Hey there
In an attempt to temporarily distract you from world events, here are some things that I will be doing in the coming months in an attempt to distract myself from world events.
I hope you can join me at one/some/all of them…
Edinburgh Festival Fringe – 4th-29th August
First up is the exciting/terrifying news that I’m bringing my book Anoint My Head – How I Failed to Make it as a Britpop Indie Rockstar to life with a one-man show at Edinburgh Festival Fringe this summer.
The live show takes place at 1:30 pm each day at Just The Tonic’s Wee Room – a 60 capacity seated space in the centre of Edinburgh. It’s 25 days in a row, so if no one turns up, that is a lot of tumbleweeds. Here it is.
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Gulp.
Hopefully, the show will be a celebration of glorious failure and a trip down memory lane back to the nineties as I try and work out where our band, the Pointy Birds, went wrong and why we never made it to number one, or even number 100.
Coz it still baffles me.
Some ‘friends’ said that maybe it would have helped if I’d had singing lessons. Or perhaps if we had learnt to play our instruments properly, or at least in tune. Or why we persisted with a drummer who lacked natural rhythm. Some even said it was the jokes between the songs that weren’t funny*
But I don’t accept any of that.
So the show will be more of a deep dive into why we *really* didn’t make it. Did we not really want what we thought we wanted? Was it a fear of failure holding us back, or a fear of success, maybe? Or was it a fear of fear? Or maybe even a fear of fear of fear?
Anoint My Head (the live show) will answer all these questions. And more.
More info/tickets on sale soon.
Dublin Castle Rock N Roll Book Club, Camden – Thursday 21st April
Second-up is a reminder that I am the guest author at the Rock n Roll Book Club at Camden’s Dublin Castle on Thursday 21st April. It is rescheduled from Xmas when Omnibollox took us down. (In case you have forgotten, there was a pandemic back in the day – simpler times). There will be an interview with host Tony Gleed, some readings from the book and then a Q&A. Plus maybe some musical entertainment.
The ticket also includes a free copy of the E-book, so a bargain and a half. Plus, you get a mince pie on entry or maybe that needs to be upgraded to a hot cross bun.
A few more tickets have been added on sale, which you can buy here.
Grab ’em quick b4 they go.
Tickets bought for the Xmas show will still be valid.
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Robert Elms show, BBC Radio London – Sunday 13th March
And third up, I am on the Robert Elms show on BBC Radio London on Sunday 13th March at 9:35 am talking about all of the above! So, if you are up with the lark, then tune in.
E-Book special offer
In the meantime, the ebook version of Anoint My Head has been discounted on all platforms from £7.99 to 99p until 31st March right HERE.
So if you haven’t had the pleasure of being whizzed back to London in the early nineties to read about how we tried to scale the rock n roll mountain of fame and fortune with sherpa Ricky in tow, then now is the time!
And if you have already had the pleasure, then maybe tell a friend who hasn’t.
You can also get Anoint My Head plus some short stories wot I’ve written direct from me via Payhip. The snazzy store front includes signed paperbacks, audiobooks and ebooks. Some things are a fixed price, some things are free, and some things you pay what you want.
To give you an idea of the delights in store….
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So if you want to cut Jeff Bezos out of the equation, then have a gander and fill your basket and your boots right here.
AND/OR GET THE DISCOUNTED EBOOK HERE
Lastly, some stuff I’ve enjoyed recently…
TV – Loved Chloe, a six-part ‘social media thriller’ on the BBC, worth the license fee alone. (Nadine Dorris can do one). Also, the adaptation of Adam Kay’s This Is Going To Hurt, also on the Beeb. (Dadine Norris can also do another one)
Music – King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard have been rocking my world of late. And Hell n Back by Bakar is a contagious breezy summer anthem if ever I heard one. You can also check out our playlist of brand new bands each week on Radio Fandango.
Book – Currently reading Sapiens – A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari. Very readable, big picture view of how everything slots together, and I can feel my brain expand with the turn of each page. He has that rare ability to dumb down complicated things in a simple and interesting way for dummies like me—a bit like Brian Cox in his Wonders of The Universe series. And I won’t hear a word said against Brian Cox. Except when he is on keyboards.
And finally, a nod to Neighbours. RIP! I can’t believe you’re leaving us. I think the world needs you**.
Ok, that’s enough of my yakking.
Hopefully, see you down the middle soon
best Andy
*obviously not heard my helicopter-flavoured crisps joke.
**if you are feeling a bit overwhelmed by doom-scrolling at the moment, then Andrew Cotter’s youtube channel of his two labradors, Olive and Mabel, might be the tonic you need. I’m addicted.
ANOINT MY HEAD – How I Failed to Make it as a Britpop Indie Rockstar
‘Captures the time and the aspirations of a young band brilliantly. A great eye-opener into the absurd thought process of what it might take to headline Glastonbury!’ Steve Lamacq BBC 6 Music
‘You’ll read this book in one or two sittings – it’s pure pleasure. All the fun of youthful dreams and the poignancy of disappointment – plus a remarkable A-list cameo. Magnificent.’ Phil Harrison Time Out / Guardian
‘If This Is Spinal Tap is the quintessential rock mockumentary, Anoint My Head is the closest you’ll get to that in book form.’ Loz Etheridge God is in the TV
‘Anoint My Head is a great read which rips along at pace and would make an excellent dramatisation or comedy series.’ Iain Key Louder Than War
‘Hilarious warts-and-all story of a Britpop band whose big ambitions did not meet their talents’ Dan Carrier Camden New Journal
‘Very good read. I read the book over the weekend. Some really good memories I had forgotten about. Great days. I hope it goes on to sell millions!’ Saul Galpen Nude Records
‘Super-evocative, Proustian and a wonderful walk down memory lane.’Mark Bowen Wichita Recordings
‘This heartwarmingly tatty ‘Withnail & I’-tinged glance back at a time before innocent indie dreams were stolen by digital streams is a must-read.’ Simon Williams fierce panda records
“A healthy measure of Nick Hornby with a dash of Adrian Mole had he joined an indie band. Just the tonic for these serious and uncertain days. Bottoms up!’ Josh Levay Pointy Birds keyboardist/naysayer
“If Spinal Tap had been an indie band in 1990s Britpop London. Brilliant!” The MacLadd
‘Bland and inoffensive with a seriously over-acting singer’ NME