Showing posts with label andrew mc gibbon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label andrew mc gibbon. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

"I was Douglas Adams' flatmate" hits the shelves


"I was Douglas Adams flatmate" is sadly not just about Douglas Adams as you can guess if you read the full tittle "... And other encouters with legends". This book, based on a Radio 4 series, also tells you about Ernest Hemingway, Sam Peckinpah, Johnny Cash, Tina Turner, Morrissey,...

I haven't read the book yet but this could be quite an interesting read.

In this collection of interviews, Andrew McGibbon talks to a close friend or collaborator of each of these often near-mythical figures. We hear the story of how Johnny Cash became the Man in the Black Suit from his tailor, Manuel; we hear about Les Dawson’s literary aspirations from his joke writer, David Nobbs; Jon Canter, flatmate, recounts the time he spent living with Douglas Adams as he turned from aspiring writer into international star; and in the final chapter, the author tells his own story of his brief spell as the drummer for Morrissey.

Brought sharply into focus through stories and recollections of incidents and day-to-day details, I Was Douglas Adams’s Flatmate offers intimate portraits, full of anecdote and detail, that show the subjects in a different light, close-up and often very personal. Because, while the legends encountered may be or have been extraordinary people whose public lives have been well documented, they still suffered ailments, drank to excess occasionally, bumped their heads and fell in love."

Monday, March 8, 2010

An upcoming "I was Douglas Adams' flatmate" book?

In 2006, The comedy writer Jon Canter fondly recalled how his accidental role as faithful servant to Douglas Adams and a host of other amusing chaps inspired his first novel.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/book ... alaxy.html

Jon Canter was also interviewed by Andrew McGibbon about the experience on BBC Radio 4, 16 Dec 2008, 11:30. You can still listen to the interview here :

http://speechification.com/2008/12/22/i ... flat-mate/

At the begining of 2010, a strange book appeared on amazon.co.uk which would be published on august 2010 "I Was Douglas Adams' Flatmate" by Andrew McGibbon

http://www.amazon.co.uk/I-Was-Douglas-A ... 910&sr=8-1

I quickly got in touch with Faber & Faber regarding the upcoming book. Here is their answer :

"It is due to be published February 2011. The whole book doesn’t focus on just Douglas Adams; it’s more of a compendium of ‘significant others’ to celebrities."

So it's more a companion book to the radio4 series 'I was..." which featured "i was douglas adams flatmate". I suspect that the title won't be "I was douglas adams flatmate" then but it should be an interesting read nevertheless.