Books EVENTS COMIC
MUSIC COMIC COURTNEY TAYLOR-TAYLOR & JIM RUGG One Model Nation (Titan Books) ●●●●●
It’s always interesting when someone turns their hand from one artform to another. However, One Model Nation is proof that the results aren’t always as interesting as the concept. The idea of a comic from Dandy Warhols’ frontman Courtney Taylor-Taylor is intriguing but the end product lacks the zest and lyrical humour that makes their music so engaging. One Model Nation is a fictitious band
roughly based on Kraftwerk (with a dash of Faust and Laibach thrown in for good measure) whose history becomes intertwined with the Baader-Meinhof gang in 70s Germany. It’s a time of political unrest with shoot-outs, riots and explosions, and while we witness these events unfold, Taylor- Taylor’s story fails to provide any context.
The dialogue is lifeless with most of the characters feeling utterly interchangeable. Jim Rugg’s art is serviceable if a little drab but there’s a cool David Bowie cameo (drawn by guest artist Mike Allred). It’s a real shame as a lot of love obviously went into this project (as evidenced by the 20-odd pages of notes, sketches and extras at the back) but Taylor- Taylor we urge you, please stick to the day job. (Henry Northmore)
ALSO PUBLISHED BOOKS ABOUT DICKENS
In February, the rest of the UK will be joining all of dear old London town by taking to our foggy streets in honour of Charles John Huffam Dickens’ bicentenary. Well, perhaps not, but the media has certainly done its best to remind us that 2012 isn’t just the year of the Olympics and the end of the world, but the moment when you should at least attempt to get through one of the Victorian social commentator’s epic doorstoppers (or at least watch one of the adaptations on telly, like the BBC’s The Mystery of Edwin Drood, pictured).
It’s certainly little surprise that Simon Callow is getting in on the act, and with Charles Dickens and the Great Theatre of the World (HarperPress) he focuses on the writer as a ‘celebrity actor’ who was driven as much by showmanship as by literary endeavour. In What Would Dickens Do? (Summersdale), Constance Moore brings us a collection of quotes from some of his best-loved characters as well as droplets of wisdom from CD himself.
Charles Dickens: Selected Letters (OUP) is a compact edition of 450 correspondences edited by Jenny Hartley which takes us from Charlie’s schooldays to his very last afternoon on earth while Dickens and the Workhouse (OUP) by Ruth Richardson uncovers the building which inspired him to write Oliver Twist. When the discovery was made that Dickens once lived literally doors away, a campaign was launched to prevent the demolition of the workhouse. (Brian Donaldson)
52 THE LIST 2 Feb–1 Mar 2012
Events are listed by date, then city. Submit listings at least 16 days before publication to books@list.co.uk. Listings are compiled by Laura Ennor. ✽✽ Indicates Hitlist entry
Thursday 2
Glasgow FREE Scottish Writers’ Centre presents Rodge Glass, In Process CCA, 350 Sauchiehall Street, 352 4900. 7pm. Glasgow-based novelist Rodge Glass and artist Dave Turbitt talk about their co-authored graphic novel, Dougie’s War.
Edinburgh ✽✽ FREE Stuart MacBride Blackwells, 53–59 South Bridge,
622 8222. 6.30pm. The crime writer discusses new effort Birthdays for the Dead.
Friday 3
Edinburgh Exploring Books with Liz Hare 6VT Youth Cafe, 6 Victoria Terrace, 220 2108. 10am–noon. Full course £25 (£13). First session in a nine-week term for this informal book group. Books include David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas and Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness.
✽✽ FREE Book Signing: Stuart MacBride Waterstone’s West End,
128 Princes Street, 226 2666. noon. MacBride signs copies of his new crime thriller, Birthdays for the Dead.
Pitlochry ✽✽ Winter Words Festival Pitlochry Festival Theatre, Port–na Craig,
01796 484626. Times vary. Prices vary (£2.50–£18.50). The literary festival enters its second weekend, with readings and chat from Liz Lochhead, Janice Galloway, Adam Hart-Davis and former chancellor Alistair Darling, as well as a Fearie Tales storytelling session.
Saturday 4
Pitlochry ✽✽ Winter Words Festival Pitlochry Festival Theatre, Port–na Craig,
01796 484626. Times vary. Prices vary (£2.50–£18.50). Today’s guests include Neil Oliver on his History of Ancient Britain, Dr Roger Carwright on the Titanic, and Alison Weir on Mary Boleyn, plus free sessions of poetry and more Fearie Tales.
Sunday 5
Pitlochry ✽✽ Winter Words Festival Pitlochry Festival Theatre, Port–na Craig,
01796 484626. Times vary. Prices vary (£2.50–£18.50). The festival finishes with a murder mystery performance from PFT’s hiper! youth theatre.
Monday 6
Edinburgh FREE Blackwell Book Quiz Blackwells, 53–59 South Bridge, 622 8201. 5.45pm. Test your literary credentials in teams of up to five members. Please arrive for 5.45pm. FREE Edinburgh Creative Writers Pulp Fiction, 43 Bread Street, 229 4444. 7–9.30pm. Social meet-up for creative writers with sharing of work and discussions on writing-related matters.
Tuesday 7
Edinburgh ✽✽ FREE Ossian – An Epic Controversy National Library of Scotland, George IV Bridge, 623 3918. 6pm. Historians and editors Allan and Linda Burnett discuss the notorious literary hoax surrounding a supposedly ancient Gaelic poem. Booking essential.
Wednesday 8
Glasgow FREE Graphic Novel Book Group The Crystal Palace, 36 Jamaica Street, 237 1137. 7.30pm. Up for discussion this time is Nelson, a London-set graphic novel created by a collaboration between no less than 54 comic artists. Word Play Tron Theatre, 63 Trongate, 552 4267. 8.30pm. £2. Open mic night with acoustic music, poetry and prose, hosted by The Word Factory. Edinburgh FREE Getting Started at NLS National Library of Scotland, George IV Bridge, 623 3918. 10am. Find out how to register, seek out specific books and peek inside the Reading Rooms. Booking essential. FREE Book Launch: Catriona Child Blackwells, 53–59 South Bridge, 622 8222. 6.30pm. Edinburgh novelist Catriona Child launches her debut novel Trackman. Booking essential.
Thursday 9 Edinburgh Read Like a Writer / Write Like a Reader Scottish Poetry Library, 5 Crichton’s Close, Canongate, 557 2876. 6–8pm. Full course £57 (seniors £45; other concessions £34). Start of a five- week course led by the SPL’s Reader in Residence Ryan van Winkle. Creative writing tasks will be set each week, but the format will be loose, with scope for lots of discussion and feedback. FREE Shakespeare Poetry Reading Group National Library of Scotland, George IV Bridge, 623 3918. 6pm. No experience or knowledge needed for this informal poetry reading session, headed up by the curators of the current National Library Shakespeare exhibition. FREE Book Launch: Robert Douglas-Fairhurst Blackwells, 53–59 South Bridge, 622 8222. 6.30pm. Robert Douglas-Fairhurst launches his new biography, Becoming Dickens.
Friday 10
Glasgow FREE Reading Allowed Tchai-Ovna House of Tea, 42 Otago Lane, 357 4524. 8pm. A monthly evening of storytelling and poetry reading. Edinburgh Exploring Books with Liz Hare 6VT Youth Cafe, 6 Victoria Terrace, 220 2108. 10am–noon. Full course £25 (£13). See Fri 3. FREE Global Conditioning SPACE Theatre, Artspace, 11 Harewood Road, Craigmillar, inkyfingersedinburgh@gmail.com. 7.30pm. Craigmillar Writers Group and Inky Fingers present an open mic night.
Monday 13
Glasgow ✽✽ FREE Jane Harris University of Strathclyde, 26 Richmond Street,
552 4400. 5pm. University of Strathclyde Author Talks with the author of Gillespie and I and The Observations.
Edinburgh FREE Edinburgh Creative Writers Pulp Fiction, 43 Bread Street, 229 4444. 7–9.30pm. See Mon 6. FREE Joseph Pearce’s Book Club Joseph Pearce’s, 23 Elm Row, 556 4140. 7pm. Monthly book club in a cosy bar setting.
Tuesday 14 Glasgow FREE Loves Untold St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art, 2 Castle Street, 276 1625. 6pm. Storytelling performance about rejected or forbidden loves. Part of LGBT History Month.