Table of Contents

RKYV # 24 {May 2009}

RKYV ONLINE LOGO - David Marshall {current}

RKYV ONLINE LOGO – R.J. Paré {modified}
RKYV COMICS LOGO – Roy G. James {original}

Virtual Cover # 24 Writer’s Column

- Art by Matt Kish - “Creation in Our World”
- Layout by David Marshall - By Larissa Gula

Interior Art Short Fiction

- By Jonathan Biermann, Stan Nelson, - “Woke Up”
Roger Formidable, Drew Bird, Sam van der - By Patrick J Nestor, Jr.
Wouden, Stephen White, Matt Kish
Poetry
Editorial Column - “At the Outset: - By Stephen Campbell, R.J. Paré, Frances
A Few Thoughts from the Editor” Nichols Vargas.
- By RJ Paré
Music
Sports Column - “Rossini’s Ramblings” - By R.J. Paré
- By Tom Rossini
Pop Culture
Featured Artist Review - “Milk Contest”
– Matt Kish - By R.J. Paré
- By R.J. Paré - “Raised on Saturday Morning Cartoons”
- By Pauline Paré

Untitled

- by Sam van der Wouden

PAGE
PAGE 1
 At The Outset
A few thoughts from the editor
- by R.J. Pare’

Come listen, my friends

While I tell you again

Of RKYV’s extraordinary content

So that you may know

And tell others as you go

Of RKYV’s wonderful talent

With apologies to Mr. Carroll, I welcome each and every one of you to the 2nd
Anniversary issue of RKYV ONLINE. What you have before you, in a very real sense, is
the result of your continued participation.

RKYV ONLINE exists in order to provide a stage for talented creators to strut their stuff
upon. In this endeavour it has been my distinct pleasure each month to prepare this
publication based on the exciting and varied content submitted.

That means you, all of you. In the creative arts both the performer and the audience are
important parts of the presentation. As RKYV’s audience continues to grow those who
step onto this stage as contributors are challenging themselves to impress this readership
with their creations. I can honestly say that feedback has been wonderful. The many
artists that participate in bringing this mag to the world each month have succeeded, not
only in increasing their own exposure, but in attracting a larger audience for RKYV with
every well received issue.

RKYV ONLINE’s plan – is to continue to expand and impress as we begin our 3rd year
of distribution.

This month, regular contributors Tom Rossini, Larissa Gula and Pauline Paré return with
their respective columns on Sports, Writing and Pop Culture. These are always a pleasure
to read and I hope you enjoy them as well. I would also like to take a moment to thank
Stephen White, Roger Formidable, Stan Nelson, Jon Biermann, Drew Bird and Sam van
der Wouden for all of the wonderful eye candy they have contributed to this issue.

Patrick J Nestor has also chipped in with a ‘FAB’-ulous short story – check it out! It is
well worth the read.
PAGE 2
Also, careful reader, you may notice a few contributions from yours, truly, [wink] here
and there throughout the issue – That’s right I am not just the president – I’m also a
client!! [Self Note: I learned all my communication skills from late night commercials]

Of course I would be remiss if I neglected to mention the “crown jewel” of each issue;
the main course; the pièce de resistance; the star attraction; the brother from another
mother… I – I really lost track of where I was going with this metaphor. Anyhow it is
with great pleasure that I present Matt Kish as our Featured Artist of the Month. I met
Matt recently at the Small Press Alternative Comics Expo and was impressed with his
work – I think you will be to.

So enough of my blathering, you came here to be entertained by the eclectic Art – Lit mix
that only RKYV ONLINE can deliver.

Until next month, I remain

R.J. Paré

EIC - RKYV ONLINE

Mindscapes – by Sam van der Wouden

PAGE 3
Golden Age Superman [© DC Comics] – by Jon Biermann PAGE 4
 Sports
Rossini’s Ramblings – By Tom Rossini

[Editor’s Note: After leveling

the Chicago Blackhawks,
Tom’s beloved Wings have
marched one step closer to
back to back Stanley Cup
victories, which would solidify
them as a modern day dynasty]

Detroit Red Wings

vs
Pitsburgh Penguins
Stanley Cup 2009
As predicted in my last article I informed everyone that the Detroit Red Wings would win
the Stanley Cup. But the gloating for now will be on hold as my Editor wanted my
column yesterday… “Patience my young apprentice”…

The first 4 games of the Stanley Cup Finals have been played and as predicted it is a very
tight series… and yes I am worried and concerned. While the Red Wings have the Talent
and Skill and Finesse, The Penguins have the youth, drive and the taste to drink from the
cup. While I knew that the Red Wings would in fact win their Conference, I did not
know who would win the other. I also would not have imagined at the start of the
playoffs that the Penguins, rated 4th in their conference would win and end up in the
Finals. Maybe this thought or possibility was hidden deep within my psyche… for deep
down I had concerns about this repeat playoff. PAGE 5
[Editor’s Note: this year’s Stanley Cup Finals is a rematch between the same two teams
as last year!]

The Penguins want revenge, while Hossa wants the cup.

I am not sure what station people are watching the games on, but here in Detroit – Games
1 and 2 have been covered by NBC while Games 3 and 4 have been covered by VS and
the CBC. I think this is the first time I have ever seen any final games being hosted by
multiple networks and its amazing how varied the coverage is and the respect.

[Editor’s Note: For your amusement Tom has included some photos of him, and his co-
workers, enjoying a Red Wings celebratory moment. In the tradition of ‘Where’s
Waldo?” see if you can locate Tom.]

Yes respect. The CBC and Don Cherry have a lot of positives to say about both teams
and I would expect that, as no Canadian Team is currently playing in the Stanley Cup.
While VS, on the other hand, gives a more biased version favoring the Redwings.
Meanwhile NBC is blatantly routing for the Penguins, especially that idiot between the
benches. Hell he just needs to wear a Penguin Jersey while doing his verbal garbage.

PAGE 6
 But I digress… The Stanley Cup
is going to be a 7 game series
that should end up in favor of the
Red Wings. As of now both
teams have won their first 2
games at home and the series is
tied up at 2 games a piece. Sat
night is Game 5 in Detroit and
should be a Victory for the
Wings.

[Editor’s Note: After this writing, The Detroit Red Wings demolished The Pittsburgh
Penguins 5 – 0 in Game 5 and are now one victory away from the Cup!]

If the game is not a Detroit victory then I could only predict that in Game 6 the Penguins
will or at least should win at home. Since the beginning of the series, players, coaches,
fans and announcers have all said that whoever loses the first game at home will lose the
series and the cup. With Detroit having 2 more games at home and the Penguins only 1,
the Cup should land in the lap of the Red Wings.

Next month… the

conclusion and can you
find me in the pictures???

PAGE 7
Hot For Teacher – by Roger Formidable PAGE 8
 Featured Artist Review
Matt Kish
– by R.J. PARE’

R.J. Paré: 40 year old Matt Kish [hurts a little

when I say it like that, eh? I can get away with
it because my own 40th is still some months
away - LOL] is a talented illustrator and
photographer. His surreal art blends imagery
and styles from diverse inspirations. I had the
opportunity, recently, to conduct an interview
with Matt for this feature.

1. RJP: Have you always known that you wanted to be or, rather, were an artist?

Matt Kish: I'm not certain I would call myself an artist, actually. Not out of any disdain
for that title, but more out of a sense of humility. Since I was very young, probably 4 or 5
years old, I have been fascinated by art and that fascination continues even today.
However, since those early years, I have always had grave doubts about my own ability
to produce those same kinds of marvelous and fantastic drawings and paintings. That
never stopped me from trying, and I have been drawing since early childhood, but I
developed the unfortunate habit of comparing my own drawings to those of others and
then doubting my own work. I think that is what ultimately stopped me from pursuing
any kind of further education or training in art after I graduated from high school. I am
fortunate to have quite a few friends who are really incredible artists, and nearly all of
them earned BFAs or MFAs from great schools. They seem more like "artists" to me
because, whether or not art school matters in terms of skill and vision, art school does
convey a kind of credibility in the eyes of galleries, museums, buyers, and so on… a kind
of credibility that someone lacking a BFA or MFA can almost never attain. Additionally,
I feel like these friends of mine, at least, have paid greater dues than I have. They've been
through brutal critiques with their peers, exhibited in galleries, sold pieces, and been
hired and paid real to create commercial art and illustration as well as a graphic novel
here and there. I'm not sure why I have this weird issue with the label "artist" and how
that intersects with notions of commerce and capitalism, but it's been something that has
been very difficult for me to shake or to really make sense of. The weird thing is that I've
never been particularly concerned with exhibiting my own work in a gallery or selling it.
That really doesn't matter too much to me. So maybe a shorter answer would be that I
don't know if I would consider myself an artist, but it doesn't really matter because I
know I love to draw and so I always will.

PAGE 9
ARTIST: Matt Kish
TITLE: Metatron - 'I Am
He'
MEDIA: colored pencil on
Bristol board
SIZE: 11" wide by 11" tall
DATE: 1998

RJP: Jewish mystical tradition places Metatron at the apex of the angelic order. A
celestial scribe and powerful guardian named after Yahweh himself. In the original
ancient Hebrew the spelling of Metatron was a variation of the spelling used for Yahweh
– this tradition is furthered by quotes, attributed to God, that “My name is in him” - and
allowed for Metatron to sit at Yahweh’s side in heaven.

This representation, of Metatron, by Mr. Kish seems to draw from a variety of influences
from the North American First Nations to the ancient Aztec & Incan adding in the
Kabbalist designs of angelic script present in the hands and feet. These elements are
combined in an engagingly surreal finished piece.

2. RJP: Did you study or major in art while in school?

MK: No, not at all. My last art class was as a freshman in community college in 1987, so
beyond that I am entirely self-taught. Which I think shows in my work, sometimes in
good ways, sometimes in embarrassing ways. In spite of the lack of artistic education or
training, I have a voracious eye and have been devouring visual influences for decades,
whether they are art books, comics, art museums, or something more esoteric like vintage
toys or children's scribblings. I suppose that kind of thing constitutes my artistic
education more than anything else.
PAGE 10
3. RJP: Who was you biggest influence or source of encouragement, as a child, in
pursuing art?

MK: That's a challenging question since my childhood was marked by a remarkable and
profound sense of solitude and self-sufficiency. My parents were as supportive as any
parents would be, but they were also very busy with their jobs and perhaps not as
artistically inclined as I was so they kind of left me alone most of the time. Later in life, I
got the feeling that they hung my elementary school drawings of spaceships and aliens on
the refrigerator because that's what every parent did. I would have to say that the biggest
source of encouragement for me as a child, and even in many ways as an adult, is my
own inner sense of somehow wanting to almost force these images of a fantastic inner
world into some kind of reality. To give them life beyond the existence they have in my
own mind. There's that cliched question "Would you keep drawing even if you were all
alone on a desert island and no one would ever see it?" and for me the answer is and has
always been yes. I do it, and I encourage myself to do it, simply because I want to and I
like it. I like seeing the image of something I've imagined. That's really all.

ARTIST: Matt Kish

TITLE: A Power Of The Air
MEDIA: colored pencil on Bristol
board
SIZE: 11" wide by 11" tall
DATE: 1998

RJP: Matt continues to explore a

design sense that seems a hybrid of
North and South American
aboriginal traditions melded with
Kabbalist mysticism. In this piece
the feeling of an ancient imagery is
turned on its head with a sci-fi twist
as organic textures are replaced with
metallic ones and angelic script is
transformed into circuitry.

The celestial is re-interpreted as a rocket ship, perhaps a nod to the various occult beliefs
in ancient alien visitation? What really ‘does it’ for me though is the striking use of
colour in this piece. The rich palette of blues not only works on an emotional level but
manages to bring the different design elements into a coherent, vibrant whole that is, in
fact, greater than the sum of its parts. PAGE 11
ARTIST: Matt Kish
TITLE: The Watchers
MEDIA: colored pencil on Bristol
board
SIZE: 11" wide by 11" tall
DATE: 1999

RJP: New age meets ancient

tradition. Clearly now we see the
faces of aboriginals reflected in
orbs that, though they may be
inspired from native designs [ie:
dream catchers, Incan & Aztec
representations of sun, moon and
planets] they are re-interpreted
through the fertile imagination of
Matt Kish. For some reason I am
reminded of the retro-futurist
designs of 1960’s paperback
science fiction collections. Why
isn’t there a gallery showing of this
work?

4. RJP: What is your favorite media to work with?

MK: That has changed so drastically, yet with such glacial slowness, over the
years. When I started drawing in earnest about 11 years ago I worked exclusively with
Berol Prismacolor colored pencils. They were wonderfully smooth and waxy with such
beautiful colors. However they were also around $1.00 per pencil and since I would lay
down 3 or even 4 layers of color per drawing and end up using dozens and dozens of
pencils it became expensive. Plus I burned through them very quickly since I was
constantly sharpening them to a very fine point. I made a slow transition from those
colored pencils to different kinds of pens and ink. I used Micron pens exclusively
(although I am welcome and open to any suggestions for black ink pens with similar line
qualities), and added colored ink washes from either Winsor & Newton inks or Higgins
inks, both of which were very inexpensive. Slowly I moved away from color into
working completely black and white simply because by this time I was more involved in
making comics and little Xeroxed art books and wanted to create art that I could
reproduce easily and inexpensively. I guess this is a good time to say that I am fiercely
and hopelessly analog when it comes to art. I believe very strongly that any reproduction
of a piece of art that I have created should look exactly like the original, with no digital
enhancement or tweaking at all. I know a lot of artists use PhotoShop to brighten colors,
add textures, and so on and while I don't have an issue with that, it's just something I
could never do. PAGE 12
I like art that shows the hand of the maker, and I find that by keeping my originals as
similar as possible to their reproductions, this is maintained. But back to the question.
Lately I have been experimenting a bit with mixing media, using acrylic paints, pens,
inks, and even crayons and colored pencils on found paper. It has been fantastic and
really loosened up my art a lot. I'm quite pleased with the variety of colors, textures, and
shades and fortunately the paint and the inks are still cheap so I can afford to mess up a
lot. Ultimately though, I think that the long term picture for me will always involve
simple pen and ink work with occasional color ink washes.

5. RJP: Do you use any special tools and techniques to create your art?

MK: Nothing really special at all. In fact, just about everything I use to make art can be
easily and inexpensively purchased in any decent art supply or craft store. Micron pens
are around $2.00 each, the bottled inks I use for color washes are available in cheap sets
or for a few bucks a bottle. I've been using the same few brushes for years now. It's all a
pretty low-key affair, and very portable. I like to be able to pack up a sketchbook or a
bundle of drawings and work on them in some bookstore of park when I can. That's hard
to do with colored pencils and even harder to do if you have to set up an easel and some
paints. But with a few ink pens and some paper, it's easy. Very flexible and adaptable.

In terms of technique, I don't know if this part is lazy or special or a little bit of both, but I
do almost no pre-sketching or planning for my drawings. At the most, I will scrawl out a
tiny one inch by one inch brutally rough thumbnail depicting just a few shapes. Almost
all of the work for any image is done in my head, and once I have those proportions
scrawled out I'll start in on the drawing. Almost every drawing I have ever created has an
elaborate border around it, and for me that's a crucial part of the process. Drawing that
border helps me create the art in many ways. First, it allows me to ease into the physical
process of drawing in a low pressure way because creating those borders is fairly
mechanical. While I'm working on the border, I continue thinking about and pre-
visualizing the actual drawing, which for me is part of the strange process of summoning
it and willing it into existence. Creating that border, I guess, is almost like a sorcerer
creating a pentagram or a sigil. It provides a strong and stable frame suitable for the being
I am about to draw, and later provides an appropriately respectful window through which
other viewers can see what I've depicted.

6. RJP: What inspires you to create art?

MK: This is actually quite simple. I've always had a ridiculously overactive imagination,
and I am the product of a 1970s childhood steeped in prog rock, Tolkien, dinosaurs,
Silver Age comic books, cartoons and fantasy. Every one of these things made a mark on
me, and in a strange way became a part of my own personal mythology. I mentioned
above that my childhood was marked by solitude and self-sufficiency and I believe that
since there were so few adult voices explaining the world to me, I used these fantastic
elements to help my young mind make sense of things. PAGE 13
It's difficult to explain, and probably too personal for an interview, but everything I draw
or paint is nothing more than an attempt to illustrate and give life to the personal
mythology I've been inhabiting and exploring and developing since I was 4 or 5 years
old. Everything I see in what I guess one would term the "real world" becomes, in a
syncretic way, an element in this inner narrative, but ultimately the art that results is
unique to my own inner world. At times it can become difficult to distinguish between
that reality and this, but not in such a way that I mean I am hearing voices and seeing
visions in the sky. It's something more like these drawings, these beings, these places and
these things have more of an impact and an importance to me than the mundane "real
world" so I find myself feeling at times like I am hovering between the two worlds, never
fully in one or the other but able to see and interact with both.

ARTIST: Matt Kish

TITLE: Spring
MEDIA: pen and ink on watercolor paper
SIZE: 8" wide by 10" tall
DATE: 2002

RJP: The ancients worshipped the Sun as the

source of all life. From a purely scientific
POV they weren’t far off, without the sun no
life on earth could exist. In aboriginal artistic
tradition the sunflower is a powerful motif as a
living symbol of the Sun’s power. Matt
combines this symbol with his trademark
celestial being in a palette of seasonal hues
that effectively communicate the spiritualist
notions of spring – birth – re-birth – life itself
as a gift from the heavens.

7. RJP: How would you categorize your artistic style?

MK: While the term "outsider art" would seem to be a close fit, it's probably not entirely
accurate. I think my art is perhaps a bit stylistically simple, even crude. It is definitely
naive. Since I have very poor drawing skills, everything is based on shapes, colors,
textures, and an incredible flatness and lack of depth or weight. I have heard some call
my art cosmic, which is definitely an aspect of it and not something I would disagree
with at all. Other words friends have used have been bio-organic, which I can see, and
also mythological and primitive. PAGE 14
Some have said that they see a strong Central American or Aztec style, especially in my
earliest colored pencil drawings. I'm not sure that was a conscious choice, but I have
incredibly vivid memories of seeing some small color reproductions of Aztec gods
from a Mesoamerican Codex in a National Geographic magazine when I was young so
that certainly influenced me somehow. Also, since many of those early colored pencil
drawings were directly inspired by Jack Kirby's work in Marvel Comics, specifically The
Celestials in The Mighty Thor and the series The Eternals (both of which were based on
some of Erich Von Daniken's bizarre ancient astronauts writings) I can see the ancient
mythological angle as well. Honestly, it's difficult for me to categorize since so much of
what I do artistically is very intuitive and internal, and there is always some doubt in my
mind as to whether I am creating these images from my own mind or whether I am a
simple laborer transcribing images from another reality because these have been
communicated to me by other beings.

8. RJP: Would you say that there is a "message" or "unifying theme" in your work?

MK: Certainly not a message, and I am generally fairly suspicious of art that has a strong
message whether it is political, personal, or something else. A unifying theme would be
that of wonder and of the unseen or the unknown. It has always been fascinating to me to
see how different viewers respond to my drawings and to listen to their comments about
them. As I mentioned above, some have seen Aztec gods, some have seen Hawkwind
album covers, some have seen their own personal symbolism depicted, but their visions
have always paradoxically differed from and synced up with my own. It's very strange.
Ultimately though, many people have claimed to feel a sense of peace, of awe, of wonder
and of positivity from many of my drawings and that for me is wonderful. I guess I didn't
articulate that very well, so I'll try and sum it up by saying that I feel the unifying theme
of my work would be a sense of wonder at the unseen things in the universe.

9. RJP: Which famous artists or styles have influenced you? Why?

MK: The artists who have influenced most directly and overtly are comic book artists
Jack Kirby and Walt Simonson, outsider artist Adolf Wolfli, and fantasy illustrators Ian
Miller and Roger Dean. I am conscious of borrowing most heavily from Kirby,
Simonson, Wolfli and Miller but there are strong elements of all of those authors in my
work. Less direct but still very important visual influences would be Mesoamerican and
Japanese art, outsider art in general, and oddly enough videogames. Videogames, from
the earliest 8-bit Nintendo games to today's ultra-slick technologically brilliant CGI
masterpieces, are unique for me in that they present a stunning visual world that I can,
in a way, participate in. Because of this element of immersion, some of the best
videogames nurture an emotional involvement that becomes a part of the creative process
for me. This is more evident in my comic "Spudd 64" but there are strong elements of
these videogame themes and representations in my drawings as well. The Great
Deku Tree from the "Legend of Zelda" games inspired my own world tree Zurn.
PAGE 15
The Robot Masters of the "Mega Man" series of games have been reinterpreted by me in
my own series of Robot Master drawings. There are more similarities, but those are
probably the most overt. Finally, while I am not really a religious person now, I was
raised Catholic and did go to church a fair amount as a child. To me though, all of those
saints and angels and archangels seemed very much like mythological figures, or
superheroes, or both. I'm sure that had a huge influence on me artistically, and the
prevalence of angelic imagery or even little-known figures from the Old Testament
cropping up in my work is explained by that.

ARTIST: Matt Kish

TITLE: Flying-Not-
Swimming, The
Effervescent Satellite
MEDIA: pen and ink on
watercolor paper
SIZE: 10" wide by 8" tall
DATE: 2005

RJP: Eschewing the use of colour may, in itself, be a powerful part of this piece. The
composition seems to reflect the environmentalist’s perspective that industrial /
technological advancements come with a price. From the chimney spewing exhaust to the
trailing detritus [toxic waste?] a bold statement seems at work here. The engineering
marvel of the construct hurtling through the skies seems tempered by the death’s heads
draping the forged girder-like claws. The inherent question seems to be “We may be
flying but will that mean no more swimming?” By rendering this piece in black and white
Matt delivers a stark look at the consequences of industrialized advancement if it is not
balanced with a respect for nature.

PAGE 16
10. RJP: If you could meet any living or dead artist, who would it be?

MK: This is a funny question because I've been lucky enough to meet quite a few living
artists and eventually forged friendships with a few. Every time I meet an artist I
genuinely like and respect, I am always star struck at first and generally at a loss for
words. I guess a lot of this comes from the sense of humility I always feel regarding my
own work. So I think even if I were able to meet someone living or dead, I would
probably just stammer out a bunch of things like "Your work is so amazing and has been
so inspirational!" and that'd be it. If I had to pick someone, it would be a tie between Jack
Kirby, who has passed away, and Walt Simonson who is still alive.

11. RJP: What is the one question that you would ask him/her?

MK: If, and that is a big "if," I was able to get beyond the initial shyness, then the
gushing compliments, and finally the profuse "Thank yous," I think I would probably be
very curious about how their own personal mythologies informed their work. Kirby, I
know, was Jewish and you can see strong elements of that in his work, yet he also
introduced all these amazing cosmic elements into his comics. Series like "The Eternals"
and "The New Gods" delved so deeply into these almost modern cosmic mythologies that
I would be very curious to learn where some of that came from and what it really meant
to a career artist like Kirby. Simonson mined some of the same sources that Kirby did,
working with mythology and folklore, but also introduced a deep vein of cosmic wildness
and I'd like to know how that came about. Is this the accrual of years of reading and
imagining, were these characters and beings he conceived of as a child, or is it something
else entirely? For me, it's never been about technique questions or talking shop, it's
always been about the internal reality that informs the imaginative creation.

12. RJP: What do you think of the term "starving artist"?

MK: I guess I think it has a lot to do with what one's goals as an artist are. I have a friend who is
a phenomenal cook. The few times he's made a dinner and a dessert for my wife and I, the cuisine
has been mind-blowingly good. He says he's adored cooking ever since he was young and he
experiments regularly in the kitchen. Many years ago, after our first meal with him, we asked
why he had not pursued a career as a chef. He stated very simply that to do it for money would
kill the joy for him. I think about that example a lot when I think about art. I know it doesn't work
for everyone, and I know a lot of people are deliriously happy with successful careers as artists or
illustrators or designers. For me, I have consciously steered my efforts away from that perilous
intersection of art and commerce primarily out of a concern that to attempt to navigate that path
would destroy any joy I might take from making art. I have sold comics and zines, and I have
sold art, but that has never been the primary focus of my creativity. I'm really not sure what to
think of artists who really want to make art, and then really want to sell art to make a lot of
money. I know my point of view is probably woefully naive, and may even be seen by some as
rather arch and pretentious, and I mean no offense. It's just the path I choose for myself.
PAGE 17
ARTIST: Matt Kish
TITLE: H'Xoi, Emperor Of The
Celestial Ponds
MEDIA: pen and ink on watercolor
paper
SIZE: 8" wide by 10" tall
DATE: 2006

RJP: The piece I chose for the cover to this

issue [and wonderfully adapted by David
Marshall in his layout] is another fine
example of Matt’s ability to invent
spectacular dreamscapes of retro-futurist
science fiction. This really ought to be on
the cover of an Asimov collection of shorts
or perhaps as album art for a retro-digital-
techno group like The Orb. It shows off
Matt’s splendid, imaginative design sense in
addition to the appealing use of colour.

13. RJP: Do you feel more a sense of

community with other artists or a
sense of competition?

MK: Neither, really, because I don't work within the bounds of a community of artists or a
particular scene or anything like that. I do have quite a few friends who are artists, but nearly all
of them were friends of mine before they became artists, or friends of mine before I knew they
were artists. And even with them, the work they are doing and their reasons for doing it are so
vastly different than my own that it would be impossible to develop any points of comparison for
either community or competition. That sense of self-sufficiency and solitude the originated in my
childhood and nurtured through most of my life endures even now, as an adult making art.

14. RJP: How do you market yourself?

MK: Ha ha! I probably do a terrible job of it, but it has never mattered much to me. It took me
about seven years to develop enough confidence in my own art that I felt comfortable sharing it
even with good friends. That led to the creation of a web site, and very soon to making comics
and zines and selling them at a local small press show. But since my reasons for making art have
always been internal and deeply personal, the sharing and the marketing and the advertising have
always been distant afterthoughts. I have been tremendously thankful for all the incredibly
positive feedback I've received from friends and even strangers who have seen my work, either at
small press shows or online, but I worry that if I were to depend too heavily on that it would
change the focus of my work too much and the drawings would suffer. PAGE 18
 The best compromise I have been able to make has been to maintain a web site
containing nearly all of my work, and I do love to share it that way. I love knowing that
people far and wide are able to come to the site and look at all of my drawings and
paintings, and if they so choose they can read the blog and even email me that way.
That's a very happy medium I think because for me I am far more excited by the idea of
simply sharing my art with people and letting them enjoy it on their own terms than I am
with marketing and selling it.

15. RJP: Do you find it difficult to stay motivated / inspired?

MK: It's never difficult to stay inspired because I love looking at things, and at art, so
much. If I am ever feeling a little uninspired, all I have to do is look at some art - whether
it's my own or someone else's in a book or online - and I feel an instant rush of
motivation. The hard part, though, is simply finding the time to create art.

ARTIST: Matt Kish

TITLE: Aalthrid The Nimbus-Borne
MEDIA: pen and ink on watercolor
paper
SIZE: 8" wide by 10" tall
DATE: 2006

RJP: This finely detailed pen and ink

offering by Matt Kish requires a few
extra moments to absorb. It rewards the
viewer with contrasting, layered design
elements guaranteed to challenge your
imagination. Fans of surrealism bring
your decoder rings as retro-futurist
tubes/rods feed into an Eastern inspired
roiling cauldron of waves which in turn
gives birth to the imagery of Matt’s
trademark celestial beings.

This time he doesn’t draw the beings, themselves, but a pseudo-symbolic representation
of them similar to Incan/Aztec temple carvings. Wow, as much as I love the use of colour
in some of Matt’s work I can see how colour might hide some of the finer line details and
this piece definitely deserves to show off its line work. PAGE 19
16. RJP: Do you create your art full time or part time?

MK: Very, very part time! I have a full time career with a great schedule, but still a full
time work week. I am married to an incredible woman and we love spending time
together traveling, exploring new restaurants, visiting museums, seeing movies and on
and on. Additionally, we live about an hour's drive from all of our friends so any
socializing takes up whatever free time remains in an evening. It can be really hard to
squeeze in even a few hours of time for art in a week because all of these things I listed
above are very important. Indeed, love, friendship, marriage, family and career are the
foundation for most of what's good in life and I do my best to be heedful of not
neglecting those things. My dirty little secret is that, as an artist, I am monstrously
slow. If you were to watch me draw, you would be stunned at how slowly the pen moves
across the page. Also, the level of detail in my drawings means hours of making tiny little
marks with tiny little pens. A single drawing can take me most of a month to finish with
everything else. In the last 11 years I've completed about 70 drawings that I am proud of,
so that's an average of about 1 drawing every 60 days. That seems about right!

17. RJP: What other interests do you have, besides art?

MK: Wow, this one is surprisingly hard to answer since so much of what I am interested
in is related in some way to art. I suppose my chief interests all revolve around the
imagination, so I enjoy reading novels and comics and I love film. The novels of Mervyn
Peake, Gene Wolfe, Jack Vance and Michael Moorcock are favorites I return to again and
again. With film, I am always far more interested in seeing something on screen that I
might never see in "real life," so films like "Pan's Labyrinth" or "The Fountain" or "The
Holy Mountain" will always draw me in far more than something like "Kramer Vs.
Kramer" or "Pretty Woman." I love traveling whenever I can, although the expense is
sometimes a barrier. There is no place I wouldn't go though, and the feeling of walking in
a city utterly new to me is something I love. My wife is the most adventurous diner I
have ever met, so through her I have learned a new appreciation for the culinary arts
and have been able to see how food is an art unto itself. Beyond those, I think the thing I
love to do the most is to venture into the woods on hot summer days and just look at the
green, feel the warm summer breeze, and listen to the rustling of leaves and the sounds of
the insects. In a way that might be hard to understand, that reverence for the power of
nature is the core of everything I have ever done artistically.

18. RJP: What advice would you have for a young artist starting out today?

MK: I am hardly one to give advice, but I have learned from experience and I would urge
them to think things through and have a realistic, focused plan for what they want out of
life and art. Whether they want to illustrate children's picture books, design CD covers
for a record label, create paintings that will hang in fine art galleries and sell for hundreds
of thousands of dollars, work through their childhood pain and their issues with gender
and identity, make graphic novels and comics...whatever. PAGE 20
Figure it out, zero in on it, plan your life around that goal, and never give up. It took me
almost a decade to figure out what art meant to me and how it fit in my life, and there are
lots of times I wish I could have figured this out long ago.

ARTIST: Matt Kish

TITLE: The Dirac Sea Satellite
MEDIA: pen and ink on Bristol board
SIZE: 8" wide by 10" tall
DATE: 2007

Okay, stylized sunbursts/sunflowers

sprouting from a giant metallic ball of
yarn, riding upon a crystalline comet,
powered by Matt’s retro-futurist
tubes… I think my head just exploded.
I would love to see this piece coloured,
the design & composition are splendid
however. The piece is all about
contrast – seemingly opposing
elements – the organic bursting
through the inorganic – the mineral
fused with the technological. Matt’s
strengths as a surreal design artist are
quite evident in this piece.

19. RJP: Do you have any big plans or shows coming up in 2009?

MK: I generally only go to one small press show in Columbus, the Small Press and
Alternative Comics Expo, or S.P.A.C.E. so that's probably it for this year. My stuff seems
to fit into the small press world pretty comfortably so future plans will almost always
involve shows like S.P.A.C.E. or SPX in Maryland or maybe even MoCCA in New York
City, but I don't have anything else planned for 2009 beyond drawing a lot and showing
the work on my web site. I would really love to have the experience of a gallery show
some day, but I am clueless as to how to go about that and not sure if any of my work
would be a good fit for a gallery so that might not happen for a while. Hopefully some
day though.

PAGE 21
 ARTIST: Matt Kish
TITLE: The Robot Masters: Bolt Man
MEDIA: acrylic, ink and colored pencil
on found paper
SIZE: 8" wide by 11" tall
DATE: 2008

I imagine this entity as existing in the

same dreamscape as H'Xoi, Emperor of
the Celestial Ponds. This reality,
perhaps, exists as some virtual
landscape in a Matrix-like environ.
Could H’Xoi and Bolt Man be
competing bits of software working to
shape the underlying circuitry of this
plane’s existence?

There is a story here, I am sure of it. I must imagine that Matt read a lot of sci-fi growing
up and this influenced his art. I am sure I find echoes of Robert Heinlein and Isaac
Asimov, adding in some of the whimsy of Phillip José Farmer [or at least their cover
artists].

20. RJP: How would you like your art, and by extension yourself, to be
remembered?

MK: I would like it to be remembered as something that brought people some joy and
some sense of wonder. That it showed them something they had never seen, and maybe
never even imagined, but could walk away from feeling better, happier, like they lived in
a universe that was even bigger, stranger and more fantastic than they ever realized. Even
if some of my drawings only do that in a little tiny way… that would be something I
would be endlessly thankful for. PAGE 22
ARTIST: Matt Kish
TITLE: Solar Brother #07
MEDIA: pen and ink on bristol board
SIZE: 7" wide by 11" tall
DATE: 2009

RJP: Is Solar Brother #07 someone for us to visit, someone who has visited us or simply
someone who is watching? The New Age-y vibe is back in this pen and ink illustration by
Matt Kish. His recurring image of retro-futurist designed tubes repurposed here as
imaginative rockets powering us from our earth bound perspective up to a higher, third
level, where an all seeing eye surveys us from a lofty vantage point. The language of the
surrealist allows for a variety of content and impressions to be expressed simultaneously
and Matt Kish has become quite fluent in its use.

I invite those who are interested in following more of Matt Kish and his creative works to
try his website: www.spudd64.com

PAGE 23
AD for the MILK graphic novel – by Stephen White
PAGE 24
 Writer’s Column
Creation In Our
World – by Larissa Gula

Keeping It Alive

Hello all e-zine readers! Miss me? It’s certainly

nice to be back. It’s been a little while. I had to
take a breather recently – because life has its
priorities, and for a college student the biggest
priority is…

No, not drinking! Not for me, anyway.

My biggest priority was to make it through one

very difficult second semester with a GPA above
3.4 – otherwise I would lose my honor society
status – and then to help run the grand event
known as The Rescue; you may remember my
discussing its approach two months ago.

Untitled - installation piece by Sam van der Wouden

But good news, all – my GPA remains exactly 3.5, what I left first semester with. The
event was an incredible worldwide success that ended in front of Oprah’s studio live on
her show, and after a bit of rest and recovery I have returned.

I wish I could say that for all of my projects. Following The Rescue I began the second
draft of my memoir, a recollection of my teen activism during the last two years from one
event to the next. Though I have hopes for its future, and want to see how far I can take
it, keeping this story alive is difficult. Constantly doing my best to flesh out the details,
before even getting to work on the prose, has been an annoyance.

The hardest aspect is probably balancing out my time with friends and house cleaning
with my projects.

So I did some research and I have a few ideas on “How to Keep Those Projects Alive”
to share with you as I keep myself plowing forward.
PAGE 25
1. “Put your character in an unfamiliar situation.”

• I guess this works the best for prose – if you have a highly developed character,
you can experiment with how they would react somewhere new and
uncomfortable – somewhere they dislike, or somewhere they love with someone
they dislike, or any other new variable. This can probably work for poetry as well.
And for other art forms, well, I can’t speak for them – but maybe you guys can
experiment with this idea and see where it goes!

2. “Change your routine.”

• Try a new environment, try a new time, and see what comes to your mind and
fingertips! Even try something miniscule – change the paper color or canvas
material. Use a new pen or brush. Go from a lonely setting to a group setting.
Basically, if it’s different, who knows? Try it!

3. “Start with a line of poetry.”

• I like this idea for everything. Use a favorite, very outstanding line of poetry
(from a book or a song; because the Lord knows, and this is a separate rant
entirely, that good music might as well be poetry), and let it inspire an entire work
of art. But inspire doesn’t mean stick to it. It means begin and expand!

4. “Take breaks.”

• Maybe. If it’s all day project, yes, then do take breaks. Go for a walk, eat a little
snack, drink something, sit back, and relax – and then get back to work before you
lose the creative feeling. If this will be the only time you get to work on it, work
until you can’t!

5. “Have a Comfortable Work Area.”

• I have nothing else to say!

6. “Take Time Off.”

• This statement is the only one that keeps me from feeling lazy, but breaks do help
rejuvenate the mind and the thought process, so enjoy them. Do new things and
bring those experiences back to your artwork.

Those are the top six things I found; and now, I must retire and return to a world of
writing for work and for myself.

(Research mostly on www.how-to.com and www.resourcesforwriters.com. These ideas

are not presented as my own, merely ideas found and shared.)
PAGE 26
P.S. I read a fantastic book recently that comes highly recommended. To read more, visit
my blog: http://trolleygirl13.blogspot.com/2009/03/honk-holler-opening-soon.html

And if you’re not watching it, please add it to a watch-list of yours. Please.

Untitled – by Sam van der Wouden PAGE 27

Cigar Girl – by Roger Formidable PAGE 28
 Short Fiction
Woke Up… Got Out of Bed…
by Patrick J. Nestor, Jr.

Billy awoke with a start and sat up. Whatever he had been dreaming about was
gone, but the lingering feeling was still there. His heart was racing and he felt strange and
apprehensive, like he was on the verge of having a case of the screaming abdabs. He
looked around and suddenly felt a bit of panic. He didn’t recognize the room at all.
Where was his flat? Where were the brown walls with his posters? Where were the music
stands and his lyric sheets?

He rubbed his eyes and scanned the room. Where ever he was, it was a nice place.
The room was bright. Light streamed in through a set of glass doors that looked like they
went out to a balcony. The walls were adorned with paintings and framed art
photographs. Expensive looked furniture filled the room nicely. From the look of things,
he was in a very high end hotel room. Billy’s mouth dropped open. He couldn’t imagine
being able to afford the rates in a place that looked his extravagant.

Billy got up and hurried to the bathroom. He turned on the water and splashed some
cold water on his face. After a moment he looked up into the mirror and got another
shock.

He didn’t look like himself. That is, he looked SOMEWHAT like himself, but there
were some changes. His hair, his cheekbones, his nose, the shape of his eyes… were all
slightly different. He had a mustache that he didn’t remember growing… and the scar. He
had a scar on his upper lip which was hard to see due to the mustache, but it was there.
Billy’s heart was pounding now. He was in a strange place and it looked like somehow
his face had been altered. He ran from the bathroom and back towards the bed. He threw
open drawers looking for clothes. None of the clothing was his. Nothing at all. It was all
nice clothing, but NONE WAS HIS.

Billy threw on a pair of pants and a shirt. He couldn’t go out in his knickers and he
had to find out where he was and what was going on. He was just finished tying his shoe
when he heard the door in the next room open.

Billy jumped up and ran to the bedroom door, cracked it slightly and looked out.
There was a huge, well dressed man looking at some papers that were on a table. The
man put some of the papers down and started flipping through some others. He looked up
and Billy pulled back, but it was too late. The man had seen Billy’s eye through the
cracked doorway and started towards the bedroom. Billy backed up, not sure what to do.
The door opened and the man came in.

PAGE 29
 “Good morn Paul.” the man said cheerfully. “Glad to see you awake so early!
Another big day here in mer…”

The man broke off, seeing the look on Billy’s face.

“Who are you?” Billy demanded. “Where am I? Who is Paul?”

The man’s demeanor changed and a careful and concerned look came over his face.

“YOU are Paul.” the man replied. “Just relax Paul. It’s ok.”

“I’m NOT Paul!” Billy screamed, inching backwards. He reached out towards a lamp.
“I don’t know where I am or why I’m here!”

“It’s ok.” the man said again. “You just need to calm down. I have some medicine
that will make you feel better, then we can call Brian and he’ll come see you.”

Billy recognized the tone in the man’s voice. It was the same one that his mother used
to use on his senile old grandfather in the poor man’s last days. Billy didn’t know anyone
named Brian and he certainly wasn’t about to sit around to meet him.

“I’m leaving.” Billy said flatly. “No!” The man exclaimed as he crept a little closer.
He dropped the papers he was holding and reached out towards Billy. “Just hold on. I just
want to… UGH!” Billy didn’t get to hear what the man wanted, because he grabbed hold
of the lamp and swung it at the man, connecting with the side of his head. He then
dropped the lamp and ran for the front door. At the front door another man was coming
in. He was dressed very similar to the first.

“Hey Alfred, I heard a shout!’ the 2nd man was saying as he came in. “Is everything
alr… oh! Paul! What happened?”

Billy froze. Another person calling him by a name he knew was not his. What was
wrong with these people? Like the first man, this one was well built. He decided to try
and bluff his way out.

“Um, hi.” Billy said, trying to sound normal. “Um... he... um... Alfred. Fell and hurt
himself. I was coming... to get you to help.”

“Dammit. Ok Paul, I’ll take care of it.” the man said, moving towards the bedroom.
Billy watched the man walk past him and into the bedroom. As he crossed the doorway,
Billy bolted out the front door and slammed it shut. He ran full speed down the hall and
to a stairway door. He flung it open and rushed down the stairs. He could hear a shout
behind him, but he wasn’t about to stop to hear what it was.

PAGE 30
 Billy ran as fast as he could down the stairs and came to a halt at a floor about five
flights down. He slipped onto the floor and quickly walked to the elevator. A couple was
exiting the elevator as he got into it and jabbed at the lobby button with his thumb. They
barely glanced at him but as the door began to close, the woman looked up and gasped.

“Oh My God!!” she screamed and pointed at him. “It’s…”

The doors snapped closed, cutting off her shout. The lift dropped. Billy ran his hand
through his hair. He was terrified. He had to get away from this place, try and find
someone he recognized. The doors opened and he tentatively glanced out. He could see
the front desk and a desk clerk picking up a phone. He spoke into it. Billy tried to walk
slowly and look natural as he left the elevator. As he walked towards the revolving door
at the entrance of the hotel, a shout behind him caused him to turn. The couple from the
above floor came barreling out of the stairway. The girl was in the lead and pointed.

“There he is!!” she screamed. “Stop! STOP!”

The desk clerk looked up, still on the phone and saw Billy. “I see him!” the clerk said
to whoever was on the other line.

Billy didn’t hesitate any longer. He rushed out the revolving door and as he came
around to the outside, he saw a small potted tree and jammed it into the door, keeping it
from turning. The doorman looked at Billy surprisingly. He was helping an elderly
woman from a taxi right in front of him. Billy pushed past them both and leapt into the
taxi.

“Go!” Billy screamed. “MOVE! DRIVE!”

The driver looked up at him in the rear-view mirror and nodded. The taxi roared away
as Billy slammed the door shut. He looked out the rear window and saw both the girl who
had screamed at him and both men from the hotel room going into the street. The cab
rushed down the road.

“Turn here!” Billy shouted. “Now turn there!” The taxi made a sharp right and then a
quick left.

“That looked close.” The driver said with a smile.

Billy looked up and could see the man staring back in the rear-view mirror.
Something about the man’s look made him nervous.

“It’s ok. I know how bad you wanted to get away from there.” the driver continued. “I
was glad to help.”

“Do… do you know me?” Billy asked.

PAGE 31
 “Of course.” The driver said. “Paul.”

The taxi came to a halt at a red light. Billy didn’t wait, he threw open the door to the
taxi and burst out. He ran across the street, down a few buildings and cut down an
alleyway. He could hear the driver shouting at him but Billy didn’t look back.

The alley was a dead end. There was no where to go but back. Billy cursed and
turned. At the entrance of the alley he hesitated and looked out. He could see the taxi
driver talking to one of the large, well-built men from the hotel. Billy couldn’t go out
without risking being seen, but he couldn’t stay there.

“Psst.” a voice whispered.

Billy looked up. In the doorway of the building next to the alley was a man who
looked familiar. Billy took a step back and prepared himself to make a break for it.
Before he could however, the man called softly to him.

“William!” the new man called in a hushed tone. “Quick, this way!”

Relief flooded Billy. Someone who actually knew his name.

“Quick!” the man hissed. Billy rushed towards the doorway and through. The man
closed the door and locked it.

“Oh God, thank you!” Billy exclaimed.

The man looked at the door for a moment and then at Billy. “That was a close one,
‘eh? So, how’re we doing William?”

“You know me!” Billy sighed. “I’m so glad SOMEONE knows me! You… look
familiar… I know I know you… but… but I can’t remember your name…”

The man looked at Billy and grinned. “I’m John, mate.” he replied. Billy returned the
smile, because he remembered just as the man said it.

“Yes! John!” Billy laughed. “Thank the Lord it’s you mate!”
John nodded. “Let’s walk.” he said. The two of them went through the back of the
building and out the other side. John led the way. He glanced around the slide of the
building, as if to check to make sure the coast was clear. He looked back and nodded to
Billy and they continued on.

“John, what’s going on here?” Billy asked him as they went. “I woke up in…”
“..in a hotel room that you didn’t recognize, with clothes that weren’t yours with
people who were calling you by a different name.” John finished.

“Yes!’ Billy replied. “What the HELL is happening?” PAGE 32

 “It’s a long story mate.” John said. “But for now you’re going to have to trust me.”

Billy felt comfortable with John, and nodded. “I trust you John.”

They walked a little and came to a small park. “We’re in New York. In the states.
Aren’t we?” Billy asked John suddenly. “I’ve never been here before but I’ve seen
pictures.”

“Yes. Yes we are.” John answered. “What DO you remember?”

“Not much.” Billy replied. “Little small things. Nothing on how I got here, or why I
look different.”

The came to a bench and John sat down. Billy did the same. “John.” Billy said,
looking nervous. “I’m fucking terrified here. I don’t know what’s happening.”

John nodded. “It’s a long story Mate.” he said. “It might be easier to show you than to
try and explain it.”

Billy leaned forward and put his face in his hands. “I can barely remember anything
here. It’s like I’m a blank state. I know my name, and remnant of my past. But...
but…wait… what’s the date?”

John told him. Billy’s face turned white. “Oh my God.” Billy cried. “That’s almost a
fucking year later than I thought it was!” He collapsed back into the bench and put his
head back. “What happened to my life?”

John looked grim and put a hand on Billy’s shoulder. “It’s not quite as bad as you’re
thinking right now mate.”

Billy let out a snort. “Oh sure. Not as bad. Someone has stolen my life. No problem.”

“That’s not what I meant.” John replied.

“John, it’s like… like I’m dead.” Billy shot back. “I have no fucking memory of the
last year. I don’t know why people are calling me ‘Paul’...”

“It’s NOT like you’re dead!” John snapped. “Dead is DEAD. You’re alive!”

Billy recoiled, surprised at the outburst.

John immediately looked sorry. “Dammit mate, I apologize. I know this whole thing
is disorientating. Listen, come with me, let me show you what’s going on.”

Billy sighed. He didn’t have much choice. “Alright. Let’s go.” They two got up and
walked out of the park, They got to the street and John raised his hand for a taxi. One
pulled up and they got in. PAGE 33
 A song was on the radio… a catchy one. Billy didn’t think he recognized it, but after
a few moments found himself humming along. He glanced up at John who was grinning
back at him.

“Good song?” John asked.

“Yeah!” Billy grinned back. “I guess I’ve heard it somewhere cause I kind of know it.
Is it and old one?”

“Pretty brand new actually.” John replied. The driver in the front seemed to stifle a
laugh. Billy didn’t notice John glance up, annoyed. A minute went by before Billy
realized where they seemed to be headed. It was then that he realized that John had never
given the driver an address.

“John!” Billy exclaimed. “We’re going to…”

“… the hotel you woke up in. I know.” John replied. “I’m going to show you
everything. Just… you have to trust me. You trust me, right William?”

Billy stared at John for a minute. There was no hardness in John’s face… no evil
intent. He genuinely seemed concerned. Billy took a deep breath and nodded.

“Yes John.” He said. “Yes, I trust you.”

The taxi pulled up to the hotel. The front was cleared. No doorman or people milling
about. They got out of the taxi. John nodded to the driver who just nodded back and
pulled way. John put his hand on Billy’s shoulder and they both entered the hotel.

The lobby was also clear. No one but them was there. As the approached the elevators
though one of the men from earlier came into view.

“John!” Billy exclaimed.

John stepped forward and grabbed the man and roughly shoved him into the stairway
door. Before Billy could react John and the man disappeared into the stairway hall. Billy
heard a bang and heard John say something… then heard another bang.

A moment later John came out and closed the door. As he did, Billy could see the
legs of the man. He seemed to be on the ground. “Don’t worry about him.” John said.
“Come on.”

The two got into the elevator and rode it up to the penthouse. The doors opened and
they walked down the small hallway to the door to the room Billy had escaped from
earlier. With John leading the way, they went to the open door and went through. In the
sitting area, drinking from a tall glass was a short, stout man with dark hair dressed in a
nice business suit. He opened his mouth to say something but John cut him off.
PAGE 34
 “William here would like some answers.” he said. The man nodded and got up…

“Billy?” the man said. “I need a refresher. Can I make you one?” He went over to the
bar and started making a drink. Billy looked at John, who nodded. “Yeah, ok.” Billy
replied.

The dark haired man looked back at them. “John?”

“I’m good.” John answered. The man tinkered with the drinks and came over and
handed one to Billy and sat down. “So.” he said. “What do you want to know?”

“What the hell is going on?” Billy demanded. “Why is everyone calling me Paul?
What happened to me?”

The dark-haired man seemed to contemplate the question, then he crossed his legs
and sat back. “About a year ago… we lost a very close friend. One who was…
instrumental to a …um… project we’ve been working on.” he explained. “He was in a
horrible car accident.”

“And? What does this have to do with me?” Billy asked.

“It was imperative that we find a suitable… replacement for him with as little…
fanfare as possible.” the man continued. “His place in our… organization was important.
So… so important.”

Billy began feeling a little dizzy. He wasn’t sure what any of this meant. He looked at
John, but John had gotten up and was looking at one of the paintings on the wall. He
looked back at the dark-haired man, confused.

“Did… did I replace him?” Billy asked. It was becoming harder and harder to think.

“Yes.” the man nodded. “Perfectly.”

Billy wanted to ask what it was he was doing, but could not keep his eyes open, as
much as he tried.

“It’s remarkable actually.” the man continued. “Overall, it’s been almost flawless. We
just have these little occasional moments when your past life pops back into place. It’s ok
though Billy… it’s ok. We’ll have you right as rain and ready for tonight in just a couple
of hours.”
Billy wanted to ask what was happening that night, but he had no control of his body.

“Is this really necessary?” John suddenly demanded.

The man looked up at John. “You know it is John.” he replied. The two of them
looked at Billy and saw he was unconscious. PAGE 35
 “Dammit Brian, he didn’t sign up for this you know.” John said.

“I know John.” the man, Brian, answered. “But there was no other way to pull it off.
You did a good job getting him back here.”

“It was lucky I was out for a morning stroll and saw him bolt out of the hotel.” John
said wistfully.

“You’re right.” Brian agreed. He got up and smoothed out his pants. “I have the
doctors on their way. Tell George and Ringo that Billy… er… PAUL will be ready for
the recording session tonight.” John nodded wistfully and headed for the door. Brian
looked up as if he had just remembered something.

“Oh, and John…” Brian said. John stopped and looked up, seeming to have expected
more. “Please, enough with the little riddles and ‘clues’ in the songs and on the covers?
It’s hard enough keeping this whole damn thing s secret without you lot mucking around.

John smiled. “Or what Brian? Gonna replace me? I doubt there’s another Billy
Cambell Shears out there.”

With that he walked out the door.

Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band – by Drew Bird

PAGE 36
The Strict Vegetarian – by Roger Formidable
PAGE 37
 Poetry
Wiping the Slate Clean – by Frances Nichols Vargas
Just step forward
No more excuses
Walk toward
the goals set
Shift the gears
Don't look back
Wipe away the tears
do not rehash the past
and all the mistakes and fears
Just step forward
Look toward the future

My Son – by Frances Nichols Vargas

Since the moment of the news
I was shocked and amazed
How life would change
The flood of feelings and emotions
a mother- to- be knows
As my belly grew
All the routine of my innocent and carefree days
Faded away
Now reflecting on time as it has flown by
Brings great joy
As memories of all your firsts
Flash before my eyes
Looking toward the future
Beaming with pride
Of all the world welcoming
My son with arms open wide

Untitled
– by Sam van der Wouden
PAGE 38
 MMVII – by Stephen Campbell
Watching men and women eat, sleep, weep.
Its boredom to watch but every night we keep
Watching. And waiting. Hoping and caring.
Watching men and women baring, sharing,

Scaring the mind of caring for one another,

Yearning nightly for the care of Big Brother

One Man Show [concept art] – by Dave Michaels

Unemployment – by Stephen Campbell

Stephen and James, young martyrs are we.
We toil for our master who we don’t see,
We give up our lives to make men rich,
We do so others may thrive. We pitch
To poor souls who drink and lie drowning,
Drowning in holes – whilst society sits frowning. PAGE 39
 Clover, Through
The Haze
– by R.J. Paré
Dublin – by Stephen Campbell
Walking through Dublin’s fair city streets
We greeted the wonders that there we did meet.
Joyce in his rough hat did not pass us by,
Wilde in his loincloth did give me the eye,
O’Connell looked down upon us and bade us beware
Of Synge’s fiery breath and his Abbey affairs.
We could not understand Beckett’s short French tongue
Or bother Lady Gregory as she mourned for her young,
Shaw and lady passed along as Stoker scared our wits
Whilst swift as a ship old John told us young quips
Of a tale he had sermoned in the old church commons,
And I grew weary, for I had seen nothing
That captured my heart,
But by Gonne, what is that man?
Abroad on his own with a quill in his hand?
His youthful heart cries of renewable strength,
And at my stolen heart his piping verse did wrench.
He bid me to journey far to Byzantium,
From that crossways in Dublin I chose to follow him.
PAGE 40
 The Cup – by R.J. Paré
Early winter mornings, before the sun would rise,
Your skates, bag, stick and out the door.

Faster than the coffee clears parent’s blood-shot eyes,

The hour of practice is over.

A scene oft repeated from youth until today,

The only path for PRO entrance.

Loss of sleep, muscles sore, the price you had to pay,

To reach this height and have this chance.

Many play their whole careers without this reward,

Nary a taste of vict’ry sup.

Now stand, rejoice and share in the crowd’s thunderous roar,

And raise, for them, the Stanley Cup!

The Stanley Cup – by R.J. Paré

PAGE 41
Dwelling Inside Myself [Mindscapes] – by Same van der Wouden

PAGE 42
 Music
Just a quick note to all you RKYVers out there we are looking for Indie Bands to feature
if you or someone you know has a band that could use FREE exposure / hype – then drop
me a line: randy.pare@rogers.com

In the meantime I thought I’d share my all time FAV album list. I posted this awhile back
online but have never shared it with the RKYV audience. This a completely subjective
exercise in personal taste and probably bears no resemblance to your own personal list of
FAV albums. So without further ado, my Top 15 Albums that I can listen to over and
over...

15. The Who - Tommy (1969)

This Album created a new art-form:

The Rock Opera

The first Album I literally lost myself in. Wearing old-

school large stereo headphones I could lie on my bed
and wallow in teen angst while exploring the tale of
this 'Rock Opera'

"Overture" – 5:21 "Pinball Wizard" – 3:01

"It's a Boy" – 0:38 "There's a Doctor" – 0:23
"1921" – 2:49 "Go to the Mirror!" – 3:49
"Amazing Journey" – 3:25 "Tommy, Can You Hear Me?" – 1:36
"Sparks" – 3:46 "Smash the Mirror" – 1:35
"Eyesight to the Blind (The Hawker)" "Sensation" – 2:27
(Williamson) – 2:13
"Miracle Cure" – 0:12
"Christmas" – 4:34 "Sally Simpson" – 4:12
"Cousin Kevin" (Entwistle) – 4:07 "I'm Free" – 2:40
"The Acid Queen" – 3:34 "Welcome" – 4:34
"Underture" – 10:09 "Tommy's Holiday Camp" (Moon) – 0:57
"We're Not Gonna Take It" / "See Me, Feel
"Do You Think It's Alright?" – 0:24 Me" – 7:08
"Fiddle About" (Entwistle) – 1:29

PAGE 43
 14. The Eagles - Their Greatest Hits (1976)

My introduction to Southern Rock. A genre that

bridges the musical gap between fans of Rock and fans
of Country - probably why the debate still lingers as to
which category to place The Eagles in. Ultimately, who
cares about labels - great music is great music.

"Take It Easy" (Browne, Frey) – 3:32

"Witchy Woman" (Henley, Leadon) – 4:11
"Lyin' Eyes" (Henley, Frey) – 6:22
"Already Gone" (Tempchin, R. Strandlund) – 4:13
"Desperado" (Henley, Frey) – 3:33
"One of These Nights" (Henley, Frey) – 4:51
"Tequila Sunrise" (Henley, Frey) – 2:52
"Take It to the Limit" (Meisner, Henley, Frey) – 4:48
"Peaceful Easy Feeling" (Tempchin) – 4:18
"Best of My Love" (Henley, Frey, Souther) – 4:35

13. The Band - The Band (1969)

Simply the finest example of unique and original North

American music-making. The Band's sound defied
classification. It blends elements of Rock, Folk, Country,
Blue Grass... and probably other stuff I'm not qualified to
recognize - LOL

"Across the Great Divide" (Robertson) – 2:53

"Rag Mama Rag" (Robertson) – 3:04
"The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" (Robertson) –
3:33
"When You Awake" (Manuel, Robertson) – 3:13
"Up on Cripple Creek" (Robertson) – 4:34
"Whispering Pines" (Manuel, Robertson) – 3:58
"Jemima Surrender" (Helm, Robertson) – 3:31
"Rockin' Chair" (Robertson) – 3:43
"Look Out Cleveland" (Robertson) – 3:09
"Jawbone" (Manuel, Robertson) – 4:20
"The Unfaithful Servant" (Robertson) – 4:17
"King Harvest (Has Surely Come)" (Robertson) – 3:39
PAGE 44
 12. Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run (1975)

Out of the streets of Jersey a Rock Poet emerged to speak

to another generation in the tradition of Bob Dylan.

As opposed to Bob's finger pointing, Bruce speaks up for

each of us. His songs say dammit, we know things may be
fucked up, but we're trying our best.

Bruce hits us with his growling vocals and we feel, at least

for a moment, that he's got our back. While we're still
young we don't want the world to beat us down - we were
Born to Run.

"Thunder Road" – 4:49 "Born to Run" – 4:31

"Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out" – 3:11 "She's the One" – 4:30
"Night" – 3:00 "Meeting Across the River" – 3:18
"Backstreets" – 6:30 "Jungleland" – 9:36

11. Billy Joel - An Innocent Man (1983)

For a kid who grew up on 50's and 60's Rock N' Roll this
album defied the status quo of the early 80's. There was no
big hair and men with makeup wearing spandex. There
were no tongues licking the MTV cameras.

This nostalgia trip was honest to goodness solid classic

style Rock N' Roll. It reminded us the Sax, as an
instrument, belongs in rock.

"Easy Money" – 4:04 -- an homage to James
Brown; featured in the movie of the same name
"An Innocent Man" – 5:17 -- an homage to Ben
E. King and The Drifters
"The Longest Time" – 3:42 -- an homage to
doo-wop. This song required 14 background
vocal tracks, each of which was done by Joel
and pieced together in production.
"This Night" – 4:19 -- Uses Beethoven's
Pathetique Sonata as the basis for the chorus
"Tell Her About It" – 3:52 -- an homage to
Motown
"Uptown Girl" – 3:17 -- an homage to Frankie
Valli and The Four Seasons
"Careless Talk" – 3:48
"Christie Lee" – 3:31 -- an homage to Jerry Lee
Lewis
"Leave a Tender Moment Alone" – 3:56
"Keeping the Faith" – 4:41

PAGE 45
 10. Counting Crows - August and Everything After
(1993)

While I was in university this Album defined the early

90's with the type of chart domination by reflective and
introspective ballads not seen since Carol King's
"Tapestry" and much like that album most every track
would go on to appear in the Top 40.

"Round Here" (Duritz, Dave Janusko, Dan Jewett, Chris

Roldan, David Bryson) – 5:32
"Omaha" – 3:40
"Mr. Jones" (Duritz, Bryson) – 4:33
"Perfect Blue Buildings" – 5:01
"Anna Begins" (Duritz, Bryson, Marty Jones, Toby
Hawkins, Lydia Holly) – 4:32
"Time and Time Again" (Duritz, Bryson, Charlie
Gillingham, Steve Bowman, Don Dixon) – 5:13
"Rain King" (Duritz, Bryson) – 4:16
"Sullivan Street" (Duritz, Bryson) – 4:29
"Ghost Train" – 4:01
"Raining in Baltimore" – 4:41
"A Murder of One" (Duritz, Bryson, Matt Malley) – 5:44

9. The Eagles - Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 (1982)

If the first collection of the Eagles introduced me to

Southern Rock, this second collection made me a bonafide
Fan.

This is a collection of The eagles at the top of their game. It

rocks on the hard songs and blends amazing harmonies on
the ballads. Was one of my favourite party albums to let
play all the way through.

"Hotel California" (Don Felder, Don Henley,
Glenn Frey) – 6:30
"Heartache Tonight" (Henley, Frey, Bob Seger,
J.D. Souther) – 4:25
"Seven Bridges Road" (Steve Young) – 2:58
"Victim of Love" (Felder, Souther, Henley,
Frey) – 4:11
"The Sad Café" (Henley, Frey, Joe Walsh,
Souther) – 5:32
"Life in the Fast Lane" (Walsh, Henley, Frey) –
4:45
"I Can't Tell You Why" (Timothy B. Schmit,
Henley, Frey) – 4:54
"New Kid in Town" (Souther, Henley, Frey) –
5:04
"The Long Run" (Henley, Frey) – 3:42
"After the Thrill is Gone" (Henley, Frey) – 4:41

PAGE 46
 8. Billy Joel - Glass Houses (1980)

The first Album I can recall buying with my own money.

My paper route paid for this gem and I played it until I wore
it out.

So many critics have tried to relegate Billy as "middle of the

road" - it is an unfair criticism... his music is an honest
reflection of his personal tastes and experience growing up
in Long Island, NY in the era he did.

This album shows critics don't know what the fuck they are
talking about anyway. The first two tracks hit you like a
punch to the gut and start the Rock energy flowing. While
near the end of the album Billy experiments with an almost
pre-rap style vocal delivery on "Close to the Borderline" that
was way ahead of its time in terms of pop music.

"You May Be Right" – 4:15 "I Don't Want to Be Alone" – 3:57

"Sometimes a Fantasy" – 3:40 "Sleeping With the Television On" – 3:02
"Don't Ask Me Why" – 2:59 "C'Était Toi (You Were the One)" – 3:25
"It's Still Rock and Roll to Me" – 2:57 "Close to the Borderline" – 3:47
"All for Leyna" – 4:15 "Through the Long Night" – 2:43

7. Supertramp - Double Album Crime of the Century & Breakfast in America

(1980)

The double LP cassette was in ghetto-blasters at

my school throughout grade 10 & 11 and
soundtracked many an outdoor lunch period.

The Brits are back and unlike much of the

forgettable 'New Wave" - Supertramp's blend of
progressive Rock instrumentation with oft-times
bluesy style rock lyrics made them a chart
topping success for a decade.

"School" – 5:34 "Dreamer" – 3:31

"Bloody Well Right" – 4:31
"Hide In Your Shell" – 6:48
"Asylum" – 6:43
"Dreamer" – 3:31
"Rudy" – 7:19
"If Everyone Was Listening" – 4:04
"Crime of the Century" – 5:36
"Rudy" – 7:19
"If Everyone Was Listening" – 4:04
"Crime of the Century" – 5:36
"Take the Long Way Home" – 5:08
"Lord Is It Mine" – 4:09
"Just Another Nervous Wreck" – 4:26
"Casual Conversations" – 2:58
"Child of Vision" – 7:25

PAGE 47
 6. Beach Boys - Endless Summer (1974)

I cannot recall how many summer afternoons were spent

listening to each and every track on this LP. The Beach Boys
are truly an iconic American Band responsible, in large part,
for the public's introduction to sophisticated recording
techniques and, of course, the realization that Rock Music did
not necessarily have to be shouting vocals with bare bones
instrumental back up - but could include rich and layered
harmonies. This collection of their 60's hits - released in the
70's was a commercial success due to its ability to evoke those
ever elusive and quite fictional "better times"

"Surfin' Safari" – 2:05 "Shut Down" (Brian Wilson/Roger Christian) –

"Surfer Girl" (Brian Wilson) – 2:26
"Catch a Wave" – 2:07
"The Warmth of the Sun" – 2:51
"Surfin' USA" (Chuck Berry/Brian Wilson) –
2:27
"Be True to Your School" (Album Version) –
2:07
"Little Deuce Coupe" (Brian Wilson/Roger
Christian) – 1:38
"In My Room" (Brian Wilson/Gary Usher) –
2:11
1:49
"Fun, Fun, Fun" – 2:16
"I Get Around" – 2:12
"Girls on the Beach" – 2:24
"Wendy" – 2:16
"Let Him Run Wild" – 2:20
"Don't Worry Baby" (Brian Wilson/Roger
Christian) – 2:47
"California Girls" – 2:38
"Girl Don't Tell Me" – 2:19
"Help Me, Ronda" – 3:08
"You're So Good to Me" – 2:14
"All Summer Long" – 2:06

5. Cat Stevens - Greatest Hits (1975)

For my money, the greatest vocalist in the history of Rock/Pop

music.

As a musician, a songwriter and a vocalist cat Stevens impresses

with each and every track. I still listen to these tracks in my car
every chance I get, often getting funny looks from other drivers
as I sing along.
"Wild World" – 3:22 "Peace Train" – 4:13
"Oh Very Young" – 2:34 "Ready" – 3:16
"Can't Keep It In" – 2:59 "Father & Son" – 3:41
"Hard Headed Woman" – 3:49 "Sitting" – 3:13
"Moonshadow" – 2:49 "Morning Has Broken" – 3:18
"Two Fine People" – 3:33 "Another Saturday Night" – 2:29

PAGE 48
 4. Billy Joel - Piano Man (1973)

The album that made Billy a house hold name with its #
1 single of the same title. This LP is unexpected in that
it doesn't seek to run on an established groove. If you
think you are in for 10 tracks that all sorta sound like
Piano Man - you are in for a surprise. Billy plays with
different stylings all through the album... it is not so
much a "studio album" as it is a compilation of songs
Billy wrote that he thought were cool. Ranging from the
wistful to the rollicking evoking everything from Urban
themes to Country memories. This Album announced to
the World that Billy was done with playing back up in
band ensembles and was ready to be taken seriously as
a solo artist.

"Travelin' Prayer" – 4:10 "Stop in Nevada" – 3:40

"Piano Man" – 5:37
"Ain't No Crime" – 3:20
"You're My Home" – 3:14
"The Ballad of Billy the Kid" – 5:35
"Worse Comes to Worst" – 3:28
"If I Only Had the Words (To Tell You)" –
3:35
"Somewhere Along the Line" – 3:17
"Captain Jack" – 7:15

3. Bobby Goldsboro - Greatest Hits (1978)

This crossover artist, from Country to the Pop charts wrote

songs from the heart. His beautiful ballads of loss and regret
transcend genre and should be at the top of anyone's list of
breakup music.

'Autumn of my Life', 'See the Funny Little Clown' and 'With

Pen in Hand' are guaranteed doses of cathartic release.

Honey
The Straight Life
Glad She's A Woman
I'm A Drifter
See The Funny Little Crown
It's Too Late/With Pen In Hand
Muddy Mississippi Line
Autumn Of My Life
Can You Feel It
Blue Autumn

PAGE 49
 2. Carole King - Tapestry (1971)

The phenomenal success of this album can sometimes

make us forget its artistry.

It is true that at some point in the 70's damn near every

home in North America had a copy of this LP on the
shelves. But this is no recording industry - factory made -
pop creation. Not in the least.

Carole's poetic ballads have become standards re-

recorded by numerous artists over the years. Her
strengths as a songwriter and a vocalist are displayed at
their peak in these virtuoso performances.

Don't take my word for it.

Tapestry was ranked US number 1 for 15 weeks and remained on the charts for over six
years. The album also garnered four Grammy Awards including Album of the Year, Best
Pop Vocal Performance, Female, Record of the Year ("It's Too Late"); and Song of the
Year ("You've Got a Friend").

All this, despite the fact that the album features MINIMAL production - Carole relies on
no studio tricks and polish to win her audience over - what you hear is all her even the
imperfections [of which there are few].

Buy this album, download, listen to it - I simply cannot stress enough the profound
impact of this albums artistry.

"I Feel the Earth Move" – 2:58

"So Far Away" – 3:55
"It's Too Late" (lyrics by Toni Stern) – 3:53
"Home Again" – 2:29
"Beautiful" – 3:08
"Way Over Yonder" – 4:44
"You've Got a Friend" – 5:09
"Where You Lead" (lyrics by Stern) – 3:20
"Will You Love Me Tomorrow?" (Gerry Goffin, King) – 4:12
"Smackwater Jack" (Goffin, King) – 3:41
"Tapestry" – 3:13
"(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" (Goffin, King, Jerry Wexler) – 3:49

PAGE 50
 1. Jim Croce - Photographs and Memories (1974)

Jim Croce was taken from us far too soon. His

humour, his voice, his talent left an indelible mark
on popular music. Jim died in a plane crash at the
age of 30 - just as his music was starting to flourish
on the charts.

In his short career he recorded numerous singles

that would stand the test of time. I defy you to go to
an 'open mic night' and not find some amateur
troubadour covering one of his songs.

Most jukeboxes [where you can find them] will still

have his songs on the playlist.

Every Karaoke night I have ever been to has been laced with folks singing his songs in
unison.

This collection puts all of his best work together and can be listened to and enjoyed
regardless of your age and usual musical preference.

It is full of joy and whimsy and wonderful urban reflections by an accoustic poet.

At the same time these tracks evoke a melancholy as you realize what else might have
been.

"Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" - 3:02

"Operator (That's Not The Way It Feels)" - 3:45
"Photographs and Memories" - 2:03
"Rapid Roy (The Stock Car Boy)" - 2:40
"Time In A Bottle" - 2:24
"New York's Not My Home" - 3:05
"Workin' At The Car Wash Blues" - 2:29

"I Got A Name" - 3:09

"I'll Have To Say I Love You In A Song" - 2:28
"You Don't Mess Around With Jim" - 3:00
"Lover's Cross" - 3:02
"One Less Set Of Footsteps" - 2:46
"These Dreams" - 3:12
"Roller Derby Queen" - 3:28

PAGE 51
AD for the MILK graphic novel – by Stephen White
PAGE 52
 Pop Culture
Comic Book Review – by R.J. Pare’

Thought I’d pop in with an update on the brilliant graphic novel – “MILK” – by Stephen
White due for release this August from Insomnia Publications. I’ve been very intrigued
by the powerful and richly detailed images previewed for this graphic novel.

From images that hearken back to the old the retro-futurism of "Things to Come"; to
surprising twists on "newstrip style" cartoon illustrations; to Noir aspects that bow at the
"altar of Eisner".... it has a little something different, for different tastes. PAGE 53
In order to promote ‘MILK’ Stephen is offering a draw prize of ORIGINAL SIGNED
ARTWORK for those who participate in the MILK COMPETITION

Rules and clues are posted on the FaceBook Group Page ‘MILK by Stref’

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=22420456975&ref=ts

I look forward to the opportunity to drink deep!

MILK – by Stephen White

PAGE 54
You Smell Like Robots – by Roger Formidable

PAGE 55
 RAISED ON SATURDAY MORNING
CARTOONS – by Pauline Pare’
Spring is in the air and for this month’s article I have decided to try my hand at poetry.
In particular, an homage to something I love dearly. For this endeavour, I have enlisted
the help of my best friend, my wonderful husband, my fellow couch potato and my
demanding editor, all who, coincidentally, share the same name: Randy Paré.

ODE TO MY TELEVISION SET

By Pauline & R.J. Paré

For you, darling TV set I am able

To pay an exorbitant cost for cable

Through you, many finer skills I have enriched,

Like my Bewitchy nose and Vulcan nerve pinch.

I found that I could end environmental woes,

With a Flintsone car that’s powered by our toes

A woman can be sexy and still fight crime with a gun.

Who says that the boys, get all of the fun?

But worry not, I do keep “Friends.”

With syndication, that show never ends.

Without you how could I determine the fate,

Of my dear “lost” friends, Hurley, Sawyer and Kate?

Through final frontiers of adventures we’d soar,

The Stars we’ve Trekked – Where No One Has Gone Before

Oh my sweet grey Sanyo, I vow to love you eternally,

Or at least until I can afford a plasma with HD

Classic TV – by R.J. Paré

PAGE 56