You Have Been Watching...Carla's Song

I hadn't watched Carla's Song since I saw it in the cinema in 1996 and for some reason I'd forgotten just how good it is. I'm a huge Ken Loach fan and return to his films regularly, particularly Kes, Riff Raff, My Name is Joe, Sweet Sixteen and Raining Stones, yet it never occurred to me to revisit Carla's Song. That's been my loss as it's one of Loach's best.

It's also one of Robert Carlyle's best. Mainly due to the career making roles of Albie in Cracker and Trainspotting's Begbie Carlyle is often asked to play characters who if they are not obviously violent, have the capacity for terrible deeds. There is no doubt that the man can exude menace with ease, but I think he is at his most engaging when playing decent, and he is never more so than as George Lennox in Carla's Song, a man who takes it upon himself to be Carla's saviour and finds himself in a country and conflict he doesn't understand. 

He is matched by a beautiful performance from Oyanka Cabezasa as Carla, the mysterious woman who captures George's heart. This was her first and last film role which makes her performance all the more extraordinary as she expresses the raw pain that accompanies the terrible trauma she has suffered in her home, the war-torn country of Nicaragua. But this is not a one note performance, and in those moments when Cabezas' smile lights up the screen we can see the young woman that Carla was, and hopes to be again.

There is solid support from Gary Lewis as George's equally charming friend Sammy,  Louise Goodall as George's friend and fiancée Maureen, and particularly from Scott Glen as the ex-CIA man Bradley who is now helping the Sandinistas and reporting on the human rights atrocities that accompanied the conflict, and who is Eastwood tough as he tries to make George see just what he has wandered into. Glen is an American legend who has been in films as disparate as Nashville, Silence of the Lambs, Training Day and The Shipping News, and his casting here is inspired. But this is Carlyle and Cabezasa's movie, and there is a real chemistry between the two as they try to come to terms with their relationship, the horrors of Carla's past, and Nicaragua's present. 

The film is split into two distinct parts. The opening hour is shot in Glasgow, which Loach shoots as particularly grey. This lends an extra layer of contrast when Carla and George go to the tropical Nicaragua to try and lay Carla's ghosts to rest. It's key that the film is set in 1987, bang in the middle of the period in that country's  history when the war between the Sandinistas and the US backed Contras was at its height. Loach always comments politically in his films to a greater or lesser degree, and this is one of his most passionate statements. He manages to convey the human tragedy that accompanies all wars and which are too often overlooked. Loach is  a director who would never let Carla's Song fall into melodrama or allow it to be accused of over romanticising a complex subject.  There is a small piece of exposition when Bradley explains America's involvement to George and us, but, as usual, Loach would rather show than tell. Here is the trailer:

Ken Loach is one of the best film-makers of the last 50 years, and he obviously has an affinity with the West Coast of Scotland. As well as Carla's Song and the aforementioned My Name is Joe and Sweet Sixteen Loach has also chosen Scotland as the setting for Ae Fond Kiss and his forthcoming film The Angel's Share, which, like those earlier films, will be written by Paul Laverty. A new Loach film is always a reason for celebration, and I, for one, cannae wait.

The One Stop Shop for the Best In Books: A Warm Welcome to Birlinn & Polygon Books...

Scots Whay Hae! is delighted and honoured to announce the opening of The Birlinn and Polygon Book Shop, where you will be able to browse and buy the best in Scottish fiction and poetry, a wide selection of Cannongate Classics, and a collection of non-fiction which covers history, sport, comedy, film, music and so much more. 

Personal favourites include a selection of lesser known Robin Jenkins novels, Agnes Owens collected short stories and novellas, the full back catalogue of James Kelman, including short stories and essays, and the work of the underrated Gordon Legge. 

There's something for everyone. From the sublime, including classic Scottish texts such as Ane Satyre of the Thrie Estatis, The Confessions and Memoirs of a Justified Sinner and The House with the Green Shutters, to the faintly ridiculous, Stanley Baxter's Parliammo Glasgow, The Scottish Beer Bible and Glen Michael's Autobiography Life's a Cavalcade, there is a range of titles that is wide and exciting. Every month there will be a small selection of recommendations both from Scots Whay Hae! and the lovely people at Birlinn and Polygon (and I'm not just saying that, they really are). There will be new, and old, titles being added all the time so keep 'em peeled.

To visit find the link at the side of this page, or you can go straight there by clicking here Scots Whay Hae! & Birlinn. Happy shopping.

To see everything Birlinn and Polygon related head over to Birlinn where you'll be made most welcome.

You Have Been Watching...Orphans

After professing that Scottish cinema needs more light to accompany the shade, it may seem that I'm labouring the point by looking at Peter Mullan's début feature Orphans. At first viewing Orphans may seem like more grim and gritty Glaswegian fare, but to think that would be a mistake. This is the blackest of comedy, and where that often means simply 'not funny' this manages to judge the balance between tragedy and comedy perfectly. Mullan makes serious points about life, death, religion and family, but he also has the audience laughing out loud, often accompanied by the feeling that they really shouldn't. Orphans is a guilty pleasure in the sense that it makes you feel guilty while you are enjoying yourself.

It's an astonishingly assured first film, which is perhaps not that surprising when you consider not only the films in which Mullan had appeared by this point, but consider the directors who he had worked with such as David Leland, John Byrne, David Kane, Danny Boyle and Ken Loach. Anyone who was interested in directing could only learn good things from such a group of teachers.


Orphans was a multiple award winner on the festival circuit, including Best Film at the Venice Film Festival and it deserves every accolade it received. The plot centres around a family who have just lost their mother and examines their different reactions to this loss. The film has been compared to, and is surely inspired by, the writings of Dostoevsky, particularly The Karamazov Brothers. The central male performances by Douglas Henshall (who I'm not a huge fan of, but he is excellent here), Stephen McCole and particularly Gary Lewis are what lifts the film above more mundane black comedies and makes this one of the best Scottish films of recent times. Mullan shows here what has since become obvious; that there are few directors who can coax performances from actors as he can and I wonder if this is because his background is in the theatre. Whatever the reason he manages to get wonderful turns from all his actors no matter what their experience or standing.

Gary Lewis has built an impressive career after taking up acting at the relatively late age of 32. From his début film appearance in Shallow Grave he has been in My Name Is Joe, Billy Elliot, Gangs of New York, Ae Fond Kiss and the Irvine Welsh scribed Ecstasy as well as consistently appearing on TV. In Orphans he is big brother Thomas who becomes the head of the family once his mother dies and he takes this role with psychotic seriousness. Thomas is the film personified in the sense that we feel sympathy and empathy for him, but often laugh at the absurdity of his actions. In his desire to respect his mother in death as he did in life he goes to ridiculous extremes, fighting against often supernatural barriers, to fulfil her last wishes as he sees them. Mullan suggests that Thomas is being 'tested' by God, and if you believe this reading then you have to admit this test betrays a sick sense of humour.

But this is not a Boy's Own story. For all the brother's bickering the heart of the film is to be found in Rosemarie Stevenson's role as their disabled sister Sheila. She is distraught at her mother's death but finds it hard to be heard against her explosive brothers. While they are desperately trying to do what they each feel is the 'right thing' Sheila is left behind, at least at first, to deal with her terrible sense of loss. It's a heartbreaking performance. You can watch the whole film on You Tube, but here are the films opening scenes:

Family is a complicated business, and this is something that Mullan clearly understands. Every one has a familial role which has been created and agreed upon over the years and after a while there is an accepted expectation that those roles will be fulfilled. It often takes a tragedy to shake the family dynamic and this is what Orphans depicts. When people talk about Scottish cinema Orphans is often overlooked, I've done it myself, and that is unfair. Perhaps in the wake of the critical success of Mullan's recent NEDS it will be reassessed. Certainly the aspects of his filmaking that have now become familiar are all there. The magical realism, the easy and unsettling switches between violence and calm, and the struggle to become an adult, which means something different to each of us, are all present. If you liked NEDS then you must track down Orphans as I think it's a better film, in fact it's one that everyone would benefit from viewing.

Scream If You Want To Go Faster: How Screamadelica Changed The World...

There are certain albums that change our perception of what music can do. Think of Elvis Presley's 1956 debut, The Beatles Revolver, The Beach Boy's Pet Sounds, The Sex Pistols Never Mind the Bollocks and Public Enemy's It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back. To that list should be added Primal Scream's 1991 album Screamadelica. Like those other albums named it was visionary, what sets it apart is that the vision didn't come from anyone in the band. Even the most ardent Primal Scream fan, and the band themselves, would admit that this is Andrew Weatherall's record. Yes they wrote the songs, but in terms of how the record sounds The Screamers were just delighted to enjoy the ride. And how.

There were other albums of the time that married rock and dance music, most notably The Happy Monday's Pills, Thrills and Bellyaches, The Stone Roses' The Stone Roses, Jesus Jones' Liquidizer and even The Soup Dragon's Lovegod, all of who got there first, but Screamadelica was something else. Its seeds were sown in Primal Scream's second, self titled, album Primal Scream which couldn't have been further away from the burgeoning House scene of the late 80s. While many people were dancing the night away to Derek May and Kevin Saunderson the Scream were unashamedly trying to be the MC5 and The Stooges. Songs like Ivy, Ivy, Ivy and Gimme, Gimme Teenage Head were no nonsense power pop and the band were head to toe in leather. The album bombed, (unfairly in my view) but found enough discerning listeners to spread the word. One of those who heard something they liked was Andrew Weatherall. He took Robert Young's closing riff to I'm Losing More Than I Ever Had, the best song on Primal Scream, and he turned it into something completely different, namely the song Loaded, which saved the Scream from being a footnote in music history and turned them into game changers. This is Loaded:

At first the band were less than keen with this change of direction. The idea of dancing being anathema to their indie aesthetic, but once they tasted the scene and all it had to offer they soon changed that attitude. It may be pushing a point to say that the band went from being MC5 to being The Monkees, but there is no doubt that they were the public face of the rock/dance crossover, a role they embraced with indecent enthusiasm, while Weatherall created the sounds that would not only define this record but would define the musical times.

What makes Screamadelica stand apart from those mentioned earlier is just how daring it often is. The album has become so well known now that it's easy to forget how fresh and new it sounded. The central track is Higher Than the Sun which redefines the term bliss. It captures the  feel that would be as important as the more attention grabbing upbeat songs. Let's not pretend that ecstasy was not important in the making and reception of this recording and Screamadelica captures the highs and, if you were lucky, mellow lows that accompanied the use of that drug. It's an interesting point that many of the albums and movements that took music in a different direction often were fired by various substances. Revolver and Pet Sounds are linked to acid, Punk had speed, and the late 80s and early 90s saw ecstasy gain wide popularity in clubs. Of course it was not required to make music, but for a while it seemed that way. But the success of Screamadelica cannot be explained so simply, it made a difference beyond the clubs where its sound was formed. This is Higher Than the Sun:

Listening to Screamedlica 20 years on it's surprising just how well its aged, but then a great record should remain a great record for all time, of its time yet timeless. From the opening guitar of Movin' On Up to the gentle electronica of Shine Like Stars this is just a phenomenal piece of music. Primal Scream and Andrew Weatherall have gone on to make other great records, XTRMNTR and Sabresonic respectively, but they would never capture a moment as they did with Screamadelica. If you don't own this album buy it, everyone else should dig it out and give it an anniversary play. It is simply magic.

Here is Shine Like Stars. It seems appropriate to end this way:

You Have Been Watching...Red Road

I've been having a few conversations recently about how Scotland's current cultural reliance on grim and gritty urban (and increasingly rural) fiction has reached the point of overkill. That particular alcoholic and violent shark has been well and truly jumped. If Scotland's cultural palette becomes brighter as well as broader then that is surely a positive thing, but we should be wary of endorsing a form of cultural positive discrimination. Some of the great Scottish art comes from the grim aesthetic. In film alone we have recently had NEDS, 16 Years of Alcohol and Ratcatcher all of which deserved to find an audience. One of the best films of the last 10 years, Red Road, was set in one of the more notorious areas of Glasgow, specifically the Red Road flats from which the film takes it's name, and it's the perfect setting.

Sometimes a film comes along that unsettles the audience and makes them face how far they would go in their own reaction to tragic events. By confronting people with a terrible scenario Red Road asks difficult questions in the most honest and non-sensational manner imaginable. This is not about the revenge of the vigilante, or about portraying a justifiable revenge fantasy. Its refusal to bow to sentimentality is what sets it apart from other movies that deal with similar themes. There is a pivotal sex scene which is central to the film, but is never sensational or exploitative. It is a scene which sums up the film as it reminds us just how different things could have been in the hands of a different director. 

The film's grim backdrop makes for a fairly blank canvas and the cast step up to give often unbearably emotive performances. Everything is contained and repressed. The central role of Jackie is taken by Kate Dickie, and the film depends on her performance. The audience needs to feel that her actions, while shocking, are understandable or at least believable. Dickie exudes pain and fragility, which makes her determination to follow through her plans even more of a struggle. Her course of action is followed out of a sense of despair, and is obviously against her character. It's a raw performance, one that suggests that Jackie is only just surviving. It reminded me of Joy Stone in The Trick is to Keep Breathing in that both woman are existing while barely living. Dickie was widely and rightly praised for her performance. It makes the film.

Tony Curran has never been better as he is here, and considering the films and TV he's been involved in that's a bold claim. Recently seen as Vincent Van Gogh in Doctor Who, and soon to appear in CSI, Curran is one of Scotland's most underrated actors. Not that I think he'll overly care, he has been working solidly since leaving the RSAMD and nothing looks like changing that anytime soon. He has been in some of the largest grossing films of the last 20 years including Gladiator, Pearl Harbour, Miami Vice and TV series such as 24, Medium and The Mentalist. In Red Road he plays Clyde with whom Jackie becomes obsessed. Clyde is a man who is dealing with his own guilt, and is oblivious in terms of how the story unfolds. It's a performance that matches that of Dickie as Curran keeps things understated. These are two broken people whose lives are intrinsically linked.

The supporting cast includes Martin Compston and Natalie Press (who is in the forthcoming Island see You Have Been Watching (Glasgow Film Festival Spec...). They have small, but important, roles to play. They are younger and happier than the older characters, and although life has obviously not been easy for either of them, it has yet to kick them around like it has Clyde and Jackie. The scene where they open the windows in the high rise flat, and are knocked back by the wind in their faces is one of the few positive scenes, one where the characters problems are forgotten as they give themselves over to the moment. This is Red Road's trailer:

The film makes interesting points about watching, privacy, revenge, redemption and obsession. All of these are brought together to move the story along and director Andrea Arnold is as much of a star of Red Road as Kate Dickie. She obviously knows how to direct actors, but it is the confidence in how the film is shot that reveals her real talent. The use of CCTV footage, the use of shadows and darkness in and around the flats, and the grey tones of Glasgow found in concrete and sky reflect the overall feeling of the film, and are examples of a director who understands how to create a mood. Also, she is brave in her decision to keep the audience in the dark about exactly why Jackie acts as she does for most of the film, which means that we are unsure where our sympathies should lie. Arnold refuses to make it easy for anyone, and the film is all the better for it. Since Red Road she has directed the excellent Fish Tank and her next feature is an adaptation of Wuthering Heights which will be a must see. Arnold is promising to be one of the most exciting film-makers around. 

Funny How?: Glasgow Comedy Festival...

The Magner's Glasgow Comedy Festival begins this week and this post is an attempt to guide you through the 400 odd shows that are on offer between the 17th Mar-10th April. There are many highlights available. As well as Richard Herring's Christ on a Bike (see Herring's Rules: An Interview With Richard Herring...) there is theatre which includes a production of Gregory Burke's Gargarin Way at the Tron theatre and a rare live version of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy at the Ramshorn theatre. There are educational shows, the best of which will surely be the science/comedy troupe that are The Uncaged Monkeys, whose number include Brian Cox (no, not that one, the other one), Ben Goldacre and Robin Ince. There are a fine selection of funny films, including Back to the Future, Some Like it Hot, The Blues Brothers and American-The Bill Hick's Story. 

But most people will be interested in the stand-ups who are visiting Glasgow. There are some old faces, some new faces and plenty of local faces. This is a small selection which covers all of these. Although the festival officially begins on Thursday one of the highlights is actually appearing at the Old Fruitmarket tonight (Wed 16th) and his name is Mark Steel. Steel is that rare comedian who is intelligent, angry, erudite and yet still funny. Way before comedians started to look at subjects which used to be the sole domain of academics and writers, Steel was discussing Issac Newton, Aristotle and Napoleon in his live act. Here is a clip of such a show:

Also appearing this year is a man who is often Steel's partner in political comedy and Radio 4 panel shows, and no, the two are not incompatible. His name is Jeremy Hardy. Like Steel, Hardy is a survivor of the comedy wars of the 1980s and 90s. His gentle and amiable delivery often disguises his anger at the world's inequalities and injustices. He is one of the best British comedians of the last 30 years. Here are the two friends bemoaning the state of their careers on a park bench, like a latter day Pete and Dud:

Greg Davies is now best known as headmaster Mr Gilbert in The Inbetweeners, but first came to comedy fame in the brilliant We Are Klang. Last year he took his comedy show Firing Cheeseballs at a Dog to Edinburgh where it was hailed as one of the best shows of the Fringe, and he has brought this show to Glasgow. Davies was involved in my favourite comedy sketch of the last five years when with We Are Klang. It is hugely unsuitable for work or family gatherings so I'm not going to post it here (if you want to know what it is then get in touch). But here he is solo on Live at the Apollo:

Tim Key first came to my attention as the resident poet on Charlie Brooker's Newswipe. Since then he has popped up all over the place including work with Mark Watson and Steve Coogan, and he is always worth viewing. He brings his stand-up show The Slutcracker to Glasgow on 20th March. We are promised an evening of 'film, poetry and athletic clambering' all presented by a man who will be wearing a suit and drinking lager. Could you ask for any more? Here is his poem The Bad Gentleman which takes a serious look at suicide bombers:

There are lots of local talent on show this year, including Des Dillon, Des Clarke, Des Mclean, (all the Des's), Janey Godley, Susan Calman, Bruce Morton, Daniel Sloss, Fred MacAulay, Jerry Sadowitz, Miles Jupp, Raymond Mearns, Phil Differ, Susan Morrison, Jonathan Watson, the great Phil Kay and many more. If you want a recommendation from this list then why not try Susan Calman, one of the most natural performers around. Here's a wee taster:

Plenty to choose from. There are also lots of other events during the festival, including  a few workshops on stand-up and writing for comedy, the bafflingly popular puppetry, some cabaret, and children's shows. There are also the late-night festival clubs where you may well see comedians in the flesh. I'm told many like a drink. For the full programme go to glasgowcomedyfestival.

I Kent His Faither: The Son(s) Sing Song(s)...

In my recent conversation with Mark Buckland (see Publish And Be Damned: In Conversation With Mark B...) we agreed that there may be more great music out at the moment than there has ever been. As if solely to prove this point, here come The Son(s) with their debut album of the same name. There's a lot already been said about The Son(s) before I got to them, almost all of it incredibly reverential. I try and be as open minded as possible but when something sounds too good to be true...well there's still a small voice in my head that says that there's got to be a downside. Luckily I rarely listen to that voice.

On Saturday night I stuck the album on while reading reminiscences of the 25 year old The Queen Is Dead, which in terms of reviewing a new album is really unfair. The fact that I wasn't swayed to reach for The Smiths prompted by feelings of nostalgia speaks well of the album's initial impact. The Son(s) finished before I realised it, and I stuck it on again immediately to make sure my ears were not deceiving me. This time I had a closer listen as I tried to work out exactly what I thought.

It reminds of many of my favourite records. Bonnie Prince Billy, Calexico, Fleet Foxes, The Decemberists, Willard Grant Conspiracy, Giant Sand, the more recent Tindersticks, these are just a few of the reference points I could make out, but there is a lot more going on in this record than it first appears. Some of the melodies reminded me of Nick Drake, and the way much of the music is layered echoes Midlake and Arcade Fire. The album that I wanted to play after it was Pete Yorn's musicforthemorningafter, which doesn't mean they are similar albums, although they are in places, but The Son(s) made me feel as Yorn's debut did when I first heard it in 2001.

It was only after feeling pleased with myself for working all of these references out that I realised I was only on the third play and I already felt as if I'd had owned, and played, this album for years. It has a timeless feel to it that is not contrived but natural. Most music either tries to be completely contemporary or harks back to the past, often attempting both. The Son(s) sounds like it belongs to this time and every time. It is a classic album in the sense that it is made by people(s) who don't just understand music, or even simply love music, but completely respect it. If any of the above applies to you then may I recommend The Son(s) and The Son(s). It really is a wee bit special.

The Son(s) come from the increasingly impressive stable at Olive Grove Records, which includes multi talented Esperi (listen to his work here: esperi.bandcamp) and the incredibly likeable Randolph's Leap whose E.P. Battleships and Kettle Chips can be found here: randolphsleap.bandcamp. All worth your attention, but for a taste of The Son(s) this is the single Radar:

There is a certain mythology surrounding The Son(s), which the slightly unwieldy bracketed 's' hints at. As I understand it there were some, and now there is one. So they say. Some critics appear determined to solve the puzzle, but if people want to maintain an air of mystery then I'm comfortable with that. I've never understood this desire that some people have to know everything about the bands they listen to. Often this view comes from journalists who feel they have nothing to write about unless they know the age, height and sexual predilections of those they are asked to consider. I remember some music critics raged against the young Belle and Sebastian because the band did not appear on their record sleeves or press releases. They claimed that this let the fans down, but the fans were fine. They got it. 'But what shall we write about?' I can imagine them crying. It's just a thought, but what about the music? 

Publish And Be Damned: In Conversation With Mark Buckland...

In the week of the Aye Write! Book Festival (see Wrapped Up in Books: The Best of Aye Write...) it is perhaps only right to consider the state of Scotland's literary landscape. There are plenty of articles written about the current crop of Scottish writers, and also about the expectations of readers and critics, but we often overlook those 'in-betweeners', namely the publishers. I recently caught up with Mark Buckland, the head of Cargo Publishing and chief organiser of the recent Margins Book and Music Festival over a couple of £5 pints (!!!) to talk about his views on the state of publishing in Scotland today, but the conversation ended up covering so much more. I was originally going to edit the following within an inch of its life but after listening back to the whole thing I thought Mark's thoughts deserved to be read in full. I hope you agree that it makes for interesting reading:

SWH: Why decide to get into publishing at this perilous time?


MB: Madness? Admittedly it's not a great time to get into publishing as it is a period of change. I was running a club night for several years which put on bands and writers, and it became quite successful with people coming from as far away as Europe to perform. Through it I met people who had been writing in Glasgow but had never been published. It struck me that there was a whole generation of Scottish writers who had been left out in the cold for various reasons. Wouldn't it be nice if we could give them a platform. Like everyone I got into publishing being idealistic, then discovering the realities later on. 


SWH: So,when you published last year's short story collection The Year of Open Doors (see the-year-of-open-doors) was this the ethos you had in mind?


MB: The Year of Open Doors was a happy coincidence. Cargo had just published our first publication Cancer Party by Andrew Raymond Drennan and I approached Rodge Glass (see Edinburgh Exchange: An Interview with Rodge Glass) and asked if I could publish his next novel, my being young and naive, and he was gracious, even when saying no. Then he said what about this idea? He proposed a collection of short stories and I was surprised when he said he wanted to include some unpublished writers allowing the collection to cross different generations, and that's what we were able to do. In a way it helped break Cargo because we became allied with writers who were already well established but we could include some of the writers who I had seen who were on the way up. We got to showcase a lot of people who otherwise wouldn't have had that opportunity. The key to it was this crossover. It was so exciting to have Kevin McNeil sitting alongside Allan Wilson and alongside Collette Paul. Different generations coming together. It achieved everything we set out to do. 


         There are a lot of writers who have not been recognised, not through any question of quality of work, but because they don't 'fit in' with a generic idea of what a Scottish writer is. Whether it's a question of their style, or name, or attitude; what ever the reason they are not an easy fit. The publishing industry were, and are, afraid of taking a risk. I want Cargo to be a place where people can publish their début fiction, because the places where that can happen are decreasing. Apart from Gutter, New Scottish Writing, a couple of other journals, there are no contemporary literary journals that will publish unknowns, therefore there needs to be another platform. 


SWH: Was there  similar thinking behind the staging of the Margins Book and Music Festival? (see No Error For Margin: The Margins Book and Music Fe...)


MB: Margins was born because I looked at Aye Write! and I thought that this year's programme was okay, but Glasgow is too big a city to just have one literary festival. But again it was the same ethos; to try and have Liz Lochhead on the same bill as Alan Bissett and Anneliese Mackintosh, again bringing together the generations. With Liz you had what is loosely referred to as the Hobsbaum generation, with Alan the post Trainspotting generation and a new generation represented by Anneliese. But this wasn't so much by design, more the desire to give a platform for good writers. 


SWH: It's interesting that you talk about 'generations', because that is the way he have been programmed to think of writers. That they come together in groups. From the post war-renaissance, to the West End collective of the 1970s, the 'Chemical Generation' etc. The problem I have with such an idea is that, as you suggested earlier, some very good writers don't 'fit' easily into these groups and can be overlooked. Do you think that it needs to be this way?


MB: Such groupings are usually the creations of journalists, it makes it easier for them to write about general movements in fiction rather than look at individual writers. Taking many of those involved with Cargo and Margins as an example. Do we know each other well enough to hang out for a pint? Yes. Does that make us a literary generation? No. Going back to the Rebel Inc group of writers; Kevin Williamson, Irvine Welsh, Alan Warner etc. These were all people who would hang out together, but a lot of their writing is very different, it's very varied. It's too easy to draw them together under a convenient label.


SWH: That's very true. When I went back and read the Children of Albion Rovers short story collection recently I was struck how different the stories were. I had it in my head from reading it when it was first published that it was almost written with the one voice. 


MB: It's the same as those attached to the 'Hobsbaum Group'. Well you couldn't get two more different styles than those of James Kelman and Alasdair Gray,  the only real comparison is that they're two great writers who happen to write in and about the same city at the same time. 


SWH: As publishing changes, perhaps moving away from paper to electronic publishing, how do you think that will effect the future of the novel. Will it change the form of fiction that is popular? 


MB: Publishing is in a similar place to where the music industry was around 10 years ago. It's only once you work out how to monetise the new format that the industry will accept it. The big record companies still make lots of money, despite what they say, but what this new technology has done is to give the artist more freedom to do it for themselves. You can record something at home, and very quickly have it on-line or pressed as a CD. It's going to be a few years before we discover how that will apply to publishing, or how writers, and smaller publishers, can make money from this change, but that's not important. Look what has happened in music, there is more great new music out there than ever, it's just a case of knowing where to find it. That's what will happen with writing. People will self publish and get it out there. That's what needs to happen. But the book has been the best way of exchanging ideas for such a long time that I really don't see it dying out.


SWH: The comparison with music is interesting because it suggests an element of performance. You've been involved with a lot of live shows, whether Margins, the recent Let's Get Lyrical and at last year's Edinburgh Book Festival. Do you feel this is increasingly important, and if so does this not risk excluding those writers who are uncomfortable with live events? 


MB: There's no doubt some people like the personal touch. They go and see a band live, perhaps get the t-shirt and badge, or perhaps go to a book reading and get a copy of the book signed. They want something tangible and special and I don't see that changing. But there are a lot of great writers who can't perform their work, they would be no good, and that is the one thing that worries me. A writer such as Suyhal Saadi who is one of the great Scottish writers around right now, and possibly the most overlooked, doesn't perform live. Doesn't have the time to perform live. Does that mean he is going to be sidelined as a writer? The live event will be important, but it can't be the be all and end all.


SWH: This applies to Scottish poetry as well. There are lots of Scottish poets out there who are perhaps overlooked because they don't have the live skills of Leonard, Lochhead, Patterson or Kay, and it is a terrible thought that they would be increasingly ignored because of this.


MB: Hopefully there will always be space for every kind of writer. Publishers should use all available means to alert potential readers to new writers, but you can't neglect writers just because they aren't performing. But what we really need in Scotland are more publishers, then you are more likely to find a home for everyone who deserves attention. At the moment there are just a handful. We need more outlets to give writers more chances, and perhaps digital will offer that.


SWH: The close relationship that you mentioned between writer and reader appears increasingly important. Do you think the same applies to the relationship between writer and publisher?

MB: At Cargo we try to take the writer's wishes into account as much as possible. For instance, we'll ask them how they see the final book looking, and if we can we will fulfil that vision. That's something that almost never happens with a larger publishing company. The artist has become more and more important and as things move along digitally you have to treat the relationship as a close one as companies like Amazon start to think 'Why do we need to deal with the publisher?' So the writer, the band, the artist have never been more important because they are the ones who drive everything. 

SWH: So if the relationship between writer and publisher becomes closer it is better for all?


MB: Absolutely. Publishers are scared of change, they want the definite. They've had the same business model for 50 years so they don't want to change. What excites me, approaching it from an outsider's perspective, is to say: couldn't we do something different? Couldn't we do more live shows, more collaborations between music and writers? How do we use the new technology? A lot of the major companies are just not interested. They see such moves as too risky. The difference between the majors and the independents is that money is the bottom line, and they'll play it safe. Independents are more likely to play the long game and invest in a writer that they can see developing. But it is a really difficult to time to sell books, whether that applies to book shops or publishers. Cargo have had to try all these different ways of getting the word out there just to get along.


                                Scots Whay Hae! and Mark Buckland 10/3/2011

After this point we had a rambling, but never the less fascinating, discussion about the state of Scottish culture and the prevalence of certain stereotypes, but that's for the directors cut. Here's a clip of the aforementioned Suhayl Saddi reading 'The Malt Kiln', his contribution to The Year of Open Doors, followed by an audio clip of poet Ryan Van Winkle reading at the Let's Get Lyrical event which saw Cargo vs. Chemical Underground: 

Aye Write! is largely admirable, but, like Buckland, I wish it was more diverse and admirably larger. Just  over a week of events is not enough, and the lack of Scottish writers involved is noticeable (unlike Margins, Aye Write! doesn't feature an appearance from Scotland's new poet laureate Liz Lochhead, who lives about 20 minutes away. Surely an unforgivable oversight, and hers is not the only big name missing). Maybe I'm mistaken and there is not the thirst for such a festival in Glasgow, but the success, and size, of the Edinburgh Book Festival would suggest otherwise. However, it is better to have one than none. Maybe Mark Buckland is showing others the way. If you find yourself excluded from your area of interest; be it publishing, organising an event for a festival, or being part of a writing group, then you can do it yourself. But the motivation has to be right. As Buckland attests, you don't, or shouldn't, enter the arts thinking that there's gold in the hills. Someone recently asked me how much money I make from writing this blog. I laughed so hard there was almost an accident. And nobody wants that.

You Have Been Watching...Gregory's Two Girls

This is a real oddity. Bill Forsyth is my favourite Scottish film-maker, a man who can do little wrong, and that little is Gregory's 2 Girls. It's not terrible, no matter what you may have heard, but even I can't claim that it's very good. It's all over the place, as if Forsyth started to make a sex-comedy then was moved by reading Noamh Chomsky to turn the film into a political thriller, seeking to educate the audience to the threat of the political inaction. Carry on Cumbernauld or Confessions of an English Teacher to All The President's Men without warning. It's about putting away childish things and finally growing up, and this applies to Forsyth as much as it does Gregory, but unfortunately, somewhere in this process, subtlety and charm have been mislaid.

John Gordon Sinclair is as likable as always, which is just as well as his obsession with student Frances could have been distinctly disturbing.  Actually there are times a line is crossed and there are a couple of seriously uncomfortable moments, particularly  the opening dream sequence. However, think back to the original film and the scene where the teachers are lusting after a girl who writes erotic poetry to John Bett's English teacher Alistair. The inference is the same. The difference is that there is a forbidden desire that is only hinted at in the first film. By having Gregory have a fairly graphic wet dream about Frances in the first five minutes, possibly to make the audience realise this is a more 'adult' film, Forsyth immediately risks the good will of the significant part of the audience who have only bought a ticket or DvD on the strength of their love for Gregory's Girl. 

The biggest problem is that the tone is all wrong. We expect subtlety and innocence from a Bill Forsyth film, and it appears that it is not just Gregory who has lost his innocence, but Forsyth also. I can understand not wanting to make the same film again, but what he has forgotten is the thing that we loved him for in the first place; entertainment through the characters. There are flourishes of the old Forsyth to remind us of his brilliance. The police interrogation scene, Bel's drunken proclamations of lust, and Gregory's attempts to convince his class that politics are important, but there are too many that are ill judged. Bel and Greg's sex scene, the introduction of the 'liberal' American who is dating Gregory sister Madeline, and most notably the very strange ending which I won't give away here. 

As with Gregory's Girl the female cast are in charge. Carly McKinnon's Frances manages to be a believable mix of teenage innocence and the growing realisation that she has a power over certain men. Gregory's 'other' girl is Bel (one of the many in jokes for Gregory fans), played by Maria Doyle Kennedy , and she is perhaps the best thing in the film. The only mystery is why Greg takes so long to respond to her advances.  The oddest piece of casting is Dougray Scott as Gregory's former schoolmate made good Fraser Rowan. If he had a moustache he would be constantly twirling it as he plays the most hammy villain this side of a 1920's silent movie. 

You can watch the trailer to Gregory's 2 Girls by going to mymovies.net, but here's a wee reminder of why we fell in love with the character in the first place:

There must of been unbearable pressure put on Bill Forsyth to follow up Gregory's Girl. As much as Local Hero is a well loved movie it is the tale of Gregory that captured many film lover's imaginations, and since Forsyth had not had a successful film in some time he must have felt the pressure himself. In a sense such a sequel  was always doomed to failure as expectations of the audience were too high, and the expectations of those involved too great. The film was criticised in a fairly visceral manner, as if critics were personally affronted, and this reaction seems to have put Forsyth off making films for good. But no Scottish film maker had the charm of Bill Forsyth, someone who made films primarily as entertainment, surprisingly  rare in Scotland. His decision to 'retire' may be a personal choice that he is happy with and must be respected, but it leaves Scottish film with a hole that no one as yet has come close to filling.

Herring's Rules: An Interview With Richard Herring...

The Glasgow Comedy Festival starts on March 17. I'll be writing a full preview of what the highlights are in the coming days, and there are plenty of them as some of my comedy heroes return to the city including Jerry Sadowitz, Bruce Morton, Mark Steel, Mark Thomas, Jeremy Hardy and Simon Munnery. Another of these is Richard Herring who will be at the Oran Mor, with his show Christ on A Bike, on March 26. I can promise you that it's well worth seeing as I've already borne witness in Edinburgh last year, and I never go back for seconds unless something's very good.

Herring's comedy is thoughtful and filthy, just as I like it, and he challenges both his audience and himself. In the name of comedy he has taken on a personal Herculean challenge for his 2004 show The Twelve Tasks of Hercules Terrace, has grown and worn a 'toothbrush' moustache for last year's superb Hitler Moustache, and in every show looks more honestly at aspects of his life than most stand ups would be comfortable with. What happens on stage is never simply a telling of jokes or anecdotes, but is concerned with questioning and challenging important ideas that surround race, religion, sex, sexism, political correctness, social expectations, and what is deemed acceptable in the name of comedy, something he obviously takes seriously.

There are those who can't seem to get beyond what my dear Gran used to call his 'language' or the sexual references to listen to the content of what's being said, but Herring couldn't care less. If you get offended by anything then go elsewhere. Boundaries are not being pushed for the sake of offence, but to challenge the often illogical reasons that offence is sometimes taken. There are too many comedians who are willing to get the easy laughs from the 'Live At The Apollo' audience rather than challenge them. And some people will think that's OK, but people need to be challenged whether they like it or not. Richard Herring, along with the other comedians I mentioned at the beginning of this piece, is not going to let people rest on their social and cultural laurels, and I find that hugely comforting. He was kind enough to answer a few questions about Christ on a Bike and about his comedy in general:

SWH: The show you’re bringing to Glasgow in March is ‘Christ on a Bike’, which you originally brought to Edinburgh, I believe, 10 years ago. What were your reasons for returning to ‘Christ on a Bike’?


RH: Christ on a Bike was my first fully solo show, back in 2001. But I never recorded it and I also felt that nine years on I had developed as a performer. It has my favourite ever of my own routines in it and I wanted to give it another crack. I felt I had a whole new load of fans who hadn't seen this show, and it was one that the old fans said they wanted to see again, so I thought I could kill a few birds with one stone (because I am without sin and an chuck stones) by doing it again. I am filming the DVD at the end of the run and then I can put this show to bed for good. But I have made quite a few changes and there are now 4 or 5 new routines in it. It's cool, when you've been going as long as I have, to occasionally revisit something old (and hopefully give it a new twist). I also have Talking Cock: The Second Coming on the backburner, which I think I might put on in 2012, which will be the 10th anniversary of the original show.


SWH: Your previous show was ‘Hitler Moustache’. Who has been most popular when it comes to the sadly inevitable complaints about these shows? Adolf or Jesus?


RH: Though I got a few complaints about the content of Hitler Moustache (nearly always about a different thing each time) aside from a bit of a hoo haa in the Guardian before it had even started most people understood that the project was not an offensive one (though someone vandalised the poster in quite a scary way in Edinburgh). Christ on a Bike has garnered a few complaints from Christians, none of whom have seen the show (most Christians who come seem to enjoy it rather a lot - and it's actually not that offensive towards Christ), but luckily they are all so crazy that I have been able to incorporate them into the show. In fact if I get a few more I might have enough to create a brand new show - The Third Coming? Both shows have led to veiled threats from various people, so there is a tiny danger in doing such controversial subjects, but it amuses me that nearly always the complaints come from people who haven't seen the shows and are offended by what they imagine it will be about. So their own imaginations are actually more offensive than me. And they are getting offended by themselves.


SWH: Last year saw you publish the autobiographical ‘How Not To Grow Up’, about the year you turned 40. Having  just turned 40 myself, have I made a mistake by using it as a ‘guide’ rather than a warning? What were your reasons for writing what is often a brutally honest account of that time in your life?


RH: It is intended both as a warning and a guide. The title has two meanings after all. Hopefully if you read about the way I behaved you will not really want to emulate me (well not in all respects anyway), but I wanted to show people who freak out a bit about getting old, or who haven't settled down that they are not alone. Increasingly I feel that an honest self-appraisal is the best route towards creating comedy that resonates. I wanted to be honest, both about the more stupid things I had done and abut my lifestyle, rather than try to paint myself in a positive light or go on about how brilliant I am. If you're honest people tend to forgive you your foibles and like you a little bit more than someone they suspect is phoney. We're all screw ups and we all make mistakes and probably go through periods where we are massive tools, so it's refreshing to see someone not hiding that side of them away. I was influenced by a brilliant American writer called Jonathan Ames who is much more of a pervert than me, but who is funny and charming about his disgraceful life in his books. It was hard writing this book because I was still very close to the events it talks about and still trying to work out what had been happening to me, but the book helped me and hopefully might have something to say to people in a similar position. If you're not in a similar position you can just laugh at me. Though I was surprised about the number of married people who seemed angry with me for living the life I did, even though I freely admit how sad I was at the time. Almost like they weren't that happy in their own lives and felt envious of my freedom. Surely if they were happy in their marriages they would pity me, not get cross with me. I found that quite interesting.


SWH: You have a comic persona, who you sometimes describe as ‘Podcast Richard’ with reference to your weekly podcast with Andrew Collins. It appears to me that many people are unwilling to accept that there is this division between your person and the performer, much more so than is the case say with Harry Hill, Al Murray and even Pete and Dud/Derek and Clive. Is that purely because there’s no ‘costume’ involved, or do you think there’s another reason?


RH: I think it's hard to make the distinction because there is much of the real me in all my work and even in the podcasts, so when I allow the small voice that we usually suppress to take over it isn't always clear where one begins and another ends. And nor should it be entirely. I would hope people would realise which things I don't mean and which I do, but I like there being a grey area in between where you're not entirely sure (and neither am I). I am quite a dull and sensitive man in real life, with rather vanilla sexual tastes, but I don't really care if people take the character at face value. The real life cross over in terms of the effect that the things I say have on the real Andrew Collins are part of what makes this very exciting comedy for me. It is all blurred and so genuinely a little bit dangerous. But I know where and when to allow this subconscious side of me to take the reins and it doesn't usually stray over into my real life too much. If anything when I was younger and trying to be funny all the time, I didn't have the balance right, but now I know the arenas where this behaviour is appropriate (or less inappropriate) and where it isn't. But with a show like Hitler Moustache the stunt and my life became inextricably linked and I couldn't escape the moustache because it was with me all the time. The show is as much about the ethics and repercussions of a stunt show and where the boundaries between reality and comedy lie as anything else. I do suffer for my "art". It wasn't the greatest of years for me having to go around everywhere with that stupid tache


SWH: Finally, are you returning to this year’s Edinburgh Fringe, and if so what will be the theme of your show?


RH: I am. It's not 100% decided, but I think I am doing a show about love and whether it exists. Or where I attempt to destroy it. It's provisionally entitled "What is Love, Anyway?"
I might do some kind of podcast show as well, though Andrew is not coming up this year.


                       Richard Herring & Scots Whay Hae! 3/3/11

Richard was also an inspiration to my starting to write this blog. He has been writing the daily Warming Up since 2002 which he began to challenge writer's block, something I was encountering myself at the time I discovered his site. He will be appearing at Oran Mor on the 26th March as part of the Magner's Glasgow Comedy Festival and you can buy tickets here Magners-Glasgow-International-Comedy-Festival If you would like further encouragement to see the man live here's a clip of Christ on a Bike:

Richard Herring's books can be bought at Amazon and the better book shops
His DvDs can be bought from Go Faster Stripe
The Colling's and Herrin podcasts and As It Occurs To Me (AIOTM) can be downloaded from The British Comedy Guide and iTunes

From Prestwick to Texas: Scotland Invades the 2011 SXSW Festival...

This weekend saw two of Scotland's best headline pre-South by South West gigs in Glasgow, bands who you should already know and love; namely Popup and Kid Canaveral. Of the two Popup's night at the 13th Note was the most interesting as it saw drummer Adi take over guitar and lead vocal duties from Damien Gilhooly. Supported by Dear Mountaineer and a top form Miss the Occupier (see Beautiful Occupation...)Popup were understandably nervous about how this shifting of line-up would be received. Well here goes.

Popup's 2008 album A Time and A Place was as confident a début as you will find in the last 10 years, but recent live outings clearly show that in terms of their lyrics and their playing they are moving to another level. Initially it was odd to hear these familiar songs without Damien's Glaswegian growl, but Adi's often gentle and moving vocals gave the music a different feel that became more apparent and engaging as the set progressed, and many of the songs felt as if they had been written with her in mind, a sure sign that this move worked. Damien will return, but Popup have, perhaps by accident rather than design, changed their dynamic and I believe that this can only make them better.

Anyone who has seen Popup live will know that Damien is a tremendous frontman, one who can exude  vulnerability and the threat of violence at the same time. Think Malcolm Macdowell as Alex DeLarge in A Clockwork Orange and you'll get an idea of his on stage presence. But bringing Adi to the front has given them previously undiscovered options and also showed Popup's confidence in their music. This is not a band who are willing to rest on their musical laurels, or on any one style. I think they are the height of their powers and can't wait to actually own their new material. If you don't believe me then get yourself along to Mchuills in Glasgow this Friday (4 March) and make me right or make me wrong.

And to anyone who happens to be lucky enough to attend SXSW this year, do yourself a big favour and see Popup. Few current bands have songs like theirs. This is one of the best:

On Thursday night another Texan bound band, Kid Canaveral, held a fund-raising night at Stereo, and again it was a strong under-card. First on was ex-De Rosa man Martin John Henry, who I've managed to catch a few times this year already and his forthcoming album is possibly my most keenly waited release of 2011. Then came Randolph's Leap who were new to me and immediately charmed. Any band who has an EP named Battleships and Kettle Chips has me at hello, and they're playing The Captain's Rest on the 31st March. I would suggest, if you're free, you could do worse than make your way along.

But this was Kid Canaveral's night and they knew it. Last year's Shouting at Wildlife was one of the best albums of the year (it was number 5 in the Scottish Bams) and they are always a delight live. Theirs is a set that is devoid of filler, and they make playing together look easy, which is always a sign that a band have hit their straps. This was a celebration as well as a send off and the crowd were stamping and yelling for more in traditional Glasgow style. If I had to pick highlights they would be Smash Hits and new single You Only Went Out To Get Drunk Last Night, for which there is this rather excellent video:

SXSW kicks off in Austin on the March 15 and Scotland are going to be well represented, with Admiral Fallow, Erland and the Carnival, Errors, King Creosote, Rachel Sermanni, Twighlight Sad, Withered Hand, and many more all making the trip. You can find the full list of Scots here dearscotland.com but it's clear that Texas is in for a treat. Also appearing is the legend that is Edwyn Collins, a man I would happily listen to every night of my life. This is Do It Again, and  Edwyn boasts quite the backing band: