May 2009

         To Unst, two islands up from Mainland (via Yell) here in the Zetlandic archipelago. A fine, slightly dull day, and all the ferry-louping went without a hitch. There was me, Martha, Sandy and Elaine, and first stop was at the house of Sandy Nelson, comedian, actor, playwright and bon viveur, now resident in…

It’s funny when you see someone else’s take on your book, and – while enthusiastic, thank goodness – it varies from your own perceptions. I’ve never seen Murricane as the hero of the book – for me it’s a two-hander with Flaws, who is in many ways Murricane’s deeply damaged and fumbling alter ego…anyway. See…

At last! The dinghy is in the water and appears to float! For no reason other than I love the book (and the word), she is called Cryptonomicon. An old Kestrel fibreglass sailing boat, complete with tattered sails and, my pride and joy, an original British Seagull 2-stroke engine (runs on an amazing 10-1 petrol-oil…

I’m grateful to Dr JWG Wills for passing on this excellent video. If you speak Norwegian, versions without subtitles are available.

I’ve set up a dedicated blog for my new book Serpentine here…though I’ll probably end up repeating the posts here in an effort to drum up interest! Networking is everything… Here’s the first post: I was quite shocked to find myself listening to the first public comment on Serpentine, from James Lavery on BBC Radio…

Ah yes, Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes…one of the great, and sadly underrated white r&b voices, coupled with a truly phenomenal band…and part of the whole Jersey Shore scene that gave us the Boss. Here are the Jukes in absolutely full flight in 1978 at the Agora Club in Cleveland, on the song that…

Thanks to multi-award winning broadcaster Edi Stark for telling me about this truly astonishing video. I seem to remember Chris Hill, doyen of Edinburgh cycleologists, mentioning Danny as well but I’d never seen Edinburgh protrayed like this before. Astonishing. Parkour with bikes!

It’s out on 4th June, and you can get a copy direct from the Random House website. Here’s the skinny. Thanks to Jeff for the quote: SynopsisA name from the murkiest corners of Britain’s secret war in Ireland: Serpentine. At first it’s just gossip and fearful whispers. But then people begin to die and all…

…and I’ve had to head north, leaving it in Glasgow, exposed to the elements and any renewed attempts to abduct it. Or simply destroy it. Insurance is proving worse than useless, as is every single bike repair company I’ve contacted. Big thanks to Bill for his efforts on my behalf, but that particular garage’s van…

T697 RHC .Stolen from outside my son’s west end of Glasgow flat overnight. Bought to take part in the charity ride described on the Journey’s Blend blog. 28,000 miles, just resprayed in Alfa Romeo Rosso Red, in superb order, and almost certainly destined for the eBay parts bin. A real shame. Thing is, I only…