My life working in a shit second-hand game shop

[Nowhere Man]

GOODBYE FRANK

R.I.P SWEET PRINCE :'(

[Sony Walkman Prophecies]

I stopped reading two words in.

It's 'your' not 'you're'!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Further reading would reveal it's a quote from some misspelt signage in the shop.

I really enjoyed this anyway. A fine balance between straight reportage and the sort of creative insights you'd find in 'proper' literature. It could work well as a book I think - along the lines of Bukowski/Miller - though I'm not whether you'd have enough material for a long-form project?

While we're on the subject, has anyone else noticed an explosion of people writing about their lives? I've had no end of people telling me they're on the verge of writing a book on their life-experience. To be fair, some of these people have had very interesting lives (one who works in the sex industry, the other as a full-time agrophobic lesbian) but then you get a lot of people who haven't, and just seem to want to tell their world their story because it's theirs. This may have already been covered by an episode of Peep Show I can only half-remember.

[popcorn]

It could work well as a book I think - along the lines of Bukowski/Miller - though I'm not whether you'd have enough material for a long-form project?

Thanks for this vote of confidence!

I previously wrote a much longer (30k words) account of my time as a lodger in Cambridge, dealing with a series of increasingly mad landladies - including one who appeared on Da Ali G show - but it's remained for friends only so far, as it contains material that might start a lawsuit or two. But last year I went to a wedding where I only knew the groom and strangers kept coming up to me to say how much they enjoyed it, so perhaps that cat's already out of the bag.

I'm currently in the middle of another long account (40k words so far) of my current insane life in Japan, which contains levels of intrigue you wouldn't fucking believe, but that's a long way from behind finished. Because I'm still living it, for one thing. After it's written I might try compiling the three stories into a book. I dunno.

While we're on the subject, has anyone else noticed an explosion of people writing about their lives?

It's a depressingly easy thing to do. Much easier to tell funny stories about your life than actually go to the trouble to use your imagination and write a novel, which of course is what I actually want to do, but am too dim and lazy to manage.

[Paul Calf]

Have you considered releasing serialised highlights via the web[nb]Hint hint[/nb]

I would genuinely love to read it: no myspace\instagram\allpoetry 'lol ur a genuis u touched my hart hunny' bullshit: I'd really like to read more.

[Sony Walkman Prophecies]

Thanks for this vote of confidence!

I previously wrote a much longer (30k words) account of my time as a lodger in Cambridge, dealing with a series of increasingly mad landladies - including one who appeared on Da Ali G show - but it's remained for friends only so far, as it contains material that might start a lawsuit or two. But last year I went to a wedding where I only knew the groom and strangers kept coming up to me to say how much they enjoyed it, so perhaps that cat's already out of the bag.

I'm currently in the middle of another long account (40k words so far) of my current insane life in Japan, which contains levels of intrigue you wouldn't fucking believe, but that's a long way from behind finished. Because I'm still living it, for one thing. After it's written I might try compiling the three stories into a book. I dunno.

It's a depressingly easy thing to do. Much easier to tell funny stories about your life than actually go to the trouble to use your imagination and write a novel, which of course is what I actually want to do, but am too dim and lazy to manage.

Would be interested in reading either of those. Feel free to PM a link if you have one. :)

I know the feeling re: litigation and documenting a saga still under way. I'm writing a thing at the moment (still at the notes stage) about working as a night-shift editor in London, and all the interesting/deranged characters you run into during the wee hours. Some of my off-hour antics have now become so strange however, there is a significant likelihood none of it will be believed. But that's a problem reality itself will have to contend with, to my mind. I'm also not really sure how much, having signed a employment contract, I can divulge about my working habits. Names and locations will almost certainly have to be changed, at the very minimum.

Oh, I've had the mad landlords/landladies too. The last one had severe autism and never left the house, and his living room was lined with 12 leather bound volumes written in Farsi - the complete documented history of his pseudo-aristocratic Persian uncle with the photographic memory. I couldn't make head nor tail of any of it. But every bowel movement and finger twitch must have been in there. Utter madness. 

[popcorn]

Have you considered releasing serialised highlights via the web[nb]Hint hint[/nb]

I would genuinely love to read it: no myspace\instagram\allpoetry 'lol ur a genuis u touched my hart hunny' bullshit: I'd really like to read more.

Thanks!

I considered serialising it, but I'm a bit of a perfectionist. I want to wait until there's a clear arc and then edit it all in a story with a beginning, middle and end. Stuff that happens in the future will change how I write about stuff that happened in the past. Due to quantum.

Some of my off-hour antics have now become so strange however, there is a significant likelihood none of it will be believed.

This is actually why I wrote up my story about the landladies I mentioned. It became easier to just people the story and go "this will explain everything" than tell them in the pub.

But that's a problem reality itself will have to contend with, to my mind. I'm also not really sure how much, having signed a employment contract, I can divulge about my working habits. Names and locations will almost certainly have to be changed, at the very minimum.

Aye. I'd really, really love to write a tell-all expose about my time as a writer in the games industry, because sheesh there were some mental people there. But I think my NDA will prevent that forever.

[madhair60]

POP CORN I'm YOUR FRIEND SEND ME THE CAMBIRDGE THING

[The Region Legion]

That was well written but extremely short. You mentioned someone by name that you never elaborated on, for example. Sounds like there was a story there but you don't go into details, ever. Would have liked a lot of those stories to be extended.

Overall though, you're telling a story I wish I had lived. When I was 17-18, I could think of no finer job to have than working in a Gamestation, HMV or - ideally - an indie version of those things, mostly for the very experience you had, that I'd likely be left alone with the place to run as I saw fit. Unfortunately that never came to pass, and to be honest I doubt I could have dealt with aggressive or obviously criminal customers as well as you did so it probably wasn't for me.

I did try at the HMV and the Gamestation but both refused me, and all the indie shops in my town closed a couple of years too early for me to get into, the march of gentrification obviously taking hold in posho Epsom quite a bit before many other places in England. The Games Room was in Dave's Market - a filthy, concrete wastehole of shit - soon knocked down and replaced with a hideous brick mega-Wilkinsons. Epsom Record Centre forgot what it's USP was and started focusing on chart music and DVDs for 50% more than they were selling in the newly-opened HMV in the Ashley Centre... and that was that.

We did have both a Game and a Gamestation in town for a while.

Happy days.

[Too Many Cochranes]

The opening post of this thread about the hammer has reminded me of a weekend job I had in my teens, doing various stuff at a rural garage/petrol station: working the till, fitting tyres, chopping logs for the firewood they sold and delivering stuff in the Transit.

The owner, Stevie, had a baseball bat under the counter reserved for any trouble which was neatly branded with the words 'Spanish Aspirin'.

He was a funny bloke, Stevie. A dry wit.

[popcorn]

Although one of the tags on this thread has given me pause to share it, I have written a short followup to this story.

It's a bit depressing and for ages I wasn't sure if it was any good. But fuck it post.

[Fambo Number Mive]

Says page not found.

I enjoyed your writings so am keen to read the update. Ignore the nasty tag.

[popcorn]

Whoops, sorry, fixed now. Cheers.

[Mister Six]

It's a kind of milky coffee I have never been able to distinguish from a latte.

I like my women like I like my coffee...

[Mister Six]

Although one of the tags on this thread has given me pause to share it, I have written a short followup to this story.

It's a bit depressing and for ages I wasn't sure if it was any good. But fuck it post.

Fuck me, you're a very good writer indeed.

[flotemysost]

Sadly the blog in question seems to have gone the way of dust in the wind.

http://thurstonroll.blogspot.co.uk/

A shame - one of those cases where I couldn't decide if it was all just a put-on or actually rather genuine...

Guessing this isn't the original blog, but that link reads like one of Talk To Transformer's (frequent) randy moments, with a bit of added racism.

I enjoyed the pieces from OP's blog - thought the dry/deadpan tone worked nicely as a counterpoint to the nuttiness of the events and people being recalled.

[flotemysost]

I like my women like I like my coffee...

Single use?

[Hand Solo]

I like my women like I like my coffee...

Extortionately trafficked from the third world?

[gib]

Although one of the tags on this thread has given me pause to share it, I have written a short followup to this story.

It's a bit depressing and for ages I wasn't sure if it was any good. But fuck it post.

That was lovely. Sad, but lovely. That's all i'll say for now.

Oh, btw, at the start the link to the original story is broken.

[Janie Jones]

Although one of the tags on this thread has given me pause to share it, I have written a short followup to this story.

It's a bit depressing and for ages I wasn't sure if it was any good. But fuck it post.

It's very good, I liked it a lot iand I'm from a generation and culture who knows nothing of the milieu you're writing about so I think that's a very encouraging sign of good writing, that you could pull in someone like me who occupies a position of ignorance.

[Better Midlands]

I like my women like I like my coffee...

Partially digested when eaten and defecated by the Asian palm civet?

[Small Man Big Horse]

Although one of the tags on this thread has given me pause to share it, I have written a short followup to this story.

It's a bit depressing and for ages I wasn't sure if it was any good. But fuck it post.

That was a great read, I mean it's obviously quite bleak but I was captivated by it, so thanks for posting it.

[pancreas]

The owner was a Gameplayer regular who'd gone bankrupt pursuing his dream of running a retro video game cafe.

Is this a CaB easter egg?

[Lisa Jesusandmarychain]

Fucking excellent sequel to the original article from 5 years ago ( which I've read through more than once), that was. Popcorn doesnae half hide his light under a bushel with all them posts he puts up as part of his permanent residency on H S Art.

It's far too late for me to write " David Byrne and Brian Eno consider rewrite", isn't it?

[Danger Man]

I like my women like I like my coffee...

I like my women like I like my bananas

Yellow skin that is easy to peel....

(eughhhhhh)

[madhair60]

Enjoyed reading that one

[Tony Tony Tony]

Loved it. Like a bleak version of All Creatures Great and Small.

[idunnosomename]

can't judge judy tell us who wrote tags anymore

[dex]

Not sure why, but the part

Spoiler alert

where the dog chundered on the carpet and Frank using too much cleaner

[close]

made me chuckle.

[Paul Calf]

That's lovely, effective and powerful writing. I think it's the story of retail in the 21st Century.

[thugler]

Enjoyed the sequel, good work!