-
Random Pics
.: Behind the Counter :.
.: Translator :.
By N2H
THE AUTHOR SIGNINGS Part 3
Part 3 of a 3-part CBH Event Report by Michael Clarke of bcrefugees.blogspot.com
MEETING DAVE THOMPSON
Opportunities to meet authors, chat with them and ask questions in relaxed and casual surroundings don’t occur often. So, it was a real treat to be introduced to three separate writers on the same day, at the same location. (For those who missed it, that was on November 7 at CBH!)
I opted to ask all three writers (Greg Cox, Lance Parkin and Dave Thompson) the same opening question: At what point did you decide to pursue what you do as a career?
“I was 13 years old.”
Dave Thompson’s response to my question was immediate and said with conviction and sincerity.
He made the decision to be a music writer while a young English lad at the age of thirteen, in spite of professors, instructors, and guidance counselors telling him “you can’t do that…you must be a plumber, or learn a trade, etc.”
A life-long fan of music who attended scores of concerts in the London area and rubbed elbows with the temporary-famous artists, the never famous, as well as the forever-famous—he never desired to be a musician, just a writer as his now “20 years” plus “in journalism” attests.
A key moment in determining his future employment occurred at the age of 21, where he worked as a payroll processor at a factory. He asked for some time off to attend a Rolling Stones concert and was refused. Dave had his priorities straight—he resigned his job in order to attend that Stones concert.
Since 1983, he’s written “approximately 115 books”. His target is 200: “maybe I’ll stop then.”
At this point in the conversation I wasn’t sure if Dave was pulling my leg, having a little joke on the interviewer. Over 115 books? That is just a might prolific!!
He wasn’t joking. When I later visited the website www.davethompsonbooks.com I found the truth. He’s right! In fact, some of his books are published just within a month of each other.
The latest, YOUR PRETTY FACE IS GOING TO HELL, subtitled “The Dangerous Glitter of David Bowie, Iggy Pop & Lou Reed” chronicles the collaborative days and intertwining lives of three artists in the early days of glam rock.
Music is not the only subject covered in his works, although it dominates everything else. He’s also written and recently published FIERCE FICTION, which covers the attempts of four famous Victorian period authors (Charles Dickens, Harrison Ainsworth, William Thackeray and Edward Bulwer-Lytton) to formulate changes within the cruel British penal system.
Dave is now finishing a book about The Sweet and a semi-fictional work on Louisiana, an impressionistic travelogue that “may end up having no specific musical basis, although there could end up being some musical references” since he described it as “me walking around the area while listening to my iPod.” After that are some planned books on Patti Smith and Joan Jett.
When I asked him about interviewing artists and their responsiveness and/or lack of cooperation, he said that musicians/ “artists” have their own vision of themselves and he’d “be just as happy not to talk to them.” He prefers to get his information from the fans and/or alumni for feedback and opinions.
Dave would rather write about the time and the place and the culture of the time than try to interpret the meaning/importance of the artist to today’s audience. To him, “what did the artist mean then, at that time?” is more important as “history distorts the facts.”
One of the more difficult books for him to write was LONDON’S BURNING as it could have been extremely personalized. He was 16-17 years old at the time, had first-hand experience and knowledge of the punk rockers of 1976-1977, and he had “much different values and outlook then.” He found it much harder to write about 30 years later and recall things correctly/properly. As with most of his works, for this book he went out and “asked the fans—what were we thinking about this band at the time, and what did it mean to us?”
Dave believes that between the ages of 12-17 is “when music makes the most impression, and you find what suits your musical tastes then.” For him, it was glam rock. He also doesn’t have a very high opinion of current music, as his 2008 book proclaims: I HATE NEW MUSIC, The Classic Rock Primer.
Dave Thompson now resides in Newark, Delaware and greatly prefers it to Seattle, Washington his former American home.
Comments