Friday 22 May 2009

See We're Back


Actually we’ve been back for two months now. At least that’s when the first copies of #72 started creeping out. The relaunch is something of a long, slow process in which we concentrate on keeping our nerve, and beginning to produce a regular flow of information through our varying formats.

Apart from the print magazine we’re here – and many of these posts will also turn up in our My Space. We also are tweeting in an eccentric and spinning-off fashion; uncertain entirely of the virtues but having gained enough positives to see it worth persisting with. That I’ve learnt of Dag Juhlin’s mightily amusing reports from SXSW this year is justification in itself.

The new mag is mainly available directly from us. It is for sale in select emporia across London and various other places but the safest way to get it is to order from us. We finally lost patience with our final distributor after The Only Ones issue (#71) which left us personally out of pocket for a long time . Despite their name which indicated they were able to place the magazine all the way around the world it transpired they only managed to get it into three of the 26 or so Borders shops in the UK, in none of the US Borders, and priced the title so prohibitively that folk like Miles Of Music and Not Lame who wanted to sell it couldn’t.

Obviously I would say this but it is crucial that people do buy the magazine. We are kicking against the pricks in our customary cussed fashion and it’s not costing as much as it used to but it still requires a turnover. So literally every copy sold makes a difference.

Don’t feel it’s too late to buy #72. Stories about Jesse Hector, The Sonics, and Steve Wynn aren’t nine days wonders. We’ve been writing about Steve since he and us were in short trousers and it’ll continue like that while one or other us is still breathing.

#73 is well on the way. Who’ll be in it? Wouldn’t you all like to know? I’d look towards a list that leads off with Lucky Soul, John Wesley Harding, and The Drones and you won’t go far wrong.

Meanwhile keep a weather eye in our direction. It’ll be worth it.