Shari Black Velvet Interview

Shari Black Velvet is the rock-a-licious editor of the totally awesome rock Black Velvet magazine. Trixie Lox caught up with her to get the low down on all the famous rock names she’s shindigged with, make-up tips and her views on animal rights.

e-Mo: How and why did you start up Black Velvet magazine?

SBV: I started Black Velvet 14 years ago when filled with a desire to write about rock music. I used to love going to gigs and would write to penpals, telling them about the shows I’d been to.

In 1992 I went to LA and saw an unsigned band play which I thought were amazing. I decided I wanted to do something to help them so started a photocopied fanzine dedicated to them.

They had someone doing a US based newsletter so I figured I could do a UK zine to get them some publicity over here. When they split up in 1994 the next step was just to begin an all-round rock zine. 

e-Mo: Where did the name Black Velvet come from?

SBV: It stems from wearing black velvet clothes. When I first got into rock music I remember going to Birmingham and to Oasis market where you could buy rock, punk and gothic clothing. I started buying the odd item of velvet which eventually snowballed into me dressing in only velvet.

Obviously Black Velvet sounds better than Red Velvet or Purple Velvet – so I went for Black Velvet. To this day and probably for the rest of my life I only really go out dressed in velvet. It’s become my style and who I am. I’ve been recognized from my black velvet gloves.

e-Mo: OK, it’s namedrop time. List some famous names that you’ve met during your time producing Black Velvet?

SBV: Bon Jovi, Slash, My Chemical Romance, Simple Plan, Good Charlotte , Sugarcult, Madina Lake , Billy Talent, Taking Back Sunday, Lostprophets, Goldfinger, Yellowcard, The All-American Rejects…

e-Mo: Tell us about any interesting experiences with any of these famous names...

SBV: Marko of Sugarcult contributing a guest column to Black Velvet every issue is a good one. He offered to write a column a few years ago and has been doing it every issue since about issue 38 (we’re now up to issue 56) – although he's been busy the last couple of issues due to work with Sugarcult, his side project The Playing Favorites, DJing and other things!

I’ve got lots of interesting Bon Jovi experiences, although they probably don’t really relate to Black Velvet. Basically Bon Jovi was the first real rock band I got into back in 1986 and I’ve since seen the band play all over the world (well, in America , Asia and Europe ).

Jon was super-awesome when my friend and I bumped into him in Chicago in 2000 and told us not to buy tickets for their concerts anymore – meaning that we could get on the guestlist from then on. I just saw Bon Jovi play in Anaheim, California just over a week ago.

Another interesting experience was getting to go to Cadbury World with Yellowcard. Probably not the best place for a vegan like me, but I told their UK press officer I wanted to put them on the cover of Black Velvet so when they played Wolverhampton, supporting Less Than Jake, I was told I could take them to Cadbury World.

I interviewed the members in the cab on the way there and back and took pix of them inside Cadbury World. That made a change from the usual interview at the venue.

e-Mo: Are there any up and coming bands you think e-Mo Magazine readers should keep an eye out for?

SBV: Everyone should definitely check out City Sleeps – www.myspace.com/citysleeps – their Not An Angel album is awesome and one of my current faves. I love You Me At Six, but you’ve already got them covered!

Check out Bandcamp too – www.myspace.com/bandcamp – they are working on their follow-up to Wanna Dance? although vocalist/guitarist Matt Bair is also playing in Eve 6 at the moment.

And The Crash Moderns are another New York based band that I like a lot. I just got their debut album a few weeks ago -  www.myspace.com/thecrashmoderns. I actually discovered them when they supported Bon Jovi at the Continental Airlines Arena in New Jersey a couple of years ago.

e-Mo: What were you like in your ‘yoof’?

SBV: I was fairly quiet and hard-working. I’m an only child so I think I was used to coming home and doing homework and playing with my dog. I had one best friend and hung out with her a lot until we finished school and then she didn’t bother with me anymore! I was into sports actually. I used to want to be an athlete. I used to go running at a local athletic club three times a week. But I gave that up when I was revising for my A Levels.

e-Mo: You’re also a fab photographer and have had your photos used on the posters accompanying Funeral For A Friend's Monsters single and Spilling Blood In 8mm DVD. How’d this come about?

SBV: Aw thanks. Regarding The Spilling Blood In 8mm DVD, I think all photographers on the Funeral For A Friend tour had to sign photo release forms which basically meant that if the band wanted to use one of your photos they could. They liked one of the photos I’d taken and so that ended up on the DVD sleeve.

Following on from that, I was asking by their management if I’d like to do some tour photos for them on one tour. I said yes, and was commissioned to go to a few shows of one tour and some of the photos were used on the poster that accompanied the Monsters single.

e-Mo: You’ve been an extra in various rock videos. Any advice for e-Mo Magazine extra wannabes?

SBV: Most of the videos I’ve been an extra in it’s just been live audience shots so nothing that amazing – and most of the time you can’t see me at all in the final video – but it’s fun being at a videoshoot, so I would totally recommend it.

If you can get time off work or off school to go and be in a shoot then do it. Some bands announce that they want fans to be in the video, so you just send an email or call up and then go down. I wish more bands had fans be in videos – it’s a lot of fun.

e-Mo: I’ve heard you believe that rock doesn’t have to be about drink and drugs. What advice would you give to any of our teen readers who are struggling to resist temptation?

SBV: Just don’t let anyone force you into doing something you don’t want to do. Sometimes when you’re young you might think you have to be a part of the group and if you don’t join in others won’t like you or they will make fun of you. I think it’s better to stand up for yourself and be yourself instead of trying to fit in with others.

I was never interested in drink or drugs though. I was never around it. My parents drank and smoked but that didn’t influence me. I’ve had boyfriends who’ve smoked and drank but it never made me want to, and the older I get the more strong-minded I am. No-one will ever get me to do anything I don’t want to do.

I was asked last week why I don’t drink and my reply was ‘I never really wanted to’. I’ve always been happy drinking soft drinks. I’ve never had a desire to try any alcohol or drug. Plus if you are thinking about taking drugs, or do take drugs, ask yourself why. What are the drugs giving you that a clean environment doesn’t? If you say “drugs make me happy and relaxed”, well, why aren’t you happy and relaxed without them?

e-Mo: You’re into animal rights, tell us more.

SBV: I’ve always loved animals and one day it was just brought to my attention that we don’t actually need to eat animals to survive and that it was actually really cruel to eat meat. I decided to stop eating meat and went vegetarian.

I was vegetarian for 13 years before then deciding to go a step further and become vegan. The more you read about animal cruelty and the more photos you see of the cruelty involved, the more it affects you – or should affect you.

I guess I have a compassionate nature but I don’t like cruelty of any form and I think animals should have the same right to a decent life as us.

And there’s so much great vegan food out there that you can find alternatives to every meat or dairy product, so there’s no real need to eat animal products at all.

Sometimes it’s a bit harder to find some vegan products but once you know where they are you’re fine. I eat three different types of soya cheese for example. Back before I became vegan I didn’t even realize that there was such a thing as soya cheese. I thought I could never give up cheese – but then I discovered soya cheese and now I can eat cheese but it’s completely 100% cruelty free (unlike ‘real’ cheese which is actually really cruel).

e-Mo: From the photos we’ve seen of you, you always look rock-a-licious. What makeup and clothes advice can you give to readers?

SBV: Hahaha. Thanks. Well my make-up is cruelty-free. I wear some Beauty Without Cruelty products. Technic do cruelty-free products too.

Being vegan I have to check ingredients and brands. Quite a lot of companies still test on animals, so it would be good if people reading could look for ‘Not Tested On Animals’ or ‘Vegan’ on a product before buying it. Barry M do good make-up as does Urban Decay.

You can search for lists online of which companies test on animals and which don’t as well. The BUAV have a free cruelty free booklet that they can send you free of charge (www.buav.org).

Clothes advice… well, I just wear velvet… I’d advise you to try and create your own style. I’m not really the best person to ask about fashion – I just wear what I want and don’t care about fashion.

e-Mo: Finally, what are your top 5 gigs of all time (so far)?

SBV: That’s too hard. I’ve been to too many great gigs to choose. Seeing Sugarcult in California on my birthday last year was great. Seeing My Chemical Romance and The All-American Rejects open up for Bon Jovi at Prudential Center in New Jersey last October/November was awesome too.

Concert For Compassion was an awesome animal rights benefit festival in California in 2004 featuring My Chemical Romance (before they got huge – that was the show I discovered them at), The Used, Goldfinger, Bullets And Octane and more.

And one of my favourite shows of all time was seeing Bon Jovi play a secret show at London Astoria in 1992. They only announced the venue on the radio on the day of the show and you had to go there in person to get a ticket. As luck would have it I was in London and first in line! It was awesome to see Bon Jovi in a small venue like that and Jon stage-dived twice!

To find out more about Shari and Black Velvet magazine, log onto www.blackvelvetmagazine.com or find her on www.myspace.com/blackvelvetmagazine