In amongst a busy period for Vapors news we thought we’d share details of the inugural “Guildford rock ‘n’ roll book club” event on May 15th. We wish this new venture well, and needless to say we’re chuffed that their first evening will feature heavy vapors content. We know many of you have Mike Philpott‘s book (and if not, why not?!) and Mike will be there to chat about it with John Warburton; Howard Smith will be along too and if you’re Guildford based yourself and you’re on this page then you probably already know all about Ben Darnton’s wonderful record shop Ben’s Collector’s Records. Ben will also be along and a full evening of chat/tunes/laughs/drinks is planned.
We may even pop along ourselves. Please do support this wonderful local initiative if you can.
The Vapors Fan Group
The Vapors and the 2024 Paris Olympics: There's a Connection
In December 1981, The Vapors released Magnets the follow up to their successful debut album New Clear Days which featured “Turning Japanese”. The album has particular significance for its inspired cover artwork, a complex portrait that mirrored the album’s dark undertones. Martin Handford who sold insurance to pay bills, was hardly an emerging artist at the time when he was asked to design the cover for Magnets. Drawing upon the theme of the title song, Handford depicted a chaotic crowd scene of an assasination, although you couldn’t tell unless you looked closely. This became an inspiration for an idea that eventually became a cultural phenomenon. Handford created a recurring character he would put in all his drawings: a bespectacled man with brown wavy hair who always wore a red and white striped shirt and stocking cap. His name was Wally. The trick was to find Wally in the crowd. Unremembered
As Paris gears up to host the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in a few months’ time, the International Olympic Committee has revealed the two officail posters illustrated by artist Ugo Gattoni. According to Creative Review the posters are packed with detail in the style of ‘Where’s Wally Puzzle Books’.Creative Review
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Wednesday 15th May 7.30.pm THE KEEP Castle Street
Author and self-publisher Mike Philpott will be chatting about his incredible book ‘Times Gonna Make Me A Man Someday: Trailing The Vapors’ and howthe band became his lifelong passion and shaped his life .With John Warburton, writer broadcaster, composer, record producer and senior lecturer in music and film at the University of Surrey. Howard Smith who was the original Vapors drummer, when the band got back together in 2016, Howard decided not to rejoin, his priorities being his young family and politics. Howard was adopted as the parliamentary Labour candidate for Guildford in the 2017 general election, now a Guildford Councillor and mayor elect. Also Ben Darnton from Ben’s Records
Surrey New Writers Festival 18 May 2024 University of Surrey
Surrey New Writers Festival is the annual celebration of contemporary writing targeted at Guildford’s vibrant community of readers and writers, as well as the undergraduate and post graduate students from the university’s creative writing programmes.
The Surrey New Writing Prize is an annual short story prize awarded to the best piece of short fiction written in response to a given, topical theme. Prize winners will be announced at the festival https://surreynewwritersfestival.my.canva.site/
Independents Reviving Our Town Centre
Art & Grind 165 High Street
Bens Records, Tunsgate
Save Our Studio
Ochre Print Studio, part of the Lockwood Centre on Slyfield Industrial Estate is the largest open access fine art studio in the South East of England but faces eviction and closure as Guildford Borough Council have plans to demolish the building and turn it into a car park.Thousands of people of all abilities have enjoyed learning new print making skills at theOchre Studio. It’s tragic when at last we are beginning to understand the importance of art to our well being as well as our economy. According to Arts Council research the arts contrbibute more than £11 billion annually to the economy, more than the agriculture sector, the biggest challenge facing arts organisations are local authority cuts.
