Also in this issue:

Anthony Morris talks Botox and blue-bottles with British actor Kris Marshall; in the lead up to the Australian stage adaptation of Yes, Prime Minister, Albert Ehrnrooth catches up with the TV show’s original writers; Angela Meyer meets Mateship with Birds author Carrie Tiffany; Fiona Scott-Norman proffers a thoughtful meditation on the subject of noses; and, in ‘Roving Eye’, we revisit some extraordinary portraits by the late photojournalist Eve Arnold.

This edition’s ‘Vendor Profile’ is Ron from Perth. And we have ‘Streetsheet’ contributions from Street Soccer player Ahmed in Melbourne, Sharon in Perth and Nathan C in Brisbane.

Sadly in ‘Streetsheet’ this edition, we also farewell our dear friend Jacquie, who died on 26 December. Jacquie worked as a Big Issue vendor in Sydney, selling the magazine around Rozelle and packing the magazine as part of the Women’s Subscription Enterprise. She was popular with Big Issue staff and fellow vendors and also with members of the public. We’ve received a lovely letter from a Rozelle local – published in ‘Your Say’ – who told us how much Jacquie will be missed.

Also in this issue:

Matthew Pejkovic meets Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy director Tomas Alfredson; Andy Murdoch talks flippers and the future with sci-fi writer Alastair Reynolds; Mic Looby remembers swimming in a pair of hand-me-down Y-fronts and a thin layer of cooking oil; ‘Oz Kulture’ expert Patrick Witton presents his unique take on the life and times of Rupert Murdoch; and, in ‘Roving Eye’, we present images from the People and Planet international photography competition.

This edition’s ‘Vendor Profile’ is Mary from Adelaide. And we have ‘Streetsheet’ contributions from Owen and Ken in Melbourne and Mick F, Kerrie, Robert S, Lillian and Trevor in Sydney.

Warwick Sprawson dons a jumpsuit and heads to Parkes, NSW for the annual Parkes Elvis Festival; Agony Aunt Sophie Quick counsels a lovelorn war-history buff and a man who covets Barbra Streisand’s wheelbarrow; and ‘Oz Kulture’ expert Patrick Witton investigates the totemic significance of the esky. We even have two great short-fiction reads from Josephine Rowe and our very own books editor, Chris Flynn.

This edition’s ‘Vendor Profile’ is Alex from Sydney. And we have ‘Streetsheet’ contributions from Owen in Melbourne, Mick F in Sydney and Grisel and Katrina in Adelaide. Former vendor Adrian from Melbourne has also contributed a great illustration.

Also in this issue:

Lily Partland goes camping in Iran; Nick Argyriou talks grunge and golf with Dinosaur Jr frontman J Mascis; Chris Flynn goes gaga over photographer Terry Richardson’s photobiography of Lady Gaga; and Helen Razer mounts a convincing case that brown rice “tastes like the inside of a Mullumbimby yurt”.

This edition’s ‘Vendor Profile’ is Tammy from Brisbane. And we have ‘Streetsheet’ contributions from Felix in Melbourne, Mick and ‘Bikini’ Athol in Sydney and Sam, Daniel and David in Adelaide. There’s also a great photo of Adam, who is well known to Melbourne readers. He sells around the CBD and is famous for his exceptional rhyming and rapping skills.

Also in this issue:

Heidi Maier meets her literary heroes, Jonathan Franzen and Ann Patchett; Alice Tynan reveals the hits and misses of this summer’s cinema offerings; Tom Hawking encounters a taxidermy tableau of stuffed chipmunks (among other things) on a musical tour of Nashville; Gerard Elson pronounces Stephen King “a softie” in his review of King’s new book, 11.22.63; and in ‘Roving Eye’, we roll up our sleeves and charge into the woolsheds of outback Australia.

This edition’s ‘Vendor Profile’ is Phil from Melbourne. And we have ‘Streetsheet’ contributions from Jan in Canberra, Steve in Brisbane, Sarah in Perth, Gabriel in Melbourne, Katrina in Adelaide and Lillian and Mick F in Sydney. 

Another year? Get used to it!

Here’s how you know another year has passed. You find yourself hesitating before writing a date on something: two thousand and…what? (It’s one reason cheques are increasingly rare – people muck up the year for most of January.) Second, you’re no longer sure which decade is called ‘the noughties’ (or was that a music-hall show?) and all the fuss about the Y2K Bug seems like a long time ago. Third, you’re putting up a new calendar.

The 2012 calendar is on sale now for just $5 and by buying one, you’re  supporting one of the many vendors all around Australia who are improving their personal circumstances by selling copies of The Big Issue. In 2011, we celebrated our 15th birthday, quite an achievement when many print publications are dying or have seen sales dwindle alarmingly. In 2012 – is that it really, already? – we will pass another milestone when our 400th edition is released. Four hundred of anything is generally impressive: the sports-minded may know already that only one batsman has made 400 runs in a test innings – Brian Lara of the West Indies, in 2004. (File that away for your next trivia night.) What else will we achieve? Perhaps I’ll get back to you about that in this space in a year’s time.

The calendar has evolved into a showcase of what The Big Issue magazine, published fortnightly, is all about. You’ll see many of the regular features: cartoons by Andrew Weldon, with us since the first edition in 1996; profiles of some of the magazine’s vendors; and a sampling of the artwork that gives The Big Issue its distinctive look. This year we feature some of our favourite illustrations from 2011 as well as vendor portrait photography by Andy Rasheed, James Braund, Paul Giggle, Arunas Klupsas, Ben Davies, Ross Swanborough and Peter Holcroft.

One last thing: while all in favour of recycling, I have a request. Keep this calendar. Some of the contributors may become even more illustrious than they are already. And, in time, 2012 may seem as distant as Y2K.

Alan Attwood, Editor of The Big Issue

Laurence sells The Big Issue at the Canberra Times Fountain, Civic, and in Dickson.

“As someone who has suffered from depression and schizophrenia, I know better than most that life can be one big mess without friends and a steady job. I’ve always loved working, doing something productive rather than being stuck at home with the four walls caving in on me. I travelled around Australia, working as a kitchen hand from Victoria to Queensland. But 10 years ago, mental health problems caused my work to fall away. I’m a great worker when I’m well, but when I’m not, things aren’t always so great. I was made redundant from my job in Canberra and had a mental breakdown. It happened just like that and I burst into tears. If there’s one thing I’d say to someone in that position, it’s this: ‘If you’re feeling unwell, tell somebody.’

It’s the friends and family around me, Mental Illness Education ACT [MIEACT], The Rainbow [Mental Health Foundation recreation and resource centre] and, more recently, the people at The Big Issue and Woden Community Service, who are the reason I’m still here today. It’s been a roller-coaster ride but I feel 100% better than I felt all those years ago. I’m meeting people from various backgrounds and I have my fellow vendors in the Big Issue community to support me when I need help.

We recently lost a dear friend, Eddie, and a lot of the vendors are grieving – his death upset us. You need to keep busy and do something to take your mind off your troubles. If you’re out of work, for instance, look for jobs or people who can help you. On top of my work for The Big Issue, I volunteer for MIEACT and work at Cafe Ink, an enterprise run by Woden Community Service that provides employment to people who have gone though hard times. I came to the job with years of experience, and get to take orders and make coffee and sandwiches.

Throughout the two years I’ve worked at The Big Issue, I’ve had wonderful experiences. One day, I was working in front of the Canberra Centre on a miserable winter’s morning and a lady walked over to me and said: ‘Would you like a doona? Because this one’s got your name on it.’ I never found out her name but, if she’s reading, I’d like her to know that the doona’s still on my bed. I was so surprised and humbled that a person could be so kind and would spend so much on me.

However, the best moment of my life was when I won a pool competition at the Dickson Tradies. Everyone gave me a rousing reception; I still remember the standing ovation. Now I’ve set [myself] an even bigger goal – to go on the game show Deal or No Deal and win heaps of cash. For someone who has had nothing in life, I want to have everything!

It will also boost my magazine sales if I’m on Deal. People will come up to me and ask, “Why are you still selling The Big Issue?” and I’ll say, “I’m doing something that makes me happy”. After all, when you’re on to a winner, you’ve gotta stick with it.”

Interview by Dominic Lavers

Photograph by Ben Davies

Also in this issue:

Larry Schwartz discusses the enduring appeal of ABC Radio National’s pioneering radio show, Music Deli; Lee Zachariah examines the reigning dictators of cinema; Suzannah Marshall Macbeth accepts the challenge of Buy Nothing New Month; Brad Dunn reviews the new Haruki Murakami novel, 1Q84; and in ‘Roving Eye’, we take a peak at the work of finalists from the Centre for Contemporary Photography’s 2011 Documentary Photography Award.

This edition’s ‘Vendor Profile’ is Daniel from Willunga in South Australia. And we have ‘Streetsheet’ contributions from Donna in Melbourne, as well as Raelene, Diane, Glenn F and Bill from Sydney. In ‘Your Say’ this edition we have tweets and letters from readers praising the poetry of super-talented vendor Leo, whose poem about Steve Jobs, ‘Godspeed, Our Generation’s Gutenberg’ was published in last edition’s ‘Streetsheet’ (Ed#393).

Also in this issue:

Tori Amos takes on classical music for her new album, Night of Hunters; freak-show filmmaker John Waters spruiks his new book, Role Models and his stand-up act, This Filthy World; Mic Looby frets about flossing; neurons at the ready and…go…with Sophie Quick to the Australian Memory Championships; and, this edition’s ‘Roving Eye’ presents the poignant results of a collaboration between Scottish Big Issue vendors and professional photographers.

This edition’s ‘Vendor Profile’ features Michael from Perth. And we have ‘Streetsheet’ contributions from Melbourne vendor Wayne, Sarah from Perth, Glenn F from Sydney, Edmund from Canberra and Gary from Brisbane.

Many have tried and failed to bring Tintin to the big screen. Now two of cinema’s big guns – Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson – explain how they finally did it. But will The Adventures of Tintin be a hit…or hubris? And Tintin tragic Anthony Morris reveals a lifetime’s devotion to Hergé’s hero.

Also in this issue:

In time for World Television Day, we remember the man who electrified the small screen, then faded from view; now in his fifties, former Dead Kennedys’ frontman Jello Biafra maintains the rage – if not the wage; Helen Razer explains her neurosis over tuberoses; and in ‘Roving Eye’, kids living beside a Kathmandu rubbish dump snap up the chance to focus on their lives.