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'An Imaginary Soundtrack To An Imaginary Film'

Click here.

'Vertigo'

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The Guardian review

The Guardian are not so keen on my novel Richard.

(So no-one can suggest that nepotism exists in the media)

'Threepenny Memoir'

I have written a review for The Quietus of Carl Barat's autobiography, Threepenny Memoir.

It’s 1998 and I’m on my way to see a band at King’s College when I’m accosted on The Strand by two wildly enthusiastic lads in blazers. They’ve either sussed out I work for a music paper or are in the habit on stopping anyone.
  "We’re in a band called The Strand," says the lanky one. "We’re brilliant."
   "Do you want a badge?" says the other. "We’re going to be massive."
   Getting flyers shoved into your hand by bands proclaiming their greatness is not uncommon in London, especially in the late 90s when anyone with good shoes could get signed. But for some reason I still remember these two today. Their forwardness and wide-eyed enthusiasm was endearing, but their dorky clothes and crappy name suggested otherwise.
  Britpop is over, I think. And thank fuck for that...

Read on...

As the Last Leaves Fall

A new poem -
'As the Last Leaves Fall'
by Adelle Stripe.

Recent Purchase

RIP Ari Up

It Wasn't All Britpop In 1995.

Flux Magazine

Flux magazine is running a 3-page extract from Richard in their Autumn 2010 issue.

The book is currently in the WH Smiths charts, fluctuating wildly somewhere around the No 50 mark.

This morning, at sun-rise, I did a three mile walk before breakfast.

I'm just trying to decide whether I like Kanye West's banned album cover (below).

New Acquisitions

(approximately my third copy of this)

God bless Oxfam Books, York.

The Tabloids

Richard received 4 out of 5 reviews in both The Sun ("A brilliant book, I loved it") and the Daily Mirror ("an extraordinary imagined tale") on Friday.

Newcastle Journal

Here's the aforementioned interview I did about writing, playing in bands, Brutalism etc in today's issue of the Journal (in the north-east of England).

Notes

Hello.

If you're based in the north-east of England, The Journal / The Evening Chronicle are doing a two page feature on me, writing and the new book. That is in tomorrow's newspaper (Sat October  16th)

Richard is currently in the WH Smith chart and also in the Marie Claire book club.

British Sea Power came to Hebden Bridge this week. That was exciting. I had a very nice with guitarist Martin Noble afterwards too. I sort of wish more of my favourite bands played just down the road. Check out The Quietus.com next week for an account of the evening.

Today I'm listening to 90s indie-skiffle obscurities Zuno Men, this new Crass-like gutter punk band Flats and 'Our Lady Of Lourdes' by Paul Smith.

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Autumn Makes Me Think Of Andy Goldsworthy

And this clip reminds me of writing novels.

Top 10 Music Books

I was asked by the good people of Picador to compile a list of my Top 10 Favourite Music Books for their blog. Here is a taster.



1. Head On / Repossessed by Julian Cope
These two hilarious accounts trace Julian Cope's journey from polite small town boy to pin-up of the post-punk era with The Teardrop Explodes and then onto the acid-tripping adventurer of his solo years. He survives mid 80s psychosis and then against all odds emerges as the UK's foremost Druidian jester and Neolithic expert. Cope is that rare thing: a musician who writes better than any music journalist, and a national treasure.



2. The Psychic Soviet by Ian F. Svenonius
A collection of tongue-in-cheek essays that dissect and disseminate pop culture, from a true hero of the alternative American underground. Svenonius manages to weave together theories on vampirism, cold war paranoia, communism, Engels, Dylan, NATO, Swedish girls and, improbably, why Alan Greenspan is "the godfather / midwife of electro-clash." Again - another musician who shows the critics how it is really done.

Click here for the full list...

National Poetry Day

It's National Poetry Day. Here is my good lady Adelle Stripe talking about poetry on the BBC website.

Disorder magazine have reviewed Richard. It is 'mixed': "At points, his description of a young man trying to find his way out is saddening and beautiful," but" it becomes almost impossible not to see this as some misguided biography."

I'm going on BBC Radio Ulster today.

And on Sunday you can hear Richard being discussed on Radio 5 Live's Up All Night. Apparently that is on at the Partridge-slot: 1am to 5am.

Review / Playlist / Etc

* Darran Anderson has written a great review of Richard for 3:AM Magazine. It's probably the best yet. "How can you tell the truth in a medium that exists almost solely for the telling of beautiful lies? Somehow, with great diligence and empathy, Myers succeeds...". Read on...

* Here's my Top 10 Richey-era Manic Street Preachers tracks, for the Picador blog. Consider it a loose soundtrack to the novel if you like (though if ever the book were filmed I actually envisage a music-free soundtrack).

* British Sea Power are guest editing DrownedInSound.com this week. They've written lots of funny articles. Their new Zeus EP is ace.

* "All Art Funding Must Cease?"

This & That

Richard was discussed by Hardeep Phull in his 'My Generation' column for the The Sunday Times' Culture supplement yesterday ("Myers deserves credit for not only adding a third dimension to Richey Edwards but attempting a fourth..."). Here's a scan of the article that was spotted online (please scroll down).

Monkey Picks blog have also reviewed the book ("an increasingly uncomfortable and terribly sad read"). You can read the full review by clicking here.

I was also on BBC 6Music news last week a few times talking about the book. I feel like perhaps until people have read Richard it may soon be time to stop discussing it lest I sound like a stuck record. And a mumbling Geordie one at that.

Other things:

- The ivy on our house is turning fire-red again.

- We went to the Ilkley Literature festival (Adelle saw Terry Eagleton speak, I dropped my mobile phone).

- Summer Heights High is a very good satirical Australian comedy.

- I've written 103,858 words on my new novel. I recently added 5000 words, then removed 5000 words. So far it is by far the longest amount of time I have spent writing a book. Already it has taken longer than Richard did to write.

- I've been enjoying the photography of Chris Killip (see below). You can visit his site here.

- This is a pop song entitled 'Ungrateful' by Frankie And The Heartstrings. It features a young Malcolm McDowell on singing.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

The Field Next Door

(By Adelle)

'The A to Z of Ben Myers' and more.

Steve Finbow has reviewed Richard for Bookmunch: "Myers’ prose – sometimes clipped a la Peace and Ellroy, sometimes poetic like Edward and Dylan Thomas from whom he quotes – is mostly precise, untricksy, and always heartfelt."

Metro has reviewed it too: "rather repulsive".

My publisher Picador meanwhile have published a piece that I have written entitled 'The A to Z of Ben Myers'.

A is for atheism
My lack of faith is important to me. I'll defend my right to believe in nothing when under attack from those infidels who believe in "something".

B is for brutalism
Brutalism is the name that myself and two friends, Tony O'Neill and Adelle Stripe, gave to our style of poetry when we met via the internet in 2006. We discovered we shared common social backgrounds and a similar frustration at contemporary poetry, so contrived a scene. A week later we were being heavily criticised by Guardian readers who didn't realise that 'Brutalism' didn't really exist at that stage. We subsequently published a collection and are now noted as the first poetry movement to be launched via social networking sites.

C is for caffine and chocolate 
To be administered orally, twice daily.

D is for death
Writing is one of the few ways to transcend death, I think. "The more you write, the less you die" someone wise once said. Being naturally introspective I think about death too much, though I do think it can sometimes have comic potential too. Gallows humour can get you through very dark situations. Cormac McCarthy said he only writes about life and death and I'm beginning to feel the same, though I am currently working on a story about watermelon (see below).

Click here to read all 26 entries...

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