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Denver Zine Fest 2007 & the new MH project...

So its been a few days, So here is what is new.

I have right about $400 in the bank for the new Mostly Harmless Project. $150 came from a DONATION from my wonderful friend Adam. He said he owed it to me for all the dinners, beers, and loans i have loaned him over the last few years. What a great fucking friend..... Anyone else want to donate? iamdamian (at) shrevepunx (dot) com. Paypal me there!! I'm going to go camera shopping real soon, but i am not near my goal of $1000 yet.

The Mostly Harmless project has a new name, It will not be Damian Vs. The World, nor Mostly Harmless, nor Smert nor anything else i have come up with. I'm checking with a few other people before i finally "unveil" it. I want to make sure more than the 2 people who have been very enthusiastic, will like it.


Saturday i went up to Denver to the second annual Zine Fest. It was a good time, and in the 2+ hours we were there, I handed out about 75-100 copies of Mostly Harmless 2, (i still have like 50 of them if anyone wants one..) I had my business card taped to the cover of each one. I met some cool people and hopefully made some cool contacts. Hopefully they will pan out with this new project.

I met Don from Soft Skull press and Newspeak. He was one of the founders of the illustrious Soft Skull press(out of New York) who have published some cool stuff. I know because i spent 30 bucks purchasing stuff from him. He also lives in Manitou and works with the guys from NEWSPEAK. They are looking to do some video stuff in the future, and we talked about me coming in and volunteering/interning and learning some stuff. I'm going to email him later about it...

I also met Jeff who ran Colorado Springs La Mala Manzana, a punk zine that died just as i moved to Colorado. Mostly Harmless was going to replace it, but that was 5.5 years ago and it took me 4 years to get my shit in gear.

I met some other cool kids here and there that do some cool comics and zines. Most of the zines were of the more personal nature, but still very cool I got a very nice stack of free stuff and trades. my favorites were HOT LUNCH out of fort Collins, and Chanimal Planet, both of which i got at the last moment, before we left.

I also met Lonnie Allen who I knew from Livejournal. He even wanted to do some comic strip stuff for Mostly Harmless, but i was too damned lazy to actually go ahead with it. It was nice to put a face to the online name. I joked with one kid, that i didnt know how to interact with people outside of the idiot box of the computer...

I'd say i did well, I've very much come out of my shell, and i owe a lot of it to, umm, i dunno. Just coming out of my shell and utilizing my mutant power of bullshitting and being charming. Actually, I would probably blame these last few months of working the register and truly interacting with People again.

But last, but not least, I have to thank my new friend Jason of Hybrid Magazine for driving my sorry ass up to Denver and back. He's been hounding me for a while now to do stuff for Hybrid Magazine, a webzine based out of denver. I've been too lazy to actually DO anything. heh. He's been wanting to meet up, but selfish me, the first time we meet up, is when i need something from him. A Ride. Thanks again to Jason and his wonderful girlfriend Noell, for the ride! I owe them big time!!!

Here are a few terrible ninja photos from the event!





There was probably about 150-200 people there. But then again i'm bad at estimates. heh.



Jason taking photos.




Lonnie Allen!



Channing Henson maker of Chanimal Planet and the Lovely ladies who names i forgot who make Hot Lunch from Fort collins.



Don from Soft Skull Press.




It was rainy, but gorgeous on the way home.




Jason and Noell, why i didn't take a shot of their faces, i dunno. This is almost cooler.




So, I would have taken more photos, but i was kind of busy talking to strangers... next year I'll get a booth and talk take photos of everyone.

I was very very charged upon leaving the show and really really Jazzed up to do another zine, or restart Mostly Harmless. We'll see what happens with the Video project. It may just spawn a new print zine...

The first REAL band I ever interviewed has broken up...

...and I'm not broken up about it, but yet i am...

Good Riddance Calls it quits.

I have fond memories of me and Michael Burnley driving the 3 hour trek to Dallas, Texas from Shreveport, Louisiana. We got to the Galaxy club 2 hours early, just to do the interview. On the way I got a flat tire just outside of Tyler, Texas. We pulled over and found a tire shop right off our exit and made it to dallas on time to see Good Riddance's Soundcheck of O'Canada.

Russ Rankin was kind of an asshole, but hey I was 17, and inexperienced. It was a great show, and it in a way changed me forever. It was my first show in Dallas, I saw the Ataris for the first of many times, and I saw the ALMIGHTY KID DYNAMITE.... It was a great show and i will remember it forever.

For those curious, that interview is online, in all of its unproofread glory at:
http://shrevepunx.com/iamdamian/interviews/goodriddance.html

Damian Vs. The World?

So I guess its time to talk more about my next project...

The way i see it, print is dying.

Instead of trying to do another print Zine or bringing Mostly Harmless back from the Dead, I'm looking to move forward. I'm looking towards the future.

Instead of joining the OCEAN of webzines and zineblogs and podcasts, I'm looking to move forward to what will be the next phase in the punk rock, D.I.Y. Journalism, movement.

Video.

Your thinking to yourself right now, "So you want to start a video podcast?"

NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I want to do something MORE than just a simple video podcast.

What I am envisioning is more of a D.I.Y. (i really hope some of you kiddies out there know what D.I.Y. is....) Travel Channel show with emphasis on Indie/Punk rock and cool cities and the different people and things that inhabit these cities.

I want to tour the country and go to cool shows, interview the venue owners/managers. Then hang out backstage, get drunk, and interview the Artists. (ala my A Wilhelm Scream interview over at myspace.com/mhmagazine

I want to go to the different micro (indie) beer breweries out there in the Americas and get drunk and learn the secrets of the finest beers.

I want to travel to the comic and comix book creator's homes and offices and find out what makes them tick.

In short, I want to see the world and conquer it. Hence Damian Vs. The World.

And now Its time. I've started selling some of my collectables on Ebay, and I'm going to keep selling off my possesions in an effort to purchase the video camera and equipment i need to travel the country and make my Webisodes. (Slang for internet episodes.)

I'm also working on making about 6 episodes based out of here in Colorado to help show people what I am doing and to kind of experience the learning curve and figure out just how in the hell we're going to do this damned thing!

So here comes the real point of this message:

So what are we calling this project?

The only damned thing i can think of is DAMIAN VS THE WORLD.... But maybe that is too broad, to encompassing. What do you guys think? Is DAMIAN VS THE WORLD a good name for a show? Is it too much? Should i use MOSTLY HARMLESS?

Originally i was thinking DAMIAN TOURS THE WORLD, but it doesn't convey the awesomeness that this show will be!!!

What the hell should we call it???!?!?!

The only other thing i can think of is pulling a strong, silly word out of a hat and using it.... or or or... I don't know.

So true believers, how about it, Damian vs The World???

Let me know, and stay tuned for more info when i get off my ass some more and get this bastard a rollin...

Hot Fuzz!!

Become a Hot Fuzz member of The Fuzz and stay up-to-date on the movie!

Where have we been?!?!

Mostly Harmless Magazine was an arts and entertainment zine published out of Colorado Springs, Colorado. Mainly we dealt with Punk bands and comic book artists. We did 2 print issues that received great feedback from everyone, but when it came time to print issue 3, the advertising was not there.

It was a tough decision to fold the zine, and one that has haunted me ever since. We're looking for new roads and different avenues to do what we want to do. Cover the arts and entertainment world and entertain all at the same time.

In the mean time, keep checking back here, I'm unemployed right now and with all this spare time on my hands I think I'm going to start doing interviews again and posting them right here on this blog. I'll also try to find places to host the previous issues.

For really, really old interviews check out http://www.iamdamian.com
Listen to interviews with A Wilhelm Scream and THE ERGS at http://www.myspace.com/mhmagazine

Until next time, This is Damian Burford Signing off.