First Impressions

The second of two special episodes based around the craft of writing, Ep. 29 of First Impressions features more chat with Brooklyn-based author Douglas Berman as we turn to travel writing, both of us having lived in the Far East and written about our experiences there to some degree.

We discuss the risks and benefits of bearing witness to a place as outsiders and how well-known authors like DH Lawrence and George Orwell have fared doing the same, as well as the expectations that come with setting fiction in a particular time and/or place. 

Poetry is also discussed and Doug chooses a travel-related Derek Walcott poem, The Castaway, to share. Within the conversation there is news of the second of my two novels forthcoming on Pine Goat – The Neighbours, a speculative thriller set in a fictional northern town in which a community finds themselves with unanticipated superpowers. I read an extract from The Neighbours at 44:16 while Doug shares his short pieces ‘Taiwan in the New Year’ (13:56) and ‘Iced Sausages’ (21:35) plus a poem of his own (54:12).  

A giveaway of the audiobook version of my last published novel Hong Kong Rocks is mentioned. Drop me a line at [email protected] if you’d like more details of that.

Some links to topics we covered: 

More reflections on DH Lawrence’s Morning in Mexico

DH Lawrence’s Studies in Classic American Literature examined

On author David TK Wong's life and work

More about Eileen Chang's life and work

Details of Garth Simmons’ two books Hole Punch and The Men in My Life can be found via his Instagram page, which is an excellent follow. 

Hong Kong Rocks audiobook available on Google Play/other audiobook platforms.

The first of two special episodes loosely based around the craft of writing, Episode 28 of First Impressions features a wide-ranging, relaxed but insightful conversation with Brooklyn-based author Douglas Berman recorded in July. We reflect on what’s changed in the world and in our writing lives since we last spoke for the podcast back in December 2021.

We also talk about the reading that’s inspired our work, writing techniques (from the epistolary to the horizontal) and while I share excerpts from my new autobiographical short story Countdown, at (07:10) and (21:02), and recently published poem, Anti-algorithm Technique (47:55), Doug reads extracts from the three novels he has been working on, with locations ranging from San Francisco to the Midwest and beyond at (32:22), (34:51) and (38:16).

Fresh in the mind was my trip to Canada in March 2024. The show opens with a song recorded there with my brother (feat. former guest Mike Teague on guitar) and a trip to an Edmonton rock pub is included in one of my story snippets. Ukraine is also in our thoughts and features in the work and in our chat. A mid-point meander into music past and present is accompanied by some beats and effects (27:06).

The Wordarium Journal is available here, containing the work of 48 local poets.

Escape2Make, ‘a charity dedicated to helping 11–18-year-olds in the Lancaster & Morecambe area’ who provided the artwork for the journal. 

Andrey Kurkov’s Grey Bees 

Andrey Kurkov’s Diary of an Invasion

Natalia Ginzberg’s Family Lexicon

Timothy Snyder’s Our Malady 

The first First Impressions of 2024 features reflections on catching (and keeping) Spanish Covid (02:00), a duo of daft poems – Anti-Algorithm Technique (11:15) and Running Backwards (16:50) recently performed at Spoken Word (Manchester) and Wordarium (Lancaster); extracts from Andy N’s debut novel Birth (07:35 and 19:20), plus some Conversations with my Unicorn (13:57) courtesy of Amanda Nicholson.

As usual there are also musical meanderings to complement the readings – inc. Content Creator (00:00) and Algorhythmz (13:26) – and the podcast is best listened to through headphones. News of a new podcast soon. In the meantime, enjoy! 

Here’s a bit of a belated birthday banquet (with an emphasis on veggie burgers) for those who missed the buffet in the Borough – and those who didn’t. A few bits and bobs that I hope will be of interest to your ears including (surprise surprise) readings, music, chat and impressions. The undoubted highlight is a conversation with my brother, Guy, about his life as a teacher and dad in Canada, and how he’s managed to record and arrange songs for our long-running (est. 1989) family band. Decaying Leather’s latest album, ‘The Workmanship Demonstration Pavilion’, will be released later this year and will be followed by a LIVE date in Edmonton in 2024 (you heard it here first…)

We discuss the whys and wherefores of the covers we’ve attempted this time round (which include our dad’s wonderful rendering of McCartney’s ‘Blackbird’, plus tunes from Joan As Policewoman and Tom and Jude Edwin-Scott). Also how we manage to create new music under pressure as a way of diarising our lives and brotherhood; how Guy has introduced music to the classroom; his love of drumming, and how his songwriting now compares to that in his 20s. There are also reflections on our affinity with the north of England, and their most famous sons (those being the Beatles and – okay, we’re biased – OMD). In addition, this special birthday edition includes a scattering of poems and extracts from my new, Santa Fe-set short story, ‘280 Cactus Flower Ridge’. As ever, best listened to through headphones!

Timings of spoken word stuff: ’280 Cactus Flower Ridge’ (extract) (1/2) (00:19) ‘Talking in code on the train’ (direct from my notebook) (03:47); ‘The Unexpected City’ (out-of-tune guitar/Maria Martinez film intro/found sounds at US airport) (05:50), ‘Lucy on an autumn morning’ (poem) (51:44), ‘And With It’ (poem) (56:34), ‘280 Cactus Flower Ridge’ (extract) (2/2) (57:45).

Timings of Decaying Leather song snippets: ‘Tattoos’ (20:10), ‘One of those Days’ (22:29), ‘The Workmanship Demonstration Pavilion’ (15:23 & 25:22), ‘Warning Bell’ (27:42), ‘Fill Your Soul’ (30:43), ‘Darker Tomato’ (34:14), ‘Blackbird’ (41:11), ‘People of the World’ (Guy solo) (43:45). ‘ID Ideology’ (46:03), ‘Digging Holes’ (50:00).

If you’d like to get in touch about the pod or my writing work, drop me a DM or email me via [email protected]

‘Warning Bell’ by Joan As Policewoman

The Jude and Tom Edwin-Scott Band on Spotify

Jude Edwin-Scott website & tour dates

‘Blackbird’ by The Beatles

OMD’s website & tour dates 

OMD on Jules Holland

‘Shine on you Crazy Diamond’, cover version in Jerusalem mentioned by Guy

In Episode 25 of First Impressions, I welcome back novelist Lancelot Schaubert for the second part of our chat. Now living in Brooklyn but hailing from Southern Illinois, where his excellent debut novel ‘Bell Hammers: The True Folk Tale of Little Egypt’ is set, Lance has kindly shared some more extracts from the freshly minted audiobook to punctuate our conversation (find them at 00:00, 13:48, 39:34 and 48:15). Along with the novel, we discuss his influences both literary and philosophical, and his thoughts on subjects ranging from Artificial Intelligence to learning Latin; civil discourse to snipe hunting, the latter topic inspiring me to provide a wee musical ditty at 23:39.

We also talk about the follow-up to ‘Bell Hammers’, which began as a collaboration with Lance’s late father, whose untimely death from hairy cell leukaemia and Covid was partly caused by the dangerous and insufficiently regulated work described in his fiction. Finally, we talk about a terrifying situation Lance and his wife faced on their last visit to the UK. As ever, listen through headphones if you have them and please spread the word if you enjoy the pod. Thanks! 

A few links to content connected to our conversation: 

Lance’s website: https://lanceschaubert.org/about-lancelot/ 

Lance’s book ‘Bell Hammers: The True Folk Tale of Little Egypt’ on Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/Bell-Hammers-Audiobook/B0BXVS1WKQ

‘Bell Hammers…’ on goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/48731251 

Douglas Berman’s short story ‘Ibex Brief’ on Lance’s website: https://lanceschaubert.org/2023/05/03/ibex-brief/

David Bentley Hart’s Substack: https://davidbentleyhart.substack.com

Lance’s ‘All Who Wander’ album on Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/album/1QOE2t9zAKJjz8VySZJvRq?si=jMJNFiwDRAa2QvWmbdjwiA

Jude Edwin-Scott’s new album, ‘Rambling Rose’, available as CD/digital download on Bandcamp:  https://judeedwinscott.bandcamp.com/album/rambling-rose?pk=595&action=buy

Novelist, poet, essayist, singer-storyteller and host of 12-hour marathon Brooklyn brunches Lancelot Schaubert joined me from New York for this episode of First Impressions. Lance also kindly shared some extracts from his widely praised, picaresque debut novel ‘Bell Hammers: The True Folk Tale of Little Egypt’, which while bitingly contemporary in a number of its themes has already been compared to the classic works of fellow southern US authors William Faulkner and Flannery O’Connor. 

His literary endeavours having appeared in Tor, The New Haven Review, McSweeney’s and elsewhere, Lance is in a great position to offer advice to other scribes. As well as digging into his novel, we discuss how he has maintained creative control of his projects; his influences and – off the back of the captivatingly performed audiobook of ‘Bell Hammers’ – how writers can best use their skill sets to publicise their output. Audio extracts from the novel, in which we follow the unusual courtship of protagonist Remmy and his beloved Beth, can be found at 00:00, 09:23, 18:14, 37:36 and 47:19 mins.  

We also discuss – in no particular order – the correct way to pronounce ‘Illinois’; the environmental exploitation of small communities; Lance’s recent release of a Leonard Cohen cover; how Neil Gaiman got the Little Egypt mythology wrong in ‘American Gods’; some essential reading when it comes to non-violent resistance through the ages; the surprises Lance uncovered while interviewing his grandfathers for ‘Bell Hammers’; sci-fi, myth and modernism and how we should avoid restricting ourselves when it comes to telling stories, and the narrative thread that runs throughout my guest’s fiction and songwriting. If you enjoy this episode, don’t forget to like/subscribe/review. Cheers!  

A few links to content connected to our conversation: 

Lance’s website 

Lance’s book ‘Bell Hammers’ on Audible 

Lance covers Leonard Cohen’s ‘Democracy’ 

Lance’s ‘All Who Wander’ album

Your Audio Story, run by Jeremiah Jones, Lance’s podcast producer 

More about Southern Illinois 

More about the origins of the Little Egypt name

Antal Szerb’s ‘Journey by Moonlight’ (trans. Peter V. Czipott) 

Jim Dale on narrating the Harry Potter audiobooks 

Sufjan Stevens, ‘Come on Feel the Illinoise’ 

‘Bloody Williamson: A Chapter in American Lawlessness’ by Paul M. Angle 

‘The Hero with a Thousand Faces’ by Joseph Campbell 

Dr Martin Luther King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail

‘Letters to a Birmingham Jail: A Response to the Words and Dreams of Dr Martin Luther King Jr.’ by Bryan Loritts, John Perkins, Crawford W. Loritts Jr. and Soong-Chan Rah:  

‘Beautiful Trouble – A Toolbox for Revolution’, assembled by Andrew Boyd 

The Non-violence and Satyagraha of Mahatma Gandhi

‘The Power of Nonviolence’, introduced by Howard Zinn

‘Why Civil Resistance Works’ by Erica Chenoweth and Maria J. Stephan

‘When War is Unjust: Being Honest in Just-War Thinking’ by John Howard Yoder

‘The Dark Tower’ (book series) by Stephen King

‘American Gods’ by Neil Gaiman

Cōnfingō Publishing – an evening of spoken word in Chorlton, Manchester on 20th May 2023. 

In Episode 23 of First Impressions I resume my conversation with musician/songwriter, adventurer, woodworker, sustainable architect and organic farmer Mike Teague. In this, the second of two episodes to feature him, Mike reflects on being part of the Liverpool music scene in the early 2000s where he played with Guy and Karim as Pig’s Breakfast (rehearsing below a chippy), lent his guitar to The Coral when they set off on tour and played 5-a-side with The Zutons before wanderlust came calling again and he moved first to the ‘Dickensian’ Isle of Sark (being welcomed into the fold by folk band Big Sheep), then later New Zealand (twice) and London (first squatting near Canary Wharf, later living in digs beside Brixton prison) before applying the brakes on the Hungarian riviera where he and Aniko began the Acorn Village Project a few years ago.

As the 2000s sped by, Mike also found time for a road trip through Southern Africa, recording sessions in Ireland with great friends Ro Tierney and Robbie Mulvany, and an epic journey to Guy’s wedding in Alberta, Canada, with James, where high jinks awaited us before the happy day. Wherever he’s gone, Mike has made enduring friendships through music and this episode is jam-packed with excellent tunes (listed below). While discussing life’s twists and turns, we talk about the bonds that form through jamming, writing and performing with others before signing off with a Decaying Leather update and (possibly) the origins of the Humph family band’s name. A quick reminder to listen to First Impressions through headphones to fully enjoy the mix of music and chat guaranteed in every episode. 

Track listing: 
(00:00) ‘Paradise Shiddy: Live at Brixton Prison’ by the Maybenots

(06:21) ‘Science of the Air’ by Pig’s Breakfast*

(10:15) ‘Oyez Piglets!’ by Pig’s Breakfast

(19:28) ‘The Boatman’ performed by Big Sheep 

(23:13) ‘Nelson Flipflop’ performed by Tinkletrio

(29:02) ‘A Case of You’ performed by Big Sheep 

(32:48) ‘The Voice’ performed by Ro Tierney (with Robbie, Mike & band)

(39:01) ‘I’ve Just Seen a Face’ performed by the Carrick Trio

(40:41) ‘Improv 1 (While it’s Over)’ performed by the Maybenots 

(44:04) ‘Surf Rock’ performed by Mike’s Supergroup in Hungary

(45:00) ‘Raglin Demo’ performed by the Pilis Projekt

(46:08) ‘Ukrainian Waltz’ performed by the Strathcarnage Folk Trio**

(50:18) ‘Darker Tomato’ performed by Decaying Leather

(56:35) ‘You are my Sunshine’ performed by the Carrick Trio

(*source of band name linked to Viz’s lampooning of Victoria Beckham

**source of band name linked to The Day Today football results) 

A few links to content connected to our conversation:

Mike on SoundCloud = https://soundcloud.com/mikeymandolin

Guy on SoundCloud = https://soundcloud.com/guyzeek

Ro Tierney and Robbie Mulvany perform ‘The Voice’ = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25fnNP-nIbU

Jude Edwin-Scott = https://judeedwinscott.com

The Coral = https://thecoral.co.uk

The Zutons = https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Zutons

Episode 22 of First Impressions features musician, adventurer, woodworker, long-distance cyclist and organic farmer Mike Teague. Growing up on the Wirral with classical musician parents, it wasn’t until he met a Slash lookalike at school and started listening to Guns n’ Roses and Nirvana that Mike discovered his love of guitar music and began performing in a succession of bands – entering the Liverpool music scene alongside The Coral and The Zutons.

By resolutely refusing to plan his next move, a life of travel and adventure has followed. In this episode Mike, now qualified in environmental architecture, explains how he and his partner Aniko wound up building their own home on the Hungarian riviera before we travel back to his formative years and then on to Preston via a stint in a dysfunctional Commitments cover band and later Melbourne, where the mandolin became Mike’s instrument of choice. Next time, we talk about Mike, Guy and Karim’s musical hurrah in Liverpool, his time on the royal fiefdom of Sark, travels in Australasia and Africa, squatting in London, and going into the studio in Ireland. Special thanks to Jim/James Pollard, Mike’s unofficial music archivist (and an excellent musician in his own right) for helping source some of the tunes used in this episode. Here they are: 
(00:00) ‘Petofi Pompe’ performed by Mike Teague
(32:35) ‘You really got me’ performed by the Cave Junkeez
(35:30) ‘Reggae Youth Club Anthem’ performed by Funky Didgerama
(36:45) ‘Afrobeatz’ performed by Funky Didgerama 
(39:12) ‘Barryfish’ performed by The Weaverfish
(45:00) ‘Holdsworth Road Theme’ performed by Pool of Thought
(51:34) ‘Greek Song’ performed by the Maybenots

A few links connected to our conversation:
Mike on SoundCloud = @mikeymandolin 
Guy on SoundCloud = @guyzeek 
Steve Hall on SoundCloud = @steve-hall 
The Coral = thecoral.co.uk 
The Zutons = en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Zutons 
Patrick Fermor (travel writer) = en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Leigh_Fermor 
Bruce Chatwin (travel writer) = en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Chatwin 
Rowland Keeble (on building with rammed earth) = www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcI1OiW4nDQ 
The History of Rock Music in 500 songs = 500songs.com

Mary F*cking Poppins is a poet, performer, zine creator/publisher and musician based in Liverpool. In Episode 21 of First Impressions we talk about how she switched from writing lyrics as a member of fast hardcore/anarcho punk band Falaun to creating poetry during lockdown and the journey that followed, which now sees her producing the seminal Word Vomit zine – a regular collection of themed ‘therapeutic writing’ from local, national and international contributors that pushes back against societal norms and injustices, managing to be both personal and political.

Here’s a 20-minute mini-pod to celebrate the launch of the audiobook of Hong Kong Rocks (Proverse, 2023). Google Play seems to be the best place to buy all 9hrs 48 mins of it (currently at a bargain £7.99) In Episode 20 of First Impressions you’ll find a few choice extracts from the audiobook plus an extended, remixed version of my intro/outro music for the book (‘Nick’s Theme’) that I put together from my usual toyshop of beats, samples and FX. Ears itching for more? You can get your mitts on the full audiobook via these outlets: