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Good call Milch! A rant I would have been proud of! I always though Artrocker was a bit up its own arse from day one to be honest, but tollerated it cos it was at least trying.

It's a bit like the printed XFM - used to be ok and a bit different, but has turned into the alternative Virgin Radio. Thats what happens when a labour of love gets sucked into the music business I guess....

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GREENFORD ROCK CITY!

Well, I'm sure I'd feel much worse if I weren't under such heavy sedation.

As long as there's sex and drugs, I can do without the Rock 'n' Roll....

Generally agree, though I’ve always had more time for Paul Artrocker. I bought all the early issues to support them until Tom Artrocker’s right-wing editorials became insufferable. I always found it a big lightweight - what was Parsley blackmailing them with to get a column? – and their definition of “artrock” is stupidly restrictive. Selling advertising and cross-promoting their club (or clubs, when they did Frog) seem to be more important than promoting good music – why else print 2 pages of fashion victims saying “fave band? Ooh, Razorlight are lush” every single issue?

However, Delia’s column always feels real because it’s about getting out and seeing bands.

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GREENFORD ROCK CITY!

Well, I'm sure I'd feel much worse if I weren't under such heavy sedation.

As long as there's sex and drugs, I can do without the Rock 'n' Roll....

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Life is what happens when you are busy making plans - John Winston Lennon

I may have alzheimers but atleast I don't have alzheimers - ?

I bought a copy of it last night to check it out and I won’t be doing that again. (I think it was £3.25).

It’s professional now where before it was just playing at it – it has loads more pages and even a spine. But it’s basically a giant advertising paper with the odd article interspersed. If it were free I’d pick it up but I won’t pay money for it. They’ve sold (out) everything – including the cover CD, prominently sponsored by Red Stripe. They’re clearly marketing it as a teen publication – there are 2 pages of fashion (query: what girl over compulsory school age is going to take fashion tips from Bat For Lashes?) and they keep barking on about the Underage Festival. Content is largely improved (mostly better written at least, but see below) but “artrock” is so tightly defined as to be meaningless – the CD has some good tracks but there’s far too much identikit gtr/bs/drums/trilby rock.

Delia’s gone and she was the only one who really appreciated music without wanting to create a scene out of it. She’s been replaced by the shit-thick Emma Edmondson. Her fucking execrable girl-around-town column doubles as the winning entry for the ‘Be The President Of The Society Of Morons’ competition. If that’s the work of a journalist, then I’m Laika the space dog. (When Subliminal Girls have finished burning Koko to the ground, they can start on the fucking Hawley Arms too). As Milchman suggested at the top, this is the sign that artrocker is now A£trocker.

It’s sad because the mailout used to be a real mine of good tips and the club was occasionally very good but now they’re just a pale shadow. However, the Artrocker card will come in really handy for scraping up foxshit in the back garden. And when I've done that I'll be returning said card to Tom the Sellout.

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Life is what happens when you are busy making plans - John Winston Lennon

I may have alzheimers but atleast I don't have alzheimers - ?

There now follows the entire text from the "About Artrocker Magazine" section of Artrocker Magazine's own MySpace page:

About ARTROCKER MAGAZINE


SPECIAL ADVERTISING OFFER FOR 'UNSIGNED BANDS' and 'CLUB NIGHTS'

Only £99 for a Full Colour 1/4 page in ARTROCKER MAGAZINE for ALL UNSIGNED BANDS and CLUB NIGHTS!

TO BOOK OR FOR MORE INFO EMAIL chris@artrockermagazine.com

DON'T MISS OUT !

I think they have done more than any of us can to sum up what Artrocker is really all about.