Shadowplayers

I know, I should be working hard on all sorts of things, like my own youth fantasy novel (still untitled, but already 44 pages are done), but its summer time, so always a bit slow, and I was early buying myself two birthday presents. Scream City 5 is a fanzine dedicated all things Factory and just released. I have number 4 too, and would love to get the first three issues. At the same time James Nice also published his book on Factory Records, called ‘Shadowplayers – The Rise And Fall Of Factory Records’, and obviously you know I love Factory Records. I named Korm Plastics after Factory Communications, not wanting to be called ‘Records’. The book is a great, though, in Nice’s own words ‘an accountants history’, but it sets various popular myths straight. I know there is a lot of Factory music I still haven’t heard, and a lot is crap also, but there is something about the label which I really like and that’s the sheer anarchism of it. All those mistakes, money spending – in many ways it reminds me of my years with Staalplaat, although on a much smaller scale. Anyway a great read at 400+ pages. I read Wilson took eleven different drugs on his 40th birthday. I don’t think I can top that in a few days when I turn 45. Back to my own small world.