Thursday, July 28, 2011

Paraphilia Magazine


David M Mitchell from Swansea is co-editor of Paraphilia Magazine which happens to be one of the best online journals around. Its main focus is on left field, experimental and transgressive culture but it’s not one of those shock for shock’s sake efforts. There is real literary and artistic substance here. Within its impressively produced electronic pages you’ll find thoughtful, in-depth interviews with such underground luminaries as Michael Gira (The Swans), (Genesis) Breyer P-Orridge, Mark Mothersbaugh (Devo) and James Williamson (The Stooges). There are various contributions from Stewart Home, Alan Moore, Steve Severin, Nick Tosches and Lydia Lunch. Often, though, it’s just encountering interesting new voices that makes Paraphilia Magazine such an essential read. From a purely selfish Welsh point of view I loved the Lewis Carroll-like magical pin-hole photography of Ffion Nolwenn; and the darkly comic and sometimes sinister writings of Chris Madoch (aka The Queer Messiah). Kerry Evans's tattoo-influenced artwork is also terrific. But this is a transatlantic enterprise (co-editor Dire McCain works out of the US), so it’s a cosmopolitan mixture of interviews, short stories, art and photography that awaits you. In addition DM Mitchell runs Oneiros Books which specialises in reprinting SF, Fantasy and Occult volumes, as well as publishing new writing. He was also once in the band Photographed by Lightning which released a 7" single, Sleeps Terminator/Winter Trees, on the fabulously subversive Fierce Records.