Flight attendants have been an iconic cultural image since the 1960s, with the stylish crews of TWA and Pan Am. From their chic, tight-fitting uniforms to jet-setting around the world, the lifestyle is one often associated with glamour and mystique.

New York-based photographer Brian Finke, in his new book Flight Attendants, vibrantly documents this present-day niche community, in a series of portraits that display both the charming and realistic sides of the industry. Having traveled around the world for two years, concentrating on 15 airlines in particular, with some (including Delta, Hawaiian, Qantas, British Airways, Thai, Tiger, and Icelandair), Finke captures an inside look at the men and women of professional air travel both on the ground and in the sky.

With his work currently on exhibit in LA’s Stephen Cohen Gallery (June 12-Aug 2), as well as an upcoming exhibit at Paris’ Gallerie Philippe Chaume (Sept 11-Oct 3), to complement the book's release by powerHouse, Finke joined psychoPEDIA to discuss his experience making the book, and the highs and lows of airlines:

How did you develop the concept for the book?
With my work in general, I photograph a lot of different subcultures and like working on projects that describe specific ones. My previous project was about cheerleaders and football players, and while I worked on it, I thought a lot about the costumes and style around it. I was traveling a lot on planes anyway, and it was right in front of me, so it seemed like a natural progression. Also, after September 11, I was drawn to the challenge of getting in there and photographing it. It wasn’t something I had really seen pictures of before.

Has the perception of flight attendants from the early days to now has changed?
I started photographing domestic airlines, and discovered traveling isn’t what it used to be. Pretty quickly I realized that I also wanted to go overseas to photograph airlines in Europe and Asia. When I was in Hong Kong, they were saying there’s still an allure of it being an exotic lifestyle. I think that still exists, but with my personal experience traveling around the States, it’s not what it used to be. Even last week I was going to DC and New Orleans, flights are always delayed two hours and crowded.

Was your own impression of their lifestyle altered after the project?
With my pictures, it was important showing the reality of current travel. Some of the pictures have a sense of humor and are whimsical, and some are more romantic and nostalgic. I realized a lot of flight attendants make it fit their own lifestyle. One of the attendants I photographed in Iceland has a family and kids, and she just goes to work like anybody else—flies to Europe then flies back home. I realized they make it fit whatever lifestyle or point of life they’re in.

As for style, which airlines have the best uniforms?
There’s a website called Uniform Freak, that has hundreds of uniforms on showcase. Several airlines in Asia are my favorite. AirAsia is a carrier in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, that has really great uniforms. I worked through airlines’ PR departments and would propose story ideas to editors, and a lot of them dealt with fashion and travel. Airlines in the past several years have started inviting high-end designers to design their uniforms.

Which airlines have the most attractive or glamorous stewardesses?
Icelandair is definitely a favorite. They have the scarves and hats— which are on the cover of the book. AirAsia is another favorite. It’s very Virgin Atlantic– great with style. And Air France is great, also.

Most unattractive?
Hooters Air, which doesn’t exist anymore. It was around for a few years, but folded a little over a year ago. They would have flight attendants, where two would be traditional ones in uniforms and two would be dressed as Hooters girls like in the restaurants, in nylons, short pants, T-shirts. They were there more for entertainment.

Best service or most helpful?
In a broad case, a lot of the Asian airlines are very good with passengers. Cathay Pacific is great. I photographed them during their 60th anniversary where they brought back the retro uniforms for a few months.

Oppositely, is there an airline with especially gruff flight attendants?
Not a big fan of Continental, even though I didn’t photograph them. They don’t seem very helpful these days.

Which has the nicest amenities?
Foreign airlines in general, and Cathay Pacific for sure.

What about the best food?
I recently flew Virgin American, and I like how you can go on and purchase food whenever you want. They have a touch-active screen where you can watch movies, but also purchase food whenever you want during the flight, which is nice.

Since you flew constantly during the project, do you have special tricks to avoid air sickness?
I fly a lot-- it’s just a normal thing. I drink a lot of water and take vitamin C to deal with jet lag and breathing airplane air all day.

Have you witnessed any emergencies while flying?
Once I was flying back from Florida and a plane had to make an emergency landing because a passenger had a heart problem. It’s good to know when something comes up that they can react so quickly.

What is your overall favorite airline after the entire experience?
I like Air France a lot, who I use a lot to fly back and forth to Paris. The food, drinking the wine, and visually the uniforms and plane are nice. And when I flew to Iceland, they put us up in First Class and really took care of us more so than normal.

What projects do you have planned for the future?
After photographing mostly female flight attendants for a few years, my wife had the idea to photograph construction workers. Time to hang out with the boys for a while! So I started on that this summer. I’m starting it here in New York, then hopefully take it to other major cities around the world.

~Leann Peterson


All photos by Brian Finke

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Stewart Home is a writer for good reason. He has a brilliant memory, having recalled succinct details of life since he was two years old. On occasion, this can be more of an annoyance than a blessing. But he has put it to good use, linking inane facts and insane lives in his varied published works.

Although he’s too strange for the likes of Penguin, over the last three decades, Home has grounded himself as a scion of subculture. His writing ranges from satirical to the non-narrative, from pamphleteering to critique. He touches on everything from the early users of LSD (Tainted Love) to pornography (69 Things to Do with a Dead Princess); from boot stomping skinheads (Slow Death) to underground art movements (The Assault on Culture). If it sounds fun, Home has usually dabbled in it.

psychoPEDIA asked the writer and avid music-lover, born and bred in London, to guide us through the fast-changing nooks and crannies of his old stomping ground and source of inspiration-– Berwick Street’s record shops. Hoping to stumble across some gems before urban re-development to the area creeps up (whereby many of Berwick’s streets finest record shops have already disappeared), Home gives us some insight to his favorite spots:

What are your earliest memories of Berwick Street?
The first thing I remember of the area was Carnaby Street’s colored paving stones. They took them out in the 1980s, because they were looking a bit crappy. But they really should have refurbished them instead.

Why does that area appeal to you more than others?
Carnaby Street and Berwick Street are great, because you could pick up all the new bootleg records down the market. Then, just behind them, in St. Anne’s Court is a science-fiction shop, The Golden Eye. I started going to all these places in ’74. I remember discovering Aleister Crowley in there, who I thought was hilarious. Not because I was into magic, but because his books had chapter titles like “A Harrowing Heroine” which, when you are 12, is very funny. But Berwick St was the place.

Which record shop did you frequent most?
So many have come and gone–- but Selectadisc, which is now Sister Ray, was the best. You want change, because that is what a vibrant urban environment is all about. Sometimes things change for the better, and sometimes things change for the worst. Obviously, the property values in London are ridiculous. That’s one thing. But the other is that book and record shops are on the way out.

Any particular reason why you think that’s happening?
You can sit at your computer and pick what you want now, which is fine. But the down side is the loss of the social element. You don’t get recommendations, people don’t play you stuff. When I was a teenager, I’d go down Soho Market where they had the Rocks Off record store. It was great just to hear the records, talking to market traders, listening to new Siouxsie Sioux releases. When I was 12 or 13, I discovered You Can’t Sit Down by The Dovells and thinking that was the most amazing record I had ever heard.

Do you go anywhere nowadays to find new albums or discover bands?
No. But then I know what I want a lot more. I realized as I grew up that my taste veered towards Mod and Northern Soul. Now it has moved into a little bit of techno and the old psychedelic '60s stuff. Like The Vibrations or The Temptations when they stopped being so pop.

Do you have different stores catering to different needs then?
I have Soul Jazz doing their little post-punk thing. Sister Ray is great other than their obsession with shitty industrial bands which they should fucking dump. Record & Tape Exchange has hoards of random second hand stuff. There was Mr CD, which recently closed down, sacrificed to MP3s. I don’t say that in a bad way. I want my music in the cheapest possible format. I understand people being precious about their vinyl. On some dub tracks, you just don’t get the bass tone out of an MP3 or CD, or if you copy very minimal techno, like Plasticman, it sounds really shitty, because you are losing vital frequencies. But with most stuff, you can never tell the difference. With old Motown and punk songs, they are supposed to sound shitty and tinny. Mind you, on The Slits' track Vindictive, the tom sounded so rubbish on CD but fine on the vinyl.

Do you feel like Berwick Street is losing its record and bookstores to gear more towards Red Light District-friendly establishments?
I’ve got no idea where the sign saying ‘Model First Floor’ leads to, but all the girls on the street are quite obviously clippers. They are just gonna take your money and run. It used to be a hobby of mine, sitting outside a café and watching guys get strung along. I used to go to the venue The Marquee, which was round the corner. I would bunk off school to go to shows and beforehand, think it hilarious to sit outside a café with a cup of tea, and watch some businessman who had just been up to shag a prostitute having a cup of tea before he went home to confront the wife. He wouldn’t be able to hold the mug still.

~Iphgenia Baal

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Having evolved from the ashes of lo-fi distorted garage noise acts like Coachwhips, The Hospitals, and the most seminal of Providence label, Load Records has ever released: the mighty Burmese, it came then as a surprise when John Dwyer emerged as the frontman of Thee Oh Sees, with the gentler folk sound.

Maybe it was the move to San Francisco from Providence, but this was an altogether quieter Dwyer. However, like a kid pretending to be grown up for a week and failing OCS (Orange County Sound) swiftly mutated into Thee Oh Sees, and started getting loose all over again. Their album The Master's Bedroom Is Worth Spending A Night In should be sitting tall on end-of-year lists everywhere, combining elements of all Dwyer’s past into an impulsive and petulantly coherent whole.

Beyond Shoreditch, venues that consistently put on shows of any quality in deeper East London are few and far between. If you aren’t watching a band in Dalston's Bardens Boudoir, it’s likely you won’t be watching a band at all. With this in mind, it East London residents welcomed the opening of council-funded venue Café Oto that popped up out of nowhere just two weeks ago behind Dalston-Kingsland station. With a string of great gigs in the near future thanks to the ever reliable Upset The Rhythm Thee Oh Sees-– Dwyer, Petey Dammit, Mike Shoun, and Brigid Dawson-- talked to psychoPEDIA about venues, lake of cake, and organic beer:

How does Dalston compare to San Francisco?
JD: Right now Dalston is nice. We are just sitting out here on the curb in the sun drinking coffee.
PD: In fact, this is probably exactly what we would be doing if we were in San Francisco right now.
MS: You would probably actually be asleep.
PD: Jet lag is a bitch. All those timezones. My head can’t keep up.

How were the venues as opposed to on the mainland?
JD: On this particular tour, they have all been fairly standard. But with other bands I’ve played with, I’ve played everywhere: you name it. Squats where the punks want your blood, pool tables, beer halls, caves. Wherever we could get power. It sounds awful but they all kind of merge into one.
PD: We had a great show in our practice space in San Francisco recently, though. Does that count as a venue?

What made it so great?
MS: It was Brigid’s birthday. We were practicing and we had everything planned so that mid-practice, all her friends burst in and surprised her.
BD: I was pretty scared, but in a good way.

Did you know that "oto" means "sound" in Japanese?
JD: No, but I do now.
PD: I see what they did there.

How are you finding the full range of organic beers and ciders?
PD: I like the label with the Bayeaux Tapestry painting, but it costs five pounds. I’m sticking to coffee.
JD: The coffee is excellent. It reminds me of the coffee in this little SF joint where we used to go and bum out and drink cup after cup and smoking a whole bunch of cigarettes or whatever.

Does it bother you that you can't smoke indoors in the UK anymore?
JD: They are weird about it in the US. Some venues just turn a blind eye. I can imagine it must suck bumming smokes in the winter here.

What do you think of this Bretton beer-- so organic that it has loads of sediment?
PD: I’m not into that. It looks like mud in beer. They serve Kronenberg and Beck too. We are gonna get a bunch of that in later.
JD: The coffee is great though, I want to stress that. And you can always drink coffee. Beer is sometimes just not feasible. But, coffee? Always.

How about the space itself?
JD: I really like it. It is super simple. Just a nice square white box. Everything has slight sense of DIY to it. Like the guy DJing has his turntables on top of a vintage sled. Sled? Sleigh? I’m not sure the proper term, but one of those rickety old wooden things.
PD: They also haven’t started doing food yet. Can we come back and play again when they are doing cakes? They say the cakes are coming. But when?
JD: Good cakes and good people. That is all you need. The people here seem great–- the promoters, the kids, the local guys. People told me this place was rough, but it’s been great. We just need those cakes now.

~James Knight

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Relaxation is synonymous with Jamaica. So, it’s no wonder Nadia Koch, proprietor of the bar Home Sweet Home, one of NYC's downtown after-hours staples, jumped at the invitation to experience their luxury resort, Royal Plantation, in Ocho Rios.

Since Home Sweet Home’s advent into New York City nightlife in 2006, Koch and her partner Kristen Vincent have been juggling art gallery gatherings, after parties for bands, and weekly events that bring in a multitude of neighborhood regulars and city notables alike from Chloe Sevigny to Moby.

Miles away, the serenely set Royal Plantation, built in the 1950s, caters to those who crave an intimate experience coupled with white-glove care. With only 74 suites, it offers private enclaves of comfort. Guests can lie on the beach with a cocktail, take a dip in the pool, or frankly, just do nothing.

psychoPEDIA caught up with Koch upon her return to New York City. Here’s what she had to say about her slice of paradise:

What was your first thought when heading out to Royal Plantation?
“Thank goodness! I wish my trip was longer." The idea of taking such a quick trip from New York City–- only three hours away, and you're in a completely different environment–- is fantastic! You didn’t have to make the time commitment to check out and venture far, far away.

How was it upon first arrival?
It was really impressive, because it looked so different than any other resorts we were passing. It’s very Old World in decoration. And it's much smaller and intimate. You don’t feel like there are people everywhere. It’s like your own private hotel. As soon as we stepped foot inside, we were offered a cocktail while signing paperwork. Six people were there immediately to take care of us, and it wasn’t this formal check-in.

What was the experience waking up the first morning at the resort?
I had a cup of coffee and sat out on my balcony and saw the most beautiful beaches and views. They really take care of the special details in the rooms. Our little bar area had everything you could possibly need to make yourself a proper cup of coffee and not have to get room service.

How would you rate the room service?
Our butler comes into the room with white gloves and sets up an eating area wherever you’d like to sit in your room–- either in the dining area, on the balcony-– seats you, places your napkin in your lap, and then leaves. Very formal, but very gracious. They even had a pillow menu! There’s a selection of different pillows to choose from. It was amazing.

What about when you're sitting by the pool or beach?
You have that feeling where you don’t feel awkward sitting on the beach while raising your little flag for either another cocktail or an extra towel. They’re there not to serve you, but simply to make you happy.

Is it exhausting to run your own bar?
It’s an everyday, 24-hour job. There are so many things to do, but there’s a lot of flexibility in it. Lately, we’ve been getting a better handle on the bar, so we’re able to start thinking in new directions on how we better this or something else. We also have a great staff. Things have come together really nicely over the past two years. It’s finding its own space and voice in New York City nightlife.

Having experience with bars yourself, how did the cocktails measure up?
I really liked one specialty called a "mangosa," which is Mango puree and champagne. It was their version of a mimosa, and they had a couple of other specialty cocktails. Their pina coladas were the best ever-- all the time, whenever you wanted, because it’s inclusive.

Did you try any of their spa treatments?
Yes, I had two treatments at Red Lane: the first was an exfoliation and entire body wrap. I typically don’t believe in those treatments working, but it was amazing and my skin was so soft. My manicure and pedicure was great too, but I wish there was a little music playing in the background.

What was your most memorable experience?
Our formal night where we shared the evening with the general manager, Peter Fraser. We started off in their private Cigar Room. He personally prepared steak tartar for us. Caviar, martinis, canapés, the Veuve was flowing. My drink was never empty. You felt like a lady. They also did the sabering with the champagne bottle, where you find the seam on the bottle and then cut off the top. Then it was followed with a lovely dinner where our wines were specially paired with our meals.

Why would you recommend Royal Plantation?
You get a feeling as to what Jamaica is all about, yet your focus to go there is to relax and not think about anything. You’re not there to run into town and dance it up at the dance hall! You’re there to relax and recharge your batteries.

Now that you’re back to the grind, what do you miss most about Jamaica?
That view from my balcony and taking a nap there after being on the beach all day with a lovely cocktail by my side.

~Jessica McMenamin

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In an attempt to clean up Amsterdam’s infamous Red Light District, their city council has purchased a number of area brothels as part of its Red Light Fashion project. Former prostitutes’ windows have been converted to showcase couture collections from the best Dutch designers-– one such being Bas Kosters.

Known for his explosive use of color, hand-drawn prints, and recycled materials, the multi-disciplinary artist also works as a painter, illustrator, and DJ. With such a colorful and dynamic palate, Kosters made a perfect subject to test the equally flamboyant and charming dessert specialist De Taart van m’n Tante.

Dutch for ‘My Aunt’s Cake’, this sweet shop serves homemade cakes, in the shape of cartoon heroes, Barbie, animals, and many more designs that magically transport one back to more innocent times. It's a favorite hangout for Amsterdammers enjoying a romantic date, girs' get-together, kiddie party, or a quick game of camped-up bingo.

Surrounded by fake flamingos, bright velvet cushions, and lots of big fluffy cakes, psychoPEDIA joined Bas for tea-time topics from fighting crime to working in a brothel.

What’s it going to be?
I just had a quick look at the cabinet, but there’s not a lot left. I guess it’s quite late in the afternoon, but I noticed they have some carrot cake, and some apple with amaretto, and a mango Bavarois. They all sound appealing to me, but I’m going for the hot chocolate with cream and the carrot cake.

How did you get involved in the Red Light Fashion project?
A few other young labels and I are involved in another project called Turning Talent Into Business, which helps young designers build their businesses, and we were basically all approached. It was quite easy for me to get involved.

The project was set up to clean up the area, partially in a fight against crime. How do you think you’ll influence that?
They didn’t think fashion would actually change the crime here, but they just wanted to do something different with the area and use the buildings for different purposes. In an indirect way, we want to fight crime, but more than that, we wanted to give the area a cultural factor. It’s also a great media pull, attracting a lot of new people to the area. The media is going totally mad for it. The red light district has always been an interesting talking point, but since the project launched, I’ve had so much more attention from the media.

How are the residents responding to the project?
Everyone feels very different about it. Some of the residents are happy with it, some think the area should stay the way it was.

The waiter arrives with the cakes.

Hmm nice. [Bas, squeals like an excited child at the arrival of his cake] But as I said, everyone has a different opinion about the project. As a designer who is involved, I would say that I think it has a positive impact on Amsterdam as a city. It’s good for people to see that the area is not just about trashiness, but it’s areas like these that are actually the places where creativity is born.

I read that the rooms are kept intact and that they didn’t actually convert the spaces. Is it weird that you’re now working next to those beds?
Yeah, there are red lights, black lights, and these big built-in beds. Very bizarre. The building itself is also very funny. It’s really like a labyrinth, with all its corridors and crazy little rooms. It seems to lead its own life.

Does this different and crazy environment inspire you in a different kind of way?
I’m actually doing a series of paintings with very explicit sexual images. It’s quite funny, because we had to sign a contract about not showcasing work in the windows that is linked to alcohol, degradation, and addiction. It’s quite a contrast, because of course you feel different when you work in that space, but we’re not really allowed to do anything with that feeling. I am actually not trying to think too much about what happened in there, you know…

Are you enjoying the carrot cake?
It’s lovely! Hahaha. [asking his assistant] Would you like to try? It’s such a nice little piece of cake!

I’m guessing you’ve been here before?
I come here every once in a while. I’ve actually had this carrot cake before. I like it here. The café has this has a really cozy vibe. But how nice would it be if it were open at night? It’d be so nice to come down here at night, with some friends, have a bit of cake...

What’s happening after this year–- will Bas Kosters go worldwide?
I don’t know. But I am going on a holiday to Jamaica soon, for Jamaica Style Week. It’s going to be busy. We have so much planned, which I am happy about. I’m not too psyched, though. I heard 36 gay men were killed there last year. Apparently they’re not into white gay men over there. So, I’m going to leave my Dior sunglasses and gold rings at home. I’m so used to being explicit and communicating with my outfits, but I don’t want to communicate the wrong things over there, so I have to dress a bit more quietly. Here in Amsterdam I am creating freedom by being different, but over there, I will be creating freedom by not being different.

- Frederieke Janssen

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Brazilian-born Eli Mejorado and Bruno Verner make up Tetine-– a bass-heavy duo who list their influences as tropical punk, funk carioca, Miami bass, punk-funk, and hysterical vocals. Their music sounds like 2 Live Crew being car-jacked by CSS. And if a song makes me want to dance when I’m neither drunk nor high, then that’s a pretty good indication that the band rocks, and all of Tetine’s songs make me want to do the ‘Electric Boogaloo.' But to be honest, I’m only really concerned with the female vocalist, Eli. She wears sparkly gold bikinis and always looks like she just rolled out of bed.

psychoPEDIA met with Eli to have a lengthy conversation about her love for all things hair:

Why are you so obsessed with hair?
I’ve always loved hair since I was a child. Then I got into wigs, moustaches, and beards when I was about fifteen.

What style do you have your hair in at the moment?
It’s just wild, I don’t have any specific cut. I call it “wolf hair.”

Is there a specific place you like to get your hair done?
My friend Silvio cuts my hair. He comes to my place and charges £30. He's sensitive and understands that my hair looks good when it looks like I haven't had it cut.

How often do you change your hair?
I used to change it a lot before. I’ve had my hair colored blonde, red, orange, black, blue, and green: and I’ve had it short, curly, and straight. Nowadays, I like it its natural color and long. If I want a change, I go for a wig. To be honest, I'm tempted to go for a more light brown color at the moment.

What's your favorite hairstyle?
My all-time favorite is the long, curly, and blonde. But I also have a thing for actresses from Alfred Hitchcock movies with perfect hairdos.

What do you think is the worst style ever?
It depends. I wouldn't go for red and short myself, but my friend looks just perfect with it.

Can you remember the worst haircut you ever had?
I once had straight blonde hair that was very long at the back and short at the front. My nose was just too big for that style. I looked awful.

Which celeb has hair that you think is cool?
Amy Winehouse has such a nice hairdo! She looks sexy without having to make any effort. But, my all time favorite hairstyle was on Tippi Hedren when she acted in The Birds. Even when she's attacked and covered in blood, her hair still looks perfect to me.

Is a good hairstyle ever an adequate substitute for not having a personality?
No. I think the hair translates the personality.

Do you like people to grab your hair when you’re having sex?
I definitely do! Grabbing is good, but I hate when they pull it. I can get very angry.

How do you feel about men who shave off all their pubic hair?
I pity them. I like men like Chili Gonzales.

Do you have a take on facial hair? Don’t you hate it when guys rub their grizzly faces against yours?
I don't like it when the beard is growing. It hurts! I like it when it’s a fully-grown beard.

Anything we should look out for with Tetine this year?
Our new album is coming out on Soul Jazz in mid-April. It's going to be hairy!

~Donald Crunk @ Styleslut




For tips on how to get Eli's favorite looks:
For Eli's just-rolled-out-of-bed look, try Bed Head's Hook up wax or Jonathan's texturizing paste to make clean hair look like yesterday's messy masterpiece.
For a strong enough spray to keep your Winehouse-inspired beehive going for days, try L'anza Volume Formula Final Effects  finishing spray.
To really change your 'do, visit Lulu's and Wigs.com.
To change up your hue, Manic Panic or Amphigory Dye.
And, if you're still not feeling hairy enough, grab a moustache at Costume Inc.

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Graffiti Island seems to have walked straight out of the bar in Twin Peaks' One Eyed Jacks into an episode of Kojack: The Night Stalker via the set of a Jodorowsky film. Hailing from the Dalson area of London, their simplistic, lo-fi approach has garnered comparisons to early K Records acts like Beat Happening. But between Conan Roberts' string work on bass and guitar, drummer Cherise Payne’s propulsive rhythmic counterpoints, and lead singer Pete Dee’s deadpan, pop-culture-soaked delivery, they offer something wholly original. In a few short months and without a release yet, the band has already shared stages with acts as diverse and established as Les Savy Fav, Effi Briest, Be your Own Pet and Rings.

psychoPEDIA caught up with Dee to talk about the Internet obsession that colors the band’s sonic and lyrical palettes, creating twisted and compelling tales of werewolves, haunted picnics, and mountain men gone nuts:

Tell me a bit about your blog, Voodoo Village.
My friend Jiro and I were in his bedroom relaxing and listening to "Love Theme" by Vangelis when we got the idea to make a blog. We share similar interests and get annoyed by how much crap is out there, so we decided to make a blog full of our favorite stuff like Italo disco, outsider art, Ancient Egypt, Down syndrome, GG Allin, aliens, heavy metal, and any kind of freaks.

Where did the name come from?
We got the name Voodoo Village from a compound in Memphis, Tennessee, which goes by the same name. The people who live there are a mixed-race of African Americans and Native American descent. They are led by a 100-year-old man called Chief Wash Harris.

What kind of stuff are you looking for when you sit around browsing the Internet everyday, or are you just flailing around in the dark?
This week I’ve been looking for old pictures of sideshow freaks. I found a good one of a pony woman whose leg joints bend the opposite way. I’ve been watching a lot of New Jack Swing videos too. My favourite is "My Heart" by TROOP. The dancing in that video is intense.

How long do you spend in front of the computer screen every day?
I sit until I can't feel my legs.

Are you sure this isn't all an elaborate front for solo cranking sessions?
I do some of that too. Shh.

You are also into the occult and UFOs. How did this obsession arise?
I like watching interviews with airline pilots and astronauts who've seen UFOs. I trust those dudes, they seem like good guys. I'm into UFOs of all shapes and sizes but probably the ones I’m most interested in are the black triangles, because I saw one when I was 15. My favorite alien theory is the one where people believe that lizards live under LA. Some guy back in the 1930's even mapped out where all the tunnels are that lead to the underground lizard cities. I wanna go check them out.

That seems to border on a conspiracy theory. Are you into those too?
I'm into the hollow earth theory. That is the belief that the earth is hollow and full of weird lands and ancient creatures. Supposedly you can get inside the earth through a big hole somewhere in the North Pole. Some people think this is where a lot of the Nazis escaped to.

Without giving away the secrets to your online gold, what websites do you recommend?
jah jah spinXXX is great for images. There’s no text, just hundreds of images of weird stuff. The Mutual UFO Network is best UFO website out there, and you can look at a UFO weather map that shows you what cities in what countries the UFOs have been visiting over the last few weeks. Unexplained Mysteries is a goldmine. On Ghana Movie Posters, you can buy some of the most amazing hand-painted movie posters by some of the most talented painters now living, for only $100! The How's Your News? team have made one of the best documentaries ever. And the site for McRorie – the best one-man band on earth.

How does all of this online intake and assimilation influence Graffiti Island?
The Internet has an infinite amount of information on weird places and weirdos. That is the kind of information I need to write the songs I need to write, that’s all.

Do you think without all this stuff knocking around your head, you would be the same band?
I don't think so. We'd probably all be wearing straw hats, pointy shoes, low cut V-neck T-shirts and singing songs that go “oh eh oh oh oh eh oh oh eh oh eh oh.”

~James Knight

Graffiti Island’s debut 7” is forthcoming on House Anxiety Records.

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Joy Bryant is hungry. It's noon on a recent spring afternoon and the actress parks her fold-up bicycle in the entrance to the restaurant Gemma while we wait for our table. Gemma is the rustic Italian restaurant in The Bowery Hotel, a few blocks down from the Lafayette House where Bryant is staying while in town to be a judge at the Tribeca Film Festival. The actress started her morning with a Kundalini yoga class at Golden Bridge Yoga: "I woke up and went straight to yoga. I haven't eaten anything yet.” A tall glass of freshly-squeezed juice (half orange, half grapefruit) is rushed to our table with a pot of coffee. Joy continues, "We held one posture for 11 minutes today. That's the longest I've ever done. The posture wasn't that hard, but mentally it was. Your mind wants you to stop. So I got to push myself, which is great."

She explains that Kundalini yoga uses the breath of fire while holding various poses to strengthen and detoxify the mind and body. “In your life, the breath is the most important thing. The inhale and exhale,” she says, diving into a basket of warm coal-oven-baked bread that she dips into a plate of olive oil. The waiter comes over to read us the specials: “Grilled scallops with corn and red peppers. . .” he says. "That's what I'll have," Joy replies instantly.

Bryant was first introduced to Golden Bridge Yoga in LA, where the native New Yorker has lived for the last five years. "I had just broken up with this guy I was seeing and was bummed out. Around the same time, I got a role and had a couple of months to get my head together. I found Golden Bridge online and went once then a few times a week and from January to March, I was going every day." A milky white appetizer of burotta arrives and Bryant elegantly–- especially for a famished woman who's just been holding yoga postures on an empty stomach–- slices herself a bite. "Delicious. Tastes exactly how it's supposed to taste. Melts in your mouth. I hate it when you go to a place and order burotta and it's mozzarella."

The part Joy used Kundalini to prepare herself for was her first comedic role, opposite Martin Lawrence in Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins. "To do this movie where I'm working with all these amazing comedians was something no one was expecting [from me], so I had a lot of pressure. But because I had been working on myself doing Kundalini everyday, I felt stable and grounded-- centered." The day’s scallop special arrives-- three round juicy grilled scallops on a bed of chopped grilled corn and red pepper. There are a few minutes of silence while she eats, until the waiter comes over and asks how everything is. "Terrible," she says, then flashes an ear-to-ear, killer smile. "This should really be on the permanent menu. So yummy."

Bryant plans on making Golden Bridge Yoga class part of her daily routine while in town, just as she plans on making Lafayette House her home away from home. "It takes the boutique hotel to the next level," she says. With a squeaky stairwell, antique-filled rooms, and slightly chipped ceilings, the 15-room brownstone building is more New Orleans than New York. It is the secret inn from Maritime and Bowery Hotel owners Sean Macpherson and Eric Goode. There is no concierge and room service stops after lunch. "But this is New York. Everyone delivers. I love how it's quiet and home. The rooms have fireplaces and the staff is really sweet. It feels like you’re in someone's cozy townhouse apartment."

Finally panna cotta with berries is served. “I have to come back for this meal tomorrow,” says the actress, who has a binder of materials from the festival to review and is deciding whether to take her bike and find a patch of grass in Battery Park or go back to her room’s "super-comfortable bed.”

“I see you hated it," the waiter says, taking away the spotless empty plate. The actress replies deadpan, "Awful. Just absolutely awful," with a twinkle in her eyes.

~Sara Costello


Second photo by fragvine via Flickr
Third photo by Gregory Goode
Fifth photo, still shot from Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins
All other photos by Sara Costello

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Mixing necessity with trendiness, going “green” is now a certified cultural phenomenon. However, few take it as literally as the Hungarian-born “green graffiti” artist Edina Tokodi, whose work has been sprucing up the streets of New York City in the form of animal-shaped moss installations. Tokodi’s eco-art art brings to light the urban dweller’s lack of access to natural greenery, enlivening an otherwise concrete jungle. By placing her renegade installations from Williamsburg to Coney Island in a continually-expanding project, Tokodi has not only caught the eye of New York’s pedestrians, but now, the attention of Philadelphia’s transportation system, SEPTA, who recently commissioned her to produce their campaign to promote the environmental benefits of using of mass transit.

A vegetarian with a taste for the greener side, Tokodi made a fitting subject to sample the East Village’s hip and healthy hot spot, Counter— which recently became a "Certified Green Restaurant" by implementing several sustainable practices, to be built upon each year. This environmentally conscious and popular vegetarian bistro, opened by natural-food aficionado Deborah Gavito in 2003, serves seasonally-fresh cuisine and an impressive selection of organic martinis and biodynamic wines— some even featured in their “Rebel of the Month” spotlights on organic winemakers. From one green rebel to another, psychoPEDIA joined Tokodi at Counter on a bustling night to chat over the eatery’s organic offerings:

As we are seated, the manager Frank Cisneros greets us and talks a bit about the steps the restaurant has taken to become “Certified Green.”

What are some of the restaurant’s current sustainable practices?
FC: We’d had energy-efficient lighting and a temperature-control system with micro thermometers, so there’s not an ounce of energy wasted. Last year, we worked with a company to re-use our fryer oil and installed low-pump spray valves in our kitchen cleaning systems that use a tenth of the water normally used to wash dishes. Along with recently purchased motion sensors for the service areas to control the lights, one of the steps we’re doing this year is installing aerators in all our faucets, that adds air to water so you use less of it.

Any future practices you hope to adapt?
FC: We're looking for a good producer of to-go containers made of bagasse— a fibrous, sugarcane material you can process as a plastic that’s biodegradable in 90 days. We’re also in talks to get energy-efficient hand dryers, and a long-term project is LED lights for our awning that are powered by solar panels.

What do you think of the “green” and “organic” movements?
ET: It’s kind of a shame. People go green or environmentally friendly, but somewhere on the side, it’s very sad. It should be normal.

How did you get involved in the SEPTA project?
An advertisement agency, Red Tettemer, searched for me, because they had seen one of my other projects. They came up with the idea for the moss campaign and did all the backgrounds and posters. Then my collaborator and I did the whole moss installation. It took about a month to put the materials together at home and one week to install them, which was a hard job.

What was the process to install the moss pieces?
We spent five days at the station in Philadelphia. The interesting thing is, the agency put the posters up before we installed the moss. At first, everyone went by and didn’t take a look at all. But after we installed the moss, people actually stopped and got more interested in the campaign than they were before.

The waiter brings us bread with tofu-garlic dipping sauce as we ponder over the extensive wine list before deciding on glasses of biodynamic Beaujolais.

Despite endless wine choices, what do you think of the minimal food menu?
I always have a really hard time choosing. I’m happy when there aren’t too many choices. And here, everything sounds very good.

For starters, we order on the Mezze— a selection of 3 appetizers— the roast beet salad with chevre, spinach and feta cheese cigars, and panisse with aioli (chickpea fries). For an entrée, Tokodi chooses the Vegetable Tasting Mosaic— which includes a market-fresh array including Portobello mushroom roulade, sautéed haricots verts & escararole, and whipped maple sweet potatoes.

Reactions to the appetizer spread?
My favorites were the spinach cigars and the beets. Usually, I don’t like onions or scallions, but I thought this was really good.

Tell me more about the concept behind your street “graffiti.”
I made a trip to Japan a couple of years ago and was inspired by the zen gardens— they give you so much energy. I still think about the garden in the house where I grew up. It was nothing special when I was there, but here in New York, it’s unaffordable. The idea for these installations is that people are so far from this kind of life.

How do you want people to connect with the installations?
The main idea is that these installations are interactions. When people see them on the street, I want them to get close— touch them and feel them. Maybe they’ve never touched any moss before.

Entrees arrive, and Tokodi navigates her way around the plate, tasting each vegetable one by one.

What do you think about the assorted vegetable dish?
It’s very good. I like the type of food that has it’s own taste. That’s why I love real Italian food— zucchini tastes like zucchini. [With this dish], I love the sweet potato. But, I like everything.

After polishing our plates, we review the dessert menu. Following the waiter’s recommendations, we choose: a crème brulee— vanilla custard with candied orange peel & drizzled with kiwi-berry sauce, and chocolate fondue— valhrona & callebaut chocolate served with fresh fruit and coffee-walnut cake.

Despite the pricier nature of organic menus, would you still choose to eat somewhere like Counter over the McDonald's across the street?
I’d rather not eat at all if I don’t find something that’s good. I like to eat, and I like to eat things that are good quality.

Does it make you feel better eating here, knowing the sustainable practices the restaurant has installed?
If you’re running a restaurant, you should be responsible for these kinds of things. If you run it in a crazy way, you create a lot of waste. With this restaurant— these are simple things. But now, we’ve gotten to the point where it’s getting very serious, and everything counts.

~Leann Peterson


For more information on the steps and benefits to becoming a "Certified Green Restaurant," check out the website for the Green Restaurant Association.

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At one point, the London party scene was a depressingly divided place. The punks would be in one club listening to The Cramps and The Strokes , while hip-hop kids would be in another club listening to Biggie Smalls and Dipset. “So, what happens if you like the Strokes and Biggie?” you ask. Well, to put it bluntly, you were fucked. You’d have to pay to go to two different clubs, and that sucked, because if you were just about to get lucky with a hot chick/dude, you’d have to cut your conversation short and risk going home alone.

Luckily, a whole swarm of ‘new-school’ DJs were determined to fuck with the rules and play whatever they wanted. Alax and Seb from Tapedeck were amongst the movement, and they now head their own label Meal Deal Records and do remixes for artists from Kate Nash to Klaxons. psychoPEDIA caught up with Tapedeck’s Alax who filled us in on his obsession with comics:

When did you first get into comics?
I think I was about 5 years old when my Dad bought me a massive comics annual for my birthday. I was also really into Calvin & Hobbes as a kid.

Where do you get yours from?
There's this place in Harrow called Calamity. I get them there because that’s where I live. There's also a comic book fair that happens every now and then in some hotel in London, which is pretty cool for picking up cheap stuff.

How many do you own?
Loads. To be honest, I’m more of a graphic-novel kind of dude these days, so I've got hundreds of those.

What do you like so much about them?
Any form of media which can have spin-off action figures is cool.

Favorite character and why?
I have to be really obvious and say Batman. I just relate to him being a depressive person with a father who is a popular on the property scene.

Can you remember the worst you've ever read?
Man, I read some Batman comic the other day called Arkham Asylum. It was really bad. I don't want some Charlotte Bronte-esque backstory about the asylum's history ruining my comic-reading high. Also, the art really sucked. It was like Batman as rewritten by a Lacuna Coil fan..

What’s your favorite movie adaptation of a comic book?
I really liked the first Spiderman film. I liked it so much that I even went and saw it again in France when it was dubbed into French. The worst is easily the recent Punisher movie. Why did it suck so bad? I think it was because he didn't violently annihilate enough people's lives.

Have you ever dressed up as a comic book character during sex?
I dressed up as the The Flash once. It was over in a second.

Do you think Spiderman could ever take Batman?
No way. A little self-doubt, schoolwork, relationship problems, and he's scared of heights? All Batman would need to do is Photoshop a picture of Bruce Wayne boning Mary Jane, and Peter Parker would lose the ability to climb walls and shoot webs. Have you not seen the movies?

What character do you think is the biggest pussy?
I really don't have much time for Superman. I don't think you can call him a pussy in the conventional sense of the word, because he is pretty brave and does have the strength to move planets. But there's just something about his face. No matter which artist renders it, that screams “pussy!" The biggest pussies are emotional pussies. Think about it.

Have you ever been sexually attracted to a character from a comic?
There some chick with a tail in Black Hole by Charles Burns who is really fit, but I think she only goes for guys who can remove their skin like a lizard.

What’s Tapedeck up to this year?
We both hate the fucking shit out of bulls, so we're training ourselves to become matadors. The music is just a way for us to fund all the bull-killing.

~Donald Crunk @ Styleslut


Go There:
Calamity, 17-19 Springfield Road, Harrow, HA1 1QF, UK. +44 20 8427 3831

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Just a couple of years ago, nobody cared much about frozen yogurt. In New York, as frozen yogurt chains disappeared in the '90s, Tasti D-Lite proved an acceptable alternative. All over the city, folks queued out the door as they waited to pay far too much for what was essentially the ghost of an ice cream cone.

Then in 2005, a Korean-American woman, Shelly Hwang, opened Pinkberry, a small frozen yogurt store in Los Angeles, unknowingly launching a culinary revolution. It became a West Coast phenomenon. Lines spilled onto neighboring property, stores opened up and down the California coast, and New York saw its first of the franchise open on West 32nd St. in Little Korea-- before surfacing in Chelsea, the Upper East Side, SoHo, and Greenwich Village. And soon to open is a location on West 58th St. opposite the monolithic Time Warner Center-– a tiny space which might have a hard time accommodating all the time-crunched CNN employees who will miss major news if their break lasts too long. (Hopefully Anderson Cooper will get a VIP pass.)

Pinkberry had rightfully earned the nicknames "Crackberry" and "frozen heroin juice" among its unwavering disciples. Manhattan now has frozen yogurt stores in all neighborhoods, most of which bear some semblance to Pinkberry's aesthetic cuteness and trademark dairy product. Yet among all the outlets that surfaced, there would, naturally, be some ample offerings around town...and psychoPEDIA checked them out:

We started in Brooklyn, the Earth Mother's answer to Pinkberry lies on northern Fifth Avenue in Oko, a shop hidden under a canopy made of solar paneling. A treehugger's dream, virtually everything in Oko is made from something else: bamboo, potato starch, sunflower seeds. And with dried apricots and gooseberries offered among its toppings, Oko has cemented its place as the hippie's dairy merchant of choice. Oko's flavors include creamsicle, wildberry, and chocolate, all of which are all delicious.

On to Williamsburg, where /eks/ (pronounced "X") sits in a humble, spacious basement-level space that serves several flavors of fro-yo. Upon a recent visit, a mother and daughter looking as if they'd just arrived from Long Island, spent an ample amount of time deciding whether or not to go with original or coconut. The original flavor at /eks/ is the least sweet of all we sampled, which makes it a great snack after an intense softball game at nearby McCarren Park.

Red Mango has two locations, one of which sits directly across the street from Pinkberry on Bleecker Street, Wild West showdown-style. If Red Mango didn't serve an excellent, creamier alternative to Pinkberry, it surely wouldn't have survived this long. If you've got a hankering for a smoother, more dense texture–- like gelato or ice cream–- Red Mango's the place to go. It definitely fits more into the "dessert" category-- but only has 90 calories a serving.

Yogo Monster steps up the game with ... cones! As expected, their frozen yogurt retains a delightfully tougher, shell-like texture that keeps it from slithering out of your sugar cone. They also have blueberry yogurt, which maintains the especially tarty tang of their original flavor with the added bonus of berry goodness. All of these qualities made Yogo Monster– which stepped into the FroYo game relatively late– a strong contender.

Larry Forgione's Signature Café and 40 Carrots at Lord & Taylor and Bloomingdale's, respectively, both offer frozen yogurt in their indoor, windowless cafes. Each establishment's offerings are very good, as well, if you're looking for more of an alternative to ice cream. Lord & Taylor comes out on top in this case, thanks not only to their offerings of fresh cherry and rhubarb toppings, but also in the opportunity provided to bear witness to the frighteningly bitchy behavior exhibited toward the wait staff by the elderly Ladies Who Lunch (and shop). On the wall sit square pegs that radiate changing pastel colors, which further places one in a time machine where, as the patrons age, the decor remains about as contemporary as Epcot's imagining of the future circa 1985.

~Eliot Glazer


Go There:
/eks/, 488 Driggs Ave, Brooklyn. (718) 599-1706
Yogo Monster, 88 7th Ave, Brooklyn
Larry Forgione's Signature Cafe, 424 Fifth Ave, NYC. (212) 391-3015
40 Carrots, 1000 Third Ave, NYC. (212) 705-3085
Flurt, 284 3rd Ave, NYC. (212) 777-6177
Yolato, 168 W 27th St, NYC. (212) 366-5960


First photo by jrgts via Flickr
Third photo by Melissa Hom
All other photos by Eliot Glazer

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Aussie electronic-rockers, Cut Copy, know a thing or two about music and fashion. Considering the amount of hip cities they’ve seen while on tour, the inevitable sights of chic dressers has become commonplace. So it’s no surprise they loaned themselves to test out a few pairs of AG (Adriano Goldschmied) jeans while in New York City performing at not just one, but two, sold-out shows; Brooklyn’s Studio B and Manhattan’s Mercury Lounge two nights later.

Founded in 2000 by long-time garment guru, Adriano Goldschmied, the denim brand has since been known within the fashion community as a classic and sophisticated brand. AG handpicked three pairs for the trio– The Teddyboy in a Jet Black wash, and the Stockholm in a Raw Wash and Black Jack Wash– that fused AG’s more classic look with the band’s edgy aesthetic.

Originally a solo effort by lead singer, songwriter, and keyboardist Dan Whitford, Cut Copy later branched out to include Mitchell Scott and bassist Tim Hoey to round out their bridging synth-pop-electronic-disco soundscape. Tim Goldsworthy of DFA records fame took notice and subsequently produced their sophomore LP, In Ghost Colours, out this March on indie-favorite label, Modular Recordings.

Despite hectic scheduling in preparation for their next show, Scott, Hoey and Whitford were able to squeeze in some time with psychoPEDIA to chat about their new AG denim and find out what trends are evolving down under:

What was it like to work with Tim Goldsworthy?
MS: We recorded in the DFA studios here in New York City and were really excited to work with him. Tim’s work is really good quality and his way of production is great. Just being in the studio where they always work in is really cool– right in his own environment. Some of the psychedelic direction he gave us, and generally the way DFA records have gone into lately, was interesting–- the take on the noisy guitar elements, like that shoe-gaze-y My Bloody Valentine elements . The direction given to us in the studio was an unexpected surprise for us, but it was brilliant.

What did you think of the jeans?
MS: The main thing I liked from the jeans was that they weren’t anything too crazy. No brightly colored, crazy or big logos…

How do they fit?
MS: Tight fit, hipsters…

Your favorite thing about them?
MS: [It’s nice that they’re] just normal straight leg, skinny jeans without not too much decoration, trimmings, or stupid stuff. Just a classic look and color to them.

Would you say jeans and fashion in general are being pushed more in America or is it the same on your home turf?
MS: Depends on where you go. There are certain subcultures and smaller communities within the bigger cities that are probably more out there with fashion, and Australia certainly has a lot of that. Many kids in Australia are getting a lot more out there with fashion and color with tailored clothes. I’d say I run across it more in Australia than over here.
TH: I think a certain trend that’s happening in fashion in Australia is that boys are taking more pride in their appearance when they go out to clubs. Something I noticed with an article I read in the paper back home in Australia that boys are spending more time in their appearance when kids are going out. I see kids wearing $1000 leather jackets. And I’m thinking to myself, I could have never bought that kind of clothing when I was at the university! There’s this new phenomenon in Australia where boys are overtaking the girls; trying to push the fashion scene I guess.

Between Melbourne and Sydney, which city would you say is more fashion-conscious and pushing the envelope?
MS: There are a lot more Melbourne-based labels. We have a lot of friends who live and work there. I think Sydney is a lot louder; brighter colors and such. I think it reflects the weather. Nobody is really jumping out in pastels in Melbourne, that’s only really happening in Sydney.

Does the band wear jeans much on tour?
DW: All the time. It’s great because you get away without washing them for three weeks while touring, which I don’t recommend.
MS: Yeah… that’s totally true.

~Jessica McMenamin


First photo by Emilie Elizabeth
Third photo by Tommy Salmon
Fourth photo by Tim Cashmere via Flickr
Fifth photo courtesy of Cut Copy

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Ipso Facto have crept into the consciousness of the young British public like a black and white vision of kittens jumping through magnifying glasses in a dream you once had after a night of red wine, Disney movies, and licorice cigarettes. These dream-like visions are not randomly conjured likenesses, but rather, what one imagines when listening to the band who were recently earmarked by a popular English broadsheet as the sole inspiration for YSL's show for Paris Fashion Week.

The four young girls— singer Rosie Cunningham, drummer Victoria Smith, keyboardist Cherish Kaya, and bassist Samantha Valentine— have come a long way in their first year together. Having started with a handful of psychedelic fairground ditties, they have hurtled into ‘08 with a number of sold-out singles and support shows for Yeasayer, and have become mini fashion icons. When a band this exciting comes around, most people obsess over the immediate now’s, how’s, and why’s— but with Ipso Facto, one can’t help but imagine them in ten years— playing with a full orchestra, with their own film, comic book, cartoon show, and faces splattered on lunch boxes.

psychoPEDIA got together with Cunningham and Smith to discuss cartoons, the Spice Girls, and the things they can’t live without:

What can't you live without these days?
RC: The black beret, because you can hide behind that. It pushes your fringe down so people can’t see that you have no eye make up on, you can go out with no makeup and shit clothes on, but as long as you have that black beret, you can survive.
VS: What about black tights?
RC: Yeah, but everyone has them. The black beret is better. If I feel rough, I can put on the black beret, and I’ll be fine.
VS: OK, then my drumsticks from Vic Firth, I can’t live without them. I break a set of sticks every gig. But we are talking song lifespan here. Regular sticks last two songs, but Vic Firth [last] about seven songs. Without them I wouldn’t be able to drum.

Are you quite anal about what instruments you use, then?
RC: I have always been a bit of a guitar pervert. It’s not a new thing, and it’s not like I can afford any of the guitars I perve [lust] over.
VS: I have that with electric drum kits as well, just because I could never afford one.

What instruments would you get if you had the money?
RC: Easy— a 1965 Fender Mustang in cream and brown.
VS: Mine would be a Roland B Series, but any grade really. It’s an electric drum kit for those who don’t know.

Were you just lucky that your style was similar in the group, or was there ever a point where you had to say to another band member, “You can’t wear those jeans on stage!”
RC: When we met we were lucky that we came from hanging out at the same places and dressed very similarly. But the whole black and white thing was a conscious decision— only so we could have some kind of uniform that people could identify [us] with.

Doesn’t the fact everyone could look like you in a year scare you?
VS: Kind of, because what if it becomes faddy? If it's connected with fashion, then it’s a short term thing, and we aren’t a short term thing and don’t want to be involved with a fad.

Is this black and white aesthetic something you’d like to stick with, like Ramones' philosophy of “dress the same till you die?"
VS: I would rather that than have to “Madonna-it-up” and keep re-inventing myself. That would totally go against our authenticity.
RC: We will develop, but perhaps not image-wise— definitely musically. The other day, I turned up to a gig in brown and white and got in a bit of trouble.

Is there a danger that so early in your careers, you could be scared to change anything?
RC: Not really. If we stick to the whole "look" thing, that means we can experiment however we like with the music.
VS: It’s interesting how the simplicity and predictability of image can draw people in obsessively.
RC: And the Spice Girls were a prime example of that. Victoria’s your Scary Spice. I would be Ginger, the confident one with the big boobs. Sam is Posh, the sexy one. And Cherish is the youngest, so she is Baby Spice.

I could also see you guys as a cartoon show like The Beatles had.
RC: Funny you say that, because some old guy approached us after a gig [saying] that he was an animator and that we were literally perfect cartoon material. I wish we could be made into a cartoon.

Is it strange hearing people describe you as being “too cool for school?”
RC: I guess we do seem like a sophisticated black-and-white, Nazi secretary, harsh females kind of thing, but it’s not how we are as people. We are more like cartoon characters in real life.

~Kevin Soar


Second photo by masatoo_hirano via Flickr
Third photo by K-Camp via Flickr
Fifth photo by 154 Photography via Flickr
Sixth photo by graguitar via Flickr
Eighth photo by Kevin Soar
Ninth photo via STEREO4
Tenth & Eleventh photos by John Lewis via Flickr

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