March 2007:
Greetings friends - Spring is in the air, the bullets are in the gun and London is looking lively. It's been an alarmingly warm winter hasn't? The gangs in the neighbourhood have been shooting the place up, and the Prime Minister is very annoyed; maybe he'll send in the troops? Business as usual in Peckham, South London, then. Any road... There has been lots going on recently, most notably a lot of RSI-inducing writing about music. I'm currently working on pieces for a number of magazines (Alternative Press, Record Collector, Kerrang!, 3AM) and also writing a short book on Guns N' Roses for a film company. I've just bought both 'Use Your Illusion' albums for the first time and they're dog shit. But you probably knew that. Axl uses the word 'bitch' way too much. I think he's got issues. But you probably knew that too. Anyway, I talked about Axl too much last month. As mentioned, the big news is I'm making preparations to launch my new blog, 'The Missing Kidney'. Check back here next month for further details. Meanwhile, here's a round-up of some other current activity in the increasingly insular world of Ben Myers. I have been interviewed for an article on all manners literary by Steven Rogers for 3AM magazine. Other writers interviewed included Dan Rhodes, Tom McCarthy, Tony O'Neill and Matt Thorne. It's a fine discussion and you can read the full piece → here ←
MIKE TOPP, YO! Also on the same website, my correspondence with the madman of American letters Mike Topp is documented. It is a veritable hand-to-hand metaphysical combat and I recommend his work whole-heartedly. You can read the piece here, or you can visit Mike Topp's blog.
THE OFF-BEAT GENERATION The emerging wave of new, young writers dubbed 'The Off-Beat Generation' continues to gain a substantial amount of coverage, most notably by the esteemed Sam Jordison of The Guardian. Writers involved had an informal summit recently at a 3AM night - look out for work by Adelle Stripe, Andrew Stevens, Vim Cortez, Joseph Ridgewell, Lee Rourke, Paulk Ewen, Heidi James Garwood, Andrew Gallix and Tony O'Neill... and others.
THIS IS ENGLAND I've seen the 'This Is England', the new film by my favourite director Shane Meadows and it is amazing. Unfortunately an interview I was meant to do with Shane this week was cancelled but I suggest you go see it when it opens in late April. Especially if you came of age in England in the 80s. That's it for now.