MAY 2026: Six years ago, to this very month, I pulled myself out of a lockdown slump and set about piecing together and developing a book that had already been in the tentative works for a number of decades. I'd been jotting down a snippet of an idea here, a paragraph there and, since 1990, been keeping a journal full of past memories, alongside contemporary experiences and feelings, before they all completely faded. But now, with all these fragments to aid me, as well as memorabilia and diaries I’d stashed away, I really started to write. Four years ago, I began to haul the proposal around music book publishers. I had favourable reactions. But mainly, apparently, for economic reasons, none of the fish bit. Covid had hit us all hard and the publishing business was not excluded. A year later I tried another round. Still no takers. Like 'Road-Eyes', my book of photo tales, I was looking again at the self-publishing route. Then my dear friend Johnny Green, the man who'd been cajoling me for years to get my story down, indirectly gave a hand in me securing a publishing deal, as it was through a conversation just a year ago, with his daughter Goldy, that lead to an introduction to Richard Jones of Tangent Books. I can say now, looking back, that a work I would've called "practically finished" on many occasions, has benefited from all the extra time afforded by previous setbacks. I have learnt a great deal in the time it has taken, about writing and the many aspects and skills beyond my expertise, involved in bringing a book to fruition. In my time, I’ve tended to gravitate more towards solo pursuits. Mostly, I’ve found myself better suited to being a DJ than playing in bands, as much as I've enjoyed my involvement in the latter. Similarly, in my 'rock'n'roll drop-out 40s', I was drawn to still photography as opposed to being part of a film crew, as may have been more expected of a student on the film degree I was then pursuing. ‘Road-Eyes’ was not totally a one-person operation. But it was a one-person decision-making outfit. But now with Tangent, I had a collaborator in Richard. It was the first time in a while I'd teamed up with someone else in such a way, so I had to learn anew the art of what had often been a dirty word to me, 'compromise'. I realised again that it didn't have to mean 'sell out'. But, with a trusted ally, it could actually mean a way of staying true to your principles, whilst improving, nurturing and growing a vision. Over the past half-dozen years and with increasing intensity over the last 12 months, I've written, rewritten, reordered words in a sentence, proofread off screen and paper, both to myself and out loud, fussed about commas and apostrophes, taken onboard suggestions and even let go of ideas that I'd once thought sacrosanct. Through discussion, I had my eyes and mind opened to other possibilities. I've made adjustments and, I believe, improvements that wouldn't have been possible, even a year or two ago. Time, thought and the involvement of others have made this a book I'm even more happy to release out to the world than if I'd done it totally on my own. It still reflects exactly what I’d hope to achieve, yet is an upgraded version on what I could’ve managed alone and for that I have to thank Richard and Joe Burt of Wild Spark Design, as well as all the other friends I’ve run ideas by and sought advice from, to allow my dreams to run rampant, while helping to keep my feet on the ground. And now, with the text and images all heading off to the printers, there can be no more tinkering, no more tampering, no more tweaking. I'll now have to find something else to occupy my time. Let the good times roll.

 

'A Voice From The Wings' will be ready for Summer consumption.

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Signed copies will be available through this website or contacting Scratchy via social media.