Woohoo! Chickfactor is back on the attack!
One of my all-time favorite zines is Chickfactor, published soley now by one Gail O'Hara. Some find it too snobby, too cliquish, too NYC, too indie pop. And yes, it is all of those things. But, I simply love it to death. It's like you're snooping in on a cocktail hour conversation about music, and everyone in attendance has, at one point or another, bummed a cigarette off of Stephin Merritt.
Chickfactor does these great polls, where they ask a celebrity cast of indie rockers the same questions: "What musical instrument will dominate the next century and why?"; "What is the weirdest thing you've ever had to eat while on tour?"; "What is the best heckle you've heard or yelled?"; "What record did you buy purely for packaging?"; "What music only makes sense to listeners on drugs?". (The last one, by the way, is asked in the new issue.) In addition, they do fabulous interviews and lots of brief reviews that are often entirely unprofessional.
Alas, the sporadically-published magazine made famous by Belle & Sebastian, is no longer a print magazine. It's exclusively online now. But, I suppose the benefit to you is that you can peruse it for free. This issue features interviews with Ms. Joanna Newsom (among others), a "jukebox jury" with Alasdair Maclean of The Clientele, and plenty of polls featuring celebs like Merritt, David Grubbs, Frances of The Cannanes, Slim from Kill Rock Stars, Jonathan from Lambchop, David from the Silver Jews, and plenty more. Check it out, dude.
N/P–The Possibilities, Way Out
Chickfactor does these great polls, where they ask a celebrity cast of indie rockers the same questions: "What musical instrument will dominate the next century and why?"; "What is the weirdest thing you've ever had to eat while on tour?"; "What is the best heckle you've heard or yelled?"; "What record did you buy purely for packaging?"; "What music only makes sense to listeners on drugs?". (The last one, by the way, is asked in the new issue.) In addition, they do fabulous interviews and lots of brief reviews that are often entirely unprofessional.
Alas, the sporadically-published magazine made famous by Belle & Sebastian, is no longer a print magazine. It's exclusively online now. But, I suppose the benefit to you is that you can peruse it for free. This issue features interviews with Ms. Joanna Newsom (among others), a "jukebox jury" with Alasdair Maclean of The Clientele, and plenty of polls featuring celebs like Merritt, David Grubbs, Frances of The Cannanes, Slim from Kill Rock Stars, Jonathan from Lambchop, David from the Silver Jews, and plenty more. Check it out, dude.
N/P–The Possibilities, Way Out