New Smiths-Based Short Story Collection.

[Bill Poster]

I don't know if you are aware of this, but in 2008 the English publisher Serpent's Tail will be putting out an anthology of short stories called Paint A Vulgar Picture. It's part of a six-book series (others being bands The Fall and Joy Division and The Ramones and Velvet Underground, as well as one other I can't recall) which is full of stories based on Smiths songs or songs titles. An incomplete stories listing (which may change slightly in the case of one or two of the authors) runs like this:

Girl Afraid (or Hand In Glove) - Richard Evans
Reel Around The Fountain - Nick Johnstone
This Night Has Opened My Eyes - Peter Wild
Back To The Old House - Graham Rae
Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want - Laura Hird
Sweet And Tender Hooligan - Charlie Williams
There Is A Light That Never Goes Out (or How Soon Is Now) - Helen Walsh
Stop Me If You Think That You've Heard This One Before - Willy Vlautin
Death Of A Disco Dancer - Nick Stone
I've Started Something I Couldn't Finish - Matthew Berninger
London (or Rusholme Ruffians) - Matthew David Scott
This Charming Man - Mike Gayle
Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now - Kate Pullinger
Cemetry Gates - Mil Millington
Paint A Vulgar Picture - Scarlett Thomas
Asleep - Rebecca Ray
Bigmouth Strikes Again (or Shoplifters Of The World) - James Flint
Nowhere Fast (or What She Said) - Jeremy Sheldon

Other authors include Toby Litt, Matt Beaumont and Nic Kelman.

I know 2008 is a way off, but I just thought you might be interested and would know to look out for it; I'll post this again far closer to the time.

Cheers.

 

[Uncleskinny]

I don't know if you are aware of this, but in 2008 the English publisher Serpent's Tail will be putting out an anthology of short stories called Paint A Vulgar Picture. It's part of a six-book series (others being bands The Fall and Joy Division and The Ramones and Velvet Underground, as well as one other I can't recall) which is full of stories based on Smiths songs or songs titles. An incomplete stories listing (which may change slightly in the case of one or two of the authors) runs like this:

Girl Afraid (or Hand In Glove) - Richard Evans
Reel Around The Fountain - Nick Johnstone
This Night Has Opened My Eyes - Peter Wild
Back To The Old House - Graham Rae
Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want - Laura Hird
Sweet And Tender Hooligan - Charlie Williams
There Is A Light That Never Goes Out (or How Soon Is Now) - Helen Walsh
Stop Me If You Think That You've Heard This One Before - Willy Vlautin
Death Of A Disco Dancer - Nick Stone
I've Started Something I Couldn't Finish - Matthew Berninger
London (or Rusholme Ruffians) - Matthew David Scott
This Charming Man - Mike Gayle
Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now - Kate Pullinger
Cemetry Gates - Mil Millington
Paint A Vulgar Picture - Scarlett Thomas
Asleep - Rebecca Ray
Bigmouth Strikes Again (or Shoplifters Of The World) - James Flint
Nowhere Fast (or What She Said) - Jeremy Sheldon

Other authors include Toby Litt, Matt Beaumont and Nic Kelman.

I know 2008 is a way off, but I just thought you might be interested and would know to look out for it; I'll post this again far closer to the time.

Cheers.

This could either be great or embarrassing, but nevertheless worthy of a front page story - have you submitted it to Davis?

Peter

 

[Bluebirds]

I venture embarrassing, as the songs are literary masterpieces in themselves.

 

[JeanReno]

Ay, the great thing about Morrissey's lyrics is how they represent and mean so much whilst describing the mundane and the essentially forgettable (okay, and vice versa, but that's rarer). Writing prose around their happenings without the freedom for the loose, capricious artistic flow allowed by music/poetry will kill most elements of ad rem connection with the originals, and they'll be left with naught but, well, one or two or three or four snippets of related activity.

"This Charming Man"? What, a camp young man pops a tyre, and gets a lift from an approaching, poaching old poser? Anything else happening would make the banal, pedestrian nature of the protagonist's real-life perception (and his insightful, socially germane interpretation of it) utterly irrelevant. I'd prefer to just read the lyrics ten times.

 

[nightandday]

Most likely the stories will have absolutely nothing to do with song lyrics and just a vague connection with the titles.

Which would probably be for the best.

 

[JeanReno]

But things like "Sweet and Tender Hooligan" will just be tackily pathetic, if that's the case; nevermind "Bigmouth Strikes Again" and "Cemetry Gates". It's worse than a tribute album. And I don't have to read them.

 

[Helen]

What's also quite depressing are the authors they've chosen. I've only heard of a couple of them, and at one point I was studying contemporary British fiction. Just off the top of my head I know of two novelists - very good ones too! - who are Smiths/Moz fans (one of whom even came to my Smiths disco), who could probably write something fab for this. But oh look, the only names I recognise are the literati poseurs who would go to the opening of a crisp packet.

Once again... contemporary fiction in Britain has all the resonance of a wet fart.

(also, no Michael Bracewell - who writes novels as well as appearing in Moz's sleeve notes).