Scream City Issue #4

Introduction

Scream City 4 was the first real concept issue as it was almost totally themed around FAC-2 A Factory Sample featuring interviews with key protagonists and articles about the record itself and those it was inspired by or inspired.

David Nolan wrote a tribute to Tony Wilson who had died in August 2007. This was centred around Tony’s television career rather than that as boss of Factory Records.

A covermounted ("slid in between the pages", Ed.) CD featured the track 'Cup a Soup Romance' from the then forthcoming album 'Sunlight to Blue... Blue to Blackness' by The Durutti Column.

The design theme was retro and monochrome ("to make it look like it was done on a photocopier in the seventies" Ed.). Nearly all text was set in fixed-width Courier New for that old school typewriter vibe. The cover featured a photograph of Vini Reilly by Rachel Mcfarlane that was processed by Steven Hankinson. An alternate rejected cover strategy was to have included some old Situationist graphics. The centrespread was a one-off orange wireframe bottle and straw poster designed by Steven for the Cerysmatic Factory 10th Anniversary which had just happened in March 2008. The orange was the only colour in the whole issue.

Michael Eastwood, Phil Cleaver and Ian McCartney (aka Aloysius Munn aka the Fac 2 Owners' Club) were detailed to interview Peter Hook (Joy Division/New Order), Stephen Mallinder (Cabaret Voltaire), Vini Reilly (The Durutti Column) and John Dowie using a standardised template of questions about FAC-2. This approach yielded mixed results and perhaps there could have been a bit more probing for fuller answers. However, the collected suite of four main interviews stands up quite well.

Colin Sharp, a member of one of the very first line-ups of The Durutti Column contributed a fascinating piece aligned to his book on Martin Hannett (of which there is also an extract). Vini Reilly didn’t have much good to say about Colin but I don’t think the feeling was mutual. Sadly Colin died not long afterwards.

Matthew Robertson cast a critical collector's (and designer's) eye over FAC-2 in Industrial Relations whilst Andrew James looked at record label samplers across history.

The back cover continued the anagrammatical nonsense that we expected to see in this location with 'Mystic E Car'. Ian McCartney bought on eBay the mascot off an old Jag which the seller had in turn bought off Tony Wilson. The jaguar figurine was broken and as the owner was doing a refurb he put it up for sale. Apparently the proceeds from the sale were donated to The Christie in Manchester where AHW had been treated during his illness.

Editorial

Many thanks to Phil Kooky Cleaver (no me or him neither), Amy Cooper, Kevin Cummins, John Dowie, Michael Eastwood, Guillaume @ popnews.com, Steven Hankinson, Peter Hook, Andrew James, Bobby Langley, Stephen Mallinder, Ian McCartney @ FAC-2 Owners' Club, Rachel McFarlane, Nathan McGough, moist, Hamish Muir, David Nolan, Ravello for coffee, Vini Reilly, Matthew Robertson, Peter Saville, Colin Sharp, Michael Stein, Anthony H Wilson. Without whom etc.

Scream City #4, April 2008. £2.00. Published by John Cooper.

Front cover by Steven Hankinson from an original photograph by Rachel McFarlane

Inside front cover: 'Tephra' by Hamish Muir (Tephra is available from www.daltonmaag.com)

Back cover photo by Ian McCartney