“…The most accurate thing about Almost Famous in regards to me was the loudness of my shirts …” In Conversation With Ben Fong-Torres

Ben Fong-Torres, a powerhouse and icon of music journalism, kindly lent some of his time to answer my questions. Fong-Torres undoubtedly has had a stellar career, as the Senior Editor of Rolling Stone. Chronicling the wide range of idiosyncratic, new and impressive music of the late 1960s and 1970s, his journalism has narrated an iconic period of music. Having first encountered Ben Fong-Torres’ career watching Cameron Crowe’s cult-classic, Almost Famous, I instinctively knew I had to learn more about this man. I became a fan of all of his work, astounded by the catalogue of huge names he had interviewed and the longevity of his journalism career. He became my journalistic hero and someone who really inspired me to delve into the world of music journalism. They say never meet your heroes. Yet, having the opportunity to ask one of my heroes the questions I never thought I would have the chance to - this is a moment I will remember for the rest of my journalistic career.

Ben Fong-Torres wasn’t just the Senior Editor of Rolling Stone. He was the Editor of Rolling Stone during a pinnacle point of music history. He has had conversations with some of the most infamous icons; Marvin Gaye; Elton John; Ray Charles; Bob Dylan; Jefferson Airplane; The Grateful Dead and Tina Turner to name a few. He was the last person to interview Jim Morrison of The Doors prior to Morrison’s death, an interview which moulded into a deeply introspective conversation about the future of music and music journalism. Annie Leibovitz even photographed his wedding. Beyond his success with Rolling Stone, he has maintained an astounding career as a radio presenter on Moonalice Radio. So, to put it bluntly, Fong-Torres has had an extraordinary and envy-inducing career. He may have interviewed a never-ending list of icons, but Fong-Torres himself is an icon. 

When I got in touch with Fong-Torres initially, I never expected a response. Beyond that, I never expected to be able to ask him questions, questions that I had always longed to ask. And so, when the opportunity arose to interview my hero about his wild and frankly unbelievable career, I jumped at the occasion. Putting towards an army of questions about his career and its many highlights, Ben was kind enough to answer all of my questions, even the extra ones I cheekily added for good measure. 

In the documentary surrounding your life, Like a Rolling Stone: The Life & Times of Ben Fong-Torres, you described yourself as a “walking encyclopaedia of music”, has music always been a love of yours and something you have always wanted to write about?

A walking encyclopaedia of music, these days this encyclopaedia is on a walker, no, no, now I am old but I'm still able to get around. I guess that was true when I was in my teens and into young adulthood at Rolling Stone and on the radio. Music was my salvation as a kid, I was forced to work in our Chinatown family restaurant and forgo social activities or vacations, hobbies, other stuff the kids were able to get into. And so, radio was my way of getting music, we were not exactly able to buy records and go to concerts. So I love music, all kinds. 

Aside from your favourite interview, what interview had the most impact on you? Was there a specific interviewee who may have said something in particular that really resonated with you?

Actually, no. Obviously for each story, for each profile the interview subjects would say things that were relevant to themselves and to their points of view about what they were doing and about their hopes for the future and about gripes they might have with fans, or the media, or the business itself. But no, I don't think I got words of wisdom from them. And in fact, sometimes, there were a couple of occasions where performers had reached a level of success that there came to be some difficulties in their careers or in their relationships with fellow band members or again with the industry, and they would actually say that they got something from me, just from my responses or my opinions doled out during a long interview. So, freak things can happen in interviews.

Is there someone that you would have wished to interview or regret that you never got the opportunity to engage with? Who would that be?

I think I have to say my boyhood idol Elvis Presley. By the time I was at Rolling Stone, that would’ve been the early 70s, he was doing his larger concerts after his 1969 comeback special on NBC. And so there were times that I could've seen him. In one particular case, a well-known female pop-rock singer who I had become friends with invited me to join her in Las Vegas. She was visiting her friend, Elvis, and he was playing one of the big hotels, but I was tied up interviewing John Kay of Steppenwolf so I had to say no. I figured there’d be a lot of other opportunities, you know, but I said no. I did my assignment and then she came back and she said ‘you goof.’ We had a great time sat in the kitchen at the hotel and yapped all night long so that was that was my chance and that was what I lost.

You chronicled many of the music emerging from the 1960s and 1970s and the socio-political state which backdropped this period. How would you describe being a journalist in the period and do you think it differs from now?

At some point from where I stopped writing about music so much, probably in the 90s and today, things did change. I think popular music became more pop-oriented and there was less social commentary, less political messages, less protest songs and I don't know exactly why. I guess it just takes certain people with certain skills and levels of consciousness and communication to be able to turn music into messages. And for a while there, that didn’t happen, it was really more boy bands and high-tech stuff and electronics and then dance music and raves and like that. Of course, always there is a bed of socially conscious music there somewhere and the folk music movement, it was no longer a movement, but there still was folk music, it just wasn't up there on the charts, which is what is considered to be the most important thing in the industry.

Famously, you conducted the last interview with Jim Morrison of The Doors. What is so profound and interesting about this interview is that it is evidently a conversation between two music lovers, with Morrison asking you questions with interest. Was there anything that surprised you about this interview?

Yeah, nothing surprised me about this interview. The surprise was that Jim Morrison popped into the apartment and I never expected to do an interview. We had done an interview with him only a month before with our LA Correspondent Jerry Hopkins. And so, when he popped in I thought there’s no need for me to try to get anything out of him, we already had it. But I had heard things about him possibly going to Paris and about the direction of music that The Doors were taking and so it was just a casual meeting. He didn't know I was from Rolling Stone, early on in our interview he said that he thought from the introduction that our friend Diane gave, that I was maybe a foreign exchange student studying The Rolling Stones. And so, once he figured out that that was not exactly what was going on and I asked for a chat on tape, then we got into it. But that's exactly what it was - a chat. It was not set up to be an interview. I had no questions, unlike you, I was not prepared to do an interview. And so, we just kind of let it go and there were people sitting around the apartment, a couple of kids I think, you can hear the noise, and so it was as cas as could be. So, when it is described as the ‘last interview with Jim Morrison’ , well technically it's true, but it really was more of a hang out, a conversation, a chat.

You gave Cameron Crowe his first ever assignment for Rolling Stone, which would later inspire his cult-classic film Almost Famous. What was it like to be portrayed in a cult-classic film and does this story reflect your earlier career?

I have said this many many many many times, I feel like Cameron captured the romance he had and a lot of young people had with rock and roll, and beyond that with the people who made rock and roll, and then behind that the people who are behind the scenes, including what he hoped to be - a rock journalist, even at age 14. And so, he got that right, and I think that's one of the reasons that the film maintains its popularity today, what's that 24 years later? It is a beloved film, one of the favourites people have of the Cameron Crowe library. But I said to him directly that I felt like, or my friends and family felt like it was inaccurate to portray me as this humourless guy chasing him around the country and then falling for stupid lines about how it was going to be a ‘think-piece’ in the mid-assignment because Lester Bangs told him I would fall for it and that we did not believe his work when he came in and chose to believe the word of a rockstar and stuff like that. He needed, however, for things like that to happen for me to be kind of an antagonist and so it painted I think not the most accurate portrait of me or Rolling Stone or what happened to the kid, the real kid, Cameron Crowe. He hid behind this character, William Miller, while he had me as Ben Fong-Torres, mentioned about half a dozen times in the course of the film by full name. People seem to like to say my full name, well that makes one of us. Hey, yeah, so my throw away line is that the most accurate thing about Almost Famous in regards to me was the loudness of my shirts and I will stand by that.

As you have had an extensive career, how have you retained your passion for writing? 

Says who? I still enjoy writing, I can't say that I have a passion for it, probably as equal a passion for reading, absorbing media and information, and occasional writing. I’m still writing, that's true, I write my radio show on Moonalice Radio. I am working for the San Francisco State University magazine, the place I went to college, and I'm conducting Q&A’s with prominent fellow alumni for each issue of that magazine and I am called upon to write various freelance pieces and speeches, so yeah I continue to do it, but it's not the same as it was of course 40 years ago, nothing is the same.

Finally, what advice would you give to someone who wants to follow in your footsteps and kickstart a career in journalism?

Years ago, I addressed a journalism department upon graduation and said basically ‘get out, don't do this, you know, you're asking for it’, but journalism has had its heydays and then its tough days. We have now a president who is absolutely an enemy of the free press and it's tough times. Technology, the media landscape, the nature of media platforms has changed, people get their news and information in different ways than ever before, and where a journalist fits in, it’s difficult to say offhand. But there is still a call for factual reporting, there is still a need for content. And so, if you are interested in becoming a journalist, now I say go after it. But, try to be diversified and don't think of yourself as either a print journalist or a broadcast journalist or a podcaster or a self-made social media person who does your journalism and then puts it out over TikTok or something like that. Try to train yourself to be adept on the air and also in print and in all kinds of print, not just newspapers, but possibly magazines, and other online journals. And so, just be as varied as you can be. Do study the basic principles of journalism and try to abide by them. Write as much as you can. If you have a full-time job that doesn’t involve writing, then spend some weekend time, journal if that's one way for you to begin to get into the writing process. Accept small gigs, maybe even some unpaid ones, get your foot in the door, that's I guess one bottom line. 

Just after college, a roommate, I think, we had three roommates reading the very first issues of Rolling Stone in late ’67 and early ’68. One of my roommates, well, several of them were involved in music and media, but this one did sound and he had heard about a concert coming to town to promote a Dick Clark of American Bandstand fame production about hippies. And so I perked up at that news and thought ‘ah, maybe it's a little item for Rolling Stone, this newspaper’. So I called the office and got the assignment and that's exactly what it was, just a little item under the column called ‘Flashes’. But that was enough, I had done something for the paper. And then I began to get freelance assignments, and soon after that, one of the editors, who had known my work from San Francisco State suggested to the publisher, editor, co-founder, Jann Wenner, that they bring me in, there was a call for more help at Rolling Stone growing fast. And so, I did go in and got the job in mid-1969.

An Interview With The Cast of Space Cowboy

On a cool Friday morning in early September, I was feeling a little jittery - and this surprisingly was not related to the large amount of coffee I had already consumed by 8am. It was in fact, because I was about to interview someone. Not just anyone, but a freefall cinematographer and skydiving stuntman. And his story was about to be told in one of TIFF’s highly anticipated documentaries, Space Cowboy. I was of course nervous, because as a freelance journalist, it can be sometimes difficult to build a repertoire of journalistic experience as many big magazines and publications are already looking for exactly that - experience. And so, when Joe agreed to this interview, I was elated and ecstatic at the opportunity of interviewing someone with a profession so unique and idiosyncratic. And when asked if I would also like to interview the directors for this film, Marah Strauch and Bryce Leavitt, I quite literally couldn’t believe the possibility of doing so. And let me tell you, this interview did not disappoint. I can safely say that this moment was one of the highlights of my journalistic career and one I will find difficult to forget. Interviewing the cast of a film premiering at one of the world’s biggest and most infamous film festivals is something I will remember for many years to come.

Space Cowboy centres on the story of Jennings and his career as a skydiving stunt coordinator and freefall cinematographer. Achieving a lexicon of awe-inspiring, spellbinding and frankly unbelievable cinematic shots, Jennings’ career is definitely something most of us media consumers have been exposed to, yet we likely didn’t recognise his name. Space Cowboy, however, is about to change that. This documentary chronicles Jennings’ latest and perhaps greatest stunt as a skydiving cinematographer. We follow him on his journey to complete this skydiving venture, which at times seems like a perplexingly difficult feat. While we accompany him, a masterfully-executed character study on Jennings begins to unfurl itself to the audience. What begins as a documentary showcasing the great successes of Jennings’ skydiving career, evolves into a nuanced and highly poignant story about overcoming troubling times. While he was achieving athletic success, Jennings was also battling with depression - something he so courageously and sincerely discusses throughout the film. This is what makes Space Cowboy such a powerful and resonant film, as it places mental health and its open discussion at the foreground of the film. It doesn’t shy away from elucidating the highs and lows of living, and sometimes the co-existence of the two.

And so, I was extremely excited to discuss such a film with the people who made it. As I clicked ‘launch meeting’, I was excited to delve into the world of Space Cowboy:

HH: How does it feel to have your movie feature at one of the world’s most infamous film festivals? 

JJ: I mean, as I understand it, it’s a big deal and I have heard of TIFF, you know, obviously I’m aware of it, and you know when they called and said we’re in TIFF, it was just kinda like, it’s all kind of mind-blowing. It’s more than expected. Most of the time when I film and I do projects, it’s, like, I go, I film, I do my work and then I’m not really a part of the rest of it. I’m a freelancer and then I just move on, and this is the first time that I’m actually involved in the whole process of going to a festival and you know being apart of all this, and its kinda mind blowing, you know I’m just kinda waking up to it, but it feels really good.

MS: This is my second time at TIFF, I actually premiered my first film here ten years ago, so it's very meaningful for me, and very meaningful for me to come with Bryce, my collaborator on this project.

HH: For both Marah and Bryce, how did you happen upon Joe’s story and why did you feel it was an important story to tell?

BL: Well, it kinda started with me and I met Joe very randomly kinda happenstance through a commercial and initially was just blown away by his career, you know, I didn't even know that that was a craft or a career that existed - a skydiving cinematographer, a freefall cinematographer. So that caught me from the beginning and it compelled me to stay in touch with Joe and as I grew a friendship with Joe through phone calls and poking around at him, I started to uncover this incredible, personal, emotional journey he has been through in his life and that just completely resonated with me, especially at the time I was playing basketball professionally and dealing with some mental health struggles of my own, so to see somebody else that was kinda at the top of their craft doing the same was extremely powerful for me and I just felt like it was a story that needed to be told, you know, it was somebody that on paper looked like a rockstar that was dealing with some of the same highs and lows that anybody can deal with. And so, at that time I hadn’t made a film and I needed to figure out OK I want to make a film but how do I do it? One of the very influential films for me was Sunshine Superman, that Marah directed, the one that she debuted at TIFF ten years ago. And so I reached out to her and she was generous enough to give me some mentorship, and I don’t know if she knew that she was getting recruited to be a co-conspirator at that time, but I roped her into the madness. That was the initial thing, and then Marah came in and it really started taking off.

HH: For Marah and Bryce, how important was it to mesh Joe’s own stunning cinematography with the beautiful cinematography within the film itself? Was this one of the major aspects you thought about prior to directing this film?

MS:  Absolutely, and I think, you know, with any film that I've done, I do a lot of really archival-heavy films, you always want it to not throw your eye, meaning you want it to all feel like a cohesive piece of film, and I think, you know, we had an amazing cinematographer, Tony Johansson, who is Swedish, and I work with him often, and he did a lot of the other vérité footage and a lot of the other beautiful footage that was shot for the film and I think, you know, both of their styles lended itself so much to what this film became. So for me, it was very important that it felt cohesive.

HH: For Joe, within the film itself, I really adored the line “life became about the shot” - what do you mean by this? Is this still the sentiment you live by?

JJ:   I think so, I think that is the motivation, it is sort of the obsession that drives you right, you just really really want to get a cool shot. I guess it's like anything, you really wanna do it well and the reward is getting it and seeing it again and again and again. Yeah, it's been a driving force in my career for sure, like, when I get hired to shoot a job, its like I want the shot as much or more than the people who hire me to get it.

HH: Do you think that risk-taking is an essential part of your job. Is it something you feel is an important quality to have while you’re completing that kind of work?

JJ: I think it does, you know, I think that there are inherent risks that come with skydiving, especially when you are doing new things and in sort of, new territories there are a lot of unknowns. And so, yeah I had to get used to taking risks, I mean there are times when it was really, really unpleasant, you know, and there was a part of me that just felt like I really hope I survive this career, and as much as I love it and like I’m driven to do it, there’s another part of me that’s like I don’t want it to take my life, I really do wanna survive it and get to the point where I can, you know, just tell stories about it as an old man. But I also recognise that I’m not immune from the inherent risks that come with it. I’ve lost some really good friends and I’m under no illusion that there is some real risk-taking and I’ve just kind of surrendered to it.

HH: One thing I found really interesting that I have read about you is that you hope filmmakers begin to make the distinction between skydiving as a stunt versus a sport. Why do you think this is an important distinction to be made?

JJ: You know, so before I got into filming for commercials, television and movies, I was heavily invested in competitive skydiving. So, I was on tour with all of these competitors of different disciplines who were sort of the best in the world at what they did and they’d train. So, skydiving for me became more like surfing and so if a producer is interested in filming a really cool surfing scene, are they gonna go hire stunt people, or are they gonna go find surfers who are out there surfing all the time? And so, that became my attitude and, it actually got me into a fair amount of trouble when I first got into the industry, its really important, you know its union work right, so a lot of the folks that are there doing it are not interested in a bunch of new people coming in and joining the union and doing that kind of work and that was all I was bringing to the table. A producer would contact me about a job and I would think of the perfect person for it, and I would show the producer a video, like ’look at this person and what they can gracefully do’ and they’d be like, ‘ok, great yeah that’s the person we wanna hire.’ And so, you build up one black mark after another in the stunt community and so that was one of the difficult things for me starting out. I think people are beginning to understand a little more. It’s still producers still call the stunt people for skydiving, but I think its starting the change, I think people are beginning to understand they’re different disciplines, you know, trained skydivers really are more qualified, I think to do a lot of this stuff.

HH: What do you think your favourite sequence or filmic sequence you have captured is?

JJ: I mean there’s a lot of beautiful things that were exhilarating, I think, you know, travelling with Rob and Patrique. Competing with them was very exhilarating. It’s interesting because you know, I’ve been to some of the more beautiful places in the world and have gone and filmed skydiving and it’s refreshing and beautiful. But I’m always drawn back to just going out to the desert and crashing things into the ground, you know, like just building things and being apart of that whole process and then shoving it out of the back of an airplane and seeing what it does in the air, I mean that’s what really does it for me. So, I’d have to really rank the stunt that we did for this movie as probably one of my all-time favourites. I was really, really happy to do that, you know, they asked me in an ideal world, for this movie, we would love to build it around your wish list, what do you wanna do, what would be your favourite project and where in the world would you wanna do it? And I was like, I wanna go out to Arizona and I wanna go crash some cars in the desert. And they were like, ‘OK, fine, we’ll go along with that.’ And that’s what we did.

HH: Lastly, I just wanted to say that it was such a great honour to have viewed this film and to have had the opportunity to speak with you, I have no doubt that this poignant film will touch many of its audience members. What do you hope an audience member can take away from seeing your documentary?

JJ: I think one of the things that we captured was, you know, I had an interesting life growing up, and I grappled with dealing with childhood trauma and then learning how to work around it, and I think that you know, if anything, I would like to leave people with even somebody who has gone through some very difficult times, you know, I think very few of us get through this life without taking on some trauma and some damage, but yet we are all capable of still carrying on and really, having great lives and being really happy, doing the things we wanna do and were capable of creating a lot of beauty. And, yeah, I think I said that in a little bit of a discombobulated way, but that would be my answer to that one.

MS: I think I would echo what Joe is saying and I would also say, you know, I love that Joe’s difficult life brought him to all of the amazing places he got to go. I think, you know, there’s this experience we have in life of sometimes things being hard, whether its a learning disability or whatever it is, and it bringing us to just the place we end up that can be so beautiful. And I think that’s what’s really amazing about Joe’s story. I would also say this film should feel fun, and it should feel like a release and it should feel positive and it should feel like a lot of films that are not right now, which is something that leaves you feeling good and leaves you feeling energised and I would really like people to have that experience with the film.

BL: I think to combine those two, like just, the fact that anybody can find art and release in the strangest of places and that, when you find that thing you should chase it. You should dive into it, so, I think that is what leaves me whenever I still see the film, like uplifted, it’s like that’s what always has me excited about that, just like the inspiration that comes from that release.

JJ: I just have one last thing, you know, the difficult times that we go through, whether it’s going through a very difficult time in our lives or depression or anything else, when you’re in it, you feel like there’s no value at all that you can be getting out of this situation and it just feels dark and there’s nothing there, and you don’t see a light at the end of the tunnel. But, what I found out is that, I really believe that for all of us, you know if you hang in there, there is a light at the end of the tunnel and it’s brighter and more colourful than most of us can imagine. So, its really, I think, it’s a story about just hang in there.

Jennings’ final quote within this interview, although he probably didn’t know it, really struck a chord with me. That was something I really needed to hear that day. Emigrating to a different country and essentially having to rebuild your life brick-by-brick can oftentimes present its own challenges. There has been many an occasion in my twenties where I have felt so lost, so confused as to what I am supposed to be doing, what should I do be doing with my life? And so, hearing someone say keep going - he inspired me more than he’ll ever know in that very moment.

Overall, Space Cowboy is a masterfully-crafted character study which is sure to resonate with its audience long after the credits have finished rolling. It is an unforgettable documentary and an important one - one that shines a light on mental health. For me, it is my favourite documentary of this year and one that I will continue to recommend to peers. Leavitt and Strauch have formulated something so powerful within this film - it embodies what it means to be a human. For that, it is a documentary that deserves all of the success it is currently revelling in.

Taken at the premiere for Space Cowboy at this year's Toronto International Film Festival. 

Photo Essay: An Ode to Toronto

Above are some of my favourite analog images I have taken in Toronto, Ontario. Using my Canon AE-1, each of these pictures are captured on film.

Blog Post: My 2024 TBR

January 2024 has arrived and with that I have compiled a list of my must-reads for the upcoming year. I am an avid reader, yet I find it difficult to find the time to read as much as I would like. Because of that, one of my New Year’s resolutions is to read more consistently. On top of that, I have also kickstarted my own book club (it is on Fable for those interested!) which will ensure I meet my reading goals!

So, to start off this year as I mean to go on, here are a list of some books I want to read in 2024. Hopefully this list will also provide you with some suggestions for reading!

FICTION:

Small Things Like These - Claire Keegan

Prophet Song - Paul Lynch

East of Eden - John Steinbeck

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man - W.B. Yeats

Foster - Claire Keegan

The Guest - Emma Cline

The Bee Sting - Paul Murray

Julia - Sandra Newman

NON-FICTION

Big Sister, Little Sister, Red Sister: Three Women at the Heart of Twentieth Century China - Jung Chang

Stay True - Hua Hsu

Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland - Patrick Radden Keefe

Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life - William Finnegan

This Cold Heaven: Seven Seasons in Greenland - Gretel Ehrlich

Dreamland: The True Tale of America’s Opiate Epidemic - Sam Quinones

Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity - Katherine Boo

How to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie

Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty - Patrick Radden Keefe

Blog Post: A Deep Dive into Cult-Classic ‘Twin Peaks’ - and why it deserves that title.

David Lynch’s Twin Peaks has long remained a cult-classic. Taking the murder mystery trope and quite literally turning it on its head, Lynch’s surrealist escapade is one of the most visually and cinematically alluring television shows of the nineties.

Many have questioned why such a show has gained a cult following, but to me it’s quite obvious. Although at times Twin Peaks takes liberties when it comes to the plot of the show, the surrealist landscape in which it surrounds itself is one that has yet to be replicated in contemporary television. Throughout this particular post, I will discuss the excellence of this show and why it deserves its cult-classic title.

Firstly, even if you have yet to watch the show, you are probably familiar with the visual aesthetic of the show itself. The visual aesthetic of Twin Peaks reveals much about its uniqueness and also the surrealist undertones attached to the show. Twin Peaks immediately engages the audience through the visuals alone. It is the culmination of the cinematography, aspect ratio and the colour palette that make it one of the most visually enticing shows of its era. The aspect ratio incorporated within the show is intriguing for contemporary viewers - the 4x4 ratio has become practically obsolete within modern television. Immediately, the audience are greeted with something so reminiscent of nineties culture and television. Accompanying this, the colour palette within the frame elevates this nineties nostalgic feel. Each frame has a sepia-toned colour palette which elevates the autumnal aesthetic of the show. Each of these elements work perfectly in tandem to create such a visually beguiling show. Twin Peaks and the visual aesthetics it incorporates have remained nonpareil within contemporary television - not many television shows have accurately replicated this particular aesthetic as it is so synonymously attached with the show itself.

In addition to this, one of the greatest aspects of the show is the beloved and memorable characters it creates. David Lynch and Mark Frost constructed some of the most entrancing, eccentric and quirky characters that have become one of the most recognisable features of the show. From Dale Cooper to the Log Lady, each character within the show is both idiosyncratic and multi-dimensional. There is an array of characters within the show, each with their own interesting storyline and multidimensional characteristics and features. Although the show exists within a surrealist landscape, the imperfect nature of the characters strengthens the overall verisimilitude of the show while also reflecting that of real-life. These imperfect yet highly loveable characters are what make the show so resonant and memorable. It could be a one-liner delivered by Audrey Horne or the trajectory of Nadine Hurley’s storyline - every character contributes greatly to the overall enjoyment and appreciation of the show.

Overall, David Lynch and Mark Frost’s surrealist experiment in the form of Twin Peaks undoubtedly deserves its title of ‘cult-classic.’ Whether you are a fan of the show or are yet to watch an episode, Twin Peaks will certainly ruminate within your mind long after the credits have finished rolling. If you are looking for a new show that embodies idiosyncrasy in every sense of the word, Twin Peaks should be added to your list.

Blog Post: Review - Fred Again… releases ‘Actual Life 3’

Following the release of hugely successful albums Actual Life and Actual Life 2, Fred Again.. completes the triad with the release of Actual Life 3. Within his newest collection of songs, Fred Again.. continues to strengthen his craft of cyber-induced electronic dance music.

Within the music of Fred Again.. he incorporates sounds from various sources including voice messages he has received or other people’s content on social media. In doing this, he creates a really nuanced vision of contemporary music - one that involves a sort of cyber-scape as a means of constructing a highly resonant melody. This is a highly unique way of approaching music production, as it recognises the growing significance of technology and digital media within contemporary existence. The mediation between digital media and music is so entwined with the sound Fred Again.., and this album is no different.

The merging of cyber-scape and melody is reinforced throughout Actual Life 3, resulting in an album that flows in great synchrony. This aspect makes this album so enjoyable to listen to as it successfully maintains this flow throughout, making it feel highly curated. Such a flow is even preserved within the song titles, where all of the titles feature a single phrase accompanied by a short sentence in brackets. This is yet another unique and idiosyncratic feature of the music Fred Again.. composes. Each song he fabricates coalesces together perfectly and it seems as though each song is a microcosm of his overall conceptual body of work. The discography of Fred Again.. reflect similar concepts and themes, but each song offers something highly unique for its listeners.

Undoubtedly, each song on this album offers listeners with an insight into the tremendous talent of Fred Again.. as an artist. This album illuminates the abundance of talent he possesses and his unyielding ability to construct music that is so resonant with the youth generation. Actual Life 3 encapsulates what it means to exist as a young person within our modern world, meditating on themes of social media to connection in a post-Covid world. Fred Again.. achieves this through his ability as an artist to fuse digital soundscapes with meaningful lyrics and memorable melodies. In particular, songs such as ‘Danielle (smile on my face)’ and ‘Delilah (pull me out of this)’ reflect this talent.

Overall, Actual Life 3 is possibly Fred Again..’s most accomplished album yet. It undoubtedly solidifies Fred Again.. as a purveyor of idiosyncratic and distinctive sounds, sounds of which are invoking a new phase of electronic dance music. The distinctive nature which underpins his music makes this album both highly memorable and equally as enjoyable to listen to.

Photo Essay: Amsterdam

All images were captured using a Canon AE-1 and Kodak Gold 35mm film.

Blog Post: Our Growing Obsession with the Documentary - and the Attempts by Streaming Services to Capitalise On It.

The documentary film is one that has continuously proven itself as an essential tool in the enlightenment of the contemporary population. In recent years, numerous documentary films have provided an insight into a wide range of themes, conundrums and issues within our modern existence. Topics from social injustice to warfare have been investigated within many of these documentaries. As such, it has become a great resource in educating and informing citizens about the world in which they are entrenched. The documentary film has the ability to confront some of the most uncomfortable, harrowing and thought-provoking aspects of our existence. Therefore, the power of the documentary film should not be overlooked.

With the increased reliance on streaming services due to the COVID-19 pandemic, major streaming services have incorporated the documentary film within their media platforms. In recent years, there has undoubtedly been a huge influx in documentary films appearing on streaming services such as Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime. However, a certain type of documentary has found its home within these major streaming services. In particular, Netflix has a wide range of documentary series surrounding true crime and miscarriages of justice. It seems as though a new documentary series surrounding crime is uploaded to the platform every week. Such a large influx in this category of documentary film begs the question - why are audiences so intrigued by crime, murder, death and the illegalities of contemporary existence? But even more interesting, why do streaming platforms attempt to capitalise on this fascination?

Of course, such streaming services are at their core a business, and so their main preoccupation is to ensure that people consume the media that they upload. Therefore, the multiplication of such crime documentaries is a reaction to what Netflix and AppleTV know will garner viewership. Audience fascination and intrigue with crime documentaries encourages streaming services to upload and create content that reflects this. However, what is left as a result is an abundance of poorly-made, half-hearted attempts at documentary filmmaking. Oftentimes, these documentaries seem to be made purely to attract viewership and are less concerned with creating impactful, resonant and poignant meditations on contemporary existence. This over-saturation of mediocre documentary on such platforms provides contemporary audiences with stories that forget to reflect ideas of our existence. We are left with a story with no dimensionality to it other than telling a story. Such documentaries lack greater reflection and deliberation on society as a whole. This is what documentary should be about - the enlightenment of our existence. Unfortunately, major streaming services have thwarted documentarian John Grierson’s vision as the documentary film as one of education.

As a society, we must pivot away from these one-dimensional, poorly-executed documentaries that seem to litter all of the major streaming services. We should search beyond them for the documentaries that have made us question, deliberate and contemplate what it means to live in this existence. We should find the documentaries that illuminate issues within the world that we were not aware of. Finally, we should source documentaries that force us to contemplate on ideas and topics that are oftentimes bigger than ourselves. This is why the documentary film was first made, and this is how it should remain - untainted by contemporary film businesses attempts to capitalise on your viewership.

Blog Post: Todd Haynes’s ‘The Velvet Underground’ is a Momentous Force in Documentary Filmmaking

Todd Haynes’s recent documentary surrounding the inception of one of the most evocative bands of the nineteenth century is a force to be reckoned with. This documentary embodies the art and creativity which were central to The Velvet Underground’s music through its intense focus on the construction of such music alongside idiosyncratic cinematography. Ultimately, The Velvet Underground offers music fans with a visionary film that encapsulates the momentum of The Velvet Underground’s career.

What makes Haynes’s documentary so evocative is how he places the music of The Velvet Underground at the forefront of the documentary itself. The film is less concerned with the drama or scandals associated with the band and more focused on the fabrication of some of the most distinctive and remarkable pieces of music within recent musical memory. In particular, one of the most notable moments is the delineation of the formation of ‘Heroin.’ Various interviewees including members of the band and their family members detail how this song came to fruition, from the poetics of Reed’s lyrics to the development of the instrumentation. It is highly engaging in how the song seemed to describe some of the deepest aspects of the human condition, something which was not commonly articulated in contemporary music.

However, the stand-out aspect of this particular documentary is how the cinematography replicates the momentum and excitement associated with The Velvet Underground’s early musical career. Cinematographer Edward Lachman captures the thrilling atmosphere of life in New York City during a time of cultural renaissance and The Velvet Underground’s earliest gigs within their career. In order to achieve this exhilarating and electrifying atmosphere, Lachmann provides a mosaic of varying imagery all combined together within one frame. This array of simultaneous imagery resembles that of a museum, really immersing the audience within the narrative of the documentary. It makes the documentary so unique in style and aesthetics and ultimately commands the attention of all viewers.

Overall, Todd Haynes’s documentary fuses both art and history together to construct a highly evocative documentary which charters one of the most influential bands of its time. It offers audience with a timestamp to one of the most exciting and enthralling moments of musical history, through its amalgamation of personal anecdotes and avant-garde cinematography. The Velvet Underground really is a must for any and all music fans.

Blog Post: Review of Shame’s New Christmas Song ‘Baldur’s Gate’

Unconventional and idiosyncratic, Shame’s new Christmas song challenges the idealized festive tune, in favour of something increasingly authentic and thought- provoking.

From its first lyrics, we are immediately introduced to the unique nature of Shame’s greater collection of music. The lyricism of this particular song shy's away from the idealized visions of romance and festivity, which have become inherent features within many popular Christmas songs. Instead, what is present here is a sort of melancholy and lamentation which makes the song so resounding and haunting. This is achieved through both the highly personal lyrics accompanied by the melancholic, perhaps even despondent backdrop of instrumentation. What is left as a result is one of the most raw and honest Christmas songs to emerge in recent times. It neglects these idealized, hyper-romanticized visions of the festive season, instead forging a piece of music that reflects an increasingly realistic and confessional approach to the Christmas period.

Yet again, Shame have solidified their place as one of the most innovative and striking bands of the year, finishing off 2021 on a high-note for musical creation.

Blog Post: The Underrated Nature of the Car Stereo - and the Person Who Controls It

Throughout much of my adolescence, one of the things I looked forward to most was the Sunday car journey with my dad. The weekly excursion around the foothills of the Dublin mountains or the avenues of the city centre. What made these car journeys so special was the music that underpinned them.

Recently, myself and my dad were driving home from the inner city. It was near midnight, but the heat of late July trickled into the car.  The soundtrack for the evening was an amalgam of The Snuts, T. Rex and The Kooks. Driving down the never-ending motorway, I looked over at my dad and how he sang to himself while we had the music on full volume. I thought about how he was the person responsible for encouraging me to love music. It prompted me to think back to the numerous car journeys throughout my adolescence and teenage years, of which all were complimented by music. At a young age, my dad introduced me to music from The Pretenders, David Bowie, The Doors, Roxy Music and my beloved Talking Heads. These artists were the soundtrack to my adolescence. My dad provided me with some of the greatest artists from his generation, with the aid of his car stereo. Exposure to such musicians really solidified my love and dependence on music from such a young age.

In particular, I remember a car journey from Dublin to Belfast alongside my older brother and my dad. The two hour long trip was perfectly complimented with songs from Lou Reed, New Order and The Cure. To end the trip, our dad brought us to a record store where we bought our very first record player. We were allowed pick a vinyl each to put our new record player to use. My brother picked a very cool first vinyl, Neutral Milk Hotel’s In the Aeroplane Over the Sea. The first vinyl I chose at fourteen years old was Hatful of Hollow by The Smiths - I had heard cool people listened to The Smiths.

And I don’t think my dad realises how much that memory means to me. I don’t think he realises that I think about that moment a lot and credit it as the solidification of my adoration for all things music. This particular memory means so much to me because I realised that myself and my dad constructed a deep bond over music. I learnt from my dad to enjoy and appreciate music on a whole new level. He invoked a love for music that has spanned the entirety of my adolescence and guided me into my adulthood. And I really don’t think he realises. I don’t think he realises how much I am indebted to him for eliciting a shared love for music.

And so, I look forward to every time we get to go on a car trip together, even if it is just to the dry cleaners. I relish the moment the volume on the stereo is at maximum. There’s nothing I love more than driving aimlessly through the meandering streets of Ireland blaring Jim Morrison, The Rolling Stones or The Clash. And looking across to the seat beside me, seeing my dad singing along - that makes everything in life seem good.

Blog Post: Coffee as a Subculture - Bridging Linguistic Gaps Across Europe

As a barista for two years, coffee has become a topic of conversation that I have been constantly immersed in. In particular, lockdowns around Europe and the wider world generated a surge in conversation regarding coffee and the overall intrigue related to coffee culture.

However, some may believe that coffee does not constitute as a contemporary ‘subculture.’ I beg to differ.  Coffee and coffee culture has become a huge part of contemporary living. For many, the habitual visit to a local coffee spot is a part of their everyday routine - slotting into various other activities within their busy schedule. As a barista myself, I have witnessed this first hand. Working throughout an extremely stringent Coronavirus lockdown in Dublin, many people turned to their local coffee shop as a means of interaction with other people.

It was not until I explored Europe this summer that I really understood the impact of coffee culture on contemporary living. Ignorantly, I believed that the increasing popularity of the coffee industry was limited to the city of Dublin, the city I called my own. However, upon arriving in Lisbon, I was excited by their interest in speciality coffee and the conversation surrounding coffee culture. The very first coffee shop I entered boasted having Irish baristas, only to ask for my CV as soon as I revealed that I was also one! In Lisbon, speciality coffee dominates many of the beautiful tiled, ornate and quaint streets. Each speciality coffee shop I visited possessed its own unique approach to coffee-making and coffee culture. Coffee shops such as Comoba, Fabrica Coffee Roasters and  EleEla Cafe really inspired me in how they were so keen to create conversation with other people who were also interested in coffee - despite potential linguistic barriers.

Following this trip to Lisbon, it prompted me to think about the variety of coffee shops I have visited around the world and the experiences that I have had with some of the local baristas. It made me realise that coffee culture across Europe has allowed me to meet a variety of new people, to understand new methods of coffee making and also new approaches to coffee itself. From Amsterdam to Edinburgh, London to Lisbon, the experiences I have had in a variety of coffee shops have allowed me not only to converse with some of the loveliest people I have met on my trips, but also simulate a really immersive, tourist experience. What resonated with me most was how coffee as a subject has been able to bridge a gap between a variety of different cultures, overcoming any potential cultural barriers that may have arisen. Coffee is most certainly a subculture, one that has introduced me to numerous people from around the world.

Blog Post: Kojaque’s Debut Album ‘Town’s Dead’ Curates the Cultural Anxieties of the Irish Youth Scene

This year, emerging rapper Kojaque released his debut album ‘Towns Dead’, which was immediately met with praise from much of Dublin’s youth scene. Throughout this album, Kojaque unapologetically confronts many of the contemporary concerns which have plagued the youths of Dublin, and Ireland on a larger scale. In particular, the titular song ‘Towns Dead’ encapsulates the current disillusionment between the state and the young people of Ireland.

Currently within Ireland, the Irish government have continuously refused to acknowledge the influence of emerging Irish artists through its inability to provide a sufficient roadmap in relation to the reopening of arts amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition to this, there is currently a housing crisis within Dublin and Ireland, which makes the prospect of affordable living within the capital a distant memory. As a result, many emerging artists emigrate from Ireland in favour of greater career prospects elsewhere. What is left as a result is a capital that has so much potential and talent, yet the state cannot provide the means for these artists to thrive. Kojaque skillfully captures these modern concerns by balancing his poetic lyrics alongside an upbeat tempo: “You could try the house share, try rentin’, bit of money for the landlord’s pension.” What is so resonant within this song is the inherent ‘Dublinism’s’ that exist within the lyrics. Kojaque implores a thick Dublin accent to reiterate that not all is lost within the culture of Dublin: “Towns not dead it's just dormant.”

Overall, Kojaque’s titular song embodies cultural concerns regarding the neglect of the Irish youth scene, yet provides a hopeful and optimistic tone for the reclamation of Irish culture and arts. Kojaque’s excellent lyricism provides a voice to the young people of Ireland and a means in which to articulate such issues within society. Ultimately, ‘Towns Dead’ is a form of catharsis for many of Dublin’s youth who are concerned for their future.

Blog Post: Women in Music - Artists For Your Next Playlist

Angel Olsen

Angel Olsen’s highly distinctive and unparalleled voice provides every listener with songs for the soul. Her artistry is highly innovative, yet still have a really nostalgic energy to them.

For Your Playlist:

• “Never Be Mine”, MY WOMAN.

• “The Waiting”, Half Way Home.

• “Shut Up, Kiss Me”, MY WOMAN.

Pillow Queens

One of the most exciting bands to emerge from contemporary Ireland. Pillow Queens affirm that indie rock is not just for male participation or enjoyment. Their albums are expertly crafted and every song is an enjoyable listen.

For Your Playlist:

• “Donaghmede”, In Waiting.

• “Brothers”, In Waiting

• “Liffey”, In Waiting

• “Hearts & Minds”, Leave The Light On.

• “Try, Try, Try” Leave The Light On.

Joy Crookes

Joy Crookes’s excellence is incomparable. Her unique and soulful voice compliments every song she has released. She provides contemporary music fans with a very distinctive voice that is reflective of soulful singers of times gone by.

For Your Playlist:

• “I Don’t Mind”, Skin.

• “Trouble”, Skin.

• “When You Were Mine”, Skin.

• “Feet Don’t Fail Me Now”, Skin.

• “Kingdom”, Skin.