I'm pretty exited about the Bluebird Jones exhibition. Not often Cardiff City and comics come together!
It opens tomorrow, 17th October at 7.30pm at the Andrew Buchan Bar in Albany Road in Cardiff 'and will feature a host of original strips from the fanzine, which documented the trials and tribulations of being a Cardiff City supporter in the lower leagues'.
Unfortunately I will not be able to come to the opening, but I couldn't stop myself and asked few questions to the creator of the comic and man responsible for the show - Mike Urban.
BN: Where did the idea of a comic about Bluebirds supporter came from?
MU: Back in the 90s, Cardiff fans had a terrible reputation, with the press always keen to portray them in the worst possible light. Much of the stuff focussed on the actions of a tiny minority and I wanted to tell the story of the football experience that I enjoyed.
The catalyst for the comic came when Cardiff were playing a crucial match that had attracted a big crowd. For the first time, I heard racist abuse from three guys behind me which pissed me off. Mindful of the fact that I'd probably get my face filled in if I challenged them directly, I decided to ridicule and attack them via a comic strip, and so the first character was born: 70s Man. 70s man was a compendium of these three idiots, and the story was that he was a hooligan from the 70s who had woken up from a coma and returned to football only to find that his racism, homophobia and sexism was no longer in step with the times.
BN: Was the strip in a way autobiographical?
MU: It's fair to say that the Bluebird Jones character - the bloke with dreadds who goes to festivals, takes drugs, dances about at all night raves and is politically active - does have the odd hint of me inthere ;)
BN: You mentioned on your website that each issue was printed in the number of 1000 copies and always sold out. How did you managed to do that?
MU: I used to drag up a massive bag of comics and sell them inside and outside the ground. Five hundred A4-sized, 32-page comics weigh a bloody ton to carry about!
BN: How did the idea of the exhibition of the original artwork from the strip came about?
MU: John, the manager of the bar, was a big fan of the old Bluebird Jones comics, and when a mutual fan introduced us to each other, the idea of an exhibition was born!
BN: Tell us a little bit about the show and any additional events you are planning to host.
MU: The exhibition is going to run until Feb 1st, and we're looking to relaunch the exhibition with new strips and a DJ night in November. Anything that gives me an excuse to play music, drink beer and talk about football is just fine by me!
About the exhibition:
BLUEBIRD JONES: CARDIFF CITY FC – COMICS AND ACTIVISM
The Andrew Buchan Bar
29 Albany Road,
Cardiff CF24 3LH
Exhibition runs from Saturday 17th October to February 1st 2016.
Admission Free
Opening times:
Mon-Sun 11am-11pm.
