“Nowt as queer as folk,” as my grandmother often says. And it’s true to some extent - people can be rather peculiar. Spend enough time around them and you might notice it. Personally I much prefer to keep my distance. 

I’ll sit here, at my little writing desk, and glance out the window from time to time. Seeing all the people on the other side, wandering around aimlessly, sometimes shouting, often whispering. I’m safe here, behind the glass. My greyhound assures me this is all perfectly normal.

Tim is one of the few people I’ll make an exception for. He is a wonderful game designer (he’s really not paying me to say that) and friend. He really captures something in the worlds he builds - though what that something is can sometimes be hard to pin down. 

What is the emotion one gets from play-pretending as a demonic overlord in D666? Why are so many of us enraptured by the thought of Be(ing) Like a Crow? And why did I so quickly throw money at him when he told me I could, through All Night Breakfast at the Midnight Owl, immerse myself in the “fiction” of exploring the dark and weird corners of the world as an unemployed writer, desperately trying to get their voice heard? I live that.

From Punk to the People

Punk is Dead was a game that blew me away (and, in its fiction, most of the UK).  Tim had managed to create a vision so therapeutically bleak in its views of modern day capitalism and nightmarish class structure that, to me, rivals the greats of the genre - Fallout, Outer Worlds, Mad Max - it deserves to sit among the pantheon of the great creative end-of-the-world media. 

Where it really stands out is in the sheer level of hope that pervades its grim old world. The titular Punks aren’t doomed to die without leaving their marks on the world. They’re going to break it down around them. But then that begs the question: who is going to build it back up again? That all comes down to the ordinary folk of this world - in particular those who become Folk Heroes.

When I was approached to write something spooky for Folk, I was honestly terrified. I love the original game, I have a deep respect for Tim and his work, and a long lasting love for folk horror. I was certain that by agreeing to try and bring some (more) horror to this world that I could only ruin my relationships with all three. This is ultimately a good thing: I can and will use that fear.

The Problem With Folk These Days

Folk music is such a personal thing. It comes from generational history, or from the lore of the land. It’s something that could be ingrained in all of us, in our own different ways. Folk horror is, at its most exploitative at least, not that. 

It’s easy for these stories to come from the view of the outsider, looking in and critiquing that which they don’t understand, and painting those outside of the “civilised world” as backwards and dangerous. In short, the “folk” and their ways are to be feared. 

And it’s easy to see why that’s the way it is - it’s effective. Who doesn’t love The Wickerman, after all? Woodward, Cage or Maiden, I’ll take them all. The fear of the unknown is effective and powerful. Like I said before, there’s nothing stranger than people.

Folk Meets Horror

What I really want to explore is, if folk music channels the heritage of a land through the years 'til it becomes familiar, can folk horror do the same? It’s an interesting, if not the most easy to explain, question. I could wax on lyrically about this for a while, and really take you on a meandering stroll with my academic side. Or, I could just say this:

Let’s hit the £35k stretch goal, and find out together.

Adam

• Free sh*t
• Woody's on board
• A bulleted list of clarifications for something that doesn't exist yet but is likely to in some form in the near future
• Trecento porcento
• The Bournemouth identity
• Bye
  
  
  

Free as in Game

If you didn't read through the campaign page yet, you might have missed the fact that all backers get a free game at some point between the end of the campaign and fulfilment. I've done this on my past two campaigns and I think it's a good way to ease the pain of waiting, to let you know I value you, and to kick my ass into finishing a game I've left percolating for a while.

On that note, I have put a poll up with three game titles (no context) for you to vote on. I've never done this before, but I'm going to let you choose which game I finish. Here are the covers:



I woke up this morning to the news that Michael Madsen had passed away. I'll no doubt be watching something of his this weekend just to remind myself of what a great talent is missing from our reality today. Please drop me any suggestions in the comments of what I might watch (NO RESERVOIR DOGS! - I do love that movie, but I also want something more nuanced). 

Woody's in the book!

Thank you for your interest in including this excerpt from Woody Guthrie’s song “All You Fascists” in your forthcoming book. Since it’s just those lines, we’re happy to approve this request... Also, if you don’t mind sending a copy along to our office for our records, that would be great.

So, I don't know which part of this is exciting: getting the quote permission or knowing that Folk Hero will be somewhere in the estate of Woody. I dunno. It's a lot. As for which lyric I am using, you'll just have to wait. In any case, here is a super cool pic of Woody.

We're heading towards 300% funded.

Clarifying that Crowdfunding idea from yesterday.

• There is no subscription commitment - you an back any Zine of The Month and ignore any that don't feel like your vibe.
• There will PDF and Physical options.
• Previous zines will be add-ons in future campaigns, so if you miss one, you can pick up from two months after the original campaign.

Wishing I was back in Bournemouth.

Last week, Sarah and myself took a two hour trip to see St Vincent. She was straight off the back of a Glastonbury performance at a much more intimate venue. My journey to St Vincent was through her collaboration with David Byrne and I can't recommend her enough. I love pretty much everything she does and the energy she brings, but her back catalogue is eclectic enough to have something for everyone: from ballads to metal anthems. If you haven't already, given her a go, I recommend starting with her latest album, All Born Screaming, then work backwards.