By Nick Beckman/ Photos by Tim Kassiotis He neared the end of his cigarette when the truth really came out. “I was walking around my backyard…back home…” he began. Home for Tyler Sherek is the same as my own: Louisville, KY . “Then I stepped up to this big ol’ bush that we’ve always had and out flew this massive bumble-bee. I’m talking big.” He motioned with his hands the size of a volleyball. “That was pretty damn scary so I ran back into the house and closed the door. I was kind of freaked out so I decided to get a bowl of cereal, but when I poured it into my bowl, they all spilled onto the floor. Then, out of nowhere, every little Fruit-Loop had a face and they were all squealing. That was pretty crazy.” Tyler was telling me about some of the dreams he had been storing in his Dream Journal. While this one stuck with me for its peculiarities, it also spoke volumes about his character. I met Tyler in 2005 when we were both in the same science class. I had noticed one day that he and another friend of mine, were going bat shit insane on a craw fish that we were dissecting in class. They named it Macy Cray. From then on, I knew we would be pals. Eight years later, we are still best friends and collaborate on comedy projects in our spare time so I was rather hesitant choosing him for an interview. Here was someone I’ve known like a brother, but the thought struck me that, perhaps, there was more to learn. The basics I knew: favorite movies, music, how hard his punches were when exchanging a friendly game of “licks” and how when...

By Nick Beckman/Photos by Tim Kassiotis Dancing around a muddy puddle next to the fenced-off Michaels Brothers’ house, Jess Cornelius noticed her brand new Doc Martens. She showed brief hesitation before crossing the muddy path. I felt guilty for taking this strange and, sometimes-creepy walk around the backside of campus, but Jess was undeterred by a little mud. “I only got these a few days ago…and I’ve already had to wash them, so no worries.” Jess is a second semester freshman here at SFUAD, in the Moving Image Arts department. Her short hair, tinted blue and gold, is only a slight indication to her focus within the school, special FX and make-up. Revealed underneath her right sleeve, she showed me a scar she had gotten cheerleading in 7th grade. “My bone was sticking out of my arm…there was blood everywhere! Some of the girls started to scream and the coaches were freaking out!” At this point, I had to stop and get a closer look. The scar had run from the top of her wrist, down to the beginning of her elbow. More fascinating than the scar itself was Jess’s comfort talking about it. “Have you seen my scar?” she asked with wide-eyed anticipation that my jaw might hit the concrete upon first glance. To my surprise, this was not her inspiration for wanting to do special effects make-up. In fact, it is quite the opposite. “I don’t want to do gore or horror stuff. I like fantasy.” Her favorite film that have utilized special fx/ make-up are the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise and Edward Scissorhands. “Cinematography wise,” she says, “ I’d have to go with Wes Anderson’s style, like in Moonrise Kingdom. The shots are brilliant.” Since starting last fall, Jess has helped...

By Mark Feigenbutz/Photos by Amanda Tyler      To My Dedicated Readers, * I interviewed this guy named Chace. So, I’ve finally decided to get in shape. I’m doing this thing called the Slow-Carb Diet. As cheesy as it sounds, it’s not – because you can’t eat cheese! The gist of it is that you limit your caloric intake exclusively to foods with a low glycemic index, or GI, so as not to trigger an insulin spike and the resulting blood sugar drop. Apparently, by keeping your blood levels at an equilibrium, you’re in a prime zone conducive to losing fat. The best part is (and I assure you that I would not be able to even attempt this diet otherwise) that every seventh day, you get to cheat. I’ve only been on the diet for about 8 hours so far, but the prospect of a cheat day is already proving itself to be an incredibly psychologically powerful tool. This is somewhat similar to how I quit smoking. After almost ten years of smoking (and a few years of chewing tobacco, I’m not too proud to admit), nicotine was really getting the best of me. Like every other addict, I’d tried to quit “for real” about a zillion times. (I know a “zillion” isn’t a real number, but try to stay with me here.) Whenever I’d decide to quit, yet another “for real” time, I would crush all my remaining cigarettes and flush my chewing tobacco down the toilet. It was a great strategy until I’d desperately need nicotine the following day and waste the little money I had replacing the cigarettes and chewing tobacco I’d thrown out the night before. I had the idea to not destroy my nicotine, but keep the products at...

By Mark Feigenbutz/Photos by Amanda Tyler Every week, Mark Feigenbutz accosts an unsuspecting peon and crosses their boundaries. Will you be next? Yes, you will. His name? Daniel Sanchez. Is major? Music. His occupation? Laying on couches. Not really. His occupation is aiding the Creative Writing lounge, which is why he abruptly sat up when we entered the otherwise empty room. I reassured him that my photographer, Amanda, and I were not a threat; we simply wanted to capture him in his natural state. So, he skeptically laid back as a banana’d orangutan from a cage cleaner. Upon learning his major, I inquired about what music instrument he played and he upstaged my imaginary musician ego self with the response of “Violin, guitar, drums, bass and vocals.” He wore an NYPD shirt that stated the motto “To Protect and Serve.” I have to admit, the t-shirt’s claim was a little intimidating but not enough to deter me from fucking with him. Me: “Are the allegations true?” Daniel: “About… what?” You know damn well what, you son-of-a-bitch! I turned to my photographer and we both agreed that Daniel was avoiding the question. It was on to the next… Me: “How many times would you say you lie in a given month?” And that’s “lie” not “lay” – I don’t have the mathematical aptitude to compute that, Daniel. Daniel: “At least twice.” At least twice, huh? Clever answer, Daniel, clever answer. Me: “Are the GMO’s bad for us, or are they just a hipster band from the future?” Daniel: “Bad for us.” Such a short answer, and he seemed somewhat put off. Maybe I spoiled a future musical project. (Actually, it turns out that, in fact, The GMO’s are what look to be a crappy, middle-aged...