Category Archives: LeftLion

Dear Jon

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raygCouncillor Collins, for the past three years I’ve been following Ray Gosling up and down Mansfield Road, discussing his life over a pint or two for an article published in the current issue of LeftLion. It’s not been an easy journey at times but certainly an experience I will never forget. To be perfectly honest with you I didn’t know that much about Ray when we first hooked up other than he’d written a couple of books and spent a fair few years in broadcasting. I am now completely astounded as how much he has achieved in a life dedicated to fighting for the rights of ordinary people, be it in giving them a voice on the screen or ensuring they have some say in their everyday lives, as with St. Anns. Hence my title for the piece was: RayG Against The Machine.

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Photo David Parry for LeftLion.

I can think of no better person more deserving of being given the keys to Nottingham than Ray. This seems particularly fitting at the moment given that gay marriage has finally been given Royal Ascent, representing a lifelong fight by Ray to justify his sexuality. His documentaries on bankruptcy, pensions and old age are even more relevant today given the current economic climate and the difficulties faced by ordinary people. But my favourite documentary, and the one I think best sums him up, is the one about Whittingham Hospital Asylum, which he describes as “a community of very sensitive people”. Simple, compassionate, and absolutely on the nail.

The rebel city

I am led to believe that Nottingham is rebranding itself as the rebel city. Yes, that chap in green tights will certainly be useful for tourism – as last week’s Robin Hood festival proved – but a broader and deeper interpretation of rebellion would allow you to celebrate the many figures who have stood up and fought for the rights of ordinary people or against perceived injustices in the system. Alan Sillitoe did it in literature by creating an authentic working class voice. Ray Gosling has done it on screen by celebrating, and giving voice to, the ordinary lives of people, offering an alternative view of history to Ken Clarke’s Civilisation.

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Photo David Parry for LeftLion.

Gosling is a rebel. He’s a surrogate son of Nottingham who has fallen in love with the city and has the bruises to show for it. But he’s getting very frail and weak and now is the time to celebrate an extraordinary life dedicated to ordinary people. Yes, he’s a pain in the arse who likes a drink but as far as lives go, it’s hard to think of one more deserving of recognition.

It would mean a lot to Ray as well. As much as he claims he doesn’t need anyone, validation is important, particularly given the way his career has been reduced to a tabloid headline and those one thousand radio documentaries have been conveniently forgotten.

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Photo David Parry for LeftLion.

Nottingham is heading in the right direction at the moment, people have got dirt behind the fingernails and the Creative Quarter and other developments suggest that we’re slowly linking together and forging an identity that may finally put Shottingham to rest. Ray is an inspirational figure who symbolises what can be done with a bit of grit and self-belief. Nottingham needs to shout about such figures because he’s been shouting for us for fifty years.

LeftLion 10th birthday

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LeftLion get the Video Matt make-over.

A few years ago I mentioned the possibility of doing a Reservoir Dogs style cover for LeftLion, with the editorial team walking down the street in black suits. Instead of being a Mr Pink  or Mr Brown we could be a Mr Books, Mr films, etc. This was put on hold for a bit and then along came Video Matt, aka Triumph Dolemite, with his superb spoof covers for films and record sleeves who had a more dystopian vision for our tenth anniversary issue. All we had to do was get dolled up in suits and frocks and he’d sort out the rest.

For the photo shoot we were asked to bring in something which signified our specialism so naturally I brought along a book. Or rather books. But which one would best represent our chip-littered streets? Decisions decisions.

Alan Sillitoe was an obvious choice, mainly because quotes from that book and film have regularly appeared in the inside cover (“I’m out for a good time, all the rest is propaganda”) but Sillitoe has had his fair share of coverage over the years. Jon McGregor was another contender because he’s the most established writer living in Nottingham, but he’s not a true local (e.g. hasn’t been threatened in Aspley as a kid) and certainly doesn’t need any help promoting his work. David Belbin has published over fifty books and his involvement with NTU Creative Writing and the EMBA made him a strong contender. Or what about Nicola Monaghan, one of the founders of the Nottingham Writers’ Studio and author of one of my favourite debut novels of all time, The Killing Jar.

decadeI must have spent a week working down a list of possible authors or publishers who were worthy of the cover. I didn’t eat. I couldn’t sleep. I felt racked with guilt. I took books off the shelves and then put them back again. On the day of the shoot I’d nailed it down to seven books. My shortlist included the like of Festus, Philip James Bailey; Sydney Race Diaries, Ann Featherstone; The Complete Works of Henry Kirke White and works by Graham Greene, D H Lawrence and Lord Byron. But in the end I plumped for a short story collection by Derrick Buttress.

Derrick Buttress is a writer I really admire. He is a master of vignettes, both in his short stories and poetry. He’s a true Nottingham legend who has shied away from publicity and so was the perfect choice for this very special issue of LeftLion. His memoir, Broxtowe Boy, is published by Shoestring Press but is out of print. Pick a copy up from the library and you’ll see why he’s a Nottingham treasure. For the inside cover I went for Emrys Bryson’s Portrait of Nottingham. Emrys was a Post journalist and perhaps best known for Owd Yer Tight. I’d love to interview him one day so watch this space.

By the way, if you’re wondering why I look like Pigsy on the cover it’s because I’ve got ‘my nose in a book’. Gerrit. *Wasted*

Join us for our tenth birthday celebrations on Friday 2 August at The Corner, Stoney Street