Page 43 - Black Velvet Issue 95

BV95 pg43_BV95 pg43 20/12/2017 02:51 Page 1

BlackVelvetMagazine.Com - 43

F It’s not just bands that work hard, some fans do too! Every issue we shine the spotlight on a fansite. If you
devote your time to working on a website to promote a band, let us know about it... and we may feature you!

A Name: timelines between 1960
Si Halley
and 1982, adding hun-
dreds of dates/events,
adverts and press cut-
Fansite Name:
N SickthingsUK tings from local newspa-
pers to make it easier to
show confirmation for
Why and when did you decide to start
your fansite?
events and dates. That
S The when: The original version of the site process took about 4
went live on Christmas Day 1997 as "The
months working 8-10
Alice Cooper Trivia File". The why: I was
hours plus a day, and I
fascinated by the history of Alice Cooper,
10-year block in the new year. That is a
but have a terrible memory for dates and should start doing the next original band members Dennis Dunaway,
I of forms, plus there was the original Sick- newspaper archives, page by page as au- The 16-year old me would never have be-
Michael Bruce and Neal Smith my friends!
places. I had all this information in all sorts
helluva lot of work, going through multiple
lieved I would ever see, let alone meet
things email list where lots of trivia was
tomated searches often miss things,
being discussed daily, and I wanted a way searching for any mention of 'Alice Coop- these guys, but when we caught up on the
recent UK tour they all greeted me as an
T things. So I went through everything I had even if only one person finds a certain bit old friend, and Dennis especially has been
to remember all these interesting little
er', but I think the end result is worth it,
a big help in my personal life, always being
of info useful. I still get a little excited on
and compiled pages with every little bit of
there to listen and offer advice. They're
finding a new show previously forgotten, or
information I could find. It was for me, but I
E figured there wasn`t a good reason not to show adverts confirming something that great guys. Then of course there are the
fans themselves, especially the UK Sick-
was previously uncertain. In the end I still
make it public so others could add or cor-
things (aka the usual suspects), who are
run the site primarily for myself. If others
rect the info I had. Everything grew from
the best bunch of people you could ever
that. Over the years the site has changed
a number of times, eventually becoming find it useful that is just a bonus. meet. One of the biggest reasons I still
‘SickthingsUK’ once I obtained the domain, Does Alice know about it? travel to every show I can is to catch up
but the core of the site is still those original, The site has been mentioned as an infor- with friends all around the country (and in
much updated, pages (plus a lot more of mation source all over the place, from some cases the world!). I've spent most of
course). My aim was to create the biggest magazines and newspapers to blogs about the best times in my life with these guys.
F Alice Cooper, a "one stop shop" for any- a few "thanks to" mentions in books and Tell our readers why they should visit
completely unrelated things, and I've had
single archive of information related to
your site. What's it got?
thing you wanted to know. It's not perfect,
even on official products over the years
If you are interested in Alice Cooper, if you
which is always nice to see. A few times my
there are surely still errors in there, and
O there is certainly a never-ending list of reports have appeared on the official site have a question about something you've
read or heard, I probably have the answer
things I want to add, redo, update or
as well in recent years. They are always
somewhere on the site, and if I don't let me
rewrite, but I don't think there is a better re-
welcome to use anything on my site if they
know so I can add it! I have (almost) every
source for the subject out there.
wish.
show date, event, or appearance listed,
C How long does it take you to keep the Coolest thing to happen to you because sung, not the ones printed on sleeves,
every lyric to every song (the actual lyrics
site updated? How much time do you
of the fansite?
haha), a photo archive of live photos, a
put into it?
Hard to even begin this one. So many
That varies depending on what is happen- things, many of which I can`t really talk news page that is updated every few days
with news on what is happening in the
U eral the site, and emails related to the site, gotten to know so many of the musicians Cooper world and the musicians who are
about! The biggest I suppose is that I have
ing in the world, and in my own life. In gen-
part of it, a public forum where you can
Alice has had in the band over the years,
maybe only takes an hour a day, but about
post questions or discuss anything related
as well as his wonderful backroom team
once a year I dig in and check through
S pages for new info (the internet is always who really are the best. They all genuinely to Alice Cooper, and many other things I've
probably forgotten!
throwing up new snippets of info) or simply
care about the fans, and go out of their way
to help where they can. Alice should be
update a section I'm not happy with. That
Website link:
can take days, weeks or months! The most
recent major update was going through the very proud he has such a great team be- www.sickthingsuk.co.uk
hind him. It still amazes me that I can call
Eatin’ Ain’t Cheatin’ FRESSH
Before the Good Charlotte show at the beginning of December, which we’ve reviewed in this
issue, we went to check out Fressh, a new 100% vegan eaterie in Birmingham city centre. It’s lo-
cated in between Corporation Street and High Street, near WHSmiths in City Arcade. Walking in, it
has a little bit of a Subway vibe, with lots of containers with different vegetables ready for a wrap.
However, they also sell veggie burgers, fries and more. We tried the What The Gauc Burger, while
our friend had the Son Of A Bun Burger. We also had a soya hot chocolate, which was truly delicious
- the best hot chocolate we’ve had in forever. Fressh also sells a vegan meatball sub, pasta, mac
n’ cheese, soup, kale crisps, smoothies and for breakfast, vegan egg muffin, smashed avocado on
bagel and a breakfast burrito that includes tofu scramble, avocado, black beans, chopped tomato
and salsa fresca. This definitely all sounds yummers, and we think we need to go back soon to try
one of the other options! Check their website at www.fresshfood.co.uk
FANSITE FOCUS / EATIN’ AIN’T CHEATIN’