John Higgs's Octannual Manual #47

Hallowe'en Ghostwriter

One of my great joys this year was working with Ian Broudie on his autobiography, which has now landed in a book shop near you:

Ian’s story goes from playing guitar in Ken Campbell’s Illuminatus! play when he was a kid, to producing bands like Echo & The Bunnymen and The Fall, making the glorious uplifting psychedelic pop of the Lightning Seeds and, of course, writing the only song to go to number one four times. As the blurb explains, Ian shares what he has learnt about creativity, how to work with musicians touched by genius, and what it is like to stumble through an exploding industry without losing sight of your dreams.

Photo by iso400.com at Resident Records

Here’s me and Ian celebrating the launch of the book at Resident Records in Brighton. It does look like I’m serenading him, doesn’t it? Bursting into ‘I’ve Got You Babe’ when the feeling strikes is never wrong.

I learnt tons from spending time with Ian this year as his insights and his understanding of creativity are a true education. I hope you enjoy his story - you can find it here.

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ON THE BURNING OF WESTMINSTER
I realise that we see what we expect to see, but for some time now I’ve felt as if I am being stalked by images of the Houses of Parliament on fire. They’re following me around - I keep seeing them everywhere.

from London Has Fallen

There is a good chance there will be a fire at Westminster. The electrics in that crumbling old building are a mess, and the need to renovate has been clear for decades. The longer it is left, the more expensive it will be, and the greater the likelihood of a serious fire. It’s a situation that seems to sum up the failure of British politics - something needs doing, but politicians fail to get it done.

by Cold War Steve

The Houses of Parliament is a building with profound symbolic power, and our politicians want to see themselves in that context, with that building as the backdrop to our lives. They don’t want to move into a normal building to work, like normal people do, while those vital repairs are made. For this reason - and as far as I can tell, only this reason - the plan is to do nothing a few more years yet.

This is the great curse of Britain - we are stuck with a ruling class who just aren’t good enough. They’re mediocre individuals who aren’t fit for difficult jobs. Yes, we’ll no doubt get a new government next year, and given that Sunak’s only policy is to make climate change worse, that’s vital. But the opposition are running on the slogan ‘We won’t fix anything!’, so it’s hard to be inspired. I’m as much for the preservation of historic buildings at the next man, but I can’t be alone in thinking that the symbolic jolt to the system of a burning Houses of Parliament lighting up the night sky would do us all the world of good.

Imagine a junior minister, raised since childhood to expect power and importance, facing the humiliation of the coming polls and pacing the corridors of the crumbling building they will soon be evicted from. If you’re convinced you’re fated to be the next Winston Churchill, the reality of your failings would be very difficult to accept. Yet even if you’re not going to be the next Churchill, you could still be the next Guy Fawkes. It’s Guy Fawkes night on Sunday. Maybe that will be the night.

by Jimmy Cauty

But who am I kidding - they’d probably fail at burning down the building as well. Ah well. One year, maybe. Happy Bonfire night regardless!

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SIGNED AND DEDICATED BOOKS FOR CHRISTMAS

I realised to my surprise that it’s been three years since I last offered individually signed copies of my books via my online shop. So I’m happy to announce that my Book Cupboard is once again open, stocked with piles of my latest paperbacks, including Love And Let Die, William Blake Vs The World and Watling Street - and a few oddities as well.

These are all for sale at regular price and I’ll individually sign and dedicate them for free. During checkout, you can leave instructions as to who you want the book signed to, or any particular message that you’d like - otherwise, they’ll just have a regular signature. That way you can get something unique as a Christmas gift for someone (someone who could be you, if you hint blatantly enough).

I’ll keep this going until early-mid December, so click here now and have a rummage!

I’ve no copies of The KLF, alas, but if you want a signed KLF then City Books in Hove have them.

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ELSEWHERE

Here’s a few recent or upcoming books you should be aware of. If your life is lacking those moments of calm that we need and deserve, then How to Find Calm in Five Minutes a Day is a little book by my wife Joanne Mallon that will do you the world of good. And perhaps make the ideal gift for any perpetually wound up family members you may have visiting this Christmas…

I loved Richard Norris’ memoir Strange Things Are Happening - it’s not out until next spring, but it’s available for pre-order now, including a limited version with a CD. Richard’s first-hand accounts of working with people like Genesis P-Orridge, Joe Strummer and Robert Fripp are highly illuminating, as are his stories of the The Grid and the birth of Acid House. It’s a reminder of why underground music is vital, and it has one of the best book covers for years, so look out for it!

Finally, back in 1987 Ken Campbell narrowly missed out on becoming the seventh Doctor Who, but in the Universe Next Door he got the gig. Now we can see what a Campbell Christmas Doctor Who annual would have been like, as the Lost Doctor crew and Peakrill Press have set up a Kickstarter to publish exactly that. It’s nearing its target, but why not give it an extra push to get it over the line?

That’s enough from me - although excitingly MY NEXT BOOK will be announced in just over three weeks, on November 23rd. I wonder if there’s any significance there? Happy Hallowe’en all!

jhx