Communing with the laconic master of language

Will Self at The Thunderbolt, 25/02/10

“Fuck me, this is intimate,” drawls the ever-deadpan Will Self as he makes his way through the gathered throng for a quick pre-show cigarette outside, “…We should at least have dinner first.”

We all go quiet for a moment, not knowing what to expect as he heads through the homely pub’s front door. He’s as tall and slim as you would expect, or perhaps remember from his various TV appearances, most notably Shooting Stars.

He’s a long, spidery man; older than I expected as well —in a wiser, less acerbic way. Later, the prize-winning journalist and novelist dons a small pair of reading glasses to deliver some new prose, over the top of which he glances occasionally — putting me in mind of a father delivering strange and scary stories to his gathered eager children before bedtime.

First though, as Self takes to the stage he does not seat himself at the arranged chair and microphone, but clambers aboard the small table, adopting a sort of kneeling ‘Z’ shape position. Then he explains that an advert on the bus shelter outside features a bald man (“Not the frightened, quivering hairlessness I remember men adopting in my youth, but the new purposeful baldness,”) in such a pose, apparently extolling the virtues of insulating correctly in order to save energy.

He’s an incredibly funny man, and satisfied that we are a good crowd, suitably spellbound yet not over-awed, he seats himself and explains the night’s proceedings: “I’m going to read you a few things… I will speak to you… We will commune…” I could never merely type in such a way as to give those ellipses the real gravitas he loads into each pause. His delivery is excellent, and as with all great orators, it’s just as much about what he’s not saying as what he is.

The laconic master of language simply absorbs knowledge like a sponge, retains and lets it ferment, until he’s ready to pour out a concentrated brew of venomous, raw intelligence. In his own time, of course.

The writer, who began his career as a cartoonist, is best known for his darkly speculative fiction including The Book of Dave, Great Apes and Dorian (an ‘imitation’ of the Oscar Wilde novel with all the nasty/sexy bits not just included, but in HD Surround Sound, projected straight into your eyeballs), and most recently, his Psychogeography columns for the Independent newspaper, illustrated by Ralph Steadman.

Psycho Too, (Self’s latest book and the subject of most of the readings) is a collection of travel tales including running into annoying Americans in the Scottish hills when camping with his young sons, a bizarre visit to Dubai and getting lost when walking on the island of ‘Eye-beef-hur’. His eyes twinkle as his metallic voice builds into a crescendo of wit and near-grotesque cynicism, and suddenly the reformed addict is quiet and ready for questions.

A law unto himself, his literary and artistic influences shine through — the forty-nine year old shares a fearlessly renegade confidence with the likes of William Burroughs, J.G. Ballard and Hunter S. Thompson. He talks about them as openly as his darker days, and explains that his love of travel has grown since he renounced illegal substances in 1998, turning to long distance to clear his mind.

The atmosphere in the room is now completely at ease, and any awareness of public persona in the minds of the audience has been shelved for later. Self is unflappable, but very warm: witty, but never dry. That this is the man who was fired for taking heroin whilst on John Major’s election campaign jet isn’t quite so bizarre as he calls upon each and every member of the audience to close their eyes and imagine David Cameron’s smooth, hairless pubis whilst exploring a current political tangent. “Downy at best, I should think.”

Dot to Dot Festival 2010

Hot off the press! Well, from the mouth of Nemone, DJ on sadly to-be-axed digital radio station BBC 6Music. Yes, the line-up for the 2010 Dot To Dot Festival was announced today at 1.40pm live on air.

In association with Fred Perry Subculture, The Mystery Jets, Los Campesinos! Ellie Goulding, Blood Red Shoes, Liars, Egyptian Hip Hop, Daisy Dares You and many more will be rocking stages across the city on Saturday 29^th May, before heading on to Nottingham on 30^th and Manchester on the 31^st.

Our favourite city venues including The Academy, Thekla, Louisiana, Fleece and Anson Rooms will admit all bearing the colourful Dot To Dot wristband, which cost £25.

Last year saw brilliant sets from acts who have hit the big time since, including Friendly Fires, The Temper Trap, The XX, Little Boots and Patrick Wolf.

This year promises to be no different, with a huge DJ set from Radio One’s Zane Lowe to round things off into the small hours.

The festival, in operation since 2005, is well known for attracting the best on the circuit, often bringing many lesser-known acts to the front of the scene, and into the consciousness of muso’s up and down the country.

Tickets are available from the Bristol Ticket Shop or at http://www.gigantic.com/alttickets/home_dot_to_dot_festival_2010_.html though something suggests they won’t be around for long.

Bristol Old Vic SS10

Also worthy of mention is the upcoming season at the Bristol Old Vic, which is a really mixed bag of dramatic delights — from reworkings of Shakespeare and Greek mythology through to expressive break dancing and tense new drama, there is (excuse the cliché) something for everyone.

Juliet and Her Romeo puts a different spin on the classic story, seeing the lovers now into their eighties, but this time with their children exerting the control.

“What family has not wrestled with the question of how we care for our parents as they become older and frailer? Who will love them? Who will support them? Who will pay for their care?

“And with that care, what controls should we apply?  If we have taken power of attorney, what about the freedom to fall in love, to give gifts, to marry unwisely?” asks the show’s website.

This timeless re-telling of love in one generation “crushed by the financial and political concerns of another” has been twelve years in the making, developed by Minder producer Sean O’ Connor and director Tom Morris, fresh from West End hit War Horse.

By cleverly adapting the Bard’s original text and placing it in the capable hands of respected actors Sian Phillips and Michael Byrne, whose distinguished, mature profiles you may have seen on posters across the city, this is theatre derived from a classic story that promises to be original.  From March 10^th to April 24^th.

On a completely different note, Kursk, devised by original theatre company Sound&Fury, is inspired by the Russian submarine disaster of 2000. The tragic turn of events is staged in promenade, meaning the audience are free-standing, able to walk around the unconventional space.

By using “cutting-edge sound design that creates the sonic equivalent of a virtual submarine”,  Kursk looks set to explore the emotional story of the submariner’s icy world and the dark side of the human imagination, from 12^th- 20^th March.

Eurydice is a modern re-working of an ancient classic, as told by exciting new playwright Sarah Ruhl, and directed by Bijan Sheibani. Over five days in April (13^th-17^th) for the first time in Europe, this story of a headstrong young girl who finds herself in the underworld and desperate to get back her beloved Orpheus, will be taking the theatre by storm. Billed as, “Alice in Wonderland meets Greek myth”, this looks set to be playful and moving in equal measure, and utterly compelling.

Different again is White Caps, which sounds like a brilliant (if unexpected) Waiting For Godot meets Step Up 2: The Streets.

“[It] follows the journey of two men as they embark on an epic adventure; a compassionate, exhilarating search for completeness. Expressed through cinematic film and B-Boy performance, White Caps brings one of the world’s most exciting and raw cultures into the theatre.”

Brought to life by Bristol’s  Champloo Dance Company, who have created a series of podcasts documenting the progress of the collaboration with Theatre Bristol, this is new and exciting multi-media theatre featuring the city’s most forward thinking dance talent, from 31 March to 3^rd April.

Last but not least, the Bristol Old Vic Young Company also has a strong season, which is only to be expected from a 450-strong ensemble aged between seven and twenty-five. Two is an exploration of the beauty of pairs, from 23^rd to 27^th March at The Studio.

It’s both refreshing and reassuring to see such variety at just one Bristol theatre — I can’t wait for the season to kick in to confirm that there’s serious quality going on, too.