Got up this morning, collected the paper from the front lawn, dropped it on the table beside the Coco Pops and started flicking. Page 3 editorial, “Mambo ‘crucifixion’ shirt withdrawn from Big W”. What the … !?

Seems a shopper at a Big W store was so offended by the reappearance of a 24 year-old Mambo classic tee, FORGIVE THEM FATHER that he was moved to contact his local newspaper, the Fairfield Champion to vent his spleen. Absolutely his prerogative (while we might not always agree with our critics, we will fight to the death to defend their right to criticize). He was also up in arms that the stated artwork causes offense to animal rights groups?

A little bit of history: that image was created in response to a letter that was received from a Victorian shop owner who had been upset by an earlier piece of Mambo artwork and so contacted Mambo, not to discuss the image but to threaten a boycott of all Mambo product in his town if the t-shirt was not withdrawn – with an apology.

“Forgive Them Father” was the response from one of the great Mambo artists, Richard Allan.

While we are always happy to receive free press, favourable or otherwise, we would like to make it clear that the apology stated in the SMH was factual but edited. The Mambo position is this:

“It is never our intention to offend any religious groups. This is a 24 year-old piece of art. We apologise to the Fairfield resident who was quoted (in the original article) as being offended by this print and also to any mouse welfare group - as he notes - that may have also taken offence. We know the mouse has copped a hard enough time from The Simpsons’ Itchy and Scratchy over the years.

Mambo will continue to showcase all types of art, with our more irreverent stuff going through the surf channel and our own store”.

While we realise this image may be considered provocative – or “precocious” given its genesis, we consider it an entirely defensible piece of satirical art, that also takes the piss out of ourselves “for those not planning on inheriting the earth”. As many of the tweeters have pointed out, the almighty in charge has clearly got a great sense of humour.

Let those who have not sinned cast the next editorial.

But enough of us, if you’ve got an opinion, let’s hear it. Hit us on our twitter http://twitter.com/MAMBOAUSTRALIA or join up to our Facebook: facebook.com/mambo.australia

The FORGIVE THEM FATHER tee is still available at the MAMBO Manly store and select quality surf outlets…..

AFTER-SHOCK from Dayyan Neve on Vimeo.

LO-FI Collective is a week-to-week showcase of Australia’s leading low brow artists, designers and photographers. The 6 month initiative is a rare move to support this exceptional home-grown art movement. LO-FI Collective is part gallery and part studio featuring a selection of resident artists to both produce and exhibit weekly in the space, and has been provided at no cost or commission to the artists.

Go check out the latest showing ‘DON’T GO INTO THE ATTIC’ opening at 6pm on the 19th of August featuring a number of MAMBO friendlies.

Lineup consists of: ZAP, PHIBS, JUMBO, SAYNT, ROACH, SKAEL, BLENDS, EASLINN, TWO ONE, BEN FROST, BEASTMAN, NUMSKULL, JOEL BIRCH, BRENT SMITH, MIA TANINAKA, HELEN MYCROFT, KARENA ZEREFOS, TRENT WHITEHEAD, ONSHOW, PUDL, THOMAS JACKSON.

Then there are the other kids: might manage a couple of classes between surfs, kick off a career on the Pro Junior surf series, win a couple events, more friends than flees on a Balinese dog, move onto the WQS, find a sponsor, travel the world on the company dime, appear in a popular women’s magazine, get thrown some product, fall off the tour, loose their sponsorship, discover their manager has cleaned out their bank account, can’t find work, abuse substances, get kicked out of their flat, move into a box under a railway bridge, spend the rest of their lives drinking mineral turps and orange juice and listening to voices. Mambo team surfer, Luke Cheadle has just arrived at the “product” stage

Luke (left), half of Team Mambo during a photo shoot for July Cleo

Advice to kids who have just been picked up by a sponsor: If your sponsor produces a range of underwear, make sure that’s the brand you’re wearing when someone takes your photograph

Luke, not having to apply his own make up

His last blog from Chile mentioned “getting belted during epic sessions” and a mate driving their rented car into a power pole but no talk of disappearing further into the ‘wave kingdom’ with the Mambo Visa card in his pocket. I guess we’ll know where he’s been when the bills start to arrive. But wherever he is it’s got to be warmer than Manly. Nine degrees yesterday morning! We spent the first hour in the carpark huddled around a fire in a 44-gallon drum waiting for the coffee truck to arrive. You reading this Dayyan?! (bastard)

In a half-hearted effort to find something to stick on the blog we put out a memo asking for content but apart from an address to a Thai porn site and a recipe for 2-minute noodles, got nothing. On the second call we got next to nothing - a (book) review of Moby Dick by our accounts manager (name withheld at the request of our accounts manager).

“Accounts” has been reading the book, on-line (too cheap to rent the video), over the past eighteen months, during his lunch hour!? Finished it two weeks ago (so that’s what he was doing in that little office beside the handicap toilet).

Anyway, if you’ve got nothing better to do - and you’re only wasting your boss’ time, here it is.

MOBY DICK was written by Herman Melville in 1851, before television was invented. The story follows the adventures of a wandering sailor named, Ishmael and his voyage on the whaling ship, Pequod, commanded by a grizzled old Captain Ahab. Ishmael soon discovers that Ahab is only interested in hunting down one whale in particular, a ferocious and enigmatic white sperm whale called, Moby Dick. In a previous encounter the whale destroyed Ahab’s boat and bit off his leg. Ahab’s still pissed and intends to tear Dick a new one.

If you’ve ever wanted to grab a harpoon, run away to sea and spend twelve months chasing 27 ton of man-eating seafood in an unseaworthy boat with a psychotic captain and a bunch of sociopath crew mates whose only point of convergence is an indifference to sexual preference, then this is the book for you.

Don’t be intimidated by its size. Moby Dick weighs in at a meaty 700 pages, 1,012 if you can make it to the end of the commentary. It’s heavy enough to kill a Hong Kong sewer rat or at least stun the bugger until you can find a shovel and finish off the job. And if you decide half way through that you probably should have kicked off your reading with something a little less ambitious (with some pictures?) you can always use it to choc the back wheels of your Mazda while you’re working under the hood.

While I wouldn’t have said “no” to a couple of mermaids and some jelly wrestling, Moby Dick is a recommended read. I can guarantee you won’t want to put this book down, except maybe to give your arms a rest and to get the blood circulating again. MOBY DICK gets four and a half bookmarks from me.

Please note, Mambo will resume normal transmission next week