Interview with Adam Lowe, Editor, Polluto

Adam Lowe is the editor of Polluto, the anti-pop culture journal, and the guy behind Doghorn publishing. He recently spoke with me about the latest issue of his journal.

What’s the theme of Issue 3?

‘Sex in the Time of VHS’.

What on earth does that mean?

We wanted to take a look at sex, relationships and gender as it relates to technology. VHS implies a specific time, but we’ve allowed writers to go further than that and look at VHS as a symbol for technological obsolescence. We’ve asked them to address incompatibility, formatting and video.

So snuff, right?

Well, yes. Some of it. We have Jack the Ripper’s girlfriend and an immortal snuff superstar. We have apocalypse-by-pollen (with repopulation on the cards) and interdimensional, bisexual madness.

Where do you come up with your titles?

Alcohol. Lots and lots of alcohol. Occasionally from the gremlins who live under the desks in our office. But since none of us ever go into the office, who can say . . . ?

Tell us a little bit about Polluto for those maybe not familiar with it.

We’re a newish publication from the UK. Our name is a portmanteau of Pluto and Pollute. We wanted a mixture of otherworldly ideas, the weirdness of Eraserhead or Monty Python, with the grittiness of punk and the counterculture. We’re published four times a year by Dog Horn Publishing, a specialty press who do limited editions. We’re produced in limited paperback and numbered hardback editions, so you’re getting an exclusive, signed product with some great name authors to boot.

So you’re a collectors’ item?

Pretty much, yes. Once we sell out, that’s it. But we also have a lot of online content coming up too, because we’re expanding the website. So you can see some exclusive stuff up there and get a peek of some of the print articles too. That’s over at polluto.com. But hold on for the new stuff, which will come in a couple of weeks.

You’re really political and people should be scared of you, right?

No, we’re not that political. We pretend to be, but only for as long as we can get a laugh out of it. We’ve played many roles, and Devil’s advocate is our favourite. We just want to have a bit of fun. We’re like the kid who, when the teacher told them something, always asked ‘Why?’ And I think that’s important, because people always accept things without thinking. People assume murder is bad because our society tells us it is, but in the past there were justifiable ways of killing someone—such as for revenge. These so called ‘rules’ are all just dependent upon context. Different contexts have different rules. We want to highlight that and show people some alternatives, whether through satire or deliberate opposition. But it always has to be playful. We’re not angry, we just enjoy a good debate. Think of Polluto as a filthy new planet—a new context, a world that’s ended and is ready to start again, where we can make the rules up as we go along.

Who’ve you had in your magazine?

Well we’ve had Jeff VanderMeer, who’s one of the most exciting fantasists out there because he moves seamlessly between genre and literary fiction. We’ve also had the artwork of Vince Locke, whom readers might remember from The Sandman by Neil Gaiman or from Vampire: The Masquerade. He’s always been popular with us, because we really used to dig White Wolf Storytelling Games back when we were teens and he illustrated many of their books.

We’ve also had satirists like Rhys Hughes and Steve Redwood, who give a necessary balance to the punkier columns of Paparazzi Whore and RC Edrington. Paparazzi Whore are a British alternative rock band and RC Edrington’s a poet and recovering heroin user. So you’ve got all those elements there: the punk, the spunk, the flights of fancy and the humour.

We’re very eclectic. We have literary and genre fiction, although all of it is characteristically weird. I guess some of these stories wouldn’t be out of place in Weird Tales if it weren’t for all the kinkiness and bad language. With my shaved head I’ve often been likened to an editorial Pinhead, but I assure you, I only use the hooks and chains when people ask.

We also feature lavish colour illustrations in all versions of the magazine, which we think makes it the dog’s bollocks. Many mags with similar specs only managed black and white art. Colour art is a bit more expensive for us, but it really makes a difference.

What’s in the pipeworks?

Well Issue 4 will be ‘Queer & Loathing in Wonderland’. Think of what would happen if Dorothy returned to Oz as a middle aged, dissatisfied housewife and discovered Oz had become a post-apocalyptic wasteland full of cannibal munchkins, and Ozma was driving a tank to fight them all off. Or if the third Lewis Carroll book had been Alice Through the K Hole (that is, Alice on ketamin). We want Fear & Loathing-type nightmares, but set in otherworldly realms. We want gonzo journalism and spiteful fantasies. We want angels who hate the world.

To tie in with the launch of Issue 4 in November, we’re releasing a humorous podcast of the same name we’ve been working on. The premise is simple: four lazy, slobby, but superpowered students are charged with saving the world and cleaning the dishes. Of course, their agency is paid by the hour, so any important cases are sent to the worst of the bunch (our heroes) to take as long as possible. Think Dirk Gently meets The Young Ones. It’s colourful, energetic and goddamn funny, even if we do so say ourselves!

Is that all?

Well it’s not, but I’m beginning to ramble. See that? That there. Yeah. That’s foam. I’m sodding foaming at the mouth right now!