Issue 09
Oscar Wilde said, "Any fool can make history, but it takes a genius to write it." We at SWINDLE strive to be both the fool and the genius. We follow up our history making, genre busting First Annual Icons issue with a gritty, girly cover story on the street art of MISS VAN. We revisit that fateful 1979 night at Chicago's Comiskey Park, when Harry Caray announced the death of disco; we take a definitive look at the world of beautifully-crafted screenprinted rock posters; and we're showing you serene portraits of Jamaica's legendary ska pioneers.
FATIGUE DETAIL
By Anne Keehn
Photos By Aaron Farley
Illustration By Cleon Peterson
During his 40th birthday party, Owen Thornton changed his outfit at least three times. Every hour or so, he pulled on pieces from his collection of vintage camouflage army gear and authentic punk clothes from Vivienne Westwood’s SEX shop. Dressed in a baggy tartan suit, Thornton took the stage and yelled out some punk songs.
AJ FOSIK
By Caleb Neelon and Alex Lukas
Photos By Aaron Farley
A.J. Fosik has been haunted by his last name for 12 years now. “The etymology of that word is sort of interesting and a little cheesy, but it’s a metaphor that I like and one that has served well enough. The word is Australian, originally spelled f-o-s-s-i-c-k
STOP
By Caleb Neelon
Photos By Kurnal Rawat
Illustration By Cleon Peterson
A gigantic metropolis with up to 20 million citizens (depending on when you stop counting), Mumbai, India, with its fine harbor, is one of the five largest cities on Earth, as well as one of the most densely populated.
GUERRILLA GARDENING
By Molly Simms
Photos By Malia James
Illustration By Daisy Joel
In 2004, longtime London-resident Richard Reynolds found himself living in a concrete high-rise, with no room for even the simplest window box garden. Walking to and from work each day, he observed the building’s flowerbeds, planters, and shrubberies-all withering in a state of weed-ridden decay.
Disco Demolition Night
By Simon Steinhardt
Photos By Paul Natkin
Illustration By Damien Correll
“Holy cow!”
The words were as iconic in Chicago as the Sears Tower and deep-dish pizza; Harry Caray, the broadcaster who made them famous, even more so. But the atmosphere in the Windy City was wholly unfamiliar to Chicagoans on the night of July 12, 1979
THE LEGENDS OF SKA
By Joey Altruda
Photography By David Jiro
Illustration By Kristian Henson
The year was 1956, and American R&B music was shaping the sound of Jamaica. DJs in Kingston pumped the newest hits at their mobile parties, known as sound systems, and popular dancehalls.
Miss Van
By Caleb Neelon
Photos By Miss Van
An artist’s impact is truly felt when their work becomes so familiar that it’s hard to remember what the world was like without it. When the Toulouse native and current Barcelona resident MISS VAN’s sultry female characters began to pop up on city center walls in the mid 1990s