The Battle Of Britpop - 30 Years On...

(Note: This is a write-up I did last year as part of the many final writing assessments done to earn my University degree. A lot of the assignments I submitted during my time as a student are in hindsight rather bland and uninteresting (and rely a lot on literature reviews and quotations) but this one seemed interesting enough to post here with a bit of polishing, especially as it's arguably more timely now than it was when I originally wrote it.)

30 years ago, a burgeoning rock band named Blur released their second full-length studio album Modern Life Is Rubbish, and with it helped to set the scene for the British music scene for the rest of the 90s.

By 1995, Britpop ruled the music scene in the UK. Born out of a reaction to the rise of Nirvana and Grunge from the US, Blur’s following album, 1994’s Parklife, supported by the hit single title track, helped to bring the fledgling movement into the public eye. Soon bands like Suede, Pulp, Elastica and many others were scoring hits under the umbrella, and as the grunge and alternative movement enjoyed continued popularity in the US, across the pond Britpop had become the movement of choice.

Then suddenly, in 1994, a band from Manchester named Oasis released their debut album Definitely Maybe, and everything started to change. Outstripping all the other bands, the group became hitmakers overnight, and only grew more popular with their next album What’s The Story, Morning Glory?. With the runaway success of songs like “Wonderwall”, it seemed like there was nothing they couldn’t do.

And one thing that they proved they could do was butt heads with the other kids on the block, most predominantly Blur. Although the origins of their animosity are blurred with uncertainty, people who were there point to a backstage party, likely held to celebrate Oasis’ latest single “Some Might Say” hitting number one, which Blur attended to give their support. At the party, Oasis’ lead singer Liam Gallagher antagonised the members of the other band, rubbing it in their lead singer Damon Albarn’s face about how Oasis were number-one artists and they weren’t, which only sought to irk Albarn into wanting to outdo them.

It didn’t help that the press was starting to play up the two bands’ differences in the media, exacerbating the competitive wedge between them. Oasis was northerners from working class backgrounds, and many critics loved their music for being raw and honest. Blur on the other hands hailed from the south, had an educated background, and their music had more of an ironic artistic edge which had its own merits but left some frustrated with the lack of “authenticity”.

Regardless of how much of the “rivalry” was real, and how much of it was media hype, there was no denying that there seemed to be a genuine competitiveness between the two bands. Such convictions only seem to be justified when Blur moved the release date of their latest single “Country House” to the same day as Oasis’ upcoming single “Roll With It”. And with the now massive popularity of the two bands in the UK, one of them was guaranteed to get a number one, but no one knew who it would be.

 The media took this detail and ran with it, and the band’s managements were only too happy to lean into the hype and drum up sales. The newspapers referred to it as the “Battle Of Britpop”, the whole affair was advertised like a boxing match between the two bands, and their fans were all encouraged to go out and buy their band’s singles, to get them to number one.

August 14th 1995 came and went, hundreds of thousands of copies of both singles flew off the shelves, and sure enough the numbers were in: “Country House” had just managed to scrape the number one spot, while “Roll With It” was left at number two. Blur had won the battle, but with the success of What’s The Story eclipsing Blur's own The Great Escape, it seemed like Oasis had nonetheless won the war.

30 years on, I asked a couple of people who were there at the time how they felt about the perceived rivalry looking back. The first person I approached was Jim, aged 44. They hadn’t been following either band in particular, but remembered the media hype that blew up around the situation. Although they did not know anyone that was a Blur fan, they did feel as though the Oasis fans were much louder in “proclaiming their allegiance”. They themselves preferred Blur as “they just seemed like they were genuinely nice people”.

Although they were into different scenes and didn’t notice the rivalry around them, they were aware of it, and believe now that it was very much publicity that was fed by the media more than it was any genuine rivalry between the two bands. Jim always had the feeling that Blur hadn’t been interested in taking part in a direct rivalry but got forced into the position because Oasis was happy to play into the attention. Ultimately, they believed that it seemed even pettier now than it did back then.

Finally, I approached a music fan named Sean, who had been a fan of Blur at the time and so directly witnessed the “rivalry” himself. Fully in the Blur camp at the time, they had been unimpressed with Oasis and had even thought "Is that it?" upon hearing their debut single “Supersonic”. Their general circle of friends were all into Blur as well, and they were generally at odds with a lot of people who related better to the Gallagher brothers, which lead to conflict between the two fandoms. 

 As he tells it, “confrontations became inevitable, as we wore our allegiances openly. We were out drinking a lot, in late bars and indie clubs, and the Liam wannabes would often come up to me, jabbing their fingers in my face and looking for trouble.” Looking back, Sean saw the rivalry as rather silly, and even a little “tawdry” due to the perceived low quality of both singles being promoted, That being said though, they ultimately saw the rivalry as being partially earnest, and if nothing else; “They were good days, and a fantastic time to be a teenager into music.”

Ultimately, whoever won, the Battle of Britpop represented the high watermark of Britpop’s popularity. Blur would leave the genre a short time later to pursue a different sound, and Oasis would crater under their own weight trying to outdo themselves on their third album Be Here Now. By 1998, the movement had all but moved on in the public sphere, leaving behind a battlefield that still resonates in the British music scene to this day… 

Dream Crusaders: Picking Up Where A Story Dies Off (2021)

(Note: I originally wrote this article (and conducted the interview that is an integral part of it) as part of a university assignment back in early 2021. Although it is technically outdated as production of Dream Crusaders has changed somewhat since I wrote it, and the Klonoa franchise has also had an update, I still deem it informative enough to want to archive on this page. Even if it is technically not related to music. I have also decided to include the full unedited interview at the end as well, as it adds extra details that do not appear in the finished article.)

Esteban Girolami, a French artist who goes by the online handle Jeyrolami, has entered the lineup of notable fan creators through his comic series Dream Crusaders, a strip directly based in the world of the fairly obscure 90s video game series Klonoa.

“I started drawing as a kid, doodling on paper during my free time. I was a big fan of videogames and wanted to illustrate my love for the characters they presented and I spent a lot of my days scribbling made up stories and scenarios starring my favourite characters.”

The Klonoa series is the work of famed developers Namco, whose other recognisable franchises include Tekken, Ace Combat, and the grandfather of modern video game mascots, Pac-Man. The series involves the titular character’s adventures through a world created by the collective dreams of its inhabitants, in order to protect it from forces that wish to destroy or do harm to it.

 The series has gained retrospective acclaim for its gameplay and well written storylines, but every entry made during its run was a commercial flop, sometimes to abysmal levels, leading to Namco turning its back on the series, rendering it largely inactive for the better part of two decades.

“I was introduced to the videogame series through my father playing the second game of the saga, Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil. I then proceeded to play it myself multiple times, enjoying the experience to its fullest. But for a reason I cannot explain, I entirely forgot about the series for years to come.”

In 2012, a brief respite for the Klonoa franchise came in the form of an official webcomic entitled Klonoa: Dream Traveller of Noctis Sol. Created by Shifylook, an offshoot of Namco itself (now Bandai-Namco following a merger with fellow company Bandai) as part of an initiative to provide some form of new content for its more neglected IPs. Although praised by the fandom at the time, it only lasted two seasons before being abruptly cancelled by Namco in 2014. The plot threads never being resolved due to the surprise of the cancellation, it ended on a blunt cliffhanger. Additional circumstances, including the announcement and subsequent cancellation of a Klonoa Anime movie, has left the fanbase has become increasingly desperate for anything to latch onto.

“I was left with a sour taste in my mouth: I sadly found out the series was long dead, with the latest piece of media being a webcomic that was abruptly cancelled on a cliffhanger. Thanks to my recently re-acquired art skills and my love for fan-made stories, I just knew it was the perfect occasion to train my storyboarding and scenery, while at the same time offer the now desperately clinging for content and attention fanbase a breath of fresh air.”

Dream Crusaders is intended to pick up the story from where the aborted official comic was cut off, and continue to send the plotline in a totally new and original direction, due to the actual direction the comic was to go in never being revealed, likely for legal reasons. Despite the freedom of choice this has given Girolami in deciding to take the comic, it has made the process of producing it more arduous, although he has managed to get into a routine in its production.

“Despite the whole narrative being already planned out in advance, the exact scenes are not. While the planning in text format usually takes a mere day, sketching the storyboard very often takes multiple weeks, as I am forced to try out multiple alternatives until I am satisfied with the results. 

Next up is the actual creation of the pages.I go from lineart to fully cel-shaded panels and finished pages till all of the chapter is complete. This is by far the step that takes the longest, as I can spend over an entire month refining the pages until they look ready to be released as 10 pages issues.”

Initially teased and announced in late 2019, Dream Crusaders’ first issue officially became available through the website ComicFury on April 10th 2020. Although hardly unknown in the fandom at this point, having haunted the fan forums for some time prior, this launch helped to catapult him into the forefront of the fanbase, especially since he was one of the few thus far to have produced a fully fleshed out and carefully planned product, rather than a one-off piece.

“The public reaction to the comic was surprisingly amazing to say the least. Klonoa fans left and right relayed the info and shared it around, with it now being known by a big portion of the fanbase. 

Without trying to give myself too much credit, I do believe my webcomic is nowadays one of the most prominent pieces of fan content the Klonoa series can offer, alongside other awesome projects like soundtrack remixes and reorchestrations, or in-depth game translations for Japanese-only releases”

Despite the fairly large success of the comic in the fandom, with the majority of still persisting Klonoa fans having read it, an issue that has arisen is the fairly large turnaround time between issues, largely due to Girolami working on it entirely by himself, as well as his recent commitments to art school in a drive to improve upon his art style so his output gets better and better. 

“Despite all my efforts, the next chapter is currently being delayed further than I'd like due to my tight schedule and amount of assignments art school presents me with. While I am trying my hardest to go as fast as possible, I am still making sure I do not rush any of the steps so that I can offer my readers the best experience I can possibly give.”

Regardless, Esteban remains optimistic of the comic’s future, intending to move towards more fan works and an ongoing original work when it inevitably finishes its run.

“I truly hope I can narrate this fan story of mine entirely, and give the readers a pleasing and satisfying finale for a story that was cut short right before their eyes years ago.”

FULL UNEDITED REVIEW BELOW:

1. What inspired you to start drawing in general?

I started drawing as a kid, doodling on paper during my free time. I was a big fan of videogames and wanted to illustrate my love for the characters they presented and I spent a lot of my days scribbling made up stories and scenarios starring my favourite characters.

Despite my love for art, I quit drawing altogether in middle school, due to having less free time and spending those few free hours playing online games. It was only during High school that, having watched a lot of japanese mangas, I was inspired to write my own story following those dynamics and tropes.

As the writing of the plot progressed, I was actively searching for artists willing to illustrate my story so that it could be published in manga form, but I was never satisfied with the results. After over a year of desperate search, I came to the conclusion that the only person that'd be able to reproduce the ideas I had in my head on paper would be myself. That is when I picked back art seriously, this time on digital support, using a drawing tablet and program. Starting with a few badly drawn character designs, my comfort zone expanded and today I draw almost daily, whether it'd be stand-alone pieces, narrative illustrations, pages for my webcomic, or further designs for the story that I am still actively writing.

2. What got you into the Klonoa series, and what was it that made you want to do a continuation of Noctis Sol?

When it comes to Klonoa, it is similar to what happened with art. I was introduced to the videogame series through my father playing the second game of the saga, Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil. I then proceeded to play it myself multiple times, enjoying the experience to its fullest. But for a reason I cannot explain, I entirely forgot about the series for years to come, until a speedrun of Klonoa: Door To Phantomile was performed at Awesome Games Done Quick. 2019 re-introduced me to the games under a new angle. Interested by this long forgotten  childhood memory, I dug deeper into the series, reading about all of the games and content. Except I was left with a sour taste in my mouth: I sadly found out the series was long dead, with the latest piece of media being a webcomic that was abruptly cancelled on a cliffhanger. Thanks to my recently re-acquired art skills and my love for fan-made stories, I just knew it was the perfect occasion to train my storyboarding and scenery, while at the same time offer the now desperately clinging for content and attention fanbase a breath of fresh air.

3. What sort of process usually goes into making each chapter of the fan comic? Do you have a specific schedule for doing everything, and how is it mapped out?

It is a very strict process I go through when I work on the comic's chapters. Despite the whole narrative being already planned out in advance, the exact scenes are not. That is where I begin my work: I simply write the scenes and events of each page on a blank document in text format, so I can plan out the chapter and know where it'll end. After that comes storyboarding and page sketching. This is where I quickly doodle each page and each panel to decide camera angles, compositions, text bubbles, expressions, poses etc... While the planning in text format usually takes a mere day, sketching the storyboard very often takes multiple weeks, as I am forced to try out multiple alternatives until I am satisfied with the results. Next up is the actual creation of the pages.I go from lineart to fully cel-shaded panels and finished pages till all of the chapter is complete. This is by far the step that takes the longest, as I can spend over an entire month refining the pages until they look ready to be released as 10 pages issues.

4. Have you encountered any challenges whilst working on the comic? And inversely, have you found that it's been a positive experience in some way?

This comic definitely was and still is both a challenge and a big help in my drawing experience. It imposes me to apply most if not all drawing and narrative skills so that the issues succeed at telling the story correctly. Despite that, as chapters go by, I learn from my mistakes and each new issue is an improvement to the previous one. Another big challenge the comic turned out to present me with was the time consumption it required. Nowadays I spend at least 3 or 4 full hours if not more daily on the upcoming chapters, the rest of my free time being spent refining my talent attending online art school, that I started recently and now follow along in parallel to the webcomic's release.

5. How has the fan reaction to the comic been?

The public reaction to the comic was surprisingly amazing to say the least. Klonoa fans left and right relayed the info and shared it around, with it now being known by a big portion of the fanbase. A few individuals also kindly gave me their financial support through the website Patreon, where they offer me a monthly amount of money to get exclusive previews of upcoming issues in return. After gaining enough attraction, I was even able to publish the covers on Displate, where people can now buy them as metallic posters to decorate their rooms.

Recently the comic was also given its own TV Tropes page, a website archiving all pieces of media from all around the globe and giving criticism over the many tropes used in pop culture. On that same website, my name is mentioned on the main Klonoa series page, presenting my comic as the fan continuation to the original comic I was inspired by.

Without trying to give myself too much credit, I do believe my webcomic is nowadays one of the most prominent pieces of fan content the Klonoa series can offer, alongside other awesome projects like soundtrack remixes and reorchestrations, or in-depth game translations for Japanese-only releases.

6. How is the next chapter coming along, and Where do you see the comic going in the future? 

Despite all my efforts, the next chapter is currently being delayed further than I'd like due to my tight schedule and amount of assignments art school presents me with. While I am trying my hardest to go as fast as possible, I am still making sure I do not rush any of the steps so that I can offer my readers the best experience I can possibly give. Said readers are thankfully very patient, so aside from a few impatient fans  asking over and over when they can expect the next release, most of the fanbase waits and supports me to the fullest. I truly hope I can narrate this fan story of mine entirely, and give the readers a pleasing and satisfying finale for a story that was cut short right before their eyes years ago. Once I finish this project, I hope to expand my horizons by working on other fan comics and hopefully one day be experienced enough to publish my very own manga that, like stated previously, was my main inspiration and remains my biggest project yet.

Jim Sullivan - U.F.O (REVIEW)

In 1975 the musician Jim Sullivan vanished in the New Mexico desert. He had been travelling from LA to Nashville hoping to start a residency there. His car was found abandoned on a remote ranch, but he himself was never found, nor any trace of him.

All he left behind as an indication that he’d existed was his family, the memories of his loved ones, and more crucially, his two studio albums, 1969’s U.F.O, and 1972’s Jim Sullivan. And it is U.F.O. that has most captured the attention of people in the years since, not just because of its obscurity, but because its ethereal songs seemed to almost parallel Jim’s mysterious disappearance 6 years later.

Recorded in 1969 with Phil Spector’s Wrecking Crew (who’d been one of the most prolific backing bands in the late 60s, even working with the Beach Boys at one point) and released as a private pressing on an actor’s vanity label, it was essentially destined for obscurity. Which is a massive shame, as it is arguably one of the greatest lost classics in the late 60s Acid Folk movement.

Jim’s guitar playing has a distinctive jangly plucking to it, not quite like many artists that I’ve heard. His voice is deep, but powerful, and able to hit every note that comes its way. But it’s the songs themselves that have gained the album its reputation. They are filled with strange, supernatural imagery, whilst also staying slightly in reality, which creates an interesting almost uncanny feeling in places. 

Album opener “Jerome” makes this clear right away, with its strange, almost science-fiction-esque strings at the beginning and end, making it truly sound out of this world, literally. It’s a song about a ghost town, loosely based and named after the town his sister-in-law was born In, but some of the lyrical passages are quite abstract, almost with a drug undertone to them, especially with the line “If you take your magic slow, maybe you can find Jerome”.

Another rather overt example of this is in the title track, “U.F.O”. Title notwithstanding, it appears to have quite a biblical setting (Jim was supposedly a spiritual man), with some of the imagery seeming to directly reference the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the bible, especially with the line “Only man I know that got up from the dead”. It appears Jim, in the song, is waiting for him to return, his second coming if you will, as he ponders if he’ll arrive by UFO. 

U.F.O. essentially came and went after its release, and no one noticed it at the time. All of Jim’s attempts to find success also failed, and his spirit was crushed as it seemed like no one really cared for his songs. Even his attempt to reignite his career ended in tragedy and mystery. So perhaps it’s perfect that his albums have been rediscovered, and rereleased, so that people may finally enjoy what he tried to show to the world, even if it’s a little delayed.

(note: this review was originally written back in 2021 as part of an assignment and I somehow forgot I had written it, but happened to find it while going through my University files and so decided to post it.)