Rob Wickings's Blog, page 63

Life During Nano

It’s been three years since I did this, and I’m still not sure if I’m doing the right thing, but uh-oh, here we go, NaNoWriMo.

It starts, as it always does, with an idea, usually at the beginning of October. The Nanowrimo feeling hits me in the same way every time–like a swift hit to the third eye. Inspiration strikes with a ball-peen hammer and a bradawl, and story starts flooding into me as if the gods of creativity have just turned on a faucet. I know, at that point, that the moment has come. It’s all I can do to keep a header cap on the thing by throwing out plot notes, outlines, character synopses, timelines and the other underpinnings and foundations of any decent novel. All of which is busy work for that sweet moment on November the first, when I put down my first two words: CHAPTER ONE.

Let me slow down and backtrack for those of you amongst the Readership who may be new to my November mania. The National Novel Writing Month is a charity-led initiative focussing on child literacy, that enables authors of all ages and abilities to knuckle down and get some wordcount where it belongs… on the page. The challenge is this. Write 50,000 words towards the first draft of a novel in a month. Seems like a lot? It breaks down to 1667 words a day. Still seems like a lot? Well, you’re right. It is. And that’s the point.

There’s a lot of snark on the internet (no, really, there is) making the claim that Nanowrimo is about quantity over quality. 50,000 words in a month? Hardly the making of something that will amuse, inform, thrill, amaze, dazzle, terrify or generally gobsmack, is it? It’ll be unreadable garbage.

My response? These critics are absolutely right. And none of them are writers, because they have no notion of the concept of Draft Zero.

Draft Zero is the process of getting things down on paper. It doesn’t have to be unalloyed genius out of the gate. In fact, most of it will be ugly, clunky and teeth-grittingly terrible. But it’s out of your head and it’s in a form where you can do something with it. It’s not something that you can show people. You really, really shouldn’t. What you’ll end up with is a working document. A starting point. You can throw it into Scrivener and start making sense out of it. You can see what works and what doesn’t.

But there’s another aspect, and this is what brings me back year after year. As soon as you start writing something, it changes under your hands, and goes in directions that you never expected. You can discover that your hero is an inexcusably horrible prick, but his sidekick has a story that just won’t go away. You find that you’ve killed people you shouldn’t, and you’re clinging on for dear life as your tale gallops along and over fences that you don’t remeber putting there in the first place. Under the pressure of a deadline, when you’re forced to be creative, you discover that Nanowrimo feeling, and the story just starts spilling out of you.

That’s my experience, anyway. I know many people who do Nano that struggle every step of the way, and manage a few thousand words. Have they failed? FUCK no. They’ve put something down that wouldn’t exist otherwise, and somewhere in there might just be the spark of something wonderful. You don’t know, and you can’t know, until you start. Once you take that first step, you’re in a bigger world, and it’s one that’s only bounded by your imagination. How can you not want to try something like that out?

It’s Day 5, I’m just ahead of the inorexable curve that leads to the 50K total. That could change. Who knows? But I’m so happy to be back. I’ve missed this feeling.

If you want to know more about Nanowrimo, then your first step should of course be nanowrimo.org. If you want to know more about what I’m up to, then my Nano page is here. Add me as a buddy if you need to. I’m always happy to chat and offer advice.

Now, if you’ll excuse me. I have a novel to write.

The Thing About Zombies

Halloween is upon us. Let’s make sure we have the information we need to survive a night that’s dark and full of terrors.

In my capacity as a contributing editor for The Dead Files, and an officer for the United Kingdom Zombie Defence League, I know a little bit about the walking dead. So, as Halloween looms, I figured it was time to share my knowledge around a bit.

In association with Verse Publishing, I have a free e-book release for you. The Thing About Zombies collates work I’ve done over the years for the UKZDL on the cultural and historical impact of the living dead. Why have zombies become so popular? What is it about the risen dead that has us so fascinated? In The Thing About Zombies, I hope to answer those questions, or at least make things a little clearer.

The Thing About Zombies is available as a free download at Verse Publishing. Go grab it now.

DOWNLOAD THE THING ABOUT ZOMBIES AT VERSE PUBLISHING

The Halloween Spookeasy!

A bonus Spookeasy for The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year: Halloween, that is!

I’m joined by director, horror film aficionado and X&HTeam-mate Simon Aitken for a romp through our picks of great scary movies to snuggle up with this All Hallow’s Eve. Whether you’re looking for gore, scares or 80′s-style cheese, we’ve got you covered. Plus, we share our choice of films that sum up the season.

There’s no trick to our treats!

Download: spooky-special-speakeasy.m4a

Don’t forget: you can also subscribe to the Speakeasy on iTunes, and have us whisper in your shell-likes whenever you fancy!

Subscribe to the Speakeasy here!

Our choices:

Slither

The Blob

The Others

The Innkeepers

House (this is the full movie!)

A Nightmare On Elm Street 2

Trick ‘R’ Treat

Sleepy Hollow

Beyond Rana Plaza: The Future Of Human Rights In Fashion.

A cross post from my ethical fashion gig to mark Blog Action Day 2013, focussing on human rights.

The following piece has been written for Blog Action Day 2013, as Pier32′s contribution to the Human Friendly Fashion Bloggers consortium. Find out more, including links to all the other bloggers taking part, here:

http://www.blogaction.org.

 

 

It’s a terrible thing to note that one of the defining moments of the ethical fashion movement should be a tragedy. But that, sadly was the case in April of this year when a multi-storey building, the Rana Plaza, collapsed on the outskirts of Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh. That building was home to factories that stitched clothing for many big Western outlets. It was the workplace for thousands of garment workers, and it was a death-trap.

Over a thousand people died when the building’s foundations crumbled away to concrete dust. Mothers with families, and children, some as young as nine years old, all of whom worked crushingly long shifts to keep food on the table and a roof, however patched and leaking, over their heads. It was a humanitarian disaster, and all eyes were on both the owner of the building, and the fashion houses and supermarkets whose duty of care to their workforce had been so badly compromised.

What happened next was shocking. Rather than admit culpability and offer compensation, many of the companies involved, including global heavy-hitters like Walmart, Primark and Gap insisted that they had nothing to do with the disaster. It was only when news footage of clothes labels in the rubble, clearly showing their names began to appear that their tone changed.

That pressure led to coverage of the plight of the fashion worker in the Far East and India on an unprecedented level. Shows like the UK current affairs flagship Newsnight ran damning pieces on the disaster and its knock-on effects. Something had to change.

The Bangladesh Fire And Safety Agreement, signed in July by many of the manufacturers with interests in the Rana Plaza, is the first government-backed accord to give factory workers in Dhaka and beyond, whose economy depends near-exclusively on fashion, more of a say in how their workplaces are run. Basic health and safety standards, including the banning of locked fire exits (a factor in many factory deaths) and agreements on better working hours and working conditions.

Even now, though, some manufacturers are dragging their heels. Gap and Walmart refused to sign the BFSA, deciding instead to set up their own, internally-monitored programme. Many families are still waiting for any form of compensation. And changes taking place through the BFSA will take time to filter into the system. It felt like a victory for human rights in Bangladesh, but one that needed to be fought for every step of the way.

In September, it happened again. The Aswad factory in Gazipur caught fire, trapping and killing several garment workers. There was a sudden, sickening sense of deja vu. A dangerously sub-standard building, missing or disabled safety features, an owner who didn’t give a damn about the businesses he crammed into his high-rise.

And worse, the same blithe denials from the multi-nationals at the heart of it all, the same meaningless statements of regret that only became apologies when their clothes were found draped in the wreckage. All the advances that had been made since Rana Plaza seemed to vanish like concrete dust in the wind.

The human rights abuses that the fashion industry enables and allows to continue are endemic in the industry, and names that you know and trust are complicit. Or worse, silent and secretive about their suppliers. Our partner in today’s Human Friendly Fashion Bloggers event for Blog Action Day, Ms. Wanda’s, has launched a video with some very disturbing allegations. I urge you to watch it before it gets taken down…

 

So, what can we do in the face of these seemingly insurmountable odds? We’re working against a huge global industry that issues nothing but lip-service to human rights concerns. All that seems to concern them is the bottom line, and if that means out-sourcing work to contractors who run dangerously substandard buildings and fill them with underpaid, overworked, underaged workers with no rights, then, well, so be it. I’m not trying to paint them as moustache-twirling black-hats–running a global supply train is tough, and keeping it ethical even more so. But the abuses are there, and the worst bit is that when they’re exposed nothing seems to happen to change it.

If that notion horrifies you as much as it does me, then there is something you can do. You’re a consumer with purchasing power, and access to the most powerful and integrated communications network that the world has ever seen. So use it.

High Street companies don’t like to be seen as slave-masters, and bad publicity is poisonous to the wholesome image they like to portray. Keep yourself informed, using bloggers and news sources like (ahem) this one, and make a noise when you hear about humans rights abuses like the one above. Stick something on Facebook. Tweet a link. Email a brand. Let them know that this can’t go on. If Mothercare have sorted out their factories, then why aren’t they shouting about it? Transparency is vital if we’re to believe a global company when they say they’ve changed.

The fight for an ethical fashion business is going to be a long one, with many more pitfalls and tragedies along the way. But it’s a fight worth fighting, and persistance is all. The multi-nationals want us to give up and go away. Tough. We won’t.

Because what we want is simple. We want workers the world over, from Newcastle to Nairobi, from Dhaka to Darlington, to be treated with respect and concern for their well-being. We want them to be paid a fair wage. We want them to have a say in how the business they contribute their labour to is run. And we don’t think a factory floor is any place for a nine-year-old. It’s not much, in the great scheme of things, and if it means we have to pay another quid or so for our clothes… is that a price we’re not prepared to pay?

 

I’m Rob Wickings, and I’m a Human Friendly Fashion Blogger. Thanks for listening. Now say something.

 

 

Tale of the Ale: X&HT Visited The Robin Hood Beer Festival

There are beer festivals. And then there are beer festivals.

For the third year running, Rev Sherlock and I have gathered a like-minded group of Beeranauts and taken the train up to Nottingham in the second week of October. It's a lovely bit of the country. Lively, historical, and very pretty.

We go for the Robin Hood Beer Festival. We think it's the best fest in the country. Allow me to sell it to you.

A small selection of the temptations on offer.

Firstly, there is the sheer volume of beer on tap. The Robin Hood attracts artesian brewers from around the country, from single-barrel heroes to some of the big noises. There are, over the course of the five-day event, nearly 1,100 beers, ciders and perries to try out, with every style represented from mild to heavy-hopped American-style IPAs. Unless you're bag is insipid generic lagers, you'll find something to tempt you.

There's only one festival in the UK that can hope to contend with that kind of range. The Great British Beer Festival in Olympia is the flagship event for the British beer drinker. But the Robin Hood has significant advantages over the GBBF.

The location, for one thing. Robin Hood takes place in the grounds of beautiful Nottingham Castle, spread over two big marquees. There's room to spread, enjoy the gardens, take in the view. There's a great mix of blues, rock, soul and jazz in the bandstand, and a parade of food tents. Doesn't that sound nicer than spending the day in Olympia's cavernous, soul-less warehouse?

The food is a massive draw for both the Rev and I. The two of us are food nerds of the highest order, and have been known to spend hours debating the finer points of a dal recipe. The grub at Nottingham is top-notch. From decent gourmet burgers (try the zebra) to curries from the award-winning Memsaab restaurant, there's plenty to keep the beer wobbles at bay. We always grab a Mrs. King's pork pie to go, and Merry Berry's chocolate stall is a handy way to keep the ladies we love sweet when we get home late and a bit smelly. There are honestly times in the run-up to Robin Hood when we're talking more about the nosebag than the booze.

But let's talk about the beer. The Robin Hood Festival is heavy on locally brewed ales, with solid support from East Midlands and Lincolnshire names like Blue Monkey (celebrating a birthday this year with stick-on tattoos that turned up on faces, necks, cleavages…), Castle Rock and Navigation. It feels like a celebration of the LocAle initiative, rather than a vast clearing house of every beer under the sun. In other words, although there's a huge choice, the Festival feels curated, thoughtful in the choices available. You can take a punt on something interesting and it's unusual to feel shortchanged.

It helps, of course, that our band of merry men usually includes Super Sam, who lives up the road in Newark. He knows a lot of the local brewers and has some great tips. For example, he pointed us in the direction of the Funfair Brewery, who had refurbished an old fairground stall as a mobile tap. Everything Funfair brew is tasty, but I should point out that they are the creators of Teacups, the best proper ginger beer you'll ever taste. Crabbie's has nothing on these guys.

Recommendations? Well, Coppa Rup from Penine was the hit for the Beeranauts; full flavoured with a real tingle of sherbet behind it. Blue Brew from Belvoir is brewed with stilton whey, giving it an earthy twang but without the cheese. And I loved Fownes Brewing's fantasy-themed brews, especially their Dwarven Ale, Ulfsberg Cross. I nearly bought a drinking horn to celebrate, and sang songs of my ancestors all the way home.

The quality of the event is reflected in its popularity. Advance tickets sold out well in advance, and the grounds are roadblocked after sunset most nights. But the atmosphere is friendly, welcoming and celebratory throughout. Yes, sure, there's conspicuous drunkenness, but it's to the credit of the organisers that any incidents of falling asleep in toilets were dealt with calmly and without fuss. Trouble? I didn't see any. It's just not that sort of event. Think Glastonbury for drinkers. The same chilled-out vibe. The same mix of young and old. The same proliferation of silly hats and unfortunate t-shirts.

As ever, we the Beeranauts rolled back to our beds replete and happy. The Robin Hood Festival is the one we look forward to more than any beer festival on the calendar. It never disappoints.

 

Yes, I was very sleepy the following day.

 

Tale of the Ale: X&HT Visited The Robin Hood Beer Festival

There are beer festivals. And then there are beer festivals.For the third year running, Rev Sherlock and I have gathered a like-minded group of Beeranauts and taken the train up to Nottingham in the second week of October. It’s a lovely bit of the country. Lively, historical, and very pretty.

We go for the Robin Hood Beer Festival. We think it’s the best fest in the country. Allow me to sell it to you.

A small selection of the temptations on offer.

Firstly, there is the sheer volume of beer on tap. The Robin Hood attracts artesian brewers from around the country, from single-barrel heroes to some of the big noises. There are, over the course of the five-day event, nearly 1,100 beers, ciders and perries to try out, with every style represented from mild to heavy-hopped American-style IPAs. Unless you’re bag is insipid generic lagers, you’ll find something to tempt you.

There’s only one festival in the UK that can hope to contend with that kind of range. The Great British Beer Festival in Olympia is the flagship event for the British beer drinker. But the Robin Hood has significant advantages over the GBBF.

The location, for one thing. Robin Hood takes place in the grounds of beautiful Nottingham Castle, spread over two big marquees. There’s room to spread, enjoy the gardens, take in the view. There’s a great mix of blues, rock, soul and jazz in the bandstand, and a parade of food tents. Doesn’t that sound nicer than spending the day in Olympia’s cavernous, soul-less warehouse?

The food is a massive draw for both the Rev and I. The two of us are food nerds of the highest order, and have been known to spend hours debating the finer points of a dal recipe. The grub at Nottingham is top-notch. From decent gourmet burgers (try the zebra) to curries from the award-winning Memsaab restaurant, there’s plenty to keep the beer wobbles at bay. We always grab a Mrs. King’s pork pie to go, and Merry Berry’s chocolate stall is a handy way to keep the ladies we love sweet when we get home late and a bit smelly. There are honestly times in the run-up to Robin Hood when we’re talking more about the nosebag than the booze.

But let’s talk about the beer. The Robin Hood Festival is heavy on locally brewed ales, with solid support from East Midlands and Lincolnshire names like Blue Monkey (celebrating a birthday this year with stick-on tattoos that turned up on faces, necks, cleavages…), Castle Rock and Navigation. It feels like a celebration of the LocAle initiative, rather than a vast clearing house of every beer under the sun. In other words, although there’s a huge choice, the Festival feels curated, thoughtful in the choices available. You can take a punt on something interesting and it’s unusual to feel shortchanged.

It helps, of course, that our band of merry men usually includes Super Sam, who lives up the road in Newark. He knows a lot of the local brewers and has some great tips. For example, he pointed us in the direction of the Funfair Brewery, who had refurbished an old fairground stall as a mobile tap. Everything Funfair brew is tasty, but I should point out that they are the creators of Teacups, the best proper ginger beer you’ll ever taste. Crabbie’s has nothing on these guys.

 

Recommendations? Well, Coppa Rup from Penine was the hit for the Beeranauts; full flavoured with a real tingle of sherbet behind it. Blue Brew from Belvoir is brewed with stilton whey, giving it an earthy twang but without the cheese. And I loved Fownes Brewing’s fantasy-themed brews, especially their Dwarven Ale, Ulfsberg Cross. I nearly bought a drinking horn to celebrate, and sang songs of my ancestors all the way home.

The quality of the event is reflected in its popularity. Advance tickets sold out well in advance, and the grounds are

roadblocked after sunset most nights. But the atmosphere is friendly, welcoming and celebratory throughout. Yes, sure, there’s conspicuous drunkenness, but it’s to the credit of the organisers that any incidents of falling asleep in toilets were dealt with calmly and without fuss. Trouble? I didn’t see any. It’s just not that sort of event. Think Glastonbury for drinkers. The same chilled-out vibe. The same mix of young and old. The same proliferation of silly hats and unfortunate t-shirts.

As ever, we the Beeranauts rolled back to our beds replete and happy. The Robin Hood Festival is the one we look forward to more than any beer festival on the calendar. It never disappoints.

 

Yes, I was very sleepy the following day.

The October Speakeasy: Comics Special!

THE OCTOBER SPEAKEASY: COMICS SPECIAL!

Download: speakeasy-october-funnybook-edition.m4a

We love comics. We read comics. And in this edition of the Speakeasy, we talk about comics. At length.

We review the best new books that The Dice Of Fate allowed us to look at in Spetember, and take an extensive look at the career and works of Frank Miller: the good, the bad and the very, very ugly.

Plus we amp up the geeky with a D100 and generally do what we do. Read along, whydoncha?

Hootin’ Holleration! It’s the Funnybook edition of the X&HT Speakeasy!

A few bits of housekeeping: in an attempt to bump our professionalism quotient up from  ”endearingly ramshackle” to “barely competent” we are now available on iTunes! Click here to subscribe, and have our dulcet tones lick at your eardrums whenever you choose. 

As a knockon from that, and in an attempt to keep the cashflow out of Hosepipe-ville, we’re moving away from Soundcloud. This blog is now the home of the Speakeasy, and we’ll be migrating the earlier shows into a cohesive archive in the immediate future. Hope you like our new direction.

M Is For Makeover: Vote For Mike Tack!

Politics is a place for monsters.

We all know it. It’s been described as Hollywood for ugly people, an arena where the most awful of people can get themselves a name, a platform, a fortune and worst of all… power. Just look at Nigel Farage (if you must).

Mike Tack’s latest film looks at the world of politics, and asks a simple question: how much of a monster do you have to be to get into power? M Is For Makeover is a pointed satire that spears a political system that is utterly in thrall to outside interests, and pushes the notion of lobbying into a very interesting place.

There are echoes of Stephen King’s The Crate, a hint of the end of Raiders Of The Lost Ark, and nods to satires like Brian Yuzna’s Society: the notion that the rich are simply not like the rest of us. Look under the skin, look into their eyes, and the inhumanity of those in government becomes very, very clear indeed.

M Is For Makeover is in the running to be included in the second ABCs Of Death film–and that’s where you come in, Readership. The film needs votes and Facebook Likes to make it into the final selection. I’m not going to claim any kind of neutrality here. Mike Tack is a friend who just happens to be a film-maker with a mission and a talent. The film also features a star performance from our very own Leading Man, Clive Ashenden, who quite literally gets into his role.

Check out the film below, then use your social media muscle wisely. This autumn, vote Tack. You know it makes sense.

Like it? Of course you do. So, here’s where you make a difference and support an up-and-coming film-maker who knows how to make the most out of a tiny budget.

Go to the M Is For Makeover page on the ABCs of Death site, and hit up the LIKE button above the film. Your vote will make a difference. You have until Halloween. Go get it done.

http://26th.abcsofdeathpart2.com/entry/m-is-for-makeover/

 

One Direction Does Prog Rock? It Can Happen…

Simon Cowell, I have a suggestion for you.[image error]

I mean, apart from the obvious (get some trousers that don't sit just under the nipples, wipe that smarmy grin off your face). I have come across a song that could work as a cover version for a boy band. It's a bit off-ramp, a little skew from the norm–but let's face it, there's only so many times your boy-bots can retread Hallelujah or Bee Gees classics.

Please allow me to introduce myself: my name is Rob, and I have prog tendencies. Blame the parents. From an early age I was immersed in music from the likes of Jethro Tull, Pink Floyd and, most significantly, Yes. I still count Fragile and The Yes Album as among my favourites, to the point where I put together a Spotify playlist of the tracks that still give my familiar chills.

http://open.spotify.com/user/conojito/playlist/5tYWia773myhZG4v0WFo0r

While listening to the playlist over the weekend, one track in particular suddenly jumped out at me. It had all the elements of a boy-band song. I could almost see 1D doing a not-quite synchronised dance routine to it.

Before you flip over in disbelief, hear me out. I'm not thinking of a vocal re-enactment of Siberian Khatru, or a brisk run through Songs From Topographic Oceans. No, no, Simon. The tune I have in mind is from the breakthrough rock album Yes put out in 1983, 90125. Not the hit, Owner Of A Lonely Heart, although that could be made to work. I'm looking at album track and single It Can Happen. Have a listen.

 

A little context would be useful at this point, before you think I've completely lost my marbles. In 1983 a band that had cracked the top ten market with an album stuffed with uplifting pop-rock gems. Their prog-rock past was largely ignored or forgotten. It Can Happen saw them at the height of their powers and, although it wasn't a global smash on the level of Owner, it was top ten in both the US and UK.

Frankly, I think it has it all. It's distinctive from the first bar with a chiming, Indian-raga style guitar figure. There's a supple, muscular solo to motor it into the final glorious stacked rush of choruses. But that's not what you want to hear. Could the song work for a group comprised primarily of vocalists, all of whom will want their eight bars in the spotlight?

Oh, absolutely. Bear in mind, Yes have a reputation for nimble, playful vocal work, and they've always been strong on tight harmonies and an almost choral feel (I'm sure your guys can work on that). With the intro (“you can lose yourself…”) to the verse/middle-eight combo, there's room for everyone to stretch out. There's plenty of call and response opportunity. There's even the chance, in the middle eight, for a little dance routine: Look UP (right hand points to the sky, palm in), Look DOWN (hand sweeps down to gesture at the ground), Look OUT (hand straight out to audience in a clear stop sign), Look AROUND (and, flipping the hand palm up in a lordly gesture, swoop it in a wide arc to introduce the audience to the world).

It Can Happen is a song with the right level of eighties nostalgia, along with a strong pop sensibility and the solid structure of the best chart-savvy material. Simon, you may be many things, but you aren't dumb. This is a great chance to throw a left-field hit at the haters. You never know. It could happen.

 

 

Tales Of The Black Meadow

An evening of hauntology to launch a great new exploration of the unexplainable…[image error]

To Reading Library I stepped my way. I had received an invitation from Chris Lambert, host of last year's Z-Day and a Dead Files colleague. He was launching a new venture–a literary and musical examination of one of the North of England's strangest phenomena.

 

North of R.A.F. Fylingdales, on the edge of the Yorkshire Moors, lies a place known locally as the Black Meadow. It is a place that has been the nexus of folklore, songs and stories for a very, very long time. Strange things happen in the Black Meadow. There is a mist that will rise from the woods even on a clear and cloudless day. There are things in there, the stories say. A man made out of rag and bone. Dancers with horses heads and men's bodies. And a village that will appear and disappear without a trace.

The note sent by Lord Brightwater to a petitioner as the Royal Commission was set up. It would come back to haunt him...

 

The Black Meadow has devoured many souls over the centuries. The songs and stories that have developed in the local area warn against the place and even now, should the mist rise, people will not leave their houses until it has dissolved again. It is these disappearances that have sparked interest over the decades, with a Royal Commission in the 1930's under Lord Thomas Brightwater tasked with the investigation of the mysterious incidences. That inquiry was plagued with controversy, and Brightwater abandoned it, and his political ambitions under a cloud of opprobrium.

In the late 1960s Professor Roger Mullins of the University of York picked up where the Commission had left off. His initial exploration of the folklore around Fylingdales led him in strange directions, and his research took an increasingly esoteric turn. He disappeared in 1972, and he has never been found. The Black Meadow has a way of keeping its secrets to itself.

Mullins, with the radomes of R.A.F. Fylingdales in the background.

 

Or perhaps not. Mullins left behind a stack of research material that have formed the basis of this new project. Chris, along with musical collaborator Kevin Oyston, have put together a package that explores the folklore that has formed around the phenomena of the Black Meadow. Chris's book of tales, beautifully illustrated by Nigel Wilson, gathers many of the best known tales and poems in a neat little volume. Meanwhile Kevin has taken on the musical side of the legend, collating the songs and ballads that are regularly sung in the taverns of the area–songs that will reliably reduce a room to silence, and many of the listeners to tears.

The launch evening was a huge success. A packed room enjoyed a presentation of the legend and its history, along with readings of some of the poems, and a dramatic re-enactment of the tale of The Devil and The Yoked Man.

It seems, however, that the more you try to explore the phenomena of the Black Meadow, the less clear it becomes. You become mist-blind, and the truth slips through your fingers like fog.

 

If you'd like to find out more about the Black Meadow, Chris's book is available from Amazon. Kevin's music, which includes a remastered version of a 1978 Radio 4 documentary on the phenomena, is available through Bandcamp as download or, if you insist, CD (this does contain a 4-page booklet with new art and a preface from writer and hauntology fan Warren Ellis, so the physical form has that going for it).

The Book Of The Black Meadow

The Music Of The Black Meadow

The Brightwater Archive, which gives more information about the Black Meadow, is open to the public at http://brightwaterarchive.wordpress.com/. Go more deeply if you wish. But for God's sake, stay out of the mist.

 

(Illustrations courtesy of The Brightwater Archive, apart from the photo of Prof. R. Mullins, reprinted with permission of Prof. Philip Hall of the University of York.)