Paul Gorman

DJ = Don’t Join! The Barney Bubbles x Jake Riviera influence in The Last Jedi

//Left: DJ figure; right: Music press ad, January 1979. Image: Brooklyn Vegan//

Thanks to my FB friend Vadim Kosmos for alerting me to this (I am not keen on Star Wars so avoid media coverage): a reference in the latest film in the franchise, The Last Jedi, to the Barney Bubbles/Jake Riviera advertising campaign for Elvis Costello And The Attractions’ 1979 LP Armed Forces.

In The Last Jedi Benicio del Toro plays an opportunistic hacker referred to as “DJ”; for some time there has been speculation as to what the initials stand for.

Now director Rian Johnson has revealed they represent “Don’t Join!”, the slogan used in British music press ads for Armed Forces which featured in my Bubbles’ monograph Reasons To Be Cheerful.

Continue reading DJ = Don’t Join! The Barney Bubbles x Jake Riviera influence in The Last Jedi

The Story Of The Face x NYC at Sonos in SoHo

I am again partnering with Sonos for a fresh brace of exhibitions at the home audio specialist’s London and New York stores.

Following the successful Song Stories: David Bowie displays in each outlet, I have organised two shows to mark the recent publication of my book The Story Of The Face. Each has site-tailored exhibits, including original articles and covers from my magazine library, scaled-up enlargements and precious archival material provided by The Face founder, editor and publisher Nick Logan.

Continue reading The Story Of The Face x NYC at Sonos in SoHo

Dancing at the Tottenham Royal, driving across town for a decent spag bol, the hip young gunslingers NME ad, founding The Face and much, much more: Listen to Nick Logan talk about his London with Gary Crowley

 

For the ‘My London’ slot on his BBC Radio London programme, British broadcaster Gary Crowley has conducted an illuminating interview (with musical choices) with Nick Logan, editor, publisher and hands-down the greatest British magazine innovator of our time.

Continue reading Dancing at the Tottenham Royal, driving across town for a decent spag bol, the hip young gunslingers NME ad, founding The Face and much, much more: Listen to Nick Logan talk about his London with Gary Crowley

The Story Of The Face in Amsterdam

//Athenaeum has done the book proud with this splendid window display. Photo: Athenaeum//

The Story Of The Face is coming to Amsterdam on Friday (December 15).

In an event at the city’s NewWerktheater organised by leading Netherlands bookshop Athenaeum Nieuwscentrum, I’ll be making a visual presentation about the magazine that changed culture.

Afterwards I’ll talk about the enduring influence of The Face and my new book The Story Of The Face with Gert Jonkers, founder of Butt and Fantastic Man and publisher of The Gentlewoman and COS Magazine.

If you’re in town please come along. Tickets from aanmelden@athenaeum.nl

Love goddess Mrs Scully revealed: The Ortonesque court case which informed the Sex t-shirt You’re Gonna Wake Up

//From The Times, September 24, 1974. Courtesy Matthew Worley//
//Mrs Scully features on the “right” side of the shirt after a reference to George Dangerfield’s book The Strange Death Of Liberal England//
//A 1970s issue of Mistress magazine//

I’m grateful to British academic Matthew Worley for having enlightened me as to the identity of “Mrs Scully”, whose name was among those printed on the You’re Gonna Wake Up us-and-them t-shirt first sold in Sex at 430 King’s Road in the autumn of 1974.

Continue reading Love goddess Mrs Scully revealed: The Ortonesque court case which informed the Sex t-shirt You’re Gonna Wake Up

In conversation with Chris Salewicz about the early days of The Face at Bookseller Crow on Tuesday

//John Lydon. From The Face issue 8, December 1980. Photo: Sheila Rock//
//Grace Jones. From The Face issue 6, October 1980. Main photo: Jill Furmanovsky//
//Divine. From The Face issue 9, January 1981. Photo: Sheila Rock//

Here’s a selection of articles for early issues of The Face by veteran music journalist/author (and my old mucker) Chris Salewicz to mark the fact that he and I will be in conversation about my new book The Story Of The Face at leading south London independent bookshop Bookseller Crow on Tuesday evening (November 28).

Continue reading In conversation with Chris Salewicz about the early days of The Face at Bookseller Crow on Tuesday

Signing copies of The Story Of The Face at Paul Smith Beak Street this week

I’m signing copies of my new book The Story Of The Face at Paul Smith’s Beak Street store in London’s Soho on Thursday evening.

Smith’s shop is opposite the address of one of my all-time favourite fashion outlets, Demob, which was at 47 Beak Street in the early to mid-80s.

//Page 5, The Face 25, May 1982//

In fact Demob’s opening was heralded in a spring 1982 issue of The Face, with a report by Anne Witchard and photographs by Neil Matthews.

If you’re in town drop in to 46-48 Beak Street on Thursday evening and say hi.

The Story Of The Face: The Magazine That Changed Culture is out now.