Hey you! Remember print? Step away from the monitor for a bit and pick up something beautiful.The first new issue of One More Robot in over a year is out now. Available to buy in Dublin or worldwide via: http://onemorerobot.storenvy.com/collections/58668-all-products/products/4067213-one-more-robot-issue-12-the-crime-issue
I do so want you to have one, If you’re curious at all take a chance and order a copy.
Here’s my “Letter from the Editor”…
“It’s been a long time. We shouldn’t have left you…”
Only joking. But it has been a minute since the release of our last issue as we slide into a looser publishing scheduled than the quarterly release dates. Now One More Robot only drops when the time is right, meaning more time to nail our chosen subject matter and, hopefully, produce a better product all round. It’s always my intention that each issue is a work that stays relevant with age (maybe even improves) and that it will sit on reader’s shelves long after landing on their coffee table for the first time. So do please forgive us for the delay while we worked on getting this one right. I think it was worth it.
Despite the extended absence, this issue’s theme really feels like a natural progression from our previous 11 editions. As a magazine focused on popular culture, crime is an unavoidable matter. The thorny topics of murder, theft and other indiscretions have proved irresistible for writers, musicians, artists and filmmakers from the birth of every relevant medium. From the earliest films, like Edwin S. Porter’s 1903 silent The Great Train Robbery, through to narrative-strong hip-hop masterpieces like The Notorious BIG’s Ready to Die and Jay-Z’s Reasonable Doubt and, more recently, RTE’s biggest ever self-produced hit Love/Hate; the fear, glamour and general “otherness” of criminal activity have gripped he public. This issue attempts to pull the wide scope of crime in pop culture into focus.
Taking our lead from previous essays penned by genre aficionado Michael A. Gonzales on Jim Thompson (issue 8) and Ken Bruen (issue 11), crime literature is a focal point. Nadene Ryan speaks to writer Declan Burke, whose work in pulp fiction is not limited to his own series of novels but also his blog, which documents the Irish crime writing scene, while Sam Weiss examines how Paul Auster’s New York Trilogy reinvigorated the genre in the eighties. Cinematically, we examine the work of directors Abel Ferrera, Park Chan-wook and Michael Mann in very different ways, as well as profile Neal Baer, whose long contribution to the field includes writing novels and producing/writing hit television.
Of course, crime in popular culture is not limited to fiction. Jonathan Keane’s look into the chilling crimes committed perpetrated by those best known for their work creating black metal music portrays how these lines can blur. Elsewhere, Niamh Hynes’ breakdown of reported crimes against humanity stemming from the rag trade underlines that there is still work to be done to bring the entire fashion world up to an acceptable ethical standard.
But no three-dimensional look at crime and popular culture would be complete without the one crime that terrifies each respective industry: piracy. Before illegal downloads hit and music sales plummeted, home cassette recording was scorned by the music business. Here, Joe Tangari remembers the joy of assembling cassettes of songs taped off the radio. Shooting forward a couple decades, Bay Area producer/rapper Grip Grand found himself in bother when his unauthorised MF DOOM collaboration record GG DOOM? But How? attracted the attention of the masked one’s representatives. I spoke to Grip about the record and his career to date.
Yep, there’s all that and so much more, including a bonus feature that departs from our main theme as David Ma talks to rap duo Blackalicious about their debut release Melodica. With so many classic hip-hop records celebrating their 20th anniversary this year, we couldn’t help but give this one its respect.
Enjoy the read. –Dean Van Nguyen
‘The Crime Issue’ is available to buy in Dublin from All City (Crow Street, Temple Bar), The Record Art and Game Emporium (Fade Street), The Winding Stair Book Shop (Lower Ormond Quay), White Lady Art (Wellington Quay) and worldwide via mail order: http://onemorerobot.storenvy.com/collections/58668-all-products/products/4067213-one-more-robot-issue-12-the-crime-issue
For more information on One More Robot or to keep up to date with the latest news visit www.onemorerobotmagazine.com or follow the magazine on Facebook and Twitter.
