Playing the part of Scott Howard in the film, Teen Wolf, when his team reaches the final of a basketball tournament, Michael J. Fox decides not to play as the wolf, his alter ego. The wolf is cool, and a much better basketball player, but nonetheless, Fox wanted to be himself. The team still came out the winners, of course.
I faced a similar dilemma when deciding whether to continue calling this magazine Cool, or revert back to Square. As you can see, I’ve gone back to calling it Square, despite the fact that I do think Cool is a pretty cool name for a magazine so maybe I will consider continuing a magazine called Cool as well, before someone else pinches the name.
So, what has happened in the intervening time since Cool came out and this new mag? Quite a nice summer, for one. I attended 2 poetry courses by Ivy Alvarez which gave me a much needed prompt to get writing more. I witnessed probably one of the greatest close-season capitulations of all time, as served up by Cardiff City. I attended the first Ashes test at the Swalec Stadium, which was great fun. I attended an Oasis concert, after managing to get a ticket for ten pounds off a tout. The Millennium Stadium was for a short time turned into an oasis of ordinariness it seemed to me, and I set about trying to find the tout for a refund. At the same time, there were probably not that many people who, like me, were aware of an enormous irony with regard to Oasis playing in Cardiff that night.
John Squire’s first public exhibition reviewed, plus WIN
John Squire postcard box-set!
No.1 Irony of all time – A song called “Ironic” having lyrics which are not ironic, or to quote Ed Byrne, “The only ironic thing about that song is that it’s called ironic and it’s written by a woman who doesn’t know what irony is”
No.2 Irony of all time – Tom Hingley, formerly of the Inspiral Carpets, having to cancel a gig in the Rhondda because Oasis were playing in Cardiff the same night. The irony being that Noel Gallagher of Oasis was once the Inspiral Carpets’ roadie. Not only ironic, but also, a bit of a pisser for poor Tom.
All this issue’s contributors do, I’m sure, have a good grasp of the concept of irony. Ivy, as mentioned above,
serves up a slice of poetry, along with fellow course attendee, Jeremy Dixon. Your favourite (and mine), J. Brookes delivers possibly the best poem ever to be printed in this mag, in my view. Joseph Allen, brother of last month’s contributor Gary Allen chips in with a couple. We have one-a-piece from Marc Thomas and Square regular, David Foster Morgan. Two poems from London-based Clare Saponia, and a brace from Wales-based Tim Brenan. Some micro-fiction from Mark Howard Jones. Another previous contributor, Mab Jones tells us all about her time in Washington DC. There are 2 diary-type accounts by myself about a trip to the latest John Squire exhibition, and about my time at this year’s Square Festival (catchy name, eh?). Completing the line-up we have a fast-paced short story by Gemma June Howell.
Gemma will also be Guest Editor of the next issue, due in November, which is intended to be a women’s special. Not only do we now have a female poet laureate, but a lot of women are doing a lot of great things at the moment, it seems to me, so the bulk of the mag will be dedicated to the female of the species. I’ve just noticed that Swansea-based mag, Roundyhouse are doing a similar thing for their September issue, but you Nick
can hang on for another dollop of Square can’t you? Yes, you can!
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