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Happy spring! Hope you are feeling the joys. Yes, I know World War 3 has kicked off and Spurs are on the verge of getting relegated, but I always like early March; things feel a bit more downhill (in a good way), with daffs and crocuses and whatnot. Here is a pic to get you in the mood…
Feeling better? Right, onwards with news of my creative follies.* BOOK(S) First up, excited to say I signed a book deal with Omnibus Press. They specialise in non-fiction books about music and have been going for 50 years, so I’m thrilled to be part of their catalogue. Not only are they publishing my new book Soho Days, Camden Nights – The Chronicles of a Failed Indie Rockstar, they are also reissuing my first one, Anoint My Head – How I Failed to Make it as a Britpop Indie Rockstar, with a brand new cover and no typos. This means if you have the Pointy Books first edition it will be worth a small fortune in years to come when you go on The Antiques Roadshow, especially if it’s the very, very early version where The Monkees are spelt The Monkeys on page 65. The exact publishing date and cover reveal will follow very soon, but I will be performing at the Edinburgh Fringe this summer with some stories and songs from the books.** Plus various author events are being planned over the next year or so. Itching to tell you more, but am sworn to secrecy until everything is in place. Hopefully, if you liked my first book you will like the second. More deets on all this very soon… GIG(S) Second up, excited to say The InCureables are playing more shows around the country this year. You may remember from previous dispatches that this is the Cure tribute band I formed at my local lido just over a year ago in my trunks. It was meant to be a one-off, but offers keep coming in and one thing has led to another. Our next show is headlining the 100 Club on Oxford Street, which is nuts. It’s on the verge of selling out, which is even more nuts. If you are in the vicinity and would like to (re)discover your inner goth you can purchase a discounted ticket below. Not many left, so grab one while you can. Make-up and crimped hair optional.
(Enter promo code NEWSLETTER for discount) Later in the year we will be travelling further afield with shows in Stoke, Manchester, Edinburgh, Chelmsford, Putney and beyond. There is also a double headliner with The Fire Doors (Field Music) at the 229 on Great Portland Street on Friday 11 September. Tickets for that and all InCureables shows right here. There is also talk of some shows in Europe. I now have my eye on the Roman amphitheatre in the south of France to recreate their legendary Cure in Orange concert film from 1986, which I went to see at the cinema aged 18. Turns out the amphitheatre (Théâtre Antique d’Orange) can actually be hired for gigs and I know a concert promoter, and The Cure are massive in France, and The InCureables in Orange has a ring to it… I did mention this to the band, but they weren’t sure if I was being serious. Neither was I. But good to have a dream, no matter how bonkers… SHORT STORIE(S) Third up, just a reminder that I have written a bunch of made-up true short stories which you can read on my website or download as a pay-what-you-want PDF. The stories are all true apart from the bits I made up and go well with a cup of tea and a biscuit. So far I have five in the bag as follows. “A Night in Dieppe” features a wannabe pop star, a sharp-suited businessman and a revolutionary communist arguing about life at a ferry terminal for anyone who has missed the last boat home. “The Quilt” follows a builder with rock-star dreams and an out-of-tune guitar who finally finds a captive audience. “Sleeves, the Shop That Comes to You” sees a graduate answering an advert in fashion, only to discover the job — and himself — isn’t what he imagined. “A Sense of Relief” involves a golden retriever, a service station on the A2 and a Lucozade bottle you may never look at the same way again. “The Skull Cap” begins as a harmless hat-hiding joke that spirals out of control. Read a made-up true short story here That’s kind of it. Before I go, here is a picture of my favourite soup — a chicken pho from Sik Faan (previously Carrots and Daikon) on Highgate Road in Kentish Town. It’s like a hot version of the Lido in that I like diving in.
Talking of which, everything is going swimmingly at my local Lido. Although news just in that there was a punch-up in the sauna this morning. Also the Corporation of London is trying to boot out the lovely family-run cafe for a corporate chain. But apart from that, the water is hitting a very pleasant 10 degrees and if combined with blue sky a dolphin grin appears on my face post-swim. It must be all the endolphins (ba-boom tish). I’ll leave you with some stuff wot I’ve enjoyed of late ORBITAL — If you want to know what it’s like orbiting Earth in a space station, read this 10/10 ambient masterpiece. WEER — Where to start. Magical one-woman show from Natalie Palamides, like a retelling of Romeo and Juliet via 80s brat-pack movies and Bugs Bunny. SMALL PROPHETS — Mackenzie Crook’s six-part comedy-drama follow-up to The Detectorists on BBC iPlayer. Just lovely. MR INBETWEEN — An Aussie Sopranos meets Breaking Bad if you like that kind of thing. MARCUS MONROE — funny idiot who does stand-up on the New York subway dressed as a different person each time — a banana, a Trump supporter, Jesus, Harry Styles… not for everyone. JIMMY E BROWN — funny idiot who treads the line between music and comedy like no other. His latest album is called I urinated on a Butterfly. Not for everyone. trainboy — no idea who this guy is but if you like New Order, The Pastels and Dinosaur Jr this will appeal. GEESE — utterly addictive indie rock 4-piece from Brooklyn that I can’t stop listening to. The Strokes meets Radiohead via the Stones. Enough of my yakkin’. Keep breathing through your nose and don’t watch the news. And if possible form a tribute band. Until next time PS I’m not going to talk about Tottenham Hotspur. It’s a subject best avoided at the mo, especially as we haven’t won a game for about a year and Arsenal are on for the quadruple (or quintuple if Spurs go down). Although we are still in the Champions League — if ever there was a team that could become champions of Europe and get relegated it would be Spurs. I’d take that. Anyway, I have a season ticket going if anyone wants it. I’ll pay good money. *The frequency of these newsletters has been erratic of late but may increase to a seasonal, quarterly or even monthly affair depending on how busy/interesting things get, but less is always more. Plus I’m a bit lazy. **At Edinburgh I may also be doing a work-in-progress for my kitchen-sink-tragi-comic-meta-musical-romance Dad Manager (10 years in the making). In for a penny and all that… À bientôt |