique. The people are so much more daring, and Londoners’ fashion operates in a vacuum all of its own, liberated from the constraints of formal continental norms.

Give us an insight into Fashion Week. I have worked on shows in London, Paris and New York. The city comes alive at Fashion Week; there are just beautiful, cool, (if slightly intimidat-ing!) people everywhere, which is great for people watching! You don’t sleep the night before the show the theory being that it's bad luck. You head straight to the venue from the studio and then get ready to party.

For you, what are London's best bits?

month that really showcase new talent. I love the crazy, crazy Saint Martin’s art student’s dress sense. Shoreditch House in London’s East End has an amazing roof terrace; it is perfect for vino and seeing hazy summer nights. In the West of London, there is Portobello Market, which

Tell us, why will Glasgow always be home? I really miss my Glasgow home comforts; it’s the small things like random chats with strangers, which is just not done in London - people would think you are odd! When I come home I make a point of getting

city Glasgow actually is until you live somewhere like London - even the water is nicer up North! Glasgow has a lot to offer, including some spectacular buildings. It also has this great compact nightlife; you can easily hop around the city exploring new pubs and bars, all within an easy reach. Actually, I think I might come home this weekend… Text by MORVEN CLEMENTS

17GUM / issue 01 / 2011

BELLE D'AUTUMNEHood by CHOUCHOU COUTURE (£55)Cardigan from TOPSHOP (£42)

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features / art / f a s h i o n / politics / music

18 GUM / issue 01 / 2011

dress by JENNIE LÖÖF socks from AMERICAN APPAREL (£16) shoes from NEW LOOK (£39.99)

coat by JENNIE LÖÖF dress by CHOUCHOU COUTURE (£76) shoes from NEW LOOK (£39.99)

19GUM / issue 01 / 2011

top by JENNIE LÖÖFfur vest by CHOUCHOU COUTURE (£51)

trousers from TOPSHOP (£40) head-dress by FAIR FEATHERED FRIEND (£23)


ALL JENNIE LÖÖF DESIGNS AVAILABLE AT LA LA LAND SHOP

20 GUM / issue 01 / 2011

"Knitters were always there"Out of context, this statement might sound a little absurd, but in the light of the last decade, many interesting discussions can be had on the subject.Knitting has made quite a consider-able comeback in the last few years, not merely because we have become more attracted to ‘traditional’ knitwear on the catwalk; Aran jumpers, cabled designs and crocheted cardigans are all over the high street. Reportedly a hobby of such well-known names as Amanda Seyfried, Cameron Diaz and, of course, Gromit, knitting has, in recent years, exploded in popu-larity: "Knitting for women is a new construct" says Antje Karl, proprietor of The Yarn Cake on Queen Margaret Drive.

Surprising though it may seem, knit-ting was originally a pastime associated with men, in partic-ular sailors, who would knit functional items while on watch for hours at a time. The golden days of knitting how-ever, were perhaps the 40s, when it was a means of saving money in war-time; and the 50s and 60s, when knit-ting had a huge boost with patterns tailored for haute-couture. Suffering a slump in the 1980s, the craft was deemed old-fashioned, possibly due to the items of increasing ugliness created by your granny.

So, what has caused this recent resur-gence then? "It started off as almost a feminist movement in the States’" ex-plains Antje. People such as Debbie Stoller, author of the bestselling ‘Stitch n Bitch’ books helped kick-start a new era of knitting. Since then, the web-sites knitty.com and ravelry.com have helped inspire knitters all over the world, by creating an accessible da-tabase of patterns: "Younger, geekier knitters had resources - somewhere to go. Knitters were always there." The knitting groups that meet in Glas-gow, it appears, are made up of quite a range of different ages and occu-pations, though most prevalently "it’s professional women in their ‘20s, 30s, 40s who use the internet a lot" contin-ues Antje. That’s not to say that knit-ting is only considered a female hob-by, as quite a few young men have visited the shop to knit something for their girlfriend.

So, what is the appeal? For many it may appear as quite an expensive and time-consuming hobby, with more and more crafters knitting them-selves little pieces of luxury in alpaca, cashmere and mohair. Perhaps the answer lies in the main difference be-tween knitting now and in the past- it has become a means of socialising with people who are likeminded, and

often with people you would never have spoken to otherwise. Moreo-ver, there is a kind of happy pride in wearing something

you’ve made yourself, whether big or

For students wishing to learn the ropes, online tutorials are plentiful, but The Yarn Cake boasts two knitting groups who are experienced enough to deal with any problem you might have. These run on Tuesdays and Thursdays 6 to 10pm.

Text by CATRIONA PERRYIllustration by ROBYN DALE


"Surprising though it may seem, knitting was originally a pastime associated with men"

the age of knitting

21GUM / issue 01 / 2011

STYLE SCANNERAnother Vogue-nominated 'next generation'

the street style snaps is guaranteed to make you green with envy, and you can spy a number of musicians, actresses and creative types showcasing their own sartorial savvy. Much more than this, the blog also delves into art, music and Glasgow's hottest events.

http://www.stylescanner.blogspot.com

KINGDOM OF STYLEMichelle and Marie (or Queen Michelle and Queen Marie as we have come to know them) deliver a blog which is more than just pictures to please our peepers. Witty, humorous and of course stylish, the pair provide us with some sweet respite from the, what can be, all-consuming seriousness of the blogging world. In saying this, their fashion content is some of the best around and it is our go-

you can see how these women dress when they too understand the perils of living in a city which has the misfortune of experiencing every season in one single day.

http://www.kingdomofstyle.typepad.co.uk

GINGER FASHION MONSTERSGUM's very own fashion editor can be found in the blogosphere along with her equally -

bring us image after image of self-styled shoots often featuring clothes they've cus-tomised themselves, tracked down in charity shops for tuppence or which come from the collections of some of Glasgow's brightest designers. Living proof that student fashion is not all oversized hoodies and last night's vodka-stained clothes. The blog is also pep-pered with sketches, behind-the-scenes vid-eos, and snippets of new trends.

http://www.gingerfashionmonsters.blogspot.com

BEE WAITS FOR NO ONE

Bee Waits For No One is another blog with its ears glued to Glasgow’s very fashion-forward ground. Created by Claire, who also co-runs a multimedia fashion show (In the Company of Wolves), it comes as no surprise that the blog provides an excellent insight into the up-and-coming designers making their mark on our city -not forgetting the fact she gives an excel-lent review of all things fashion and beauty. So sneak a peek at what is happening with the likes of Obscure Couture and Jennie Lööf and

events you don’t want to miss out on!

http://www.beewaits.blogspot.com

LES GARCONS DE GLASGOWLes Garcons, nominated by Vogue as a 'next generation' blog, have made a name for them-selves by providing the ultimate guide to style in Glasgow and beyond. Armed with a camera, the talented duo capture style where it's at its best: on the streets. With a great eye and an aptitude for catching those little details which

statement necklace, a slick of lipstick) they re-ally don't miss a trick. And although our streets may be wet and sullen - providing ample op-

blog has managed to capture the fashion spirit of the city as one which is diverse, creative and yes, unstoppable.

http://www.lesgarconsdeglasgow.blogspot.com


22 GUM / issue 01 / 2011

Keith Marin catches up with the Scottish Justice Minister to discuss a rather controversial release, the issue of independence and ends

questions of faith and tolerance.The Justice Minister of Scotland is determined to stand his ground. On being asked about the release of the Lockerbie Bomber, Kenny MacAskill replies:

“We have compassionate re-lease in Scotland. Where peo-ple meet the criteria, then irre-spective of the crime they have committed and who they are, they can be granted release. So I've done what my predecessors have done. I think it's an important aspect of Scot-tish jurisdiction and every jurisdiction in the world and long may that continue.”

CNN, showing Megrahi near death in his fam-ily home:

“We did the right thing. Mr Al Megrahi is a sick man terminally ill with prostate cancer. The pictures that were shown by CNN were self-evident and it is a travesty that various news-papers – in particular, in Scotland – were sug-gesting something otherwise just days before.”

I have arrived at Kenny MacAskill's Edinburgh

greeted by a man whose mood should mir-ror the weather. Attacked on all sides for his 2009 decision to let Megrahi die in Libya, he found himself on the front page of newspapers around the world. Instead, I am greeted with an enthusiastic smile and a handshake.

-ly decorated box room at the back of the building.

Despite his cool demeanor,

glances at the pad of pa-per in my hand. Al Megrahi is not the only thing trou-bling his mind; with every

support of independence, the Scottish National Party is balancing on a knife-edge. Despite winning a landslide victory in the recent Scottish parlia-mentary elections, their mandate for self-gov-ernance failed to resonate with the population. Why are the Scottish people so hesitant? “If there's a problem with independence, it's the excuses,” “When Canada has a problem, it doesn't look south of the forty-ninth parallel for a solution. We need to learn to take responsibility for our actions.”

I ask for an example;

“The war in Iraq. It's our people who die there. It's our young men and sometimes our young women who don't come home. I don't think we should have gone to war there. There are

decide that.”

I suspect the Justice Minister of being a little sparse in his analysis of the situation. The leader of the Scottish National Party, Alex Salmond, has found himself harangued for the lack of transparency regarding the

independence question. Especially poignant at the moment is the spectre of sectarian vio-lence: after letter bombs were sent to several

subsumed the nation's tabloids.

“Sectarianism is a problem in Scotland, let's -

lem in Scotland now than it was when I was your age. Institutionalised sectarianism, where you could not obtain employment in various sectors of the economy because you were a Catholic, have gone.”

So the issue has been exaggerated?

“We have tribalism, we have institutionalised violence, quite often going through football

Scotland is a better place and, as I say, the whole purpose of independence is making Scotland a better place. And what we are keen on as a government is not just tackling sectarianism: it's not just about saying what we're against, it's what we're for. What we're for is a Scotland that's tolerant and respectful of others.”

This may prove to be more

as if to prove MacAskill's point about how much sectarianism has ebbed away, the Catholic leader Cardinal Keith Patrick O' Brien has provoked fury by labeling the SNPs pro-

posed gay marriage legislation as an 'abomi-nation.' It is questionable whether the Cardi-nal’s views could have been expressed at all forty years ago, when a Catholic might have had to struggle to even secure a public-sector job. Still, in a country where only three percent of the population regularly attends a Catholic Church, I wonder how MacAskill feels about this suffusion of religion and politics? “I think moral values and faith are important to everybody, whether it's religious faith or whether it's humanist faith. I think we live in a

Thatcher days, where the only faith was the cult of Mammon, where the only thing to live for was to advance your material wealth.

that it's not all about the money, but that it’s about coming together as a society. There are things more important than money and it's about looking after each other. So, as I say, I think religion has an important part to play, as does faith in general. Equally, it's about being tolerant and respectful.”

As I thank him for his time and make ready to leave, I decide to dangle a line in front of the justice minister. I point out that the Cardinal could have been showing compassion to so-ciety by defending the traditional family mod-el. He pauses, before chuckling to himself. Amidst the clamor of political questions asked to him in recent months, MacAskill seems gen-uinely pleased to answer something a bit more philosophical. He replies with a smile:

“I think some values are universal, and are universal across faiths, nations and cultures, and they transcend time. So obviously some societal factors change, and some things are

charity, justice: these things are eternal.”

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"If there's a problem with independence, it's the excuses"

"We have tribalism, we have institutionalised violence, quite often going through football clubs, which is nothing to do with faith"

the nice guy of nationalism

23GUM / issue 01 / 2011

Linus Siöland analyses the events in the Arab world over the past eight months and hopes that previous mistakes made by the West will not be repeated.There can’t be many that anticipated the full

of the Arab Spring burst in Tunis last spring. What started out with the self-immolation of a Tunisian street vendor – preferring death by

make his life misery – ended with a tidal wave that swept over North Africa and much of the Arab world, taking with it some of the region’s longest-incumbent dic-tators: Tunisia’s Zine El Abidine Ben Ali; Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak; and, most recently, it forever took the world’s least favourite colonel: Libya’s long-time leader

While no democrat will laud Ben Ali’s or Mu-barak’s treatment of their respective citizenries,

of the three in his response to the spring’s pop-ular demonstrations, plunging Libya into a full-

the reins of his desert state. When conscripts

ranks of the rebels swelled and the rebellion

of mental health and clarity – launched into ti-rades blaming al-Qaida for feeding psychedel-ic drugs to the population, further cementing his reputation as a malevolent lunatic. Enter now, on white stallions, three gentlemen in dire need of distraction from growing unpopularity and unrest at home: Messrs’ Obama, Sarkozy and Cameron.

In retrospect, yours truly would applaud the military effort in Libya to a certain extent. The enforcement of UN Security Council Resolu-

tion 1973, establishing a

decreeing the protection of civilians, was a laudable action from an organisation that, under the leadership of the aggressively beige Ban Ki-Moon, has become

all the more convincing in its role as a giant with clay feet. However, two problems arise when two out of the three gentlemen – Obama being generally busy trying not to infuriate an already irrationally hostile Congress – decided to take the game further, actively co-operating with and directing rebel assaults.

United Kingdom and France now are implicitly expected to participate in the re-launching of the Libyan state, a task that might prove Her-

but possibly even undoable and futile. Such state building has already been tried in Iraq, an experiment few would deem successful. Unsurprisingly, the Iraqi citizens were unim-

their infrastructure back to the Middle Ages, and then telling them how to organise their state.

The second problem is that such decisive, di-rect action and intervention in a country’s civil war sets a precedent for future, similar situa-tions. One such situation might very well be Syria, where president Bashir al-Assad has done his best to repress legitimate protest against Syria’s dynastic presidency, motivating the crackdown with his favourite spiel: ‘We’re

and criminals.’ While the Libyan still spectac-ularly dwarfs the Syrian death toll, the mess

--

should follow the Libyan example and protect the Syrian civilians. What shouldn’t be done, and shouldn’t have been done in Libya either, is another stab at Middle Eastern state building – of all things the region need, it’s not another political catastrophe of Blairite proportions.

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SStirades blaming al-Qaida for feeding drugs to the population"

features / art / fashion / p o l i t i c s / music

24 GUM / issue 01 / 2011

Jordan Mulligan examines the condition of political comedy today and shows that it can be a powerful tool as well as being funny.When last year’s anti-cuts demonstration re-sulted in wide spread violence and property damage, Britain’s political satirists were quick to pass comment. Every single tired line was

left the front pages, and they could return to commenting on how much David Cameron and Nick Clegg resembled Ant and Dec. This slump in imaginative satire has lasted for over a decade. The blame falls squarely on one man's shoulders: when George Bush came to

power in 2000 the world was introduced to a punch line in a cowboy hat. “Bush-isms” be-came merchandisable entities and comedians struck - what they believed to be - fourteen-carat comedy gold. The political parody didn't stop there: the birth of Mock the Week and a host of related features introduced the nation to a new, torpid form of satire. But the end is near. While the mainstream media continues to shell out money for obvious jokes on current affairs stories, the grass roots of something far more original are sprouting away from the cameras.

Josie Long, known best for her cameo appear-ance as a career advisor in Skins, has in recent years moved into more ambitious terrain. Her recent show, “The Future is Another Place,” en-courages people who want change within gov-ernment to do something about it. While she admits that at times her material verges on the preachy, her warmth and passion for the subject – not to mention her tangents about Paul Simon and the Brontes - keep the audience on her side. She manages to deliver a show, which has a genuinely positive effect on those that see it. It is not only political satire, but also political action.

Likewise, since his return to Edinburgh last year, Andy Zaltzmann (of The Bugle podcast) has put on two stellar solo shows. This year’s show, “Arm Chair Revolutionary,” discusses the social network-induced revolutions of the Arab Spring and whether the apathy of the Brit-ish public would stand in the way of a tyrant's overthrow. This is a genuinely interesting and intelligent political discussion, delivered in a

He revels in lengthy groan-prompting puns and

is markedly original and his discussion of sub-jects ranging from the AV referendum and the welfare state to Syria feels fresh and uplifting.

Political comedy does not have to manipulate the inane quote or the most discernible point

of mockery from a cur-rent affairs story. Instead it should be a platform for people to question those in power and to mock those who abuse their position. It can be a soapbox for those who want to see a change and a place to examine the stories presented to us by

newspapers. Most importantly of all is that it can be genuinely hilarious.

the state of satirising

the state

"Bush-isms became merchandisable entities and comedians struck what they believed to be fourteen carat comedy gold"


25GUM / issue 01 / 2011

Judy Barrett examines the incentives for volunteering abroad and asks how genuine the motives really are.In the last twenty years, the opportunity to take people of all ages to developing countries in the name of charity work has increased tenfold. Package holidays are passé. Development is in. More frequently among the middle-class, if you aren't roughing it and doing some vital soul-searching, you are wasting your time. This has become the trend to such an extent that people seemingly compete for the crown of "Most Genuine Development Worker." Points for

tribal name. If you contract a tropical disease, proceed to Go.

It goes so far that people will seek out develop-ment hotspots, and name drop them for street credit amongst their developmentally con-scious peers. A friend of mine met a man on the plane who was actively seeking to travel in some of the hardest most war-torn and strife-ridden countries in the world: Afghanistan, Sierra Leone and the DRC. He wore these destinations like badges of honour - insensi-tive to the fact that people actually live in these countries. I've heard this kind of thrill-seeking

tourism." Indeed the incredulous fascination of many people to see these living conditions is almost comical. One Cambodian teacher I worked with at an orphanage openly laughed at a group of Americans snapping pictures of the children at play. They were quite simply on orphan safari. Fittingly, there are agencies that seem to take this idea of "poverty tourism" to heart, acting as development organisations to hide what is essentially a package holiday. A few odd jobs in a shantytown are thrown in to quell the guilt of

to help young people "make a difference". Be-ware, if you go looking for yourself, you may

It would be foolish however to pretend that such projects are all dishonest. People care for those who are struggling and suffering in the world - such has always been the case. There is no credit in stopping them. Similarly, we can-not deny that the organisations that provide

from the latest trend. But projects run by the

They look not only to broaden the horizons of young people from a more privileged back-ground, but also to engage the potential aid

workers of tomorrow. They also provide valu-able services to those in the developing world through the work that they do. So where is the problem?

This summer I was lucky enough to travel to Malawi and get involved in a ten-week volun-tary project. The group consisted of students from a range of academic disciplines. We taught, we engaged in youth work and we assisted the local home-based care scheme. But the most valuable thing we brought with us was money. Crude as it is, this is where the facts lie. There was very little that we achieved that could not have been done by Malawians

Ultimately, as untrained volunteers, we came along for the ride. Pride, emotion, satisfaction,

to be gained from the poverty tourism pack-age. This wasn't the only problem. On the 20th of July, Malawi experienced nationwide protests against the head of state. In the midst of the troubles were hundreds of volunteers, includ-ing the group I was with. We heard that the army had been called in, and that gunshots

wanted to go and see what was happening and I excitedly texted my father - who had lived

in Africa for many years - at-tempting to justify my mo-tives for joining the protests. I knew he would be worried but I did not expect the re-ply I got: "You are going for all the wrong reasons. You have not been there long enough to truly understand the nature of the protest. Your voyeurism will not be

welcome." He had cut right to the heart of my African adventure. I remembered I was just a visitor, perhaps a pleasant temporary feature, but not a necessity. The ethics behind volunteering abroad are complex enough without approaching the is-sues of dependency and pseudo-colonialism. I do not wish to put anyone off: it would be hypo-critical of me, and the work that most of these projects provide is of great value to the com-munities. But there is no real moral high ground to be taken, when more often than not voyeur-ism and adventure play as big an incentive as charity. Yet with this honest acknowledgement, perhaps it is not such a bitter pill to swallow. It is certainly easier than a false sense of self-righteousness.

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"Agencies seem to take this idea of 'poverty tourism' to heart, acting as development organisations to hide what is essentially a package holiday"


26 GUM / issue 01 / 2011

Daniel Patterson takes a look at the dangers of China’s environmental policies as the country’s booming economy is turning it into a leading global power.The Conservative Party conference in October began with a discussion about the environ-ment, signalling a continued effort by Britain's political parties to tow the green line. However, do our efforts really make a difference in the face of the enormous greenhouse gas emis-sions from China and the developing world?

China has rapidly developed the world’s sec-ond-largest economy and is industriously com-peting to usurp the United States and emerge as a superpower. Many analysts believe that, because of the Chinese government’s numer-ous controversial practices, the country is not ready to assume such a role. The ruling Com-munist Party is frequently condemned for its oppression of civil liberty, as well as manipu-lation of the Yuan currency. The geopolitical statuses of Tibet and Taiwan have also proven contentious, with the Beijing administration claiming both as rightful territories of the Peo-ple’s Republic.

However, China’s irresponsible environmental policies may soon comprise the most crucial aspect of our diplomatic agenda. China is the world’s largest producer of greenhouse gases and is home to twenty of the planet’s thirty most polluted cities. An estimated three hundred million people depend on contaminated drink-ing water and every year, approximately three-quarters of a million citizens die from pollution-related diseases. Just 1% of urban residents breathe air that is deemed safe, while elsewhere a chronic drought is ravaging farmland and advancing de-

China’s approach to environmental responsibil-ity is curious and misguided; in every instance, it seems that the citizen loses out. The govern-ment’s insistence on central-planning extends to matters as basic as the heating of private buildings. While in northern China in March, I

was surprised to learn that the radiators had been switched off and would not be effective again until November, despite there still being snow on the ground. I was told that the state controls all heating in urban areas and that, in order to save energy and money, it is only avail-able during winter.

Such a policy is impractical for any country, but is espe-cially so when implemented through a land that spans thousands of miles and incor-porates a variety of climates. Those living in cities must nonchalantly accept freezing temperatures for the sake of energy saving, whilst neon

lights unnecessarily illuminate millions of build-ings across China. In certain cities, such as Shijiazhuang, these lights are switched off for one hour each month, in a supposed energy-saving measure. When considering China’s overall energy consumption, it is unlikely that brief power outages make any real difference.

In the past, the Chinese government has been overly defensive when faced with international criticism and this kind of gesture serves to un-dermine Western efforts to protect the environ-ment. Europeans are encouraged to switch in-dividual lights off after leaving rooms and most administrations have seriously attempted to realise the seventh Millennium Goal: to ‘en-sure environmental sustainability’. We aim to create a clean and healthy environment but it seems that any progress made in the West is soon cancelled out in the East.

A startling lack of industrial regulation has resulted in Chinese companies enjoying rela-tive freedom to pollute the atmosphere. In the

breathe and visibility is poor. The clouds of pol-lution are so thick that it is almost impossible to interpret the weather or glimpse actual sun-

April 2010, the effect on my health was alarm-ing. Within a few days, my throat became sore, my eyes watered and I developed the famous “Beijing cough”. As previously mentioned,

polluted policies

"China’s approach to environmental responsibility is curious and misguided; in every instance, it seems that the citizen loses out"


27GUM / issue 01 / 2011

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long-term exposure to pollutants can seriously damage a person’s health and even result in death. Unsurprisingly, many Chinese citizens wear masks, feel dehydrated and spit exces-sively.

The Communist Party has been ruthless in its economic and industrial ambitions, at the ex-pense of the environment and the well-being of the population. It is not uncom-mon for farmers to be or-dered from their land so that new roads and factories can be built. In return they are offered infertile replacement plots and unfair compensa-tion packages. The widespread corruption of

the matter. Grainne Ryder, director of Canadian environmental advocacy institution, Probe In-ternational, has said that “there could be land

In China, money and connections equate to power. I was amazed when I spoke to the wife

Environmental Protection. She told me that, for the right price, powerful citizens can pay for the government to release certain chemicals into the atmosphere, in order to ensure a clear day for a party or wedding. Earlier this year, the gov-

ernment tampered with the at-mosphere in the hope that they could stimulate greater rainfall in the north. The attempt back-

increased snowfall in remote mountainous areas and a drier season than usual in the farm-lands of northern China.

China remains a developing country and is pol-luting the atmosphere in the same way that in-dustrialised nations of the West once did. How-ever, science and technology have advanced considerably since our own industrial revolution. Regardless of the politics, there is no excuse for such a resourceful nation to pollute the atmos-

phere unnecessarily, through irrational policies and counterproductive micro-management. As environmental scientist, Lenise Lago, points out, many of China’s issues could be resolved easily. There must be more effective regulation of industry and simple changes, including cru-cial but simple adjustments to car exhausts. Much of China’s smog is the result of carbon dioxide emissions from automobiles that are not subject to the same requirements as those in Europe and the United States. These are mat-ters of basic pragmatism.

China urgently needs to improve its record or it -

ral environment, the repercussions of which will be felt all around the planet. China’s economy is booming and the government is beginning

departments are investing time and money into development projects in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America. If China is to continue on this path and evolve as a super-power, it is crucial that it reforms its own system and leads by example.

Within a few days, my throat became sore, my eyes watered and I developed the famous “Beijing cough”


28 GUM / issue 01 / 2011

Focusing on blues, Megan Donald discusses the narrative and imagery that comes with a music genre.When we think of particular genres of music, we think of them bound up into packages with characteristics that can be neatly bullet-pointed, ready-made gobbets to be pulled out in pretentious conversation. Surely one of the most important notions that can make up these genres is place. What is Joy Division without that Northern grit, hip-hop without the coastal rivalry? This distinct geographical placing of music means we create an imagi-nary landscape of areas and cultures foreign to us full of folk tales, emotions and dense history.

It was my obsession with blues music that brought me to this understanding. From an early age, it was the sound that I instantly

loved without any conscious thought, purely the addictive chords sequences and yearn-ing minor keys that were so brilliant. But as I digested the music more, I heard things I

New Orleans and being bound for Alabama on a boxcar meant little to my own culture, but in-stead transported me to the Deep South of the USA in the Depression.

And so this leads me to my quite honest desire to travel up the Mississippi. Like many, I have read Jack Kerouac and got over the American road trip idea but my longing for a wander up that heady river has only in-creased. And with stuff like the recent release of an anthology of early folk musician Lead-belly’s work it demonstrates that it’s not just myself who feels the peculiar longing in blues music. Although this music seems forever emotionally relevant, it’s also simultaneously

and place.

But our musical imaginations often scram-ble the history. The assemblage of ideas that come from listening to blues music mix together and begin to feel like a charming

guitars, gals from Memphis and jelly roll.

that blues and American folk are borne out of lengthy inequality,

Southern USA and it is a legacy that is ever present. Whoever listens to the

-ing lyrics of Bessie Smith may be unaware, but becomes drawn into the blues narrative. The current reality of the Deep South is tied in with this tumultuous past and would show the place to be distinctly different to how we im-agine it in the music. Juke joints and plentiful bourbon are likely to be replaced with repres-sive politics and lingering racial tension.

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"Our musical imaginations often scramble the history"

29GUM / issue 01 / 2011

The Microphones I Want Wind To Blow

Nobody captures the strange mood of

based nature boy Phil Elverum, operating

the opening track from the modern classic

fascination with the elements. It'll keep you warm and safe in Autumn's darkest days.

Wolves in the Throne Room Thuja Magis ImperiumEco-spiritualist black metallers Wolves in the

inducing pieces which harness the energy of their woodland surroundings through mi-

Kinney gives a sorrowful vocal perform-ance on this opening track on their new

into an incredibly atmospheric dark hymn

emotive shrieks.

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Yo La Tengo Our Way To FallProbably the most well-known track from the

Itself Inside Out"-album, "Our Way To Fall" is

cold outside and you're observing it all from

this is a highlight for sure.

Bjork

This song stars one of Bjork’s one-off instru-ments called a ‘Sharpsichord’, a type of pin

inimitable feel. Bjork blends the old with the new seamlessly in this track as she explores

a relationship alive and begs her lover to tell “her that you love her” so the girl he feels in love with comes back before it’s too late.

Bessie Smith I Need a Little Sugar in my BowlIf you’re feeling a bit lonely, like the now ubiquitous discarded umbrellas, then let Bessie empathise. Turn that smile upside down as the Queen of Blues roars her way through what must be the epitome of musical raunch. In this delightful, yet sadly desperate tune, there are more euphemisms that you could ever, ever wish for.

the playlist:

features / art / fashion / politics / m u s i c

30 GUM / issue 01 / 2011

Alexandra Embiricos catches up with folk band Matt Norris and the Moon for a pizza and a gig at all time favorite Glasgow venue Nice’n’Sleazy’s.Folk music is everywhere these days. With homegrown stars such as Johnny Flynn grac-ing the pages of Vogue, it’s hard not to get ex-cited by the range of new sounds being reborn from some of the deepest roots of our musical heritage. Enter Matt Norris & The Moon, the Ed-inburgh based ‘young folk’ quintet comprised of lead man Matt Norris, Tom MacCall (double bass, backing vocals), Dave Law (trumpet,

Dale Birrell (keyboards), who have been caus-ing quite a stir in the Scottish folk revival since

Autumn of 2009.

GUM caught up with the band in the grungy basement of Nice’n’Sleazy’s for a pizza, a little chat, and an explosive live set. Sitting quietly at a sticky table by the bar, it’s hard to imagine

the venue with a raucous meld of acoustic gui-

indicative of love and loneliness. They explain between large bites of pizza that they met through their local Classical Youth Orchestra in Fife.

“A couple of years later we all went to Edin-burgh Uni” exudes Tom in a fast chatter, “and

like, ‘who do we know from Fife youth orchestra that’s also in Edinburgh?’ and that was Helen.” The rest of the story unfurls in amongst laugh-ter and high spirits, joking about their mysteri-ously absent keyboard player and Helens initial swoon over the prospect of playing with Matt. “We met Dale our keyboard player, who’s not here because he sucks, at school so I sort of dragged him in as well. And Dave we met through open mic, actually. We just picked up people!” Explains Matt, who started writing mu-

attending open mic nights solo to showcase his jaunty guitar style and emotive vocals. On listening to them play it’s hard not to make the comparison to the widely celebrated Mumford & Sons, who despite their mas-sive success, suggest the band, are still only

"Matt was really Helen explains, “You were like

‘they’re my band!’ ‘Everyone else isn’t allowed to like them!’”

“They exploded overnight though” agrees Matt, “like, they were ridiculous. I saw them at

theatre, it was unplugged and there were only

three of them or something! It must have been

exposure I think it’s really good for us.” And there can be no doubt about that- al-though all a matter of luck who gets big and who doesn’t, the market is hungering for more of this back to basics folk, in the UK as well as across the pond.

“Its good for us and its good for music in gen-eral, because I’m sick of hearing indie!’ Laughs Dave, “and again folk is such a vague term. I mean, bands like Dry The River have so many

-ence. As long as you have one acoustic instrument you’re

This is met with laughter and general agreement from around the table, now full of empty pizza cartons and a few

beer glasses. Yet with the lines of categorisa-tion becoming increasingly blurred by the in-novations of these new, emerging bands, one has to ask- what exactly is modern folk music?

“I guess [we play] contemporary folk, it’s not real folk- we do a lot of sitting in pubs play-ing, but its not, sort of ‘folky folk’.” Muses Matt, ‘folky folk’ is sitting playing ceilidhs, which is cool - I love ceilidhs!”

“It's good for us and it's good for music in general, because I’m sick of hearing indie!"

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31GUM / issue 01 / 2011

stage, the band joke together in a lively and comfortable way, saying perhaps in another twenty years ceilidhs will end up being their calling.

“I think at the moment we’re spreading out.” Matt continues, “With genres I think we’re sort of trying to move on a bit, add some extra stuff in. When I started writing

come from, but I think because we’ve been playing for however long now, other things start to seep in apart from your im-

“Young folk, that’s what you should call it” says Dave. Perhaps it’s because of this youthful exuberance that the band have been picked up by 17 Second Records, an Edinburgh based independent record company formed in Au-gust 2008. Run by teacher-come-music blogger Ed Jupp, they eagerly explain that his brother is Miles Jupp, the come-dian who starred in shows such as Mock The Week and Balamory. “I think he was in the orange house - or was it the yellow?” says Dave, disappointed at his sudden loss of Balamory prowess. Yet Scotland,

and especially Glasgow, is notorious for being a particularly hard milestone to con-quer for emerging artists. The saying goes if you can win over the scathing critique of the Glasgow crowds, you can make it anywhere. Likewise the opposite seems to be true, and the Scottish folk scene re-mains enigmatic and decisively closed to outsiders. Matt & The Moon are yet to tour England, despite playing several summer festivals such as Linkylea and assuredly winning the crowds. “It’s great when you’re playing to lots of drunk hippies because they just get so into it!“ says Matt.

“Scotland’s pretty self con-tained usually, it likes to keep to itself- I don’t know if Scotland likes to keep to itself or everyone ignores Scotland, it’s one of those two!” he laughs, “I think [the competition] is pretty

also quite a big divide be-tween Glasgow and Edinburgh, not only in style.”

Currently it seems Edinburgh is enjoying an anti-folk uprising, with artists such as Withered Hand stealing the limelight. “I guess Glasgow has a sort of indie-pop edge to it.” Matt says, referring to bands

such as Frightened Rabbit and Admiral Fallow, more by the sheer amount of pubs that people play in compared to venues.”

“It’s more out for yourself in Edinburgh.” Matt continues, “you can go out any night and see live music, but because there’s so much live music people don’t really bother, and if they do come they don’t really treat it as a proper gig, more like background mu-

down recently, which is sad.”

The band are set to release an EP with 17 Second Records, consisting mostly of older songs to take the place of a self recorded primary CD. “We have lots of new songs we’re just about to start play-ing as well” Tom reveals, one of which was disclosed that evening at Sleazy’s. Intro-duced by Matt in almost a whisper as not having a name, the guitar starts up with a racing strum, building momentum with the chorus of strings, trumpets and the throes of Matt’s emotive vocals. The band are ju-bilant, and by the time the song comes to a deafening end, the audience is well and truly captivated, ecstatic with the taste of something new and enticing- could this be the future of folk?

"The saying goes if you can win over the scathing critique of the Glasgow crowds, you can make it anywhere"


32 GUM / issue 01 / 2011

Enemies list and the death of the music industry as we know it. Ross Watson examines a new phenomenon with potential to change the music industry: the rise of home recordings.In a digital age where the options for record-ing and distributing music have become much more varied and open in scope and potential, it's worth asking ourselves why most record la-bels operate the way they do. One label in par-ticular, though, does things a little differently: Enemies List Home Recordings.Conceptualised in 2003 by Connecticut mu-sician Dan Barrett and friends, Enemies List is not your average record distributor. Barrett makes this clear from the out-set:

“We've always thought of the label as being disruptive”, he

how it operates. “We have the good luck, or bad luck, of try-ing to make music in this re-ally weird time period where the whole impact of digital technology, recording technology and the internet making distribution so cheap hasn't really shaken out yet in terms of what's going to happen to music in the future.”

Barrett is aware of the ease at which one can acquire equipment and set up their own re-cording studio. After all, he and fellow musician Tim Macuga worked on Deathconsciousness – the debut double album from their project

recording was done at home. They weren't fac-ing any of the restrictions imposed upon artists by most record labels; they didn't have to meet deadlines, book studio time or return favours. They were free to work on their craft without any external distractions.

Upon its release in 2008, Deathconsciousness was highly praised in cult circles. This year, Dan released his much-anticipated solo album under the moniker Giles Corey, which he describes as “acoustic music from the end of the industrial revolution”. Like Have a Nice Life's album, Giles Corey comes with an over-sized book detailing the literary, historical and artistic fascinations, which are also present in the songs, emphasising the importance of the physical artefact as well as the music at

its core. Enemies List almost resists piracy in this way. As Dan puts it:

“It's a thing, you either have that thing or you don't.”

Barrett believes that the way in which traditional labels are run

won't even make sense twenty years from now. To him, this is a good thing: “I think that the music industry, as it is, isn't a good mechanism for producing quality art of any kind, and not a good mechanism for rewarding the people that make that art. Anything that is economi-cally wasteful and not good at its job is prime for elimination. Obviously we're a tiny cog in that machine, but that's where we like to place ourselves.”

You'd think such an exciting movement would get more attention from the major blogs, but that just isn't the case. Barrett explains why he thinks that might be:

“Part of it is just practical and part of it is aes-thetic”, he offers. “When you listen to [our mu

sic] you have to be listening for a certain something, and it's mostly emotional and at-mospheric... It feels very raw and personal because it's not glossed over, it's not perfect and it doesn't sound produced – and every-thing sounds produced today, that's the aes-thetic norm, so you have to want to listen to something that's out of that.”

All this being said, there are already others following suit – one of Enemies List's artists co-runs Music Ruins Lives, a label with similar ethics, and Sunyata Recordings on this side of the pond deals exclusively in small runs of cassette tapes. Barrett agrees that something is starting to happen:

“There is a scene forming, and it's really inter-esting because it's not geographic – it's not even really genre-based... The unifying char-acteristic is more the approach than it is the end result.”

Although it's doubtful that these labels and art-ists will get the mainstream attention they truly deserve due to their nature, things are only get-ting bigger and more exciting for home record-ing. Enemies List was originally being run from

decided to rent out an old ball bearing fac-tory to use as his base of operations, and now ELHR has a space vast enough to contain its potential. When asked how he feels about the new space and the future of his label, Barrett's understandable enthusiasm shows: “It's awe-some. It's always been awesome, and I love it even when it's crazy.”

Learn more at ENEMIESLIST.NET

let's kill music:

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"The way in which traditional labels are run won't even make sense twenty years from now"


33GUM / issue 01 / 2011

34 GUM / issue 01 / 2011

listens to the musical lovechild that is the collaboration album by Jay-Z and Kanye West anddiscusses what’s happening to hip-hop.For all its posturing and braggadocio, rap mu-

puts its mind to it. It is perhaps its own favourite subject – from Lauryn Hill’s 'The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill' to Nas’ 'Hip Hop Is Dead', many of its most popular album releases take the welfare of hip-hop music as a central theme. Not coincidentally, both of the above works provide a fairly bleak view ("Hip-hop started out in the heart," muses Hill, "Now everybody trying

evident in abundance, but collectively, hip-hop has some crushing self-esteem issues.

Given their success, Kanye West and Jay-Z are more likely than most

-tive to 21st century rap. Moreover, their combined record sales and cultural impact make their voices worth listening to. It’s for this reason that Watch the Throne, a collaboration between the two, is the most important hip-hop release of the year. The quality of this album will set the tone for conversations about rap music the world over, as indeed will the way Jay and 'Ye discuss the industry they're part of. Jay-Z has explained the album's name, saying "It's just protecting the music and the culture. It's like watch the throne, protect it... Make sure that the hip-hop culture is still the most domi-nant form of music around the world."

You’ lives up to this lofty premise: Jay hits just the right tone in his wistful lament for diver-

sity and thoughtfulness in modern music, and his sentiments are luxuriously packaged by

That's why it's so perplexing to listen to the rest of Watch the Throne, and hear the kinds of small-mindedness and linearity of themes that have plagued the industry since its incep-tion. When West suggests a lady friend meets him in a nightclub toilet to "Show me why you deserve to have it all", experience suggests he's not being tongue-in-cheek, and when he rhymes "The holocaust" with "I'm the fucking boss", it's clear that hip-hop's most famous self-obsessive isn't giving up on his favourite subject just yet. His stalwart mentor doesn't provide much of an example: beyond some conspicuous and laboured references to clas-sical artists and philosophers, Jay just doesn't seem that interested in covering subjects not limited to his own success. With that said, this is still Jay-Z and Kanye West, and the album is not without the charms both men have built careers on. With the possible exception of one Marshall Mathers, no-one in the world can turn a punch line with the infectious attitude of these two. Some of the back-and-forth banter found in mid-album offerings 'Niggas in Paris', 'Otis', 'Gotta Have It', and 'New Day' are actually rem-iniscent of Eminem's interaction with Jay-Z on epic 2001 track 'Renegade', and go a long way to assuring listeners that we're in safe hands

In addition, while the 'Watch the Throne' lyrical themes might head down some extremely well-trodden paths, the instrumental composition is consummately cutting edge. The euphoric melodies at the back of the rappers' vocals are layered and nuanced in a way only rivaled by Kanye's last solo offering - West probably doesn't regret his transition from producer to rapper all those years ago, but here he (once again) shows he has no reason to give up the

day job. Even more tra-ditional sounds like 'No Church in the Wild' and 'That's My Bitch' have all the grin-inducing bom-bast that made his previ-ous albums so compel-ling, and where samples are used, they're warped and edited to create catchy and inventive

hooks and backing vocals. Nina Simone and James Brown's voices also give the album some considerable star power.

'Watch the Throne', then, is an album saved by no small measure of creativity and profes-sionalism, both on the microphone and in the editing suite. For anyone with an interest in this type of music, the album was never going to be anything other than a must-have, regardless of its quality. I'm pleased to report that if hip-hop is set to follow 'Watch the Throne's lead, it's more a cause to rejoice than to despair.

watch the throne"When Kanye rhymes "The holocaust" with "I'm the fucking boss", it's clear that hip-hop's most famous self-obsessive isn't giving up on his favourite subject just yet"


35GUM / issue 01 / 2011

who is Connan Mockasin? Tom Clarke thoughtfully ponders the life of a relatively unknown musical weirdo.“Somewhere between fantasy and reality, in-nocence and wisdom, pop music and an art form as yet unnamed”

These are the words used to describe the world of Connan Mockasin by the big guns at Rough Trade. His album ‘Please Turn Me Into The Snat’ and it’s re-release which comes along with a bonus disc of live recordings un-der the name of ‘Forever Dolphin Love’ have had heads turning from every corner of the music industry, amassing amongst Connan’s fan base members of Radiohead, The Horrors as well as Johnny Marr. Why write a feature on this man? Simply because his music does not sound like anybody else’s.

Connan Mockasin is the latest musical venture to come from Connan Hosford, a psychedel-

named village of Te Awanga in New Zealand. Trained in jazz guitar, Hosford has been mak-

-ously the front man of New Zealand originating band, Connan and The Mockasins. Their story is one of trials and success, highs and lows and eventual disintegration. Starting as a 60’s

a few years of success in their home country

convinced them that it was time to make the archetypal move to London to make it big. The move proved initially a disaster, with the band

their arrival. In an interview, Connan reminisc-es about having to share the ride home with a prostitute after a gig when the band couldn’t afford to take the ride alone.

Moving away from London, the band ironically started to gather major interest from labels and promoters. All of a sudden they were releasing a sell out single on Parlophone Records and being awarded a place in the top ten bands of 2008 by NME. As things were looking up however, tensions set in between band mem-bers and Connan began to tire of their sound. They disbanded in 2008 and Connan ventured into the world as a solo artist, playing live with various different sets of musicians. Since the break up of Connan and The Mockasins, Con-nan has collaborated with Fatboy Slim and members of Late of The Pier. Now, with his solo album, he’s taken on the world and you’d hope for his sake, he comes out the other side victorious. As a man, Conan Mockasin is an oddball, peculiar and unavoidably interesting. His music is only one extension of his artistic output. Painting and creating comics also be-long to his artistic activity and for his videos to be described as anything less than art would be wrong. From the vibrant costumes to the surreal content, they are hallucinatory tributes to the fantasy worlds and mystical characters that Connan has created. The world of Con-nan Mockasin’s is one of beautiful Japanese women, unicorns, lemon sunglasses, invented languages, alter egos and the invented mythical creature; half snake, half rat that is the Snat; all very psychedelic.

Videos and fantasies aside, judged solely upon his music, Mockasin holds his own and then some. His music holds a sound, not eas-ily comparable to anything. Jangly guitars and vibrant percussion underneath woops and effected high vocals make up the experimen-tal sound. Even if by spirit only, this music is

comparable to that of Syd Barrett. Whether through his recorded music, videos or his in-dividual live sets Connan Mockasin, because of his originality, skill and lovability, means a lot to those who listen to him. Lend an ear to Tom Clarke’s selection from recent album ‘Please Turn Me Into The Snat’ and see if this might be the case with you. ‘Megumi The Milkyway Above’You’re drawn into the album opener by inviting-ly danceable light percussion and the sound of Japanese children saluting Connan. This is apparently the song written for an unreachable Japanese lover of Connan’s and as a tribute to his love of Japanese culture and women in general. High pitched whooping noises com-plement the rhythm and Connan sings in his characteristic voice to Megumi.

‘It’s Choade My Dear’This song – seemingly about nothing at all – is one that cements Connan’s individuality into fact. Bobbing bass, laid back percussion and

-tion for this song that brings in whirling spacey noises and jangly dissonant guitar in the back-ground.

‘Please Turn Me Into The Snat’The song that lends is title to that of the album, is about the mythical creature created by a

Connan putting on the dreadful voice of the monster. It is the albums closer and rounds off the record with Mockasin crying to be turned into the Snat followed by thirteen seconds of silence supplied to give you time to ponder and marvel at the record you’ve just heard before you listen to it again.

If you want more on this musical oddball, see Tom Clarke’s review on the GUM website of when Connan Mockasin played at Glasgow’s King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut. Present was a modest crowd that bore witness to Connan’s uncanny ability to make everyone in a room smile.

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GUM / issue 01 / 2011