This afternoon.
The National Library of Ireland’s National Photographic Archive, Temple Bar, Dublin 2
Hot Press Founder Niall Stokes (top) and members of rock tykes The Strypes open a major Hot Press covers exhibition as part of the magazine’s year-long HP40 birthday celebrations.
On designing the first cover in 1977, Niall Stokes writes:
It is impossible to convey in mere words the difference between then and now for graphic designers. I’m not saying that life is a doddle for the maestros of InDesign and Photoshop who ply their trade these days. No indeed.
But back in 1977 it was pure hell.
Every. Thing. Had. To. Be. Done. Deliber. A. Tely. By. Hand. Especially headlines, which were pressed painstakingly and laboriously (you needed to avoid words like that in headlines but we didn’t) out of sheets of ‘Letraset’ (don’t ask) with the tip of a biro, onto flimsy see-through paper against the background of a grid, to keep them (ho, ho) straight….[more at link below[
FIGHT!
Rollingnews
Oh this is right up my straße, I’ll definitely head in for a look.
oh jesus, letraset. *shivers*
When you get 90% of the letter or number pressed on and then one fuppin little corner doesn’t come away… RAEG!!!
I remember doing lettering in art classes and spending ages drawing grids, roughly sketching out the letter, then doing a definitive outline, then filling it in… Now all you have to do is press a button.
i remember well doing fanzines and posters back in the olden days (8ts) and going through sheets of letraset. pure drudge when i look back on it now. Last magazine i did was done in DTP by a mate who knocked a 30+ page mag together in a few hours…. if anyone intereted the fruits of our labour is here https://issuu.com/sussed/docs
… that took me way back, and the name under the ‘Hard Mods’ article… Paul Mulholland.
He was a bit older than me, by a few years. I remember one summer… I was maybe 13 / 14, and Paul had that beautiful Rothmans vesta(?) tastefully adorned with mirrors.
Iron Maiden were my thing, and I’d recently seen Quadraphenia and loved it. For a laugh one evenin’ myself and another lad got a chase off him shouting ‘mods are shi*e, rockers rule’… Christ, some flashback :)
Mods weren’t sh*te tho, I was a kid
ta, Joxer
^ Vespa
They’re really, really good Joxer, well done.
Good to see Niall Stokes in a museum… where he belongs
Why?
Because he’s a relic, that’s why
No seriously. Why? Can you actually tell us why as opposed to an ageist insult? Cheers
Charlie, it’s nothing to do with his age – there are loads of people much older than Stokes with far more credibility.
A few reasons why I say he’s a relic:
He runs a magazine that has *** never *** published a critical review of U2
He clings to the notion of ‘being’ rock’n’roll, yet he pays his staff poorly
Hot Press is an utterly compromised publication – every section has a sponsor, everything they do is geared towards commercial gain, eg no editorial integrity whatsoever
Stokes uses outdated phrases like ‘the kids’ without trying to sound ironic
Hot Press use their annual yearbook to sell ads / entries to naive young bands / labels based on the premise that they are then somehow connected to ‘the industry’ – they are not
I could go on, but feel that this is probably enough
Firstly only one of your issues has addressed the “relic” insult and it’s damning.
“Stokes uses outdated phrases like ‘the kids’ is your only reason to label him ‘a relic’. Good grief! Not good enough quite frankly.
Wtf has not doing a “U2 critical review'” got to do with being a relic? Btw, I’ve read many well written pieces about U2 in Hot Press over the years. I’m not a fan but know good writing when I see it.
There’s not a magazine alive that doesn’t underpay their staff. It’s rampant. Both rock n roll and fashion kids move into the business thinking it’s glamorous. It’s a trap. That ship sunk long time ago. Even their suppliers are begged for cheap favours and never repaid. They’re the slime of journalism.
I’m not even sure how he keeps the magazine afloat. “Advertising” is essential in that regard so we can hardly blame the man for earning a living. Advertising is the heartbeat of every dreadful fashion and rock n roll rag alive. It’s a business, not a crusade.
Btw, I don’t enjoy the magazine. I don’t enjoy many rock n roll rags. I don’t enjoy many fashion rags. However, what I don’t enjoy even more is ageist insults.
Shut up Charlie.
Niall Stokes is probably younger than me, but always seems so much older…so very much older.
rob is right.
A museum is an ideal location to leave him at. He’ll find all the music he likes there.
Have you met him? Answer the question. Why should he be in a museum and spare us the obvious hatred? Deep breath now and give us a proper adult answer without the cheap lazy insult. Thanks in advance.
I’m sorry.
I like him now.
Will that do?
Perfect! You see, it’s nice to be nice sometimes rather than just being just nasty.
Wtf has not doing a “U2 critical review’” got to do with being a relic? – well I guess if you are still doing positive reviews of a band that were past their prime 20 years ago, then you are a relic
It’s a business, not a crusade. – yes but the way Niall Stokes talks, he pretends it is a crusade. But rock’n’roll died as a crusading cause a long time ago, again Niall is a relic.
I said earlier that it has nothing to do with his age. In my last post I even said that there are loads of people older than Stokes who are relevant.
Rob. Just because you have a beef with U2 and he doesn’t is hardly an excuse to label the man a relic. I’m no U2 fan either but that doesn’t make me right.
I strongly suspect you simply just don’t like the man and think it’s his age that’s the problem because he doesn’t suit your hip agenda or crucify U2.
Apologies for using the word ‘hip’. I’m obviously a relic.
Charlie, I have no beef with U2 or Niall Stokes, and for the third time (!) this has nothing to do with his age. I just think that he and Hot Press are relics, completely irrelevant. If you don’t want to accept that, it’s no big deal
for the older folks in the audience, Letraset (‘cos I’ve just looked it up) is like those Kalkitos things…
The Strypes have gotten better haircuts in the intervening
you kiddin me? the tyke second from left has an uneven hairline. ghastly
Considering he’s the kid on the far right of the magazine he’s holding, I stand by my statement haha