What are we reading?

Women and our magazines. We are a bountiful market and there are products tailored to what seem like our every whim. And yet so many magazines propagate stereotypes about beauty and body ideals and acceptable and normative behaviour. Two exhibitions at the Women's Library this year seek to explore the relationship that we have with our glossies.

Between the covers: Women's magazines and their readers recounts the history of women's magazines and how content has been changed according to the changing aspirations of the female population. Then there's Black in fashion: Have we turned the page? which looks at issues of race in print media - in particular the ways that non-white models are much less widely used and the reasons behind this.

The ideas brought up in these two exhibitions are close to our heart at Spank and we're really looking forward to getting down there and exercising our brains a bit.

SANS Digital Patterns

Do you have bags of clothes in the bottom of your wardrobe that have no right to be there? Things from your teens, things that should know better and cart themselves off to the bin. You can't throw them away because Auntie Jean/the neighbours/Santa gave them to you, but you're damn well never going to wear them. Fret no more my friends. Turn to SANS Digital Patterns. It's a simple premise. You visit the site and buy a simple pattern which you then download to your computer and print off at home. You can take your old clothes, or a scrap of fabric, or somebody else's clothes and follow that pattern to make a brand, spanking new t-shirt/jacket/dress. Perfect. So if you've got a sewing machine and the inclination, go for it.

Petebox

A word about the Petebox. Amazing doesn't quite cover it. The guy's a machine - except that he's not. He's a human beatboxer with mammoth talent, a small amount of well-crafted hair and an incredible way of molding a stage show to wow audiences the world across. Fresh from a stint at the Bahrain Formula One, Pete is back in the country and busy making music, if not with his mouth then with his new band SWIMMInG. Go and watch the video. It takes a minute to get going but it's definitely worth it. We thought we'd have a word or two with the man himself and see what he's like in the flesh.

Whereabouts are you from?
Perth Australia, mate.

How's life treating you?
Life never really treats me, just exists alongside me, doin' my ish.

What's the first thing you did this morning?
Ate Shreddies, did my teeth and worked on the song I’m working on at the mo – it’s emo you know.

What inspires you?
Seeing people doing stuff they’ve obviously spent a long time working on. Oh and the graceful flight of the condor. They’re very big.

What scares you?
Age.

Describe yourself in three words.
Kinda alright really.

What's on your iPod?
Amusement Parks on Fire, We Show Up On Radar, Pilgrim fathers, Lone.

Do you have any pets?
Nup.

What's the hardest part of making music?
Getting rich and famous from it.

What other artists do you admire?
I guess it’s people I work with – the folks in my band Swimming – my brothers and friends from my city who are constantly working on their ish.

What is your favourite place in the world?
Don’t know, I’ve never been there.

Who's better, Superman or Spiderman?
Superman – Spiderman’s cooler indeed, but Superman is way better.

Tell us a joke.
Do you like fishsticks?

What was the last thing to make you laugh?
Happiness and cyanide.

What's your best trait?
Have you seen my hair?

What's your worst habit?
Not speaking another language fluently. Bad habit.

What's your proudest moment to date?
In beatboxing land… I got a Channel 4 Talent award in Dec 2007. That was pretty cool.
I’m also quite proud of my band SWIMMInG’s debut album ‘The Fireflow Trade’ which was released on 11/5/09. Oh and I’m proud of SWIMMInG’s website – www.swimmingband.com
I’m also proud of my website – www.thepetebox.com.

What's your favourite tipple?
Vodka!

What can't you stand?
Mushrooms.

Tell us something that nobody else knows.
The trouble I’ve seen.

When was the first time a song made you go "WOW!"
I had a children’s party hits compilation tape when I was about 7. There were a couple of tracks that either made me go nuts with excitement, or hit me in that emotional spot… awesome.
After that it was I get Around by Beachboys and Da Da Da by Trio. I made a tape with a whole side dedicated to each of them on repeat.

Why did you start making music?
It just made sense to. I used to have piano lessons from being a kid and I used to mess around writing bits and bobs on that, but it was when I heard Nirvana for the first time, when I was about 12, that I realised that being a musician was exactly what I wanted to do. I got a guitar and put everything I had into making music. Haven’t stopped since.

What's more important nowadays – skills or hype?
Hype goddammit

Do you have any regrets?
17 of them

Ever made a fashion faux pas?
Have you seen my hair?

Use the word Spank in a sentence.
Spank you very much

Jewellery Week

Like shiny things? So do we. Run on down to Coutts London Jewellery Week from 8-14 June and prepare to be dazzled - literally - by the offerings from hundreds of different designers. From stalwarts like Stephen Webster, to up-and-comers like Alyssa. There will be gems and precious metals, twinkles and sheen and a lot of dewy-eyed people with lust in their eyes.

Felicity Baggett

After sitting next to Felicity at the FAD Charity Fashion Show and watching her win second place, I wanted to catch up with her and find out what the future's holding and where she plans on ending up. I also wanted to ask her some silly questions, because that's what I do.

How's life been treating you since the FAD Charity fashion show?
The evening of the show was incredible, I feel so lucky to have such an amazing opportunity to show my work. I was however, quickly brought back down to earth with having to write my dissertation and start my final collection. I’m working long hours in the studio every day, even the weekends, but I’d rather be doing this than twiddling my thumbs.
What's the first thing you did this morning?
Turn off my alarm…three times.
What inspires you?
Films, music, history but mainly people. I love talking to people who are passionate about their work or a particular interest.

Describe yourself in three words.
Good as gold (sometimes)

Do you have any pets?
Nope, but one day I’ll have chickens.

What's the hardest part of designing clothes?
A blank piece of paper. I find it becomes easier during the development of a garment, when you see it in front of you it’s more obvious what needs altering.

What other designers do you admire?
Lucas Ossendrijver, Jsen Wintle, Aitor Throup and countless more.

What is your favourite place in the world?
The pub.

Who's better, Superman or Spiderman?
Superman, I hate spiders.

Tell us a joke.
What is E.T. short for?
Because he’s got little legs.
What's your fondest memory?
It’s a secret.

What’s your proudest moment to date?
It is probably coming second in the FAD competition. When I finished school I didn’t really want to go to university, so I never thought I’d achieve something like this. I was extremely nervous about getting up on stage to accept my award but was grinning for quite some time after. My parents and one of my best friends were there too and it was great to see how pleased they were for me.

What's your best trait?
I try to be reliable, I hate letting people down.

What's your worst habit?
Moaning.

What's your favourite tipple?
Sailor Jerry.

What can't you stand?
Boredom.

Tell us something that nobody else knows.
When I’m doing mundane jobs, like housework, I often count what I’m doing. For example, when I’m washing up, I’ll count how many pots I’ve washed. I’ve never told anyone that. Maybe some things are best kept to yourself.

Do you have any regrets?
Plenty.

Ever made a fashion faux pas?
I cringe at photos of when I first started going out. My dresses were always too short and too tight, and one of them was velvet. I think in ten years time, we’ll all regret being on Facebook!

Use the word Spank in a sentence.
Spanks for the interview.

Jamie Nelson

Sometimes things just look good and we want to show you them. Simple as. These images by New York photographer Jamie Nelson are clean, slick and stylish. We'd quite like to live in them.

Music Goes Down Under

There's no way we could have heard Midnight Juggernauts' Into the Galaxy without giving them a very, very, VERY hearty mention. It gave us that balled-up excitement that you get when your favourite band comes on stage and it stuck in our heads for an entire day. We like. A lot.



Another Australian band that have caught our eye is Empire of the Sun. Just the video for We Are the People was enought to get us going, but the song itself is just the sort of epic, toe tapping, soul-grabbing soundtrack you need for a long summer walk by yourself.



And let's not forget Cut Copy, whose heady mix of electronica and catchy lyrics have got us totally hooked. Their version of Hearts on Fire is inspired. In our eyes, these three can do no wrong. Unless they go all Joaquin Phoenix on us and nose-dive into a rap career.

Get Spooked

Ever fancied pretending you were among the few survivors of a horrific disaster that had forced everybody underground? If you have, or if you love depictions of dystopian futures alongside inspired and physically engaging art then Tunnel 228 could have been made for you. If the project's parents (Punch Drunk and The Old Vic) wanted to make this experience nigh-on impossible to find out about then they succeeded. The hunt for information takes you through a maze of search engines and cover-sites, designed to make the whole thing more mysterious.

Tickets for the coming exhibition were snapped up within 24 hours of becoming available, but there are plans to stage it again this autumn. If you were lucky enough to get hold of a pass this time around you could expect to don a mask and travel down into the tunnels underneath Waterloo station, where faceless drones would wander about amongst the art installations. Creepy? Yes. A place to go when you're stoned? No.

Kiss me Quick

Never has a full, colourful pout looked better. Maybe it's the recession sending us all running for old-school glamour, or maybe it's the 80s power resurgence, but most probably it's because hot lips are so flippin' sexy. Whether they're orange, a la Rachel Walker, PINK! (it needs the exclamation mark) like at Antonio Beradi, or grey like at Rodarte, interesting lips are one trend we'll be busting in public as much as possible. They lend a sense of purpose to an outfit. A sort of authority, an air of "That's right, I did take my time getting dressed, now look at me." Over at Spank HQ we're enjoying hard candy pinks and very bright reds. Our number one tip? Get thee to a make-up counter. The wrong shade will make your teeth yellow and your skin old and dead. Other than that - go totally mental.

Mad Decent

Diplo, Fake Blood, Rusko, Boy8Bit and Mumdance are all descending on Birmingham's Custard Factory for night of musical wizardry and technical brilliance. Anybody who's even remotely interested in music (ie. they own a radio) should be checking these guys out. Diplo is managing to single-handedly reinvent party music and has his fingers in a lot of very cool pies and Fake Blood continues to be one of the absolute best producers around. Try listening to either of them without feeling like you're going to explode with dancey excitement. For all this, plus a hog roast and live graffiti art, get down to Barry presents... Mad Decent on Saturday 23rd May. You'd be mad not to.

Kathleen and Lily's

Shopping in any city is pretty much the same, right? You have your big Topshop, your small Topshop, a selection of other high street chains and a pound shop or two. You can buy one of a million look-a-like outfits that you know at least 40 other people are going to be wearing that night. Independent shops are few and far between and often stock little more than a few garishly printed t-shirts and rainbow jumpers. So coming across Kathleen and Lily's in Nottingham was like finding a swag bag of pirate treasure, only set out nicely in a shop and without the pressing legal issues. The amazing women who work there take old clothes and give them a new lease of life. My chic, high-waisted red shorts used to be a pair of 'orrible trousers, for example. They do alterations, they sell jewellery (check out the pony necklaces) and they do a fine line in vintage china, handbags and scarves. Whenever I'm in the Midlands I make sure to pop in and have a look. It's such a brilliant place, it makes regular shopping about as appealing as rolling in poo.

Oh, to be a Ballerina

Remember when you were a little girl/precociously effeminate boy and all you wanted was a tutu and to be able to go on pointes? And remember how now you've grown up you still want all those things? Well seethe with jealousy at the English National Ballet who have had their Ballet Russes costumes desiged by none other than the high-collar-wearing, chanel-designing Karl Lagerfeld. Gasp! Prepare to see hand-crafted camellias and winged tutus and prepare to regress about 20 years. Head to Sadler's Wells between 16–20 June to see it all in action.

We Love BlkMlk IDST

First post and it's a hats-off to our super-talented friends at Black Milk (www.blk-mlk.com). Not the band, the illustrators. Chris and Ollie are brilliant boys who fuse normailty to imagination to create a dream-like realm where paparazzi hide up starlets' naughty bits and everything is muti-coloured. They've contributed to both issues of the magazine and we can't get enough. Check out their blog for more on the dynamic duo and what they're up to. Maybe get in touch to commission some work, or follow them around a bit...

WELCOME

So here we are at the grand unveiling of Spank Magazine. From your awed silence I can tell that this is a pretty big deal. We're here to brighten your day, to inform and amuse, to poke fun at people who deserve it and to give you a warm fuzzy feeling in the pit of your stomach. Keep up to date with the best music, fashion and interesting people through our blog. We're going to bring you brilliant things. If this lot doesn't get you excited then you should get yourself to a hospital because you're probably dead.

www.spankmagazine.co.uk