Ben Myers Interview
Noted journalist, poet and author Ben Myers has written, amongst others, books on Muse and System Of A Down. His second novel ‘The Missing Kidney’ is out soon. Visit www.benmyersmanofletters.blogspot.com for full details on his work.
Can you tell me about your career as a writer? You're a rock biographer, fiction writer, journalist and poet...
I tend to just see myself as a writer who writes about whatever is on my mind, and lucky enough to make a living doing so. I started writing short stories as a child, then as a teenager started writing for fanzines and local music magazines in the north-east of England, then my university magazine. Then at 20 I started writing for Melody Maker - I was the staff writer there, but even then I had designs on writing novels. It was only when I became a full-time freelance writer that I bought myself enough time to work on stories, poems and novels too. So at the age of 23 I 'retired' from office work and decided to become a hustler instead. A hustler of words. That's the way I see it: you have to hustle to survive because being in a writer in this day and age is a risk. With blogs and websites, everyone thinks they're a writer, though half of them can't spell and don't even know what they're trying to say. Plus the publishing industry exists in turmoil. My first novel ‘The Book Of Fuck,’ which was a fictionalised account of some of my experiences as a music journalist, came out in 2004, but I'd already published a couple of music books by then. Oddly, the novel came out in Italy, where I'm told it has done quite well. Since then I've written short stores for anthologies, had a book of poetry out, worked on some more fiction, and have been writing for some music magazines too. Mojo, The Guardian, Bizarre, ShortList and Alternative Press (US) are some of the them. It's a schizophrenic life.
What do you make of contemporary rock journalism in the UK?
A lot of mainstream music magazines have turned into catalogues for record and mobile phone companies. There's very little scope to say anything too contentious. As a writer, if you slag off a band who are big in particular magazine's world, you'll probably be pulled up on it. Which is why there are less and less high profile music journalists out there, people with distinct 'voices' or opinions you can trust. Therefore the best UK music publications are either online, or are the smaller ones - The Stool Pigeon, Plan B etc. Mojo is good too. I still maintain that Britain has the best music press though. It's certainly way better than in the US.
How easy/difficult is it to get your ideas commisioned?
It varies greatly, but it is never 'easy'. I am working on something now which I think is a great idea - it blurs fact, fiction and music biography - but I suspect no publisher will go for it. Getting a novel published is even harder than getting a music book published. Poetry harder still. Very few people buy poetry, so very few people will publish it. I think lots of readers think poetry equals love, birds and flowers, but it really isn't. It’s my goal to help make more people read poetry.
Tell me about your new novel The Missing Kidney…
It's a very odd book. It is part biographical and concerns an operation I had in my childhood, where my kidney was removed. Then as an adult I got to thinking, I wonder what happened to my kidney? I wonder if it went on to have a long and fruitful life without me? And that triggered lots of thoughts. It's a bit surreal. It was only when I finished writing it that I came to see that the kidney represents something bigger - it came to represent all the things we have lost. It represents time marching forwards and the changing face of English. It questions progress - or wonders what the cost of progress will be. It's quite digestible though, and there's humour in there too. The chapters are short and snappy. If you're at all interested in tarmac, exotic fish, the M1, myths, pigeons, hospitals and mountains you might enjoy it.
How long did it take you to write your latest novel?
It took about five months to write, then about two years of tinkering with it slightly. Professionals call it 'editing' I suppose. That's a long time by my standards. Normally my concentration goes after the first three months. But fiction is a labour of love - you do it because you have something to say, or a story to tell. And if you're into it, you tend to want to stick at it until the bitter end.
Given the research tasks involved, is it harder to write a music biography than a novel?
Yes, definitely. Writing biographies, you have to check all your facts and make sure you don't write anything that will get you or your publisher sued, whereas with fiction your imagination is given free reign. I do however like to apply some of the principles of prose writing to music biographies. I think you need to inject a bit of yourself in there. Why write a book that is just like a long-winded Wikipedia entry, when in fact you can put a personal slant on it all, and also add your anecdotes
What books would your recommend to aspiring writers?
I'd start with the dictionary then take it from there. Just to read is enough. Newspapers. Poetry. Classic novels. Hello! magazine. Pornography. Anything and eveything.
What are your favourite rock books?
I like 'Rip It Up And Start Again' and 'England's Dreaming' are great works because they are both so much more than music books; they are cultural documents that view the bigger picture and put the music into context. I like 'Walk This Way', which is about Aerosmith and is jam-packed with hilarious stories which merely serve to remind how idiotic and up their own arses most rock stars are once they've had a bit of success. I've interviewed many rock stars and many of them are great people. Some are very smart, but many are really, unbelievably stupid. That's why you come across lots of music journalists who are bitter and have chips on their shoulders - because they've just spent the afternoon talking to some with an IQ of 50 who has made $3 million dollars in the past twelve months!
The Motley Crue book 'The Dirt' is another fine example of four people who were destined to fail at anything else in life other than loading up on smack and prancing about in leather cod-pieces while playing boorish songs, barely in tune. I never get tired of tales of coke-addled idiocy. Talking of which, I just read Anthony Keidis' autobiography...imagine being stuck in an elevator with him. What a bore! All he talks about his heroin and women, and always in typically Californian cod-spiritual tones, which seems to bypass irony or, indeed, humour. I enjoyed it though, and I enjoyed Alex James' recent book too. Ironically though, my favourite writers about music are musicians themselves - Julian Cope and Ian Svenonius, the latter of whom who wrote a great (and often overlooked) book of essays called 'The Psychic Soviet.’ Julian Cope is just a great character and a great mind. 'Head On' and 'Repossessed' are probably my two favourite rock biographies because they appreciate the absurdity of being in a band. Julian Cope laughs at himself, while you suspect Anthony Keidis has never laughed at anything except maybe his bank balance.
What novels are you reading at the moment?
I'm reading many at any given time. I like reading a lot. At the moment I'm reading 'Giovanni's Room' by James Baldwin, 'Kill Your Friends' by John Niven', 'Tales Of Love And Loss' by Knut Hamsun, a fishing-writing anthology, a couple of books about bare-knuckle boxer, some poetry...that type of thing. My concentration is not great, but my desire to consume and devour is growing daily. It makes for an interesting mix....‘The Missing Kidney’ is published May 2008 via Social Disease.
Ben Myers' blog is: www.benmyersmanofletters.blogspot.comInterview by Neil Daniels 2008
