Hotpress re-jigs, reels.

If you got the new Hotpress today (which has just been plonked on my desk) you will notice a new design. It's a nice size, with a glossy cover. It actually looks like a normal magazine. It's more of the same giddy design inside though. The design of Hotpress always gives me a headache, it's so busy, you don't know where to look.

Anyway, one can only presume that this nu-luk is in anticipation of some ass-kicking from the new Irish music magazine State, which is out next month.

Let the battle commence.



In light of this momentous redesign, I'm bringing back 'Hotpress: I read it so you don't have to'

* On the cover: Tom Baxter. Ireland has fallen in love with him, we are told

* Niall Stokes begins his editorial - "well, fuck me. That's a bit of a surprise. A whole new look Hot Press. And a new logo to boot! Somebody must have spiked my stroganoff with magic mushrooms." You're not fooling me Stokesy, you cheeky divil. You must've known that yer mag was going to be different - you're the editor innit! Har har etc.

* An interview with Daniel Day-Lewis is given around a page, an interview with Tom Baxter is given five pages.

* Interview with John Waters (page and a half), "Imagine being able to use the word 'religiosity' without prejudice? To talk about the force that is within me that connects me to infinity in time and space." John Waters: has the force.

* Jason O'Toole interviews Sophie Dahl - 'the newface of Newbridge Cutlery'. You can be the face of cutlery? Can you also be the feet of the Lotto, or the ass of water safety? Interesting. Interview is five pages long, "Sorry. The most boring interview you've ever had!" she says at one point.

*(aside: the entire magazine appears to be written by Jason; feature on DeLoreans, interview with John Waters, Sophie Dahl and for some strange reason, Jayne Middlemiss among other things)

* Anne Sexton tells us about having sex with her football-fan partner: "I did my best Cristiano Ronaldo manoeuvre," (what? cry?) "and danced out of his way" (oh) "'not so fast mister. You're facing relegation. Let's see what you got.' The game was this - the bed was the pitch and Thomas had to get my clothes off using only his feet or head. Like football, hands were not allowed. Luckily for him I was wearing a dress and not a pair of jeans and to give him a fair chance I'd removed my stockings..." and so on and so forth

* Dermod Moore has an interesting article on Cathal O Searcaigh-gate

then... I got bored and didn't read anymore of the mag, sorry, might get back to it later. Overall impression though is that the design is better and if they dropped the stupid 'personality' interviews and got more writers like Patrick Freyne working for them, it would be a better magazine.