Blitzed Magazine Is Born
First, there was the Blitz club, then there was the Blitz Kids, after that there was Blitz the magazine, and finally, now there’s Blitzed Magazine, which is all about the influences, fashion and artists of the 1980s, but with a twist on our current times – to promote musicians, artists, bands, and fashion designers who are passionate and are influenced by the decade, and those who also lived through the period as creatives, and, who had, and still do have huge followings. It’s not just about the back catalogue, but the new downloads; it’s about a refreshing look at 80s history, fashion, music and art; it’s an adult version of Smash Hits with a twist, not to be confused with anything that has gone before, as it’s a brand new publication, with a modern view of old and new. It’s about icons, it’s about wannabes and gonnabes. Should have beens, and will be’s. It’s for everyone who was there and everyone who wishes they had been.
As the Editor in Chief of this new retro magazine, I will be championing vintage and retro artists, showcasing their back catalogues, and their new projects.
I will be looking at the history, discography and current projects of artists and bands, fashion designers, writers and artists, we all know and love. I will be interviewing many for Blitzed Magazine so that they can discuss the 1980s in context and how the period catapulted them to stardom, and also discuss how the music and fashion industry has changed, and how their work has changed to reflect our modern times.
I will also be looking to interview up-and-coming bands to reflect how they are influenced by the 80s as a decade, to review their latest projects and to showcase what they bring to the table in the 21st Century.
In collaboration with the publisher of the magazine, Silverback Publishing, we have come up with a logo design that reflects the decade, yet also looks modern.
The image above is a mock-up to show what the new logo would look like, combined with feature interviews and articles of artists and musicians.
Our first issue will feature an interview I did with Martyn Ware, founder of the B.E.F and Heaven 17. The cover of our first issue which will be published on the 4th November.
Besides myself as Editor-in-chief, the team includes, Greywave, a group of contributors who were actually attendees of the Blitz Club. Alongside them, we also have Martin James, a professor of Cultural Studies at Southampton Solent University, and Paul Browne an appreciator of electronic music who writes music reviews for his own website.
Other members of the team include Mik Scarlet as a contributor to Blitzed Magazine. He is also a broadcaster, journalist, musician and DJ. Mik Scarlet is probably best known for being one of the first wheelchair users to gain a celebrity status on our TV screens back in the 1990s. Presenting for BBC, ITV, C4, C5 and Sky. He’s been a regular face in the UK media for 30 years, has written for major newspapers, fashion and music magazines, too many online outlets to mention, and has even written sleeve notes for compilations and music documentaries. Mik is super stoked to be part of the team helping me bring Blitzed Magazine to the world.
Blitzed Magazine also features articles by Professor Lucy Robinson who is Blitzed Magazine’s resident Professor of 80s history, who will be contributing regularly. Lucy is a Professor of Collaborative History at the University of Sussex. She writes on popular music, politics and identity, feminism and punk pedagogy. Her book Gay Men and the Left in post-war Britain: how the personal became political was first published by MUP in 2007. Since then she has researched the Falklands War, charity singles, music videos, fanzines, protests and the politics of popular culture. As well as jointly co-ordinating The Subcultures Network, and the open-access digital project Observing the 80s. During the pandemic lockdown, she has been curating Vivienne Westwood Intellectual Unite online book club. Follow Lucy on Twitter (@ProfLRobinson)
In Blitzed Magazine we will feature reviews of gigs by the fans, album and music reviews, What We Wore, and How We Wore it as a regular fashion feature, Selfies with the Stars, a Back Stage Pass feature about VIP visits and meet and greets with their favourite artists, and letters to myself, as the editor. Most exciting of all, we will have exciting, exclusive interviews, competitions for readers, and of course we will be offering subscriptions for the magazine, and exclusive Blitzed Magazine merchandise.
Blitzed Magazine is NEW – Not a relaunch, but something different, and unique. If you weren’t there, read the stories, if you were, be reminded.
BLITZED MAGAZINE: The modern, yet retro style and music bible. Be enlightened. Again, or for the first time.
