Who is Andy Jamieson? The editor-bosscat of the ongoing free fanzine-newsletter, the Edinburgh Geekzine, plus the co-founder and editor of the new spin-off Geekzine website.
How old are you? Nosy. I am 33. Born in the year Star Wars came out.
Where are you from? Derby, near Nottingham.
Why Edinburgh? It made sense at the time and I don’t regret it one bit. I’ve got a bit of Scottish ancestry, as it happens. Scotland is a beautiful country with incredible people. It seems a lot less grey than England…
What is the Edinburgh Geekzine? It is a free newsletter dedicated to SF, Fantasy, Horror, Graphic Novels, Comics, Manga, Noir, Crime and more. Basically, anything that is a little bit different.
What about this here Geekzine website? A logical next step, really. The idea was put to me by some proper tech-head geeks (hello, Christopher & Campbell), and they set up the site for me, and are involved continually. I’d had the idea in my head before but hadn’t a clue how to go about it. Those two miscreants showed me it was a very real possibility, and here we are.
Primarily the Edinburgh Geekzine newsletter is focused on books alone, but with the website there are no limits, really. Movies, computer/videogames and role- playing and war games are all covered too. Anything I like, and whatever else any of the contributors want to gas about. After all, this is my sandpit, I’ll build what I like! But I’m a benevolent dictator. If I like an idea that someone brings to me, it goes into the mix.
So you review stuff then? The Geekzine isn’t some slavish review central. Everything anyone does for the Geekzine is voluntary, so obviously it can’t keep up with SFX, for example, or Empire, in terms of covering just about everything. The reviews are part of the Geekzine obviously, but it’s in the interviews (with authors, artists, random people in general, etc) and in the articles that the Geekzine does and will continue to shine.
The last issue and the forthcoming issue of the (printed) Edinburgh Geekzine contains an interview with Sir Terry Pratchett, that I conducted by phone last September on the eve of his book tour for I Shall Wear Midnight. That phone call is one of the highlights of my professional life. He was an absolute gent.
Over the next few weeks I’m going to be getting some great stuff up on the website.
What experience led you to create the Edinburgh Geekzine? I worked as a Senior Bookseller for Waterstone’s for eight long years, some good, some bad, most average. Most people I’ve spoken to over the years, who haven’t worked in a bookshop, have some kind of rose-tinted view of what the experience would be like. It is not like Black Books, the tv show. You do not get to sit around and read books. Well, you can, but you get in trouble. I got caught reading on the till by a head office type once, when I was covering someone’s break.
What was the book? The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx.
Do you have a favourite book? Difficult question. It’s a noisy mud wrestle between Weaveworld by Clive Barker, Dune by Frank Herbert, and perhaps The Lord of the Rings by Tolkien, with intervention from Salamander by Thomas Wharton. I come back to The Carpet People by Terry Pratchett every few years and it consistently thrills me and makes me chuckle. And Fulgrim by Graham McNeill is a stunning achievement.
Author? Possibly Barry Gifford (he what wrote Wild At Heart – you’ll have heard of the Nicolas Cage-starring, David Lynch-directed movie?). He writes like no one else on planet Earth. My favourite books of his are Perdita Durango and Port Tropique. The word genius gets flung around like poop these days but this fella is the real deal.
Cormac McCarthy is an artist the way he sculpts sentences. The Road is incredible. And his Outer Dark was bloody awesome.
I’m a massive fan of Chris Priestley too, a truly great horror writer. His Tales of Terror series are superb books. His last novel, The Dead of Winter, was outstanding.
And Graham McNeill and Dan Abnett. Titans of talent, the both of them.
And I can’t forget Robert E. Howard. I love his Conan stories. Such a great writer.
Movies? Now you’re talking. Blade Runner (Final Cut or Director’s Cut, I ain’t fussy), David Lynch’s Dune (laugh if you must, but amongst its clunkiness is some true & stunning originality), Hayao Miyazaki’s first two movies, Nausicaä Of The Valley Of The Wind, and Laputa: Castle In The Sky – the latter was the very first Studio Ghibli film. The Royal Tennenbaums. Krull. Willow. The 13th Warrior. Hellboy 2. Akira Kurosawa’s Red Beard. At least two of the Indiana Jones films. Lord of the Rings trilogy. Three of the Alien movies. Predator. Lost Highway. The Fountain and The Wrestler from Darren Aronofsky. Most lately, Inception.
Film-makers? David Lynch. Ridley Scott. Akira Kurosawa. Hayao Miyazaki. Wes Anderson. Spielberg. Darren Aronofsky. Wong Kar Wai.
Actors? Mickey Rourke. Michael Wincott. Harrison Ford. Christopher Walken. Robert Mitchum. Robert Ryan. Marlon Brando. Oliver Reed. Cate Blanchett. Angelica Huston, and Danny Huston. John Hurt. Kyle MacLachlan. Michael Sheen.
Comics? Or Graphic Novels? Hmm. I used to collect comics, for a long time. You’ve got to be dedicated to do that, I think. These days I’m more of a graphic novel man. I used to be mad for the X-Men, but the endless spin-offs, and cross-overs into other comics (a cheap trick to make you buy comics you wouldn’t normally buy) finished me off. I loved the Wolverine comic. It was by far the most consistent. But my fave series of all time is probably Battle Chasers by Joe Madureira. A fantasy/SF mash-up that he still hasn’t finished!
Manga? Yes, please. I’m working my way through quite a new title, called Biomega, by a rather talented chap by the name of Tsutomu Nihei. It’s a SF apocalypse-plague yarn that is proper bonkers. High on style, and at the expense of a plot that makes much sense. Miyazaki’s Nausicaä series is still my favourite manga. Benchmark, easy. I’m reading Akira too. Verdict so far: very good.
Do you roll dice? What kind of question is that? Yes, I do. Warhammer, Warhammer 40K, Blood Bowl, Space Hulk… You get the vibe. If Games Workshop make it, I’ll build it, attempt to paint it, and ultimately play it. I love all things Space Marine. Advanced Hero Quest is still the best board-game ever in my book. But I’m about to embark on Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay with a few like-minded pals. A friend got me the original book, released in 1986, for £2 in a jumble sale. It is truly incredible.
Gaming? Oh yes, when there is time. I’m working my way through Darksiders and Uncharted 2 on the PS3, and Dragon Quest 9 on the DS. I am hankering after more retro thrills, and keep meaning to dig out my old Sega Saturn and load up such wonders as Panzer Dragoon Saga… And I am mighty excited about the Space Marine game due in September.
Ambitions? Lots. I write in my ‘spare’ time (I’ve written a couple of books, scripts, short stories etc) and one day aim to be a full-time writer (ie: a paid professional). I’d love to be published by the Black Library (shameless plug). I want to direct a feature-film that gets to the top of the box office, at least for a week. By the year 2020 if possible. I don’t think that’s an unreasonable list of ambitions. Aim high, and all that.
What are you reading at the moment? Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Katja From The Punk Band by local author Simon Logan, which I’ve been meaning to read for months. Sorry, Simon! Palo Alto by James Franco, talented Renaissance Man that he is. I’m thoroughly enjoying them all.
What’s next? Who knows? Book-wise, between reviewing commitments for the Geekzine, I do love to re-read a favourite book. There’s plenty of stuff I’ve been meaning to read for ages. In terms of projects, the Geekzine website will be an ongoing endeavour. I have a couple of other writing projects lined up too. Along with building a Space Marine army.
Why should anyone take the time to read either the Edinburgh Geekzine or the Geekzine website? Because they’re both enjoyable, well written by people who care about what they’re writing about (and who aren’t getting paid to do it). Excitement, dedication and passion are key words for both projects. And, in my opinion, the writing is considerably better than a lot of comparable fan-boy blathering…