Sleeve notes
Over the weekend, I was at NewCon in Northampton, a gathering of SF writerly types, with guests Iain Banks, Ken McLeod, Storm Constantine, and Paul Cornell. Thank you to Ian Whates and Ian Watson for organizing. I felt like I was at a big party with excellent company and the most welcoming of hosts.
Saturday night saw the launch of Subterfuge, the latest anthology from award-winning independent publishers NewConPress. It contains “tales of misdirection, of finesse, of wilful sleight of hand, stories in which not everything is always as it seems”, from authors including John Meaney, Neal Asher, Pat Cadigan, Tanith Lee, Tony Ballantine, Juliet McKenna, Gary Couzens, and Neil Williamson.
There’s also one by me: The Great Gig in the Sky. It’s a story about a band, and their tribute band, and it’s my own tribute to three things that I love: the unreal city I haunt, folk music, and sensitive young men. I had a playlist while I was writing; more below if you’re interested.
NB: Links go directly to YouTube videos.
▪ Syd Barrett, Golden Hair
Cambridge’s most famous lost son at his most ethereal.
▪ Robert Johnson, Crossroad Blues
It’s said that blues musician Robert Johnson met the Devil at a crossroads and sold him his soul in exchange for mastery of the guitar. Which modern Faustian tale suited my theme of what we are prepared to do to nurture our talent.
▪ Led Zeppelin, Communication Breakdown
Because shy people don’t often find it easy to talk and noisy rock can fill the gap nicely.
▪ Fairport Convention, No Man’s Land
From their second album What We Did On Our Holidays. They all sound so young and hopeful on it – sorry I can’t find it online anywhere for you to hear.
▪ Nick Drake, Time of No Reply
Another lost boy. This is how I wanted the songs in the story to sound.
▪ Gryphon, The Unquiet Grave
Prog-folk. Mm, crunchy.
▪ The Holloway Brothers, Night Sky
The Holloway Brothers are a blues band who busk around the south east. Here they are in the unreal city, earlier this year. The track I was listening to is off their CD Creekside.
▪ Chris Thomas King, Hard Time Killing Floor Blues
Song in a sad time.
▪ Fairport Convention, Rubber Band
I can’t find this anywhere online either, alas, but I did my best to convey its utter brilliance in a post a while back.
▪ Richard and Linda Thompson, Night Comes In
Working on the assumption that all Richard Thompson songs are happy songs, this one always makes me feel hopeful after I’ve been sad.
▪ Pink Floyd, The Great Gig in the Sky
Of course.
▪ Nick Drake, Fruit Tree
A beautiful meditation on transience:
Forgotten while you’re here
Remembered for a while
A much updated ruin
From a much outdated style.
Una – I have to tell you that your story brought a tear to my eye. That sense of wistful bitterness that bands have when they never quite got the breaks to make the jump to the big time is always poignant (I’m thinking here about the guy from Crème Brulee in the League Of Gentlemen… “Second place in the Song For Europe competition, nearly signed to Pickwick in 1977. I think I’ve got a tape here somewhere son, if you’re interested…”). But adding the supernatural element, the depths to which someone can really miss a friend who’s died, and the effect of meeting yourown tribute band, just transformed this into a truly uplifting read. And I thank you for it.
Ps Aimee Mann – what a songwriter she is!
Neil – thank you so much for your comments, everything I could have hoped for in response to the story. I ended up inhabiting both Nick and Sandy quite intensely, and you can never quite know whether you’ve communicated this or if it’s remaining as private language. I very much appreciate hearing that it worked – thank you.
Aimee Mann is terrific! Not just as a composer, but such a skilled lyricist as well. Real craft with words.
Yep, it worked perfectly. It’s a triumph, well done.
It sounds obvious to say but for me songwriting is the sum of lyrics and music, and I think AM is one of the best at fitting both together.
She has a great sense of the supernatural too. Invisible Ink is a perfect example. And True Believer (from the new album), with all its flavour of debunked spiritualism, is my new favourite.
I only found out about her new album last week and haven’t had a chance to get it yet. I’m guessing it stands up well against the last couple if you have a new favourite from it?
I think she’s on top form on Smilers, Una, I really do. Heartily recommended – but perhaps better talked about once you’ve listened to it a few times.
Heard ‘Thirty One Today’ on YouTube and ‘Freeway’ on her MySpace page: she’s sounding good. I’ve got a long coach journey next weekend so the rest of the album will be going on the iPod for that.
Zoey van Goey sounded good – thanks for linking to them off your blog.
Zoey Van Goey were excellent the other night. A truly original little band with a great attitude. They promise that their album is on its way, I certainly hope so.
I’ll probably blog about it when it happens.