Every 14 days...(5)

Where Did it All Go Right? (Andrew Collins)

To me, Andrew Collins was always the Thunderbird look-a-like that always popped up on nostalgia shows, occasionally reading his film column in my parents’ RadioTimes. But with his recent podcasts and working with Richard Herring, I have found myself interested by his musings and I am interested in subscribing to his newsletter, often seeing him at Richard Herring gigs, standing alone, with a beer and a somewhat smug grim on his huge-eyebrowed face.

‘Where Did it All Go Right?’ is his look back at his formative years in the 1970s from around the ages 5-18 (he does cheat and go into the Eighties). Recalling different aspects from his life, with the help of his childhood diaries, it’s the story of a normal and well-rounded upbringing, rather than a sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll car crash that many celebrities try to make their childhoods were as an excuse for being a thundercunt for the rest of their life.

Written with a fondness for all things nostalgic, musical and cinematic of the time, it is a charming look at a typical British upbringing. (Replace Northampton with any other British boredom hole.) Very personal as it is, referencing all those involved at the times, this can both be a help and a hindrance to the account. While creating the atmosphere of what it is like growing up in his family, it can, at times, come across as slightly arrogant that he has become the success of the family. Luckily, however, this soon disappears when adolescence kicks in and sarcasm takes place when describing the teenage Andrew Collins

How things could have been different…

Days to read: 8

Days per book: 16.3

In the Miso Soup (Murakami Ryu)

Another holiday, another short, quick read of a Murakami Ryu novel. Similar to ‘Audition’ before it, ‘In the Miso Soup’ is an easy to get into, well-written piece that can be consumed in a day or two. Divided into three chapters, it tells the tale of Kenji, a Kabucki-cho ‘sex tour guide’ who one night comes across an unusual client from America.

The first chapter fills with intrigue as to what is about to happen and sets the scene well for the rest of the book. Though the second replaces intrigue with all-out carnage and detracts a little from what is read before, throwing in blatant descriptions rather than mental imagery. Finally, the third chapter concludes the book with some interesting ideas and concepts, though it is relatively a ‘does the job’ ending than a great reveal.

Great for passing time when you have a couple of days with little else to do or motivation to think, I’ll probably read my next Murakami Ryu novel for my next holiday, whenever and wherever that may be…Japan, I know.

Days to read: 2

Days per book: 15.4

Agitator: The Cinema of Takashi Miike (Tom Mes)

This is a book bought a long time ago that I never got round to reading, moving it with me from rented accommodation to rented accommodation. With ’13 Assassins’ recent release and a quick flick through my DVD collection, I decided to do a little retrospective on one of the hardest-working directors in cinema: Miike Takashi

Reading the book while making my way through his films, the book put them in a new context, a lot of the time highlighting at what stage in his career Miike Takashi was when each was made. Extensively reviewing all Miike’s works up to the end of 2002, Mes focuses on overarching themes running throughout Miike’s works: group membership, loss of innocence in adulthood, and fish-out-of-water scenarios, to name a few.

Mes is generally spot-on in his assessment of the ‘maverick’ director’s work; and while some of the analysis of films read like plot descriptions, adequate length and detail is given to the more important films, with minors works pushed to one side. With it difficult to actually watch all of Miike’s films, Mes shows how one film follows another, with Miike ignoring blips in his career, moving on to his next piece having already forgotten it.

Days to read: 56

Days per book: 15.9

That’s Me in the Corner (Andrew Collins)

I read like Tarantino film: getting the order all wrong (and I’m quite tedious). ‘That’s Me in the Corner’ is the third book in Andrew Collins’ autobiography trilogy. Missing the chapter on his student days, as I continually had an certain R.E.M. song in my head as I made for the thid instalment about his various jobs, from Sainsbury’s trolley monkey to co-writer of Lee Mack vehicle, ‘Not Going out’.

The arrogance seen in ‘Where Did it All Go Right’ is present here, naturally when writing from the perspective of fan-to-editor of major film and music mags and hob-knobbing with societies rich and irritating. Though much like the first in the trilogy, this not permanent and only rears its ugly head at choice moments.

Having worked for the NME, Empire, Eastenders, Family Affairs (oh yes!), RadioTimes, etc., etc. it does give an interesting and honest account of what it is like to actually work in these ‘dream jobs’, putting up with the worst clients of all: Rock stars everywhere.

Days to read: 27

Days per book: 15.2