FEBRUARY 2002
Regular Features
News and Sport
'Pond Life and I-Spy St. Matts
Fashion
Sound & Vision:
Film, TV, Theatre, Games, Music
Two Weeks Notice, February Films, Roll on 2003,
G-Meter, A Tribute to Joe Strummer,
8 Mile Soundtrack, The Getaway (PS2),
Harold Pinter's Betrayal
Angry Young Man
returns next issue
Special Features
Happy House Hunting
Guardian Angels? Bouncers in Bristol
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Hello! I hope you all had a great holiday and managed to get a glimpse of our Christmas special - it was very rare, only one hundred issues were produced. It is probably worth a few quid now; look out for it on e-bay!
Many years ago, I was just a small schoolboy with scruffy hair, a badly knotted tie and a 'Roland Rat' lunchbox (a look which I recently re-created for a 'school disco' at the Bristol Academy, although this time round I didn’t have anything to keep my sandwiches and Um Bongo in). One day, during the darkest depths of Maggie Thatcher's reign of terror (1985 to be exact), I rushed home, eager to catch the latest installments of Button Moon, Thomas the Tank Engine and Dogtanian. When I arrived, I was dismayed to discover that the TV was out of action; it was hooked up to our brand, spanking new computer; a Commodore 64; that cassette tape driven miracle of 1980’s technology. On the TV's shining blue screen, the C64 proudly announced, with a chunky font and a flashing full stop, that it was 'Ready'. As a nearby radio pounded out the latest Wham! tune, my mum typed in several commands (most of which were greeted with the words 'Error'), and the computer whirred into life. Loading was a slow process- one hundred year old tortoises probably mate faster - and it was accompanied by a psychedelic, migraine-inducing, flashing screen.
Now of course, the C64 looks like a contender for The Antiques Roadshow when compared to today’s machines. However, the pain and suffering which computers can inflict is still with us. You see, the computer, which we use to create the fantastic mag you are now clutching was very sluggish, bogged down by 1000's of files. Recently however, it was treated to a Changing Rooms style makeover. Unfortunately, I was stoopid’ enough to save the magazine in the WRONG folder and all of our work gurgled down the drain! Oh, how we laughed! Anyway, what I mean to say is sorry that this issue is somewhat late - it is my fault for being stuck behind in the good old days of the Commodore 64!
Rob