Fungus The Bogeyman was my favourite book in primary school. I remember wondering what kind of grown-ups could have written it. Miss Dixon read it aloud to a chorus of delighted ‘uuurrrghs’ and “eeewwws’ from my classmates. The only thing more revolting than ‘snot and bogey pie’ is ‘a cup of cold sick’. I found this copy in London a few months back. While some of the current edition has been blacked-out and deemed inappropriate, all-in-all it’s still fully disgusting. Thank you Raymond Briggs – you taught us how to puke outside the lines.

Last night I attended the Elmore Leonard reading and Q&A with the release of Road Dogs. From the reviews it looks like Dutch has done it again. In this, his 43rd novel, he brings back a Jack Foley from Out Of Sight, Cundo Rey from La Brava and Dawn Navarro  from Riding The Rap. A few excerpts he read had the room laughing out loud several times. The man is just effortlessly funny.“So, what’s he like more? P*%$y? Or being one?”

During the Q&A someone asked what he thought the biggest obstacle to being published was. He said “Well, not writing a saleable book…” Another cat asked how he managed to write the way ex-cons and crimeys spoke so accurately. Mr Leonard answered with a story about a guy he’d met who’d asked the same question. This guy who had done time for marijuana sales explained that he couldn’t convince the authorities that it was for his personal use. “How much did you have?’ Elmore asked. The guy answered “400lbs”. Howls of laughter. He also hailed The Friends Of Eddie Coyle as one of the greatest crime novels ever written.

While he was signing my two books I told him that one was for my father who’d introduced me to Freaky Deaky, which was still my favorite. It turns out  that he had “…no idea where it was going…” when he started it. The glint in his eye showed that he genuinely loves what he does and that’s what translates on the page.

Cheers, Dutch! (and J D’Beck)

Elmore Leonard interview on Don Imus May 13, 2009

Illustration by Kerry Waghorn  www.kerrywaghorn.com

Elmore Leonard is widely touted as the grand master of crime novel writers. A fan since ’96, my favorite is still my first. Freaky Deaky. Laced with sharp, witty language, wildly vivid characters and dark humor, many of the titles have been produced as movies.  Jackie Brown, Get Shorty and Out Of Sight are the best of the batch. Now if someone could only hook Leonard up with Michael Mann or the Coen brothers.

I am currently reading The Hot Kid. This, Leonard’s 40th novel, is set during the depression. It starts out in 1921 with 15 year-old Carl Webster buying an ice cream cone at his local drug store. Carl witnesses infamous outlaw Emmett Long gun down a police officer in cold blood, stopping to talk to the boy on his way out. Cut to seven years later and young Carl is now a US Marshall on the trail of Emmett Long. Dillinger, Pretty Boy Floyd, Baby Face Nelson and Bonnie and Clyde are all on the loose. Hold on to your britches for a wild mix of outlaws, bootleggers, US Marshalls, gun-molls, working-girls, Klansmen and gangsters impersonating federal agents. Another grand masterpiece from Mr. Leonard.

I was recently at London’s Design Museum to see the Alan Aldridge exhibition, The Man With Kaleidoscope Eyes. (Great show but the bastards wouldn’t let us take photos). There were 20ft reproductions of book covers I hadn’t seen since the age of 8 or 9. It turns out that Mr Aldridge was the art director at Penguin Books – hence a huge influence in my early days. I ran out that evening and picked up the book by the same name. What a life this man has had. He gives an account of an impromptu drawing battle with Salvador Dali. And then there is the story of old Alan dancing with Princess Margaret at Kensington Palace. All this and some insane illustration, graphic desgn and animation. The back cover contains a great quote from Pink Floyd’s Nick Mason: “Who needs drugs when Alan is available to translate music into visual imagery?”.  Word.