This special issue of Variant magazine is in memory of former editor Leigh French, who died suddenly in May 2023. Variant existed in two iterations: volume 1 (1984–94) and volume 2 (1996–2012). For the duration of the second volume — in a savvy and economical free tabloid magazine format — it was under the editorship of Leigh, initially alongside Billy Clark, then Daniel Jewesbury, and then with a wider editorial collective for the final two issues (including Gesa Helms, Leigh’s long-term partner). Variant was last issued in 2012 when it was defunded by Creative Scotland. In our view, no magazine or journal in Scotland has taken its place in terms of a depth of critical engagement with questions of culture, society, economics and their imbrication. Its critical boldness, pugnaciousness — and a humour often missed — has been sorely absent in the interim. 

In the years following the defunding of Variant, there were irregular and sometimes quite forlorn discussions around a possible volume 3, which would attempt to address the profound political, economic and cultural changes that had occurred since the magazine’s forced demise in 2012. For many reasons — not least a hostile funding environment — this was not achievable during Leigh’s lifetime. Approaching the second anniversary of his untimely death, we wanted to mark his absence with this special issue. Ideas of collecting together Leigh’s own writing in some form were put aside (at least for the time being) as his engagement was always more relational than authorial, facilitating the dialogical development of collective critical discourse around the things that he considered important, if at times uncomfortable or unfashionable. It made more sense then to put together this issue as much in the spirit of Leigh as we could.

The issue holds contributions from artists and writers, many of whom had long-running relationships with Leigh and Variant, and others who are publishing within Variant for the first time (such a mix was always a feature under Leigh’s editorship). Leigh was neither a fan of nostalgia nor the glorification of exceptional individuals (though he clearly was one himself) so this issue is not a eulogy for Leigh in any straightforward sense. However, Leigh’s fiercely critical but encouraging absent presence is felt throughout the issue with contributions reaching significantly beyond the circumscribed blogification of politics and culture, and with observations and  reflections on Leigh materialising intermittently throughout the submissions. 

It should be noted that this special issue was entirely unfunded. The editors worked on the issue free gratis as did the contributors, who, we know in most cases, and assume in others, were aware of Leigh and Variant’s significance to politics and culture in Scotland and were willing to sacrifice their time in memory of him. Given Variant’s long-term critique of the conditions—and conditionalities—of cultural work, and work more generally, this was not something we took on lightly. Nevertheless, in this case we felt it was very unlikely we would obtain funding so we have relied on our own goodwill and that of the many contributors to pull this issue together. We thank all contributors for embracing this project in memory of Leigh, knowing that he (always extremely generous to contributors despite minimal funding) would have argued strongly against this free use of labour, even in exceptional circumstances. Needless to say, we think this has more to say about a belligerent marketised cultural funding environment than it does about the personal choices we and the contributors have made to make this memorial issue happen.

Whether Variant will continue its existence is a matter for further reflection and serious discussion about how this project could be supported in a ‘sustainable’ manner. But for now, we thank all those who have expressed encouragement and excitement at the magazine’s temporary revival. What has become apparent to us throughout the process of producing this special issue is that there remains a huge appetite for a channel to find the type of critical, reflexive discussion you will find within this magazine

There are two other people we must briefly mention here: Marina Vishmidt and Mark Pawson. Marina was a  prodigious writer and thinker and a regular contributor to Variant. Born in 1976, she died in 2024 following a long illness. In this issue we have published an extended reflection on the imbrication between her life and thought in relation to ‘infrastructure’ by Danny Hayward, her long-term partner. Mark was born in 1965 and died in 2025. He  published a regular zine and comic column in Variant for many years. Both are sadly missed.

In memory of Leigh French
May 2025.