My Back Pages

In a bored moment I began to ponder over influences- all artists have them. One thing I have always loved is finding out who my influences are influenced by and then searching those people out. Plus I wanted to answer the question- what's my most major influence, what can I trace back to being the 'first cause' for want of a better statement.

Two influences I've discovered in the last 9 months or so are two people who work in different fields but with quite similar common themes- Raymond Chandler and Edward Hopper- an author and a painter. I've always loved detective stories. Murder mysteries and whodunnits have always been a great joy to me. The hero of Chandler's book is Phillip Marlowe, the classic archetype of the Private Eye. A lone moral hero in an immoral world. Great stuff. As the books were mostly written in the 40's they have that wonderful fashion of the time- hats, ties and big coats, and the same period was when Edward Hopper was painting. I love all of his paintings- they have such a strong sense of narrative in them it really seems as if there's a story going on. Hopper has inspired many other writers as well as myself.

Over the summer I discovered the wonderful writer that is Leo Tolstoy. I read 'War and Peace' and 'Anna Karenina' back to back and loved both very much. He really has a true insight into human nature and the tickings of the human mind, plus his prose is just magnificent. 'War and Peace' is not a book to read- it is a book to be lived, balancing the big scale drama of war with the human drama of it's characters.

Keeping with the idea of introspection and melancholy is David Bowie, or specifically Berlin Bowie. In 1976 and 77, Bowie escaped from America and returned to Europe to kick his cocaine habit and give his career a new direction. 1977 brought about two classic albums- Low and "Heroes". Both albums contain soundscapes that really invoke a true sense of place, and the sparse lyrics reveal in their simplicity Bowie's depression and lethargy over his break from his drug abuse. Bowie spent most of this period in Berlin, and lets the spirit of the city wash over both albums.

At 17 I discovered two of the finest songwriters to have picked up a guitar- Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen. Dylan is the master of voices flitting brilliantly from protest singer, finger wagging at those in power, spurned lover, reborn Christian and above all rock's first ever poet. His most poetic album 'Blonde on Blonde' is only a recent discovery but it contains some beautiful prose. Cohen is the King of Melancholy and nobody can challenge that title. He speaks of love, romance and sex in quasi-mystical terms, bringing an almost religified view to them, as best done in the monumental 'Hallelujah'. Once you've listened to Leonard Cohen nothing else seems that depressing any more.

And once again to depression with three excellent poets- Edgar Allen Poe, William Blake and Dylan Thomas. Three men responsible for (or guilty of) getting me into poetry. Their words combined with an excellent English Lit teacher opened up my mind to poetry.

Then a return to songwriters two whom I discovered around the same time at 16- John Lennon and Roger Waters. Both members of famous bands- The Beatles and Pink Floyd. Waters wrote all the lyrics to the classic album 'Dark Side of the Moon', the first time he'd written all the lyrics of an album for Pink Floyd. The lyrics were born out of his frustration with modern life- time, money, war, mortality and all those sort of things. He wrote the wonderful line: "Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way". Other albums he's done are also excellent, but 'Dark Side of the Moon' is undoubtedly his magnum opus. John Lennon is one of the most iconic performers of all time. 'Imagine' is an athem for a generation and his work in the Beatles is very avant garde- he changed the face of rock and roll, but he wouldn't have devolped as he did if it wasn't for... Bob Dylan who encourage his more personal style of writing. And Roger Waters calls Lennon his favourite lyricist.

And at 13 I discovered two writers who I always say formed the foundation of my writing- William Shakespeare and Stephen King. Two very different writers but I learnt one thing from both of them- to have no mercy with my characters. I am not at all squemish about having my characters meet grisly fates. In a way they both deal with the themes of death and religion (if you look closely enough that is.

I always said that Shakespeare and King were my foundation but it was only today that I realised a very important influence to me that I rarely acknowledge, but it's effect on me still lasts till today, and probably will last for many more years too come. What made my favourite genres detective stories, mystery and horror? It can only be...