Tag Archives: LeftLion

LeftLion 54: Decade

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decadeThe latest issue of LeftLion 54 just happened to be our tenth anniversary issue and so we went to town as much as we could by interviewing as many ‘big names’ as possible. It’s a bit of a celebrity wank-off in some respects, but it was an occasion that needed to be marked. Cramming it all in meant we extended to 54 pages which is cause for celebration in itself. Although I think the front cover looks great there were many faces missing who have done a great job for the Lion over the years, notably designer Dave Blenkey, Nathan Miller and of course Al Needham.

From a literature perspective this included a double page feature on Ray Gosling and a gentle invitation to Councillor Jon Collins to give this incredible man the keys to Nottingham. It was great to be able to write a ‘proper’ informed article and goes to prove that there is space in LeftLion for serious articles (e.g. one’s you have to read rather than flick through). The Q&A format is great for publications read in pubs and cafes but people do take LeftLion home to read as well.

One recurring question I keep being asked is whether I like Ray Gosling. Of course I frigging do or else I wouldn’t have wasted three years of my life following him around. Good journalism is about telling the truth, showing all sides, it’s not about kissing arse. Ray has wild mood swings and there’s no point lying about this, though in hindsight I could have been more diplomatic about his hygiene. Either way it’s my best headline to date: RayG Against The Machine.

hsim225Dramatist Michael Eaton kindly allowed us to republish his Left/Right commission for the Nottingham Playhouse’s 50th birthday celebrations which features a dialogue between our favourite two lions. There was also a spot for Rhiannon Jenkins Tsang, author of The Woman Who Lost China, which takes us back to the beginning of the Maoist communist onslaught of 1949. This was an opportunity to get in a Smiths reference in the headline: ‘How Soon is Mao: There’s a republic if you’d like to go. You could meet 1.3 billion people who really love you.’ This is what LeftLion is really about, witty headlines, irreverent comments, not taking ourselves too seriously – everything our egocentric cover is not…

WriteLion featured a specially commissioned poem by MulletProofPoet, one from Rosie Garner who helped out LeftLion back in the day and a typical Lord Biro offering. In their differing ways they all capture the spirit of this factory town. We featured two self-published books, one by Jack Croxall and the other by an incredibly entertaining eccentric called Susan Beecroft. Our favourite adopted scouser Paula Rawsthorne and a short story collection from the Notts writing group took the other slots. We also found space for three poetry reviews: Helen Ivory, who helped adjudicate the Alan Sillitoe Poetry Competition, the Nottingham Lace Anthology which was published as part of the Festival of Words (and also includes short stories) and an offering from NTU graduate Daniel Campbell, because he sent the most entertaining accompanying letter I’ve read in eight years of slogging my guts out for nothing. Katie Half-Price got stuck into the latest pseudonym from JK Rowling and tried to figure out what exactly Bradley Manning has done wrong.

Al Needham finally got to interview Su Pollard and so can die a happy bunny. Al is an absolute genius and is one of my commissioned writers on Dawn of the Unread. I learned a lot from Al when he was LeftLion editor and he taught me the value of asking difficult questions. One question that was not asked of White Dolemite (our centrespread and the person who did the front cover) was about his grotesque sexual imagery. All The Girls Are Dead is a particularly brutal sexualised image that has already caused offence to a few people I’ve spoken to and we missed an opportunity to allow him to respond to these valid criticisms. Given the ridiculous rise of misogyny we’ve seen recently on Twitter or the backlash at women for daring to want Jane ‘Pounds and Prejudice’ Austin on a bank note (what do men want, Steve Austin?) publications like LeftLion need to be more responsible. So soz, for that.

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