Unless you live under a rock (or in Iraq) you've probably heard of/bought/read/subscribed to Super Super Magazine in the last few months. If you haven't seen it you have to be colour blind because it's pretty hard to miss... take a looksie...
It obviously has been making the right waves seeing as it's sold out loads of back issues, has been featured on telly with Trash Fasion as the heart of a burgeoning scene, and has been proclaimed (with much zest) to be the New Rave Bible! I mean, fuck, they had both M.I.A., Lightspeed Champion, AND Arcadia fav Frank Musik on the cover this last issue! You know that Super Super is nailing it over and over and over (like a monkey with a miniture cymbal I might add)...
NOW on top of tackling London Fasion Week they've upped the ante... Namalee Bolle (editor or Super Super) has transformed into Namalee von Namazon, flouro covered songstress and living human offspring of cartoon rock Jem. Which couldn't be cooler because frankly right now we are in need of heroes and she certainly has that in her bloood! Namalee was kind enough to take some time out of her day to do a little interview and let us post a couple of her tracks!
INTERVIEW WITH NAMALEE VON NAMAZON
Patch:Hello Namalee, it is a serious fucking honour to be interviewing you! I mean it's always an honor with all the people we interview but with you shit's on a whole 'nother level... granted it's an email interview and all my responses are pre-programmed but it's still quite an honour!
Namalee: : ) !!!
Patch:You're welcome. Now I love Super Super but another reason I'm hyped is because you used to be former style editor at Sleazenation... that was my favourite magazine in high school! You and Steve Slocombe (also at Super Super) both come from the Sleazenation background... how did the death of that magazine influence the birth of Super Super?
Namalee: Sleazenation was brilliant - I remember the first time I read it and the tone was just so brutally honest. It was definetly the predecessor of Vice - I remember alot of the original Vice lot used to contribute. At the time there weren't loads of other style mags like there are today and then along came Sleazenation - this mag that had real balls and the tone was just so direct and in your face. Steve was first the art editor and then he became editor. When I met him it was like two naughty school children clocking eachother across the play pen!! We had similar radical views about art and fashion.
Steve took Sleaze from an underground fanzine to mainstream style mag in the 3 years he was editor, but it was hard cos we could see this whole new era coming towards us. For example my styling was really 'brash and loud and cartoony' and alot of the old skool stylists found it offensive. It was just a generational shift thing - i didnt relate to them aesthetically - I understand where they were coming from, and I respect tradition, but I felt like I wanted my generation to be seen and heard. After 3 years the publisher went on holiday and Steve just changed the whole magazine around to look more 'tabloid' and created the first 'multi-image' cover that became the Super Super cover you see today. At the time people hated it so much but to me it felt 'modern and relevant.' Some subscribers ripped it up and posted it back to the office in disgust. The publisher wasnt best pleased and sacked Steve. I knew that we had to start something of our own so i resigned ....and the rest is history!!
Patch:Now on to some music questions... "I Wanna Be A Kartoon" is fucking great... That shit is hot! It reminds me of Tricky but not... it really sexy and weird! The title and the sound seem totally opposite. How did this song evolve?
Namalee: Erm. Thats so interseting that you say that cos I love Tricky/Wild Bunch and Massive Attack and that whole trip hop vibe. Its so slow and melancholic cool...I dont know really - I wrote the song just after I left Sleazenation, years ago. Its a very sad song so it took me years to have the balls to sing it. I havent sung it out live yet cos im worried i might cry. Niyi is to thank for the sound - i think he really feels my sadness and knows how to handle it best. The pace it really slow and drawn out - I play a kind of Jessica Rabbit role in it I guess. I suppose the sexy weirdness is just how I am...
Patch:Here's the big question. Do you a) have a full length in the works that's going to have loads of super awesome new-rave-star cameos or b) are you working with a handful of people that you're really close with or c) are you doing all the music by yourself?
Namalee: haha!! All of the above really. im really taking all of this in my stride because I fucking ENJOY it!! I met Niyi ages ago on the clubscene and I knew on the spot that he was 'the one'. He is incredibly talented - its that raw talent that I relate to. He sits in his flat on his crappy computer with loads of wires hanging out and a one string guitar and comes up with something amazing. Its very unpretentious and real - straight from the heart. Neither of us have ever claimed to know what we were doing - we are self taught musicians.Its very creative and punk in that respect. My musical heart belongs with Niyi and I am working with other people like Warboy who is another Nu-rave legend. Rat Scabies from The Damned is gonna be producing my album with us too - I love all the original punks - I always get on with them cos they were straight talkers just like me. Scabies is a fucking legend. The Damned were incredible!!!
Patch:Sounds very exciting. Bland question but who are your favourite emerging artists right now?
Namalee: Niyi, Fashion Plate Daddy, Black Peter Group,Lightspeed Champion, No Bra, Bishi, K-Tron n the exploding Triangles
Patch:I see I see. Now we all see the Jem connection BUT if you had to be the progeny of some other cartoon characters who would they be an why?
Namalee: Spongebob Squarepants because he is so nice. He's well - meaning over enthusiastic goofball just like me.
and..
Jessica Rabbit because she's such a hot slinky biatch!!
And I like the Pink Panther!!
Patch:Fascinating! Well I don't want to take up any more of your time but feel free to plug away and let the good good people know what's going on in your very colourful world of print, fashion, and music!
Namalee: Okay, well, I'm gonna start putting my music out next year. There seems to be quite a demand for it which is really amazing. And lookout for Niyi's new single 'Poached Eggs' out next month (www.myspace.com/niyi). And listen out for my sister (Shirani's) band fashion Plate daddy - her voice is INCREDIBLE!!! (www.myspace/fashionplatedaddy) and the new issue of SuperSuper is out NOW with a free CD by Tapedeck/679 records - waaaaay cool!!!
Spread the love and life is too short to hate on everyone - we're all gonna die in the end and our bones will all look the same!! PEEEEAAAAAAAAAACCCEEEEE !
www.myspace.com/namalee
Patch:Thanks Namalee von Namazon! We are all routing for you to have a Christmas #1!
Namalee: : ) !!
And here's the goods... a couple tracks off her Myspace! Go over there to download "I Wanna Be A Kartoon"...
Namalee von Namazon- "Super Shiny"
Namalee von Namazon- "Super Shiny" YSI
Namalee von Namazon- "Namazonia"
Namalee von Namazon- "Namazonia" YSI
Check this documentary with Namalee and Trash Fashion that I posted months and months ago... but it's worth watching trust me, even if you've seen it 10,000 times!
And here's Namalee and the Namazonz rocking out...
Thanks to all of you who stopped by for the Simian Mobile Disco... my numbers we insane... it was awesome to be the first person to get my hands on that track :) MAKE SURE IF YOU ARE IN NEW YORK YOU CHECK OUT DANCE MUSIC INVASION THAT MY BOY LARRY TEE IS THROWING AND GO SEE JAMES FORD FROM SIMIAN MOBILE DISCO PLAY! If you see Larry, tell him Patch from 'In Search Of Arcadia' sent ya!
Stay tuned for more awesome interviews and groovy tunes... until next time...
1 comment:
THAT WERE WELL ENTERTAINING + INTERSTING.
:)
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