Colin Bateman on the state UK crime fiction

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing the local author Colin Bateman about the state of the crime fiction market in the UK today. Colin is the author of Divorcing Jack which was adapted to screen in 2004. His latest book is 2009's Mystery Man.

The author is described as the king of the comic caper. The interview will form the basis for my industry analysis for the Professional Writing course, and Colin's insights proved very useful. Particularly interesting were his views on the e-book situation and the difficulties encountered by young authors in the field.

I plan to post a transcript of the full interview here after I submit my industry analysis, so watch this space.

Update: Crime writer Mark Billingham has also granted me an interview, so I will be posting both within the next month or so.

1000 Essential Recordings by Tom Moon

I have to preface this review by stating that I have already told a little fib in this post. I doctored the title of the book because the alternative, 1000 Recordings To Hear Before You Die, A Listener's Life List, irks me. It isn't the simple fact that the title is unwieldy (although was the alliterative addition at the end really necessary?). What annoys me more is the idea that I must do these things before I die. I don't have a fundamental problem with lists, but why call to my attention my impending death? This phenomenon is all over the place these days. 100 films to see before you die. 50 cities to visit before you die. Why not make it 50 cities to visit, enjoy and get home safe afterwards?
Anyway, that is the only complaint I have about this book. At just over 1000 pages, it is ideal to dip in to a random page every so often. Tom Moon's (NPR, Rolling Stone) featured recordings cater for almost every conceivable taste. Genres range from techno and metal to jazz and songbook. There are even a few genres I have never encountered before. What the heck is' fado' for example? (Turns out it is Portuguese music based around mournful tunes and lyrics)

1000 Essential Recordings - I'm persisting with my title - is ideal for any music lover. Each entry is given around a page in which Moon details the origins of the album/track and highlights similar recordings. This will help me in my quest to discover new music for years to come. As Moon states the more you love music, the more music you love.

Collateral Murder

The shocking video below was obtained and made available to the public by Wikileaks. It was shot from the gun sight an apache helicopter in Iraq. It shows the American military shooting around a dozen people, among whom were two Reuters journalists. Their cameras were mistakenly identified by the American troops as RPGS. Both men died along with other locals, and two young children were severely injured. This is an edited version of the original 38 minute tape.

None of the locals involved seemed to be posing a threat or causing trouble before the shooting begins. The US Military has stated that the American soldiers did nothing wrong and were simply following the rules of engagement.

NOTE: This is not intended in any way to be a criticism of the US military or their involvement in Iraq on my part. Rather, it is meant to serve as a window in to the absurd world of war. Troops all over the world are driven to believe that they must kill or be killed.

Address to Impress?

In an effort to expand my vocabulary a little, I recently picked up a copy of Chambers Address to Impress: 200 words you should use. I figured this would be a handy way to improve my range of language, particularly with regard to my writing. We all know there is nothing more grating than reading a piece of text where the same few words seem to crop up time and again.

This little book was really worth the few pounds I paid for it. So much so that I inveigled (Pg 119) my sister and a friend into buying their own copies. See? It's already beginning to pay for itself.
The only major problem I had with the book was the lack of an index. Surely all reference books such as this should have a index page. They went to the lengths to add a pronunciation guide, so why not have one? Still, I wouldn't want you to think that this made the book any less useful. Just not as easy to use and I might have hoped.

MGMT - Congratulations

It has been some time since the Brooklyn based band MGMT have produced any significant new material, and many have been awaiting the new album with anticipation. As is common in today's internet age, their new material has been leaked before the official release date.

Congratulations is a departure from what many fans might have expected from the band. Gone are the instant hits of their first album, such as Weekend Wars and Kids. Instead, the band have decided to go a more experimental route. For example, the song Siberian Breaks runs over the 10 minute mark and is apparently about surfing in the Artic Circle. The track is complex and at times seems almost a composite of a few different songs. Ultimately, it is a rewarding song which requires repeated listens.

This track is a microcosm of the album as a whole in that it will challenge listeners rather than pander to their expectations. There are a few great tracks here like the haunting I Found a Whistle and Brian Eno. Although some may call Congratulations self indulgent, you have to give the band credit for trying something different. I feel the album is at least as strong as Oracular Spectacular.

Since the leak, the band have posted the entire album on their official website which can be found here http://www.whoismgmt.com/uk/home

Kurt Vonnegut - God Bless you, Mr. Rosewater

Eliot Rosewater, a millionaire drunkard with a fascination for volunteer firefighting, becomes president of the Rosewater Foundation. The foundation was set up by his family as a means to prevent the government taxing their fortune. When Eliot takes over, things change dramatically. He moves out of his mansion and abandons his wife to live in a dilapidated house in Rosewater County. There, he tries his best to help the poverty stricken inhabitants, manning a phone for emergency calls from the public. Meanwhile, antagonist Norman Mushari tries to prove that Eliot is insane in order to get some of the family fortune for himself. Soon though, we find ourselves wondering whether Eliot's eccentric kindnesses may be linked to his mental health.

One of Vonnegut's lesser loved novels, God Bless you, Mr. Rosewater instantly became one of my favourites. The author immediately puts his stamp on this tale about capitalism, informing us that the main character in this story is "a sum of money". Written in his inimitable style, the book is more a series of short stories involving the inhabitants of Rosewater County than a traditional novel. The simplicity of Vonnegut's writing and the matter-of-fact storytelling which originally drew me to the author is present throughout the book. Take the following extract for example.

“The Client who was about to make Eliot’s black telephone ring was a sixty-eight-year old virgin who, by almost anybody’s standards, was too dumb to live. Her name was Diana Moon Glampers. No one had ever loved her. There was no reason why anyone should. She was ugly, stupid, and boring. On the rare occasions when she had to introduce herself, she always said her full name, and followed that with the mystifying equation that had thrust her life so pointlessly: “My mother was a moon. My father was a Glampers.”

Is Eliot Rosewater a guilty millionaire, a madman or a humanitarian? The blurring of these lines is what makes the character so fascinating.

Shutter Island - Living up to the hype?

Another week, another Martin Scorsese post. In my last offering about the director, I exposed the shocking revelation that he made about his intentions to make another mobcentric movie. I know, I know. I'm barely over the excitement myself.

In my state of delirium though, I forgot to mention the main reason he was at the Berlin Film Festival. Mea Culpa. Scorsese was busy promoting the soon to be released "Shutter Island", a psychological potboiler based on the the book of the same title by Dennis Lehane. Here's the trailer.



Two federal agents travel to an island which houses an insane asylum to try and recover a missing patient. I have to say, it looks great. My only concern would be the casting of Di Caprio in the main role. Who knows, maybe he'll surprise me.

Shutter Island is released in the UK on March 2010