Welcome to an experimental 'fanzine format' blog post!
Inspired by some comments on the previous post, and also influenced by my much younger fanzine creating self, I took to paper, pen, Pritt Stick and scissors to make this one. I can honestly say, I've really enjoyed working like this, away from the computer screen. I can also honestly say, it took bloody ages. Still, it was fun and the only other downside is that there's no chance to edit it now, but I'm a long-time fan of the DIY ethos and the charm of imperfection. As for the silly amount of time it took, well, sometimes don't you just wish that everything did anyway, and then we could all slow down a bit?
I hope that wasn't too hard-going to read...
Here's the link to the documentary:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0074lzv/arena-chelsea-hotel
and that great clip of Nico performing 'Chelsea Girls':
Love it, love it, love it! Told you it would work, didn't I?
ReplyDeleteI must dig out my battered old hardback bought in the States all about the Chelsea - a lot of what you were saying rang bells; I've got a feeling I have a picture of me outside it under their iconic awning.
Ah thanks and yes, you did, didn't you? It must be a bugger to read on a phone though, not sure it would work full time. I needed to be playful, going through a heavy time with a family thing at the moment and the escapism was welcome for more reasons than just the noises in my head!
DeleteI think you'd enjoy the documentary if you get the opportunity to watch it and your book sounds great. Any chance you may be able to post that photo too some day? - brilliant that you have one!
Very impressive piece of work. Excellent positioning of cut out photos. One small suggestion is that the lines could slant more (ideally not all in the same direction) to create the authentic fanzine effect. Maybe also think about a 'smell-o-vision' feature to capture the unique aroma of roneo paper.
ReplyDeleteNext time you stay in the earthly paradise that is the Premier Inn in Stratford let me know, I'll pop round and treat you to a tour of the area.
Thanks Ernie but oh yes, how did I forget the distortion. A few blurry edge sections wouldn't have gone amiss either, and I forgot the staples. But I'm getting the smell just thinking about it.
DeleteYour tour of the area would be a cultural treat, I'm sure, and would no doubt overshadow having chips in the Westfield Centre...
This is brilliant C and has so much potential. Maybe we should all start producing handwritten/ cut and paste pages. We could collate them periodically into a physical blog.
ReplyDeleteCheers SA, an experiment really but the long-drawn out process of writing it by hand was strangely soothing. Loving the idea of a collated collaborative fanzine - how could we make it happen? - it must be possible. If I get more time in the future I'd love to take it on as a project.
DeleteI'll give it some thought. Guess we'd need to round up some contributors (shouldn't be too hard, set a deadline and a central point for pages, could be physical or digital). Get it printed by someone with access to a work photocopier. Its an idea that's growing on me the more I think about it.
DeleteI like it. Oh yes if you could give it some thought. I guess the first step would be to find out who'd be up for contributing to make it worthwhile.
DeleteI had a wander around the lobby of the Chelsea on one of my first visits to New York in the early 1990s. The walls were crammed with art, payments in kind I was informed, from generations of cash-strapped artists unable to afford their bills.
ReplyDeleteI love the format C, as I knew I would. You do realise that you can never go back to digital now don't you!
Brilliant that you've been inside the place - must be fab to see the art on the walls and I love the premise behind it, I wonder if that would wash at the Premier Inn?
DeleteOf course it's you I have to thank for the idea of doing a blog post this way in the first place so all credit to you, TS. I do fancy doing some more like this, I must say.
Brilliant stuff C
ReplyDeleteA kid on a bike? Are you sure it wasn't the Shining hotel??
Thanks CC, it's thanks to TS for suggesting the idea, also John and Rol in the last post, I hadn't thought of it myself.
DeletePerhaps those two hotels are not that dissimilar...
This is just brilliant C - I love it. I'm sorry but I seem to have missed your last post but glad the feelings you described there led to this. Never been to New York sadly but I feel as if I have now wandered the corridors of the Chelsea Hotel. Will have to look out for that doc.
ReplyDeleteCoincidentally we have had a bit of a digital detox this week as when we counted the number of hours spent in a day looking at a screen (computer, phone, TV) we were horrified. Some book reading has taken over in the evening and I do like the look of your fanzine, so might try one myself. The irony of course being that it has to be viewed on a screen to get out there but a partial return to simpler times - much appreciated.
Thanks Alyson, see replies above too, very therapeutic to do things this way and all thanks to TS, John and Rol for encouraging me to try it out, I couldn't resist! I'm sure you'd have fun doing things that way too. Think you'd enjoy the documentary too, check it out if you have time, it's great viewing.
DeleteYour digital detox sounds just the ticket. There's so much else to appreciate and so many other ways of doing it but easy to forget when we have electronic devices around us all day. I'd be quite happy to go back to that 'sweet spot' time when we had enough technology to make things a little easier, but not so much that we were wired up all day.
Glorious, C! More!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm going to check out that documentary too, sounds right up my street.
Glad you approve of the new look, thanks Rol. There could well be more - it added a whole new dimension to the process of posting stuff and I liked how it felt!
DeleteHope you enjoy the documentary too, I loved it.
Thanks Martin, it's so enjoyable to do if you have that precious commodity called time but that's always the problem, isn't it?! Think we could all do with slowing down and making having quality spare time a priority but life rarely allows it now. Still, if you / we can find it, let's try and make a collaborative fanzine a reality!
ReplyDeleteLooks beautiful and reads wonderfully, C. I really enjoyed this post on so many levels. I planned to stay at the Chelsea Hotel on a trip to New York with my friend in 1999. Unfortunately, in those dial-up internet days, I misread and noted the wrong phone number to call and book our stay. We instead had a couple of nights at the Chelsea Star Hotel, which was an entirely different proposition...
ReplyDeleteOh thanks Khayem, it was a blast from the past doing this by hand and en enjoyable one. I can imagine you as a one-time fanzine creator too...?
DeleteArgh, your Chelsea Hotel(ish!) experience made me smile - easily done too Hope it was still memorable in a good way, though.