Christopher Fowler's Blog, page 247

London Corners: Simpson’s, Kettner’s & Rules

There is only one Simpson’s and it’s not yellow. There used to be two – the other, Simpson’s of Piccadilly was a gents’ outfitters (as they used to be called). It’s the building with invisible glass that became the Waterstones flagship store. Simpson’s-In-The-Strand belongs to a different world, and is at the Aldwych end of […]

The Writing Process: Where It Begins

For the first time in an age I find myself seated at my desk with a clean slate and an empty screen. True, there are five titles sitting in a folder, possible ideas for new books, and at least two of these are workable. But my agent has asked me what I would like to […]

The Victoria Really Does Vanish

It seems the plot of ‘The Victoria Vanishes’ didn’t go far enough. Pubs are disappearing for good, if the latest CAMRA press release is to be believed (ie. they’re not). But the rate at which British pubs are closing down has now accelerated to 31 a week, and 3% of pubs in the suburbs have […]

The Way We See

It’s unlikely that such an extensive exhibition of Henri Matisse’s late works will ever be put together again, says the curator of ‘Cut Outs’ at the Tate Modern. And it is astonishing to see them all gathered together here. When Matisse’s health was failing he switched to this paper-and-scissors technique and undermined the argument that […]

Ten Ways You Know You’re A Townie

The last time I felt that maybe I’d travelled out of my comfort zone was when I caught an overland train to Dalston. It’s two stops from where I live. And this from a man who happily will go to part of the Middle East that’s so obscure and unvisited that he’s the only non-Muslim […]

Goodbye Mario, And Thanks For All The Tea

The Star Cafe, Soho, has always been in my life. I went there for a calming cuppa and fry-up before my first job interview, and have taken friends there over the years to do the same thing for them. Mario Forte, rarely found without a cigar in his mouth, worked there all his life too, […]

Where New York Goes, Will London Follow?

As uplifting blogs go, Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York doesn’t exactly tick all the boxes. But as a catalogue of what NYC is losing in terms of indie funk, quirkiness and originality it can’t be beaten. The site, here, posts images and stories about various original independent venues which are being forced out of the […]

Backstories To The Bryant & May Books No.5

The Memory Of Blood On a rainswept London night, the wealthy, unscrupulous Robert Kramer hosts a party in his penthouse just off Trafalgar Square. But something is wrong. The atmosphere is uncomfortable, the guests are on edge. And when Kramer’s new young wife goes to check on their baby boy, she finds the nursery door […]

Backstories To The Bryant & May Books No.6

The Casebook of Bryant & May (Graphic Novel) This book contains two illustrated untold cases for Bryant & May, which take them through the streets of London in search of the Soho Devil, and up the Telecom Tower to search for a severed hand. I worked with Keith Page, the brilliant artist of Commando Comics, […]

Why This Sign Makes Me Mad

Historically speaking, stopping people from doing what they want to do isn’t generally successful – look at what happened with music downloads. Hay-On-Wye, the upmarket book town, is fighting back against Amazon, according to a rather spurious article in The Times. While I support the sentiment in principal, because I believe in booksellers, but there’s […]