BLAST, World War I, and Tonal Shifts

The first article in this volume is titled ''Long Live the Vortex!'' This article discusses the ideas and beliefs of the vorticists and the goal of ''BLAST.'' They say that they "need the unconsciousness of humanity - their stupidity, animalism, and dreams" for art to flourish. The article also describes ''BLAST'' as an "avenue for vivid and violent ideas that could reach the Public in no other way." The article then calls out education for destroying creativity and rebukes people for their snobbery over money and wealth, making the point "art is nothing to do with the coat you wear." ''Long Live the Vortex!'' ends with a mix of different ideas and a sort of blast against all people. An example of the strangeness of the ending ramble is the line "Elephants are VERY BIG. Motor cars go quickly."

The first article in this volume is titled ''Editorial.'' This article discusses the current events of artwork in England, the outbreak of WWI in Europe, and the stance of ''BLAST'' on WWI. The article begins by explaining the need for art to return to Europe after WWI and how England can help through its abundance of art and culture. The editorial mentions the sales of works by Nietzsche, Flaubert, Boccacio, and Paul de Koch. From these four authors, Nietzsche is the only German writer, and he is known more for his philosophical works and cultural critiques than his poetry. The rest of the editorial is spent describing the war as a war between art. The article explains that "Germany has stood for the old Poetry, for Romance" while the rest of Europe has moved to newer art. This is portrayed as a threat to the progression of art. The editorial then specifies that it is only "official Germany" that is the threat to art, whereas "unofficial Germany" has greatly helped the vorticist movement.

Firstly, the titles of both the magazine and the first article each issue change drastically after WWI. The first issue is simply called ''BLAST'', but the second issue adds the phrase ''War Number'' to the title. For the first article, the second issue's ''Editorial'' sounds much more serious and straightforward than ''Long Live the Vortex.'' Both articles focus on art and the vorticist movement, but the surrounding tones and issues change. ''Long Live the Vortex'' focuses on the purpose of ''BLAST'' and the ideas of the vorticist movement. ''Editorial'', however, focuses on the war and the threat that official Germany poses to art in Europe. Unlike ''Long Live the Vortex'', ''Editorial'' remains serious and focused on the war rather than ending in a ramble of unrelated topics.