New Obsessive

NEUSTERN ECONOMY GROWING AND DEBT FREE

2012-01-21T06:33:00.000-08:00

(Above) COMMERCE OF NEUSTERN(2011), Galerie Modonov, Dublin.

A detailed study into the economic conditions pervading in Neustern has found the micro state thriving and generating unprecedented wealth. The International Institute for Economic Monitoring and Management (IIEMM) yesterday published a review which saw Neustern take first place in the list of sustainably prosperous nations. As the rest of the western world grapples with apocalyptic banking and sovereign debt issues Neustern is virtually debt free. As demand and GDP levels elsewhere stagnate or grow fractionally, Neustern is growing in a fast and impressive manner outpacing every other comparable economy. Neustern's debt to GDP ratio peaked in 2011 at 60% (this is Europes target figure!). Since then a Libertarian government has taken power and has transferred much of the responsibility for social welfare back to the individual and the community. The transferal of much of the social apparatus away from government control has allowed Neustern to shed it's debt. Subsidiary benefits of greater personal choice and lower taxation have also been observed. Neustern has a highly diversified economy driven by both foreign and domestic demand for her exports of: intelligence services, fish, financial services, tourism products and important works of fine art. A spokesman for Neusterns ministry for Economics made the following statement:

Neustern has no magic formula for economic success. We succeed because we observe simple and logical economic rules. We do not borrow on money markets to pay back debt. We sell goods there is a demand for at competitive prices. At a governmental and citizen level we take responsibility for our situation. We robustly resist influence over us by the shadow banks of the new world order and their dark agenda.

Gary Farrelly, Neustern

EXCLUSIVE VISUAL ANNOUNCEMENT BY DAVID TURPIN

2012-01-17T11:20:00.000-08:00

(Above) EXCLUSIVE VISUAL ANNOUNCEMENT(2012), Dublin.

There follows an EXCLUSIVE VISUAL ANNOUNCEMENT for publication only in the New Obsessive. The views expressed in the visual announcement do not reflect those harbored by New Obsessive. Find out more about David Turpin.

TINY TIM - SONGS FOR END DAYS

2012-01-15T16:36:00.001-08:00

For all those who see the apocalypse taking the form of a global warming catastrophe: Tiny Tim's song The Other Side is proscribed listening. The song is track 9 on the artist's 1968 album God Bless Tiny Tim and it can be your sound track for your watery annihilation. Terrifying aspects counter balanced with stoic and lyrical moments make the perfect tune to accompany panic and pandemonium [kill grid]. Note the end part of the song which recalls singing sailors belting out bravely as their vessel sinks beneath the waves.

Among other things New Obsessive is the press organ of informed science, political intelligence and constructive rhetoric. Therefore neither the publication nor the commentator comply with the idea that mega death will come in the form of climate change. Stay tuned to this regular feature SONGS FOR THE END OF DAYS to find out how its all going to end and for more great music.
Gary Farrelly, Neustern.

ECONOMY - PRICE OF SEX AND ALCOHOL STOCKS RISE SHARPLY

2012-01-13T10:47:00.001-08:00

Trading was volatile today on the NEUDEX14 amids fears of an oil price spike as tension over transit rights rise in the gulf. The main crude sensitive stocks were all down at the end of today's session. Neustern Port Authority and Airport management company was the biggest looser closing at $230 after shedding $65 from it's share value. Neustern Airways and Inter Fabric were also down by the end of trading. Alcohol and sex services all gained as the markets anticipated a rise in demand for distractions. The city brothel closed up almost 7 fold on it's opening price at $13.00. Neustern Carbonate who manufacture a domestic champagne substitute using artificial grapes closed up $1.50. The next trading session if NEUDEX14 is next Friday.
Gary Farrelly, Neustern.

KNIFE AND FORK LOBOTOMY

2012-01-12T08:39:00.002-08:00

Out take from Radical Science - Emotions which was televised yesterday by RTSN1 (Radio Tele Service Neustern).

RADICAL SCIENCE - EMOTIONS

2012-01-11T07:58:00.000-08:00

RTSN1 (Radio Tele-Service Neustern) is proud to introduce the second video vignette directed by Oisin Byrne and starring Gary Farrelly. Entitled Radical Science - Emotions, the material was written by Farrelly and Byrne. The piece was commissioned by RTSN on behalf of the government of Neustern as part of national mental health week.

Renate Muller, Riga.

SONGS FOR END DAYS: I EAT CANNIBALS

2012-01-10T11:43:00.000-08:00

As we approach the Apocalypse expect wide spread food shortages and inflation driven price spikes. As the situation progresses: all the air borne debris, smoke and sulphur will make the cultivation of crops and raising of live stock impossible. Constant harassment by the beast as well as widespread lava flows will further exasperate the situation. One food stuff widely available to anyone still around will be human flesh (both dead and alive). Cannibalism will become acceptable and perhaps fashionable during the end of days. This wonderful song I Eat Cannibals by Toto Coelo is recommended listening for those who wish to be prepared. Not alone is it toe tapping wonderful, it contains important serving suggestions, nutritional information and recipes for the preparation of human flesh.
Gary Farrelly, Neustern

NEUSTERN STOCK EXCHANGE OPENS

2012-01-08T10:44:00.000-08:00

(Above) FIRST DAY OF NEUDEX20 TRADING(2012), photographer unknown, Neustern.

Neustern's new NEUDEX14 stock exchange finally opened for limited trading today after months of preparation exercises. Sunday was chosen as the day to inaugurate the exchange in order to acid test it's operational performance without the complication and interference of foreign markets that are uniformly closed on the Sabbath day. NEUDEX14 was made possible after the new Libertarian government repealed a law banning the trade of stocks in the autonomous coastal city state. The trade of essential utilities, arms and medical stock will remain prohibited as they are seen as core strategic interests of the state. Therefore the NEUDEX14 is a sort of luxury stock exchange with most of the 14 floated stocks coming from the fancy good, transport, hospitality and high end services sectors. The director of the exchange Mr Pat Hingle had this to say: "We see the exchange as a primarily recreational device and we have no aspiration to rival the great exchanges of the world. Neustern's success is based on exporting excellent goods and services. Speculative investing will not replace that as the driver of the economy. Other interesting features of our NEUDEX14 platform is that it will operate a non computerized system with traders calling prices to glamorous hostesses on trading balconies, The girls will in turn record the prices on chalk boards. All traders will be expected to dress for a day at the races. NEUDEX14 will be a highly aesthetic casinoesque spectacle to behold and will be better viewing than television in it's heyday."

The first days of trading on NEUDEX saw phenomonel gains for Neusret port company as well as the Olympic bid company and Municipal Brothel. Light losses were incurred by New Obsessive and Neustern FG.

After todays trading trial(see below for results) The exchange will be open weekly on Fridays 08am - 05pm. Neustern Stock Exchange, 12 Gold Standard Paradeway, Neustern North Central.
Gary Farrelly, Neustern.

STOCK OPEN(N$) CLOSE(N$) CHANGE(N$)

Neustern FG Airways 12.50 12.00 -.50
Topaz Department Store. .80 .80 N/A
Neustern Carbonate. 7.10 14.00 +6.90
Galerie Modonov. 3.50 3.50 N/A
New Obsessive Media. 15.00 14.50 -.50
Grand Hotel Neustern. 2.50 4.00 +1.50
Fine Wine Import Ltd. 11.00 13.00 +2.00
Concord Vintage Flight Services. 1.25 22.00 +20.75
Municipal Brothel. 1.25 2.00 +.75
Neustern Olympic Company Ltd. 75.50 101.00 +25.50
Neapolitan Theatre. 1.00 3.00 +2.00
Inter Fabric Ltd. 15.00 100.75 +85.75
Neustern Stamp Company. 4.50 2.00 -2.50
Neustern Port and Airport Ltd. 85.00 295.10 +210.10

NEW FEATURE - SONGS FOR THE END OF DAYS

2012-01-07T15:11:00.000-08:00

The first song in New Obsessives latest feature songs for the end of days. As we approach rapture it is important to have a play list that simultaneously distracts the listener and infuses the ambiance with a sense of urgency and apocalypse chic. Our first nomination is from the German new wave/opera/pop singer Klaus Nomi(1944-1983). [The song is Total Eclipse: Lyrics below/ recording above].
Gary Farrelly, Neustern

Big shots argue about what they've got
making the planet so hot, hot as a holocaust.
Blow up, everything's gonna go up
even if you don't show up in your Chemise Lacoste.

Total eclipse, it's a total eclipse,
it's a total eclipse of the sun.
Can't come to grips with the total eclipse
Just a slip of the lips and you're done.

Fall out, nobody left to crawl out
If someone calls, we're all out, turning in to French fries
Last dance, let the entire cast dance, do the dismembered blast dance
as we get atomized!

NEUSTERN OFFERS WHITE TRASH ART TO MOURNING NORTH KOREANS

2012-01-06T06:34:00.001-08:00

(Above) PORTRAIT OF KIM JONG IL(2011), National Museum of Art, Pyongyang, North Korea.

The government of Neustern has presented the people of North Korea with a portrait of their recently deceased leader Kim Jong Il(1941-2011). The Neustern department of foreign affairs commissioned artist White Trash Peg(aka Peggy Clydesdale) to render a 'sympathetic likeness of the dictator'. White Trash Peg herself travelled to Pyongyang as part of an official Neustern funeral delegation and personally presented her artwork to Kim Jong Il's son and successor Kim Jong Un. Clydesdale became a citizen of Neustern in 2010 after emigrating from her native USA. Since arriving in the autonomous coastal city state White Trash Peg has proved herself an impressive and passionate nationalist prompting the authorities to send her to North Korea in an official gift giving capacity. Kim Jong Un is said to be delighted and sincerely grateful for the portrait and has ordered it hung in the National Art Museum in Pyongyang.
Gary Farrelly, Neustern.

FACEBOOK BANS NEWS FROM FICTIONAL COUNTRY

2012-01-04T07:37:00.000-08:00

(Above)Gary Farrelly, IMPORTANT STATEMENT REDACTED, (2008, private collection, Morocco.)

An 84 hour ban on news from the [fictional] autonomous coastal city state of Neustern has been lifted by the social networking website facebook. An additional separate ban on all New Obsessive postings via the site has also been withdrawn. The bizarre occurrence started on December 31st with the publication of a short piece entitled Neustern extends sympathy to North Korea in New Obsessive. The article described the dispatch of a diplomatic delegation from Neustern to Pyongyang to attend the funeral of the deceased dictator Kim Jung Il. After linking the post to facebook it was immediately reported to the censors as offensive! by an unknown party. Post haste the freedom to link via facebook was curtailed without explanation. Strange to ban a news report from Neustern which is a completely fictional country . The adventures of the autonomous coastal city state were invented by artist Gary Farrelly to occompany his maps of the imaginary micro state. The banning party mistook for fact the article's detailing that Neustern's diplomatic closeness to DPRK had been initiated when Kim Jung Il personally directed a tourism video for Neustern's state run television channel RTSN1*.

The bans appear to have been lifted early this morning after the artist lodged a complaint with with the social networking site. "I told them that the piece was about diplomatic gestures to North Korea by a country I made up. I argued that the fictional status of Neustern makes it impossible to censor under the constitutional right to freedom of expression [guaranteed in most countries]. I told them that if they didn't lift the ban I would kick up one hell of a fuss. The freedom of expression gives us the right to say controversial things, that's the reason it's there. This whole episode strongly evidences that the right to freedom of the press, expression and speech are shrill shrieking fraud".

Meanwhile, New Obsessive has reported an 8 fold increase in it's readership in 2011. The combined increase in the last two quarters of the year was 85% making the publication the fastest growing on the planet.

Vladimir Laggode, Tashkent.

NEUSTERN EXTENDS SYMPATHIES TO NORTH KOREA

2011-12-31T12:09:00.000-08:00

The embassy of the autonomous coastal city state of Neustern has dispatched a high ranking delegation to attend the funeral of North Korea's supreme commander Kim Jung Il (1941-2011) who died on November 17th. The delegation, which will include senior officials from the foreign affairs and trade ministry's will join the staff of Neustern's DPRK embassy in attending the 3 day long funeral. Kim Jung Il personally directed a Pyongyang tourism video aimed at attracting Neusterners to North Korea's capital city. The video entitled Pyongyang Paradise was televised on RTSN 1 in November.

Gary Farrelly, Neustern.

FARRELLY AND BYRNE COLLABORATE ON NEW TELEVISION SHOW FOR BROADCAST IN NEUSTERN

2011-12-30T07:41:00.001-08:00

(Above) Dinner Party Etiquette - A Radical Science(2011)

Artists Gary Farrelly and Oisin Byrne have been commissioned by Neustern's state broadcaster RTSN to create a time television series to be televised early in 2012. RTSN (Radio Television Service Neustern) has committed itself to an initial seven episode dispensation of the show entitled Radical Science which will fuse social etiquette, new sciences, cultural suggestion and decontaminated news information(s). The show will star Farrelly with Byrne working in an art direction and production capacity. The shows content is being written collaboratively. A pilot episode called APOCALYPSE Make-up tutorial aired on RTSN1 on November first this year and received extremely positive reviews in the domestic press. A second test episode entitled Dinner Party Etiquette - A radical Science is currently being shown on RTSN.

Gary Farrelly, Neustern.

JUDITH MOK

2011-12-16T09:06:00.000-08:00

(Above)Copyright © Judith Mok 2011. Photographer unknown. All Rights Reserved.

Judith Mok is an international classical singer and a poet who has published numerous collections of her work in both English and Dutch. A new body of her poetry entitled Gods of Babel was released recently. So impressed was New Obsessive's Gary Farrelly with the content of Gods of Babel that he issued the following endorsement: God's of Babel is the best collection of poetry ever produced within 1000 kilometers of my current location by a female poet. His location at the time of speaking these words was Dublin, Ireland.

Gary Farrelly meets Judith Mok in The Grand Hotel Neustern's roof top cocktail bar. They are meeting as Judith prepares for a performance at The Irish Jewish Museum on December 18th. Judith is in Neustern to make a flight connection to Dublin after a stunningly successful North American tour. As they commence the interview Farrelly is drinking Red wine. Judith is drinking a tea that promotes health and sensuality of the body and mind. Their surroundings are very chic- think: foreign spies discretely mingling, beauty board/ gold leaf combination, international clocks, menthol cigarettes and beige carpet with red stripes.

Gary Farrelly: I loved Gods of Babel which surprised me because I think most female poets are terrible. I am aware this is a stark generalization but it has been my experience. Do you agree with me?
Judith Mok: No. I think men make bad poetry too.

GF: Do most poets make bad poetry?

JM: Yes.

GF: I did not fall in love with Judith Mok until I read Gods of Babel. In the beginning I found you terrifying and couldn't get past that. Are you terrifying?

JM: Not at all. Nine out of ten people think I am though.

GF: Why do you think that is?

JM: I think it is because I am not afraid of the things most people are afraid of.

GF: I identify the main themes pervading the poems as: sex, art and memory. Am I missing anything?
JM: Music is very important to my writing too.

GF: Which poem is the most successful in the collection?
JM: 'Beethoven in New York' [read poem below interview] or 'Blood (le sang des autres)'. Beethoven in New York came from hearing Beethoven played on a steel lid drum in the subway in New York. I struck by the distance the work had traveled since he created it. And I started imagining him in New York. The poem was composed to a hip hop rhythm. 'Blood' on the other hand is very European: Spanish, French, English and nature.

GF: You are a poet and classical singer. Do you have have any other occupations, Does Judith Mok wear any other hats?
JM: I am also a call girl [Judith is joking]. I wear a chefs hat. I love to cook.

GF: Who are your heroes?
JM: I am not really hero person.
GF: That is not the impression I get when I read your work.
JM: You mean Collette and Louis Bourgeois? They are heroes. So is Rembrandt.

GF: You live in Ireland. You are a Dutch jew with Russian and Spanish ancestory. Where is home?
JM: Art is my home.

GF: Your father Maurits Mok was an important Dutch poet. You are married to the writer Michael O'Loughlin and your Daughter Sara is a writer currently on scholarship in New York. Is your family harmonious with so many writers.
JM: It is harmonious in it's entanglement and endless contradictions. It is a challenging and chaotic harmony.

GF: Is poetry and art in your DNA?
JM: Must be.

GF: Do you believe in God:
JM: Absolutely not!

GF: Are you an intellectual?
JM: Yes. In the real sense, not the academic sense.

GF: Are you political?
JM: Yes.

GF: Where do you position yourself on the political spectrum?
JM: Socialist.

GF: Can you define your world view in just a few words please?

JM: General intelligent education.
Admiration for superb charlatanism.
Taste for absurd refinement.

GF: The authorities in the autonomous coastal city state of Neustern recently dedicated a street to you. What do you think about the existence of a Mok Street in Neustern?
JM: It's perfect.

GF: Will you ever have a concert in Neustern?
JM: Definately. In one of Neustern's perfectly restored Neopolitain theatres. An 800 seater with gold leaf and blue seats with yellow suns on the ceiling. Yellow and blue together are very special colours.

GF: Will you read from Gods of Babel in you upcoming performance at the Irish Jewish Museum?
JM: Yes. The poems are inspired by the Sephardic songs that I will be performing.

GF: What question do I need to ask you?
JM: You should ask me why I write in English?
GF: Why do you write in English?
JM: It suits what I'm trying to say. Things about melodiousness, madness and strange sensuality. I write in a very continental English. It is not at all American or British or Australian. I would describe it as an assimilated English.

Gods of Babel is published published by Salmon Poetry [buy on line]. Judith Mok will read her poetry and perform Sephardic songs on Sunday 18th 2011 at the Irish Jewish Museum - The event starts at 19.00pm sharp.

Gary Farrelly, Neustern.

CHRISTMAS

2011-12-14T05:01:00.000-08:00

(Above) Gary Farrelly, NEW OBSESSIVE CHRISTMAS TREE(2009), private collection, Dublin.

New Obsessive would like to wish all our readers a happy and unhinged Christmas. We would also like to take the opportunity to extend our best wishes for 2012 - May it be a be characterized by happiness, health, prosperity, progress and victory.
The New Obsessive Christmas tree is traditionally decorated: camera stamp, railway, luggage, light bulbs, off ramps, redacted information and airliner motif.

Gary Farrelly, Neustern.

KOMEDA: SOUNDS JADED AND JUBILANT

2011-12-12T05:04:00.000-08:00

Title: Cul-de-Sac
Artist(s): Krzysztof Komeda
Composer(s): Krzysztof Komeda
Album: Cul-de-Sac: Original Soundtrack, Knife In The Water: Original Soundtrack

UNIDENTIFIED IMAGE

2011-12-12T00:46:00.000-08:00

New Obsessive calls upon it's vast and extensive readership to help identify the above image. The image is suspected to be Italian, likely produced by a member of the Futurist art movement in the first quarter of the last century. A reward is offered to the reader who can offer information resulting in the identification of the image. garyfarrelly@hotmail.fr

Gary Farrelly, Pickering.

LOT LIZARDS

2011-12-09T09:12:00.000-08:00

No currency exchanged

booze
or mostly transport
White (age indifferent)
Look over 60
Fried blond hair
Nomadic and high murder rate
Truck stop solicitation
Signs (like above) NO LOT LIZARDS!
Midland/Odessa
Sex in trucks
Gary Farrelly, Neustern

TOURISM* NORTH KOREA PROMOTIONAL VIDEO

2011-12-07T04:55:00.000-08:00

(Above) WORKERS MONUMENT, courtesy of DPRK Tourism(2011).

A television advertisement promoting tourism in North Korea's capital city has aired on RTN1* in the autonomous coastal city state of Neustern. A commercial air service** linking Neustern to Pyongyang was inaugurated on August 21st. The 79 second long video entitled Pyongyang Paradise was created specifically for the Neustern market and was personally directed by North Korea's leader Kim Jung Il. North Korea (DPRK) has a tourist office in Neustern located at the following address: DPRK Tourism, 118 Cannibal Wharf, Neustern South Bank. Gary Farrelly, Neustern.

(Above) PYONGYANG PARADISE, courtesy of DPRK Tourism(2011).

* Radio Television Neustern(RTN) is the public service broadcaster of the autonomous coastal city state of Neustern.

** Click this link to read an article announcing the launch of the Neustern-Pyongyang air service which is operated by Vozhd Airways.

NEUSTERN BUILDING PROGRAM AND OVERSEAS EXPANSION

2011-12-03T10:36:00.000-08:00

Authorities in the autonomous coastal city state of Neustern have announced a massive public/private building programme (PPBP). Over the next 13 months the number of built structures in Neustern will triple. A significant emphasis will be placed on the erection of high rise and super high rise buildings designed to perform various commercial, cultural and administrative functions. Headline projects in the building program include: a general hospital, opera house, cathedral and full facilities for an aggressive Olympic games bid. Architect Gary Farrelly has been named as the project manager.
***********************************************************************
Meanwhile: Artist Gary Farrelly has announced his intention to continue developing the body of artworks inspired by the autonomous coastal city state of Neustern. An expanded and elaborated version of the exhibition All roads lead to Neustern is already progressing and will be shown off shore in 2012/2013.
Gary Farrelly, Neustern.

NEUSTERN EXHIBITION SUCCESSFULLY CONCLUDED IN DUBLIN.

2011-11-28T06:03:00.000-08:00

Gary Farrelly's exhibition All roads lead to Neustern at Galerie Modonov has concluded it's sixteen day run and is no longer open to the public. The exhibition, which was Farrelly's first in Ireland since 2007 received and an excellent critical reception and has been declared an 'unmitigated success' by the relevant cultural authorities in the Irish capital. The show centered on a large scale cartographic work entitled Neustern: The artist as autonomous coastal city state. Said work is widely considered the most impressive artwork ever exhibited on the island of Ireland. Other works in the exhibition included drawings of proposed buildings, sovereign debt bonds, a street index and colourful handmade statistics - all related to the imaginary city. There are already preliminary plans to have Neustern tour internationally in the new year. All roads lead to Neustern was curated by Donna Marie O'Donovan at her gallery Galerie Modonov. The exhibition was crowd funded via fundit.ie and was proudly supported by Lecool magazine.

Renata Muller, Dublin

NEW OBSESSIVE WALKING TOUR A SUCCESS!

2011-11-22T00:47:00.000-08:00

(Above) GERMAN U-BOAT DOCKED PROCEEDS TO DOCK AT THE QUAYS IN DUBLIN (1939)

The first ever New Obsessive city tour took place in Dublin this Saturday. The tour was operated in conjunction with Gary Farrelly's exhibition All roads lead to Neustern which is currently on public show at Galerie Modonov. Taking the gallery as a starting point, Farrelly guided an enthusiastic group of more than 40 spectators around previously unknown points of historical interest in the Irish capital.The New Obsessive tour was the result of many months of applied research, was free of charge and was approximately 90 minutes in duration. Though all who were on the tour thoroughly enjoyed it and found it profoundly educational, there were some who questioned the factual integrity of some aspects of the tour. Principal sites visited included:

The city brothel
Kim Jong Il's Dublin holiday home
The 1939 Nazi U-Boat landing site
Intervision suicide hotel
The Vlad the Impaler monument
Hydrogen bomb proof buildings

Farrelly maintains that these as well as all the other locations on his tour were completely credible and 'without excessive exaggeration' or fictionalization. One member of the tour group commented "I don't care if all the facts are true or not. I loved seeing Dublin through the artist's eyes for an afternoon. I loved the stories of cold war espionage, city center FEMA camps and cannibalism, It was a refreshing break from the usual grey mince".
Renata Muller, Dublin.

NEW CHURCH OPENS IN NEUSTERN

2011-11-08T10:04:00.000-08:00

(Above) Gary Farrelly, FREE CHURCH OF NEUSTERN(2011), Galerie Modonov.

Free Church of Neustern,

102-105 Gold Standard Paradeway,

Neustern South Central.

A dedicated United Christian Worship Facility UCWF has been inaugurated in the autonomous coastal city state of Neustern. The church building, which is the first of it's kind is to be named: The Free Church of Neustern*.The building has taken four months to construct and has been in planning for over a decade. The church will be open to all- 24 hours day/ 365 days a year.

*Dedicated to Saint Sophia of Slutsk and Neustern.

The Free Church of Neustern will occupy the new building after a ribbon cutting ceremony tomorrow afternoon. The church has issued a list aims and objectives list for public consumption:

To promote unity and cooperation between the various christian denominations.
To promote understanding and respect between Christians, other faiths and non believers.
To remove all exclusionary human political additives from religious discourse.
To promote apocalypse awareness and readiness among the congregation.
To consult with the state authorities in robustly preparing Neustern for the apocalypse.
To provide for the welfare and health care needs of Neusterners.

The popularity of Catholicism and protestantism in Neustern has been in decline since the foundation of the state in 1983. The new church rejects any political subdivision among the followers of Jesus Christ. Some radically liberal elements in the foreign press have criticized government funding of 25% of total construction. The government of Neustern commits itself to part funding to the sum of 25% any facility used to house any organization (with a membership numbering no less that 20,000 souls) - seeking to promote community, religious or political discourse. The very same government monies were made available for the following projects: The Islamic Cultural Center of Neustern(2007), The Jewish Worship Center(1988), The Homosexualist Alliance headquarters(2009) and the Center for Obsessive Compulsive Socializing(1985). Indeed the recently formed Libertarian Party of Neustern opened it's own university using state subsidy only two months ago. The foreign criticism is perchance unsurprising at a time when international opinion has turned against the 2000 year old teachings of Christ in favor of secularism, radical earth worship and self worship. Believeing in god is not chic? Sucking dick through holes in bathroom doors is chic? A hate for god and his creations is chic? Not so in Neustern, which is a civilized country taking the freedom of speech and the right to worship very seriously. These rights are inherant and apply to all individuals and their faiths and social persuasions excluding none. In Neustern freedom is chic! no matter how controversial the dispensation of that freedom is.

Gary Farrelly, Neustern.

IT'S TRUE - WHITE TRASH PEG

2011-11-06T16:00:00.000-08:00

(Above) Peggy Clydesdale, WORDS AND IMAGE(2011).

NEUSTERN MOVES TOWARDS A TAX FREE FUTURE

2011-11-04T07:33:00.000-07:00

The flat income tax rate in the autonomous coastal city state of Neustern has been cut from 7% to 5%. The sovereign municipality has the lowest income tax rate in the world. The newly electedLibertarian government has pledged a further 5% cut by years end, effectively ending the forced redistribution of wealth in Neustern. The new government aspires to reduce the involvement of civic authorities in the non essential personal welfare NEPW of citizens. A gradual transition of NEPW services from the state to the community, voluntary and charity sectors is central to the new Libertarian ethic.The average indirect and consumption tax level has also fallen to 5%. Taxation on typewriters, alcohol, tobacco, airline tickets and imported goods has been reduced. Simultaneously new levies on the price of foreign published publications, portable telecommunications and non gray car paint have been introduced to offset the loss of revenue to the exchequer.

Gary Farrelly, Neustern.

(Above image) Gary Farrelly, NEUSTERN TAXATION STATISTICS(2011), Galerie Modonov.

NEUSTERN - MORE GUNS/ LESS GUN DEATHS

2011-11-02T12:21:00.001-07:00

(Above) Gary Farrelly, GUN OWNERSHIP IN NEUSTERN(2011), Galerie Modonov.
(Above) Gary Farrelly, GUN DEATHS IN NEUSTERN(2011), Galerie Modonov.

The level of domestic gun ownership in Neustern has risen to it’s highest level since the foundation of the state in 1983. 81% of Neusterners eligible to own guns now do so. Under the free militia clause, the constitution promotes domestic gun ownership as a guarantee against abuse of power and the rise of tyrannical government. At the time of the foundation of the country, just 25% of age eligible citizens owned serviceable firearms. 1983 was the year that Neustern saw it’s highest level of violent and gun related fatalities. 27 deaths by shooting were recorded in the autonomous coastal city state of Neustern in 1983. 2011 has seen violent gun deaths drop to their lowest level ever with just 5 recorded gun deaths in the first 10 months of the year. 4 of the recorded 5 deaths were of criminals killed while illegally entering private dwellings. Neustern is now noted to be one of the best armed societies In the world as well as being one of the lest likely places to get shot.

Gary Farrelly, Neustern.

APOCALYPSE MAKE-UP TUTORIAL

2011-11-01T15:16:00.000-07:00

This video is a constructive beauty tool for the end of days period. It was made in a spirit of utmost seriousness. The video was inspired by the wonderful work done by The Divine David (David Hoyle). The was shot and composed at Pickering Forest by Oisin Byrne and the star is Gary Farrelly.

LIBERTARIAN VICTORY IN NEUSTERN ELECTION

2011-10-30T13:21:00.001-07:00

(Above) NEUSTERN POLL DATA(2011)

General elections have taken place in the autonomous coastal city state of Neustern. After 27 years dominating the political scene, The National Comrades Party (NCP) have lost their majority in parliment and will not form the next government. The NCP won just 38% of the popular vote, their worst result since the foundation of the state in 1983. Due to the expanding population: the total number of seats in Neustern's parliment was increased for this election from 117 to 200. The NCP's 38% translates into 72 of these seats. Massive gains for the Libertarian Party of Neustern (LPN). The newly formed LPN polled 58%, giving them 116 seats and a stunning overall majority. The LPN fought the election on a four principal platform: personal freedom, property rights, small government and a defencive foreign policy. Other parties fared as follows: Workers Party (WP) 2%/4 seats. Conservative Party (CP) 1%/2 seats. Liberal Party of Neustern incorperating the Gay, Lesbian, Feminist and Liberal Alliance (NPNGLFLA) >1%/2 seats. The Libertarian Party are expected to form a government within the next 24 hours.

Aswell as the election, Neusterners voted on in a very important referendum today. Citizens were asked if the Supreme Controller should remain head of state and guardian of the peace indefinately. The role of Supreme Controller was created as a position for life in 1983. The office marginally exceeds the authority of the elected government when it comes to the dispensation of power. The current Supreme Controller, (who's name before assuming the title has passed out of national memory) is the founder and leader of the National Comrades Party. The referendum was passed by a 99.8% majority.

Gary Farrelly, Neustern.

A WHITE TRASH GHOST STORY

2011-10-29T23:46:00.001-07:00

North of New Orleans in the bayou country parish of Calcasieu is Lake Charles. It's your average run of the mill, small southern city in most ways. If you need a new funeral suit, they will set you up at the Penney's over at Prien Lake Mall. If you want to bitch about The Saint's head coach or maybe do a little karaoke, the Sports Pit is the perfect venue for it. If you find you are a bit peckish, you can travel to the Isle of Capri Casino, an architectural vision in peach and hot pink stucco, and take in the Calypso Lounge breakfast buffet for the low price of $6.99.

Like most places in the swampy and mysterious state of Louisiana, people tell a few ghost stories here. Teenagers like to scare each other with tales of a phantom pickup truck that will tailgate an unsuspecting victim, chasing them at high speeds until it vanishes into thin air. A little murdered girl is rumored to re-appear in the streets and alleyways, still wearing her Halloween ghost costume. You can't swing a dead cat without hitting a house that people say has a resident ghost. And of course, there's the legend of Toni Jo Henry.

Toni Jo Henry had that look about her that would prove to scare away any "decent" guy: pretty, but in a way that often looked rode hard and put up wet. She looked like she would lift your wallet as she breathed bourbon-scented, erotic promises in your ear. She had a rough life. Her mother died of consumption when she was just a girl of six, and her dad must not have known what to do with her, because she was blowing guys for dope in a whorehouse in Shreveport by the time she should've been having her debut.

When a squinty eyed boxer and part time petty criminal from Texas called "Cowboy" swept Toni Jo off of her feet, it was true love. Cowboy helped her get off the blow. She didn't have to turn on the red light anymore, either. Cowboy and Toni Jo got married, and all was right in the world.

The honeymoon didn't last long. "Cowboy" Claude Henry was up on charges for killing a cop in a bar fight in San Antonio. Just weeks after her fairy tale wedding at the justice of the peace, Toni Jo was promising to break her new husband out of Huntsville Prison. She wasted no time teaming up with Finnian "Arkie" Burks (just released from Huntsville) and the two set off hitchhiking to break Cowboy out. It was a cold and rainy Valentine's Day evening. A businessman from Houston in a brand new Ford coupe liked the looks of Toni, and offered them a ride. They forced him to drive by gunpoint to a rice field and stripped him naked. (Toni Jo thought his outfit would look good on Cowboy.) They tortured him, and told him to say his prayers. Toni Jo pressed the barrel between his eyes as he prayed, and coldly blew his brains out.

They hadn't even made it to the Texas line when the two career criminals pulled over to party in the roadhouses along the way and brag loudly about the "successful" theft of the car and their upcoming jailbreak scheme. Toni showed up unannounced at her aunt's house in Shreveport and confessed that she had killed a man. They lingered in the area long enough for word to get out about their bragging, and for a manhunt to ensue. No one had any idea what had happened to the salesman until the two talked about it all over town. Cocaine is a hell of a drug.

Toni Jo was taken to the jail at Lake Charles to await trial, and Arkie was taken to a seperate facility. She would spend two years unsuccesfully trying to pin the crime on Arkie. During that time she charmed the jailers, who even allowed her a pet, and she made national press in her quest to be free. The papers called her "Tiger Girl".

After three trials, she ran out of appeals and was sentenced to death. The only regret she vocalized was that they were going to shave her head. She donned a brightly colored scarf as she made her way, in front of snapping cameras, to the back of an 18 wheeler that was heavily loaded with generators and a portable electric chair. They placed the hood on her and barbecued her right there in the parking lot. I'm sure they offered her a minute to say her prayers. Just days before, just across the state line, Cowboy had managed to escape prison. He planned to hold Toni Jo's sentencing judge hostage until they freed her. He made it as far as Beaumont, TX before he was caught in a fleabag hotel and thrown back in the slammer.

The courthouse at Lake Charles is haunted by the only woman to die in Louisiana's electric chair. Clerks who work there can smell burning hair once in awhile. A huge records room that mechanically shifts giant metal file holders has inexplicably turned itself on and rotated after it was shut off for the evening, on more than one occasion. Many have heard a woman shriek in the stairwells and in the parking lots. The doors, which lock with a key, will suddenly lock themselves in the middle of a regular work day. Men especially seem to hear talking in the empty building as they clean at night.

Toni Jo admitted the day of her execution that she was solely responsibile for the murder in the rice field. The state executed Arkie a year later anyway. On her last phone call to Cowboy she asked him to "Go straight and try to make something of your life" so that his mother would be proud of him. Two years later, he was paroled early (he was prematurely dying of heart failure). He was gunned down in the street in Dallas three months after his parole.

On her way to the chair, Toni Jo smiled coyly at reporters and said "Have you any idea how much talent is being wasted here today?"

White Trash Peg, Wynona.

INTERVIEW WITH NINA HYNES

2011-10-26T11:18:00.000-07:00

(Above) Photography of Nina Hynes by David Cleary(2011).

Songwriter/ musician Nina Hynes travels to the autonomous coastal city state of Neustern at the invitation of New Obsessive. Gary Farrelly first met Hynes this summer during recording of her upcoming album Goldmine. Instantly compelled and interested by the Berlin based artist, Farrelly was eager to question her. Said questioning took place Madame Mao's bar on Krasnodar Wharf in Central Neustern. As the interview starts Farrelly and Hynes are drinking their second bottle of Neustern Carbonate (A domestically produced Champagne substitute with subtle undertones of eau de cologne).

Gary Farrelly: How do you like Neustern do far?

Nina Hynes: I feel at home.

GF: How would you concisely describe the music you create?

NH: Therapy.

GF: I love your voice. It is very sweet and your face is lovely and sweet. Are you a very sweet girl?

NH: Thank you. I mirror you or dance with you but if you're really nasty, I build a wall and walk away.

GF My favourite song of yours from the last album is 'Fitness'. In it you sing about face lifts, euthanasia and liposuction. What's that about?

Unhinged?

NH: Isn't it amazing that we can take the fat out of our thighs to make our lips plump? Innovative humans. Pity about the pain but worth singing about and dreaming of lean thighs and plump lips.

GF: I don’t see you as a typical singer song writer of Irish origin. You don’t conform to that stereotype. Do you agree?

NH: Agreed but most of the population do not fit the conventional singer songwriter stereotype

GF: Are you an outsider? (if so, how do you feel about that?)

NH: I'm an insider, I feel a warm glow but I may as well apply for German citizenship if Sean Gallagher becomes president.

GF: Your partner Fabien Leseure and yourself are working very closely on your next album 'Goldmine'. Is it a democratic collaboration or does Nina wear the trousers in the project?and how does this effect you relationship?

NH: I wear a dress to keep the peace, he's French, you know. There is no democracy here but I try to mask the dictatorship in charm and sweetness. It might be the death of one of us but we make a good Government.

GF: How does Goldmine differ from previous output?

NH: Goldmine rests further in the future than my previous output. It's musically a new road for me and represents my freedom from my old sabotaging subconscious beliefs.

GF: There is a lot of excitement surrounding this project. How do you plan to make Goldmine a global Success?(Ie.Bring it to the Greater Public).

NH: I plan to surround it in love and to get it in to the hands of powerful people.

GF: Do you believe in God?

NH: Yes.

GF: Are you political?

NH: It depends on the subject matter.

GF: You have a three year old daughter Caia-a very beautiful and charismatic little girl. How do you find motherhood?Is it hard to find time to work?

NH: Caia was a gift for all the good I've ever wished for or done. She keeps me present and reminds me to focus better to create the future. She is some kind of angel and work gets done precisely because time is tighter.

GF: Best case Scenario:Where is Nina Hynes in 5 years?

NH: Living with family in our magical community creating and feeling healthy and prosperous, maybe in a certain park in Neustern growing vegetables, drinking Neustern carbonated and pressing vinyl.

GF: Worst case Scenario is a FEMA camp, right?

NH: A FEMA camp with no limbs and my tongue cut out , oh and not knowing the whereabouts of loved ones.

GF: There are streets, parks and squares named after you here in Neustern-how did that come about?

NH: A mutual love and appreciation. An understanding of the significance of meeting fellow Humans to whom we can relate.

GF: 3x Things you find wonderful?

NH: Understanding, appreciation, friends.

GF: 3x things you find profoundly negative?

NH: Greed. Cruelty. Shame.

GF: 3x Things that make you feel bliss?

NH: Communion with others, inner sanctity, music.

GF: You made your album at Pickering Forest:How was that?

NH: Recording at Pickering came as an unprecedented honour and surprise. The atmosphere surrounding the work was eccentric, free, creative with feeling emotion and generosity. I am extremely grateful for the experience to record in such an environment where I felt equally at home and in awe. I am sure such depth of human experience and history has crept in to the record somehow.

Gary Farrelly, Neustern.

UNHINGED SCIENCE CZAR

2011-10-25T17:27:00.000-07:00

The current head of Americas Office of Science and Technology Policy is Dr. John Holdren. Until recently he served as The White House science czar (US equivolent of Minister for science). The role of science czar is to act as adviser to the president on all matters related to scientific policy. In 1977 he wrote ECOSCIENCE. Several Universities in Ireland have it in their libraries: Here are some interesting quotes with corresponding page numbers:

p 387:

“Indeed, it has been concluded that compulsory population-control laws, even including laws requiring compulsory abortion, could be sustained under the existing Constitution if the population crisis became sufficiently severe to endanger the society.”

p 787/8:

“Adding a sterilant to drinking water or staple foods is a suggestion that seems to horrify people more than most proposals for involuntary fertility control. Indeed, this would pose some very difficult political, legal, and social questions, to say nothing of the technical problems. No such sterilant exists today, nor does one appear to be under development. To be acceptable, such a substance would have to meet some rather stiff requirements: it must be uniformly effective, despite widely varying doses received by individuals, and despite varying degrees of fertility and sensitivity among individuals; it must be free of dangerous or unpleasant side effects; and it must have no effect on members of the opposite sex, children, old people, pets, or livestock.”

“A program of sterilizing women after their second or third child, despite the relatively greater difficulty of the operation than vasectomy, might be easier to implement than trying to sterilize men.

The development of a long-term sterilizing capsule that could be implanted under the skin and removed when pregnancy is desired opens additional possibilities for coercive fertility control. The capsule could be implanted at puberty and might be removable, with official permission, for a limited number of births.”

p942-3

“Perhaps those agencies, combined with UNEP and the United Nations population agencies, might eventually be developed into a Planetary Regime—sort of an international superagency for population, resources, and environment. Such a comprehensive Planetary Regime could control the development, administration, conservation, and distribution of all natural resources, renewable or nonrenewable, at least insofar as international implications exist. Thus the Regime could have the power to control pollution not only in the atmosphere and oceans, but also in such freshwater bodies as rivers and lakes that cross international boundaries or that discharge into the oceans. The Regime might also be a logical central agency for regulating all international trade, perhaps including assistance from DCs to LDCs, and including all food on the international market.”

“The Planetary Regime might be given responsibility for determining the optimum population for the world and for each region and for arbitrating various countries’ shares within their regional limits. Control of population size might remain the responsibility of each government, but the Regime would have some power to enforce the agreed limits.”

p917

“If this could be accomplished, security might be provided by an armed international organization, a global analogue of a police force. Many people have recognized this as a goal, but the way to reach it remains obscure in a world where factionalism seems, if anything, to be increasing. The first step necessarily involves partial surrender of sovereignty to an international organization.”

R. Muller, Lausanne

GARY FARRELLY EXHIBITION, DUBLIN

2011-10-22T12:03:00.000-07:00

Gary Farrelly's first exhibition in the Republic of Ireland since 2007 opens this November 10th. The exhibition entitled All Roads lead to Neustern is being presented by Galerie Modonov and will run until November 26th. On show will be a new body of work created by the artist at Central Trak in Dallas and at Pickering Forest. The artworks which Farrelly describes as "a portrait of the artist as an autonomous coastal city state" are being curated by Donna Marie O'Donovan.

‎'All Roads Lead to Neustern'
10 - 26 November 2011
Galerie Modonov
114 Capel Street
Dublin 1

RENO STAR FUCKER REMINISCING (PART 1) - White Trash Peg

2011-10-04T07:50:00.000-07:00

I used to live in Reno, Nevada. It was America's Sin City while Vegas was still a mule turd of a mining town in an otherwise useless wasteland. Long past it's prime, Reno is an armpit at the foot of Mount Rose: the top of which rims a volcanic lake so deep that they have to estimate just how perilously close to hell it actually comes. Clustered around that golden rim lives titans of industry and the privately educated, ski-sweater wearing offspring they support. They gather in the standard Tahoe haunts in little packs. The women swill wine with cachexic fingers, laden with massive diamonds. The men ignore their wives, genetically blessed faces that are kept emotionally divoid through the careful use of various pharmeceuticals. The husbands' eyes dart around the room for anything to keep their predatory nature in check through one more obligatory family dinner. The children are oblivious to their creators. Little plastic entertainment devices seem to be the only thing that keeps them from going all Menedez on Mom and Dad.

People who have enough money to satiate every tiny desire seem to find out that the price to be paid toward that particular blessing is that there is nothing left to have to fight the good fight against, excluding the cremation room. The rich love to rub elbows with famous people. In Tahoe they throw ridiculously excessive golf events to keep themselves occupied in their charmed but boring lives. They hire athletes and actors to populate their events. The famous but not-as-rich are paid to pretend to enjoy the company of rich-but-not-famous, of whom most of the latter would be considered shallow, trite, and boring by any thinking man's estimation. Why else would anyone need to pay interesting people to come to their party?

I found myself amidst these charity golf events on several occasions. This series documents my brushes with fame and glamour between the years of 1999 1nd 2006.

Star Fucker Reminiscing #1: Patrick Swayze

Patrick Swayze was amazingly buff for a dude in his late 50's. He was the crown jewel of that year's charity golf event. He was also really small in stature compared to what one would expect out of the skull cracker from "Roadhouse". All of the old ladies were creaming in their hundred dollar panties to get a spot in the golf cart next to old Johnny Castle.

I met him in the VIP lounge of the best casino in town. (There is a room in every nice casino in which high rollers can drink for free, get shit scheduled for them by the most subservient of the professional ass-kissers on staff, and feel like they don't have to hang out with the sheep who are shoveling grubby coins into the 25 cent slots beyong the big gilded doors.) He was already half tanked, and was hoisting a comically large tumbler of bourbon and ice. My overly-fawning ex husband (who was, in fact, one of the high-ranking professional ass-kissers himself) weasled his way over by a less than inviting looking Patrick. No one puts Baby in a corner, but there he was, cornered by two rubes from Illinois.

He was very cordial, and discussed his love for flying. We found out we both had the same breed of dog and bantered uncomfortably about that for about the length of time it took to pound a drink. He was a nice guy, I think.

That was the first night of the event. Patrick Swayze proceeded to get shitty drunk all weekend instead of schmoozing and golfing with random boring rich bastards. The wives were pissed. Their panties dried up faster than spit on a Vegas sidewalk. My fat ass loved it. It was the highlight of my trip.

White Trash Peg, Wynona IL.

2011-10-02T19:06:00.000-07:00

The most important election in the history of the autonomous city state of Neustern has taken place. Earlier today 1,850,000 Neusterners cast there vote and elected their 117 parliamentary representatives. A referendum on the continued role of the supreme controller as head of state was also on the ballot paper.

NEW PARLIAMENT BUILDING UNVEILED

2011-10-02T05:19:00.000-07:00

(Above) NEW PARLIAMENT OF NEUSTERN, Gary Farrelly (2011)

The new parliament buildings of Neustern were officially opened in an elaborate ribbon cutting ceremony today. 250,000 Neusterners came out to celebrate the inauguration of the impressive new erection which will house the parliament aswell as government ministries and political offices. The assembly itself is housed in a cast concrete hall with fine herring bone detail on the exterior. All other functions are accommodated in the adjacent 23 story tower which is pigmented with glasnost green cladding and nostalgia tinted windows. Architects across the world are unanimous in praising the building as the greatest of the 21st century. Notables in attendance included the Supreme Controller as well 'opposition' leaders and Politburo members. The crowds were treated to complimentary alcohol and rousing music from the National Radio Orchestra. Deputies will occupy their seats for the first session of parliament following the general election poll on Monday morning. A large number of candidates from the newly formed Libertarian Party are expected to be elected to office. Read the election special tomorrow: Libertarian Party vs. The National Comrades, A new order in Neustern?

Gary Farrelly, Neustern.

NEUSTERN ERECTS GREAT BUILDINGS

2011-10-01T11:55:00.000-07:00

(Above) GRAND HOTEL NEUSTERN, Gary Farrelly (2011)

A massive program of building and municipal beautification is underway in the autonomous coastal city state of Neustern. Dozens of private and state funded construction projects of the highest architectural quality are on track right right across the territory. The surge in construction directly employs over 70,000 Neusterners and recruited foreign nationals. The government has promised to reemploy any surplus labour in the armed forces in the event of a slow down. Some of the key erections well advanced in the building process include: Neustern libertarian university, the cathedral of Saint Sophia, the new parliament, the great hall of the people and the state run department store and discotheque. Already completed are the extension to Neustern Sullenberger international airport, the grand hotel Neustern (pictured above) and the National Comrades Party headquarters. Construction of a monument celebrating Neustern's independence and agressively guarded sovereignty commences later this month.

Gary Farrelly, Neustern.

AUTOCRACY VS. LIBERTARIANISM IN NEUSTERN

2011-09-26T13:25:00.000-07:00

(Above) PROGRESS OF THE PARTIES, Gary Farrelly, Neustern.

An opinion poll commissioned by this publication indicates that a new opposition party has 30% popular support in the autonomous coastal city state of Neustern. The Libertarian Party of Neustern (NLP) was formed in May of this year and has steadily grown in popularity over the summer. 30% popularity is the highest recorded level of support for an opposition party in Neustern history and will be seen a a direct challenge to the authority of the autocratic National Compades Party (NCP) who have ruled the state for almost three decades. The NCP has seen it's support slip by 9% to a historical low of 57%. The traditional token opposition parties have also shed support to the NLP: the conservatives, greens and workers have slipped a combined 19% and now stand at 3%, 3% and 5% respectively. Neustern has been governed by the NCP since the state was founded in 1983. NCP rule has been characterized by significant state intervention in the economic and social life of the state and comparatively high standards of living. The NLP propose a smaller government, personal freedoms, reinforced property rights and private sector innovation. The NLP have already obtained 61,000 of the 100,000 signatures necessary to force a general election. Sources at the NCP say that they take these developments very seriously and are formulating a plan of action to reinvigorate their support.

(Above) OPINION POLLS, Gary Farrelly, Neustern.

REVIEW: INHAUS BY OISIN BYRNE

2011-09-10T16:47:00.000-07:00

(Above) INHAUS AS SEEN FROM ROBERT EMMET BRIDGE, www.oisinbyrne.com

INHAUS is a large scale drawing by artist Oisin Byrne which was specifically created for display in the windows of the Portobello Wharf apartment building at Robert Emmet Bridge on the banks of The Grand Canal. The drawing points outwards and is optimally viewed as a pedestrian or motorist. At night time high powered theatre spots inside the building illuminate the drawing through the paper creating a vast light box effect. Oisin Byrne succeeds in bringing art into the street without the usual embarrassing community art clichés. In fact the work looks like a vast salon painting hanging in the streetscape and puts one to wondering why we don’t hang beautiful things everywhere.

The assembled drawings, rendered in black ink describe an atmospheric, stately interior with carved heads on columns and portraits mounted on the walls. The carved heads almost exclusively depict youthful, idealized male visages. Byrne was recently on retreat in Norway and Scandinavian folk influences are evident. Other words that come to mind include; banqueting hall, Masonic lodge, log cabin and art nouveau. Meanwhile, highly arousing was the fish scale pattern that masterfully excites the brick work on the building exterior. A skilfully drafted vaulted ceiling strongly provokes a sense of Trompe-l'œil which is critical to the success of the artwork.

Byrnes current work plays with the idea of artworks as props and stage sets designs for a visually and spiritually enhanced reality. The work is idealistic in it’s unashamed commitment to beauty and the artist‘s idiosyncratic world view. Though Oisin Byrne is primarily a painter, in recent years a strong relational and sculptural tendency has emerged. Inhaus can be viewed from Robert Emmet Bridge until September 13th.

Gary Farrelly, Dublin

ART CAUSES 14 CAR CRASHES

2011-09-10T16:40:00.000-07:00

(Above) CAR BEING EXTRACTED FROM CANAL, use of image permitted by Nordstat.

Traffic accidents at Dublin’s Robert Emmet Bridge have increased by over 800% since the start of the week according to the office of the traffic commissar (OTC). Since the 6th of this month over 14 vehicles have lost control and plunged in to the water where the bridge crosses the grand canal linking Upper Clanbrassil Street and Harolds Cross Road. Miraculously; the phenomena has not claimed any human life and only minor injuries have been reported. The accidents were all caused when drivers became distracted by a visually striking art installation showing in the top storey windows of the Portobello Wharf apartment building. For legal reasons we are not at liberty to disclose the name of the artist responsible for the distraction.

Gary Farrelly, Dublin.

MASTER COPY

2011-08-18T17:07:00.000-07:00

(Above images) Gary Farrelly, MASTER COPY OF NEW OBSESSIVE(2009/2011)

THE BEST DOG SLEDGE TEAM

2011-08-17T11:36:00.000-07:00

(Above image courtesy of Mel Andrews and Nigel Garner )

Mel Andrews and Nigel Garner are two British nationals based in Norway since November 2009. They decamped to that country to breed dogs and build the worlds best sledge racing team. Gary Farrelly met the couple on a recent trip to Vestre Slidre. Farrelly interviews former British army medic turned arctic dog breeder Mel Andrews.

Gary Farrelly: Do you have a mission statement?
Mel Andrews: To have an active and healthy lifestyle. To respect the environment and animal welfare. To develop the relationship between people and animals. To combine scientific advances with tradition. To enjoy the fruits of hard work, commitment and long term planning.

GF: How many and what kind of dogs do you have?
MA: We have 32. All our dogs are either Alaskan or Siberian huskies.

GF: How do these two breeds differ from each other?
MA: Siberians are a pure breed and have to be verified and registered as such. Alaskans are not strictly speaking a breed and are only defined by their function as highly efficient sledge dogs.

GF: Do genetic considerations come into breeding a world class sledge team?
MA: Good pullers have a high red blood cell count and a high VO2 max. Alaskans and Siberians poscess these traits. We breed based to optimize diet, working attitude and good feet.

GF: Some of your dogs are Norwegian. You instruct the dogs in English. Did the dogs have to learn English?
MA: The commands are international. Basic ones include: “hah”= left, “gee”= right, “em by”= ignore (an animal or trail).

GF: What is the longest, most challenging dog sledge race you have participated in?
MA: La Grande Odyssé in France is 1000km, takes ten days to complete and is raced on a 25000 meter incline.

(Above image courtesy of Mel Andrews and Nigel Garner )

GF: What are the calorific and dietary requirements per dog per day on such a challenging race?
MA: Between 10000 and 12000 calories per day depending on the dog. We feed them kibble, raw meat and fat (either horse or whale).

GF: What does one pack when embarking on such a race?
MA: There is a mandatory equipment list which I stick to. Items on the list include: arctic sleeping bag, knife, axe, maps, compass, reserve dog food, head torch, batteries, windbag, cooker and avalanche transceiver.

GF: Is there anything that is forbidden to bring?
MA: Drugs, booze and mobile phones are against the rules for obvious reasons.

GF: Where will this project be in 5 years time?
MA: Podium placements and allot of charity work.

GF: Charity work?
MA: I have been approached by Veterans In Action to become a patron of their charity and to participate in fundraising events. I have a strong interest in working with veterans who have lost limbs whilst serving their country.

Gary Farrelly, Fagernes, Norway.

DECLASSIFIED

2011-08-08T14:53:00.000-07:00

New Obsessive is obliged to make the below image public under the Neustern Public Information Act 1994 - . The image was taken at the signing of The Treaty of Dallas between new obsessive's Gary Farrelly(right) and Peggy Clydesdale(left). The contents of the treaty remain classified. The exact location of the signing also remains classified.

WHITE TRASH PEG'S WHITE TRASH COOKING CONTEST

2011-08-08T14:21:00.000-07:00

I proposed a cooking competition to my fellow New Obsessives and a few noteable others, and was not disappointed with the response! Celebutante chef Gordon Ramsey was slated to judge, but he texted me that he was indisposed."Gordo" means "fat ass" in Spanish. Elsewhere: Sherry DiscgolfGeek, founder of The White Trash Recipe Exchange, answered a few questions about her cooking repertoire and also shared a delicious recipe:

WTP:What is your favorite junk food product?

SD:Pork Skins with Chili and Limon, I can't live with out them.

WTP:Do you prefer salty or sugary snacks? SD:Salty

WTP:If you had to choose between a box of fruit leather or a crate of Twinkies to sustain you during a month long period of forced isolation with only one food source, what would you choose and why? SD:Twinkies, The perfect comfort food when alone, surgery, sponge cake, whip creamy, And a awesome way to get out of a murder sentence if your Dan White, the Guy who killed San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and County Supervisor Harvey Milk!

Contest Entry No. 1: Sheri's sublime recipe for trailer park goodness: Spam Frittata 1/2 can of Spam diced 1/2 medium sweet onion diced salt pepper dry or fresh oregano dry or fresh thyme dry or fresh basil 4 eggs (beaten) 3-4 slices provolone Preheat oven to 350˚F Lightly grease a 9-inch pie tin or skillet. Mix together spam, onion, oregano, thyme, basil and egg. Season with a tiny pinch of salt and pepper. Pour the mixture into a skillet or pie tin. Bake for 40 min. 5 min before taking it out, place the provolone slices on top.

Contest Entry No. 2: Gary Farrelly and Donna Marie O'Donovan crafted this exquisite Banana Pineapple Ice Cream Claw. (see below)
Contest Entry No.3: The lovely Sophie Iremonger created a masterpiece of carnage: Foot Loaf (see below)

Contest Entry No.4: In honor of the Fuhrer's wedding to the lovely Tara Tonini last month, I contributed this Moon Pie Tower with Grandma's pills and spent shell vases.(See below image)

I leave it up to the readership of The New Obsessive to choose the favorite, via the comment section of the page, with the winning contribution to be awarded via United States Postal Service, if they do not go out of business prior to end of voting which is SEPTEMBER 1st, 2011.

NEUSTERN - PYONGYANG AIR SERVICE

2011-08-07T08:43:00.000-07:00

(Above) Vozhd Airways,Gary Farrelly(2011)

Vozhd Airways have announced the inauguration of a new air service linking the autonomous coastal city state of Neustern with Pyongyang in North Korea. The new route becomes operational on August 21st. It will be operated 5 times weekly in both directions as a code share with Neustern International Airlines and North Korea's Air Koryo. Passengers travelling can expect a glamorous complimentary bar service as well as full in flight catering served with real cutlery and table wear. Entertainment on board will consist of light classical and eastern block jazz gently suffused into the cabin as well as copies New Obsessive and Pyongyang Times. Writing paper, type writers and office stationary will be offered to any passengers wishing to work. Initial fares will be set at a standard 850 Neumarks return.

Vozhd Airways,

10-14 Mitterand Avenue,

Sullinberger district,

Neustern.

Vozhd Airways

NEUSTERN ANNEXES ISLAND

2011-08-04T22:13:00.000-07:00

(Above) LESSER NEUSTERN, Gary Farrelly.

A small mid lake island near the Norwegian city of Fagernes has been annexed by Neustern. A discreet naval expedition from the autonomous coastal city state took control of the island on Thursday morning. No resistance was encountered. The mission was lead by the Supreme Controller (head of state) of Neustern. A permenant military and scientific presence is already operational on the island which has be christened Lesser Neustern. A scientific experiment to introduce ants from Neustern to the island has already been concluded. A commemorative plaque has been erected on Lesser Neustern to celebrate this stunning imperialist development. Gary Farrelly, Lesser Neustern.

DEAR C.C. READER PROBLEMS

2011-08-04T21:20:00.000-07:00

(Above) COLLETTE CROWLEY, Unknown photographer(2011)

(Above) DEAR C.C. CONTRACTS, Gary Farrelly(2011)

New Obsessive is delighted to announce that Dear C.C. is to become a regular feature of the publication. Gary Farrelly and Collette Crowley signed a legally binding contract to that effect just 48 hours ago. The signing was witnessed by Oisin Byrne. New Obsessive was impressed by the strong reader interest in the feature and looks forward to continued great development for all parties concerned. Send your reader questions to dearccnewobsessive@gmail.com

Dear CC
I'm the misandrist lesbian alter ego of a misogynist gay man. Lately I've been feeling like no gender labels can really describe me. Have we yet arrived at a time when we can honestly say that gender is a societal construct into, or out of which, we can opt?
Yours,
Neo Nancy

Dear Neo Nancy,
Do you require a permanent label, or can you be one way on Tuesdays and another on Saturdays with vague areas betwixt and between?
Personally I have a horror of being told someones preference - rather like Americans who introduce themselves with their ’star sign’.
Opt for mystery and keep them all guessing,
Yours,
C.C.

Dearest Collette.
I have recently found myself the object of a series of brutal and violently abusive bullying.
Not friendships nor family are the sources of the above.
It is the world. The world is bullying me. Bullying me by not giving me what I want. I usually always get what I want.
How do I get it back? What is it?
Yours in deep fear,
X.

Dear X
It’s your perception of the world as a place filled with horror that’s amiss - I’m presuming that you have no real reason - do you live in Beijing?
If not, then stop reading newspapers and watching the news and avert your eyes from tempting advertisements.
Write back in a month and let me know how wonderful life has become.
Yours C.C.

Dear Collette,
My girlfriend constantly wants sex. I think she'd have it every day if I would let her. It doesn’t seem as 'special' if we do it too often. I mean, its great when we have it, I think I’m just worried if we have too much, I’ll get sick of it!!! And sometimes I’m just not in the mood. Any suggestions to get me in the mood more?
Yours,
Wilfred in London.

Dear Wilfred,
Tell her you’ve got the clap.
Yrs, C.C.

Dear C.C,
Do you feel like we have something to fear in the shape of secretive (and some not so secretive) organizations rumoured to have a higher knowledge of what's actually occurring in the world combined with the power to control and persuade it? Don't you ever sometimes feel like maybe there's nothing out there aside from a vortex of coincidences, and if you do really believe in such conspiracy theories, how do you sleep at night?
Curious,
Athlone.

Dear Curious,
The word ’coincidence’ was invented precisely to describe such unsettling patterns of events. However that does not mean that powerful secretive forces are not grinding with baleful intent. If you kept chickens you would be worrying about lice and rats instead.
Yrs., C.C.

Dear CC,
I have been dating a lovely, but work obsessed guy for 12 years.
He is wonderful to be with, when that happens. He works so much it rarely happens. Now that we are able to marry in New York, should I pop the question?
I have no idea.
Thank you
Steve
New York .

Dear Steve,
Make sure that your wedding vows address any concerns you might have - and pop away - if the worst comes to worst he will be good for alimony.
Yrs., C.C.

Hi Collette
so my question is I have met 3 men in the last few weeks in nightclub’s mostly and the same thing happens I meet them they ask for my number and then they all send me a text message asking me if I have got home ok and then I never hear from them again why do they bother? (the 3 men were all Irish)
Anon

Dear Anon,
They were checking that the phone was correct and making sure you have THEIR number. USE IT.
Yrs.,
C.C.

Dearest Colette,
Do you think that true love is not to want or need anything from the beloved? This makes sense to me in my mind, but seems difficult in practice at times.
Thanks for your insight,
Corin Thian, Rome

Dear Corin,
Practice makes perfect,
Yrs., C.C.

Dear C.C
I am a student in my twenties and although i'm having a great time rambling about Dublin, My current future wish is to marry into some form of royalty. eg, lord, duke etc. I desire to be amongst the luxury, at least for a while. But how do I go about mingling with these social circles? As that really is the most obvious starting point I assume.
Thanks,
ANONYMOUS.

Dear Anon,
It’s a total fallacy to imagine that lords or dukes lead lives of anything other than extreme discomfort. Try staying in some freezing dank barracks of a castle in the winter and see what I mean. If its luxury you are after, find yourself a nice dull billionaire who wants you to spend his money.
Yrs., C.C.

Collette
I am still finding it hard to fully get over my ex even though it is a year and I am happily now in another relationship with the most caring man , but little flashbacks keep coming and going and I often find myself down over the slightest thing,
do you have any tips or advice for me to get over this?
Yours Sincerely
A. Non.

Dear Anon,
George Jones records.
Yrs., C.C:

Dear Colette,
I thouroughly enjoy and take great constructive council from your feature in NEW OBSESSIVE. I am curious; what qualifies you to dispense advice? Where does your common sense have its provenance?
Yours, Regtilda (Tildy), Fagernes, Norway.

Dear Tildy,
An overweening sense of my own special talents.
Yrs.,
C.C.

Dear C.C.,
My dreams of late are characterized by images of disfigured cheeks, broken teeth, giants convering their right eye with one hand, drained swimming pools, and the inability to speak. I do not eat cheese late at night and am pretty happy and anxiety free in wake time. Analysis?
X
Denis, Tulsa

Dear Denis,
Your lovely brain is providing the excitement missing in your daily dreary life.
Yrs.,
C.C:

ABOUT THE SUPREME CONTROLLER

2011-07-30T06:15:00.000-07:00

Renate Muller is the personal secretary of Neustern’s Supreme Controller. She has been authorized to answer seven questions about the reclusive despot exclusively for New Obsessive. One of our operatives flew to the autonomous coastal city state armed with 7 previously unanswered, sensational questions. The operative must remain partially unnamed for national security reasons.

Facts: Neustern’s Supreme Controller

What is the role of the Supreme Controller?
To promote coherence in all aspects of the functioning of the State.
To set the tone for governmental process.
To safeguard the integrity of the State of Neustern from unfriendly forces both within and without.
To be a role model for the population of Neustern.
To promote the ideals contained in the State of Neustern abroad with a mind to their proliferation.

What do civilians call the Supreme Controller?
“Your Excellency”.

How was the institution of the Supreme Controller established?
When the State was created in 1983 the national patriot, whose name is no longer relevant, was given the position of Supreme Controller, which is a lifelong role. If he were to die or abdicate, it would be an issue for Politburo to appoint a successor. If the Supreme Controller were to misuse his authority and become tyrannical, it would be an issue for the armed forces. Failing that the civilian population of Neustern would remove him by force. All Neusterners over the age of 21 bare the responsibility to maintain a firearm.

Where is the Supreme Controller’s residence?
The official residence of the Supreme Controller is located on Great Development Square. The building itself is an imposing international style complex called Neustern palace. Several key government ministries are also located in Neustern Palace and needless to say that the structure is heavily fortified.

Does the Supreme Controller have dealings with foreign diplomats?
The Supreme Controller frequently entertains both foreign diplomats from all nations as well as representatives of international bodies e.g. the United Nations, the European Union, and the International Monetary Fund, though it should be stated that Neustern is not a member of any such organisation and the State’s diplomatic strategy with such bodies is strictly bilateral and highly pragmatic. The hospitality of Neustern is famous the world over for it’s liveliness and abundance. Recently The S.C. hosted a banquet in honour of former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Temoshenko. She was treated to a banquet of Raw vegetables, rare beef, fine wine, calvados, gold infused confections, futurist canapés and Neustern Calvados.

The Supreme Controller is very mysterious and there are very few photographs of his person. The last interview he gave to a foreign news agency was to East German state television in 1989. Tell us a little about the man who rules Neustern.
The Supreme Controller is 6 foot tall and in excellent physical condition. He possesses unprecedented charisma and is well versed on a very wide array of subjects. He is a fluent speaker of French, German, English, Russian and Greek. He is married. He is a practicing Christian. He is openly bisexual. He has a keen interest in the arts as well as economics, politics, gardening and military tactics. The Supreme Controller is unprecedented in his scope of his abilities. The age of the Supreme Controller as well as his history prior to the foundation of the state are classified. The people of Neustern are very lucky to have a leader of such stunning character, strength and enthusiasm.

The Supreme Controller rules Neustern by blending autocracy and Libertarianism. Can you explain the mechanics of this seemingly impossible fusion?The Supreme Controller is in the process of writing a manifesto on this very subject. It will be proliferated widely upon completion. The readers of New Obsessive will have to wait patiently for the dispensation of this great innovation.

O.B. Diem, Neustern

CONFIRMED: NEUSTERN HAS A NUCLEAR BOMB!

2011-07-27T04:51:00.000-07:00

(Above) Image sourced online, photographer unknown.

The ministry of defence of Neustern has announced that the autonomous coastal city state has developed a viable nuclear bomb. The Supreme Controller (head of state and government) made the announcement at a public meeting in downtown Neustern. International journalists and foreign diplomats as well as representatives from the U.N, E.U and International Atomic Agency were in attendance. Condemnation from foreign governments and international bodies will be ignored by Neustern’s authorities. Under the constitution of Neustern all defensive issues are an internal matter. Neustern is not a member of the United Nations, European Union or International Monetary Fund and maintains that it is not bound by their treaties and declarations.
Gary Farrelly, Neustern.

The modern thermonuclear weapon weighing little more than 2,400 pounds (1,100 kg) can produce an explosive force comparable to the detonation of more than 1.2 million tons (1.1 million metric tons) of TNT. Neustern is a peaceful nation that plays a constructive role in international affairs. We do not have nor do we intend to procure the capability to launch this destructive force on to the territory of any other country. Even in a period of war, Neustern will defend herself against aggression using the conventional force at our disposal. Our nuclear bomb is to be housed under our great city state. If we are invaded and our sovereignty is irreversibly extinguished - we shall detonate the device. Neusterners would rather see their sacred soil scattered to the four winds than occupied by an external power.
The Supreme Controller, Neustern.

All roads lead to Neustern is an exhibition of new cartographic and architectural artwork by Gary Farrelly. It is being curated by Donna Marie O'Donovan and will be held in Dublin in November. CLICK FOR MORE INFORMATION.

INTERNATIONAL MARRIAGE CELEBRATION - FIRST IMAGES MADE PUBLIC

2011-07-24T03:19:00.000-07:00

New Obsessive will be publishing an INTERNATIONAL wedding souvenir edition on August 1st. The special edition of New Obsessive will feature photographs taken by David Turpin and Mindy Byrd. Gary Farrelly and Tara Tonini were married on July 2nd onboard an international airliner bound for Pickering Forest.

(Above) Photography by David Turpin for New Obsessive(2011)

Dear C.C. COLETTE CROWLEY ANSWERS READER PROBLEMS

2011-07-20T11:32:00.000-07:00

Dear C.C.
Are we living at the end of days? Is it survivable? How?
Norma, Westminster
Dear Norma,
Well… yes - and then… no.
Yrs.
Collette
Dear C.C.
I am travelling to Neustern next month. This will be my first time ever to leave Ireland. Where should I go in the autonomous coastal city-state? Recommendations?
Nira, Celbridge.
Dear Nira,
Oh you are lucky - as Neustern is definitely the chicest of the chic in terms of this years most desired destinations. Nothing like starting at the top. Just make sure that you leave yourself enough time to explore it thoroughly and remember NO colour photography.
Yrs. jealously,
Collette
Dear C.C.
I am a 35-year-old gourmet butcher from Arlington, Texas. I have saved up a humble five figure net egg. The dollar is falling and friends say things will get worse. Where/in what form should I hold future financial reserves?
Yours,
J. Holden
Dear Mr. Holden,
You must be very prescient to realise that the dollar is falling despite all the propaganda to the contrary in your home state - you can still have a lot of fun - my advice is “spend it”.
Yrs.
Collette
Dear C.C.
I am a card-carrying communist for over 20 years. I have always seen red! In my silver years my prosperity has led to my addiction to luxury goods. Hand mad soap from Birobijan; small-animal-pooped coffee beans at $80 a pack; budget busting salt from Mali. Communism is part of my identity. The idea of becoming a Tory, or worse, makes me barf. I need a new path. Help.
Connor Thomas
Dear Connor Thomas,
You needn’t worry - smoked salmon socialism and caviar communism have been with us since the whole ghastly ideology sprang into life. Luxury goods are carefully marketed at prosperous professionals in their silver years - you can still vote left while living right.
Yrs.
Collette
Dear C.C.
My potatoe crop always fails to grow properly. Advice?
Linda, Clane
Dear Linda,
Could it be because, like Dan Quayle, you can’t spell potato?
Yrs.
Collette
Dear C.C.
I am terrified of flying. In planes I feel thoroughly ill - before we even leave the gate. My husband of 3 years has bought me a ticket to see my sister in Australia: 23 hour flight. I need to fix my phobia - fast!
Jilly, Dalkey
Dear Jilly,
On no account accept such a cruel and thoughtless present. Everyone knows that the most interesting voyages are by ship. Happy sailing.
Yrs.
Collette
Dear Collette,
I have a friend with serious mental health issues. She has been on a waiting list for treatment for over a year. I am afraid she will not make it to the top of the list alive. Advice?
Greg, Leixlip
Dear Greg,
Maybe from her perspective the so-called mental health issues don’t appear so alarming. None of us are guaranteed survival for an entire year. Cheer up.
Yrs.
Collette
Dear C.C.
I am becoming very, very right wing as I get older. Is this unusual? Am I abnormal? n
Niall, Dublin 8
Dear Niall,
Some people confuse getting very, very right wing with just being a grumpy old man. Unfortunately it is both normal and usual.
Yrs.
Collette
Dear C.C.
I am fascinated and full of admiration for the Nazis but a lot of my friends are Jews. Reconcile please.
Tina, Neustern
Dear Tina,
Maybe you are just a slave to style - the Nazis favoured physical perfection while the Jews are renowned for their mental agility and artistic sensibilities. Reconciled?
Yrs.
Collette

Collette Crowley is the New Obsessive agony aunt/ problem commissar. Readers are invited to send C.C. any problems they wish to have answered and published. C.C. can be reached at newobsessivedearcc@gmail.com

HOMOEROTIC AND HISTORIC BRAIN EXERCISE

2011-06-26T07:55:00.000-07:00

In November 2009 London based artist Liam Ryan submitted a word search puzzle for inclusion in issue 4 of the New Obsessive (at that time the publication was produced as an online broadsheet). The puzzle created by Ryan was both visually and intellectually unhinged and proved massively popular with New Obsessive's readership. This month Gary Farrelly pays hommage to the humble word search puzzle in his own Homoerotic and historic word search puzzle. Competition: Readers who can find all 18 words contained in the puzzle and use them (exclusively) to create a piece of Unhinged Poetry will have their masterpiece published in New Obsessive.

Historic: See Liam Ryan's 2009 word search.

ALL ROADS LEAD TO NEUSTERN

2011-06-25T16:44:00.000-07:00

(Above) Image courtesy of Neustern International Airport(2011)

All Roads lead to Neustern

READERSHIP, MORAL AUTHORITY AND READER LIFE EXPECTANCY CONTINUE TO RISE

2011-06-11T20:55:00.000-07:00

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(Above) FOUR KEY MEASUREMENTS OF THE SUCCESS OF NEW OBSESSIVE (2000-2011), Gary Farrelly (2011)

New Obsessive's readership has increased by just under 20% in the second quarter of 2011. It is up 52% on 2009 levels. This wonderful news is accurate, impressive and has not been exaggerated for your pleasure. Increases in the four key success measurement areas (KSMA) confirm the effectiveness of the publications new format which was inaugurated by founder and editor Gary Farrelly earlier in the quarter. The latest set of figures also confirm that there is a direct coralation between the moral authority of New Obsessive and the life expectancy of it's readership. Rigourous mathmatic testing reveals that New Obsessive readers have added an additional 30% to their projected lifespan since the publications founding in mid 2009. The average life expectancy of a male New Obsessive reader now stands at 91. The corrasponding figure for female readers is 97.

Gary Farrelly, Neustern.

INTERROGATING ALEXANDER

2011-06-07T11:29:00.000-07:00

(Above) PORTRAIT OF ALEXANDER, Image by Cezary Zacharew.

Gary Farrelly interviews Berlin based disco cabaret performer Alexander. The interrogation takes place at an undisclosed glamorously seedy location in the German capital. Farrelly is dressed in a Mao style suit made of beige sack cloth and herringbone finish. Alexander is wearing an early coco Chanel suit tailored to his tall, slim, boyish figure. Farrelly is smoking a Cabinet (East German) cigarette and drinking a generic brand gin, neat. Alexander is drinking a mint tulip in mini pear shaped glass. The atmosphere is cordial as the interview commences.

Gary Farrelly: We met at a at Sophie Iremonger’s Kreuzberg apartment under a year ago. My first impression was that you had arrived from 1920 in a time machine. The hair, the attitude, the clothing and to some extent the music. Are you an anachronism? Or at least very nostalgic?
Alexander: Lover, I’m a daydream. That epoch resonates with me very much, I suppose it’s part of the hundred year cycle isn’t it? Most of my favorite art and literature comes from the early twentieth century, and there’s a definite sense of glamorous tragedy to the era that one can’t help feeling a kinship with.

GF: Do you remember our first encounter? What was your first impression of your interrogator?
A: I remember it well, you had an erection. Actually, so did I.

GF: How are you liking the 21st Century? Do you feel at home in 2011?
A: To put it bluntly, no. I can’t help feeling that all the interesting people are either dead or have gone into hiding. Wilde put it perfectly when he asked, “Why was I born with such contemporaries?”

GF: I like your music. Is your music your favourite music?
A: It’s my favorite music to sing that’s for sure, but I’m also a big fan of Justin Vivian Bond who is probably my favorite living singer, and also a lot of contemporary electronic music by artists like SSION and Light Asylum.

GF: Characterize your style of music for me in three key words.
A: Come over here.

GF: Characterize your performance style in three words:
A: Less is more.

GF: On a scale of 1 to 10. 1 being not at all and 10 being very much so. What grade would you give the presence of egoism in your personality?
A: I’m a Leo so probably pretty high, maybe 8. Does that sound reasonable?

GF: Alexander is in the process of producing a new record. What is it going to be called and when do you envisage it’s completion? A natural evolution of your previous output or a radical change of direction?
A: Yes, this album is taking a long time and I’m trying very hard to stay cool about it, respect the process and all that, but it’s difficult. As my darling friend and collaborator Jordan Hunt put it, I, “have a lot of patience for a person with absolutely no patience.” The list of collaborators is endless and they are based in four different countries, which adds to the complication. When it’s finished the album will be broader in influences and styles than my EP “Dandylioness”, in a way it is becoming a snapshot of a certain internationally coalescent music scene. There are several possible titles, though I quite like “Blood Sports” at the moment. I hope that it will be finished (if not actually released) this year. But who knows? I’ll keep you posted, lover.

GF: Other projects of interest in the pipe lines?
A: Yes, I have a month long residency at The Silver Future in Berlin, where I will be performing every Monday night at the horrendously civilized time of 8.30pm. I’ll have special guests too and a fantastic new backdrop from the aforementioned Sophie Iremonger. All of the details, times, artwork, are on my website (www.thisisalexander.com)

GF: You have lived and performed in Los Angeles, Liverpool, New York and now Berlin. Do you like being based in Berlin? Do you see the German capital as home?
A: I also lived in London and Athens, but never actually L.A. though I have performed there. When I was in California I lived in San Francisco, psychedelics and bad art are more my style than smog and TV sets you see. I love living in Berlin, I have been very happy here but it was only ever meant to be temporary. I imagine I’ll move on when the record is done. Maybe back to London, a city that I have always found quite ghastly, but seems to be calling me back. We’re in an off-again on-again relationship I suppose.

GF: I find Berliners somewhat charm less. Do you agree?
A: Do you mean the cream filled donuts? I actually rather like them. Oh the people? Not at all, I love them, each and every last one. Even the ones who ride their bicycles whilst drunk, with no lights at 3am, on the pavement, and get irate when they crash into you. And of course all of the kind, gentle, patient souls who selflessly dedicate themselves to customer service, always with a smile, giving their utmost, everyday.

GF: Do you eat red meat?
A: I’ve never met a cow I wanted to eat, though if cannibalism were a serious option I’d be quite happy to carve up any number of ex-acquaintances.

GF: What kind of boys attract the desiring attention of Alexander?
A: Lover, everybody is beautiful! I really can’t say I have a “type”, that seems like too much work to maintain, especially for one who has such a short attention span, what a bore that must be hounding the same old template. As a rule of thumb, cheekbones score more highly than muscles, but generally if you have the nerve to try it on with me then you’re pretty much made, my door is always open to those brave enough to cross the threshold. I realize that I can be a little intimidating sometimes, but really I am all heart. Well, at least 25% heart. I must say, I do like the smell of your armpits.

GF: Are you political?
A: Of course, how could I not be? My existence is political, everybody’s is of course, but it is magnified when you live outside of certain norms of gender and sexuality.

GF: I recently spent some time working in the Autonomous Coastal city-state of Neustern. I was covering the shambolic parliamentary elections there for New Obsessive. I had the opportunity to meet the Supreme Controller (head of state). He made it known to me that he is a fan of your music. Would you be interested performing in Neustern some day?
A: As long as you don’t try and fly me there on a budget airline I’m game.
GF: The Supreme Controller of Neustern is known for his style and commitment to lavish full service air travel. He would never do that. Especially not to an esteemed guest.

GF: Do you believe in god?
A: Absolutely. And I always capitalize the “G”.

GF: A brief closing statement?
A: Tiocfaidh ár lá

Gary Farrelly, Berlin.

OISIN BYRNE INTERVIEWS ARTIST AND N.O EDITOR GARY FARRELLY

2011-05-27T06:41:00.000-07:00

New Obsessive, GARY FARRELLY BRIEFING INTERESTED PARTIES ON THE MAP OF NEUSTERN(2011)

Oisin Byrne travelled to the remote region of Pickering Forest to quick fire interrogate Gary Farrelly. Questioning takes place at exactly 18:00. It is cocktail hour in the Kunstbureau. The two men are drinking generic gin and Lilt from crystal jam jars. Farrelly is smoking a Russian cigarette.

Oisin Byrne- The KUNSTBUREAU has been in operation for only seven weeks and is already an impressively total experience. Can you comment on its current and projected state?
Gary Farrelly- The Kunstbureau is currently located at Pickering Forest. My art practice is fully centralised at that location. I maintain a garden, which is lit by a series of mirrors funnelling the sunlight. Inside I run a woodburning stove, and fully stocked bar used for the entertaining of visiting dignitaries. There are certain aims and objectives I am striving towards at this time - these however are not for public consumption. I envisage the Kunstbureau in this location for approximately six months.

O.B. Where is Neustern?
G.F. Neustern is an autonomous coastal city state - think Singapore or Monaco. It’s neighbours are undefined but I envisage them as being somewhat hostile. The work - which includes the large map and subsidiary graphs and charts - is within a measurable distance of completion.

O.B. Your upcoming marriage to Tara Tonini. Tell.
G.F. I am deeply commited to Ms Tonini and intend to construct a domestic life with her which I envisage lasting a lifetime.

O.B. The plans for the wedding?
G.F. We are to be married in a airline themed ceremony. The invites are being issued as personalised boarding cards to the select guests, which must be presented to gain access to the event. There will be a airliner shaped tent, and full business and first class bar and meal service.

O.B. Can you tell us of you and your fiance’s commonalities?
G.F. We hit it off immediately. Tara is obsessed with aviation. I am obsessed with aviation. Tara makes stewardess uniforms. I make art inspired by all aspects of aviation. Tara has an unfaltering faith in progress - as do I. Our interests converge in our commitment to DISASTER READYNESS, PERSONAL SOVEREIGNTY, AESTHETICS, and PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL AUTOPROPULSION. We publish a blog together - AIRPORT 6565 - and we plan to roll out various stunning projects in the medium and long term.

O.B. Speak a little on the subject of artistic sovereignty.
G.F. The artist must minimise compromise both in the production and proliferation of his work.

O.B. Gary Farrelly in five years time?
G.F. The great luminary of western art: kunstfurher. I hope to be tanned, healthy, and productive.

Oisin Byrne, Dublin.

THE GREAT TURPIN INTRODUCES ISOLATION POLICY

2011-05-25T18:25:00.001-07:00

(Above) TURPIN'S CURSE (2011), Ministry for Information, Turpin Island.

Our wise leader, the Great Turpin, has introduced a policy of total isolation, to be applied to all human inhabitants of the Turpish Isles, forthwith. Any and all physical, verbal or written contact between the Great Turpin’s subjects has been banned. In accordance with Turpin’s standard policy, the law is retroactive, meaning that any subjects found to have communicated physically, verbally, or in writing over the past ten years will face immediate and harsh penalties, including liquidation and the inversion of their family lines.

The measure has been taken, in part, to create a more Turpincholy environment for the Great Turpin’s chosen species, Odocoileus virginianus (white-tailed deer), to whom he has bequeathed the land reclaimed from insubordinate human subjects.

Representatives for the Great Turpin have made it known that they are available for comment, and that any attempt to make contact with them will result in immediate liquidation.

David Turpin, Dublin.

DAVID TURPIN INTERVIEW

2011-05-19T13:43:00.000-07:00

(Above) DAVID TURPIN, photograph by Oisin Byrne.

Gary Farrelly quick fire interviews artist, musician and writer of the Turpin Island series David Turpin. The interview takes place at Pickering Forest.

Gary Farrelly - You are working on a new album. How close is this project to fruition?
David Turpin - It will be out in 2012. I wouldn’t describe it as an album though. Exactly what it is remains a secret.

GF - Sum up you world view in three sensational words?
DT - You will kneel.

GF - Your Turpin Island series of articles paints a picture of hell on earth for all non Turpin inhabitants. Discuss?
DT - It gets a very high readership.

GF - Do you intend to continue working on the series?
DT - I will continue Turpin Island for as long as New Obsessive is going.

GF - Does David Turpin believe in God?
DT - No comment.

GF - Does David Turpin believe in love?
DT - No comment.

GF - What is David Turpins favourite time of day?
DT - Dusk. When the light is kind of hot pink and lavender.

GF - What is your favourite possession?
DT - My brain.

GF - What is your favourite material/ not part of yourself possession. A prized object?
DT - I do not believe in making myself an acolyte of anything, including an object. I have allot of objects I would consider extremely resonant but I’m not sure that they are prized objects in and of themselves.

GF - Do you like air travel?
DT - I enjoy the ritual element and I enjoy the view but the sensation I do not like.

Gary Farrelly, Dublin.

NEUSTERN POLITICAL REFORM

2011-05-17T05:33:00.000-07:00

(Above) NEUSTERN ELECTION RESULTS, Ministry for Political Continuity, Nordstern.

The Supreme Controller of Neustern has today concluded power sharing talks with opposition parties. Two days ago, The Supreme Controller’s own National Comrades Party won a stunning victory in the city states first ever democratic elections. 80 of the 117 seats in the national parliament were taken by National Comrades and NC affiliated candidates. Such a generous majority guarantees that the Supreme Controller can continue to rule without consultation. Numerically impotent, the opposition called for a meeting with the Supreme Controller to discuss their role in the future political discourse of the state. The Supreme Controller has agreed that opposition deputies will be allowed take their seats in parliament. Their participation in debates is authorized on the condition that their contribution will be made in an obscure dialect of sign language. Opposition deputies will be permitted to take part in parliamentary votes on the condition they unreservedly support the National Comrade position. The publication of opposition newspapers and periodicles will be allowed to continue as long as they are published in a white ink on white paper format. According The Supreme Controller “these reforms guarantee that democratic life in Neustern can be preserved in a purely theatrical form . The real business of constructive autocracy will surge forward unhindered by liberal notions and consensus”.

Gary Farrelly, Dublin

TURPIN TO MAKE OFFICIAL VISIT TO NEUSTERN EMBASSY AT PICKERING

2011-05-17T00:18:00.000-07:00

(Above) THE GREAT TURPIN WEARS FUR(2011), photography by Sophie Iremonger, Pickering.

The Great Turpin is to make a brief Royal Visit to Neustern Embassy at Pickering. It is understood that The Great Turpin will tour the Kunstbureau and grounds at Pickering, where he is believed to have established diplomatic relations with the pony population. A top secret Farrelly/Turpin summit will be held in an undisclosed location as part of the sojourn. Rumours are also circulating that The Great Turpin will be using the visit to add to a Great Opus, the nature of which is as yet undisclosed.

In related news, The Great Turpin has emphatically rejected HRH Elizabeth II's request to visit and pay tribute to him while he is at Pickering, and he has made it known to her that she faces immediate liquidation if she fails to behave in complete accordance his wishes.
David Turpin, Dublin

MARY OCHER INTERVIEW

2011-05-13T12:00:00.000-07:00

(Above) MARY OCHER WITH STUFFED BEAR, image sourced via facebook.com.

Gary Farrelly quick fire interviews Berlin based singer/ song writer Mary Ocher.

Gary Farrelly- On the streets of hard labour. A stunning song. I adore it. Is it the best you have written to date?
Mary Ocher- Perhaps. though I now have "The android sea", which will soon (hopefully) have a video too.

GF- Do you like your own work?
MO- Yes. I have complete control over what I do these days. and it feels GREAT!

GF- I adore the music video for the above mentioned song. New Obsessive Sophie Iremonger is working on some road works in the first shot. Where did you meet?
MO- Thank you! We met... on the street, while she was digging.
No, actually we met at her wonderful erotic store may it rest in peace!

GF- What was your first impression of Droog?
MO- -That's fabulousness on high heels!

GF- The lyrics conjure images of progress thwarted, reward less toil and resignation to permanent dissatisfaction. Are these feelings central to the Mary Ocher world view?
MO - No, but it certainly was part of the anarchist ideology that I found at 17, as a fresh high school drop out.

GF- Define your world view In no more then five words!-
MO- Anarchism mixed with slight Aestheticism.

GF- Do you believe that true love is possible?
MO-YES!

GF- Does Mary Ocher function better in crowds or in her own company?
MO- In a friend's company. no doubt!

GF- Kate bush crossed with Nina Hagen = something similar to Mary Ocher. Fair? Discuss briefly?
MO- Wow, she is (that is, I am) very flattered!

GF- Does Mary Ocher dance?
MO- she does dance, occasionally. usually, to the Supremes.

GF- Who is the poor man’s Mary Ocher?
MO- the prime minister of Russia?

GF- Who do you look to as a style icon?
Mo- Le Bowie

GF- Your look reminds me of the aesthetic in Russia immediately post Soviet Union - -1990+/-white and light blue eye makeup, stylized motifs on synthetic fabric , double glazed Formica rimmed glasses). Is your Russian heritage a conscious influence on your look?
MO- It's mostly ironic. but I'm not afraid of that. Culture-wise
I couldn't be farther away.

GF- How suitable is the term anti-taste in describing your relationship with style?
MO- Oh, sometimes I stick to the basics too. but that seems unnecessary at all times. let there be freedom to chose to go against the rules of fashion, oh, let's do that and see what happens! and see who fails the test and laughs first!

GF- What exciting projects are you working on at the moment?
MO- Well, there's the Sounds of Softness film, which will hopefully enter the editing stage soon and a second album, produced by King Khan, more touring and trying to stay cheerful and as scared as a little mouse. I am not a scared little mouse.

Gary Farrelly, Dublin

NEUSTERN ELECTION SPELLS END FOR OPPOSITION

2011-05-13T11:32:00.000-07:00

(Above)Gary Farrelly, NEUSTERN ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISIONS/ VOTING PATTERNS(2011)

The first ever democratic elections to be held in the Autonomous Coastal City-state of Neustern have taken place. 603 candidates from four political parties contested the 117 seats across 17 constituencies. Several minor political groupings as well as independent candidates also presented themselves on the ballot paper. The previously undisputed ruler of Neustern, known as The Supreme Controller called for elections after several foreign observers noted that the country was “without doubt the least free and most despotic political arrangement to be found anywhere on earth” International observers were not permitted to enter Neustern to monitor election proceedings. The Supreme Controller’s own National Comrades Party (NCP) won 74 seats in the ballot. Independent and officially unaligned candidates (sworn loyal to The Supreme Controller ) took an additional six seats in the Supreme Assembly (parliament). This gives the Supreme Controller a 68% majority which guarantees that his legal and constitutional whims will be facilitated without opposition. Other parties made the following seat gains: Conservative Party (CP): 16 seats - 14%. Workers Party(WP): 14 seats - 12%. Liberal Green Party/ incorporating gays, feminists and ecologists (LGP): 7 seats - 6%. The National Comrades Party contested the election with a manifesto pledging to maintain the robust sovereignty, prosperity and law and order that Neustern has built its reputation upon. Also pledges was the disbanding of all opposition parties, a promise that NCP headquarters says is at the top of their priority list going in to government.

Gary Farrelly, Neustern.

THE GREAT TURPIN COMBATS OVERCROWDING

2011-05-11T14:49:00.000-07:00

(Above) David Turpin, SELFPORTRAIT(2010), Turpin Island State Museum.

CANNIBALISM

In the wake of The Great Turpin's drastic protein-reduction measures, subjects of the overcrowded Outer Turpish Empire are believed to have been reduced to a cannibalistic state. As the right to consume the flesh of Turpish subjects is The Great Turpin's alone, fresh measures have been taken for the containment of cannibalism and the alleviation of overcrowding.

BOTTLED

Approximately 75% of the population of the Outer Turpish Empire has now been issued with inferred orders to report to Vaporization Stations, where they will be rendered into a gaseous state. Subjects will then be bottled and placed in underground storage until such a time as they can be used as an energy source.

TRIBUTE

The Great Turpin expects garlands and candies to be placed on all local alters in thanks for this gesture of magnaminity. Those failing to make sufficient offerings will be liquidated with extreme prejudice, and their family lines will be inverted. Those seeking further clarification of the new legislation are advised to liquidate themselves as a courtesy to the State.

David Turpin, Dublin

DROOG FLASH

2011-05-10T23:36:00.000-07:00

(Above image) Sophie Iremonger, FLASH(2011)

POEM:

Extract from 'FLASH' by la Prohibida:

Something fast
And somewhat artificial
Like an electric flash
That can kill you

Sophie Iremonger, Berlin

NEW OBSESSIVE/ NEW FORMAT

2011-05-10T23:23:00.000-07:00

New Obsessive is to transform itself from an online broadsheet into an electronic news agency . The broadsheet format is discontinued with immediate effect. Images and news stories and comment will be posted on the publication’s current blogspot address as they become available. The new strategy is being adopted by New Obsessive to maximize it’s readership whilst guaranteeing more frequent doses of the New Obsessive world view. New Obsessive will still carry content by Gary Farrelly, David Turpin, Sophie Iremonger, Peggy Clydesdale as well as new developing new collaborative partnerships.

NEW OBSESSIVE - ISSUE 012 - EDITED BY PEGGY CLYDESDALE

2011-01-04T09:28:00.000-08:00

NEW OBSESSIVE - ISSUE 12 - EDITED BY PEGGY CLYDESDALE

2011-01-04T09:18:00.000-08:00

NEW OBSESSIVE ISSUE 11

2010-10-16T10:04:00.001-07:00

NEW OBSESSIVE - ISSUE 10 - 3/3 PAGES - SEPTEMBER 2010

2010-09-05T15:05:00.000-07:00

NEW OBSESSIVE - ISSUE 009 - EDITED BY GARY FARRELLY.

2010-07-18T21:49:00.001-07:00

New Obsessive Issue 008: Springtime In Hell Edition*

2010-05-20T17:11:00.000-07:00

*posted while drunk and on the clock in Wenona, IL USA

NEW OBSESSIVE - MARCH 2010 (Iremonger Pictorial Edition)

2010-03-26T12:35:00.001-07:00

NEW OBSESSIVE 006 - JANUARY 2010

2010-01-23T10:12:00.001-08:00

NEW OBSESSIVE 005 - DECEMBER 2009

2009-12-07T08:52:00.000-08:00

NEW OBSESSIVE - ISSUE 004

2009-10-28T09:28:00.001-07:00

NEW OBSESSIVE ISSUE 3

2009-09-29T07:36:00.000-07:00

NEW OBSESSIVE ISSUE 2

2009-09-04T07:35:00.000-07:00

NEW OBSESSIVE - ISSUE 1 - SUMMER 2009

2009-08-25T07:10:00.000-07:00

Contributions by

Gary Farrelly
Donna Marie O'Donovan
Sophie Iremonger
David Turpin
Antoine Gache
and J.T.H Paris