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Tuesday, December 21, 2010

One week, and 4 days to go....

...before I'm supposed to have finished my first draft of my first novel proper. Eek! I am upto 44,000 words but am feeling the self imposed pressure.

But if I were to not to finish "English Girls Approximately" (it has a title and everything now! A prize to the first person to correctly identify who I stole the title from...) when I've never had a better opportunity, I would just kick myself silly. So for the next 11 days I am writing, writing, writing. (With a little bit of sewing, baking, watching Christmas films, seeing best friends, giving and recieving presents and lots of drinking in between).

You lucky (not so lucky?) few who I will bestow this first draft on to for critique and praise - I'll be in touch....!

Should I answer the question people keep asking me? Well, it's a story about love and friendship, and what happens when you get what you didn't even think you deserved. I'm thinking Marian Keyes + Helen Fielding, with a pinch of Charlotte Bronte.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

A Obvious - James Duncan

I think last night, you were driving circles around me.

I was at the Powerstation on Saturday for Unknown Pleasures 30th Anniversary with Peter Hook & friends. Amazing. I was a bit scared it would be a vanity project for Hooky, after his falling out with the other New Order folk, maybe he was trying to prove a point. But he did Ian Curtis so much justice - just played it and sang it as Ian would have done in 1979, with so much passion and energy.

Hearing No Love Lost took me back to being 15 (and sad!)I got into them through a convoluted route via The Smiths and New Order, and Closer was pretty much on repeat play for a year. But I remember it just made me feel less alone at the time. Not many songwriters really feel the pain and torment that they write about. But Joy Division was never just about the depressed; the music was so alive and man, that bass! It cuts through you and you can't help but move your feet.

When the final song, obviously Love Will Tear us Apart - kicked in, my eyes welled up at the sheer beauty of it all (I do this a lot nowadays) and even those irritating party crashing twats behind me couldn't ruin the brilliance.

I wish I'd gone to see Hooky DJ at Tabac afterwards, but also am glad I did not. I always feel that invisible line between famous and ordinary and besides I wanted to remember that gig as though it was 1979, and that it was Ian Curtis stood there (even though the voice wasn't quite the same, and he kept doing that stadium-punching-air-coy-frontman thing) and Hooky was banging on his bass strung low, as Barney stands to the side and Steven hits the drums vigorously.

Sunday, September 26, 2010

"Excellent. I'm a national laughing stock. Have bottom the size of Brazil"

So, ok that last part is not true, (thanks half marathon training!) but I have had my own Bridget Jones moment recently when I happened to accidently get a musican's name wrong in a review. James Duncan = Duncan James.......oh the shame. Of course the irony is that James Duncan is so nothing like Duncan James (whom I still think is a talentless twat even if he doesn't enter into my life in any way whatsoever!) - besides has anyone ever seen James Duncan sitting on a bar stool dressed like a knob, crooning something written by Neil Diamond?

At least this was a funny Bridget Jones moment I suppose, embarrassing but not crucifying!

Grrr. Off to Unknown Pleasures next weekend, am pretty sure I can't fuck anything up for that review.

Monday, September 20, 2010

First Aid Kit Review on www.Undertheradar.co.nz!

http://www.undertheradar.co.nz/utr/liveReview/CID/73/N/First-Aid-Kit.utr

So after trying to make money from reviews via suite101.com, and finding their rules just a little too regimented....The first gig I've been to since Florence I wrote up and posted to my favourite NZ music website, and bless them, they posted it!

See link above. x

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

What a difference a year makes....

Ok, so it hasn't been a year since I last posted, but it totally feels like a lot has happened. Home to England for a wedding and Christmas, New York for a snowy New Year (glorious!),back to Auckland for more procrastinating, then was given an opportunity to do something I love for a job in July.....so what since then?

Novel still not finished, but it has a title - English Girls Approximately (first person to work out who I stole that from gets a prize!. First draft WILL be done this year, then some of you lucky people will get to critique it and tell me what you think.

I've joined www.suite101.com as a freelance writer, which is great for keeping my hand in, so to speak! Will find a way to link that with this at some point soon.....