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1. •  
     CommentAuthorArcko
   • CommentTimeJan 22nd 2010

    (7593.141)
   You hit the nail on the head, Mer. I am 24, lived in this city my whole life and my only real attachment to this city would be my girlfriend of two years. I was practically leading my argument in a way that would encourage you to be like "Fuck yeah! Get the hell out." But don't worry, if I end up with scurvy, down to my last fistful of change and wearing Ed Hardy clothes from the local dollar store, I won't come banging on your door yelling "Mer! You lead me wrong!"
   
   My fascination with developing an internet-centric persona is a symptom of my craft. I primarily work in Graphic Design which encourages me too seek out clients through the net, a lot of local companies don't see the practicality in paying real bucks for real work when they have clip art and MS Paint. More word of mouth equals more work which equals more word of mouth... So you can see why I might set my goals as so. Don't get me wrong, I enrich my personal life plenty, but mostly through a lot of physical arts, like cooking, I cannot stop cooking.
   
   I can't thank you enough for the advice, consider me owing you a pint if we ever cross paths!
   
   On a side note, you guys ever think of kidnapping Tom Waits?
2. •  
     CommentAuthornadya
   • CommentTimeJan 22nd 2010 edited

    (7593.142)
   First off, I want to say that I love Mer's advice to Arcko. Mer is very wise. She's bailed me out with some great Life Advice many times.
   
   

   can i ask the un-kosher question? can you guys put a dollar figure on the cost of the first issue? how much money was made or estimated-to-be-made on pre-sales/orders? how much money did the three of you actually risk on the venture originally?

   
   Allana, it was around $17,000. We printed 5,500 copies for our first issue, which cost about $13,500 to print and ship (note: this is CHEAP, and we could only get that kind of deal for Issue 01 because we printed overseas with InterPress. For subsequent issues, we had to shift to domestic printing for the sake of faster turn-around times, which is how we hooked up with Westcan. Both printers are awesome to work with.) The other $4.5K or so were spent on countless tiny things that just added up over the course of a year: everything from web hosting to shipping supplies to hiring a graphic designer to making special bottles of "Coilhouse Wine" out of Two Buck Chuck for the launch party (did anyone ever get a picture of that?). We have a sheet where it's all tallied up, I just don't have it in front of me.
   
   Also, there were no pre-sales/orders.
3. • CommentAuthorMarshallQuicksand
   • CommentTimeJan 22nd 2010

    (7593.143)
   @Nadya - Oddbill has a few pictures on his Flickr, if I remember rightly.
4. •  
     CommentAuthornadya
   • CommentTimeJan 22nd 2010 edited

    (7593.144)
   @ Encephalo Ray - just looked, couldn't find any! However, I've always loved his image that Oddbill took, despite the fact that it was blurry... that was one of the happiest moments of the night, for me at least, but probably for all of us:
   
   
5. • CommentAuthorMarshallQuicksand
   • CommentTimeJan 22nd 2010

    (7593.145)
   Nadya - Ah! I thought you meant the launch party itself, not the wine. My mistake.
6. •  
     CommentAuthorTheremina
   • CommentTimeJan 22nd 2010 edited

    (7593.146)
   So I'll ask: how do you end up finding people you resonate with?
   Curiosity. Luck. Living your life fully and creatively in the real world, but in tandem with online exploration.
   
   I touched on this in my big, rambling answer to Arcko, but I really do think the most important thing you can do if you want to make collaborative art and build a healthy community (whether online or no) is to get the hell off the computer and go live the fuck out of your days offline, without giving much direct thought to how you're going to immediately present your experiences online for status or notoriety or whatever. That second part's nice, sure, but it's just gravy. If you're in this primarily for fame or glory, ultimately you won't really sustain or nurture anything beyond your own ego. I say, use the internet to meet folks and network, but then shut the damn thing off for a while and go out and take the time to really bond with people and build stuff. Make meals together, take long walks together, do tangible, physical work together, you know? That's the good stuff.
   
   A lot of the contributors I've brought in are old friends, and it's just this huge comfort and joy to have them near. Angeliska and I have been cohorts since we were ickle baby faeries with Ada McGrath hair. Wayne and I used to hang out on fire escapes for hours on the Lower East Side, drinking wine and trading obscure film and novel and comics references back and forth. Jeff ran this incredible NYC nightclub called TerrorSex Cabaret that opened in the wake of 9-11; I attended it religiously, came to admire the hell out of the guy's taste and chutzpah, and thought of him immediately when we first started talking about nabbing more diverse contributors. Neil Girling and I work (and play!) in the same underground circus/carnival/burner scene. A lot of subjects I've covered for the mag and blog are old friends I've known for years as well: Nils Frykdahl, Andy Ristaino, Jessica Joslin, Madeline von Foerster, Amanda Palmer, Julia Frodahl (who also introduced us to Michel Berandi, featured in #03) and more yet to come. Tanya V (hi, sweetie!) I met through one of my best friends, Gooby (who has also contributed to the magazine and turned me on to some tasty blog content). Nadya brought in Paul Komoda, Gretta, Chad, Milly, others. Zoetica enlisted the invaluable Ms. Courtney Riot, and Lou O'Bedlam, Andrew Yoon, Molly, Ales, more. Both of my co-editors had worked with Allan before. The three of us belonged to these amazing artistic families in meatspace before any of us even met online, let alone in person.
   
   Anyhoo. If you're open, if you're switched on, you can't help but find people you resonate with, and then fostering a community happens quite naturally online. Kinship is cumulative.
   
   I'm still at something of a loss to figure out how Mr. Ellis manages to build communities around himself; you three seem to do be doing something similar, although there's a fairly large overlap between the one you're building and Warren's, I suspect.
   
   Heh. Speaking of cumulative kinship...
   Fairly large overlap would be an understatement. In terms of basic numbers, Coilhouse would not be anywhere close to where it is now without his support and generosity. He'll probably scoff or mock me for saying that, but it's true. The guy is easily the most influential online curator/networker/tastemaker I've ever encountered. Ever. There are web personalities, self-promoting rock star types, pure aggregators, and then there are the exceedingly rare people like Warren. He's just this hub. I don't know that there is a proper title for what he does online. (I guess Internet Jesus Rasputin is pretty appropriate!) You cannot overstate how incredibly wide-reaching and deeply networked he is online. A lot, A LOT of the wonderful folks that have been either vocally supportive (sending us tons of traffic) or directly involved with this venture came to us through knowing him: Clayton James Cubitt, Xeni Jardin, Wil Wheaton, Joshua Ellis, Jess Nevins, Cherie Priest, Katie West, Joanne Starer, Si Spurrier, Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie, etc.... I could go on and on.
   
   Then there are the mensches we all found just surfing online. Ross, for instance (although, come to think of it, Ectomo was a Warren-bolstered endeavor as well). Suzanne Wurzeltod's not involved with us at all, but her curating has always been a huge inspiration and we give her mad props (again, she's a Warren pal, but I first met her on friggin' DeadJournal in the late 90's, just sleuthing around).
   
   And finally, there are the folks who found us. Gala Darling, Cass from Wildilocks, David Forbes (who, again I'm pretty sure, arrived via Warren), etc.
   
   Oh jesus... again with the logorrhea. Shutting up for an hour or two.
7. •  
     CommentAuthorTheremina
   • CommentTimeJan 22nd 2010 edited

    (7593.147)
   Oh wait, it's Friday, right? We don't have much time left! Nevermind, I'm not going anywhere! MOOOHOOOOHAHAHAHAAAAAA.
   
   if I end up with scurvy, down to my last fistful of change and wearing Ed Hardy clothes from the local dollar store, I won't come banging on your door yelling "Mer! You lead me wrong!"
   
   Sweetheart, you seem like a very resourceful, intelligent young man. Stay away from the heroin and don't become a drunk, and this will not happen to you. I promise. Unless the apocalypse comes. In which case, we're all going to be warrior hobos together.
   
   More word of mouth equals more work which equals more word of mouth... So you can see why I might set my goals as so.
   Ah. Yes. Gotcha. Just glad you're balancing out the pixel-swishing with cooking. Good call.
   
   On a side note, you guys ever think of kidnapping Tom Waits?
   Hahaha. All the time. But seriously? I'm kind of crushed because a lot of my good friends have recorded with him and I haven't! *sob*
   I don't even care about him being in the magazine (although that would be very nice). I'm hoping I get to meet him one day just to say thank you.
8. •  
     CommentAuthorZoetica
   • CommentTimeJan 22nd 2010 edited

    (7593.148)
   Here's one of the Coilhouse launch partayy wine bottles, courtesy of Mer's Flickr stream:
   
   
   
   [The labels didn't start out wrinkled, but a few hours in an ice bucket with pucker most things.]
9. •  
     CommentAuthorJohnVonDoom
   • CommentTimeJan 22nd 2010

    (7593.149)
   Just another quick suggestion on someone i'd like to see in the magazine (not going to ramble this time, honest)
   PJ Harvey, dont think I have to explain why she's awesome, but she holds a special place for me because she was introduced to me by a neighbor who was responsible for leading me down the rabbit hole of alt culture. One of those people that I know my life would be completely different and far less fun if I'd never met her.
   And thanks again, it's been incredible getting to meet and interact with all of you!
   Ha, it's seems your logorrhea is contagious Mer.
10. •  
      CommentAuthorTheremina
    • CommentTimeJan 22nd 2010 edited

     (7593.150)
    Awww! I love that picture of us too. (Even though I look like dookie. I hastily put on those goddamn hair falls in the pitch black, pooey darkness of that gallery bathroom. I don't think I've worn the fuckers since.) But in all sincerity, that was a really special moment. I love how Milly's a head taller than all of us, even though we're all wearing plats. Haha.
    
    Some more fun snapshots that make my heart go all floopy:
    
    
    One of my personal faves from that night.
    
    
    In Little Tokyo, San Francisco with Z.
    
    
    Courtney, Zoetica and Nadya cooing over my guinea pig, Ingmar Superstar.
    
    
    Sipping absinthe w/Nadya. Taken at the Edwardian Ball last year in SF.
    
    
    Canoodling with Cthulhu at one of our first official Curlhauz meetings in LA, 2007. Nova Express RIP!
    
    
    HAAAAAHAHAHAAHAHAHA. NOOOOOOOO.
11. •  
      CommentAuthorZoetica
    • CommentTimeJan 22nd 2010

     (7593.151)
    Oh I gotta add to this!
    
    Here's Courtney and I last night, chewing the LA Weekly award Coilhouse received.
    Chewing it for ALL of us.
    
    
    Also, Mer, That was such a nice lunch and ride in your car through SF. Mrr.
12. •  
      CommentAuthorTheremina
    • CommentTimeJan 22nd 2010 edited

     (7593.152)
    PJ Harvey, dont think I have to explain why she's awesome, but she holds a special place for me because she was introduced to me by a neighbor who was responsible for leading me down the rabbit hole of alt culture.
    
    Oh, totally. Discovering "Dry" when I was 15 was a fucking revelation.
    When I was 22, I played with this band called the Blackstrap Molasses Family (with Dame Darcy and Pandora Pumpkinhead and Peter Mavro). We were opening for the Gunga Din, who PJ had come to see with Mick Harvey. She came up to us after our set and said "I loved it" and bought a CD. Darcy and Pandora has no clue who she was. Peter and I sure did. We were both struck a bit dumb, honestly. It's not just that she's this amazing musician... that woman was seriously so beautiful in person, it hurt to look at her. I think she tends to take wonky photos of herself on purpose. In person, out of the kabuki drag makeup, she looks like this luminous, tiny porcelain doll. She was so sweet and gentle-voiced, too. I think I managed to blurt out a "thank you" and then ran away crying.
    
    Maybe someday I'll get a chance to redeem myself. She'd be an amazing catch for Coilhouse.
13. •  
      CommentAuthorTheremina
    • CommentTimeJan 22nd 2010

     (7593.153)
    OM NOM NOM FLOPPY.
14. •  
      CommentAuthorTheremina
    • CommentTimeJan 22nd 2010

     (7593.154)
    Wait! EW! Why do all my responses to Zo inevitably sound so DIRTY?! WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME?!
    
    Hey, Nadya, you should talk for a minute about your design concept for the website if you get a chance. It's really interesting!
15. • CommentAuthorMarshallQuicksand
    • CommentTimeJan 22nd 2010

     (7593.155)
    Where do you see Coilhouse being in five or ten years time? Does the project already possess the sort of workings that you'd be happy to continue with - even hesitant to change? Or do you reckon it'll be a constantly evolving creature that, at some point, may become totally incongruous with the incarnation we have today?
16. •  
      CommentAuthorZoetica
    • CommentTimeJan 22nd 2010

     (7593.156)

    Wait! EW! Why do all my responses to Zo inevitably sound so DIRTY?! WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME?!

    
    Yet somehow you missed the opportunity to filthyfy this further: "a few hours in an ice bucket with pucker most things."
    

    Nadya, you should talk for a minute about your design concept for the website if you get a chance

    
    Nadya, you gotta. I'm totally saving this award for you, by the way, since you built the thing.
17. •  
      CommentAuthorTheremina
    • CommentTimeJan 22nd 2010 edited

     (7593.157)
    Where do you see Coilhouse being in five or ten years time? Does the project already possess the sort of workings that you'd be happy to continue with - even hesitant to change? Or do you reckon it'll be a constantly evolving creature that, at some point, may become totally incongruous with the incarnation we have today?
    
    NO fucking clue, man. We're living hand-to-mouth and very much in the moment for now. Ask me again in a year or two.
    
    I will say that I only get prouder and more excited about being part of this thing as time goes on. That's a good sign, right?
18. •  
      CommentAuthorTheremina
    • CommentTimeJan 22nd 2010 edited

     (7593.158)
    "a few hours in an ice bucket with pucker most things."
    
    FILTH. UNCLEAN.
19. •  
      CommentAuthorCourtney Riot
    • CommentTimeJan 22nd 2010 edited

     (7593.159)
    CHOMP. we attempted to divide the award evenly so we could all have a little piece. unfortunately, we failed. Z suggested we send it on a world tour like this guy:
    
20. •  
      CommentAuthornadya
    • CommentTimeJan 22nd 2010

     (7593.160)
    Guys, this is my last post on the thread before the weekend, as I'm off to the Edwardian Ball! Just wanted to say THANK YOU to everybody who asked us such great questions. You guys are wonderful. We can't wait to to show you all Issue 05.
    
    

    Hey, Nadya, you should talk for a minute about your design concept for the website if you get a chance. It's really interesting!

    
    
    Our website was inspired by a CSS Zen Garden design called Creativa Criatura. The textures in the background come from one of my favorite self-portraits of all time... The Constructor by El Lissitzky (Lis was one of the earliest Coilhouse posts). Zo created the little icon with the lightning bolts that appears in the address bar. I was really inspired by and listening to the Laibach album Kapital nonstop when I made that site, and I think it reflects in the design, if you look at the aesthetics of the album. Zo thought of the tagline INFORM INSPIRE INFECT, and Mil gave us the phrase "ye olde future."
    
    One other quick thing I wanted to mention quickly before I ran off was how we all met online. I met Zo through a brilliant artist named Bethalynne Bajema. Beth had a link to Zo's site at the time, and did a portrait of her that I loved. I think I friended her on LJ, and then she friended me back, and we just chatted once every few months. I also met Mer on LJ, in the comments of a mutual friend's post. The first time I introduced Mer and Zo online, I'd sent Zo a link to a post Mer wrote on LJ about her experience performing with the Dresden Dolls to support Panic! At the Disco, and what a shitty experience it was. I just thought it was such a brilliantly-written entry. Mer, do you have a link? I also found Mil on LJ, after meeting her at a club in London. Oh, LJ...
    
    OK guys, I'm signing off. III!