The Next Big Thing
I was honoured to be tagged by Ruth Dugdall, one of my favourite authors, for the 'Next Big Thing' blog-hop. Here are my answers to the questions asked-
What is the working title of your book?
How I Left The National Grid
Where did the idea come from for the book?
I have always been fascinated by unsolved disappearances. This book was first inspired by the disappearance of Richey Edwards, the androgynous and fiercely intelligent lyricist of the Manic Street Preachers who one day vanished into thin air. A fascination for individuals like him made me want to write a book in which someone tracks down a musician who has purposely retreated into the cracks of society. I have long had a passion for post-punk music and it struck me early on that undertaking this book for a Creative Writing PhD would give me the chance to explore this interest. It also gave me the opportunity though to explore the nature of the modern age and what hiding places, if any, it still affords us. As I have begun the book in the course of my research a passion for psycho-geography and an interest in performativity has also informed its development.
What genre does your book fall under?
There is still a bit of a question mark around this. At present the book would class as literary fiction about music (because the novel is about a man hunting down the reclusive singer of a post-punk band called The National Grid- who never existed). However, as the book is being undertaken as a PhD the quality and realization of its research component is key. So far the research has concerned how musicians impart personal meaning through the ways their songs are performed. I have also been looking into modern architecture to gain an understanding of how the modern age was constructed, and therefore how one can vanish into the ether it generates. I suspect these interests may make the book harder to classify in time.
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Someone who does not come with any baggage. When I see Martin Freeman playing a hobbit it just makes me think ‘why is Tim from The Office hunting for a mystical ring? Shouldn’t he be at his desk?’ I would want to give someone a chance to make an impact on the public consciousness by playing the main role. That is why films such as ‘Control’ and ‘This Is England’ are such a success. They allow us to suspend disbelief.
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
A man tries to rectify his failed career by tracking down a reclusive and eccentric post-punk rock star, without realizing what he is getting himself in to.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
I haven’t written the first draft. I am about two thirds of the way into it.
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Ben Myers’ ‘Richard’ and Paul Auster’s ‘The Locked Room’ from ‘The New York Trilogy’. Any books which are about how essentially unknowable people are.
Who or What inspired you to write this book?
Firstly Richey Edwards but after that the writing of Simon Reynolds, who in ‘Rip It Up And Start Again’ showed me how many exciting and ambitious ideas were disseminated during the post-punk era. This led me to create a fictional band for the purposes of the book, who were allegedly active in the Factory Records music scene of late eighties Manchester. The main character however was very much influenced by Lee Mavers from The La’s, Mark E Smith from The Fall and Gary Numan, whose dystopian visions inform the novel. I was also influenced by authors who’ve invented artistic back catalogues for their characters in the course of their novels. People like Siri Hustvedt in ‘What I Loved’.
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
The book is not a simple quest novel. It will hopefully interest people with a passion for post-punk music, Factory Records era Manchester, psycho geography and modern architecture. That is if it ever gets finished.
With thanks to @RuthDugdall- who sent The Next Big Thing Questions to me.
What is the working title of your book?
How I Left The National Grid
Where did the idea come from for the book?
I have always been fascinated by unsolved disappearances. This book was first inspired by the disappearance of Richey Edwards, the androgynous and fiercely intelligent lyricist of the Manic Street Preachers who one day vanished into thin air. A fascination for individuals like him made me want to write a book in which someone tracks down a musician who has purposely retreated into the cracks of society. I have long had a passion for post-punk music and it struck me early on that undertaking this book for a Creative Writing PhD would give me the chance to explore this interest. It also gave me the opportunity though to explore the nature of the modern age and what hiding places, if any, it still affords us. As I have begun the book in the course of my research a passion for psycho-geography and an interest in performativity has also informed its development.
What genre does your book fall under?
There is still a bit of a question mark around this. At present the book would class as literary fiction about music (because the novel is about a man hunting down the reclusive singer of a post-punk band called The National Grid- who never existed). However, as the book is being undertaken as a PhD the quality and realization of its research component is key. So far the research has concerned how musicians impart personal meaning through the ways their songs are performed. I have also been looking into modern architecture to gain an understanding of how the modern age was constructed, and therefore how one can vanish into the ether it generates. I suspect these interests may make the book harder to classify in time.
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Someone who does not come with any baggage. When I see Martin Freeman playing a hobbit it just makes me think ‘why is Tim from The Office hunting for a mystical ring? Shouldn’t he be at his desk?’ I would want to give someone a chance to make an impact on the public consciousness by playing the main role. That is why films such as ‘Control’ and ‘This Is England’ are such a success. They allow us to suspend disbelief.
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
A man tries to rectify his failed career by tracking down a reclusive and eccentric post-punk rock star, without realizing what he is getting himself in to.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
I haven’t written the first draft. I am about two thirds of the way into it.
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Ben Myers’ ‘Richard’ and Paul Auster’s ‘The Locked Room’ from ‘The New York Trilogy’. Any books which are about how essentially unknowable people are.
Who or What inspired you to write this book?
Firstly Richey Edwards but after that the writing of Simon Reynolds, who in ‘Rip It Up And Start Again’ showed me how many exciting and ambitious ideas were disseminated during the post-punk era. This led me to create a fictional band for the purposes of the book, who were allegedly active in the Factory Records music scene of late eighties Manchester. The main character however was very much influenced by Lee Mavers from The La’s, Mark E Smith from The Fall and Gary Numan, whose dystopian visions inform the novel. I was also influenced by authors who’ve invented artistic back catalogues for their characters in the course of their novels. People like Siri Hustvedt in ‘What I Loved’.
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
The book is not a simple quest novel. It will hopefully interest people with a passion for post-punk music, Factory Records era Manchester, psycho geography and modern architecture. That is if it ever gets finished.
With thanks to @RuthDugdall- who sent The Next Big Thing Questions to me.
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