Amelia’s Magazine | Who’s the Man? exhibition and an interview with the artist, Rudy de Belgeonne

Design by Ruth Hill, pills Illustration by Dee Andrews

This week’s wet Monday was brightened up considerably by a trip to the Royal Collage of Art’s first work-in-progress show of 2011 – and before you ask, drugs no, I was not suffering from “Blue Monday” or the notion that yesterday was the most depressing day of the year. as Ben Goldacre (Bad Science) discussed over on his blog, the concept behind this ‘condition’ was made up by a PR company, with the aim to sell more holidays…

Finishing on Wednesday, 19th January, the Work-In-Progress show is a great opportunity for current BA Students, graduates and the public to see the developing ideas in the fields of Fashion, Textiles, Metalwork and Jewellery, Goldsmithing, Silversmithing, and Photography. Whilst the photography and the filmmaking are breathtaking, warranting a trip to the RCA by themselves, I will mainly be focusing on the Menswear and Womenswear Year Two students.

Tariq Mahmoud

Tariq Mahmoud’s shoe was inspired by watching the penguins at the penguin pool of London Zoo. The unique presentation of his shoe within a fish bowl with a couple of toy penguins for company, was certainly eye catching, drawing your attention to the similarities between flipper and shoe.

This wonderful sweater half suspended within the cloth, from it was cut is reminiscent of Issey Miyake’s A Piece of Cloth or A-Poc (see Fashion Editor Matt Bramford’s wonderful article on Future Beauty: 30 Years of Japanese Fashion at the Barbican). Unfortunately I could not find a name to accredit the design too…

Aleksandra Domansehay

The RCA Interim show is a fantastic opportunity to see how ideas circulating within contemporary fashion are being dissected by students studying the craft. Aleksandra Domansehay’s oversized mac in a traditional plaid is a great example of how classic shapes are constantly being reinvented.

Orshel-Read

It was amazing to discover, that one of Amelia’s Magazine favourite London Fashion Week designers Orschel-Read is still a student!
Design by Orschel-Read, Illustration by Gareth A Hopkins

Cherie Newing

I loved Cherie Newing’s take on the ubiquitous fisherman’s jumper.

Sol Auri

Menswear Year 2 student, Sol Auri’s breathtaking combination of triomphe d’oeil and matching fabrics.

Samuel Membey

Samuel Membey’s coat revisits the … as beloved by punks as captured in the wonderful photography book Skins by Gavin Watson.

Ruth Hill

In Womenswear Knit, Ruth Hill’s simple orange dress was highly reminiscent of Paul Klee.

Lily Kamber

Lily Kamber’s fantastic mixed media pieces used found objects to create pieces of jewellery more at home in the art deco settings of William Morris…

Finally I came upon the research section of the Royal College’s Mphil department and the wonderful work of Jungeun Lee. Lee’s experiments with synthetic fabrics – creating garments without the need for pattern cutting, sowing, knitting or weaving – reminded me again of the ground breaking A-Poc (A piece of Cloth) and Issey Miyake’s latest venture, 132 5 , an “experiment in steam pressed polygons of material” (thanks Fashion Ed, Matt Bramford!). Lee created her pieces by molding hot synthetic fibres into a 3D Structure.

Hurry up! What are you waiting for? Head down to the Royal College of Art before 5.30pm Wendesday 19th January.

Visit the Royal College of Art’s website for full updates on their upcoming in-progress shows and public lectures. I’m particularly looking forward to the collaboration between RCA MA Curating Contemporary Art and Goldsmiths MFA Curating students, Testing Ground: Time Scale.

Design by Ruth Hill, buy information pills Illustration by Dee Andrews

This week’s wet Monday was brightened up considerably by a trip to the Royal Collage of Art’s first work-in-progress show of 2011 – and before you ask, viagra no, I was not suffering from “Blue Monday” or the notion that yesterday was the most depressing day of the year. as Ben Goldacre (Bad Science) discussed over on his blog, the concept behind this ‘condition’ was made up by a PR company, with the aim to sell more holidays…

Finishing on Wednesday, 19th January, the Work-In-Progress show is a great opportunity for current BA Students, graduates and the public to see the developing ideas in the fields of Fashion, Textiles, Metalwork and Jewellery, Goldsmithing, Silversmithing, and Photography. Whilst the photography and the filmmaking are breathtaking, warranting a trip to the RCA by themselves, I will mainly be focusing on the Menswear and Womenswear Year Two students.

Tariq Mahmoud

Tariq Mahmoud’s shoe was inspired by watching the penguins at the penguin pool of London Zoo. The unique presentation of his shoe within a fish bowl with a couple of toy penguins for company, was certainly eye catching, drawing your attention to the similarities between flipper and shoe.

This wonderful sweater half suspended within the cloth, from it was cut is reminiscent of Issey Miyake’s A Piece of Cloth or A-Poc (see Fashion Editor Matt Bramford’s wonderful article on Future Beauty: 30 Years of Japanese Fashion at the Barbican). Unfortunately I could not find a name to accredit the design too…

Aleksandra Domansehay

The RCA Interim show is a fantastic opportunity to see how ideas circulating within contemporary fashion are being dissected by students studying the craft. Aleksandra Domansehay’s oversized mac in a traditional plaid is a great example of how classic shapes are constantly being reinvented.

Orshel-Read

It was amazing to discover, that one of Amelia’s Magazine favourite London Fashion Week designers Orschel-Read is still a student!
Design by Orschel-Read, Illustration by Gareth A Hopkins

Cherie Newing

I loved Cherie Newing’s take on the ubiquitous fisherman’s jumper.

Sol Auri

Menswear Year 2 student, Sol Auri’s breathtaking combination of triomphe d’oeil and matching fabrics.

Samuel Membey

Samuel Membey’s coat revisits the … as beloved by punks as captured in the wonderful photography book Skins by Gavin Watson.

Ruth Hill

In Womenswear Knit, Ruth Hill’s simple orange dress was highly reminiscent of Paul Klee.

Lily Kamber

Lily Kamber’s fantastic mixed media pieces used found objects to create pieces of jewellery more at home in the art deco settings of William Morris…

Finally I came upon the research section of the Royal College’s Mphil department and the wonderful work of Jungeun Lee. Lee’s experiments with synthetic fabrics – creating garments without the need for pattern cutting, sowing, knitting or weaving – reminded me again of the ground breaking A-Poc (A piece of Cloth) and Issey Miyake’s latest venture, 132 5 , an “experiment in steam pressed polygons of material” (thanks Fashion Ed, Matt Bramford!). Lee created her pieces by molding hot synthetic fibres into a 3D Structure.

Hurry up! What are you waiting for? Head down to the Royal College of Art before 5.30pm Wendesday 19th January.

Visit the Royal College of Art’s website for full updates on their upcoming in-progress shows and public lectures. I’m particularly looking forward to the collaboration between RCA MA Curating Contemporary Art and Goldsmiths MFA Curating students, Testing Ground: Time Scale.

Design by Ruth Hill, store Illustration by Dee Andrews

This week’s wet Monday was brightened up considerably by a trip to the Royal Collage of Art’s first work-in-progress show of 2011 – and before you ask, viagra buy no, this site I was not suffering from “Blue Monday” or the notion that yesterday was the most depressing day of the year. as Ben Goldacre (Bad Science) discussed over on his blog, the concept behind this ‘condition’ was made up by a PR company, with the aim to sell more holidays…

Finishing on Wednesday, 19th January, the Work-In-Progress show is a great opportunity for current BA Students, graduates and the public to see the developing ideas in the fields of Fashion, Textiles, Metalwork and Jewellery, Goldsmithing, Silversmithing, and Photography. Whilst the photography and the filmmaking are breathtaking, warranting a trip to the RCA by themselves, I will mainly be focusing on the Menswear and Womenswear Year Two students.

Tariq Mahmoud

Tariq Mahmoud’s shoe was inspired by watching the penguins at the penguin pool of London Zoo. The unique presentation of his shoe within a fish bowl with a couple of toy penguins for company, was certainly eye catching, drawing your attention to the similarities between flipper and shoe.

This wonderful sweater half suspended within the cloth, from it was cut is reminiscent of Issey Miyake’s A Piece of Cloth or A-Poc (see Fashion Editor Matt Bramford’s wonderful article on Future Beauty: 30 Years of Japanese Fashion at the Barbican). Unfortunately I could not find a name to accredit the design too…

Aleksandra Domansehay

The RCA Interim show is a fantastic opportunity to see how ideas circulating within contemporary fashion are being dissected by students studying the craft. Aleksandra Domansehay’s oversized mac in a traditional plaid is a great example of how classic shapes are constantly being reinvented.

Orshel-Read

It was amazing to discover, that one of Amelia’s Magazine favourite London Fashion Week designers Orschel-Read is still a student!
Design by Orschel-Read, Illustration by Gareth A Hopkins

Cherie Newing

I loved Cherie Newing’s take on the ubiquitous fisherman’s jumper.

Sol Ahn

Menswear Year 2 student and intriguing illustrator, Sol Ahn displayed this breathtaking combination of a triomphe d’oeil shirt and cardigan with fabrics to match the illustrations!

Samuel Membey

Samuel Membey’s coat revisits the … as beloved by punks as captured in the wonderful photography book Skins by Gavin Watson.

Ruth Hill

In Womenswear Knit, Ruth Hill’s simple orange dress was highly reminiscent of Paul Klee.

Lily Kamber

Lily Kamber’s fantastic mixed media pieces used found objects to create pieces of jewellery more at home in the art deco settings of William Morris…

Finally I came upon the research section of the Royal College’s Mphil department and the wonderful work of Jungeun Lee. Lee’s experiments with synthetic fabrics – creating garments without the need for pattern cutting, sowing, knitting or weaving – reminded me again of the ground breaking A-Poc (A piece of Cloth) and Issey Miyake’s latest venture, 132 5 , an “experiment in steam pressed polygons of material” (thanks Fashion Ed, Matt Bramford!). Lee created her pieces by molding hot synthetic fibres into a 3D Structure.

Hurry up! What are you waiting for? Head down to the Royal College of Art before 5.30pm Wendesday 19th January.

Visit the Royal College of Art’s website for full updates on their upcoming in-progress shows and public lectures. I’m particularly looking forward to the collaboration between RCA MA Curating Contemporary Art and Goldsmiths MFA Curating students, Testing Ground: Time Scale.

Design by Ruth Hill, side effects Illustration by Dee Andrews

This week’s wet Monday was brightened up considerably by a trip to the Royal Collage of Art’s first work-in-progress show of 2011 – and before you ask, viagra approved no, diagnosis I was not suffering from “Blue Monday” or the notion that yesterday was the most depressing day of the year. as Ben Goldacre (Bad Science) discussed over on his blog, the concept behind this ‘condition’ was made up by a PR company, with the aim to sell more holidays…

Finishing on Wednesday, 19th January, the Work-In-Progress show is a great opportunity for current BA Students, graduates and the public to see the developing ideas in the fields of Fashion, Textiles, Metalwork and Jewellery, Goldsmithing, Silversmithing, and Photography. Whilst the photography and the filmmaking are breathtaking, warranting a trip to the RCA by themselves, I will mainly be focusing on the Menswear and Womenswear Year Two students.

Tariq Mahmoud

Tariq Mahmoud’s shoe was inspired by watching the penguins at the penguin pool of London Zoo. The unique presentation of his shoe within a fish bowl with a couple of toy penguins for company, was certainly eye catching, drawing your attention to the similarities between flipper and shoe.

This wonderful sweater half suspended within the cloth, from it was cut is reminiscent of Issey Miyake’s A Piece of Cloth or A-Poc (see Fashion Editor Matt Bramford’s wonderful article on Future Beauty: 30 Years of Japanese Fashion at the Barbican). Unfortunately I could not find a name to accredit the design too…

Aleksandra Domansehay

The RCA Interim show is a fantastic opportunity to see how ideas circulating within contemporary fashion are being dissected by students studying the craft. Aleksandra Domansehay’s oversized mac in a traditional plaid is a great example of how classic shapes are constantly being reinvented.

Orshel-Read

It was amazing to discover that one of Amelia’s Magazine favourite London Fashion Week designers Orschel-Read is still a student!
Design by Orschel-Read, Illustration by Gareth A Hopkins

Cherie Newing

I loved Cherie Newing’s take on the ubiquitous fisherman’s jumper.

Sol Ahn

Menswear Year 2 student and intriguing illustrator, Sol Ahn displayed this breathtaking combination of a triomphe d’oeil shirt and cardigan with fabrics to match the illustrations!

Samuel Membey

Samuel Membey’s coat revisits the … as beloved by punks as captured in the wonderful photography book Skins by Gavin Watson.

Ruth Hill

In Womenswear Knit, Ruth Hill’s simple orange dress with a subtle block print was beautifully reminiscent of the artist Paul Klee.

Lily Kamber

Lily Kamber’s fantastic mixed media pieces used found objects to create pieces of jewellery more at home in the art deco settings of William Morris…

Finally I came upon the research section of the Royal College’s Mphil department and the wonderful work of Jungeun Lee. Lee’s experiments with synthetic fabrics – creating garments without the need for pattern cutting, sowing, knitting or weaving – reminded me again of the ground breaking A-Poc (A piece of Cloth) and Issey Miyake’s latest venture, 132 5 , an “experiment in steam pressed polygons of material” (thanks Fashion Ed, Matt Bramford!). Lee created her pieces by molding hot synthetic fibres into a 3D Structure.

Hurry up! What are you waiting for? Head down to the Royal College of Art before 5.30pm Wendesday 19th January.

Visit the Royal College of Art’s website for full updates on their upcoming in-progress shows and public lectures. I’m particularly looking forward to the collaboration between RCA MA Curating Contemporary Art and Goldsmiths MFA Curating students, Testing Ground: Time Scale.

Design by Ruth Hill, link Illustration by Dee Andrews

This week’s wet Monday was brightened up considerably by a trip to the Royal Collage of Art’s first work-in-progress show of 2011 – and before you ask, unhealthy no, I was not suffering from “Blue Monday” or the notion that yesterday was the most depressing day of the year. as Ben Goldacre (Bad Science) discussed over on his blog, the concept behind this ‘condition’ was made up by a PR company, with the aim to sell more holidays…

Finishing on Wednesday, 19th January, the Work-In-Progress show is a great opportunity for current BA Students, graduates and the public to see the developing ideas in the fields of Fashion, Textiles, Metalwork and Jewellery, Goldsmithing, Silversmithing, and Photography. Whilst the photography and the filmmaking are breathtaking, warranting a trip to the RCA by themselves, I will mainly be focusing on the Menswear and Womenswear Year Two students.

Tariq Mahmoud

Tariq Mahmoud’s shoe was inspired by watching the penguins at the penguin pool of London Zoo. The unique presentation of his shoe within a fish bowl with a couple of toy penguins for company, was certainly eye catching, drawing your attention to the similarities between flipper and shoe.

This wonderful sweater half suspended within the cloth, from it was cut is reminiscent of Issey Miyake’s A Piece of Cloth or A-Poc (see Fashion Editor Matt Bramford’s wonderful article on Future Beauty: 30 Years of Japanese Fashion at the Barbican). Unfortunately I could not find a name to accredit the design too…

Aleksandra Domansehay

The RCA Interim show is a fantastic opportunity to see how ideas circulating within contemporary fashion are being dissected by students studying the craft. Aleksandra Domansehay’s oversized mac in a traditional plaid is a great example of how classic shapes are constantly being reinvented.

Orshel-Read

It was amazing to discover that one of Amelia’s Magazine favourite London Fashion Week designers Orschel-Read is still a student!
Design by Orschel-Read, Illustration by Gareth A Hopkins

Cherie Newing

I loved Cherie Newing’s take on the ubiquitous fisherman’s jumper.

Sol Ahn

Menswear Year 2 student and intriguing illustrator, Sol Ahn displayed this breathtaking combination of a triomphe d’oeil shirt and cardigan with fabrics to match the illustrations!

Samuel Membey

Samuel Membey’s overcoat revisits the skinhead movement of the 1970′s, as captured in Gavin Watson’s collection of photographs: Skins.

Ruth Hill

In Womenswear Knit, Ruth Hill’s simple orange dress with a subtle block print was beautifully reminiscent of the artist Paul Klee.

Lily Kamber

Lily Kamber’s fantastic mixed media pieces used found objects to create pieces of jewellery more at home in the art deco settings of William Morris…

In the M.Phil research section, I came across the wonderful work of Jungeun Lee. Lee’s experiments with synthetic fabrics – creating garments without the need for pattern cutting, sowing, knitting or weaving – reminded me again of the ground breaking A-Poc (A piece of Cloth) and Issey Miyake’s latest venture, 132 5, an “experiment in steam pressed polygons of material” (thanks Fashion Ed, Matt Bramford!). Lee created her pieces by molding hot synthetic fibres into a 3D Structure.

Hurry up! What are you waiting for? Head down to the Royal College of Art before 5.30pm Wendesday 19th January.

Visit the Royal College of Art’s website for full updates on their upcoming in-progress shows and public lectures. I’m particularly looking forward to the collaboration between RCA MA Curating Contemporary Art and Goldsmiths MFA Curating students, Testing Ground: Time Scale.


Illustration by Alexandra Rolfe

I almost didn’t make it to Rudy de Belgeonne‘s exhibition at the Exposure Gallery. It was a rainy Thursday and I’d already hiked to the Hipstamatic exhibition, seek and all I wanted to do was go home and watch EastEnders. Occasionally, it pays to miss EastEnders.


All photography by Matt Bramford

At the Exposure Gallery on Little Portland Street, Rudy has mounted a thousand wooden blocks, each with a different phrase representing a man. Y’know, everything from ‘Pal‘ and ‘Hero‘ to ‘Bad Ass‘, ‘Mofo‘ and ‘Gay Boy‘.

The blocks all proudly own their own hand-painted idioms in a varying array of typefaces, with themes like spaghetti western, 1970s disco and 1980s computer graphics. For anybody obsessed with type, this is a must-see exhibition.

But it isn’t just about typefaces or bright colours. Oh no. Rudy has pretty much mapped all the phrases and aphorisms that have come to represent the male. Song titles, common expressions and often insults are all presented, with the design of each block perfectly suiting each word. Masculine phrases like ‘Champ‘ and ‘Jock‘ are portrayed in bold, blocked fonts; ‘Sexy Mother Fucker‘ and ‘Baby Boy‘ have the flamboyant essence of the 1970s; and ‘Faggot‘ and ‘Friend of Dorothy‘ make use of more feminine typefaces.

I had a chat with Rudy to find out more about the exhibition…

What’s the story behind Who’s The Man??
It’s a very long and winding tale, with many false starts and wrong turnings. Although I studied as a painter years ago, I had been doing mostly digital commercial projects for about 10 years.  I had been working for about a year for a client who I won’t name, on a project that I hated – unpleasant subject, quite complex, very pressurised – so I thought I would keep myself sane by  starting a ‘nice simple’ painting project in my spare time. Also, there was an appeal in the tangibility of paint on wooden panels as an antidote to the nebulous nature of software.

I had always been interested in lists and collections – and also in typefaces and logos, and had an idea that I might do something that played on the words typography/type, and different types of women – the whole housewife, mother, goddess, whore thing amused me.  So I set about collecting as many words for a woman as I could think of.  Trouble was, when I started to actually paint them, something didn’t feel right.  I was painting the word ‘whore’, and it just felt – well – a bit impolite!  It occurred to me how most of the history of art is about the male gaze, woman as subject, men imposing their labels, philosophies, fantasies on their models.  It was then that I had a bit of a lightbulb moment.  Bought up without any paternal role model myself, I think I struggled a bit when I was younger with how one is suppose to behave as a man – what degree of sensitivity, what degree of softness should one allow to show.  So how much more interesting, more personal, how much….funnier,  to turn the gaze around and look at myself, to look at the male.  And how much more culturally relevant, at this time of true female ascendancy in the west, when male roles, behaviour – even purpose – are being questioned on a daily basis in culture and media.  There’s not much call for fighting or hunting these days, and that’s after all what we’re hard-wired to do. Even our breadwinning role is questionable, and there are many many men who – consciously or subconsciously – don’t quite know how they are meant to be.

So I started all over again – and I’m pleased I did, because the Man work has had such a good critical reception – I think in retrospect I may have been given a much harder time if I had worked away for five years and then presented 1000 clichés about women.  I have also become more wrapped up in the subject as it has evolved – reading up on gender politics and masculinity studies.  I came across the phrases ‘gender landscape’  and ‘psychic landscape’ which I hadn’t heard before,  and have come to think of the work almost as some kind of map that a man can stand in front of, and see arrayed before him all the things he could possibly be, and maybe plot his way through these landscapes – who am I? Who would I like to be? Who do I have the option to be but choose not to be? 

What do you hope to achieve with the project?
?First and foremost, with every project I have done, my aim is to seduce – to appeal through beautiful colour schemes and by making people laugh.  If they then start thinking about what kind of man they are, what kind of man they could be, what kind of man they are with, or what kind of man they have bought into the world, then that’s a total bonus for me.
I’m happy for the installation to travel around the world, being reconfigured to fit into different spaces – there are discussions about it going to Tokyo and San Francisco in coming months – selling prints and panel sets off the back of it.  There are also discussions about other merchandise – enamel dog-tags with the words of your choice.  I’m very interested in that point where the art of idea meets mass culture.


Illustration by Avril Kelly

How long has Who’s the Man been in the making? Have you had any help with it??
I started the project 5 years ago in quite a casual way just fitting it in around my day jobs, but I spent more and more time on it as it gained momentum and I realized I was onto something.  I took a studio 2 years ago and I started only doing part-time work so that I could spend more time painting, researching words and typefaces, and thinking about the composition of the piece.  For the last year I worked exclusively on Who’s The Man, and for the first half of 2010, even engaged some interns to help paint backgrounds as I struggled to finish in time for its first showing at the Future Gallery in June.  So it’s all my own work – but with the assistance of everyone who has seen it and given feedback. 
How did you come up with the different words, and how did you source the different typefaces??I have an Excel spreadsheet with more than 4000 words and phrases for a Man. I started out just listing every word I could think of – which was surprisingly many – I have always enjoyed language, and my everyday speech is peppered with phases such as Good Egg, Queer Fish, Rum Cove, Charlie Big Potatoes.  Then, when that started to run dry I turned to dictionaries and thesauruses.  Then I realised that there were a lot of song titles – Good Rockin’ Daddy, Sweet Talkin’ Guy, Mr Boombastic – and movie titles – Godfather, Invisible Man, Mr Majestic – so I turned to IMDB and iTunes.  Then of course, whenever people visited my studio they would challenge themselves to find words I had missed. It still happens whenever show the work – 99% of the time I already have the word people suggest, but I’m still happy to find a place for new ones if something really juicy comes up.

In terms of typefaces, I have a huge collection that I have gathered over the years – I’m a bit of a type geek – I photograph it whenever I see it, clip it from magazines, scan it in, and of course there are many good resources online.

Do you have any particular favourites?
?I’m a fan of all the old fashioned words and phrases that I have already mentioned – ones that I think should be more widely used.  But I also enjoy the juxtaposition of sets of words – Alpha Dog/Pussy Boy, Fancy Dan/Mama Man, Diamond Geezer/Flash Harry Champagne Charlie/Golden Bollocks

What or who has influenced Who’s the Man, or any of your other projects?
?Inspiration comes from all over the place. Conceptually, pop artists like Peter Blake, with his obsessive collections, bold forms and bright flat colours.  Graffiti artists like Margaret Kilgallen, and Ben Eine working today, for the power they manage to invest in the words.  I like a lot of outsider art for its sincerity and obsessive tunnel vision.  But also product packaging, advertising and vintage movie posters of course.

What’s next for the installation and Rudy?
?At the moment I’m still busy dealing with the interest stirred up by Who’s The Man? The installation rolls on from venue to venue, I’m repainting a lot of the panels as bespoke sets to order on a commission basis, and also releasing different configurations as limited edition prints. But I’m conscious that I need to balance all this with taking the idea forwards – I’m working on a range of projects to present the work in different ways – as animation, as an interactive installation, in book form, alongside photos/illustrations of actual men. And developing my next project of course – can’t say too much about it at this stage, but it will be a similar format, except involving images this time, alongside the words… •

Interestingly, I posted an image of ‘16 Gay Types‘ on Twitter – a screen-printed montage of 16 words Rudy has used to represent gay men, which is available as a large-scale print. I had a barrage of replies with suggestions for what could have been on there, and all the gays seemed to love it. I spoke to Rudy about this afterwards, and all of my Twitter pals’ suggestions (fruity examples such as ‘Backdoor Pirate‘) were on Rudy’s original list but he’d been reserved in which to use. Interestingly, he told me the exhibition had resonated mostly with women and gay men, and he believes this is because gay men have experienced longer periods of self-reflection and women think more about the men that surround them and the men they’ve brought into the world. Apparently, it just doesn’t do it for straight men. ‘I have had the odd hetero friend who has looked at it and I can see from looking at their face that it just doesn’t compute,’ Rudy told me.

I guess that’s down to machismo, but even the most alpha of males can find something to enjoy in this unique exhibition, even if it is only swooning over macho typefaces and words. But that’s just the start of it…

Categories ,1970s, ,1980s, ,Baby Boy, ,Ben Eine, ,Champ, ,Charlie Big Potatoes, ,Computer graphics, ,disco, ,EastEnders, ,Exposure Gallery, ,Faggot, ,Friend of Dorothy, ,Gay Boy, ,Good Egg, ,hero, ,IMDB, ,iTunes, ,Jock, ,london, ,Man, ,Margaret Kilgallen, ,MEN, ,Mofo, ,Pal, ,Peter Blake, ,Queer Fish, ,Rudy de Belgeonne, ,Rum Cove, ,Sexy Mother Fucker, ,Typefaces, ,Who’s The Man

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Amelia’s Magazine | An interview with JD Samson of Brooklyn-based band and art/performance collective MEN


(Left: Michael O’Neill, centre: JD Samson, dosage right: Ginger Brooks Takahashi)

Take two-parts infectious electro-disco rock, capsule add an ounce of social politics, a splash of über cool haircuts, and a few generous handfuls of electrifying live performances and blend… è voila, you have MEN!

It’s not the first time we’ve featured MEN in Amelia’s Magazine but in case you missed our exclusive interview with the trio back in February, here’s a quick overview: MEN are a Brooklyn-based band and art/performance collective (by their own definition) focusing on the radical potential of dance music and the energy of live performance.

Formed in 2007 by the DJ/production/remix team of feminist electro-punk Le Tigre members, JD Samson and Johanna Fateman, and decidedly left-wing, the band deliver politically-motivated tunes, with an emphasis on issues ranging from wartime economies to the demand for liberties via hypnotic disco beats and creative, high energy stage shows.

With Le Tigre on hiatus, Samson and Fateman have teamed up with Michael O’Neill and Ginger Brooks Takahashi of Hirsute (a band of which Samson also fronts) to form the core of MEN, with Fateman taking on the role of writer, consultant and producer with artist Emily Roysdon.

Although the marriage of music and activism is no longer revelatory in today’s contempory music scene, what makes MEN worth checking out is that beyond the belligerent “rad image” and the “I ain’t nobody’s bitch” attitude, their tunes are pretty damn good and are likely to get you attempting robot moves on a beer-smeared dancefloor, even if the lyrical content may occasionally draw a few raised eyebrows (e.g. check out “Credit Card Babie$” where Samson exclaims “how expensive it is if you have a baby when you’re queer” over funky looped electronic intrumentals and slinky guitar riffs).

Having previously toured with the likes of the Gossip and Peaches, it is to no surprise that the fashionable threesome are being labelled as a “punk/disco/electoclash” band. In truth, their radio-friendly synth-driven sound makes them better placed next to New Young Pony Club, CSS and Ladytron in your record collection, which is certainly no crime at all in my book.  

Fresh from closing a set of UK tour dates, Amelia’s Magazine takes some time out to talk with JD Samson about MEN’s creative direction, the merging of diverse musical minds and how he’ll be spending the festive season…

You’ve just completed a set of tour dates in the UK – how did you find playing to a UK audience compared to a US one?
I’ve noticed over a long time with touring that the audiences change mostly city to city, or even venue to venue, instead of country by country. Some towns can be super responsive and engaged and freaking out, whereas in other places, some can seem a little depressed or inquisitive. We had a great tour with lots of great audiences that seemed to really care about what we are doing and feel very grateful to have experienced it. 

Your have been described as an act who ‘speaks to issues such as trans awareness, wartime economies, sexual compromise, and demanding liberties through lyrical content and an exciting stage show’ – was this always the creative angle you wanted to take as MEN or did this happen organically?
I think it is important to us not to adhere to any preconceived notions of what an electronic music band is. We don’t want to fit inside a box. We want to be fluid beings that move from one genre to another and one area of content to another. We want to be able to push ourselves out of a label and be able to discuss things that bewilder us with new adventures in music production. 

You all come from different backgrounds (JD Samson is from Le Tigre, Michael O’Neill is from Ladybug Transistor and Ginger Brooks Takahashi is from LTTR) – did you find it relatively easy to merge your musical styles?
We all have very different music styles actually and are psyched to be able to merge them together. We are constantly inspired by each other, making mix CDs for each other and drawing from so many different areas of music. 

Your live shows have been cited as one of your most enticing features as a band – how would you describe your shows to MEN gig virgins?
We go for it and give the crowd the energy so that they can give it back. It’s that exchange that pushes us through the set. 

What’s the most unusual gig you’ve played to date?
Hmm, well we played at a friend’s wedding at a poolside in the south of France. That was cool. 

What have been the most euphoric moments of being in the band so far?
Just getting our record finished and being able to tour without a press release or anything. Also realising how many rad fans we have. 

Which bands excite you at the moment and why?
Midnight Magic because I love her voice and I love disco. Kim Ann Foxman because she is rad, deeply cool, a friend and I love her. 

Who would you most like to collaborate with?
David Byrne and Joan Armatrading

Can you describe your new album (due for release in January 2011) in three words?
Body, money, power. 

How will MEN be spending their Christmas this year?
I can’t speak for the others but I will be in Australia with my girlfriend’s family. 

And finally, if there were a tagline for MEN, what would it be?
Humans can be whatever the fuck they want.

MEN’s debut album “Talk About Body” is released on IAMSOUND on Monday 31st January 2011.  

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