The Skinny: June 2013 Editions
Gold Panda, Queens of the stoneage, a sports special and more...
THE SKINNY northwest ISSUE 3
Editor of The Skinny Northwest, Lauren Strain introduces issue no. 3:
Degree show season is upon us, and The Skinny iz in ur faculties, drinking ur free winez. We're also interested in the, erm, art, of course, and we were all very excited to come across the work of Liverpool John Moores University School of Art and Design student Theo Vass, whose fine line drawings and site-specific projects, which respond to and converse with some of the city's often overlooked areas and their communities, constitute this edition's Showcase.
Representing Manchester in Art this month is Rachel Goodyear, whose at-first enchanting, on-second-glance haunting depictions of humans, creatures and wildernesses gone slightly awry set the tone for an issue that seems to take a slightly skew-whiff notion of nature as its theme, from author Evie Wyld's portrayals of a lush, sweltering Australia in which characters attempt to free themselves from the dark secrets of their past, to cover star Gold Panda discussing how global travel and the heat and sweat of South American rainforests have helped bring him out of his shell and make a dynamic, searching second album, Half of Where You Live. Meanwhile, in Theatre, evolution of a technological kind goes too far in Andy Field's participatory trilogyZilla, leading to a cataclysmic cityscape that you control (if this whole flora/fauna/apocalypse thing I'm riffing on is sounding a bit tenuous by now, gimme a break yeah? It's 00.21am and I'm off my tits on Gold Bears.)
Oh, wait! Wait! Bear with me: this whole thing totally carries on in Food & Drink's focus on The Biospheric Project, Manchester International Festival's living, working experiment into urban farming, and... oh fair enough, I give up. Parallel to all this future-gazing, we pay tribute to some hefty bits of Northwest heritage: in Film, up-and-coming actor Elliott Tittensor enthuses about director Mat Whitecross's love letter to The Stone Roses, Spike Island, while a trip to the rehearsals of the Library Theatre Company's secretive new productionManchester Sound: The Massacre reveals something of how director Paul Jepson and writer Polly Wiseman intend to intertwine the stories of young revolutionaries on the eve of the Peterloo Massacre in 1819, and revellers at the height of Manchester's rave generation in 1989. Elsewhere, Liverpool's pioneering FACT celebrates its first decade; Joss Whedon chucks out a Shakespeare adaptation in 12 days like it's nothing, and Judah Friedlander delivers a sermon in karate.
This issue of The Skinny was brought to you by the velvety swaddling of Spotify's Private Session mode, and the inspiring vista of our new galaxy floor, which was sprayed, glittered and lacquered by Hayley at Dirty Work Paint Shop in Affleck's Palace. Check the pics on our Facebook page out, it's bonkers.
THE SKINNY Scotland Issue 93
Editor Rosamund West introduces this month's Scottish edition.
This month’s edition of The Skinny marks a bit of a first for us in the form of our debut Sports Supplement. They said it couldn’t be done... They said Skinny readers were interested only in music and culture and generally avoiding outdoor activities. We said that’s bullshit and there’s loads of sports that people who like urban cultural entertainment are right into.
SO we’ve put together a guide to an array of exciting activities happening on our metaphorical doorsteps both in the cities and across the bonnie Scottish countryside. We’ve covered snowsports (timely), biking, climbing and surf, as well as taking a closer look at some of those bonkers iron man torture events that seem to have sprung up in the last few years (Tough Mudder I’m looking at you and your electric fence). We’ve taken the approach of offering a beginner’s level guide to the different activities, while enticing you onwards with super gnarly tales of those at the more proficient end of the scale in each discipline. This was all handled by our glamorous Sports Supplement editor Kate Ball, who even managed to force yours truly to climb a massive wall at Ratho in the name of first person insight. Thanks Kate.
Occupying our lead feature spot is a Scottish exclusive interview with the mighty Josh Homme about the long-awaited new Queens of the Stone Age album ...Like Clockwork. He had a good old chat with his new ‘bro’ and our Music editor about reclaiming his mojo and how he wants to have enough kids to impersonate a Mormon. Following that, we’ve got some words with our Northwest cover star, Berlin-based producer Gold Panda on sophomore album Half of Where You Live. Elsewhere in Music, in what has turned out to be a jam-packed issue, we’ve spoken to San Franciscan black metallers Deafheaven, Camera Obscura’s Carey Lander, Leven's (via Falkirk) Malcolm Middleton, Glasgow New Blood Sonic Hearts Foundation, Chaz Bundick AKA Toro y Moi, and Los Angelean composer Baths.
Film also has an exciting month ahead, as the Edinburgh International Film Festival touches down in the capital for its 67th outing. We’ve spoken to directors Noah Baumbach, Drake Doremus, Kenji Kamiyama and Joss Whedon about new releases within and without the festival, and our Film editor diligently trawled through the programme to bring you his top tips for excellence.
In Art, degree show season has kicked off for the year with Dundee leading the pack. Our Art editor offers her thoughts on the brightest graduates from up there, before jetting off to Venice for the Biennale. She also quizzed Scottish pavilion exhibitors Corin Sworn and Hayley Tompkins to provide you with an insight into what the hell’s going on out there. Closer to home, we have a blow by blow guide to one night arts extravaganza LeithLate, back for its third outing in mid June.
Comedy is once again living on the edge by allowing Fred Fletch (he who drunk interviewed The Hoff last August and caused all kinds of mayhem) to interview someone. He takes on Judah Friedlander, he of 30 Rock and trucker cap wearing fame, asking him a series of questions about karate and nothing much else. Clubs has some words with oOoOO, yes that is his name, it is pronounced ‘Oh,’ disappointingly, and Chilean producer Matias Aguayo. Books caught up with journalist cum novelist Neil Mackay, and another Granta-anointed bright young author, Evie Wylde, who is pictured with a raven but would like to be a shark. Naturally.
Finally, our Food section continues in its quest to redefine what constitutes food journalism, by publishing some pictures of some colourful shits. Hope you like looking at them!
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