Lucy Nichol's Blog, page 3

Book Review: Sonic Youth Slept On My Floor

Sonic Youth Slept On My Floor by Dave Haslam – Music, Manchester and More

I’ve always felt like a music imposter. Even though I’ve loved music since I was very young – and grew up listening to my dad playing guitar and blues music (which I of course whinged about because don’t all kids whinge at their parents?) But I never felt like I was entitled to the music I enjoyed because somebody else introduced me to it or because I wasn’t there at the beginning or because I didn’t see them live or because I didn’t commit to following their music as I got older…

So I was a bit worried that I’d be out of my depth reading this book. But that soon changed. This book is so human. Of course, there is no music without humanity, but us self-perceived music imposters can often believe that music experts are going to turn their noses up at us and lambast us for gatecrashing the VIP party.

How wrong was I. Sure, I can’t claim to know half the bands Dave talks us through as we chart his years in music – from the 70s to the present day (pretty much). But instead of seeing it as a weakness, perhaps I should see it as an opportunity. After all, when the author talks of his excitement at going to clubs and hearing songs he’s never heard or heard of before, being introduced to him by others, it makes you realise that it’s OK to be at the start of that journey. In fact, how many times have we said, I wish I hadn’t binge watched Breaking Bad / Narcos / Whatever – because I’d love to watch it from S1 Ep1 with new and naive eyes. FINALLY, that’s no bad thing – because we’re all grown ups now, not high school music wankers.

Dave’s journey is all about discovery, after all. Discovering new bands and new ideas. Trying out new club nights or live gigs. Moving from the pages of fanzines to the pages of NME – and seeing both the pros and the cons of leaving the grassroots.

But more than anything, the vulnerability is what I loved. Dave Haslam isn’t simply filling his pages name-dropping those who adored him, hung out with him and respected him. In fact, Sonic Youth had no recollection of sleeping on his floor. How many of us have felt that kind of disappointment when we realise that someone or something is more prominent in our minds than we are in theirs? But as Dave says, that’s fandom, isn’t it?

The other thread that runs throughout is mental health (particularly anxiety – something I relate to) and what was perhaps his midlife crisis – which had to be music related. I am still wondering how he feels about his big decision…

Of course, the Hacienda plays a big part in the read (I was either too young or too unadventurous to experience it) and it’s interesting going behind the scenes of the rise and fall of a legendary club. I still look back at some of my staple nights out, mostly in Hull, and wonder how the hell they ended up closing or just transforming into something else completely. But I guess its back to humanity – we all change and grow, and new tastes and desires come to the fore. Just because a group of us adored something at some point in our lives, it doesn’t mean we will always worship it and use it in the same way; it doesn’t mean it isn’t vulnerable to the environmental influences around it (guns and gangs being a part of the Hacienda’s demise) and it doesn’t mean there will ever be another generation who need the exact same ingredients as we did to get a buzz. Anyway, we might crave the buzz of newness ourselves – nostalgia isn’t everything after all.

Winding its way through Thatcherism and terrorism (you could argue both are the same thing) there are some dark moments, and these absolutely need to be explored – they are so much more than a backdrop. But there is so much humour and light in this book and I laughed out loud on numerous occasions. Just wait til you get to the bit about Jeremy Kyle.

Highly recommended, 5 star read.

EVENT KLAXON: How Music Shaped Us

Who fancies joining me and two other music-obsessed authors for a chat about….well…books and music?

Forum Books, one of the most gorgeous independent bookshops I’ve ever set foot in, is hosting an event on 3rd March (coinciding with my e-book launch!) called How Music Shaped Us.

There’ll be me bangin’ on about The Twenty Seven Club, Guy Mankowski (author of Dead Rock Stars) and Karl Whitney (author of Hit Factories) and we’ll be joined by the fabulous Anna Foster (BBC Radio Newcastle) to talk about why we wrote the books we wrote and what musical styles and experiences influenced us.

It’s just £3 per ticket (because we all want to support our indy bookstores right?) and you can book your place here.

You can also read more about my writing influences in this article by arts and culture writer, Dave Whetstone.

Hope to see you there! 

L xx

Back to the 1990s – and a little literary request….

Evening all! Since my book, The Twenty Seven Club, published last week, I’m really keen to hear what people think about it, who’s interested in reading and, basically, seeing if I can generate some buzz around it! It’s fun – but also a hard slog publishing independently – so every little bit of online support helps! So, I’ve included some blurb about it below to see what you think, and, if it’s up your street, you’ll also find links to Goodreads to add it to your bookshelf/leave a review, Amazon to buy/review and a range of indy book shops too!

The blurb:

It’s 1994. The music industry is mourning Kurt Cobain, Right Said Fred have re-emerged as an ‘ironic’ pop act and John Major is the country’s prime minister. Nothing is as it should be.  

Emma, a working-class rock music fan from Hull, with a penchant for a flaming Drambuie and a line of coke with her best mate Dave down The Angel, is troubled. 

Trev, her beloved whippet, has doggy IBS, and her job ordering bathroom supplies at the local caravan company is far from challenging. So when her dad, Tel, informs her that Kurt Cobain has killed himself aged 27, Emma is consumed with anxiety. 

Janis Joplin, Brian Jones, Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix…why have so many rock musicians died aged 27?  And will Emma be next to join The Twenty Seven Club?

The Twenty Seven Club is a nostalgic, often humorous, drug and booze-infused tale of friendship, discovery and anxiety as Emma tries, for once, to focus on life, rather than death.

So, if it sounds like your cup of tea, it would be FANTASTIC if you might:

Add it to your Goodreads bookshelf

Buy from Amazon and/or leave an Amazon review here

Pre-order the e-book from Amazon or Kobo

OR support an independent book shop and buy from one of the below:

Uni Reading Lists – note – there’s also a fun blog here about my favourite music books!

J E Books – NB as the shop is closed, this link takes you to details of how to buy from them

Thanks so much for reading this post and putting up with my little requests! I hope you enjoy the book!

Lucy xx

The Twenty Seven Club – out now in paperback

I’m thrilled to share my first novel, THE TWENTY SEVEN CLUB, which is now available in paperback (e-book will follow on official launch day of 3rd March 2021).

“A moving exploration of mental health, enduring music myths and why love can help us through.” Stylist

It’s 1994. The music industry is mourning Kurt Cobain, Right Said Fred have re-emerged as an ‘ironic’ pop act and John Major is the country’s prime minister. Nothing is as it should be.  

Emma, a working-class rock music fan from Hull, with a penchant for a flaming Drambuie and a line of coke with her best mate Dave down The Angel, is troubled. 

Trev, her beloved whippet, has doggy IBS, and her job ordering bathroom supplies at the local caravan company is far from challenging. So when her dad, Tel, informs her that Kurt Cobain has killed himself aged 27, Emma is consumed with anxiety. 

Janis Joplin, Brian Jones, Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix…why have so many rock musicians died aged 27?  And will Emma be next to join The Twenty Seven Club?

The Twenty Seven Club is a nostalgic, often humorous, drug and booze-infused tale of friendship, discovery and anxiety as Emma tries, for once, to focus on life, rather than death.

To order a copy, click here

Sign up for my new author newsletter and THE 27 CLUB updates

Morning! It’s a strange old year but I’m keeping myself busy planning the (virtual) book launch of my first novel – The 27 Club – which will be out this March! Eek!

Anyway, it’s an interesting old journey trying to plan marketing activity for your own book and there’s so much to think about, however, given the fact that I will be writing more personally about my book and future writing projects, I’ve decided to create a dedicated (and more regular) author newsletter.

I will still be blogging from here on wider topics, but, for all things The 27 Club, writing (and writing blunders), related pop culture, behind the scenes research, playlists and interviews and reviews of books in similar genres, please subscribe to my author newsletter on sub stack.

Just click this link, enter your email, and I’ll be in touch on a more regular basis with all things words and music!

We shouldn’t stigmatise mothers who have had their children removed

I’ve been working on this piece for a good few months now….and I am so grateful for everyone’s contribution. It takes a lot to talk about having your children removed, and that’s not purely because of how traumatic it is – there‘s also so much stigma surrounding it. We often think that a mother must be really bad if her children are taken into care, right? From what I’ve discovered, that’s a bit of a myth…

From chatting to two women (who wish to remain anonymous due to the shame and stigma that sadly surrounds the topic) it’s clear to see that women can be almost held to account for the domestic abuse and subsequent coping strategies that they and their families may experience. The fear and anxiety involved in trying to keep themselves and their children safe and well when dealing with abuse is something I can barely comprehend.

That’s why I was so pleased to be able to write this In Focus piece for Metro thanks to the support of features director, Claie Wilson. It’s important to really look at these complex cases in more detail – headlines are never enough and the fact that a child has been removed should never be an automatic mark against a mother. These situations are tragic. And if we can raise awareness, even if just to break stigma, it can make at least a small difference to someone who is going through an unthinkable struggle.

In addition to the contributors sharing their personal stories, I was able to interview Larissa Povey of Sheffield Hallam University and Laura Seebohm from national charity, Changing Lives. Both are doing fantastic work in this area and well worth looking up.

To read the full piece in Metro, click here

You can also watch a theatre performance from Open Clasp based on women’s experiences in this area. All three episodes of Sugar are available to watch now on BBC iPlayer.

A meditation track for football fans?!

Before lockdown, I was working with the fantastic team at Newcastle United Foundation on their #BeAGameChanger mental health campaign – designed to get more men talking about mental health.

I spent almost a year working alongside my colleagues at NGI and the team at NUF and, during this time, we were privileged to meet some truly amazing people. We interviewed so many men who were happy to share their story to help others, and the campaign resulted in so much media coverage, influencer engagement, really impactful films and, now, this little gem of a meditation track designed specifically for NUFC fans.

Key to the campaign was making sure that the messaging was targeted specifically to our audience. So not only were we talking about mental health, but we were using well known football phrases or terminology (e.g. instead of saying ‘support your mate’ we said ‘even the greatest no 9 needs a no 10’). We made sure that we spoke directly to the people we wanted to reach and tested messages regularly with focus groups.

We recorded the mindfulness track pre-lockdown, almost a year ago now, but obviously things changed and the world got put on hold, etc. But now, as we’re in the midst of lockdown 2, it feels like the perfect time for NUFC fans to enjoy seven minutes of being ‘at the game’ thanks to this nifty little track and a pair of headphones.

We initially tested the idea with a brief survey to fans, linked in with Tyneside Mind for advice, worked with a fantastic sound guy, Brendan Ratliff, director, Krishna Muthurangu (who also directed the film), and two Geordie actors (and huge NUFC fans) Chris Connel (who happens to be my other half) and Dean Bone. A truly collaborative effort.

So, there you go, you can now conjure the magic of the beautiful game from the comfort of your own home – and in a socially distanced way.

To listen to the track, click on the YouTube link embedded below:

Time to Change still has work to do – but helping the most stigmatised doesn’t win votes

We received the sad news this week that the anti-stigma campaign, Time to Change, is to close its doors next March. The Government has decided not to extend its funding.

The team at TTC have done some incredible work and made a huge impact on mental health stigma, but I do believe that, while they leave a strong legacy, there is still more to do and I am devastated that they do not have the funding to continue.

While some may argue that we need more mental health services, rather than campaigns (and yes, I do agree we need more services – 100%) I feel that campaigns such as TTC have an incredibly important role to play in highlighting the need for such services. They remind us of the lack of parity between physical and mental health services, and they encourage more awareness and understanding of the impact of mental health problems on society – therefore making service funding decisions more popular with voters (as cynical as this may sound). This, of course, is all in addition to tackling the shame, self stigma and isolation experienced by many due to stigma – key factors that inhibit recovery.

Regardless, it’s difficult to argue for one charity or service over another, as we all have different needs and experiences that inform how we’d like to see funding spent. And, as Chair of an addiction recovery charity, I am especially keen to see more work in drug and alcohol services – but that’s not going to happen. Why? Because it’s too big a problem and currently not all that popular. In fact, in terms of alcohol alone, it is estimated that there are over half a million dependent drinkers in the UK and only 18% of these are accessing treatment.

The reason I believe that addiction is an unpopular topic is because there is a lot of stigma surrounding it – with many seeing it as a lifestyle choice. Research conducted by NGI Solutions with our charity, The Road to Recovery Trust just last year showed that 1 in 3 people ‘believe addicts brought it on themselves.’ This is staggering – nobody chooses to be addicted. So therefore (and again, this may seem cynical), government is less likely to campaign for it due to its lack of popularity – as well as the HUGE scale of the crisis. A crisis that is killing people every day.

But this is where we could have seen more work taking place through TTC. If the campaign could have evolved to look at other kinds of mental health problems such as addiction – I don’t think anyone could argue with the fact that such work is needed. However, many don’t consider it on a par with other mental health problems because it isn’t covered in the same way under the Mental Health Act. So I would argue that there is a much bigger piece of work that needs to take place that looks at how mental health problems and associated symptoms or behaviours (such as self-harm, food problems and addiction) are treated under the Act. Perhaps it’s about treating people more as individuals than diagnoses? If somebody continually presents to crisis services under the influence, and is later discharged when sober with no ongoing aftercare, things are only going to get worse.

Another topic that TTC would be well placed to support is looking at some of the seemingly most despised groups in society – such as mothers who have had their children removed due to mental health / addiction problems. And people who have been caught up in the criminal justice system due to the legal status or impact of their coping mechanisms (e.g. drugs and alcohol to deal with mental health problems). Challenging this kind of stigma could change lives, inform funding decisions and reduce shame thereby encouraging recovery. Oh, and it will undoubtedly reduce crime – just look at this report from St Andrew’s Healthcare.

Stigma is a huge problem. And just because we’ve succeeded in getting more people to understand the impact and experiences of some mental health problems, it certainly doesn’t mean that it’s ‘job done’.

But perhaps these new campaign ideas I’m talking about are simply not popular with government – the key funders for the TTC campaign. Perhaps they could never be on the table for future funding and development of TTC. But it’s a catch 22 isn’t it? The problem of addiction grows bigger while the stigma shrouds people in shame, and yet the stigma influences the lack of funding of appropriate treatment services. We need MPs to stand up and confront this popularity issue – and equip those who are able to effectively campaign to do so. It can only save lives.

I just can’t see anyone in our current government being brave or selfless enough to stand up and fight for some of our most vulnerable and stigmatised people.

Adventures in Vinyl

It’s 1996, I have literally 97p to live on ’til Tuesday and I really want to go to Shaft at the Welly Club tonight.

What’s a girl to do? Easy. Cram a load of vinyl in a record bag and head down to Offbeat Records for a spot of bartering.

I’d usually walk away with an empty record bag and just enough cash for a bottle of Lambrini, a packet of Marlboro Lights and the club entry fee. So then I’d be ready to hit the dance floor in my plastic catalogue heels, Raggy skate dress and blue nail varnish.

I will never forget opening the doors to the steaming hot dance floor, sweat dripping off the walls, the floor moving under my feet and losing myself to the sound of Fatboy Slim, Alex Reece and the Ganja Kru (Super Sharp Shooter anyone?).

Of course, when I awoke the next day all I would have to show for it was blistered feet, smoky hair and a seriously diluted record collection. Oh, and debilitating nausea threatening to jeopardise my Saturday night out at Spiders nightclub (with a very different sound to Friday night – Jilted John and The Cure anyone?)

I don’t regret the nights out (most of them anyway), but I do regret my choice of fundraising efforts.

Let me say this one thing to anyone who has spent time building up a record collection: treasure it. Love it. Protect it. Sell your clothes, your shoes, sell the sofa from the communal flat you’re kipping in, but whatever you do, DO NOT SELL YOUR VINYL.

So on this Record Store Day 2020, I am going to lament the loss of some of my most prized possessions (and, as it turns out, my youth). My adventures through long-lost vinyl – from teenage angst to music wanker and old-school cool.

Hole –   Pretty on the Inside   LP  

There was something very endearing about Courtney Love to a 15 year-old girl who really wanted to be something she quite clearly wasn’t. I first got this album from my boyfriend. It was poor sound quality recorded badly onto a Memorex cassette with the track listings scribbled in blue biro. Needless to say I was ecstatic when I got the vinyl version.

And when I managed to talk the owner of Offbeat records into photocopying the lyric sheet he had in his earlier copy of Pretty on the Inside I was complete. I could finally sing (debatable use of language) the proper lyrics from my bedroom…

Slut kiss girl won’t you promise her smack….

So now I knew the words. Although I’m still not entirely sure my naive brain understood the point the album was making, other than there are scary dolls and crack and whores and broken bones. But I adored it.

This was the album of my teenage years. Yet I was far from the Teenage Whore (track one) that Courtney professed to be. More a slightly awkward wallflower (until Lambrini intoxication saved the day).

Trade deal: Pretty on the Inside for a game of pool and three cigarettes

Sonic Youth/Mudhoney:   Touch Me I’m Sick   /   Halloween   12″

Pure rock ‘n’ roll. I felt pretty cool owning this. Less so when, many years later, my friend’s boyfriend filmed us mum-dancing to a CD version in my kitchen. It was bye bye Lambrini, and hello Prosecco.

The only thing that remained constant was the ciggies (they’ve gone as well now). We would probably have looked far more comfortable dancing to Mumford and Sons but hey ho. We tried to bring it back.

Trade deal: Touch me I’m Sick 12″ for a post-Welly drunken snog with the Scottish student from across the road.

Green Day: 39/Smooth LP

Basically, I just want to be a total music wanker and let everyone know I had Green Day’s debut album while they were still gigging at tiny pubs in Leeds, (ones I wasn’t allowed to go to because it was GCSE time) and the thought of a Broadway musical was about as rad as a Stock Aitken and Waterman reunion.

I was there before Dookie. I was there before American Idiot. Because I searched high and low for cool music and I found it (this is a lie – it was purely because my first boyfriend liked them).

I liked to think I was part of an exclusive members club who read Maximum RocknRolland knew who Jello Biafra was.

In reality, I couldn’t stand the Dead Kennedys, I had no idea what Maximum RocknRoll writers were banging on about, and Green Day was about as punk as I was going to go (let’s be honest, it’s pretty pop isn’t it). But who cares. I had the debut album on vinyl.

Had being the operative word.

Trade deal: 39/Smooth LP for one cloakroom ticket and a tequila slammer (pushing the boat out that night).

Luscious Jackson:   Citysong   12″

Being a fan of the Beastie Boys I had to get this. An all-girl band on the Beasties’ record label. I bloody loved this. It was light relief to my earlier love of Sonic Youth and Hole and in my mind made me seriously cool.

I’m not sure why but the lead singer had an air of something about her. It might have been the lazy, laid-back vocals and the fact they obviously hung out with the Beastie Boys. Cool by association.

And having this little beauty in my record collection associated me as well.

Trade deal: Luscious Jackson 12″ for a cut-price miniskirt from C&A and a pre-club pint at the Blue Lamp.

Untouchable Beats – Outcaste Vol 1 LP

This one was never actually sold. I think it was later in about 1997 that I bought this. Indian vibes by various artists with the legendary Mathar hit by the Dave Pike Set and the kitsch Take Off Your Clothes to Feel the Setting Sun by Wolfgang Dauner Quintet.

So no, I didn’t sell it, but I did learn a very valuable lesson with this album. Never position your record player by a big sunny bay window and leave your naked vinyl on top of it.

Warped – and not in a good way.

Trade deal: Untouchable Beats for tears and remorse at own stupidity.

Happy record store day!

Illustration by Jo Neary

Live Theatre Bursary and The 27 Club

When Live Theatre announced its 2020 bursary winners last week I was beyond excited to be named alongside my lovely husband, Chris Connel. Yes – we are diving into a husband/wife collaboration which could go any number of ways – but I’m feeling pretty excited about it and so far, we are still happily married.

The project is a bit of a dream for me as it’s based on the first novel I wrote, The 27 Club – a story that explores the nonsense media narrative of the same name, and the fact that news headlines tend to tell us very little.

For those of you who don’t know what the hell I’m blathering on about, The 27 Club is the term that was coined after the tragic death of Kurt Cobain in 1994. Kurt was just 27 when he died by suicide, and, while comments had been previously made about the deaths of other musicians namely Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison, at the same age, the ‘club’ concept really came into force thanks to the 90s media.

Since then, we sadly also lost Amy Winehouse at aged 27 and again the 27 Club narrative became overwhelming (alongside more shallow headlines).

I was intrigued growing up about this apparent phenomena – but I was also easily influenced by the apparent glamour of the ‘tortured rock star’. I remember telling my art teachers I wasn’t going to become a successful artist because ‘nothing bad enough had ever happened to me’.

The problem was that because the headlines were so shallow – The 27 Club, the rock star lifestyle, the drink and drugs – none of these things seemed real. It was almost as if our idols lived in some kind of fantasia and, when they leave fantasia, they’re immortalised anyway. So the real torture, the nuance, the pain, is all hidden from view. Rock stars become just that. Rock stars. Caricatures. We forget that they are also real people.

I grew up with generalised anxiety disorder and panic attacks. I often felt like I was going to die, and I spent much time telling my GP or therapist about these horrific experiences from the 90s onwards (in fact, I’m still being treated with medication and I still make calls to my GP or therapist when I need to). At the same time, like many teens, I was going out with friends, drinking and taking drugs, which, due to my anxiety disorder resulted in horrific hangovers laced with severe panic attacks, palpitations and feelings of darkness and doom.

In reality, I didn’t desire the rock star lifestyle and all that came with it – and, in all honesty, I hadn’t the stomach for it anyway.

Working in the media, enjoying music and living with mental health problems – not to mention having witnessed so many friends experience mental health problems that resulted in hospitalisation or worse – I was interested in stigma and shame and identity. So when I decided to write my first fiction book I knew it was going to be based on mental health problems – and, as a 90s teen, the 27 Club became the vehicle in which to explore these issues.

As a novel, it’s still on submission and, as I appreciate, punk rock isn’t the vibe that every editor is going to fall heavily for, so who knows what will happen there. However, Live Theatre are letting us create and make and bring it to life in the legendary Newcastle building of amazing new writing. However, even though I’ve spent years working in theatre and the arts, writing the book as a script isn’t something that’s going to come naturally to me. But it just so happens I married a man who has read, performed, directed and written more scripts than he’s had Gregg’s dinners. And there we have it – a match made in heaven.

We’ll be working on the project over the next few months and hopefully we’ll soon be able to do some work with actors to see how the story stands up.

In the meantime, however, to read more of my articles on mental health and the music industry, click the links below:

NME – Have we finally got to grips with the truth behind the tortured artist

NME – Facing the truth about mental health and music

Huff Post – How power perpetuates mental illness in the entertainment industry

To hear more about the so-called 27 Club, listen to the podcast of the same name from host Jake Brennan

Photo by Mick Haupt on Unsplash