Good to get my eager mitts on the “transgenerational counterculture” magazine that goes by the name of Arthur – officially reborn after a 6 month hiatus.
The mag is a great read and available to download in pdf format and if you live in the US or Canada it’s free from selected stores.
I don’t really understand why Jay Babcock and crew still give it away – I would have thought some token payment or an invitation to contribute whatever you think it’s worth would be a good game plan (if this principle is good enough for Thom Yorke and the boys it’s good enough for Arthur!) . We want it to survive this time! Personally, I’m more than happy to pay to subscribe from where I live (in Italy) – not least because on two occasions I’ve asked an American friend to pick up a copy from one of Portland’s cool record/book stores and both times she’s returned home empty handed!
It’s a much needed voice of reason in these dark times and has the finger on the pulse on music and art related to the New Weird America. The September issue features fine articles on Lavender Diamond cutey Becky Stark and a reappraisal of the ,still weird after all these years, Yoko Ono. The one section that falls flat is a half baked CD review section in the form of a slightly smug ‘conversation’ between C and D. I can see why Arthur doesn’t want to become just another reviews rag but perhaps an alternative would be to invite a guest reviewer each month to give a lowdown on what she or he has been listening to.
Nitpicking aside, welcome back Arthur!
