What Book Are You Reading Now?

Raposa

Pips was ace.
Interestingly a club called Splash in Little Germany, Bradford did a Bowie/Roxy night on Thursdays and a few of the Leeds and Manchester Pips lot used to come over.
Something to do with the DJ who used to work in Pips.
Also Time and Place in Bradford had 3 different dance rooms,with the Jazz Funk floor normally the busier of the three.
Ace times indeed.

Odd_Job

Rudi read the Graeme Armstrong “The Young Team” book, thought it was excellent.

Anchor

Odd_Job Looks excellent this. I'd not heard of it but skipping through the reviews it looks like a must read.

Odd_Job

Anchor it is. It’s written in the main in scottish dialect, which takes a bit of getting used to at first.

Travis_Bickle

Went to find my copy of Animal Farm today and couldn't. Going to order it today. Always makes me think of The Clash's English Civil War 7 inch. Wish I knew where my copy was now....

Anchor

Travis_Bickle I read this the other day - I also got child three to read it also. He enjoyed it.

Anchor

Odd_Job I'm a massive Welsh fan so this is right up my Strasse. 😃

Rudi

Anchor It's virtually a Trainspotting tribute act. Much the same format, even some of the characters/situations are virtually the same. It's alright, but it's far too long. I reckon his next book could be much better, now that he's got this one out of his system.

Anchor

Rudi I've bought it. Child two is doing an MA on Welsh and he thinks this will form part of his thesis (masculinity, culture, language, class) so any excuse really. He's also including stuff by James Kelman and talking about Scots as a language or dialect and diasporas and all that shit. Be good to have something brand new in there either way.

I thought it was interesting how the reviews I read seemed to steer away from Welsh. Nominal mentions. However Trainspotting is nearly 30 years old ain't it.

Jon

I’m going through my vicarious adventuring collection again. Early to bed tonight Fire Season.

Travis_Bickle

Jon Great book that

Rudi

Anchor Christ, 30 years old. Seems unreal. The shadow it cast over publishing and new writers was immense, almost suffocating, a bit like Bukowski was in the 80's. But it was in the air back then. I remember getting a letter off Harper Collins in 94 saying I'd obviously been influenced by Irvine Welsh when I hadn't read a word by him.
The Young Team references Trainspotting throughout, even breaking the fourth wall at one point to address Irvine Welsh directly. I suspect the reviews that steer away from referencing Welsh are taking into account that this is Armstrong's first book and they want to be even handed, give him a good start that's not too encumbered by comparison. Which is all to the good. Plus, it seems this guy really did live the Mad Ned Life, so he's not really jumping on any band wagons.
I would also recommend Alasdair Gray "Lanark" Duncan McLean "Bucket Of Tongues", Gordon Legge "Inbetween Talking About The Football" and Jenni Fagan "The Panopticon" for Child 2's MA.

CBIT

Coal Black Mornings - Brett Anderson. I never really got into Suede and only picked this up as it was 3 books for a £10 and needed a third. Deals with his childhood and the period before they went big (as he says - who wants to read another rock star book about cocaine and gold discs ) Really well written and very self depreciating, not over long and i read it in a day whilst fitting it around MS Teams meetings. Interesting fact - Mike Joyce tried out to be their drummer in the early days.

Anchor

Rudi Yes - I was reading Ian Banks, Willliam Boyd and stuff like that around then and then Boom - Welsh rocks up! Blew it apart - how can books do that! Don't think i've felt anything like it since. In hindsight then that was a huge compliment from Harper Collins. Did it get published?

Thank you for those recommendations - I will check them out and tell him. He has not found a huge amount to help him which I guess is a good and a bad thing. The Edinburgh companion to Irvine Welsh is interesting if a little academic for a non academic (like me).

Rudi

Anchor I didn't get published until 2010, by Random House, not Harper Collins. I remember reading The Acid House and thinking you bastard, you've beat me to it. I think there were a lot of people writing like that back then, mostly in the small presses etc, all fans of Kelman and the Beats.
If your lad wants any more recommendations (I've thought of a few more texts) then let me know.

Anchor

Rudi Can you tell me your book you mention please? I'd like to read it.

They say everyone has a book in them - I kept diaries from the age of 10 up to 25 and I always felt I had the base material for a semi autobiographical book about growing up pretty normal in the 80's/90's. Then Andrew Collins wrote 'where did it all go right' - wanker!

I still harbour thoughts on writing it and it has been through talking to child 2 about my life as we have been on lockdown together - he keeps pushing me. I'm unsure as I feel it will just spill out like a Welsh book - no USP from me.

Anyway - yes please re any recommendations re his Masters. Thanks

CBIT

Anchor I'll play at being @Rudi 's pr agent :)

https://www.onemickjones.com/d/14931

Harvest

Anchor Re diaries, me too. From being 7 to about 23. A lot of it's just ramblings and most of it's mundane. I read them back a couple of years ago, it was like somebody else's life, especially the late teen and early 20s. I never seemed to stay in. Plus there'd be something like, 'Went for a couple of pints with Al, saw Trev while we were out' and I'm thinking who the fuck was Al and who the fuck was Trev? Might post some up on here.

March 3rd 1977 - played out
May 11th 1977 - played out
June 29th 1977 - stayed in, raining
October 4th 1977 - played out

That sort of thing.

Anchor

CBIT Bought. Cheers.

fulmine

(Now changing hands for three-figure sums: £7.99)

CBIT

And don't forget

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