“Letters from Russia” (excerpt and art) in Rain Zine (Radical Art in Nature) Spring, 2010
Cover art by Jer Crowle, also includes Kris Krug, Dan Mangan, Bex Apostoli , Dorian Taylor, Carla Bergman and Indigo
A “literary fanzine” produced as a project at Utah Valley Community College (formerly Utah Technical College, later Utah Valley State College > Utah Valley University) for Larry Harper’s inaugural “creative writing hono(u)rs” program (course number 201H – hence the title).
At this time, I was working the night shift at the college library and had access to copy machines so, the final product was produced in one weird night. Design and layout by frequent collaborator Brandon G Kiggins and me, while Larry’s miraculous Army-trained typing speed banged out tuned-up text as needed. Assembled in classic “scissors and glue” style with magazine clippings, ephemera and oddities as design elements.
My contributed story, “What I thought in Sweetgrass” is included below in full, along with Brandon’s sudden story, and a short poem by Larry – the rest is (probably) available upon request/permission by the creators.
A few other “meta pages” ergo: preface; table of contents; a section of “obituaries” as author bios; and a signature page – are included for historical record.
See also: “What I Thought In Sweetgrass” story
This boombox travelled far, abandoned like most of my possessions of the time in beloved VW bus “the Earthship”. AOT was band with friends (and i was like part0time extra member, JV if you will) in Surrey (Vancouver), BC. There is a cassette “Music to Eat Lightbulbs By” (and some photos to come in another dossier at some point) and a post at Melonville Hardc0r3 with more riffs and a comment by me (re-purposed below):
I was neighbours and friends with Kamel Gill and the rest of the band during this time. Brad Rees who played drums is next to Eric (second from left) in the photo above. This was at John Barley’s on Cordova St gastown. Eric was only one of legal age. The poster from the Bumper’s gig was DOAs first time in Surrey (Bumpers was an “all-ages” club with rockers on one side and “wavers” on the other). AOT rocked it and was a super fun night. Yeah the band was from Surrey / Whalley. Kamel lived near 96th and 124th st. Dan Walters who contrib’d the above did Terminally Stupid fanzine and i an archivist of Van punk/hardcore/whatever history. Now plays in Christ Air. I know Eric does photography and i think a CiTR show. Brad (drummer) was my best pal and great musician. I also make VOM fanzine with Kamel in 84-85 before i moved away.
My dear ole grandfather, Robert “Bob” Stevenson (rip), (one of many Bob/Roberts in our extended family), fired up a family newsletter for various extended cousins and uncles and aunts et al… Of course, this sort of project requires a lot of wrangling of assignments to generate content which he then dutifully typed, laid out, re-produced and distributed (yes i come from all this honestly). When he was expressing frustration about lack of input from various family members, brother Bob and I volunteered to guest edit an issue. Of course, we put our own style to the dispatch with mail bombs, clipped cartoons, corny jokes, plagiarized punk rock lyrics along with the various “scene reports” from extended family units.
I’ve shared a few pages here – with some minor crops – to provide a flavour of the publication while retaining some semblance of discretion as to not shock or offend any family members (any further).
The 2nd of a couple of VOM fanzines i did with Kamel / he was the ringleader, i was the “associate editor”.
This #2 had with Joey Ramone at the Commodore on the cover (bev. davies photo) and i was “upgraded” from contributor to associate editor from vol. 1 #bigtime
Vol. 2 was printed at my Mom’s real estate office on Scott rd. and ended up costing way too much to reproduce despite stealing paper from a nearby elementary school.
Along with Ramones at The Commodore, included reviews of Dead Kennedys at York Theatre, Hot Spot Dancers interview, The Dull and a big ad from Toxic Shock records which was the best part of the making the fanzine (records!) So much good music and lively scenes.
More about these incidents in VOM #1 riff including comments from Dan Walters and Kai Erichson from those days/times when Kamel’s name surfaced in another conversation (about band AOT which followed shortly after the fanzine (FB).
Note: (repeated elsewhere…) Kamel was a force of nature, a complete reckless maniac but just got things done and while i didn’t get “credit” so much, I learned a lot about hustling productions and rolling yer own media & used knowledge to get into loads of shows and help out bands.
See also: “front row, surrounded by pals, lost in music” for more about this era of life and these characters
One of a couple of VOM fanzines i did with Kamel / he was the ringleader, i was the ummm assistant.
This #1 includes (among interviews with bands Bill of Rights, Unknown Fibres, Shanghai Dog) a fake concert review of the “Ultimate Trendies” which was Kamel, me, Brad and Frank Baker doing a Sex Pistols air band at my church gymnasium (we didn’t win) + real reviews of actual great shows at York Theatre. #2 had with Joey Ramone at the Commodore on the cover.
Kamel was a force of nature, a complete reckless maniac but just got things done and while i didn’t get “credit” so much, I learned a lot about hustling productions and rolling yer own media & used knowledge to get into loads of shows and help out bands.
When Kamel’s name surfaced in another conversation (about band AOT which followed shortly after the fanzine) Dan Walters (punk scene erstwhile archivist and historian) who made Terminally Stupid fanzine, and Kai Erichson who also rolled in that circle and i riffed some memories of making these publications.
Me: Remember working on VOM fanzine in his basement bedroom while his dead grandmother laid “in state” upstairs and all the relatives came to visit. Also, riding buses to the York Theatre with him & Brad Rees many times.
VxOxMx vol 1 “masthead” – I “upgraded” from contributor to associate editor by volume two #bigtime
VxOxMx vol 2 was printed at my Mom’s real estate office on scott rd. Featuring Joey Ramone photo by Bev Davies
Dan Walters: Ha! My drawing on there…and the letraset I swiped from school. Shit, haven’t seen these in 34 years. Cheers
Me: Also Dan Walters Glad I could surprise and amuse you with those VOM artifacts after all the goodness you share out to the Internet. My time in the “scene” was obviously aborted with the move to Utah so your documentation helps me fill in the gaps that I missed out on.
PS worth noting that ending up in Utah with my punk concert experiences in Vancouver and a fake ID, made it a lot of fun. Saw & played in lots of bands, got backstage, “media” access blah blah blah
Kai Erichsen: I remember you Dave. And the photocopy fiasco at your mom’s work lol! Fuck we were all so broke but we made shit happen. Fun!
Dave Olson: Kai Erichsen i heard about that from her for yeeeeaaaarrsss – ha!
Kai Erichsen: Kamal stole the paper too… boxes of it.
Dan Walters: Kai- we broke into my old elementary school and ditched boxes of paper in the bushes, went back and got them after dark, lol.
Dave Olson: Kai Erichsen yeah we’d roll into Cedar Hills elementary school and just take it. i remember some “adult” trying to stop us one time and we just kept going – hanging with you and Kamel made me feel a lot tougher and taller!
See also: “front row, surrounded by pals, lost in music” for more about this era of life and these characters
Pig Express – community newspaper, made on a “ditto” mimeograph machine while living in Guildford, Surrey (BC, Canada), in 1979.
Made with pal Chris Goodman, with comic contribution by cousin Tally Bachman.
Find Volume 1 “Eclipse of the Sun” & Volume 2 “Canucks and Swedish Hockey” in this archive
“Pigs Around World” with illustrations of yup, Pigs, in various traditional/stereotypical guises of various countries –including indigenous & colonial representatives for some locales. Circa 1978.
Continue reading Folio: Pigs Around the World / illustrated book, ca. 1979
Preamble: I shared stories about growing Hootsuite on a grassroots level and break down tools and tactics in this “Conversations with Community Managers” audio pod interview from May 27, 2010.
Details: Conversations with Community Managers – Dave Olson (Hootsuite) Episode #9 features Dave Olson, Marketing Director for HootSuite, which helps people and companies track, monitor and manage their Twitter communities.
Audio: Sharing Social Marketing Stories for Communities – Community Roundtable, 2010
Transcription:
Note: this transcription was performed by Jimmy M. in Kenya with best efforts. Any feedback + errors or omissions are welcome. Also, i do not work for Hootsuite as of Sept 2017 and views are not the company’s etc.
Welcome to conversations with Community Managers, a podcast series with actual Community Managers from a variety of Industries. On this podcast, we peel back the hype and get into ‘how to’ discussions that uncover community and social media management best practices. Conversations with Community Managers is a co-production of Voce Communications and the Community Roundtable.
Doug Haslam: This is Doug Haslam from Voce Communications.
Jim Storer: And Jim Storer from the Community Roundtable.
Doug: And with us is Dave Olson, the Marketing Director for Hootsuite joining us from Vancouver…North Vancouver I guess, right?
Dave: Well the office is in right here in downtown Vancouver but I live up in the hills of North Vancouver right on the side of the mountain so I get to sort of descend from the upper reaches into the city each day.
Jim: Beautiful.
Doug: About your title, so Marketing Director which is pretty traditional and old school but you say you like to call yourself Community Wrangler. Can you explain what that means?
Dave: Oh really underneath what I do at marketing and it really includes everything from the messaging and the PR and the public relations, media relations as well as support, all those things tie back into telling our story and building a community culture around all that. So I prefer Community Wrangler just because it sounds a little less corporate but really things like support is the new marketing and community building is the new marketing. So a lot of the things that traditionally would be done by a marketing director, I do them clearly differently, to say the least. Continue reading Sharing Social Marketing Stories for Communities – Community Roundtable, 2010 – Transcription
Pig Express – community newspaper, made on a “ditto” mimeograph machine while living in Guildford, Surrey (BC, Canada), in 1979.
Indeed the signs of an apocalypse are abundant but we humans are creative and courageous and will persevere for at least another decade or three.
In olden times, next Monday’s eclipse would be interpreted in a variety of ways reflecting scourges and flights and varieties of doom, whereas now we choose to observe for scientific and orgasmic purposes.
+ + Impending Eclipse of the Sun ~ a DIY guide + +
No doubt, those of you in the eclipse zone are scrambling to find the prescribe spectacles for safe viewing. For those of you who do not have those, may I present a DIY guide for making your own eclipse viewer?
While I prepared this valuable document in 1979, I suspect it’s still relevant as that scant passage of years doesn’t really count as “time” in the solar context.
This was my first blog/social media/publication endeavour along with Chris Goodman, Surrey 1979.
Enjoy and be sure to share for your eclipse viewing friends’ safety!
Dave Olson, publisher Pig Express
Pig Express – community newspaper, made on a “ditto” mimeograph machine while living in Guildford, Surrey (BC, Canada), in 1979.
This edition’s coverage included Canucks hockey (including then-GM’s revolutionary trip to Sweden), solar eclipses, new stadiums, malls, libraries, movies, hockey scoring leaders, and other important topics.
Also featured illustrations of instructional and/or comix.
Made with pal Chris Goodman, note contribution by cousin Tally Bachman.
