Reading for September

Will Carruthers  Playing the Bass with Three Left Hands

I had the opportunity to see Will Carruthers (one-time bass player with Spacemen 3 and Spiritualized) at the splendid Wow and Flutter record shop in Hastings a couple of weeks ago.  Very entertaining speaker and conversationalist and the book is really good too.  It's often more interesting reading the experiences of the lesser known musicians struggling with poverty and addiction than the dull superstars like Elton bloody John.  Apparently Spiritualized - in the early days at least - were fuelled more by booze than drugs - leading one wag to rechristen their excellent debut lp Lager Guided Melodies.  I saw Spiritualized a number of times - memorable occasions were at the Hackney Empire with Aphex Twin and the short-lived Levitation (who had the plug pulled on them for over-running) and Middlesex Polytechnic playing within a stunning laser tunnel.

Michael Hoskin  The History of Astronomy A Very Short Introduction

Harold Pinter  The Dumb Waiter, The Birthday Party, The Room

Terry Johnson  Imagine Drowning,  Hysteria,  Dead Funny

Simon Gray Quartermaine's Terms - I remember seeing this back in 1981 directed by Harold Pinter and with Edward Fox in the title role.  Gray's autobiography The Smoking Dairies is also highly recommended.

Steve Gooch  Writing a Play

Writing of the play is about 80% complete.  Of course the likelihood of it ever being performed in public is extremely remote - we shall see.