Mongrel, it's no Slate you know

Ballistic has a bit of a review/rant of Mongrel, the Dublin-based magazine that according to one if its blurbs is "everything but placed directly in the hands of its intended reader due to its bespoke selection of distribution"...

Like most right thinking Dubs the first and only freesheet with bite has and always will be The Slate which for three glorious years between 200-2003 meshed the sarkiest of wit and decent listings with an investigative edge helped in no small part by an unpretentious editorial team (unpretentious by Trinners standards anyway) who weren't afraid to rock the boat. By contrast Mongrel is boutique fare about fashion, trendy liberalism and the razor-sharp wit involed in saying 'everything is crap' at the business end of your 20s.

Anyway, Mongrel have an interview with the cheeky devil, the Bert, Bertie Ahern online here... 

“MARY HARNEY IS A TOTAL GEEBAG!” ...and other outrageous observations Bertie Ahern was not persuaded to make to Mongrel Magazine.

It’s hard to believe that poor old Bertie only managed to squeeze in about 500 words in direct quotes in an interview article of over 2,000 words. ADDED: There are some reasons behind this...

But whenever the Taoiseach’s press guy doesn’t like one of my questions, he pulls me aside and reminds me that its just a conversation. “It’s a getting-to-know-you session” he says. “If this goes well we can do something else down the line.” Don’t hold your breath.