Volcano Club

Volcano Club only offers one type of membership - and that's lifetime. To become a member send some volcanic themed work to the HQ (volcanoclubhq@gmail.com) and you might get a codename or some other cool shit.

Thursday 26 August 2010

How deep is a bottomless pit?

Apparently it's 35 ft.

This is what I learnt the on my second reading of Choose Your Own Adventure. This time I decided to make some careless decisions which led to a far worse ending although I did meet an archaeologist called Dr. Dudley Crake who fell into the bottomless pit found a 19 century Japanese sword NOT the coverted silver sword. It ends with the sword becoming property of the state and us all going for dinner- although I haven't found out what we eat.

This reading was a lot less satisfactory than the first.

Tuesday 24 August 2010

Green Volcano Man

I went to Green Man festival at the weekend and it was so awesome, that I decided to make some volcano links (as all awesome things are somehow linked to volcanoes). I have four (maybe slightly tenuous) links, I'll start with the least linked and work upwards to an amazing volcanic climax.

1. Beirut (New-Mexican Balkan folk band) who played on Friday and are pretty great have an E.P called Pompeii which was a town destroyed by a volcano.
2. Pompeii am Götterdämmerung is song by Flaming Lips, which I think was the penultimate one (it's all a bit of a glorious blur) and involved Wayne running around and hitting a big light up gong which was amazing. Götterdämmerung (twilight of the gods) is the last opera of Wagner's ring cycle and therefore pretty mental.

3. Ingrid Bergman a song originally by Woody Guthrie (I think) and covered by Billy Bragg on Saturday Night. It's about when Ingrid Bergman made the film Stromboli directed by Roberto Rossellini (which therefore produced Isabella- brilliant). The song uses the volcano as a symbol to metaphorically show their love. While she is one of the most beautiful women that ever lived, I'm not sure I could ever see her as volcanic (but I've never seen the film so what do I know?)

4 Last one, before I said this is the best links but actually it's probably the worst. Apparently the landscape around Abergavenny and Crickhowell, the site of the festival was crafted by a volcano in a prehistoric times. I can believe it as it was amazingly beautiful but I was told this by a boy who thinks a stoke is an animal.

Basically a pretty perfect weekend

Sunday 15 August 2010

How to make Volachos (extended instructions)

Building on the recipe in the latest issue of the magazine here are some further instructions on how to make your volachos, pictures of the finished product and salsa, chilli and guacamole recipes. NB. if anyone is struggling with their three times tables then counting the spots on this plate should help (it's how I learnt).

Step 2

Step 3


Step 4

The Finished product

Or a big Volacho


To make this treat even more delicious why not make your own guacamole, chilli and salsa.

Guacamole
1 avocado (the riper the better)
1 clove garlic
1/2 lime juice
2 tsp Olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
grind the garlic, olive oil, lime juice together and then mix with the scooped out flesh of the avocado.

Chilli-con/non-carne
1 onion
1 clove garlic
1 chilli
1 red pepper
mushrooms
sweetcorn
beef or quorn mince
1 tin kidney beans
1 tin chopped tomatoes
paprika
cumin
pepper
chop all your veg finely (remember the volcano that you have to fit everything in is only the size of three tortilla chips). fry the onion and garlic and chilli in the spices to fully infuse the flavour then when the onion and garlic are turning soft add the mince and brown. next add the pepper followed by the mushroom and sweetcorn Last of all tip in your kidney beans and tomatoes and simmer for 20 minutes or until sufficiently reduced.

Salsa
(I'm not gonna lie to you, I've actually made this but how hard can it be?)
6 tomatoes
1 onion
3 mild chillies
coriander
lime juice
1 tbsp water
pretty much just chop everything reeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaallllllllllllly finely and wap it all together.

Issue Two








Saturday 14 August 2010

Issue Two Supplement











Made and contributed by Elanor 'liquid nitrogen foothills' Footman

Wednesday 11 August 2010

Boris and Cinder Cones

I just read the Choose Your Own Adventure book through for the first time and completed it. Which while amazing, did involve beating criminals and I got the silver sword, it was a lot quicker than I was expecting- this either shows my aptitude for dealing with volcanic situations or the fact that the book is aimed at ten year olds. In my next run through I'll be sure to make some foolish decisions.
Here is an extract from the climax of today's adventure

"What's going on up there?" someone shouts from inside the cinder cone. "Get us out of here! Hey Boris!"
"And we caught some pretty serious criminals" Jon adds, smiling "The police will glad to see these guys- and all that counterfeit money."
"I'll stay here and guard Fatso" you say "You go get help"
Jon gallops off on Hana. You sit in the shade holding the Silver Sword, never taking your eyes off Boris.
THE END

Thursday 5 August 2010

Choose Your Own Adventure

I don't think I've ever been this excited when getting a book from Amazon but this book may well change my life



It's a Gamebook so you make decisions about how best to win the book! There was a similar goosebumps series (but I don't they ever had any that included volcanoes). The series was produced mainly in the 80s and other amazing titles include The Abominable Snowman, Hyperspace, Prisoner of the Ant People, The Phantom Submarine and Inside UFO 54-40; which has some pages about a utopia to which none of the books options reach (maybe its a bit dangerous encouraging kids not to play by the rules though). This one is about getting some magic sword from a volcano in Hawaii so hopefully I win first time, I'll let you know how I get on!

Tuesday 3 August 2010

Earthquakes in London

I know this isn't actually about volcanoes but it's all plate tectonics so I think I can bend the rules a little.



Earthquakes in London was an excellent play that I saw at the national theatre at the weekend, amongst other things it was about social breakdown, climate change and a massive earthquake in the capital. Like many people said about the recent Eyjafjallajoekull eruption this earthquake was seen as a punishment in result of our abuse to the world. Showing us how weak and insignificant we are compared to nature, which is either a very comforting or depressing thought. I'm personally quite reassured by the fact that nature can continue on without humanity and will grow and evolve to probably produce much more beautiful and interesting things. That to ecosystems we are insignificant and could just be wiped out by a massive earthquake, volcano or other natural disaster but life will continue. However I can kinda see how others find this depressing.

Anyway the play was absolutely brilliant had loads of really interesting issues and themes, brilliant performances and a killer soundtrack. Also while it was insanely sad, it did give me an uplifting feeling that everything was gonna be alright (but then I'd probably always think that if Do You Realize? by The Flaming Lips is the exit music)