Name: Swivel Chair. Town: Edinburgh, Scotland. Years: 1999-2004

Influences: KLF, Pet Shop Boys, Joy Division. Career Highlight: Our third triumphantly drunken gig.. Lowpoint: Our fourth disastrously drunken gig. Line Up: Craig Low (bass, samples) Milo McLaughlin (vocals, guitar) David Robertson (99-2002): madness, Dave Burnett (2002-2004)- lead guitar, production

I met Craig working in a miserable till-monkey job at HMV on Edinburgh’s Princes St.  He had already started recording Swivel Chair as a joke, using the recording software Acid, and he handed me a CD on which he had used a recording of the store manager giving him a bollocksing over a Led Zeppelin sample.

I was impressed and when he suggested I come up with some lyrics/ideas for a Swivel Chair track, I jumped at the chance and our first collaboration, The Man Who Listened to Planes was recorded, wholly based on the A-Team theme.

A few more sample based comedy recordings (with original vocals) and a friend agreed to sell our CD in Fopp Records- to our surprise we sold quite a few. We were even more surprised when our second EP got us some brief record company interest. However we were stumped when they asked when we were playing live as neither of us could play an instrument.

Our egos inflated, we decided to stop using samples and learn instruments. Third member David Robertson, who lived in Dundee, was also cruelly ejected from the band as egos ran riot, and a new member, Burnett was reluctantly recruited. The only one who could play his instrument, there was a lot of pressure on Burnett as we started rehearsals.

Finally we played our first gig using a computer to provide backing tracks. It was an entertaining spectacle and a few drunken girls danced, but we were barely competent and doubt set in for Craig and Burnett. There was a significant break in which they both refused to play live and we half-heartedly agreed to split up before we were approached by a band called Quantum Ho Ho. Unbeknownst to us they had bought our CDs and it had inspired them to start their own band.

We reluctantly reformed and played three more gigs in support of them. One was mediocre, the second was a triumph, despite full drunken arrogance and a stand in guitarist who we’d only had one rehearsal with; the night before. We were high as kites as XFM Scotland (then Beat 106) DJ Jim Gellatly proclaimed our set “Fuckin’ Mental”. Unfortunately underlying tensions and alcohol led to a bust up after the gig in which punches were thrown but no-one except pride was hurt.

A week later and the final gig was an utter disaster due to lack of a soundcheck and this time being the wrong side of wasted. I threw a tantrum at the soundman. The others laughed at me. Our bonds were broken. Craig and I are still in contact now and again and have joked that we would reform if 1000 people demanded it. So far 8 people have expressed a vague interest.

Read the first 4 parts of the full tale below (originally published on the first Gaseous Brain blog in 2005 but extra video and mp3s have now been added)

• I Was a Swivel Chair – Part 1
• I Was a Swivel Chair (Part Two)
• I Was a Swivel Chair (Part 3)- Witness No.1
• I Was A Swivel Chair (part 4)

Seeing as I’ve not had a chance to properly research a ‘Gaseous Brainstorm’ post this week, and am off to Aberdeen for a stag weekend tomorrow morning (weather and liver permitting) I thought I’d delve back into the archives.

Those of you who’ve been reading a while and have particularly good memories might remember I started this series about my (mostly ill-fated) creative efforts but never got round to finishing it.

So far I’ve covered up to around 1999, so there’s a decade still to cover. I couldn’t quite keep it as brief as I’d hoped though, and I’d already written a lengthy series that covered around 1999 to 2004 called ‘I Was a Swivel Chair’ which covers a fair few misspent years in shit jobs, behaving like an utter twat and trying to get a comedy band off the ground (and failing spectacularly). Given that it doesn’t particularly paint me in the best light I was reluctant to revisit it. However I’ve decided to put it up here for a short time so anyone who cares can have a read before it is deleted from the internet forever!

Anyway here’s what’s come so far, and what is still to come, as a reminder or for anyone who wasn’t around at the time.

Next: I Was a Swivel Chair

Michael Caine: photographer unknown

Print newspapers, it seems, will soon be no more than a minority medium, and so owners of the big news brands are wondering just how they’re going to make money once their main outlet is via the internet – whether it’s accessed via a computer, a mobile device or one of the fancy new touchscreen thingys such as the Skiff or Apple’s new tablet which is expected to be announced next Wednesday (27 January).

Skiff Reader

 Clearly most of the big name news organisations will survive in some form or other, and will either monetize their websites through advertising (which clearly is a difficult business model to sustain) or, like the New York Times have decided, and Rupert Murdoch’s News International are reportedly planning, will charge a subscription fee for their content.

In the UK Murdoch’s plans will also be difficult to sustain whilst the BBC make so much news content available for free online, but he may well persuade David Cameron to do something about that once the Tories get into power (probably).

 Take Your iTablets

 Although some sectors of the publishing industry are hoping that Apple’s new device and others like it will give them a new multimedia platform which will enable them to charge a subscription for their content, it will need to be something special and not just a bigger shinier version of the current iPhone if it is to offer something extra than the current apps such as available from the Guardian, New York Times and Time Magazine.

Apple Tablet mock up

The Guardian’s iPhone App

 The one UK newspaper I read regularly is the Guardian (despite its shameful lack of Scottish news, but then I am heavily involved with Scottish news all day at work). I mainly read the sections that interest me, such as its excellent coverage of culture, media and technology, which in my opinion is only rivalled here in the UK by the BBC.  And  I read it entirely online, either by RSS or on their impressive new iPhone app.

 The app costs a couple of quid, but then you have access to the latest and most popular content from the Guardian, and the ability to save certain sections and content as favourites which you can then access offline.

 There are some limitations – the share function is currently limited to Facebook and email as opposed to the app from the New York Times which has multiple sharing options including Twitter, and there is currently no way to access comments or make a new comment. However these could hopefully be added as time goes on.

Guardian iPhone app promo video (with annoying voice-over)

 What Was That About Print Media Being Dead?

 It is in this climate that I’ve perhaps foolishly decided to put together a pilot issue of a Products of a Gaseous Brain fanzine, something I have been meaning to do for a long time. It will be available both as a downloadable pdf and a print version – watch this space for more details!

 Related Reading:

This article by Jonathan Fields is an interesting take on the latest developments, and continues the ongoing debate around ‘Free’ which Chris Anderson’s book recently sparked off. Whether you’re talking about newspapers, music, or any kind of creative endeavour, it’s a fascinating debate because no one really knows how things will develop yet.

Former Manchester Evening Times writer Ian Wylie, who was made redundant in October last year, has written a very thorough report from a recent conference called ‘New Ways To Make Journalism Pay’. It’s lengthy, but well worth a read if you have any interest in this topic. 

 However Martin Cloake argues over at The Media Blog that what we should be concentrating on is message rather than medium. 

 For a pretty comprehensive run down of news mobile apps see the Online Journalism Blog

And finally, a good overview of what’s likely from Apple’s new tablet from the Guardian (no, I’m not an employee, unfortunately!)

Whew! Quite an eventful year. I’m not going to try and provide an exhaustive summary of world events here, instead I thought it would be a good opportunity to give a brief rundown of my favourite posts of 2009 on this blog, whilst also including those events that were most important to me personally.

Whilst this is still a tiny blog in the larger scheme of things, it’s been exciting to gain readers each month and to have more people commenting, and I really appreciate every single person who subscribes or visits regularly, and who has emailed or commented or took part in my daft poll earlier on in the year – every single bit of feedback is appreciated. 

Also an apology to those whose gigs I didn’t make it to, or whose emails I haven’t yet replied to. I’m still finding it difficult to juggle a busy day job with this blogging lark, and deal with all my own bad habits, procrastination, laziness/bouts of depression/agorophobia and general disorganisation. I’m working on it, promise!

So Happy New Year folks, and I hope it’s the best yet.

I Hear a New World

Though the column and podcast went on an extended hiatus this year, I still managed to squeeze in an interview with Will Oldham aka Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, as well as with Sean Michaels of the ever-popular mp3 blog Said The Gramophone, and a couple of friends who contribute massively to the local music scene, Matthew from Song By Toad and Dave Kerr from The Skinny.

The podcasts also featured a bunch of great tunes from the likes of Grizzly Bear, Jeffrey Lewis, Camera Obscura, the Japanese War Effort, Ish Marquez and many more. You can still hear them all over on the podcasts page.

And don’t forget the  I Hear a New World Ten Tracks bundle is also available now for only £1!

 Travel/Personal

I fulfilled a lifetime ambition and went to New York where I played at the infamous Sidewalk Cafe antifolk open mic and also shocked myself and my long-suffering girlfriend by finally getting engaged: New York Travelogue

Technology

I bought an iPhone, and became a tiresome bore about it and my other favourite invention of the year, the new music streaming service Spotify:

The Gaseous Brain Guide to the iPhone (which was also featured on Just Another iPhone Blog’s best iPhone laughs of 2009)

Why I’m a Paytard

Why you need Spotify’s free music streaming service

Spotify for iPhone is here – bring on the cheese!

Gigs

I went to my first ever Fence Homegame festival, which was absolutely brilliant, and made a video about it: Fence Homegame 6 – Video Diary (some very selective personal highlights)

A few other gigs I enjoyed:

Found, Meursault & Panda Su @ Roxy Art House, Friday 4th December

The Cave Singers & Espers @ The Electric Circus, Edinburgh Nov 14th 2009

Jeffrey Lewis & The Junkyard @ Cabaret Voltaire, 31 Aug

Retreat! @ Bristo Hall, 16 Aug

Playing with the Past

A Weekend in Fife, featuring The Three Craws

Peaches @ Webster Hall, NYC

My friend Stu also contributed a couple of excellent gig reviews:

The Flaming Lips @ The Glasgow Academy, 15th November 2009

Review of Frightened Rabbit live in Edinburgh, 18th August 2009

Record reviews

As a recovering ex-music journalist just the thought of writing reviews and having to give them a star rating brings me out in a cold sweat, so this year saw a drop in my output when it comes to writing reviews.  But there were a few releases this year which had me relapsing due to their sheer quality: 

 King Creosote – Flick The V’s

Daniel Johnston – Is and Always Was

James Yorkston & The Big Eyes Family Players – Folk Songs

The Japanese War Effort – King of Poland

Withered Hand – You’re Not Alone

Meursault – Nothing Broke EP

Sleep The Winter – eagleowl

Found Can Move

Edinburgh band Found deserve their own category this year simply for having made the most danceable song of the year with Let Fidelity Break:

Video: Edinburgh band ‘Found’ provoke outbreak of crazy dancing

Found Play Let Fidelity Break to the Kids in Central Park

as well as wowing us all with their Cybraphon creation: Robot Love in Edinburgh – Cybraphon & ASIMO

Scrobbling Off:

I probably listened to cheesy pop music this year more than obscure indie (again, you can blame Spotify). Here’s where I ‘came out’:

Scrobbling Off: Where’s Your Favourite Place to Find Party Mixtapes?

The obligatory Wacko Jacko post-mortem blog post

Scottish Blogs

Finally, this year really did see an explosion in the number of Scottish music blogs and other music sites. It’s led to a great sense of community, culminating in the BAMS awards at the end of the year. I see this blog as a companion to all the others out there who also provide tons of great content, and recommend you check them out if you haven’t already.

Sexy New Scottish Blogs

I Hear a New World July 2009 – Recommended pod/vod/webcasts

Tis The Season of The Lists – Best Albums of 2009 and The Decade

The Internet & the Age of Information Overload

The same goes for the other blogs I’ve linked to on this site over the year which aren’t necessarily Scottish or about music.

I have to admit it, my internet addiction has shown no signs of abating in 2009. I started up a weekly web trawl of the best articles I found online, which then became the Random Reading List.

My attention was all over the place, including technology, music, eye candy (ahem) and just about everything else under the sun. If you’re looking for a whole library’s worth of interesting links, you can find them all here.

Phew! Here’s looking forward to 2010

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Read part 1, part 2, part 3

A Novel Idea

In my final year of college I also started writing lyrics and other random stuff in a bit of a creative outpouring, due perhaps to the fact that I’d kept my creativity bottled up for so long (or drowned it in a sea of booze might be more accurate) and increasing desperation about what was going to happen when the student safety net was pulled away from beneath my feet. I also made some attempt to record some music to go along with these lyrics,  though without any of the skill required for such an enterprise. Also my personal life was in a complete and utter mess at the time due to my own stupidity, but that’s another story.

After full-time education ended, unemployment was inevitable. I had the same attitude as Morrissey towards work “I was looking for a job then I found a job, and heaven knows I’m miserable now..” However I suddenly found myself in a serious relationship so had a reason to make a bit of an effort.

 In the meantime I decided it would be a good time to write a novel. I spent my days wandering round second-hand bookshops and going to the library, and fixated on Hunter S Thompson. I would see his partner in crime Ralph Steadman’s illustrations everywhere I went – perhaps taunting me about my own childlike drawing skills, though I took it as encouragement to continue on my quest to be a writer.

The novel was to be called the Three Drink Rule, about a borderline alcoholic ex-student who is talked into making a pledge to never have more than three alcoholic drinks – but when he inevitably gives in to temptation, bizarre things happen.. it never quite materialised, though I was to revisit it from time to time, and still think about trying to rewrite it now and again.

STRUGGLING TO PAY THE BILLS AND STAY CREATIVE

After about three months on the breadline I applied for a couple of retail jobs – one in a health food store and one in HMV’s “flagship” music store on Princes St, which had been closed for refurbishment. I got turned down for the health food job and ended up wowing the manager of HMV with my enthusiasm for the Oasis album Definitely Maybe (yeah, I know..  I was young and naïve) though the way he ignored me once i was in the job suggested he later regretted the decision.

After I’d accepted the HMV job, the health food store manager came back and said the job was mine after all, if I wanted it – it was too late though. I wonder how different my life would have turned out if I’d been given that job first, given the people who I met at HMV were to lead to me joining my first band and continuing my heavy drinking habits..

 * Note: For more info on this and the various soul-sucking jobs that followed, my recording of the song Columbo & Coffee and my adventures as part of an unpopular comedy band, you’ll have to read my in-depth tale about it called ‘I Was a Swivel Chair’ which I’ll be republishing on this blog soon.

During the Edinburgh Festival that year I managed to get some ‘work’ writing for the Evening News. I covered a variety of comedy, theatre and music but I was also working full-time.

Just to give you an idea how old I am, this was in the days before everyone had a laptop and email and free broadband in cafes etc so I had to run up to the fringe office on the Royal Mile on my lunch to arrange tickets for the events, and then after the event I had to go home, write the review and then call it in so that it could be published the next day.

My friend Dougie’s mum was one of the people at the Evening News who took these phone calls and transcribed the copy – I was quite embarrassed when I had to read her my review of ‘Sexual Perversity in Chicago..’

 This ridiculous ritual soon led to burn-out, and worse, I wasn’t getting paid for the pleasure, mainly due to my own deeply embedded reluctance to ask for money. Then I saw an opportunity to take part in a music video course with Roman “don’t mention my dad” Coppola as part of the International Film Festival, and applied.

Coppola was a really nice and surprisingly humble bloke and had made quite a few music vids including helping Spike Jonze out on Fatboy Slim’s Praise You and Mansun’s Tax Loss video (see his Reel). He guided us through the process of making a music promo from idea to final product.

We had to pitch an idea to someone at Skint Records  - he didn’t think much of mine, and we ended up going with another guy on the course’s idea which was to have a guy in a pink panther suit walk backwards around Edinburgh. After it was filmed we reversed and sped up the footage so it looked like everyone else was going backwards and the panther was strolling about leisurely. It turned out not bad and was apparently shown on MTV and BBC2 – but I couldn’t find it on the web when I looked.

So it was a great course, but had meant I gave up prematurely on being a full-time professional arts journalist. I did go back and write for the Evening News again a year later, and managed to get paid, but that fizzled out as I spent more and more time doing Swivel Chair stuff – including a string of “groundbreaking” music videos…

I don’t think I realised what an opportunity I had at the time to get paid writing work, something which on the whole still eludes me now. Clearly there are limiting beliefs at work in this old gaseous brain of mine…

 Next: The Final Part. Probably.

A massive thank you to everyone who voted in my poll yesterday and today. The replies were very interesting, and I will definitely be taking what you’ve said into account. 

Having said that, the results were so diverse that it suggests that people don’t come here for only one topic – and I really appreciate the additional comments people added saying they like the variety of subject matter – so to some extent I guess I’ll keep on experimenting, and talking about what interests me, in the hope it will interest you also. 

A majority of respondents wanted updates three times a week, closely followed by those demanding daily updates. But others said they preferred quality over quantity. I will be aiming for 2 -3 posts a week from now on, and maybe the odd extra shorter post like this one to keep the ball rolling.

One thing seems clear – people like the ‘Products of a Gaseous Brain’ title – a big surprise! However I was very disappointed in the poor showing for the iPhone. What is wrong with you people??

Check out the results below (click here to view page if you’re reading this via RSS or email)

In the previous installment I talked about what I got up to while I was at college (in between pub crawls). I had also managed to secure a decent bit of work experience with a radio production company called Unique. The course itself made no provision for this, but I was lucky enough to have a cousin who lived in London who could pull a few strings (though he also insisted on getting me paralytically drunk each evening in order to fully demonstrate the ‘work hard play hard’ mentality of the Big City media fraternity). 

 The company produced the Pepsi Chart Show which was networked out to 100+ local radio stations, as well as a number of BBC Radio programmes. The Pepsi Chart Show was presented by Dr Fox, a colourful character who later became a judge on Pop Idol, the precursor to X Factor (and also infamously appeared on a certain controversial episode of Brass Eye, with some dubious facts about crab genetics).

 I got some great experience sitting in on the Richard Allinson show on Radio BBC2, editing sound for a BBC World Service show (the old fashioned razorblade way, as digital editing was not yet widespread), and er.. filing demo CDs (the best of which I was allowed to keep – I came home with a bunch of Super Furry Animals singles). the only contact i had with Dr Fox though, was on one occasion when I forgot to lock the door on the toilet cubicle and he barged in on me.

From this taste of the real world of media work, I wasn’t convinced that I could cope with moving to London and fighting for short-term contracted work, plus the likelihood of a lengthy commute each day to whichever suburb I could afford to rent a room. In retrospect it would probably have been preferable to the rubbish jobs i did end up doing for the last decade, but hindsight is a wonderful thing.

 Before I left I did have a chat with the boss of the company who was very friendly and helpful, and gave me a lot of good info for my planned dissertation topic on the possible future of the music charts and industry as a whole. He told me to get in touch anytime if I needed anything else. I figured this was a great contact for my future career, and that the dissertation, done well, might really put me on the map.

 When I returned to college however, I was told that my dissertation topic of choice was “not academic” enough for whoever decides on these type of things. I felt gutted, as I had no back-up plan in place. Finally, I decided on the topic of music fanzines. This was apparently academic enough, and actually a very interesting subject as it dealt with issues of fan empowerment and DIY culture which are close to my heart – but in terms of leading to a lucrative media career it seemed like a nail in the coffin.

As it turned out I was one of the first people to write an academic paper on the topic – and my tutor, who was incredibly helpful and supportive, suggested I might be able to get it published, and offered to help me with it. This would have been an amazing opportunity. But where was my head at the time, dear reader? Right up my own arse as it turned out. I, like many others, struggled to discipline myself to write that dissertation and left it to the very last minute. In the end, a couple of nights of jack daniels and coke fuelled typing got it done, and it wasn’t utterly bad – but I never pursued the opportunity to take it any further. I have bolded that sentence, dear reader, because that, in a nutshell, as you might be beginning to work out, is the story of my life.

Next: The world of work = a world of pain (don’t worry, just a couple more installments left!)

This is part 2 of the exclusive serialisation of my unwritten creative memoirs (it might make a bit more sense if you read part one)

FILM OPENINGS

At school in Donegal I was exempt from attending the otherwise compulsory daily Irish Gaelic class due to being born in England. So was a bloke called Mike Deery, who had returned to the school after getting injured whilst on trial at Liverpool FC.

 This was a brilliant opportunity to catch up on homework for any classes later the same day, or more likely doss about in the corridor with the older, more experienced Deery who delighted in repeatedly giving me a dead arm.

 On one such occasion we were sitting about outside the careers office at school and I casually picked up a prospectus featuring an attractive girl with a video camera. This spoke directly to both of my frustrated teenage desires, sex and video cameras, which and sold me on the course instantly. I did very little further research, but a speculative trip to Edinburgh was enough to convince me to move (plus I noticed there were regular gigs by great bands, though they were mainly in Glasgow).  So, I moved here, aged 16 (I turned 17 a couple of weeks after I began my degree).

 Myself and my flatmate did film a great wee video of the Prince of Pain, a masochistic cabaret artist who did unspeakable things to himself on stage, and shared a flat with a large dog and a dwarf called Powertool who lifted weights with his penis. They spoke eloquently and genuinely about their line of work and gave a real insight into their bizarre lives but unfortunately we neglected to plug in a mic so the sound left a lot to be desired.

Also the video tutor was mainly absent due to his involvement in some local TV project and I lacked the “focus and drive” to take advantage of the ageing equipment (computer editing was then a brand new thing – I think we got to see the tutor demonstrate it once). However I did inexplicably receive a good grade for the classic alien abduction short film ‘Abduction Granton’ with its spectacular special effects (actually it was rubbish as you can see below – some of the effects were added several years later but as they say, you can’t polish a turd).

 In my third year of my four year degree I was overcome with desperation and fear at what might befall me once my student days were over. I turned back to writing in earnest and took on the role of film editor for the college magazine (as you can see above, a photo of a very skinny me under the Hollywood sign headed up my first column) and also did some music reviews and at least one interview with a short-lived indie band of the time called Jocasta who I roundly slated in the mag.

 The editor of the college magazine is now a political journalist for a major Scottish newspaper but I wouldn’t want to mention his name here in case it embarrassed him.. Anyway, with dissertations and stuff coming up I had to pack it in after a few issues but it was good experience. Would it help me when I found myself unemployed after college though?

 Next: Desperate times, double measures..

Part 3 

Part 4

To be honest, if I could come up with a better name I would change it immediately but original names are hard to come by.  I suppose in hindsight the name reflects a creative mind that is overflowing with ideas and desires and unable to settle on a direct route through life. Or just simply, full of a load of old nonsense.

 Now I’ve read that clarity of purpose is the essential ingredient of success. But for years I have struggled to find this clarity (and therefore success). Ok, I know the general ballpark where my strengths lie – creativity, particularly writing.  In fact I’ve always been very creative but never seem to have mastered a particular skill enough or been focused enough on one area to make a real go of it. And my interests are very wide – music is probably my main love but there are plenty of other things that I get excited about such as books, films and technology. 

 What follows is a very brief history of my creative efforts. Maybe by the end of writing this I’ll have a clearer idea of what I should do next. And maybe you’ll have a better idea of where I’m coming from. I’ve been inspired by lastyear’sgirl who has been doing some retrospective blogging recently so over the next wee while I will also be revisiting some of the writing and other stuff I’ve produced over the years – just for the record you understand.

I have never been a very confident a person but I did show a knack for writing quite early on. My mum being an English teacher no doubt helped as she taught me to read and write before I started school, and my Primary school teacher Irene Bliss was massively encouraging about my creative writing and I still credit her for giving me enough confidence that I felt I could to go back to writing later on after having given up. She would have me read my stories out to the class and let me skip out on P.E. which I was rubbish at so I could do creative stuff.

COMICAL

 I was a fanatical fan of The Beano as a child living in Coventry, inspiring me to make my own comics and sell them to my neighbours (I included my neighbour’s cats as some of the main characters to encourage them to purchase). I was also obsessed with pigs for some reason and had a fondness for the comic Oink. But by the time I got to about 12 I started realising my drawing skills weren’t up to scratch and after a rejection letter from Acne (the kid’s version of Viz) describing me as “utterly mad” I gave up on the goal of being a professional comic strip artist. I also produced a photo story called ‘Dare Bear’ featuring one of my soft toys dressed in superhero garb battling various star wars vehicles which was a substantial hit within family circles but failed to set the publishing world alight. Around this time I also made my first attempts at recorded sound by forming The Eejits with my cousin Lucy, though the results are unlistenable to anyone but the most masochistic.

LUVVIES

At school I had a terrible English teacher more concerned with punishing non-conformity and minor grammar and spelling mistakes than encouraging talent, so I naturally looked elsewhere for support. I won an award for ‘most promising newcomer’ as part of a Donegal-wide acting competition when playing the part of the convict in the Bishop’s Candlesticks, which I believe was an extract from Les Miserables. This led to very enthusiastic encouragement from my drama teacher, who even loudly proclaimed my talent to the director of a visiting production of As You Like It starring Sylvestor McCoy. 

 To advance my fledgling theatre career he suggested I perform a mime of myself shaving in the mirror (I wasn’t yet old enough to actually shave) as part of another acting competition at Derry’s Guildhall. I was marked poorly by the judges though I do remember one of them remarked I was “very brave” – which I read between the lines as ‘what were you thinking?’

 Following that I was involved in an excruciatingly embarrassing attempt at street drama as part of Derry Youth Theatre, which included running down the city’s Shipquay Street banging drums and yelling in order to attact people to a small square. Once there we performed a mainly silent piece that centred around two tribes on either side of a wall. However the wall was an unstable structure made mostly out of bits of wood and fabric and half way through the performance it was blown down. I had purposely neglected to publicise the event in the hope no-one I knew would ever find out, but to my horror, on the other side of  the wall I could see my piano/keyboard teacher watching proceedings with amusement -  no doubt payback for all the times I had turned up without having practiced since the last lesson.

 These further forays into theatre did not focus on my strengths of performing dialogue/character acting, and I lost the will to continue. I have gone to an acting class since in which I received encouragement from Ewen Bremner aka Spud in Trainspotting for my improvisational skills, but again I found the warming up exercises rather unpleasant due to an overabundance of ‘pretend you’re a tree’ like exercises and as I was doing my radio show at the time it was an excuse to drop out. Anyway I’m pretty introverted so I don’t know if I would ever have fit into the often brash and super-confident acting world.

Next: Moving to Edinburgh and experiments in film and music

Part 2 

Part 3 

Part 4

The documentary Gonzo: The Life & Work of Dr Hunter S Thompson about the is an enjoyable, if uneven take on the life of the much-loved gonzo figurehead and “walking monument to misbehaviour” and is both an inspirational and cautionary tale.

Disclaimer: What follows is less a review than the thoughts it provoked about the life and work of one of my writing heroes.

This film persuaded me/reminded me that being a writer can be very worthwhile and have a positive impact, and fired me up to try to make more of my own writing talent, even if I will never come close to Hunter at his best. But it also showed, once again, that drink and drugs and the whole rock n roll myth can be very destructive. Thompson invented a persona which made him famous, but he became a slave to that one dimensional image and the fame that went with it.

He struggled with demons as do a lot of creative people, in particular an anger and rage that was at times uncontrollable – which no doubt drove him to write in the first place but was ultimately self-destructive in nature. What really stood out for me was his bravery in the early days – riding with the hell’s angels must have took some guts, and he certainly wasn’t scared of being blacklisted by the Washington big-wigs when he covered the 72 US election campaign.

What he showed was that truly great writing isn’t just about being able to string a few sentences together, it’s about taking a stand, taking a risk, going out on the edge, and being a visionary.

He was, of course, renowned for his ability to ingest truckloads of booze and drugs with barely noticeable effects – and as with his sometimes wholly fictional Gonzo journalism, he exaggerated the extent of this for effect, particularly in order to appall “the squares”. But when he failed to cover the Rumble in the Jungle in 1974, opting instead to drink whisky in his hotel swimming pool (he fully expected Mohammad Ali to lose), it marked the turning point where he was no longer in control of his ‘medicine’ because it was now in charge of him.

The film had a lot of interesting footage from Hunter’s attempt to run for sheriff of Aspen and how what started out as a prank became a real possibility, though ultimately ended in (genuine) disappointment. Also his backing of the underdog democrat candidate McGovern (Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail ’72) may have helped him get nominated – though a very bad choice (with eerie echoes of Sarah Palin) of unnaturally sweaty man Thomas Eagleton as vice-presidential candidate, who was forced to resign after it was revealed he had undergone shock therapy 3 times, would put paid to his bid. Instead of electing a man who would have ended the Vietnam War immediately and brought through other social reforms, the US public elected the morally vacuous and bizarrely-faced Richard Nixon, and the iconic plastic mask of him that has almost replaced his real face in popular iconography is used in the film as a recurring motif to represent Hunter’s own dark side.

Again, parallels were drawn with recent events, with Nixon and Bush shown as interchangeable figures. Thompson was devastated by the result then of course, and later when George W was elected he sunk into a depression which can only have strengthened his long-standing decision to take his own life. In fact the film opens with Hunter’s reaction to 9/11, one of the few events that got him fired up enough to summon his old talent in his later years. It’s an extraordinarily lucid and prescient piece of writing. Though to many his shotgun suicide was a heroic way to go befitting of the way he lived life, the film’s message, through the words of his closest friends and his own family, was that this was in fact a cop-out by a man whose talent could have continued to have a positive impact on the world – but then as he himself was aware, he had ceased being a great writer many years earlier when the drugs and drink took their hold.

Herbie Mann – Battle Hymn of the Republic

as chosen by Hunter S. Thompson for the compilation ‘Where Were You When The Fun Stopped?’