Thanks for taking the time to do this interview. First off can you tell us what part of the UK you from and how you started out as an artist?
Bless fam…Reds in da place… Im from Norwich, in the EA (East Anglia!) It started for me by rollin with sound system crews and going to loadsa free parties, warehouse raves and festivals and getting known for blessing the mic in sound sessions.This then led to gettin into the recording side of things cos some of the crew i was rolling with were squatting big buildings turnin them into living space and people started bringin in bits of recording gear and studio kit and people would be jammin. those days were live- o, real crazy vibes but a lot less proffessional than the studio environments we’re used to nowadays haha
What have you released to date and what would you say was your biggest acheivement in Hip-Hop was?
First we dropped ‘The All Or Nothing Days’ album then the ‘Knowledge Is King’ album and now Ive just been sorting out a new mixtape series Ruffneck Intellect. I guess Id count my biggest achievements as doing tracks with artists like Hell Razah, Timbo King and Bronze Nazareth and supporting acts like Souls Of Mischief and some of the most respected in the UK like Task Force, Phi Life Cypher and Skinnyman. I count everyday just bein here as a big achievement tho haha
Okay, let’s talk about your new project. Who produced it and what guests are involved?
The new project is Chronic Redeye Music presents Ruffneck Intellect Vol.1 with a collection of exclusives, big hits and freestyles featuring artists like Dezert Eez, Hell Razah, Timbo King, Deadly Hunta, DPF, Yaeo, Manny Moscow, Late, Conman, Rook Da Rukus, Franko Fraize, Lyrical T, Mancini & The Creepers..the list goes on lol its like a family tree of the realest motherf**kers in the game
When did you start making this new project?
Its been in the works for over a year now cos things can get mad hectic up at Chronic Redeye Music HQ and it can mean real life gets in the way of the master plans lol
When is it released and where is the best place to buy it from?
Its out now best places to cop it are www.hoodlem.bigcartel.com or www.suspect-packages.com
What formats will it be released on?
CD
Do you think CD’s will become extinct soon because of the MP3? How do you feel about this as an artist?
I dunno about exctinct but definitely decreasing in value as everything becomes more throwaway. Its a shame for me as someone whos still in love with vinyl let alone CD, but ya gotta move with the times and it is what it is!
For those that don’t know what record label are you currently on and who are your label-mates?
We run our own imprint Chronic Redeye Music which is solely for our output but we’ve got close links with Hoodlem recordings which is home to Franko Fraize and Lyrical T
Can you give us all your relevant website links please?
Before you go is there anything you would like to add or say?
yeah cop Ruffneck Intellect Vol.1 CD its too ill to sleep on! and get to know the name SOLDJASOULZ thats the new team of me and DPF we been destroying mics left right and centre. (no) peace!
The very beautiful Barbadian singer/ songwriter, RIHANNA, was recently interviewed by TALK ASIA which aired on CNN where she spoke about her abusive relationship with ex-boyfriend CHRIS BROWN, winning her third grammy, her growth over the years personally and muscially. She also talks about what her single “UMBRELLA” means to her and how she feels about her new album “RATED R“.
RIRI speaks about her childhood memories and finding her father doing crack and drugs in the kitchen, the break down in her parent’s marriage, the financial struggles, and how her mother really played a big part in being a parenting role and allowing her to be a child when she was growing up. She also stated that her relationship with her father is now “almost non-existent”.
ROBYN RIHANNA FENTY talks about first meeting JAY-Z and working with JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE.
She also talks about “COLD CASE LOVE” being a direct reference to her relationship with CHRIS BROWN and the difficulty of that particular event her in her life.
The star stated that she would love to work with KINGS OF LEON and hopes that her next album is not so dark mainly because her albums reflect how she is feeling at the time and this time around she would like to be in a much better place in her life!
Laura ‘Hyperfrank’ Brosnan recently caught up with one of the grime scenes most talked about MCs at the moment, 17 year old Maxsta from east London, exclusively for The Wrap Up!
The Wrap Up: How did you get into music and what’s your journey been like to get to this point?
Maxsta: It’s been a rollercoaster to say the least, a lot of good times, some bad times, but overall it’s been a good journey. I started off with a five pound microphone from Argos and a computer with some of my boys in my bedroom after school, so it’s great to be here right now…
TWU: What were you listening to growing up? Who inspired you to actually make music?
M: Dizzee Rascal, Kano and Ghetts were my three favourite artists, but I listened to a lot of music when I was younger. I was into grime right from the start, the first grime CDs I bought were JME’s ‘Shut Yuh Mut’ and Ghetto’s ‘2000 And Life’. I feel like I fell in love with the sound right from the start, at the moment I can’t go a day without listening to some sort of grime, even if it’s just my own music.
TWU: You were in grime collective, Mucky Wolf Pack. What was the situation around you joining that crew instead of say, Nasty Crew?
M: The Wolf Pack thing was just to do with me hanging around Bow E3. I got introduced to the whole Wolf Pack team by having my music heard by the older lot like Gods Gift. I had to clash another MC on Roman Road which decided whether I was in or not. Thankfully I won because it was one of the moves that shaped my career. I’m from Newham so a lot of people ask me the ‘why not Nasty Crew’ question, but it’s just a thing of not really having any affiliation with any of Nasty Crew, so even if there was a chance of it happening, which would have been real cool, it just didn’t.
TWU: So what actually happened to the Pack?
M: It got to a point where there were a lot of members, including Snoopy and Maniac, who had different ideas of what they wanted to do. I never actually wanted to leave, but at the time there was some confusion going on with Wiley and Wolf pack. By that time I had affiliations myself with both sides and didn’t want to have to cancel either partnership so I had to go solo.
TWU: A lot of people including myself first heard of you when you called out Double S/Marvell in one of your lyrics. Why did that all happen?
M: I got a call from Jammer talking about ‘Lord Of The Mics 3’ and he asked me who I might want to clash. I decided Double S. Many people don’t know this one, but Double S and I were meant to clash in 2007, when there was a little war season going on. Wiley rang me saying “Max, you want to clash Double S?” and I never back down from a good challenge, so I obviously said yes. The clash never happened, but I thought in 2009 I was ready to actually clash him and win. It kind of got out of hand because I weren’t really feeling the way they dealt with the situation, trying to treat me like some little kid you know? But I came out of the situation with my ratings up, so thanks.
TWU: Is it all squashed now?
M: Yes, with Double S and Shocka anyway, those are the only two I’ve spoken to, not sure about the others.
TWU: Would you ever work with Double S/Marvell?
M: Why not? Hopefully there’s no feelings caught on their side, because a lot of people would like to hear a Maxsta and Double S tune. At the minute though, the situation is like I’m saying Double, let’s do a tune and he’s trying to ignore it. That’s the kind of stuff that gets me in one of my sending moods. Thankfully though, we’re past all of that now.
No one ever really talks about charity. Events are duly attended and gestures made in times of crisis but as a whole, we don’t tend to bring up Oxfam or Amnesty unless it’s a gripe at the gauntlet of chuggers on College Green. There is no crushing social pressure to show a good face, as religions weaken and experiences broaden, the moral obligation that once marked us out as givers has disappeared. There’s simply no obligation when giving is this much fun.
The Save Children Out Of Poverty Foundation we know as SCOOP plays an important role in local fundraising. This Friday 19 March sees the Academy host the launch of www.thescoopfoundation.com, a step up for the brave little charity that could.
Our website will be the centre of the SCOOP universe. Not only will it be the place to get in touch to get involved, to express an idea or opinion or to challenge us in any way you see fit, not only will it have all our latest news on events, fundraisers and other such developments and news, but it will also be where you, our patron, can see exactly where the funds we raise go, and how they are spent. We will have constant updates, photos and videos showing the progression of all our projects.
Great DJs and a vivacious billing of brilliant local musicians including Adrian Crowley, Valerie Francis, The Ambience Affair, Le Galaxie and Robotnik all bring sonority to the tremendous goodwill buzz. You will find no better reason to be out dancing this weekend.
Ireland rates consistently highly in the world’s quality of life rankings and recognising this, Andy Sweeney realised that combining the love of leisure with a good cause was a way to make a difference on both sides of the world. Using art, fun, music and sports, he built up a charity with a personality that would account for itself. There are no paid members of the organisation and every penny raised is allocated to a deserving source. Over the last couple of years now we’ve come to know the SCOOP name means authentic tenderhearted efforts to expand the horizons of hope for young people left behind by their societies.
It was the story of a Cambodian farmer and his wife that first inspired Andy to do more and reading the same tale on MySpace urged my own conscientious curiosity. I got in touch to ask about his work and the latest fundraising bonanza organised by SCOOP. Read on for more and remember, if you’d like to get involved, SCOOP would love to hear from you.
How did you get into charity work?
I had been travelling through Asia, in a place in my own life where I had no direction nor drive. I came across the orphanage in Cambodia we support now and the power of the place had a profound effect on me and would dictate the life I would lead. When I returned home to Ireland, I vowed that I would try and have the same impact on their lives as they did mine.
What’s unique about the Scoop Foundation in Ireland?
I guess what makes us different is that we offer as much inclusion as possible, after finding that other charities in this country were rather exclusive. We want to encourage as many different people from as many different walks of life to get involved with the schools, orphanages and workshops we work with and to play an active role in changing the lives of these children for the better. We have also found that the experience can be life changing for those who get involved.
What made you choose to work with this mix of music and charity?
We see the strength in the arts and music to change lives and the way people think. We are all passionate about music and the arts so it came quite natural to host gigs or art auctions as fundraisers. We basically organise fundraisers that we ourselves would respond to. Most of us are musicians, DJs or promoters to begin with, or at least we’re all fans of the acts, so we basically have a great reason to try and host our ideal gig!
What’s the general atmosphere around this kind of event in Ireland? We pride ourselves on being a nation of givers, is there a strong support for Scoop?
We’ve had a great response from bands, gig goers, artists, art buyers etc and then we have found that people who have gone to our previous events will come along to see us throw our hands at something new, and have faith that they will at least have a laugh. The fact of the matter is that money is tight these days, yet we all still want to have a good time if only to forget how miserable things can get! At the SCOOP shows we try to fuse the two and it seems to be working.
How do you distribute the money raised? Which areas are most in need?
We take on grass-root projects that are dear to our own hearts and have four at the moment. The first is the orphanage I visited in Cambodia, the second is a school for street children that two of our good friends here in Dublin worked in for six months, the third is a football academy in Uganda which Calvin visited and the forth is a DJ studio and workshop for under-privileged teenagers here in Dublin. Each project has education in some capacity at its core or they help children try and fulfill their potential.
What do you think are the biggest problems in the developing world?
In my opinion, the biggest problem in the developing world is also the biggest problem here in Ireland: there is no cohesion between the NGOs and charities. They all seem to be competing with each other instead of working together, since they all seem to preach the same cause and goals. Don’t get me wrong, there are serious political, financial, environmental and literacy problems in the developing world but a lot of funds, ideas and manpower seem to get lost along the way due to the inability to work together.
Do you work with other charity organisations?
We have worked with AZ Children’s Charity in Uganda and wholly support the amazing and necessary work they do over there but in general we have found that most charities in Ireland have closed their doors to us. One of our main goals in the SCOOP is to create an inclusive charity where funds aren’t lost or wasted on manipulative advertising or excessive wages. A charity that people can really trust and become involved with.
How would you like to see SCOOP develop in the future?
We’d like to take on more schools and encourage people from walks of life that don’t usually get the chance to volunteer and pass on a skill. We’d love to have mechanics, carpenters, artists, seamstresses etc. come to us and go to one of the schools we support to teach the children a skill they can use to make a living. Events-wise, the sky’s the limit!
Tickets for this Friday’s SCOOP Foundation gig are priced €20 and available from Tickets.ie now.
Over on Elliott’s “real” blog, Geek to Me, he had the pleasure of interviewing “People VS George Lucas” Director/Writer Alexandre Philippe. If you haven’t had a chance to read it yet just hit the link below to check it out. Also, it does seem that the clip from CCW*TV has indeed made the final cut. Exciting, huh?
Movie Director makes his case for Star Wars Fans in “The People vs George Lucas”/Geek to Me
“I reached out to him a couple of days ago with some real serious ideas,” Lupe said. ” ‘Let’s put a program together. Something that works out and makes sense for the both of us.’ He’s a very talented MC. One of the few MCs that I actually listen to what they’re saying. I don’t listen to 98 percent of the rappers out there. But he’s one of the MCs I listen to and I’m inspired to do so. A collaboration is in the works.”
Tom and Jerry call in. (Tom Papa and Jerry Seinfeld) These two are also helping to reshape NBC primetime with “The Marriage Ref”. But tonight we talk about the Oscars and what these comedians thought about their friends Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin. We come off a week of marriage discussion with Mo’Nique and her open marriage what do these two think of that idea. Could it work in their own marriage?
Bethanie Mattek-Sands uses the Wilson Tour BLX tennis racket
Wilson players live from Indian Well and Miami
With Wilson BLX technology, Wilson players led the way at the Australian Open and now Wilson looks to continue to lead the pack as the most innovative racquet brand through their social media efforts. Starting at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Wilson will become the first racquet brand to stream live feed player interviews on Wilson’s UStream channel. Viewers will get an inside look at a few of Wilson’s professional tour players and will be given a chance to ask questions and chat in real-time. Interviews with players such as Bethanie Mattek Sands and Anne Keothavong and Rising Stars Polona Hercog, as well as product updates will be streamed live from Indian Wells.
“Wilson prides itself on being innovative and ahead of the curve,” said Antoine Ballon, Wilson Global Director of Creative Marketing. “UStream’s capabilities of keeping it interactive between our players and the everyday player is just terrific. We are psyched for a great few weeks of tennis.”
Bethanie Mattek-Sands, who received a wildcard into the main draw of this year’s BNP Paribas Open, is both a singles and doubles threat. Already in 2010, she has reached the doubles quarterfinals of the Australian Open and the doubles finals in Memphis. She is the world No. 15 in doubles on the WTA Tour and this fashionista will give us her view on the tennis world. She will be the first interview on the Wilson’s Ustream channel, tomorrow Tuesday March 9th at 5pm Pacific time.
Rising Star Polona Hercog, currently ranked No. 53 on the WTA Tour, recently reached the singles finals in Acapulco and won the doubles title. She is poised to have a breakout year in 2010 and Wilson is excited to give viewers an inside look into an upcoming tour sensation.
Anne Keothavong, who has achieved a career high singles ranking of No. 48, has already reached the quarterfinals at Midland Challenger and the semifinals of Memphis will also be featured on the Wilson UStream broadcast.
“It is great to interact with fans and see their point of view on tennis. I am looking forward to Tweeting about the UStream experience!” Keothavong said with a smile.
Wilson will broadcast from the desert starting March 9th.
For a full schedule of player interview dates, click here.
Karl: Today is March 4th, 2010. Its a Friday afternoon, we’re here at Pink Taco in Century City with “Tony.”
*fumbles with recorder*
Alright, Tony, what’s your age bracket? 35-40? 40-45?
Tony: 40 to 45.
Karl: What’s your occupation?
Tony: I do graphics, my title is Creative Director, I work in aerospace.
Karl: Current relationship status?
Tony: I’m single, going through a divorce.
Karl: How long have you lived in LA?
Tony: Since… *thinks* 2001.
Karl: Tell me a little bit about yourself, what you like to do for fun. *looks Tony over* You like to work out, you’re clearly in great shape. *laughs*
Tony: When I moved to LA, it was for work, I had just come out of a company that went under in New York, so I had a lot of debt, so it was like focusing on work, and getting myself back on my feet. I like doing stuff outside, I mean at that point I lived at the beach, now I’m doing a lot of hiking, a lot of stuff outside when I can on the weekends. I just bought a bike. I need to clean it up so I can do stuff with it in the spring time.
Karl: You bought a bike? In LA?
Tony: Yeah, a crappy $60 bike, I’ll buy a better one when it gets, you know…
Karl: I’m mostly impressed you have room to store a bike.
Tony: I do. *laughs*
Karl: So you plan to do a lot of cycling here?
Tony: Well, I want to try some stuff out. I’m going through a transition, I’m going through a divorce, and I’ve lost some of the things that I like to do that I find important – and I want to see more of LA and not just be at home. So I’m trying to make different friends that like to go hike, or like to go do whatever. I’m also ok doing stuff by myself.
Karl: So you’re in a transitional period, rediscovering a social circle…
Tony: And myself too.
Karl: So tell me how that element of yourself has changed from ten years ago, from when you first moved here.
Tony: I used to go out a lot more when I was younger. I don’t go out much now, or rarely. Usually, now its more going out with friends, or someone talks me into going somewhere, and I mean in the clubbing sense. Before I would just go out to clubs, or go out by myself, or go out and meet people and that kind of stuff. Part of that was I didn’t know what to do with myself, I was also kind of coming out to myself, I was on active duty in the military at the time and I didn’t know other people that were like me at that point. So it was a lot of experimentation at that point too. And it was kind of fun, I mean, I went through heavy drinking periods at times in my life, and that was one of them.
Karl: I wouldn’t know anything about that.
Tony: I’m sure you wouldn’t, ’cause you’re at church on Sunday. Anyway, I went out a lot more by myself, and I don’t want to say it was only to hook up, it was for being out there, being with people, and the camaraderie and that kind of stuff, but now I’m probably a little more comfortable with myself also. So I want a little more connection with people, and not that light, I want it to be a little more meaningful. I mean I was younger then, your focus is a lot different.
Karl: Can you tell me how you feel about the changes you’ve seen here over the last ten years?
Tony: When I was younger and lived in San Diego, (and this is the ’90s), I’d come up to LA. West Hollywood was the dance clubs, and the people on the street, it was like Disneyland. It was crazy, it was something I hadn’t even conceived of. San Diego is a little more sleepy of a town, so it was completely different in the way the men looked and that kind of stuff. It was an eye-opening experience. Then I moved away, and came back, and now I’m older and the biggest change I’ve seen, if I go to the same clubs, is just how it doesn’t have a spark for me anymore. And I also really am aware of my age at that point. I don’t feel old inside my head, I look in the mirror, I still am the same guy, but when you go into a club and someone’s asking you what your major in college is and you’re in your 40’s, you start to get it.
Karl: Is that lack of spark due to your age or due to a changing demographic? Or maybe you’ve just been exposed to it for long, its not a big deal anymore?
Tony: It’s not a big deal, and I’m also looking for something a little different. But then I went out with a couple of friends and in West Hollywood, it wasn’t all just the dance bars, they’re starting to become, *pause* and I don’t want to call them old guy bars, but they were focused more on guys my age and it wasn’t loud blasting music, it was comfortable, nicely decorated, higher-end liquor, and they weren’t beating you down to buy shots, so they know the demographic has changed. In some ways it was comfortable and in other ways it was kind of scary to realize that that was where I was. You know, when I started checking the 40 to 45 box, you have to realize that your life is different.
Karl: Well, back then, the area was much more… hustler-centric, sort of rougher area, and its not like that anymore.
Tony: Having lived in New York, and I was younger then when I was here, and to start getting the exposure to a little more… I don’t want to say “seedy,” but just a part of life that I hadn’t seen before, I grew up in a small town in New Mexico, and I was in the Navy in San Diego, and overseas and whatever. I was going out with a guy from up here, and we’d go out, and we’d be driving down Santa Monica after the bars closed and seeing the hustlers roaming around, and Yukon Mining Company…
Karl: Which is closed!
Tony: I remember going to dinner there and seeing transvestites and hookers and it was so… not my experience. So now I was seeing this frequently, you know a lot of leather clubs and that kind of stuff, it was very exciting and different and new. Then I moved away to New York and was exposed to a lot of different things, and there… you get the roughness of the city and things are going on everywhere you go. And then I came back and West Hollywood was different. There were no more hustlers. Everything’s gone to the internet. While the internet existed before, it wasn’t being used the same way. People meet on the internet more now than they do at bars. And the police have done their part cleaning the area up. That was one of the first things I saw that was different… when you start looking around, just little things like there used to be a Don’t Panic store, and there were different stores that were selling gay stuff or whatever, and now they’ve become T-shirt shops or Pottery Barns.
Karl: Yeah, its weird, huh?
Tony: Its very different sales now because they know that people in the area live differently. I remember when the Pavilions on Santa Monica was very hook-up and roam-around, it was almost like a singles bar, and now it’s just completely like a Beverly Hills suburban grocery store with fancy cheeses and expensive wines. And that’s nothing bad, it’s just… different. And it’s also… when you talked to people about what the future was going to be like, and you project what the future is going to be like and what you think you’re going to be doing, this wasn’t it. Its not that it was good or bad, it just didn’t exist in my head.
Karl: Do you think there are different people in the area, or the same people have just grown older? I mean in my case, we moved here as young, going-out-y, drinkey people, and we’ve grown into a family. Do you think that’s what has happened to the area, or do you think that people got out-priced and its just attracted this new crowd?
Tony: Its all of the above. Part of it is people moved to West Hollywood because there were small houses, and people could afford to buy here, because no one else wanted to live here. And they came in, gentrified it, and it became safer, they started putting in little shops and became okay to live here. Well, what happens then is as other people are leaving, young couples started moving in because it was safe. Then the economy went crazy and real estate went crazy and people starting moving into the area because they could. That pushes out some of the other elements that are going on. If you’re a young family, or if you’re a 40-year-old gay man, you’re not going out to clubs that much, so its not going to keep that sustained. But you are going out for coffee, and going out to dinner…
Karl: And going out for Pottery Barn.
Tony: And going out for Pottery Barn. *laughs*
Karl: So is it a less interesting place now?
Tony: Ah… Less interesting? No, not less interesting because the group of people at my age that found it interesting when we were younger have different outlets now. Like I said, web stuff, or other clubs, Silverlake, there’s places and things for them to do. Less interesting for me? Well, no because, now while I check the 40 to 45 box, while movies and TV aren’t focused on me, West Hollywood is. That’s the age group of people that are here. Its guys that bought houses here when they were younger and still live here.
Karl: It seems to have lost some of its edge. Unless its just me, or maybe it’s you and I, I mean maybe we’re just older and we’re not in that edge anymore.
Tony: La Boheme… that kind of stuff wouldn’t of survived before. It has lost its edge because the people that moved in here became older or have families or whatever, and they don’t want that edge around them. Because Los Angeles is so much larger, there’s other places for people to be pushed into. San Francisco is a little bit different and they’re running up to it a little bit more where the families are arguing with the shops that have been in the Castro District for 20-years. They don’t want dildos and lube and things in the window because their kids ask them what it’s about. Well, you know, who was there first? You moved there, so, you know, they’re trying to work that out. We haven’t had to deal with that much in West Hollywood, in that sense, because there’s other places for people to go.
Karl: Well, it seems like the area has kind of commercialized that too. Well, society in general is kind of, a little more loose to that element I think. I mean, people don’t like, freak out anymore at the sight of a dildo, right?
Tony: It depends on who it is.
Karl: Do you think your life is better here? Do you miss New York?
Tony: I miss New York a lot, except when I hear about the snow storms or whatever, but its easy to look back on that fondly and say, “Oh the snow, it was beautiful, with my big coat, and my scarf.” I’d get home and it felt so good to get home, but there were days, when you’d do it everyday, when you were tired of the ice. And I do miss the nostalgia of when I was younger, and I do miss the nostalgia of when I was a little wilder and a little less knowledgeable about life, when everything was a new discovery. And I guess that’s what I miss about that part of West Hollywood. So is it better? Its better now because I do know better, well I don’t want to say that I do know better, it’s better now because I understand me better, and I was still discovering myself in my 20’s. And because the demo has changed, some areas are more focused toward what I’m interested in, so… yeah. Well, I miss the city life of being able to walk and get a coffee or walk and get a loaf of bread or whatever and not be tied to my car. And that’s part of the good things of West Hollywood that are still left, you can park you car and go out and have coffee or hit the grocery store or go have dinner. You still have that option, and that’s a very small thing in this city. The other part is, I don’t read as much. I had stuff in my bag all the time… every magazine I ever got, several books a month, just because I was on the subway. Now I sit in my car.
Now… with that said, looking back at the rosy wonderful things I do miss, I don’t miss having gone out ’till 2 in the morning and waiting for an hour and a half for the subway, underneath the ground where cold water is dripping on you…
Karl: What you hope is water.
Tony: *laughs* So those are the things that I miss about the city, and those are the things that I still like about West Hollywood, where you still can get that – and probably is why the area has grown.
Karl: Well, there’s talk about putting a subway station in the Beverly Center.
Tony: I think even more public transportation, that’s easy to use, is outstanding. San Diego, and I’ll use it as an example, San Diego started their trolley system, and there was this big debate about where to put the trolley system, so when they put the trolley in, they put it where they thought working people would need to use it to get to work and back and forth. Come to find out that they didn’t put enough in for people to go back and forth, but people still used it, it was usually people who didn’t have cars, it was just a bus transport. What makes the most sense to me is, build the public transportation that takes people, because we’re a tourist area, to where the tourist people want to go. Take ‘em to the zoo, take ‘em to the beach, then the tourists are going to keep the system going, and then as the system can grow, then you can add the other stuff. And so when San Diego added the line that went to the big mall, or going to the baseball game or the football stadium, that kind of stuff, when San Diego did it, ridership went up, and now they’re able to do a lot more. I don’t see that in LA, and a lot of it has to do with the area. But the closest way to take the subway to the beach, is to go to…
Karl: Redondo Beach station…
Tony: …and then walk the mile and a half, either take a bus or walk that, and I’ve seen kids doing it. Side two of what I loved about New York is I could go out and have a few drinks, or too many drinks, and then ride the subway home. Here, you drive your car there, and its like, my choice is, I’m going to leave my car in a bad area, 20-miles from my house, take a $50 cab-ride home, have someone bring me back, or take another $50 cab-ride, so you always talk yourself into, “I’m going to drive home.” So I don’t drink as much, which is a bad thing. If I could jump on a subway, I would do it. I tried taking it to work. It took me as long, I had to take two transfers. And then I didn’t have my car at work to run errands, go to lunch. AND… the added fun bonus of that is I had to drive to the train and pay for parking.
Karl: What would you change?
Tony: Parking! *laughs* I jokingly say, my cousin who’s gay says, “Why would anyone choose to be gay? The parking’s horrible?” When you think about it, everywhere that there’s an area… West Hollywood, Houston, San Diego, New York, the gay areas have the worst parking.
Karl: Its true, our parking sucks.
Tony: Yeah, I guess that also pushes people out too.
Karl: The parking, the traffic?
Tony: The traffic you kind of learn to deal with, I mean… I have friends who say, “I don’t know how you do that.” It doesn’t seem like that much to me. And I had an opportunity to move out of the area, and have an easier commute… and I chose not to, because I actually like where I am, so I guess that’s probably a good ending… given the choice, I choose to stay.
As a rule, I don’t review products. But after 10 years of fighting to find the right digital voice recorders, its time someone else avoided
waisting hundreds of dollars like I have.
Q: What’s the best MP3 recorder?
A: It depends on the purpose. I need three kinds of digital recorders in my work. The three intended purposes are: bootlegging live music (or recording my band / acoustic songwriting), high quality interviews for podcasts (or someday… editing my own episode of This American Life), and third – I need a simple and featureless MP3 recorder that I can put in the hands of children in an African village whose members have never even used door knobs or latch keys, and still end up with recordings. If you have seen the Flip Video Camera – it is so simple it achieves that goal for video. So why is there nothing like that for audio?
For Bootlegs and live music:
The expensive solution is the Edirol ($270 in 2010). For a cheap alternative (under $100) – You want an MP3 recorder with an external line input. The two companies to look at are the Cowon iAudio U2 and the iRiver T20/T30/T60. Unfortunately, the simplest and easiest models are out of print, so it’s Ebay or nothing now. I’ve used the 1GB iAudio U2 for years without trouble. I bought a $60 stereo lapel mic and plugged it into the 1/8" input.
For Interviews:
For transcribing, many MP3 players come with voice recorders. These are fine for recording yourself, but don’t expect to hear what the professor says in a room of 100. Look at using Dragon to auto-transcribe you audio notes – it is worth the expense. If you want to broadcast or podcast these interviews later, always use a lapel mic with a long wire. iAudio and iRiver are sufficient here. with a high quality stereo lapel mic clipped to my own collar or shirt pocket, I can record conversations 6 feet away with good enough quality for a podcast. Editing the audio is another hassle. If you have recommendations on editors – I’m all ears!
Note: I also used an Archos 20 GB MP3 recorder in 2003. It was fair but the hard drive inside created a lot of stray noise. Flash MP3 recorders are much quieter and had a longer battery life.
Simplest MP3 recorder:
None meet my standard yet, of being able to leave it with a novice who speaks another language and return with quality data, or any data. All of these offer too many options. The best feature of all is recording while listening to the levels on headphones. For conversations, nearly everyone can reposition the mic to improve the quality without any need to adjust levels, bitrate, etc. If I made a FlipCam MP3 audio recorder, I would default it to 128 kpbs 44kHz MP3 recordings and drop the ability to change these setting altogether. I would also make the device auto-offer to copy all recordings to your PC when you plug it in.
Overall recommendation?
I’ve tried several MP3 recorders and the Edirol is the best. Even the entry-level model has the best built-in mic I’ve ever heard. I insisted the office get a model with a line-in 1/8" mic jack but it was unnecessary. Our $300 mic isn’t any better than the built-in one you get for less than that.
The user interface is simple enough to use. Most people can use the edirol with coaching, but it looks complicated. One very smart person was at a loss when the hidden buttons on the back got switched from low to hi sensitivity on the mic. So it is too feature heavy for novices, and the search for a truly simple "hit play and stop" recorder continues.
But if you want to record field interviews in the Sahara and turn around and get a drum circle, this one will do both better than any other. I own 3 mics designed for each situation – but the Edirol does all three with a crazy-good amplifier. I usually have the input set at 25% sensitivity on the high-sens setting for conversations. Works even in buses and streets at 12%. At maximum sens you can spy on conversations down the street.
“We’ve got a thing for the industrial old building vibe.”
Down a long dusty road in the far distance, blurred by the heat, two bare-footed siblings gradually traipse into focus. The sister slinks casually in her sundress and wide-brimmed hat, gazing at the sky; the brother hides shyly behind a beard, bearing the masculine, weather-worn skin of a beach bum. This is how one might visualise ANGUS & JULIA STONE; world weary, laden with burdens and emotional baggage but tempered by their uplifting globetrotting experiences.
In his travels, Angus Stone seems to have adopted a local town’s quirks for his solo project, Lady of the Sunshine, evidenced by the recording of the album, Smoking Gun, in a concrete silo. Once again, with Julia this time for their new album Down the Way, it seems that recording in a less than conventional space is par for the course. “We’ve got a thing for the industrial old building vibe,” he admits. “There’s a place called Golant; it’s on a river fort and the only way to get to the [sawmill] studio is by boat on mid-tide, or you walk along the railway track. You walk in a line and it’s a bit like Stand By Me. That studio had a lot of moments and you could feel its presence.”
Angus displays a chameleon-like approach to touring, which may stem from his willingness to engage in cultural and musical events, sharing, “I think it’s important for you, as someone that’s playing the songs and doing the shows, to voice that you want some time after or before [performing] to chill and get to know the place or the music that’s being played.”
This approach seems to have given the duo enough focus and experience to naturally produce a second ethereal work of art. Angus explains, “sometimes you’re so close [to the album’s songs] it’s blurred. I think when you’re that close it’s because you’re focussing on the songs individually. That’s good because you’re really looking hard at the songs and asking how they make you feel… when you go in and you haven’t focussed on how you’re going to work the song, it’s naïve and raw and there’s a lot of honesty that comes through from that.”
Following last year’s quiet release of Smoking Gun it’s rewarding to see that true to his chameleon form, the dynamic with Julia has only strengthened. As Angus puts it, “we write so much, Julia and I, that with Lady of the Sunshine I had a couple of bags of songs that suited certain styles… I was keeping them stored for myself. But I think with Julia and I, anything we do with writing is only going to help.”
Angus and Julia have certainly proven their worth in musical weight with a beautiful follow up release. While the recording of the video clip for Big Jet Plane commences and triple j frequently rotates Black Crow, it’s easy to see that the coming year will be another goodie for the Stones.
Angus & Julia Stone perform at the ANU Bar on Tuesday March 16. Tickets through Ticketek.
My name is Jeremy C. Shipp. Some call me Jer-Bear. The clowns in my attic call me Dinner. But they’re only kidding. I think. I hope.
how would you describe what you do?
I write weird stories from my heart, my mind, my soul, my gut, my spleen. I also spend quite a bit of time living my life in a semi-haunted farmhouse with my wife, my kittens, the aforementioned clowns, and an army of yard gnomes. what are you currently working on?
I’m living and breathing a new story collection called Fungus of the Heart. Also, I’m creating a few new novels, a comic script, a short film, and other projects. what has had the greatest influence on your work?
Playing pretend with my brothers as a kid. We would come up with complicated plots and complex characters and we would have fun living in a strange world for a while. And I’m still having a blast doing this. Only now people call me a weird little writer instead of a weird little kid. what is the greatest misconception about you or your work?
Most people who read my tales understand the meaning of my work. But there are those who hear that I write dark fiction, and assume that I’m an evil person with evil intentions. Some people seem to believe that those who write about disrespectful behaviors are somehow condoning those behaviors. But when I write a dark tale, I’m showing people the horrifying consequences of sexism or racism or hierarchical thought, etc. I’m doing what I can do shine a light on the darkness. I’m trying to do my small part to make our world a better place.
what do you see as the main strengths and weaknesses of the medium you work in?
primarily, I write weird tales, and utilizing such a medium, I can take my readers to strange, unbelievable worlds. And when my characters react to the unbelievable in believable ways, then my characters help to suspend the disbelief of my readers. I don’t really think about art in terms of weakness. Every medium is different, with different powers. how has technology impacted upon the work you do?
I tend to write about the horrors spawned by civilization and technology, at times, plays a part in those horrors. And so, technology affects the subject matter of my work. In addition, technology is constantly changing the way people read my stories.
what’s the greatest piece of advice you would like to pass on?
Advice for aspiring writers: Never give up.
Advice for everyone in the world: Never tickle an attic clown.
where can we find you online?
http://www.jeremycshipp.com
http://www.twitter.com/JeremyCShipp
http://www.facebook.com/JeremyCShipp
And you can read a bunch of free stories of mine here:
http://jeremycshipp.com/onlinestories.htm what are you reading at the moment?
A bunch of Bizarro books, as well as Breathers by S.G. Browne, Holes by Louis Sachar, The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, Catch-22 by Joseph Heller, Callahan’s Crosstime Saloon by Spider Robinson, and a couple others. what are you listening to at the moment?
A Fine Frenzy, Anathallo, The Innocence Mission, Regina Spektor, Yusuf Islam, the theme song from Mr. Belvedere and Charles in Charge.
anything else we should know?
You should know:
1. I have stories forthcoming in Cemetery Dance, Apex Magazine, and other wonderful publications.
2. Boo Berry is more dangerous than he looks.
3. Vicki, from Small Wonder, is secretly plotting to destroy all of humankind.
4. Hedgehogs love to eat carrots.
5. The sound of one hand clapping is: PLINK PLINK PLINK.
It’s not enough to just apply for jobs, even though that’s important. You need to thoroughly prepare for the entire hiring process, so you can ace the interview and secure a job offer. These resources, including interview questions and answers, interview attire, types of job interviews, interview tips, thank you letters, following up, background checks, and salary negotiations, will help you get hired.
Types of Interviews
How to Interview
Job Interview Tips
Interview Questions / Answers
Interview Attire
Thank You Letters
Interview Follow Up
References
Background Checks
Job Offers
Wages and Salary
Employee Benefits
Employee Privacy
Employment Information
Fired / Termination From Employment
Resignation
Unemployment
Types of Interviews
It’s important to be aware of the various types of job interviews, so you’re prepared to effectively interview. Here are all the details on behavioral interviews, exit interviews, group interviews, phone and video interviews, second interviews, and dining interviews.
Behavioral Interviews
Dining Interviews
Exit Interviews
Group Interviews
Individual Interview
Informational Interview
Phone Interview
Second Interview
Teen Interview Tips
Video Interview
How to Interview
Successful interviewing is essential to getting a job offer. That means practicing interview questions and answers, dressing in appropriate interview attire, and, being able to present your skills and experience to a prospective employer.
Job Interview Guide
Acing the Interview
Video: How to Impress the Interviewer
Behavioral Interviewing
Interviewing in Public
Interviewing While Dining
Non-Verbal Interviewing Skills
Second Interviews
Successful Interviewing
Top Interview Blunders
Video: Preparing For an Interview
Video: Interview Body Language
Job Interview Tips
Job interviewing never seems to get any easier – even when you have gone on more interviews than you can count. Review these interview tips and suggestions so you can dazzle your potential employer and ace the interview.
When Peter Beck wanted to learn about organic farming, he went to the source: Eliot Coleman’s Four Seasons Farm in Maine. Coleman is the author of New Organic Grower, the text by which countless sustainable farms (including our own Yale Farm) are run. Now Peter works at the Farm, where all this winter he’s been heading up our crop planning in preparation for the spring and summer. Peter also loves the local cheese store/restaurant Caseus so much that he eats there at least once every couple of weeks! Here’s an interview with a guy who really loves food and farming:
Peter Beck/Morse/2012/Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
What made you want to be a farm manager?
I wanted to be a Farm Manager to learn more about running, teaching at, and working on a small-scale organic farm.
What’s your favorite vegetable? Brussels Sprouts.
What’s your favorite dish to cook?
Pasta alla carbonara or pollo al mattone.
What fruit or veggie best typifies you?
Kale (hmm, I’m not sure if kale actually typifies me [or what that means], but I do love to eat it).
Describe a fun/hard/exceptional story from working at the Farm.
After the Young Farmer’s Conference in New York, Jacki and I brought back seeds from a heritage wheat plant that has been out of fashion for a half a century (at least). We planted a few of them way too late in the season in a back corner of our North hoophouse, not thinking anything would come up. After getting back from winter break, we saw every one of the seeds had sprouted, and we’ll have our first very very small crop of experimental wheat plants this spring to make a pound of flour for a truly Yale Farm pizza.
What’s your favorite food cause? Why?
My favorite food cause may be that of the incredibly hardworking English (and Naked) chef Jamie Oliver. His goal is so simple and so achievable: teach more people about food and cooking. That’s it — no patronizing moral or cheffy pretension. There are a lot of interesting and important causes out there related to food and sustainability, but I really think that Jamie is on to something important. If more people cook, enjoy, and appreciate food, then those family cooks and amateur food-lovers will fix many of the problems with our food system themselves.
Tell us about other work you’ve done in the world of food and farming.
I spent a year cooking in restaurants in Tuscany and Rome, and spent the summer farming for Eliot Coleman at his Four Season Farm in Maine, before starting work at the Yale Farm this fall. Most importantly though, I cook as often as I can, for friends and family, at school and at home.
Hey all, here is a interview i did with henry rollins, a huge influence on me. Unfortunately, i didnt get a chance to ask more questions. So im a little bit bummed out about how it turned out. Anyway some interesting response’s none the less. I hope you enjoy it. Keep reading!
How are you? And what’s happening over your side of the world?
I just finished a lot of shows in Europe and am about to start a lot of shows in America. I have been travelling all over for several weeks and it’s been very interesting, frustrating and everything else.
You are coming to Australia soon, on your talking tour. Not to give away any secrets, but can you tell me a little about what you might want to talk about?
I will talk about a lot of the places I have been to and things happening in America with our unending bullshit.
What do you think about the Australian Government trying to filter the internet (like China do) in this country and Iran banning Google Gmail. We will have one of the highest level of filtration anywhere in the world?
I must say, I am surprised and very disappointed. I would think that Rudd would have made better decisions than to treat his people like sheep. Truly, Australia is one of the last places you would think this kind of thing would happen. I have been following it all online and the hacker crew are very inspiring.
How do you form your talks? Is there any method to the madness?
Yes, much method. I don’t want to go onstage and waste anyone’s time. I plan out what I want to say and get into it. I think some planning is the right idea; otherwise, things can go sideways.
You seem like a pretty unapologetic man, is there anything you regret saying or doing?
How are you staying fit at the moment? Do you still lift weights?
I have made many mistakes. I would rather take the beating than have regret. I train about 5 days a week with weights and cardio.
Do you listen to much music? Is so what have been listening to lately? Any Australian bands you know and like?
I have a radio show. I am always checking out bands whenever possible. I am listening to a lot of music from a thing called The Nurse With Wound List. A lot of interesting stuff that I have never heard before. I will be getting Kim Salmon’s new album when I get there as well as Rowland Howard’s last one.
My girlfriend talks about the Melbourne hardcore scene in 2002/3 and how much fun it was to go to shows with friends and have a good time. But it’s since changed; people are judged for what they wear, who they know, how long they’ve been “in the scene”, etc. where do you, if at all, think hardcore went wrong?
I think any scene falls prey to that kind of thing. It’s what happens when things get too familiar, the contempt sets in and you start commenting on clothing. I say just go to the show and have a great time, past that, it’s a little too precious to waste time on. Life is short.
As i understand it Ian MacKaye early on dabble in a zine? Did you ever work on or do your own zine?
I don’t know that about Ian. I do my own zine, all my books are nothing but overgrown zines.
Do you ever get nostalgic about early days of hardcore? The confrontation of the music (ideals) and the frontier culture you and the early hardcore bands started? Or just the unknown element to it all?
I have fond memories of the early days of the DC scene. Things were small and you knew that it was happening and it was a great thing to be a part of when being young. Youth is a great thing, knowing that you have so much life ahead of you and that so much is still to come. Holding onto that curiosity is the challenge of adulthood, I think. It has been for me.
Do you feel there is a band, from the early hardcore days, that has slipped under the radar and you feel more people should know about?
That scene has been pretty well documented. I can’t think of any band that is not on some site somewhere.
What piss’s you off lately?
My country’s inability to allow its residents to have a decent health care plan so they don’t have to live in fear of getting sick.
What do you think of Obama’s administration?
I think he walked into a bad situation. I wish he was a lot more forceful. He will never make friends with those who oppose him and he keeps trying. Meanwhile, time is wasting. He put more soldiers into Afghanistan, I don’t like that. I don’t want to be in Iraq anymore, Gitmo either. Things are not moving in the direction I want them to. That’s a lot to do with Democrats not having the spine to get things done. I think Obama could be a four year president.
I just finished watching season 2 of Sons of Anarchy. Which is an awesome show, so congratulations. How was it being a part of that? And was it difficult filming that rape scene?
It was a great thing for me. I had a great time, the cast and crew were great. The rape scene was over quickly thankfully. It was the best time I have ever had in an acting job.
Have you ever questioned your ability to control your own life? And felt helpless? If so when?
I can’t think of a situation in my life where I felt that way. I guess that would be an addiction situation or something? I have had some hard times as we all have but I handled it and am still here.
I can hardly believe I’m still in Virginia. Before I traveled, I had a week’s worth of interviews scheduled. I’ve had at least one interview every day for two weeks (excluding weekends). I was planning on heading home tomorrow, but secured another interview for Monday. I am very grateful for so many wonderful opportunities even though it has been mentally exhausting.
I’ve been very fortunate to have been housed by friends in the area. I’ve been living with three girls in their two bedroom apartment for the past two weeks. They were so amazingly hospitable and wonderful, but I felt I couldn’t possibly stay any longer. I had already extended my stay once. So, I’m kind of in limbo, staying at one place, waiting for another to open. I hate feeling like a burden, but so appreciate not having to pay for a hotel.
Interviews have gone very well! Even my informational interviewers have been open and wonderful with sharing advice and contacts in the area. Networking has landed me additional interviews. I’ve had two call back interviews and am waiting to hear results from both of those. A few of my informational interviews have even said, “I’d hire you if I had the work/money.” (Though I’m not sure how much value to put in those comments – it’s easy to say that when you don’t have the work or money…)
I was able to secure one interview through a positing I found on Craigslist.com. I haven’t used Craiglist before this trip – I’ve always thought it to be unreliable. However, I’ve learned many places post on Craiglist because it’s free.
The weather in Virginia has been cold, but I’ve only seen snow two days. There is talk of another crazy storm coming soon, so hopefully I’ll be able to slip out in clear weather and roads on my trip back home. Michigan has been getting a lot of snow this week, so it’s a good thing my trip was extended as this would not have been a good weekend for travel.
Allison and Bryan are covering episode four of the very excellent Solitary 4.0! Not only is there the usual recap, but a totally kick ass interview w/ #5 Mr. Todd Ranck. Not only does he talk about his time in the pod, but also enlightens us to his experiences in his professional game show career. On top of all that he even starts to interview Allison and Bryan!
Part 1 : Episode 4 Recap
Part 2 : Interview with #5 Todd Ranck
Part 3 : Episode 4 Ratings
Today I’m excited to interview Tarie, book reviewer and blogger extraordinaire! Tarie started the blogs Asia in the Heart, World on the mind, as well as Into the Wardrobe. Both blogs focus on multicultural literature for children and young adults, with a generosity of information about Asian writers and illustrators through book reviews and interviews. Tarie is also a staff member for Color Online, a website dedicated to empowering women writers and readers. Tarie is a grad student in Anglo-American Literature, an editor of EFL instructional material, as well as a former (and future) English teacher. She currently lives in the Philippines. Her websites are a living illustration that multicultural books know no borders!
Hi Tarie, thank you for joining us today!
Tarie: Thank you so much for having me, Nathalie. It’s great to be here at Multiculturalism Rocks! =D
Please, further develop the statements implied in the names of your blogs, and tell us what prompted you to start them.
Here is my blog story:
I started Into the Wardrobe in early 2005. Even though it was a personal blog, many of my posts were about children’s and YA books because I started reading a lot of children’s and YA books around that time. (But I didn’t know the kidlitosphere and YA blogosphere even existed!) I named my blog Into the Wardrobe because a book takes us to a different world, just like the magical wardrobe in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe took the Pevensie siblings to Narnia. I love traveling to different worlds by reading books and The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis are some of my favorites.
In late 2007, I received an email from an author in the UK asking if I was interested in reading and reviewing her YA fantasy novel for my blog. I was really bemused. I thought, “How does this author know about me and my blog? Why is she sending me her novel and wow, she cares about what I will think of it???” I said yes to the author because I love fantasy novels for young readers and because reading and reviewing a book for my blog was a new and exciting thing to do.
Then the personal assistant of an author in the US contacted me about reviewing a picture book. A YA fantasy author, also in the US, invited me to be part of her blog tour. I had a lot of fun reviewing books and participating in a blog tour. I also discovered that there was an entire community of people blogging passionately and seriously about children’s and YA books. I discovered blogs like A Fuse #8 Production, Chicken Spaghetti, and Big a Little a and was so inspired by them that I decided to blog passionately and seriously about children’s and YA books too!
In 2008, I started searching for a blog just on Asian children’s and YA books. I couldn’t find one and told myself that I would wait until such a blog was created and fully support it. In 2009, I discovered and was inspired by Color Online and Reading In Color, but there was still no similar blog for Asian children’s and YA books. Of course there are many, many blogs that feature Asian books, authors, and illustrators. But I couldn’t find one that was WHOLLY devoted to Asian children’s and YA books. And I was looking for an international blog. I wanted to read interviews of Filipino and Filipino American children’s book authors. I wanted to read reviews of YA books by Japanese and Japanese Canadian authors. I wanted to see the work of Chinese illustrators from Sydney and Melbourne, not just from Hong Kong and Taipei. I was interested in Indian kid characters in India and Indian kid characters in the UK. I was interested in Persian teen characters in Tehran and Persian teen characters in Paris.
So I started Asia in the Heart, World on the Mind in 2009 because I wanted to celebrate, share, and promote Asian children’s and YA books, authors, and illustrators from around the world. I love my Asian heritage and Asian cultures and I love children’s and YA books. My second blog allows me to combine those loves.
I started Asia in the Heart, World on the Mind because it was needed.
If a Djinn were to appear and tell you he would grant any wish regarding Asia in the heart, World on the Mind and Into the Wardrobe, what would you ask? (note: this is a twisted way to ask you what you wish to accomplish through your blogs, lol)
I would wish that both my blogs would inform, entertain, and inspire readers. And I would wish (I get more than one wish, right? =D) that Asia in the Heart, World on the Mind would become an invaluable resource and help the development and visibility of Asian children’s and YA books around the world.
May your wishes be granted, though if you ask me you’re well on your way to experience them. As a member of Color Online, what are your functions?
For Color Online, I can contribute any reviews of books by women writers of color and interviews of women writers of color. The books can be for children, teens, or adults, but I try to focus on books for children.
This is a strange question, but I need to ask. In America multicultural books are not considered mainstream. Is this the case in Asia, meaning from your experience would a teen in the Philippines easily pick up a MG or YA book with characters from a culture other than his? Hispanic for example ?
A young reader in the Philippines would easily pick up a book from another country, especially books from the U.S., the U.K., and Japan! I think that in some ways Filipinos are open to other cultures. This is partly because of our history (we have been under the Spanish, American, and Japanese governments), partly because of the Filipino diaspora, and partly because geographically the Philippines is at a global crossroad.
Now the problem is that a young reader in the Philippines would not easily pick up a book from his own country. This is mostly because there aren’t a lot of Philippine books to choose from. Philippine picture books are going strong, but there aren’t a lot of Philippine middle grade and YA books – yet. We’re working on it! =D
I look forward to MG and YA Filipino books! What is the latest book that made you cry?
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin. It is just so beautiful, moving, enlightening, and inspiring.
And laugh?
The Teashop Girls by Laura Schaefer.
I knock on your door one evening, in the middle of a life crisis, an unprecedented emergency: I have nothing to read! Without skipping a beat, you slap a book in my hand. What’s its title? (And why that one)
Ha! If you knock on my door, that means you are in the Philippines. I would give you Naku, Nakuu, Nakuuu! written by Nanoy Rafael and illustrated by Sergio Bumatay III. You’d have to spent the night of course. Naku, Nakuu, Nakuuu! is a touching story about a boy who is about to become a big brother. We would oooh and aaah over the playful and surreal illustrations. I would explain to you the Filipino words and details in the illustrations. And we’d eat all the dried mangoes and durian candy in the refrigerator!
I am so coming to visit you, now! Which Filipino children’s book author would you recommend?
Candy Gourlay! She has a fresh voice and a wonderful combination of Filipino humor and British dry wit. Everyone should watch out for her debut novel for young readers, Tall Story. Tall Story is set in the Philippines and in the U.K. It’s out in the U.K. and in the Philippines this year, and next year in the U.S. Note from MR: Amazon.com lists the release date of Tall Story as May 27, 2010, so the book might be available online at that date as well.
And regarding a Filipino picture book?
Check out Naku, Nakuu, Nakuuu! written by Nanoy Rafael and illustrated by Sergio Bumatay III.
Favorite Asian MG and YA?
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin. Note from MR: Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is the winner of the Newbery Honor. Don’t miss a chance to read it!
Tarie, thank you so much for your time and for sharing your knowledge with us. I look forward to your reviews and author/illustrator interviews on your blog. Thank you for highlighting multicultural books and their authors!
Nathalie, thank you for making multicultural children’s books so much fun through your blog!
For more information about Tarie and her blogs, visit
o Asia in the heart, World on my Mind
o Into the Wardrobe
o Tarie’s Review Policy
o Color Online
o Follow Tarie on Twitter
o To contact Tarie: asiaintheheart@yahoo.com
Paul D. Van Hoy II, an MFA in Fine Art Photography from the Rochester Institute of Technology, is a professional photographer who won the Grand Prize in the Microsoft Future Pro Photographer Competition in 2007. A wedding photography specialist, he co-founded Wedding Photography Workshop, a web portal where he shares his expertise in the field of wedding photography to new and veteran photographers for them to improve their businesses.
His work has been featured in numerous high-profile publications including Brides and Bridal Magazine, Wedding Style, PDN, Digital Photo Pro, and Professional Photographer, just to name a few, and has worked for several well-known clients such as Forbes, Fossil Inc., Food & Wine Magazine, and Adidas. Paul was very kind to discuss with me about his entry in the competition, his work and his thought on some issues on photography. Starting with his winning entry Apocalypse.
I’m curious if that is rain or a spray of water from something else. What was happening when this photo was made?
The photo ‘apocalyptic summer’ was an image made in Rochester near the end of summer in 2006. While driving around in the city I observed a group of young children playing in a fire hydrant. Initially, I was ambivalent about pursuing a subject matter that has been so heavily exploited by others, so I challenged myself to represent this scene in a way that replaced cliche with intrigue.
Instead of contributing to the continuation of this subject’s sentimental posterity, I, chose to subtract and isolate the subject from its context/environment and make my image at an awkward moment of digression. The retreating gesture of the child combined with the sublime beauty and chaos of a scene abstracted by its stillness portends or implies rather, a consequential peril and undermines the playfulness otherwise, classically, associated with photographs of children playing in the rain or beneath the misty canopy of a geysering fire hydrant.
Do you still remember your first interaction with a camera?
I grew up poor. I was a free lunch kid and part of the ‘Coat-A-Kid’ program that provided low-income families with clothes for the winter months. Weekends were usually spent with my mother, scouting out rummage sales and sifting through other’s orphaned possessions. My first camera was the Polaroid One-Step. I was six years old at the time, and discovered the camera near the bottom of an antique latch-trunk filled with old issues of TIME magazine and vintage cookbooks. Rarely did my mother splurge on items that weren’t rudimentary, i.e. clothes, shoes, school supplies. It was a memorable occasion marked by exception; one that stayed with me for sentimental and nostalgic reasons but now one that stands distinct as a pivotal point in the development of who I am today. We couldn’t afford film for the camera, so I was content with just framing scenes and subjects and activating the flash.
Tell us how you established your first photography business when you were only 16.
I wasn’t like most other children who wanted to be presidents, police officers, or super heroes; I wanted to be a photographer. I started working at the age of 13. I mowed lawns, bussed tables at a local diner, and did telemarketing for the Indiana State Police Alliance on the weekends; by the time I was 16 I had saved a substantial amount of money. Some people chance their money in the stock market or gamble it away at a casino, I chose to bet on myself. I bought a Nikon F5, an assortment of 2.8 lenses, a portable lighting kit, and a few ad spots in a few regional bridal magazines. My age was a bit of an impediment; as it called into question my experience and competency. However, the challenges it presented me with only hastened the rate at which I excelled and outperformed my competitors. In order to win the favor of brides I had to be better than the best, and that’s precisely where I put all of my focus and energy. That ethic and awareness has never left me.
Running your own wedding photography business, what do you find most challenging about being in this industry?
Being a professional wedding photographer is more than just a full time job; it is, essentially, a lifestyle. Our job description encompasses many roles, from being our own business’s CEO, Marketing and Advertising Specialist, Accountant, Public Relations Officer, Consultant, Customer Service Rep, Art Director, Graphic Designer, Digital Archivist, Webmaster, to Shipping Clerk. For anyone seeking to have a career in professional wedding photography, they better be ready to sweat and bleed for it because this is a highly competitive industry. The biggest challenge is not only getting to the top – it’s being able to maintain that position once you get there.
When doing photojournalism and I suppose wedding photography as well, do you prefer your subjects to be posed or unposed?
I’m a subscriber to Judith Butler’s ideas on ‘performativity’; the concept that we are all performing the conventions of ‘reality’ i.e. gender, race, class, etc. at all times – so philosophically speaking there is no difference to me between a posed and an unposed subject. Unless you’ve mastered the art of invisibility – subjects are always camera conscious and subsequently self-aware. However, to more directly answer your question, I prefer making images of my subjects that appear to be unposed or ‘candid’.
How has the PPA membership from the award’s prize enhanced your career?
I was actually a member long before winning the Microsoft award, and have absolutely nothing but great things to say about the PPA – anyone who is even the slightest bit interested in professional photography stands to benefit tremendously from the wealth of resources the PPA offers.
A lot of your gallery images have reduced saturation. What part does color (or lack thereof) play in an image’s emotional appeal or artistic expression?
We revere black and white images as being more voracious medium than color since the first photographs made were monochromatic. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying the Pete Turner’s work strikes me as dishonest or inauthentic in any way. However, black and white possesses a poignancy that harkens to a history of contrived actualization. Simply put, photography has unequivocally determined and defined us and our ‘reality’ – this began not with color imagery, but with black and white.
Personally, I was never really interested in color. I dream in black in white, which I found out isn’t all that rare or unusual. Black and white, resolves the distraction that color creates for me. I am most interested in shape and form and black and white allows me to meditate on these basic, but yet defining attributes.
If there is a common theme or message among your photographs, what would be it?
Making images is a very peculiar thing. As image-makers we re-present something already present in the world. We don’t take (as in taking photographs) we replace and re-present what already is. What we do is completely irrational when you stop to think about it. I consider myself an existentialist whose intentionality as an artist is fraught with contradiction. I hold firmly to the belief that man creates his own purpose and that meaning is owed entirely to construction —it is an arbitrary advent of consciousness.
The contradiction begins with having any intention/s if, in fact, it is my belief that all intellectual contributions are, in fact, equally arbitrary and meaningless. This is not an attempt to obfuscate my motives or evade the apprehension of my audience. I find myself equally perplexed and confined within the shrinking space of my own incredulity.
I am beset with beliefs that undermine my artistic passions and impulses. I attempt to make sense while all the while I am mocking sense-making. I use a constructed system of language and meaning to apprehend an existence that is entirely owed to construction. The cycle of contradiction is endless. My work for example, is never conceived for the purpose of telling my audience anything at all. The intention of my work is not to wipe away obscurity but to contribute to it.
What new and upcoming technologies in photography (e.g. camera equipment, digital workflow, etc) excite you the most?
I absolutely love digital photography, as it allows me to capture images almost as quickly as I can discern or conjure them. I’m obsessive and carnivorous when it comes to image consumption and image conceptualization; every word, sound, taste, color, scent, and remembrance exists as an image to me – without images I would be unable to speak or ascertain meaning at all. Image is my consciousness.
The new technologies that are most exciting and impressive to me are the advancements camera manufactures are making with image sensors and the incredible reduction in noise at expanded ISO’s. With acceptable ISO’s reaching 102,400, we’re suddenly seeing an aesthetic within photography that more closely resembles how the human eye sees.
Do you still work with film nowadays? Anything about film photography that you miss with digital?
I used to be a staunch formalist who mixed my own chemistry and slaved in the darkroom until my pupils practically popped – there was no question about it, I was totally enraptured with film. It’s been seven years now since I last exposed a piece of film, and I hadn’t even thought about film until I read this question. I can’t say that I’m sentimental about film, not one bit.
Have you considered exploring other forms of art medium like videography?
Before I completely turned myself over to photography I was an illustrator, I loved to draw. However, I couldn’t create images as quickly as they came to me so I switched to photography to satisfy my need for instant gratification. I love motion picture – I own over 2k movie titles and watch at least one movie every day. I can’t stand television however. Movies provide a lot of inspiration for many of the still images I make, but I’m not at all interested in making films. My memories, attachments, and association are all embedded in frozen moments of time, not linear motion. Even while I’m watching a film, I make photographs of what’s moving in front of me.
Do you think documentary photography and fine art photography are mutually exclusive?
No, to me there is absolutely no difference – every photograph ‘documents’ and I have yet to behold a photograph that possesses any scintilla of objectivity.
The discipline of photojournalism is a process of indoctrination. The photojournalist, if formally educated, is taught to believe that news can be reported without bias, as ‘objectivity’ and detachment are the photojournalist’s core values. Subjectivity is entirely antithetical to the aims of the photojournalist, because, for the photojournalist, news is not subjective nor should it be. Those who are fundamentalists and purists vehemently believe that a single photograph or series of photographs can represent the objective and unadulterated truth.
However, since the advent of digital photography, the genre of photojournalism has been in crisis, as the role of the photojournalist has been co-opted by every civilian in possession of a camera phone and an alert sense of interest. Digital photography has, no doubt, revolutionized the way we see, record, and report news, but it has also helped further blur the lines of distinction between, art, advertising, editorial photography, photojournalism, and even the pedestrian photograph.
I have many dear friends who work as photojournalists and, for a brief stint, I worked as a photojournalist as well. I certainly took great pleasure in challenging my friends and colleagues about their beliefs, but reserved, for my own beliefs, a degree of scrutiny from which they were spared. I have always been, and still remain, most critical of my own ideas and beliefs, which accounts for my fascination with photographers who fail or refuse to question their beliefs with regard to their medium.
One particular conversation I’ll share with you took place between a co-worker and myself while hovering over a light table at a daily paper in central Illinois. I said to my workmate, “If the objective of photojournalism is to tell the absolute ‘truth’… then why do we make images with cameras that observe and record monocularly?
I mean after all… (unless you’re a Cyclops) don’t most of us see the world with two eyes?” Additionally, I said, “We should stop shooting monochromatic film, unless our readership is predominantly color blind. And, oh yeah, we should probably sell our wide angles and telephotos and shoot exclusively with 60mm lenses?” (the focal length that most closely resembles the human perspective). The list could go on and on, but you get the point…
As successful as you are now, what is the next level that you are aiming to achieve?
I’ve been thinking a lot about that lately. Last year I signed a publishing agreement with Amherst Media and will be releasing my first book on wedding photography this fall. Additionally, my close friend, and now business partner, Brady Dillsworth, and I have just recently launched a free online resource and sharing community catering specifically to wedding photographers. Wedding Photography Workshop (WPW) www.weddingphotographyworkshop.com was created with the needs and interests of aspiring professional wedding photographers in mind. It is, in my opinion, the most comprehensive and relevant online resource for those new to or already established in this profession.
Beyond my professional endeavors, I would like to get back to what I love most, creating art. Graduate school was a cruel tease; two years of immersion and total freedom and privilege to play with pictures and words day in and day out. Well, now I’ve got to pay the tab, so that means putting all of my energy and present focus on commercial work and abandoning ‘art’ for the time being. Ideally, I would love to have a career as an artist, but the reality of that hasn’t yet and may never be realized. The reality is that people would rather buy my wedding photographs rather than my art.
End of interview
Thanks Paul for sharing your thoughts and your time here! I’m sure readers will appreciate the story about your winning photography and the photography knowledge you have shared here.
Paul’s story - his other works
Coney Island Alchemist
This may sound funny coming from me, but…
this image, for me, is very spiritual… It’s as if the woman in the paper-bag colored coat is summonsing a celestial force – an inversion of the genie in the bottle myth, if you will. To me, she is not the product of theories; ‘big bang’ or biology.
Rather, she is the punctum of all creation…and with each gesture of her arm outstretched, birds and boardwalk pour from her wind rippled cuff. I like to imagine that her bag possesses magical powers, not unlike mary-poppins when she pulled the most inconceivable items from her purse.
And, like a weight used to keep important papers from scattering in a wind, her stance and gate are solid and absolute. To her right, further down on the boardwalk, a once patriotically painted trash receptacle stands faded and anchored in the illusion of this accidental allegory. This image reminds me that god (the god concept) is real, but no less a construct than man himself.
the view
I suppose with the parking lot photo (which was shot through the glass window of my hotel room) I was confronting the symmetry and banality of a life without a view – the constancy of yellow lines indicating the ‘parked’ status of something stationary… I was full of
fear and sorrow, self-loathing and loss. To me, the photo was about construction and complacency – about the way we build walls…
Unremarkable walls, walls that could easily be destroyed or scaled, and how we literally park ourselves outside of those walls (most, for the entirety of our lives) gazing at obstruction as if it were a scenic view or vista, some sight to behold, something sublime. But, the only thing sublime in the view is the lack thereof, the imposition of our own confinement, self-incarceration…
You can learn more about Paul at Wedding Photography Workshop.
Today I’m excited to interview Tarie, book reviewer and blogger extraordinaire! Tarie started the blogs Asia in the Heart, World on the mind, as well as Into the Wardrobe. Both blogs focus on multicultural literature for children and young adults, with a generosity of information about Asian writers and illustrators through book reviews and interviews. Tarie is also a staff member for Color Online, a website dedicated to empowering women writers and readers. Tarie is a grad student in Anglo-American Literature, an editor of EFL instructional material, as well as a former (and future) English teacher. She currently lives in the Philippines. Her websites are a living illustration that multicultural books know no borders!
Which Filipino children’s book author would you recommend?
