Category: Articles – Interviews

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An interview with Andy Pan Within – PART ONE

Moriarty Viccar
andy dolan and his wife michelle
Andy and his wife Michelle run Whitby Steampunk Weekend

You may know Andy Dolan by various other names; Andy Pan Within, Hubcap Diamondstar or even possibly Jam Man. It’s like he’s trying to avoid detection by Interpol, but it’s nothing like that. The organiser of Whitby Steampunk Weekend has acquired these names throughout his life. His fascination with the God Pan from Greek mythology, coupled with a love of the song Pan Within by The Waterboys gave him his current moniker. But what about Hubcap? “Hubcap is a nickname acquired during childhood from friends because I was into T. Rex and was always singing Get It On (Hubcap Diamondstar Halo is in the lyrics).” Obviously his nickname Jam Man comes from his company Decadent Preserves. Continue reading “An interview with Andy Pan Within – PART ONE”

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Interview with Tayliss Forge

Moriarty Viccar

Many steampunks around the world will be familiar with the name Tayliss Forge. From her first experience of steampunk at a convention in 2009, she’s built up a large fanbase on social media. Partially down to her exceptional skills at making steampunk costumes as well as her many modelling shoots and of course being a super nice person to talk to. In this interview, she chats about her steampunk origins, her love of conventions and her involvement with the amazing League of S.T.E.A.M. Continue reading “Interview with Tayliss Forge”

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Interview with New Jacobin Club

Moriarty Viccar
Images courtesy of New Jacobin Club
New Jacobin Club (L-R; The Horde, RatKing, The Luminous, Poison Candi (with Parasol), Mistress Nagini, The Ruin) Image taken by Kathryn Trembach Photography

The New Jacobin Club are a six-piece band who originally started off as a trio of musicians in Western Canada just over 20 years ago.  Ahead of their whistle-stop UK tour, the members of NJC have taken the time to talk to SJ about their music, the band , their history and how a fire isn’t always part of the act.

Seeing a band together after such a long time shows how these mainstream groups who need sabbaticals and hiatus’ after a few years together either can’t take the pressure or simply don’t take it seriously enough. While New Jacobin Club are serious about their music, fans and gigs – always giving some free music away with their albums –  they have also proven to be insightful, wise, extremely interesting and funny. Recently I had the chance to fire some questions over to them before they descend on Britain for a short tour including the “A Splendid Day Out” steampunk event in Morecambe on June 4th 2016. The full listing of their tour can be found at the bottom of the interview as well as links to their new fifth album Soldiers of the Mark. Continue reading “Interview with New Jacobin Club”

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Interview with Nix Whittaker – Steampunk author

Moriarty Viccar

author-photoNix Whittaker is a New Zealand based up and coming author. Her new novel – Blazing Blunderbuss – is available in May 2016 and is a heady adventure full of pirates, magic and dragons disguised as mathematicians. I managed to get a few questions over to her by email so I could find out more about this interesting world she’s created. Continue reading “Interview with Nix Whittaker – Steampunk author”

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Interview with Curtis Allen – Steampunk illustrator

Moriarty Viccar
Copyright Curtis Allen, used with permission
The Original St Valentine’s Day Cogginton card

Curtis Allen is a UK based illustrator. He lives in Birmingham and has been drawing for as long as he can remember and interestingly, even at a young age, had a tendency to draw things that were broken. In his Steampunk Journal interview, he tells us of his inspirations, aspirations and how a favourable comment from Professor Elemental (he gets everywhere) validated his work. Continue reading “Interview with Curtis Allen – Steampunk illustrator”