You Have Been Watching...The Wicker Man

In the winter of 1977 the film magazine Cinefantastique dedicated an entire issue to a largely forgotten 1973 movie The Wicker Man, calling it 'the Citizen Kane of horror movies'. With hindsight, this can be seen as the moment that the fortunes of The Wicker Man began to change and a film that was poorly received by many critics when it was released became, by the turn of the century, considered by many to be one of the best British films ever made. Against all the odds The Wicker Man endured.

The reason for its growing reputation can be found in that Cinefantastique quote. Audiences went thinking they were going to see a horror movie, but it is so much more than that. It is too simple to see this as a film which pits good against evil. It is about the nature of faith and religion. It places one belief system against another, and depicts the terror that such a clash can bring.

The tension between the locals' paganism and the visiting Sergeant Howie's Christianity is at the heart of the movie and is exemplified when the islanders sing the traditional English medieval folk song 'Summer Is Icumen In' while Howie tries to drown them out with 'Psalm 23'. In fact music and ritual are central to the film, and just as it is said that the devil has all the good tunes, so the pagans seem to be having all the fun on their home of Summerisle. Original songs such as the lovely 'Willow's Song' sit alongside well known folk tunes and traditional adaptations, and there are May Day festivities, maypole rituals and fertility dances throughout the film. The music and dance of the island is in stark contrast to Howie's Calvinistic restraint.

The Wicker Man is classic 'cult' material, particularly as it brought together people who were on the fringe of popular culture. Ingrid Pitt was best known for Hammer Horror bodice rippers. Britt Eckland was partner to chanter and tartan clad footie fan Rod Stewart between her marriages to Peter Sellers and the great Slim Jim Phantom. Lyndsay Kemp, who plays the landlord of The Green Man pub in the film, is best known for teaching mime to a young David Bowie. Barbara Rafferty and Tony Roper went on to gain TV infamy as Ella and Jamesie Cotter on BBC Scotland's Rab C. Nesbitt and Diane Cilento was briefly Mrs Sean Connery before marrying Anthony Shaffer, the man who wrote the screenplay for The Wicker Man. The stories that were played out behind the scenes were more complex than that of the film itself. Here is the trailer:

The film's sheer oddness could have been unbearably camp if it was not for how serious the lead actors take the film. The Wicker Man is carried by Christopher Lee as Lord Summerisle and the late Edward Woodward as the devout Sergeant Howie. Woodward in particular was never better. They are the representatives of the opposing belief systems. It is interesting that neither men are completely likable, or indeed admirable. Where they are matched is in their certainty that their respective Gods will prove victorious over the other. Theirs is a contest of faith.

Christopher Lee was a real mover in getting the movie made, and, although he thinks that the final cut was a shadow of the film that could have been, he still views Lord Summerisle as his greatest ever performance. Here is the man himself talking about the movie and its critical reception:

The Wicker Man still divides opinions today, but as The New York Times recently said in a review of Christopher Nolan's Inception 'any film worth arguing about is worth seeing'. Many view it as the worst pseudo pagan nonsense, many as a deeply unpleasant film, many just think it daft. I can appreciate all of these points of view, and although I'm a fan I admit it is more difficult to pin down why it has become such a widely loved film. My theory is that it taps into a desire for times past, a folk idyll that never really existed.

Anthony Shaffer's script uses a whole range of pagan ritual and rites including Celtic, Middle English, Eastern European, ancient Greek, Roman and Egyptian as well as those of the supernatural. This pick and mix approach to paganism and mysticism was one that had taken hold in the Western world in the late 1960s and saw a renaissance in the 1990s and again in the present day. The success of festivals, such as The Wickerman Festival which is held in Dumfries and Galloway every year, and the vogue for all things folk in contemporary music (many purveyors of which cite The Wicker Man soundtrack as being a strong influence) give yet more clues as to why the film continues to fascinate and find new followers. Summerisle is not simply an island out of time, but very much of the time. This is a contemporary commentary as well as being fantasy.

The strength of the final acts of the film should never be overlooked when considering its appeal. Some times a good shock is all the audience demands. Occurring in broad daylight (much maligned director Robin Hardy's masterstroke) what unfolds is genuinely shocking, and a community who we have previously viewed as mischievous, playful and even childish, but rarely truly threatening, turn out to be all too ready to destroy. Perhaps that is what appeals so much about the film? The audience is seduced into believing that these people are ultimately harmless, and that the received law of the (main)land, whether Christian or otherwise, will win out in the end. It is what they had come to expect in their movies. It is these final scenes that have given the film its tag of 'horror movie', and understandably so. Few other films leave such an impression.

Swiftly passing over Neil LaBute's 2006 remake/remodel which can only be of interest to Nicholas Cage and bad movie fans, there has yet to be a sequel to The Wicker Man. Anthony Shaffer did write a treatment for one, the transcript of which can be found in the appendices of Allan Brown's excellent book Inside The Wicker Man (see Wicker Man Revisited...) but this never came to pass.

There is, however, a film called The Wicker Tree currently in post production and which sees the story of The Wicker Man come full circle. Although it claims not to be a sequel, it is based on the aforementioned Robin Hardy's novel Cowboys for Christ and he also directs it. It is also due to star Christopher Lee, although I'll believe it when I see it. In fact I won't be holding my breath for the film's première. It is scheduled to be released this year but as yet has no trailer or accompanying website. So far this poster (above) is the only concrete evidence of its existence. And it should remain that way. The original Wicker Man was a film that worked despite itself. It was a glorious accident. To try and replicate its success would be like trying to bottle lightning.

Wicker Man Revisited...

1973's The Wicker Man is a film that tends to divide opinion amongst viewers along the lines of love/hate. Some claim that not only is it Britain's greatest horror movie, but its greatest movie of any genre. Others say it is not a horror movie at all, and some would happily take every copy of the film and bury it in a landfill, which, according to one of the many myths surrounding the film, actually happened to the 'director's cut' now apparently to be found somewhere deep under the M3 motorway. This is just one of the distracting stories that appear in Allan Brown's recently updated book Inside The Wicker Man which is tellingly subtitled 'How Not to Make a Cult Classic'.

The book details the life and times of an extraordinary movie, from the film's genesis as an adaptation of David Pinner's cult 1967 novel The Ritual by writer Anthony Shaffer (who had seen his last screenplay Sleuth, a 1972 film starring Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine become a surprise hit), to its current status as one of the most talked about films of the 1970s. What drives both the film and the book is Shaffer's dysfunctional relationship with the first time director Robin Hardy. The general feeling that comes through from all of those involved (except, unsurprisingly, Hardy) is summarised by Christopher Lee who says that Shaffer's script was the best that he ever read, so good that even Hardy's haphazard direction failed to destroy the writer's vision. Hardy comes across as a man out of his depth and reliant on the talent of others, but he has had, and continues to have, an important role in the tale of The Wicker Man.

Lee is the other central character in this tale. In the early seventies he was determined to shed the constricting cloak of Dracula and for people to regard him as he regarded himself; one of England's greatest screen actors. He fought not only for the film to be made, but offered to pay critics to see it. He believes that his role as Lord Summerisle (see above) is his greatest screen performance. This is put into perspective as he claims that his second greatest was as Dr Catheter in Gremlins 2: A New Batch. I'm hoping that this is an example of a bone dry sense of humour, but I'm not sure it is. What is obvious is that The Wicker Man would not be what it is without Lee.

The detail that Allan Brown goes into is impressive, and all the main player's points of view are represented. This, while thorough, means that the reader is often left to come to their own conclusions as to the truth of the matter, such as how Britt Eckland really felt about the use of a body double for her 'dance' scenes (she was apparently more annoyed that her voice had been dubbed in the final film), or to what extent the film's iconic final scene was down to a vigilant cameraman rather than a directorial flourish. It is the making of the film that provides the most involving and instructive anecdotes. The book dips in interest as it nears the end, probably because success is rarely as entertaining as struggle to avoid failure, but like the film it delivers a powerful ending in the form of the various appendices. Here Brown details the staging of the film, various reviews of the film, the cast and crew and, most interestingly, Anthony Shaffer's treatment for a sequel which is set immediately after the first film. It could have been the most bonker's film ever made, (although that title was grabbed for good in 2006; see below), but it is fascinating to see how Shaffer saw the story progressing.

This is a book that is not only for fans of the film, but for fans of all film, especially if you have thoughts of making one. It is a great guide as to what can go wrong in the making, publicising and distributing of a film. It also shows that a film which has not been initially well received can still be a success when it is reassessed and discovered by future cineastes. The Wicker Man has, in popular parlance, been on a journey from second billing on a double bill with Nicolas Roeg's Don't Look Now, to being voted the sixth greatest British film in Total Film Magazine, and had respected periodical Cinefantastique calling it 'the Citizen Kane of horror movies'. Even then it is a film that cannot be simply labelled a 'horror' movie. As this book so expertly explains, it is so much more than that.

And what of the film itself? It may be a case of putting the cart before the horse but I'm going to be looking at The Wicker Man as the next 'You Have Been Watching...', and it will appear on these pages over the next couple of days. Just so we are clear, it will be the 1973 original, but in 2006 Neil LaBute, director of critically appreciated films such as In The Company of Men and Your Friends and Neighbours, teamed up with Nicholas Cage (Oscar winner, lest we forget) to remake The Wicker Man and set it in the Pacific North West of America. Brown deals with this in a chapter in his book, but suffice to say here it is one of the most risible pieces of movie making in the early part of this century, against quite a lot of competition. Losing a lot of the clash of religious ideology that is central to the success of the original, it appears to be a comment on the emasculation of modern man, and,of course, it blames the women for this state of affairs. LaBute had successfully dealt with questions of misogyny and gender roles in the black comedies mentioned above, but this is only funny if viewed as the broadest of slapstick and farce. Here are some of the film's 'best bits' which back up this point of view:

Allan Brown's next book is a biography of The Blue Nile called Nileism: The Strange Course of The Blue Nile. As those of you who've been reading Scots Whay Hae! for a long time will know, this makes me very excited. It is due to be published in September so expect a review on these pages soon.

You Have Been Watching...Local Hero

We can quibble about what is Scotland's greatest film or who is our greatest director, but it is difficult to refute that Bill Forsyth's run of his four 'Scottish' films have never been equaled. From his debut That Sinking Feeling, through Gregory's Girl and Comfort and Joy before finishing off in fine style with Local Hero I can't think of many directors who can boast this hit rate in their work. Maybe Woody Allen (Sleeper to Manhattan) or Martin Scorsese (Taxi Driver to The King of Comedy). These are the directors in whose company Bill Forsyth belongs. Certainly no Scot can claim such a run to match this, indeed few are given the opportunity.

Local Hero marked the end of one period for Forsyth, and the beginning of another, one which I would claim is underrated. It is easy to see that this was always meant to be the film that sold him to Hollywood. It was certainly his first international film. Using a completely unscientific hunch I think that people from Scotland usually say that Gregory's Girl is their favourite Forsyth film, and those from outside often prefer Local Hero. The film feeds into the Kailyard mythology to a significant extent, while also subverting it. The viewer is lured in with typical Scottish imagery, and leaves with a new take on the country and its culture.

Local Hero sees Forsyth at his peak, and his mixture of charm, self deprecation and subversion of an audiences expectations was applied to those thorny questions of belonging and home. We have Peter Rieger's 'MacIntyre' who is sent by his star-struck boss Burt Lancaster to Scotland as he will be able to relate to 'his people', even though his people are actually from Hungary and changed their name so that they could better fit in in their new home of the USA. The locals of the village of Ferness are whip smart, and see profit to be made from the US money men, particularly Denis Lawson's 'Gordon Urquhart'. This character could have been an unlikable smart arse but with this actor that was never going to happen. Perhaps Scotland's most underrated screen actor Lawson plays Urquhart with a mix of self satisfaction, confidence, and easy going charm. It is the key piece of casting in the film. Here's the trailer:

Of course this is also the breakout film for one Peter Capaldi. His role as MacIntyre's Scottish sidekick 'Oldsen' is so far removed from his most famous recent role as Malcolm Tucker to make you think these are different actors, but actually it is not too far a leap to imagine that this young suit who is on the bottom rung of the corporate ladder could become the hard nosed, foul mouthed, spin doctor that we encounter in The Thick of It and In The Loop. Not a particularly nice leap to make, but not an impossible one. Capaldi represents the innocence of the film, along with Jenny Seagrove's Selkie like 'Marina'. Rather than his wide eyed optimism being perverted by the company man, it is MacIntyre who becomes more like Oldsen. He begins to see beauty and the promise of contentment in this rural life. Here are some of the most uplifting moments from the film:

Bill Forsyth hasn't made a film since 1999's Gregory's Two Girls, which is not as bad as its reputation may have you believe, and has only made 9 in total. I miss him. Any one who loves film should miss him. But if he never makes another movie he has still left us with more positive, individual and alternative images of modern Scotland than most of our writers, poets and artists can boast. He changed the way we see ourselves and how others see us, in both cases for the better. Not just a Local Hero, but a national one.

Edwin Morgan (1920-2010)

I had started to write about being in and around Edinburgh this week, the usual kind of 'what I did on my holidays piece', when I heard the news that Edwin Morgan had died. Morgan was the first Scottish poet, in fact the first poet, who meant something to me.

Like many Scots, I first encountered him in the classroom, and In The Snack Bar. Not many things from my schooldays have stayed with me, and certainly nothing to the extent of this poem. I only need to think about it and I'm transported back to that Snack Bar with all the accompanying sounds, smells and atmosphere. The plight of the blind man with his 'dismal hump' and face never seen, the voyeuristic nature of those watching, and those reading, and the uncomfortable relationship between young and old; between hope and despair. It takes some poem to stir the emotions of a 14 year old teenage boy who spent most of his time staring out the window, but here it was and Morgan had me hooked.

Over the years I have read his work with awe, from his early collections such as The Vision of Cathkin Braes, through the concrete poetry of the 60s, to his sonnets and the translations into Scots (his Cyrano de Bergerac is a particular favourite). Considering his published work spanned over 50 years the unrelenting quality is astonishing, and some of his best work was to be found in 2007's A Book of Lives. But for all his variety and mastery over form and subject I think that where he was at his best was as writer of poetry concerning love, whether in, out, or in that limbo in between the two. Few have ever managed it better.

Consistently brilliant, intellectual and intimate, charming and challenging, humorous and humble. Edwin Morgan was all of these things and so much more. In tribute to him fellow poet and friend Liz Lochhead said that Morgan was 'pro-life', and I can't think of a better summary of the man and his work. There are really only three poets that I look forward to their new material as I do with my favourite authors. One is Tom Leonard, another Don Patterson and the other died yesterday. The world is a less beautiful place today.

Edinburgh Exchange: An Interview with Rodge Glass

For the second of these Edinburgh interviews we move from the Fringe to the Book Festival and someone who has worn a few different hats to Charlotte Square over the years. Rodge Glass has appeared previously as novelist, biographer and journalist. His debut novel No Fireworks (2005) was nominated for a number of awards, including the Saltire First Book Award and 2008 saw the publication of his second Hope for Newborns as well as his very personal and insightful biography of one of Scotland's greatest writers; Alasdair Gray: A Secretary's Biography. He has become as much of a festival fixture as the Spiegeltent.

This year he is back as the editor of The Year of Open Doors, a collection of short stories by an array of writers, many of whom are also appearing at this year's festival. It was reviewed on these pages recently (see The Year of Open Doors...) and there are three specific events which are 'Open Doors' related on the 21st, 22nd and 30th, details of which can be found below. Suffice to say that if you want to see and hear a wide collection of new and established writers the place to find them in the greatest number will be at these readings. If you can only pick one of these to attend I recommend making it the night of the 30th which rounds of the festival and which will feature music to accompany the poetry and prose.

Just in case you think that he is slacking in old age he is also reading his own work alongside Jen Hadfield and Eleanor Thom at 3.30pm of the 30th. I wonder what he fears may happen if he were to fall idle? With more music promised from his band Burnt Island, a third novel on the way and the publication of the graphic novel Dougie's War on September 26th Glass is obviously terrified of wasting time. Luckily that work ethic meant that he was willing to answer a few questions about Book Festivals past and present for Scots Whay Hae!:

SWH: You’re a bit of a veteran of the Edinburgh Book Festival now, what’s your favourite memory or moment of Festivals past?

RG: Definitely seeing Chuck Palahniuk a couple of years ago. It was a sold out one in the big main venue and he blew up, then threw around sex dolls. Not very reverential, but people loved him. Extremely charismatic, no bullshit, very positive, fun, but not afraid to be serious sometimes.

SWH: Who are you most looking forward to seeing this year?

RG: I really want to see Robert Alan Jamieson, though I don’t know if I’ll be able to. His new novel Da Happie Laand is coming out on Luath Press I think….he’s a really underrated Scottish writer of the 80s and 90s, and this is his first book in 15 years. He’s been working on this for that long. We should treasure talents like Alan Jamieson. He’s responsible for encouraging many young Scottish writers when they most needed it. Kevin MacNeil is a great example of that.

SWH: You’re heavily involved in The Year of Open Doors short story collection. Can you outline and explain the events at the Festival that are linked to the book?

RG: Well, we have three events – one, on the 21^st, is a straight ahead book festival event. We have Micaela Maftei, a brilliant new writer, along with Kevin MacNeil and Doug Johnstone, doing short readings and discussing the book with me. Then we have two events as part of the new Unbound stand taking place in the Spiegeltent in the event. We have two Open Doors nights: the first is on August 22^nd, with the likes of Kapka Kassabova, Sophie Cooke and Helen Lynch (there’ll be lots of us that night, all doing short turns), and then on the big final night party, Alan Bissett, Ryan Van Winkle with literature, and my band Burnt Island and Adrian Crowley playing music. That’s the launch for our Chemikal Underground audiobook, which I’m really excited about. That should be a real belter. Get yer tickets early folks! (Please excuse the salesman talk…force of habit…)

SWH: Can you say anything about future projects that you are working on, either fiction or otherwise?

RG: The next one is Dougie’s War, a comic coming out on Freight Publishing, they of Gutter Magazine – it’s published on September 16^th and we’ll be doing events for that over the autumn and winter, and hopefully further on too. It’s really a book about PTSD – a soldier’s return from Afghanistan to Glasgow. The artwork is by a fantastically talented artist called Dave Turbitt, who we’ve borrowed from a certain rather successful BBC sci fi show….

SWH: How important do you feel that book festivals have become in the promotion of literature?

RG: Very. You’re expected to take your work to the world now, and as Scotland has so many festivals, you have to be part of it to remain relevant, I think. Also, that has an impact on the work itself, as it can become more direct from the influence of having to perform it. I like that development. I think it’s been good for my writing. You can’t just hide away in yer garret and pray for cult staus to come along….you have to engage, with readers and publishers, with people who read and love books.

Rodge Glass and Scots Whay Hae! 13/8/10

Rodge Glass's books are available from Amazon and all good book shops.

All information on The Year of Open Doors can be found at cargopublishing and it can be purchased here.

You can find all about the music of Burnt Island at chaffinchrecords .

You Have Been Watching...Shallow Grave

Before Trainspotting there was Shallow Grave, Scotland's filmic John the Baptist if you like. The 1980s had been pretty barren in terms of Scottish cinema, Bill Forsyth aside. Even those films that were being made, such as the previously featured Restless Natives and Soft Top, Hard Shoulder (see Restless Natives and Soft Top, Hard Shoulder, rarely seen...) did not do significant box office. By the early 90s the term Scottish Film Industry could almost have been seen as one that belonged to another age. Many credit the success of all things Trainspotting as having revived it, but that film would not have been made, at least as it was, if it was not for the team of Boyle, Hodges and MacDonald's earlier success. The Scottish film industry needed something to wake it up, and that something was Shallow Grave.

Like Trainspotting it is an ensemble piece, and the casting is spot on. Ewan McGregor is perfect as the arrogant and self obsessed Alex, turning his shit eating grin up to eleven, but he is more than matched by Kerry Fox as Juliet, who plays with Alex like a cat playing with a particularly smug mouse. The real standout is Christopher Eccleston as David, who portrays a man losing his mind with restrained glee (and yes, that is possible). This was before his career making roles in Cracker and Our Friends in the North, but it was clear from Shallow Grave, and his role as Derek Bentley in 1991's underrated film Let Him Have It, that this was a hugely talented actor, someone who can make you feel sympathy and repulsion in the same scene. Some may say that David's decent into madness is too fast to be realistic, but Eccleston manages to hint that this unravelling has begun long before the audience meets him. Here's the trailer, which is one of those annoying ones that almost gives the film away, so be warned:

But this is director Danny Boyle, producer Andrew MacDonald and writer John Hodge's film. From the strains of Leftfield and the cinematic rush through the streets of Edinburgh's New Town of the titles we are made aware that this is a thoroughly modern movie. The opening scenes where the three flatmates interview prospective new lodgers has been often copied, for instance it is currently used to advertise sweeties, but never bettered and the use of their flat as a prop to heighten the tension is something that Hitchcock would be proud of. This was a piece of film making that used the techniques that had been developed for music videos and advertising, and a contemporary soundtrack, to great effect.

But this was not a case of style over substance. Make no mistake, this is a genuine horror/thriller movie. Some of the scenes would not be out of place in the Saw movies, but it is so much more than mere shock and awe. It is also a comment on the corrupting power of money. The central characters are all unlikeable right from the start, a brave move that was pretty rare at the time in mainstream movies. While it makes their subsequent actions believable, it does mean that you are willing them to receive their inevitable comeuppance. This sadistic voyeurism is another classic horror motif that lifts the film from pedestrian drama. Shallow Grave does not make for comfortable viewing.

As a debut film this is incredibly assured, although its importance is only clear with the benefit of hindsight. It is certainly debatable that Trainspotting would have been handed to this team without it, and I shiver when I think what a disaster that film could have been in other hands. Obviously most of the main players have gone on to greater success but there is something about Shallow Grave that is a little rough around the edges, and that's a good thing. By the time they got to Trainspotting you can tell that there was a lot more money to play with and if I have any criticism of that film it is that it is a little too polished. But that debate is for another day.

Edinburgh Preview: Book Festival Special...

The 2010 Edinburgh International Book Festival is on from the 14th August to the 30th at Charlotte Square so I think it's only right to give it its own preview. Every year there is a terrific line-up of names, there is always plenty to try and see, and there is usually at least one 'controversy'. Last year it was James Kelman's attack on 'genre' fiction (see Kelman v's Jakey;was that really a year ago?) where he complained that if Scotland had a Nobel prize for literature they:

"would give it to a writer of fucking detective fiction or else some kind of child writer or something that was not even news when Enid Blyton was writing the Faraway Tree because she was writing about some upper middle class young magician or some fucking crap."

You may or may not agree with the sentiments, but you've got to admit the man knows how to get noticed, and I believe that such debates are never a bad thing. As long as no one draws blood, of course.

But that was last year, and there are plenty of big name writers that have the possibility to make the headlines this year. Let's start with the best of the Scottish writers as it's quite a list. A.L. Kennedy, Alan Warner, Andrew O'Hagan, Anne Donovan, Denise Mina, Louise Welsh, Alan Bissett, Ali Smith and Alasdair Gray (left) are just a few of the better known Scots writers who are featured, and I would recommend listening to, and reading, any of them.

There are also newer names appearing, and often they are the more interesting people to see and hear as sometimes readers can fall into the trap of sticking with what we know, or who we know. There is nothing finer than discovering a writer at the early stage of their careers, reading them before others discover what they're missing. It is important to try the new stuff, and a book festival is the best place to do that as you can listen to the readings and, in effect, try before you buy. I would recommend Nora Chassler, Jason Donald and Kirstin Innes as great writers to start with.

There are also plenty of writers based outside Scotland who are appearing, both writers of fiction and non. One who is a must see is Will Self (left) who appears on the 29th and the 30th Aug. Self is one of the great raconteurs and you're guaranteed more than simply a reading from his latest work. However, sometimes his notoriety overshadows the fact that he is perhaps the best British novelist of the last two decades. If you haven't read Great Apes then you really should, and grab his book of short stories Grey Area while you're at it.

Other novelists who are in attendance this year and are always worth catching include Roddy Doyle, Howard Jacobson, A.S. Byatt and JeanneteWinterson, and there are some first time novelists who have made their name in other fields whose stories should be worth listening to. I would particularly point you in the direction of Guardian journalist Laura Barton(appearing with Raphael Selbourne on the 15th) and actress Emily Woof (The Full Monty, Velvet Goldmine and This Year's Love) whose debut The Whole Wide Beauty has already been well reviewed. She is in Edinburgh on the 16th.

As well as prose there is plenty of poetry on offer. Kathleen Jamie, Carol Ann Duffy, Jackie Kay and Ruth Padel are just a few recommended names, but I'll draw particular attention to three of my favourite poets. Seamus Heaney appears on the 24th and Don Paterson reads from his latest collection Rain on the 30th, and which I looked at earlier in the year (see Patter Merchant...). Someone who straddles both worlds of poetry and prose is the Edinburgh Makar Ron Butlin who appears alongside his wife and fellow writer Regi Claire on the 15th. For those who don't know he wrote the novella The Sound of My Voice, which is one of Scottish literature's best kept secrets.

There are also some non-fiction highlights to mention. On the opening Saturday (14th) Allan Brown will appear with some of the cast of The Wicker Man, a film that he explores in incredible detail in his book Inside the Wicker Man (and which will be reviewed in these pages very soon). Brown's book is subtitled 'How Not to Make a Cult Classic' and he has interviewed many of those involved who often give very different accounts of the circumstances surrounding the film. His task was to sift through the substantial mythology and self aggrandising that surrounds the film to try and uncover something close to the truth. It's a terrific read, particularly if you're interested in how the film business works. If you get the chance you may want to ask him about his forthcoming book on The Blue Nile, Nileism: The Strange Course of The Blue Nile, which is something I can't wait to read.

There are lots of 'events' at the festival, and if you want a bit of political debate you should try and get tickets for What Will the Big Society Look Like, which will attempt to predict what a Cameronian Britain will entail. The panel includes David Aaronovitch, Oliver James, Sir Menzies Campbell and will be chaired by Magnus Linklater. If you like a bit of cultural crossover then you should attend the Unbound section of the festival which is billed as being nights of 'stories, music and literary entertainment' and is completely free. Held at the Spiegeltent every night, the idea is to try and explore new ways of communicating poetry and prose. You can download the full programme here. If you can only make one of these nights then I suggest you wait until the 30th when Chemikal Underground join with the team who brought us The Year of Open Doors (see The Year of Open Doors...) for the launch of the accompanying audio book, and features performances from Burnt Island, Adrian Crowley, Ryan Van Winkle, Alan Bissett and many more including a secret special guest. It promises to be a great finish to the festival.

This selection only touches what is offer so you should go to the site to check what else is available (all details and dates can be found at http://www.edbookfest.co.uk/), but it is an increasingly popular festival so book as early as possible to avoid disappointment. Here's the festival director Nick Barley with his five innovations for this year to whet your appetite:

Edinburgh Exchange: An Interview with Andrew Collins

While previews and reviews of Edinburgh's various festivals are fine they only tell one side of the story, that of the spectator. What of the other side of this relationship. What are the thoughts of those who participate in Edinburgh from the stage looking out?

Andrew Collins has been a constant part of my adult life, first as a music journalist on the NME, then as movie critic on EMPIRE magazine, and then back to music with Q magazine at a time when both our musical tastes had matured. Along the way he would all too sporadically appear on my TV and radio, usually with other culturally influential figures such as David Quantick and Stuart Maconie. He also wrote for EastEnders at the time when I used to watch it. Even now he has a regular column for The Word magazine, which is without doubt my desert island publication, so is still integral to what I listen to, see, and read.

In 2003 he wrote the autobiographical Where Did it All Go Right?, which I bought without knowing anything other than it was a childhood memoir, but with a sense that I wanted to know more about this man who had guided me through the good and bad of 90s music. It had the subheading 'growing up normal in the 70s', and that's exactly what had happened to me. This was a childhood journal that celebrated normality, whatever that may be, and didn't view a happy upbringing as something to be ashamed of.

It was certainly a refreshing alternative to the shelves of 'misery lit' that were popular at the time. That's not to lessen Dave Pelzer's, FrankMcCourt's or any individuals suffering, but it was important to realise, at a time when such books were everywhere, that theirs was not the only story around. Once I had read the book I bought a copy for my brother and insisted that he read it. Luckily he loved it as much as I did. Without wishing to labour the point, here was someone who said something to me about my (young) life, and I find that there is a comfort in recognition that is hard to explain. I suppose it's always nice to know that others share your experiences, both the good and the bad.

Collins followed Where Did it All Go Right? with Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now, which dealt with his student life in the 80s and the problems of being a well adjusted and (largely) content young adult at a time when gloom and misery were the hip stances to assume, and That's Me in the Corner which gives an insight into his earlier years as a slightly bemused music and film journalist. Taken as a trilogy the books tell the insightful tale of how a boy from Northampton ended up, if not always dining at the top table, then dining near it.

For the last couple of years he has, amongst other things, been part of another partnership with comedian Richard Herring producing a weekly podcast recorded in Herring's house, and which has lead to the pair hosting a regular 6music Saturday morning radio show. For the third year they are bringing the Collings and Herrin podcast to Edinburgh where it can be found between the 11th-22nd at the GRV on Guthrie Street. He is also appearing as part of the Free Fringe in his first solo show Secret Dancing and Other Urban Techniques which can be found at Bannermans pub on Cowgate (under South Bridge) from now until the 21st. I highlighted both shows as part of my comedy preview (see Edinburgh Preview No1: Comedy...), but before he started his run he was kind enough to answer a few questions about the Edinburgh Fringe:

SWH: What is your favourite Edinburgh Festival memory or moment?

AC: I was quite excited when Steve Coogan came to see Lloyd Cole Knew My Father, the show I did with David Quantick and Stuart Maconie in 2001. Because I am shallow and easily pleased. Either that or getting a laugh during my warm-up for the live pilot of Banter for Radio 4 in 2005 (we couldn't afford a proper warm-up). It may be that the stand-up virus got into me on that very afternoon.

SWH: Who, or what, are you determined to see this year?

AC: I always see Stewart Lee, so Stewart Lee. I'm also looking forward to seeing Justin Edwards' Jeremy Lion character for the first time. And Gutted, the musical by Martin White and Danielle Ward, among whose cast are some of my friends. Never seen Mat Ricardo, gentleman juggler, except on YouTube, so must rectify that, too.

SWH: You're performing what I believe is your first solo show at this year's free Fringe as well as reprising the live podcasts with Richard Herring. Can you explain the concept behind Secret Dancing and Other Urban Survival Techniques ?

AC: Secret Dancing is just that: dancing to the music in your head on public transport without anybody noticing that you're dancing. It's very subtle. It's like pushing the dance inwards, dancing with your internal organs. I demonstrate the techniques, and hope for a volunteer or two to do it with me. This has proven a great success at gigs I've done with Richard, so it's all his fault that I'm doing this at all. He credits with me great confidence but no material. So I've written some material. I wonder if he'll like it? He is my unwilling mentor. As well as the dancing, which is mainly standing still to music, I ramble, genially I hope, about things that I have thought about while walking around in London, such as Masterchef and my own mortality.

SWH: You're also a writer and journalist. Have you considered adapting any of your autobiographical books into some form of live show?

AC: One section of the show, a true story that took place on the train from Surrey to London in about 2005, appears in my last book, That's Me In The Corner. But so few people bought the book, I think it will be new to most people. It involves thinking about my own mortality as I approached 40, and it's a story that couldn't be improved if you made it up. I think. It works because it touches on feelings many people have at milestone ages, as they get older, and who on a train can honestly say they haven't imaged being involved in a fatal train crash? Even though it happened to me, it has universal themes. I've realised, without meaning to, I've written a show in which almost everything is true. I wonder if that's to do with my background in journalism and non-fiction? Maybe.

SWH: Finally, what changes have you noticed at the Fringe over the years, and are they for the better?

AC: More shows, more people, more money. I first went up in 1989, and the Fringe brochure for that year is in black and white. One of the adverts for three reasonably well known alternative comics used passport photos. Most of the ads were handwritten. It's easy to become nostalgic for that pre-computer age and its quaintness, but I've noticed social networking grow over the last couple of years into a really useful tool, for performer and punter alike. Last year, I had two hours to kill, was on my own, and actually put the call-out on Twitter: anybody fancy a pint. A dangerous move, but hey, I met a gang of blokes, one of whom I'd been happily conversing with on Twitter anyway, and we had some beer, and it was a great, sociable way of spending two hours. I have a lot more followers this year, so I guess I should be more careful. But hey, if someone wanted to kill me, a crowded Edinburgh Fringe would not be the best place to do it.

Andrew Collins & Scots Whay Hae! 4/8/10

Andrew Collins' books are available from Amazon. and all good books shops (the few that remain)

The Collings and Herrin podcasts can be downloaded from iTunes and the British Comedy Guide

Their CD Earth, Wind, Fire and Water can only be purchased from gofasterstripe

You Have Been Watching...On A Clear Day

Peter Mullan is Scotland's best living actor. Discuss. Certainly there are few Scottish actors whose name I'm as glad to see appear on a film's credits. It means that even if the film isn't great, there will be something worth seeing.

His early roles were as gangland enforcers and hard men in TV series and films such as Jute City, Your Cheatin' Heart and, recently featured on these pages, The Big Man (seeYou Have Been Watching...The Big Man ). While he was heavily involved in Scottish theatre in the 1990s he was constantly working as a screen actor with small parts in some of Scotland's most successful films including Braveheart, Shallow Grave and Trainspotting.

But it wasn't until his lead role as Joe Kavanagh in Ken Loach's 1998 film My Name is Joe that his career as a character actor and even leading man took off. We'll look at My Name is Joe in the coming weeks, but it was here that audiences first fully realised that Mullan could take the big man persona, and marry it with a winning vulnerability. This is where he excels, being able to portray tangible masculinity with realistic, and often well hidden, decency and a sense of personal morality. There is something 'old school' about his acting and on screen persona. More and more I consider him Scotland's equivalent to Clint Eastwood which is as high praise as I could possibly give.

It is this persona that he brings to 2005 comedy/drama On A Clear Day. It's a tale of a man overcoming the loss of his job, trying, and failing, to deal with the strains within a family who have never quite dealt with shared tragedy, and who attempts to do something spectacular with his life. Here's the trailer:

It is a film with a premise which could have been unbearably crass, but it has that combination that most films are searching for, a good script, written by Alex Rose, married with a strong cast. As well as Mullan, there is Brenda Blethyn as his wife, Jamie Sives, who was in another of our featured films (see You Have Been Watching...Wilbur Wants to Kill Hims...) as his estranged son, and a strong supporting cast which includes faces that you know, but can't quite place. These include Jodhi May (brilliant in Stephen Poliakoff's Friends and Crocodiles), Benedict Wong (from Sean Lock's underrated sitcom 15 Storeys High) and Ron Cook (who played Parker in the live action version of Thunderbirds!). And there's also Billy Boyd.

It's interesting to take note of the career of Billy Boyd to date. It seems he is forever destined to reprise his role of Peregrine 'Pippin' Took in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy as the hapless, not too bright, comedy sidekick, and although he does this very well I would like to see him in some more varied roles. I just have the feeling that the man can act if only he was given the chance to prove it. But I could be wrong.

On A Clear Day deals with questions of gender roles, friendship and family with more subtlety and insight than you might expect. In lesser hands the characters could have been terrible stereotypes, but they all manage to avoid that fate. This is a warm and quite surprising film in the sense that you shouldn't be surprised by such a plot, but follow it all the way through nonetheless. You may be able to tell how it's going to end a mile off, but that doesn't matter. It's the journey rather than the destination that is important. Try it. I think you'll like it.

Edinburgh Preview No4:Miscellany...

As the Edinburgh Fringe gets under way this final preview will attempt to round up some of the acts and events that aren't so easy to categorise, or that I have overlooked.

First up is a bit of a personal hero, and someone everyone should see at least once in their lives. He is John Cooper Clarke. A performance poet who manages to be profound and funny he has survived changing times and fashions to perform constantly over the last 30 odd years. In the Fringe programme he is categorised as comedy, but anyone who familiar with his work knows that humour is only a small part of the package. Poems like Evidently Chickentown, I Wanna Be Yours and Beasley Street never lose their power. He is on between 13th and the 19th of August at the Udderbelly's Pasture in Bristo Square. Here he is many moons ago with the aforementioned Beasley Street:

Next up is a bit of ballet from Newcastle based balletLorent who make their Fringe debut at the Zoo Roxy (13th-21st) with Blood, Sweat and Tears, a performance which looks at how the new arrival of a child effects a young couple, physically, mentally and emotionally. Now ballet isn't always my thing, but I have it on very good authority that this company are well worth your £10 admission price (£8 for concessions). Their leader Liz Lorent was once choreographer for Scottish Dance Theatre, and this looks as if it could be one of the highlights of this year's Fringe. Here's a short clip:

And now, as they say, for something completely different. One of the recent growth sports in the western world is the roller derby. Its recently made the big screen with the Drew Barrymore directed movie Whip It, but there have been teams in Scotland for a few years now. One of the better known ones are Edinburgh's Auld Reekie's Roller Girls, and they are bringing their sporting mayhem to the Fringe as they present The Prisoner of Azkaslam. It is for one night only (7th Aug) when they take on the London Rockin' Rollers at Meadowbank Stadium and I think a good time for all will be guaranteed, especially if you are a fan of 1975 classic movie Rollerball.

I'm going to finish up with a bit of musical biography in the shape of Hit Me! The Life and Times of Iain Dury. Written by Jeff Merrifield, this production garnered rave reviews for its West End run, and even if you're not usually a musical fan you are guaranteed to hear some of the best tunes and lyrics of the late 20th century, and at least they are portraying a life worth such a musical tribute. It is on at the Gilded Balloon Teviot for the whole festival (check programme for exact details), but it will be at the Citizens Theatre in Glasgow for three nights in September (21st-23rd) so those who can't make Edinburgh, and are in or near Glasgow, can catch it then and 'toast his decline with some Thunderbird wine'. Here's the man himself with The Blockheads, including Wilco Johnson on guitar, doing Sweet Gene Vincent:

So ends my Edinburgh Fringe previews, although I will be writing about particular shows, both in preview and review, over the next few weeks. There will also be a preview of the Edinburgh Book Festival which starts on the 14th August, and at least one post reviewing some of the art exhibitions on in Edinburgh over August.

The Wasp Factory...

This month's Indelible Ink column is now available to browse over at .Dear Scotland and looks at Iain Banks' debut novel The Wasp Factory. Although Banks has gone on to produce one of the most eclectic, fulsome and successful bodies of work of recent times this book is still one of his best. It introduced the world to this slightly psychotic but always considered writer of fiction.

I think that Banks gets a bum deal from Scottish literary critics. I will admit that he is a writer that leans towards the excessive, not always a bad thing, and that some of his work can be, if not repetitive, then definitely familiar, but he is in no way formulaic. Even books that are structured similarly, such as The Crow Road and The Steep Approach to Garbadale, deal with very different philosophical and political questions.

I think it is better to think of Banks dealing with recurring themes, and looking at them anew every time. Moving outwards he examines the individual, the family, society and the concept of morality. Banks is one of the most intelligent and questioning of all contemporary Scottish writers, but this is often overshadowed by the violence, sex, drugs, rock n' roll and gore. All of these are in The Wasp Factory and if you've never read Banks, and I really think you should, then it is a good place to dip your toe in the sometimes murky water. You'll either fall in love, or never go near him again. It's always good to find out these things either way.

Next month's featured novel is another debut; Anne Donovan's 2003 book Buddha Da. This novel is a delight, particularly in its structure and characterisation. Donovan manages to write three narrators who always maintain their independence and voice. It is a, mostly, Glasgow set novel that doesn't require the accompanying 'gritty' to describe it and is a realistic depiction of an ordinary family who enter an extraordinary time in all of their lives. If I was the kind of person who gave one liners I would say it was 'the feel good Scottish novel of the noughties'. But I'm not.

The next 5 novels under discussion are:

Anne Donovan Buddha Da (Sept)

Alasdair Gray Lanark (Oct)

James Robertson The Fanatic (Nov)

James Kelman Kieron Smith, boy (Dec)

Suhayl Saadi Psychoraag (Jan)