I feel a need to apologise for my prolonged absence from this blog, I hope you accept it. My figurative plate has been over-full of late, for ages in fact, mostly with ‘nutritional’ matters but also by a tiny, needless bit of poison which has f*cked me up more than I should have let it! But anyway, I’m back now and back at it or back ON it, or even WITH it, depending I suppose on the language you trendy kids use.
BOOK NEWS
‘PEACHES – A Chronicle of The Stranglers, 1974 to 1990’ published by Soundcheck Books, should be out before June 2014. I can’t wait, in the hope that the buying public and most importantly, Stranglers fans, enjoy it. A lot of hard workinblack has gone in to this book, from a fair few people, not least of them Jim Radley who also runs the fantastic unofficial Stranglers site www.themeninblack.co.uk. And in case you didn’t know, there is a Peaches Facebook group too – https://www.facebook.com/groups/409812555419/
‘SCANDAL FC‘ – is still out only in ebook form, available on this very site or of course, Amazon. I’m thinking of trying to tout it around paperback publishers but haven’t really got round to doing it. It’s a bit of a dilemma really, and if you want to hear about it then here goes… I own the rights to the Dirty Leeds Trilogy, of which Scandal FC is the final part. The first instalment – ‘Dirty Leeds’ (AND ‘After Extra Time – Dirty Leeds Uncut’) – as well as the second, ‘Disrepute…’ fared really well in terms of sales and reviews, but then the publisher went out of business, unfortunately… Anyone know of any publishers who would be interested in taking the trilogy on?…… ‘Scandal FC’ has been very well received too, though bringing it out in electric-format only has proved something positive to me about books and audiences – that people generally do still prefer to have a pukka book in their hands. I totally agree.
‘OPERATION RED CARD’ – written with Mike Layton, this is just about completed now, meaning that I will be begging sorry contacting a publisher to persuade them to print it. It’s a factual book about Birmingham City hooligans in the 1980s and the police’s efforts to end the Zulu Warriors’ reign of violence in English football.
My current work in progress is provisionally called ‘John Charles 1957’ and I’m delighted to say that Arts Council England have agreed to back me in my research for this novel. I will not let them down and I hope you will share the story once it’s written and available in the shops – my estimate for that is next year.
Been to a few gigs this year, but not enough of them. Never mind the quantity though, feel the girth! Or something like that. Wilko Johnson was/is phenomenal in concert, and a real inspiration to anyone feeling a bit ‘woe is me’. And his new album with Roger Daltrey is ace too. The Stranglers were unsurprisingly excellent I thought, and I saw Elbow last week, on my first visit to Leeds’ First Direct Arena. What a brilliant venue, something to add to the (short) list of such matters to be proud of as a Loiner! Even if there is no real ale on sale in its bars haha!
And HAPPY EASTER to you all… or for those of you who do not believe, may I wish you a Happy Chocolate Egg-Gorging Month instead 😀