What was it that originally inspired the ‘a love letter for you’ project?

Being on the train as a youth and seeing girls look at the graffiti on the rooftops facing the elevated. Even though they always looked at the graffiti, they weren’t all that interested in talking to me about it, so I thought about creating graffiti that girls would want to talk about, for the lovers who’d want to talk to them.

The murals are both romantic and inspirational, did you want the pieces to have a deeper message to society or were they more designed just to make people smile?

Yes to both

The pieces are more like the painted advertisements of the 50′s than conventional graffiti do you think that you would have had the same kind of acceptance for the project if you had gone down the route of conventional graffiti?

Graffiti is only graffiti if it’s non-conventional. Once graffiti coalesces into convention its just decoration. My graffiti defies convention, pretension and prevention. The guiding influence in Love Letter are two distinct schools of painted American letterforms, Sign Painting and Graffiti. I’ve painted graffiti that looks like signage and vice-versa. In Love Letter, we followed the basic rules of sign painting, but we used spraypaint and graffiti’s palette and speed in order to maximize the impact and fun.

Other graffiti artists such as Banksy have taken their artwork out of it’s original location and taken it to other cities around the world, would you ever try and recreate the love letter project somewhere else?

I started Love Letter in Dublin and Belfast. Letters like these overcome all distance. It might be the distance that gives them power

You have had some interesting comments about the murals one women commented ‘If someone did that for me I’d like it better than being taken to Red Lobster’ what is the most interesting comment you have heard about the project so far?

I don’t know, is busting out in tears a more interesting comment?

You can find out more about the ‘a love letter for you’ project on their website, I have picked a few of my favourites but essentially they are all awesome.

Reporter and former Green Beret Michael Yon is an unabashed supporter of troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.  A divisive figure, he is openly critical of the management of the war but remains very popular with both servicemen and those at home in the US.

Where are you now and what’s happening with your embeds since your last one was cut off?

Today in Singapore but recently was covering the serious fighting in downtown Bangkok in which about 86 people were killed and about 1,900 wounded.  Insofar as embedding with the U.S. military in the future, I do not envision that happening again. I will go back to the war but unlikely to be embedded.

Is it likely you can get embedded with British forces again?  What about other different countries – does the attitude differ country to country towards embedded reporters?

The British invited me several times when news broke of my disembed with U.S.  I had planned to go with them this summer, but after what happened with U.S. (and disembed with U.K. last year), it makes more sense to go alone.  U.S./U.K. will not hesitate to waste your time and money.  No longer makes sense to embed.  Not with so much censorship creeping in under McChrystal and the unpredictable, moody nature of senior public affairs officers such as Admiral Gregory Smith.

What made you take up being a photographer?

Photography is fascinating.  Insofar as communications, I would argue that still photography is by far the most powerful and versatile communications vector for reaching large audiences quickly and powerfully.

You’ve previously said that you initially used the camera as a notepad for your writing – when did it start to kick in as a proper creative tool?

In the earliest days, I just liked taking photos so I bought a new Nikon FE2.  This might have been 1983.  I shot mostly plants, birds, weather, whatever interested me.  But for years I hardly picked up a camera.  Then I started writing in about 1996 and eventually bought a cheap digital as a note pad.  I shot thousands of images mostly as notes and finally photography started taking a life of its own.

What were you writing about when you first started out then?  How do you feel that has developed over the years alongside your photography?

My first book is called “Danger Close” and you can see it on Amazon.com.  My other writing projects are still somewhat confidential as have had to put them on hold during the war.  Insofar as the relationship between writing and photography, the more you do both, the more they meld into one.  Writing and photography used to seem like completely different art forms, and on some level they are, but on another level they are the same thing.

What sort of gear do you use – how much do you have to hump about?  How robust does equipment have to be to work in the desert?

For the first few years, I was a minimalist.  Not because I was truly a minimalist but because my skills were not sufficient to warrant buying top of the line gear.  I went to Iraq in December 2004 with a Nikon D70 and a cheap 50mm prime.  I made a readers’ choice Time photo of the year with that camera and lens. (Dispatch title: “Little Girl.”)  For probably the first couple years of work, nearly all of my images were made through 50mm prime.  In mid-2005, I bought a Canon Mark II 1ds and on nearly the first mission, shot some of my most well-known photos during a firefight.  (Title: “Gates of Fire.”)  These days I shoot with only the best bodies and lenses available, using everything from fisheye to 400mm f2.8.  The gear has no serious problems in the desert but often you need to bag it up from the dust.

I read an article recently which detailed other photographers using their iphone to get smaller, more intimate pictures in a war zone – is that anything you’ve been tempted by?  Are you also thinking about making more use of video?

Had planned to use more video this year until the disembed.  Have not heard of photographers using their iPhones for smaller, more intimate pictures, but I did buy a phone with a good camera.  When you walk in with a Canon Mark IV, everyone notices and it changes the situation which is bad for writing and for photography.  Few people pay attention to the small cameras.

Does your approach differ on reporting from a small, tightly compacted conflict like in Bangkok to one spread over a wider time and space in Afghan/Iraq?

The fighting I saw in Bangkok was very localized.  You could walk to everything or take a motorbike.  Fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan is/was spread over vast distances and requires far more logistics.  In Thailand, the fighting was happening near the base of my hotel (which hotel was hit with a grenade while I was talking on the phone).  At times at night the fighting was so close that I could crawl onto the balcony or just walk downstairs and watch.  It was odd.  I would eat breakfast and walk straight out into the mix by walking across the street into the Red Shirt camp.

How do you find a balance when writing or shooting delicate moments?

Tough to do sometimes.  Especially with a big camera which changes the situation.  It’s all judgment.

Does people’s behaviour and attitude towards you in those moments vary between countries?

Yes, much.  Was just in heavy fighting in Thailand and they were letting people photograph anything under the sun.  U.S. or U.K. troops would never have allowed photographers to shoot some of the gore they were shooting.  I am not in for shock photos but some were and they were getting plenty of shock photos and nobody was stopping them.  Every culture is different.  Some are camera hams, some are the opposite, and there is everything in between.

Some of your best photography work is outside of the actual conflict, things like the Kopp-Etchells effect and the glowing star field pictures.  Apart from probably being relatively relaxing to shoot, what do you feel you get out of this particular aspect of photography?

That is pure enjoyment!  That’s why I love photography.  Photography can be like that box of chocolates.  You know there is a great shot, but are not sure what you are going to get.  This is especially true of low light shooting.

What other photographers, writers or artists do you like?

No particular favourites because there are so many great ones.  There is no shortage of outstanding photographers, writers and artists.  It’s like sampling food across Asia or Europe.  Don’t force me to pick a favourite because I don’t have one but get to enjoy widely.  That said — when I think of art, Italy often comes to mind.

Is this something you see yourself doing in 10/20 years time?  Could you see yourself reporting on a different area or subject?

Exploration has been a lifelong passion.  Writing and photography are also passions, and I like to combine these things with something worthwhile.  Something that benefits mankind and the planet.  Something that promotes peace while recognizing reality.

See more of Michael dispatches, go to http://www.michaelyon-online.com/

For more background on Michael, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Yon

My photographs of Alison, because of the nature of our relationship, are very much a father-daughter collaboration-Alison permitting me access to private moments of our life, which might, under different circumstances, be off-limits to a parent. The camera, early in her life, became part of our relationship, necessitating in me an acceptance, a quietness. We’ve never had long photographic sessions, but rather moments alone or with friends.

The images are overtly sexual, you can’t help but think that but draw the comparison between mouth and vagina. The fullness of the lips and the slick saliva on the tongue all add to the sexuality of the drawings.  Despite the fact that they display nothing like nudity they have an almost pornographic quality, the female mouth has always been synonymous with sexual images, the fullness of Angelina Jolie’s pout is undoubtedly what makes her the sex symbol she is, otherwise she is just a scrawny, scary lady.

The fact that the mouth is the focus independently without makes these images have an oddly surreal, and fantastical.
Randall makes great use of the subtle range of pinks and reds around the mouth, the layers of the skin on the lips are thinner than elsewhere which makes the skin oddly translucent, the delicate shading and pigments in these drawings perfectly captures that element. The are reminiscent of the softly coloured photographs of Victorian pornography with the subtle rose and sepia tones. Everything about these images is feminine and sexy. I think there are amazing.

Spike Jonze is now artistic director of VBS TV, funded by MTV. Jonze’s music videos were also unique and pleasing to watch; Buddy Holly by Weezer being the one that comes to mind instantly. His collaborations with Charlie Kauffman; twin surreal composition with chopped up narratives resulting in two of Jonze’s most critically acclaimed films; “Adaptation” (2002) and “Being John Malkovich” (1999).

After spending five years adapting Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things (released late last year), a difficult project in which Jonze kept surprisingly true to the children’s book whilst creating a unique, vivid aesthetic but still capturing the innocence of the book, Jonze has collaborated with ABSOLUT to direct short film “I’m’ Here”.

“I’m Here” is a 30-minute love story about the relationship between two robots living in L.A. Andrew Garfield and Sienna Guillory are in the lead roles, and the soundtrack includes original music by Sam Spiegel and original songs by L.A. based art musician Aska Matsumiya and other emerging musicians. The independent film showcases up and coming actors and musicians, the whole project is very culturally and creatively progressive.

ABSOLUT have previously collaborated with Andy Warhol, Keith Haring and Helmut Newton. This current collaboration came about when ABSOLUT reached out to Jonze to make a film, and gave him the creative control that allowed him to create the film he wanted. On the official website for I’m Here, Anna Malmhake, Vice President Global Marketing at Absolut says “Spike Jonze is one of the most important influencers of modern popular culture, and this 30-minute film subtly and artfully expresses our enduring commitment to collaborations and creativity.”

I’m Here was originally shown at the Sundance Film Festival as part of the first-ever Opening Night’s Shorts Program at the festival. It was also screened at the Berlin Film Festival on the 20th of February, and Squidge have managed to score tickets to the London screening on the 25th of this month, whoop! The global release will be online in March. To find out more about the film check out the official website.

Scott Meyer is the writer of Basic Instructions, a handy guide to living a more fulfilled life.

You started out as a standup and met or worked with people like Weird Al, Mitch Herberg, Doug Stanhope and Patton Oswalt.  What was the comedy scene in the US like at the time?

In the 80s, stand-up enjoyed what they refer to in the industry as “the boom.” It was a magical time when you could make a really comfortable living with nothing but twenty minutes’ worth of material and a willingness to travel. It lasted until 1991. I started in 1992.

It was like someone took the movies “Punchline” and “Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome” and put them in a blender together. There was an ever-dwindling number of clubs, housing ever-smaller and surlier audiences and an ever more desperate and hostile group of comics fighting for the same jobs. People who had been making six-figure incomes and squandered them were struggling to eke out a living and us new guys were left wondering what we’d gotten ourselves into. Over time the industry found an equilibrium, but it was a much smaller and more low-rent affair than I had anticipated.

There was some great comedy going on, though. You mentioned three of the best: Mitch Hedberg, Doug Stanhope, and Patton Oswalt. First time I worked with Stanhope, I watched his set and couldn’t believe how easy he made it look.

Do you think you could go back to doing standup after doing BI for so long?

No. I’ve considered giving it a shot, but it’d have to be for the right reasons, i.e. that I have something to say that I can’t say in the comic, and I just don’t see that happening. Frankly, the comic is a much better vehicle for my style of humour than stand-up ever was. I just did a strip about a superhero who’s everywhere at once. That’s not an idea I’d be able to make work on stage.

Are your benevolent overlords at Disneyworld aware of BI? [Scott works as a cast member at Disney World Florida]

My immediate supervisors are.  If they’ve told Mickey or not, I don’t know.

What’s your approach to writing a strip?

Good question. I hadn’t really given it much thought until recently.

I had a bout of writer’s block that lasted a few weeks. I’d struggle to come up with anything I thought was good until the last minute, then I’d just go with the best idea I had, and it’d end up being pretty good. I realized that I’d been censoring ideas before they were fully formed for questionable reasons.

There’s a great documentary called “Gigantic” about one of my favourite bands, They Might Be Giants. Towards the end, one of the two guys named John who make up the band says that They Might Be Giants needs to be “a world of endless musical possibilities” in order for them to continue. At the time I didn’t get it, but now I do. BI has to be a reflection of whatever I find funny this week or it’s doomed. Nothing’s worse than someone writing something they don’t think is funny, but they think you will.

You seem to have come across a great way of stuffing plenty of jokes into one strip with the minimal amount of artworking.  Did that style come straight away from being a comedy writer or take a while to get right?

In the first few BI’s, I averaged about one joke every other panel. Then I started putting at least one attempt at humour in each panel, and that’s when I started being proud of my work. I’ve referred to it as “The Iron-Body style of cartooning” because I’ve seen too many kung-fu movies. Others have called it the “death by a thousand cuts” approach. That’s probably more accurate.

Often I’ll have an idea I love, and three good jokes, but I’ll be stuck on the fourth. It’s always tempting to just go with three, but it’s much more satisfying when I come up with that fourth joke.

Your wife Missy and friend Ric feature a lot.  Have you ever written something, then thought ‘This might earn me a clip round the ear’?

Yes, but not from Missy. If you look, she’s the only person in the strip who consistently comes off well. I haven’t been married thirteen years because I don’t know what I’m doing.

Many times I have written something about Ric and thought, “This time I’ve gone too far.” Invariably, those are Ric’s favorite strips. I don’t know if he’s a masochist, or just super vain. I like to think it’s a little of both.

I wrote a strip in which I suggest he look for a woman like him. He recoils in horror at the idea of dating a self-absorbed asthmatic. I thought that was going too far, but his parents clipped that comic out and hung it on their fridge. You never know.

Actually, that’s just Ric’s and my sense of humour. To listen to our conversations, you’d think we were both wretched failures and horrible human beings. We take self-effacing humour to an illogical extreme. I stood for Ric at his third wedding. He and his bride walked down the aisle to the fight music from Star Trek, the original series. That’s just what he finds funny.

What’s the future for Basic Instructions?  A Rocket Hat offshoot perhaps, or More Advanced Instructions?

My friend Ray Freisen (a much better artist than I am) talked about doing a spin-off of Rocket Hat, but it didn’t work out. My part of that project is going to be in my second book.

I’ve thought about a side project, but I’m busy enough right now just juggling a day job and BI.

Any particular favourite web comics of your own?

(This question can be read two different ways, so I’ll answer both.)

“Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal” is awfully good, and “Penny Arcade” continues to be one of my favourites.

OR

I was very proud of “How to Write a Superhero Story.” Also the series I did about applying the laws of physics to your personal relationship was quite satisfying.

The best single joke I’ve ever written was in “How to Express Condolences,” when I told someone I was sorry to hear that their pet had died by texting them “ROFG” (rolling on floor, grieving).

Help Is On The Way: A collection of Basic Instructions Volume 1 is available from Amazon, Vol 2 is out in May.

You can also get BI collections on yer iphone.

Jesse Thorn hosts The Sound of Young America, a radio show and podcast which covers comedy, film, music and other pop culture in the States.  Amongst his guests over the years have been Bill Withers, Jeffrey Tambor, Graham Linehan, Jimmy Carr, Jane Lynch and Rob Halford.  He also appears in Jordan, Jesse, Go! alongside Jordan Morris, and organises the now annual Maxfuncon festival.  I caught up with Jesse as he had just returned from the Sundance Film Festival in Utah.

How did Sundance go for you?

Sundance was great.  It was our first time, and I’m a native Californian, so one thing that was wonderful was the snow – it snowed heavily the first two days we were there.  We also got to talk to some amazing people.  Our last interview was with Kevin Kline, and he was every bit as funny and charming as you’d hope.  My only disappointment was that I forgot to ask him to sing the “Hail to the Chief” song from Dave with me.

Everyone knows that the main point of Sundance, apart from rubber necking at Spike Lee, is getting promotional tat.  Did you get any decent loot?

I was too busy working, though I did get a patch for the “gang” that’s at the center of Taika Waititi’s excellent “Boy.”  Probably my favorite film at the festival – a big step up from Waititi’s first film, “Eagle v. Shark.”

A lot of people are looking forward to the new Chris Morris film Four Lions that was screened at Sundance, how did that go down?

I was at the premiere, and people seemed to like it.  Despite the subject matter, it’s surprisingly non-outrageous.  Certainly not as in-your-face as Brass Eye.  I certainly enjoyed it.

Do you want to explain a little about how you got started?

I started The Sound of Young America about ten years ago with my friends Jordan and Gene.  It was a college radio show – initially it aired at 7:30 in the morning.  That was before the campus shuttles at our college started running, so we had to walk a mile through the low fog in the dark to get to the station.  There used to be a fair amount of comedy on the show, but when Jordan and Gene graduated and headed to LA to work in entertainment, I refocused the show on interviews.

How has TSOYA built up over the years since you started it at college?  Where there any significant points where you thought ‘actually, this is going to work’?

My first balls-to-the-wall pledge drive was just short of two years ago now.  With the money we generated, I was able to hire my editor, Nick, one day a week, and pay myself a reasonable wage for the first time ever.  That was about seven years in, and probably the first time I actually felt secure in the show and in the idea that this was my job.

Can you explain how public radio works in the States?

Public radio stations are prohibited from carrying advertising, and primarily funded by listener donations.  They produce their own shows, and carry shows from three big distributors – National Public Radio, which is also a member organization of stations, American Public Media and Public Radio International.  I’m with PRI.  Stations that choose to carry my show pay PRI for it, and I get a cut of that money.  It’s a significant amount of money, but nowhere near enough to fund the show.  Most of my funding comes from other sources – especially donations from people who listen to the podcast, read the blog, and listen to our podcast-only shows.

How are you finding the difference between being a broadcaster via podcast rather than radio?

In radio, you’re targeting people who happen to be listening.  In podcasting, your audience is people who have chosen to listen – or people who might choose to listen.  The former is wonderful – it’s always nice to hear from someone who happened upon the show on their car radio.  The latter, though, is more rewarding.  On Jordan, Jesse, Go!, which is podcast-only, we can go a deeper into our, uhm, distinctive aesthetic.  By which I mean we can act like idiots, and everybody’s on board.

Where do you think podcasting stands in terms of being part of this new way where you can pick and choose your own entertainment?

I think there are still technical hurdles.  It’s still too much of a hassle to listen to podcasts for many people.  That said – I’m really happy to live in an entertainment world where people can choose what they want, rather than tolerating what they don’t not want.

What’s the state of comedy in the US like at the moment?  Has it all fallen apart since they’ve no longer got Bush to have a go at?

Not at all.  I think we’re in a golden age of comedy in the US.  There are certainly hacks out there making a lot of money – people like Carlos Mencia or Jeff Dunham — but there’s also more great stuff than ever before.  I think 30 Rock might be the funniest show of all time.  On cable, you’ve got It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Trailer Park Boys, [adult swim], The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, and a pile of others.  In theaters, people like Zach Galifianakis and Michael Cera are getting to make movies.

TSOYA seems to glue a lot of US culture together in one convenient spot, and makes it appeal to people who are outside that circle.  What do you think the knack of it is?

It’s sort of like being the editor of Vogue or something – I know what I like.  That’s my main criterion, frankly.  Do I think it’s great?  If I do, I can find room for it on the show.  I work hard to make sure that those amazing things are accessible to people who don’t know about them already, and to find insight for people who do know about them already.

Do you think recording the show in your apartment gives interviews a different dynamic?  Didn’t someone get stuck in your lift?

A hip-hop group called the Lifesavas got stuck in my elevator, yes.  We had to take the doors off their hinges and hand them down a dining room chair to climb out.  They were exceedingly gracious about it.  Nice guys.

I generally get very positive reactions to the show being in my apartment, and I think it gives things a bit of intimacy they wouldn’t otherwise have.  My guests really are my guests.

Any particular favourites/hard interviews?  That Miss Piggy interview sounded like a bit of a struggle.

It was – I think the guy who does Ms. Piggy is a lot more comfortable doing the Miss Piggy voice than improvising as Miss Piggy.  Probably the toughest was Betty Davis, the funk legend who was once the wife of Miles Davis.  She was a very kind lady, but is not very social – she’s been a bit of a recluse for the last 20 years or so.  I posted the raw interview on the site so people could suffer along with me during the long, awkward silences.

How is Maxfuncon shaping up for this year?

Amazing!  Lots of my favourite people are coming.  Marc Maron, Maria Bamford, Jimmy Pardo, Al Madrigal… people who just warm the cockles of my heart.  Not to mention a chance to see all the great MaxFunsters who really made it a community last year.  I couldn’t be more excited.  And Andrew WK!  So delighted.

What’s the aim of TSOYA in the next couple of years?  Any progress on the TV show?

There’s always the possibility of a new TV show.  We’ll see if it ever happens.  We’re working on some other TV and video projects, but who knows if anyone will ever see them.  I think we’re just continuing to grow at our own modest pace.

Is there any particular podcasts that you listen to?

For comedy, I love Never Not Funny and You Look Nice Today.  Those are the shows that I get excited to see on my iPod.  Outside of comedy, I’m a huge fan of Radiolab (in fact, I invited Jad Abumrad to MaxFunCon this year) and of On the Media.  And of course This American Life, though I can’t imagine anyone’s not on board with that yet.

Subscribe to The Sound of Young America here.

Hear Jesse and Jordan Morris curse like well dressed sailors on Jordan, Jesse, Go! here.

MaximumFunCon is being held at Lake Arrowhead, California on 7^th-9^th May, more details here.

How did Tomahawk start off?

Tomahawk Press started up because there are just too many really interesting subjects for a book, which mainstream publishers won’t touch.  They focus on popular stuff – we go for quality.  Sort of like the Morgan car of publishing.  Each project is lovingly managed.  Our first book, Greasepaint and Gore is a wonderful book to study – filled with never-before-seen makeup designs and test shots from Hammer horror films.  No publisher wanted to touch it.  It was the actress Barbara Shelley who suggested going it alone.  “How?” I said.  “Learn”, she said.  I did.  Everything else followed.

Zulu. Apparently, there were quite a few of them.

What’s the process of getting a book together, do you approach writers for commissions or do the manuscripts gravitate towards you?

We get more submissions than we could possibly publish.  I just go for what excites me most – no real rules here.  Even though we are niche, there still has to be some commercial worth to a project.  I do have some ideas that I would like to see someone develop, though.

Is there anything particularly surprising that you’ve come across whilst putting a book together?

Everything is surprising in putting a book together.  If I’m not surprised, I’m usually not interested.  We publish mostly things that no one knows about.  But what always does surprise me is how diverse people’s interests actually are.  Any one subject can attract individuals from all walks of life.  We seem to publish books on subjects about which many people are passionate.

The books you’ve released so far cover a specific time in film making, are there plans to release books covering different periods?

We’ve covered pre-war Gainsborough films through to films made in the ’80s in our books.  We like nostalgia though.  I never chose any particular time period – but these are the books that seem to flood my way.  I think our niche was created by the market – certainly not created by me.  I’d consider anything good for publication.  Even published a book on Thorntons chocolate this year! And it turned out to be a best seller!

Bruce and Handsome Dan from Wayne's World receive a Saxon Sandwich

Are there any particular areas or people who you’d like to release a book about?

We seem to have strayed into biographies/autobiographies.  I like these. People’s lives are always fascinating.  I’d like to do more books on rock music and jazz though – these are my passions.  I will be publishing a book on Saxon (and their relationship to Spinal Tap) very soon.  Maybe that will lead to other music projects.  My son works for a major music label – maybe I can get one of his famous clients to do something with us.

I am sometimes disappointed with the rich and famous always flocking to major pop publishers, who are into a quick buck.  Maybe a few of them are individualists who can help give a smaller publisher like me a break.  I can often do a better job with a book than a mainstream publisher, too – both with design and marketing.

I don’t view Thornton’s or Saxon to be a departure for us – as our milieu is the untold story.  Each of our books tells the reader something that most people don’t know.  And each of our books are on a subject about which some people at least are very passionate.  As I have already said – I am led by the nose by the market.  The market defines our niche.  And most importantly, I publish important, interesting books that tend to be ignored by the mainstream big business publishers.  As in the music industry, it isn’t healthy for several large multi-nationals to control what we read. This is the dawning of the age of the Indie publisher, and Tomahawk is at the cutting edge!

You recently had to publish a new edition of The Battle for Bond after legal wrangles over some of the material within it.  Can you explain a bit more your recent adventures with the Fleming Estate?

The Fleming estate were looking for any reason they could to ban The Battle for Bond, which is an entirely factual, well-researched book that argued that the screen version of Bond was not created by Fleming.  And not only that, Fleming then went on to plagiarise the character that others had created.  I found the Fleming family to be bullies and small-minded.  They gained nothing by trying to cause problems for us, and the book became more popular as a result.  In fact – soon to be made into a Hollywood film – but can’t say much more about that yet.  There are more detailed statements about us and the Fleming family on our website and also in the new edition of The Battle for Bond.

I recently read Shepperton Babylon by Matthew Sweet, which covers the period between the pre-war silent era to the early eighties.  From that I got the feeling these days that apart from Ealing comedies, Hammer horror, early Hitchcock and the odd Powell and Pressburger, there’s a vast amount of British film that either gets dismissed, unreferenced or unseen – there seems to be a set of chosen films and the rest just get dumped.  Where do you think that this attitude comes from?

That’s an interesting question.  Maybe because there is a lack of familiarity with much British film?  Little of it ever gets shown on TV.  Or maybe because of lot of it is in black and white, which many younger people don’t like.  Remember – Hammer was mostly in colour.

Within university academic departments, there’s loads of interest in British film, and many experts.  Film studies students certainly get exposed to many British films.  But they are far too academic in their approach. I think it might be the responsibility of the BFI (or should be) to promote British film heritage.  But they are rather bad at this, and for a national organisation certainly too much London-centred.  I would like to think that some of Tomahawk’s books are making a small contribution too.  We like out books to be academically competent, but also readable and interesting for a general audience.

But, I am no film expert.  I am sure that our authors would have more to say on this than I could.

Tomahawk will be releasing The Studio that Dripped Blood – Amicus Films by Phil Nutman and new biographies of Charles Hawtrey, James Caan and Jeff Bridges this year.  To find out more about Tomahawk Press and their catalogue, go to http://www.tomahawkpress.com.

All images are the property of their original owners.

Yes, everyone’s going gaga for kiddie chic, and it’s not just the young brand whores of Japan flashing their Hello Kitty purses. Judging by Madonna’s Bugs Bunny style Louis Vuitton headpiece and SATC’s Kristen Davis’ 80s throwback socks, it seems this trend is transcending the generation gap.

Speaking of 80’s throwbacks, you’d have to have been blind (or too preoccupied playing with toys) not to notice the recent Lego revival. We’ve had Marc Jacobs’ models stomping down the runway looking like they’d gone to war with the local playgroup; pieces of Lego stuck in their unkempt hair. You may then remember Jean-Charles De Castelbajac’s collaboration with the plastic yellow men and music maestros Four-H on a mock fashion show of his 2008 collection; a viral animation which saw Lego people strutting their stuff down the catwalk. The collection itself was a primary-coloured pop at art and fashion, featuring Lego brick Mohican helmets and retro-print dresses, and it looks like he’s still in a playful mood. His Lego inspired Pop Hours watches (a collaboration with design giants ODM launched in October) are said to be a current bestseller according to our source at JDCD’s flagship Mayfair store. No prizes for guessing which toy everyone wanted to get their mitts on this Christmas.

It’s not just the designers who are having fun either. Celebs such as Alexa Chung and Katy Perry have been seen lending their names to the kiddie cool movement by touting cute Lulu Guinness cartoon bags in Japanese-style kitty and pop-art pouting lip designs. You may have also noticed Lady GaGa and the Olson twins rocking some rather odd headgear of late proving Louis Vuitton isn’t the only one listening in on the animal ears trend. Michel Maison is the real headmaster of this style school; and it’s his lacy Minnie Mouse-esque veils that are the celeb accessory du jour. In the true spirit of fancy dress, Opening Ceremony went for out-and-out immaturity, with their Where the Wild Things Are collection. Inspired by Spike Jonze’s film, the story of a boy who dresses up in a wolf suit and unearths a world of ‘mischief’, the full-length furry playsuits are unwearable to say the least, but this all adds to their appeal. Imagine the fun you could have in one of those! Child’s play is a serious business though, and it seems everyone is cashing in on a collective refusal to grow up.

Thirty-five year old city boys have their dASA Genibo robo-dogs, whilst their girlfriends trawl Ebay for vintage Blythe dolls. Toys are quite literally too cool for school. Hardly surprising considering the current state of play, why on Earth would we want to act our age, when being a grown-up recessionista is so damned depressing?

If the recent Twilight phenomenon is anything to go by – Mr Patterson aside – something has certainly captured the world’s imagination – regressing to an age when vampires, ghouls and fairytales were our daily bread? Of course! Anything to help us win the hide-and-seek game between or pretty minds and our diminishing bank balances.

A snood? Why we’re just playing dress up Mr bank manager Wolf, it’s so incredibly cold outside and we’re going to see Grandmother Topshop who lives through the concrete forest, by the River Island. Forgive our devil may care attitude, for it may have something to do with Pamela Love’s Opening Ceremony horned headpieces. Because even the nicest little children have their naughty moments.

Art = Good
Styrofoam cups = Bad

If I buy art that is on a Styrofoam cup, I am preventing it from becoming part of the increasing landfill. But eventually I will die and it will become part of the landfill any way… or will it live on forever reminding our future selves of the folly of non-recyclable containers. Or is the fact that the art is on a Styrofoam cup highlighting the ecological issues? What happens to the cups that go wrong? But then perhaps I over-think things…

Anyway, I saw his stuff again recently and I was reminded how much I like it. He does things in a variety of styles from Japanese hokusai, to realist, to his own random doodling style. But the cups are only part of what he does, if you check out his blog there is a whole other level of random fun to get involved with. In the same ilk as xkcd, it is an endless source of entertainment. Mixing the banal and the incredible and commenting on the idiosyncratic nature of everyday life. You can spend far too much time flicking through his journal and giggling to yourself, to get anything of any substance done.

So I figured with everyone needing to banish their January blues, I would share some of my favourites with you…

You can find all of Boey’s cups and blog based fun on his website, where you can also purchase a ethically confusing artwork for yourself.